High cable forces deteriorate pinch force control in voluntary-closing body-powered prostheses

It is generally asserted that reliable and intuitive control of upper-limb prostheses requires adequate feedback of prosthetic finger positions and pinch forces applied to objects. Body-powered prostheses (BPPs) provide the user with direct proprioceptive feedback. Currently available BPPs often require high cable operation forces, which complicates control of the forces at the terminal device. The aim of this study is to quantify the influence of high cable forces on object manipulation with voluntary-closing prostheses. Able-bodied male subjects were fitted with a bypass-prosthesis with low and high cable force settings for the prehensor. Subjects were requested to grasp and transfer a collapsible object as fast as they could without dropping or breaking it. The object had a low and a high breaking force setting. Subjects conducted significantly more successful manipulations with the low cable force setting, both for the low (33 % more) and high (50 %) object’s breaking force. The time to complete the task was not different between settings during successful manipulation trials. In conclusion: high cable forces lead to reduced pinch force control during object manipulation. This implies that low cable operation forces should be a key design requirement for voluntary-closing BPPs

Microflow imaging: new Doppler technology to detect low-grade inflammation in patients with arthritis

AIM: To assess the efficacy of microvascular imaging in detecting low-grade inflammation in arthritis compared with Power Doppler ultrasound (PDUS). METHOD AND MATERIALS: Patients presenting for ultrasound with arthralgia were assessed with grey-scale, PDUS and Superb Microvascular Imaging (SMI). Videoclips were stored for analysis at a later date. Three musculoskeletal radiologists scored grey-scale changes, signal on PDUS and/or SMI within these joints. If a signal was detected on both PDUS and SMI, the readers graded the conspicuity of vascular signal from the two Doppler techniques using a visual analogue scale. RESULTS: Eighty-three patients were recruited with 134 small joints assessed. Eighty-nine of these demonstrated vascular flow with both PD and SMI, whilst in five no flow was detected. In 40 joints, vascularity was detected with SMI but not with PDUS (p = 0.007). Out of the 89 joints with vascularity on both SMI and PDUS, 23 were rated as being equal; while SMI scored moderately or markedly better in 45 cases (p <0.001). CONCLUSION: SMI is a new Doppler technique that increases conspicuity of Doppler vascularity in symptomatic joints when compared to PDUS. This allows detection of low grade inflammation not visualised with Power Doppler in patients with arthritis. KEY POINTS: • SMI detects vascularity with improved resolution and sensitivity compared to Power Doppler. • SMI can detect low-grade inflammation not seen with Power Doppler. • Earlier detection of active inflammation could have significant impact on treatment paradigms

Negative feedback at kinetochores underlies a responsive spindle checkpoint signal

Kinetochores are specialized multi-protein complexes that play a crucial role in maintaining genome stability. They bridge attachments between chromosomes and microtubules during mitosis and they activate the spindle assembly checkpoint (SAC) to arrest division until all chromosomes are attached. Kinetochores are able to efficiently integrate these two processes because they can rapidly respond to changes in microtubule occupancy by switching localized SAC signalling ON or OFF. We show that this responsiveness arises because the SAC primes kinetochore phosphatases to induce negative feedback and silence its own signal. Active SAC signalling recruits PP2A-B56 to kinetochores where it antagonizes Aurora B to promote PP1 recruitment. PP1 in turn silences the SAC and delocalizes PP2A-B56. Preventing or bypassing key regulatory steps demonstrates that this spatiotemporal control of phosphatase feedback underlies rapid signal switching at the kinetochore by: allowing the SAC to quickly transition to the ON state in the absence of antagonizing phosphatase activity; and ensuring phosphatases are then primed to rapidly switch the SAC signal OFF when kinetochore kinase activities are diminished by force-producing microtubule attachments.</p

The Kolumbo submarine volcano of Santorini island is a large pool of bacterial strains with antimicrobial activity

