Robot-assisted voluntary initiation reduces control-related difficulties of initiating joint movement: A phenomenal questionnaire study on shaping and compensation of forward gait

Humans employ various control strategies to initiate and maintain bodily movement. In case that the normal gait function is impaired, exoskeleton robots provide motor assistance during therapy. While the robotic control system builds on kinematic gait functions, the patient’s voluntary efforts to initiate motion also contribute to the effectiveness of the therapy process. However, it is currently not well understood how voluntary initiation as a subjective capacity affects the physiological level of motor control. In order to understand the functional nexus between voluntary initiation and motor control, we interviewed patients undergoing robotic gait rehabilitation with the HAL exoskeleton robot about their experience and command of voluntarily initiating forward gait while using the HAL system. Their reports provide phenomenal evidence for voluntary initiation as a distinct cognitive act that comes as phenomenal performance. Furthermore, phenomenal evidence about the functional relation of intention and initiation correlates with FIM-M gait scores. Based on the assumption that HAL reduces control-related difficulties of voluntarily initiating joint movement, we identified two cognitive control strategies, shaping and compensation of gait, that imply a heterarchic organization of the human system of action control

Voluntary Ambulation by Upper Limb-Triggered HAL® in Patients with Complete Quadri/Paraplegia Due to Chronic Spinal Cord Injury

Patients with complete paraplegia after spinal cord injury (SCI) are unable to stand or walk on their own. Standing exercise decreases the risk of decubitus ulcers, osteoporosis, and joint deformities in patients with SCI. Conventional gait training for complete paraplegia requires excessive upper limb usage for weight bearing and is difficult in cases of complete quadriplegia. The purpose of this study was to describe voluntary ambulation triggered by upper limb activity using the Hybrid Assistive Limb® (HAL) in patients with complete quadri/paraplegia after chronic SCI. Four patients (3 men, 1 woman) were enrolled in this study. The mean patient age ± standard deviation was 37.2 ± 17.8 (range, 20–67) years. Clinical evaluation before intervention revealed the following findings: case 1, neurological level C6, American Spinal Cord Injury Association impairment scale (AIS) grade B; case 2, T6, AIS A; case 3, T10 AIS A; and case 4, T11, AIS A. The HAL intervention consisted of 10 sessions. Each HAL session lasted 60–90 min. The HAL electrodes for hip and knee flexion-extension were placed on the anterior and posterior sides of the upper limbs contralaterally corresponding to each of the lower limbs. Surface electromyography (EMG) was used to evaluate muscle activity of the tensor fascia lata and quadriceps femoris (Quad) in synchronization with a Vicon motion capture system. The modified Ashworth scale (mAs) score was also evaluated before and after each session. All participants completed all 10 sessions. Cases 1, 2, and 3 demonstrated significant decreases in mAs score after the sessions compared to pre-session measurements. In all cases, EMG before the intervention showed no apparent activation in either Quad. However, gait phase dependent activity of the lower limb muscles was seen during voluntarily triggered ambulation driven by upper limb muscle activities. In cases 3 and 4, active contraction in both Quads was observed after intervention. These findings suggest that upper-limb-triggered HAL ambulation is a safe and feasible option for rehabilitation in patients with complete quadri/paraplegia caused by chronic SCI

Constraint of a ruthenium-carbon triple bond to a five-membered ring

含过渡金属碳三键(M≡C)的金属卡拜化合物是许多有机反应的催化剂或关键中间体。对其合成及性质的研究是金属有机化学的热点之一。由于卡拜碳的sp杂化方式，大部分金属卡拜化合物均为链状结构（卡拜碳键角理想值为180 °），环内金属卡拜化合物因存在很大的环张力而难于合成。夏海平教授课题组发展了由链状多炔（称之为碳龙）构筑碳龙配合物的高效方法（Nature Communications, 2017, 8, 1912），实现了锇杂戊搭炔/烯及其衍生物的一锅法合成。现在，他们把该方法进一步拓展到了第二过渡系金属钌，通过碳龙与市售的RuCl2(PPh3)3反应一锅合成了钌杂戊搭炔I。本研究是碳龙化学的进一步延伸和发展，首次把碳龙化学的金属中心由锇拓展到了其它金属，展示了碳龙化学广阔的发展空间。该研究工作在夏海平教授指导下完成，能源材料化学协同创新中心（iChEM）博士后卓庆德和张弘副教授为共同第一作者。iChEM博士后周小茜、博士生陈志昕、林剑锋、卓凯玥、硕士康慧君、林鑫磊参与了部分实验工作。博士生华煜晖负责理论计算。【Abstract】The incorporation of a metal-carbon triple bond into a ring system is challenging because of the linear nature of triple bonds. To date, the synthesis of these complexes has been limited to those containing third-row transition metal centers, namely, osmium and rhenium. We report the synthesis and full characterization of the first cyclic metal carbyne complex with a second-row transition metal center, ruthenapentalyne. It shows a bond angle of 130.2(3)° around the sp-hybridized carbyne carbon, which represents the recorded smallest angle of second-row transition metal carbyne complexes, as it deviates nearly 50° from the original angle (180°). Density functional theory calculations suggest that the inherent aromatic nature of these metallacycles with bent Ru≡C–C moieties enhances their stability. Reactivity studies showed striking observations, such as ambiphilic reactivity, a metal-carbon triple bond shift, and a [2 + 2] cycloaddition reaction with alkyne and cascade cyclization reactions with ambident nucleophiles.This research was supported by the National Key R&D Program of China (2017YFA0204902) and the National Natural Science Foundation of China (nos. 21490573,21332002, and 21561162001). 研究工作得到国家自然科学基金项目（21490573、21332002 和21561162001）和国家重点研发计划（2017YFA0204902）的资助