Microbes in hydrothermal vents with their unique secondary metabolism may represent an untapped potential source of new natural products. In this study, samples were collected from the hydrothermal field of Kolumbo submarine volcano in the Aegean Sea, in order to isolate bacteria with antimicrobial activity. Eight hundred and thirty-two aerobic heterotrophic bacteria were isolated and then differentiated through BOX-PCR analysis at the strain level into 230 genomic fingerprints, which were screened against 13 different type strains (pathogenic and nonpathogenic) of Gram-positive, Gram-negative bacteria and fungi. Forty-two out of 176 bioactive-producing genotypes (76 %) exhibited antimicrobial activity against at least four different type strains and were selected for 16S rDNA sequencing and screening for nonribosomal peptide (NRPS) and polyketide (PKS) synthases genes. The isolates were assigned to genus Bacillus and Proteobacteria, and 20 strains harbored either NRPS, PKS type I or both genes. This is the first report on the diversity of culturable mesophilic bacteria associated with antimicrobial activity from Kolumbo area; the extremely high proportion of antimicrobial-producing strains suggested that this unique environment may represent a potential reservoir of novel bioactive compounds

Well being of obstetric patients on minimal blood transfusions (WOMB trial)

Background: Primary postpartum haemorrhage is an obstetrical emergency often causing acute anaemia that may require immediate red blood cell (RBC) transfusion. This anaemia results in symptoms such as fatigue, whic

Effects of High-Intensity Interval Training versus Continuous Training on Physical Fitness, Cardiovascular Function and Quality of Life in Heart Failure Patients

Introduction Physical fitness is an important prognostic factor in heart failure (HF). To improve fitness, different types of exercise have been explored, with recent focus on high-intensity interval training (HIT). We comprehensively compared effects of HIT versus continuous training (CT) in HF patients NYHA II-III on physical fitness, cardiovascular function and structure, and quality of life, and hypothesize that HIT leads to superior improvements compared to CT. Methods Twenty HF patients (male:female 19:1, 64±8 yrs, ejection fraction 38±6%) were allocated to 12-weeks of HIT (10*1-minute at 90% maximal workload—alternated by 2.5 minutes at 30% maximal workload) or CT (30 minutes at 60–75% of maximal workload). Before and after intervention, we examined physical fitness (incremental cycling test), cardiac function and structure (echocardiography), vascular function and structure (ultrasound) and quality of life (SF-36, Minnesota living with HF questionnaire (MLHFQ)). Results Training improved maximal workload, peak oxygen uptake (VO2peak) related to the predicted VO2peak, oxygen uptake at the anaerobic threshold, and maximal oxygen pulse (all P<0.05), whilst no differences were present between HIT and CT (N.S.). We found no major changes in resting cardiovascular function and structure. SF-36 physical function score improved after training (P<0.05), whilst SF-36 total score and MLHFQ did not change after training (N.S.). Conclusion Training induced significant improvements in parameters of physical fitness, although no evidence for superiority of HIT over CT was demonstrated. No major effect of training was found on cardiovascular structure and function or quality of life in HF patients NYHA II-III

Regional prediction of landslide hazard using probability analysis of intense rainfall in the Hoa Binh province, Vietnam.

The main objective of this study is to assess regional landslide hazards in the Hoa Binh province of Vietnam. A landslide inventory map was constructed from various sources with data mainly for a period of 21 years from 1990 to 2010. The historic inventory of these failures shows that rainfall is the main triggering factor in this region. The probability of the occurrence of episodes of rainfall and the rainfall threshold were deduced from records of rainfall for the aforementioned period. The rainfall threshold model was generated based on daily and cumulative values of antecedent rainfall of the landslide events. The result shows that 15-day antecedent rainfall gives the best fit for the existing landslides in the inventory. The rainfall threshold model was validated using the rainfall and landslide events that occurred in 2010 that were not considered in building the threshold model. The result was used for estimating temporal probability of a landslide to occur using a Poisson probability model. Prior to this work, five landslide susceptibility maps were constructed for the study area using support vector machines, logistic regression, evidential belief functions, Bayesian-regularized neural networks, and neuro-fuzzy models. These susceptibility maps provide information on the spatial prediction probability of landslide occurrence in the area. Finally, landslide hazard maps were generated by integrating the spatial and the temporal probability of landslide. A total of 15 specific landslide hazard maps were generated considering three time periods of 1, 3, and 5 years