A Report of Sagital Splitting Mandibular Ramus Osteotomy Cases with Removed Transosseous Wiring after Active Treatment

This paper reports two severe skeletal class III cases, treated with sagital splitting mandibular ramus osteotomies, with removal of the transosseous wiring after active orthodontic treatment. The reasons for removing the transosseous wiring from these patients are as follows. 1. Protection of patient privacy. 2. Prevention of secondary infection. 3. Prevention of metal allergy. In any case, recently, we have taken off the transosseous wiring in order not to leave a foreign matter in the body. Both cases had good soft-tissue profile and stabilized good occlusion

Voluntary Elbow Extension-Flexion Using Single Joint Hybrid Assistive Limb (HAL) for Patients of Spastic Cerebral Palsy: Two Cases Report

Cerebral palsy (CP) patients with spastic diplegia struggle to perform activities of daily life (ADL) using their upper arms. The single-joint-type Hybrid Assistive limb (HAL) for upper limbs is a new portable robot that can provide elbow motion support in accordance with bioelectric activation of patient\u27s biceps and triceps brachii muscles. The purpose of this study is to assess the feasibility and efficacy of the use of HAL for CP patients. Two patients were enrolled in this study. (Case 1: a 19-years-old male, at the Gross Motor Function Classification System (GMFCS) level IV, Case 2: a 17-years-old male at GMFCS level III). Both these patients experienced difficulty in voluntary elbow extension in ADLs. The HAL intervention (eight sessions; voluntary extension-flexion training of the elbow with HAL and clinical evaluation) was conducted for both sides in Case 1 and for the right side in Case 2. Clinical assessments were conducted as follows: Surface electromyography was used to evaluate the muscle activities of the biceps, triceps brachii, trapezius, and pectoralis major during elbow extension-flexion. The voluntary extension-flexion angles of the elbow, the coactivation index of the biceps and triceps brachii muscles, synergy analysis, and the Action Research Arm Test (ARAT) scores were assessed before and after the HAL sessions; the FIM score was evaluated before and after the entire intervention. In Case 1, the voluntary extension angle tended to increase after the HAL sessions. In both cases, the ARAT scores improved after the sessions. The FIM scores improved after HAL intervention. The voluntary extension-flexion of the elbow using the HAL may be a feasible option for rehabilitation of CP patients

カガク データ カチョウカ プロジェクト プロジェクト タチアゲ ト ショキ データ コウカイ

We report on the current status of our astronomical data sonification project. This project aims to sonify astronomical data, that is, to convert a visual medium into an audio medium for both scientists and the visually impaired. We hope that sonification can lead to a new way of conceptualizing scientific data. The primary sourcesof the data used for this project come from Japanese satellites dedicated to X-ray astronomy and geophysics. This project is performed in collaboration with Nihon Fukushi University and the Center for Planning and Information Systems (PLAIN center) of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) Institute of Space andAstronautical Science (ISAS). Our project began in March 2006. Since this time we have sonified astronomical data sets, including data from X-ray pulsars, and have published these results. In this paper we also discuss future plans for the project, as well as its implications for visually impaired scientists and public

植物園利用報告 No.19 (1996)

1.原始的被子植物の分子系統学的解析 2.クスノキ科植物の分子系統学的研究 3.ハクサンコザクラの個体群動態の解析 4.シュロソウ属3種の繁殖特性の比較研究 5.クロユリ(Fritillaria camtschatcensis (L.) Ker-Gawl.)の個体群動態の解析 6.クロユリ(Fritillaria camtschatcensis (L.) Ker-Gawl.)の繁殖生態に関する研究 7.ヤマトアザミテントウ(Epilachna nipponica) とアザミ属(Cirsium)食草の地理的変異 8.角間の昆虫相 9.石川県におけるイチモンジセセリ幼虫とサナギの死亡要因:その寄生者相と寄生率 10.大気汚染物質の植物への影響実験 11.金沢大学角間キャンパスにおける冬季降水状況の観察とその特性:pH,導電率の測定 12.アキノキリンソウ(広義)の変異に関する研究 13.石川県内の小学校地における植物状況調査 14.ギシギシ属植物の発芽実