Teacher Wellbeing: The Importance of Teacher–Student Relationships

Many studies have examined the importance of teacher-student relationships for the development of children. Much less is known, however, about how these relationships impact the professional and personal lives of teachers. This review considers the importance of teacher-student relationships for the wellbeing of teachers guided by the Transactional Model of Stress and Coping of Lazarus (1991). Based on theories on interpersonal relationships, it is postulated that teachers have a basic need for relatedness with the students in their class that originates from the close proximity between teacher and student. It is discussed that teachers internalize experiences with students in representational models of relationships that guide emotional responses in daily interactions with students, and changes teacher wellbeing in the long run. In addition, the notion of mental representations of relationships at different levels of generalization could offer a window to understand how individual teacher-student relationships may affect the professional and personal self-esteem of teachers. Lastly, it is argued that the influence of student misbehavior on teacher stress may be more fully understood from a relationship perspective. The review shows that few studies have directly tested these propositions and offers suggestions for future research

The behaviour of repeat visitors to museums: Review and empirical findings

This study presents a theoretical and operational framework for analysing repeat visit to museums. Starting from the literature on repeat visit in tourism, the specificities of these cultural attractions are made explicit through a review of theoretical and applied works. Consistently with previous contributors, the paper suggests that the analysis of actual past behaviours has to be preferred to the one of attitudes. The application of proper econometric models is also remarked in order to put into account individual profiles. Information coming from three techniques is then used in an integrated way in order to provide a more comprehensive view of the phenomenon. Evidence from an ad hoc survey suggests the necessity to give a greater attention to perceived cultural value during the visit, promoting cultural events during the week and addressed to children, and taking care of those visitors that come from far places also through an integrated tourist supply. © 2013 Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht

Effets de différentes fréquences annuelles de stimulation éthylénique sur les paramètres agrophysiologiques et de sensibilité à l’encoche sèche d’Hevea brasiliensis au sud-est de la Côte d’Ivoire:Cas des clones PB 235 et PB 260 de la classe ..

Titre complet ici: Effets de différentes fréquences annuelles de stimulation éthylénique sur les paramètres agrophysiologiques et de sensibilité à l’encoche sèche d’Hevea brasiliensis au sud-est de la Côte d’Ivoire : cas des clones PB 235 et PB 260 de la classe d’activité métabolique rapideLa stimulation hormonale de la production de caoutchouc abusive et inadaptée réduit considérablementla productivité de l’hévéa. Pour prévenir cette contrainte, une étude des régimes annuels de stimulationpermettant aux clones PB 235 et PB 260 d’Hevea brasiliensis, à métabolisme actif, d’exprimer au mieux leurspotentialités, a été entreprise au sud-est de la Côte d’Ivoire. Les hévéas, plantés à 510 arbres/ha selon undispositif complètement randomisé, ont été saignés en S/2 d4 et stimulés à l’Ethéphon aux fréquences annuellesde 0, 1, 2, 4, 6, 8, 13 et 26. Les paramètres mesurés ont été la production de caoutchouc, la croissanceisodiamétrique, le profil physiologique et la sensibilité à l’encoche sèche des arbres. Les résultats ont révéléque la stimulation a une influence sur la production, la croissance isodiamétrique et les paramètresphysiologiques des clones PB 235 et PB 260. La teneur en saccharose du latex a été un paramètre déterminantde la réponse à cette stimulation puisqu’elle a participé de l’amélioration de la productivité et surtout del’amoindrissement du stress pouvant susciter la fatigue physiologique, voire l’encoche sèche. La sensibilité à cesyndrome est une caractéristique intrinsèque de ces clones. Pour exprimer au mieux leurs potentialités, lesfréquences annuelles de stimulation respectives de 1 et 2 sont adaptées aux PB 235 et PB 260.Mots clés : Hevea brasiliensis, demi-spirale descendante, stimulation hormonale, croissance isodiamétrique,profil physiologique, encoche sèche, Côte d’Ivoire