Decoding of Multiple Wrist and Hand Movements Using a Transient EMG Classifier

: The design of prosthetic controllers by means of neurophysiological signals still poses a crucial challenge to bioengineers. State of the art of electromyographic (EMG) continuous pattern recognition controllers rely on the questionable assumption that repeated muscular contractions produce repeatable patterns of steady-state EMG signals. Conversely, we propose an algorithm that decodes wrist and hand movements by processing the signals that immediately follow the onset of contraction (i.e., the transient EMG). We collected EMG data from the forearms of 14 non-amputee and 5 transradial amputee participants while they performed wrist flexion/extension, pronation/supination, and four hand grasps (power, lateral, bi-digital, open). We firstly identified the combination of wrist and hand movements that yielded the best control performance for the same participant (intra-subject classification). Then, we assessed the ability of our algorithm to classify participant data that were not included in the training set (cross-subject classification). Our controller achieved a median accuracy of ~96% with non-amputees, while it achieved heterogeneous outcomes with amputees, with a median accuracy of ~89%. Importantly, for each amputee, it produced at least one acceptable combination of wrist-hand movements (i.e., with accuracy >85%). Regarding the cross-subject classifier, while our algorithm obtained promising results with non-amputees (accuracy up to ~80%), they were not as good with amputees (accuracy up to ~35%), possibly suggesting further assessments with domain-adaptation strategies. In general, our offline outcomes, together with a preliminary online assessment, support the hypothesis that the transient EMG decoding could represent a viable pattern recognition strategy, encouraging further online assessments

Chiral ionic liquid assisted synthesis of some metal oxides

A chiral ionic liquid with a natural alcohol based chain was used as a tailoring agent for the synthesis of simple and cost effective materials such as ZnO, CuO, CuO-ZnO with peculiar morphology. The morphology and chemical composition of the microstructures were investigated by bright-field and scanning transmission microscopy (BF-TEM and STEM), energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), and UV-VIS spectroscopy. Furthermore, the photocatalytic activity of ZnO, CuO and ZnO-CuO nanostructures was quantified for methylene blue (MB) dye. CuO needles had the lowest photocatalytic activity (23.8% in 40 min). Due to their peculiar forms, ZnO (flower like shape) and ZnO/CuO (leaf like shape where ZnO nanoparticles were deposited) had the highest photocatalytic activity in 40 min (93.6% for ZnO nanoparticles and 95% for ZnO-CuO nanostructures)

Efficacy and safety results of micellar water, cream and serum for rosacea in comparison to a control group

Background: Rosacea is a common inflammatory skin disorder with centrofacial erythema, flushing, telangiectasia, papules/pustules, and possible ocular or phymatous manifestation. Patients' skin is particularly sensitive to chemical and physical stimuli leading to burning, stinging, dryness, and skin tightness. Objective: Dermatological evaluation of the efficacy and safety of skin care products designed for centrofacial erythema in rosacea patients, in comparison with a control group using objective measurements. Rosacea symptoms (itching, tension, warmth, burning, dryness) and quality of life were examined. Methods Sixty Caucasians with centrofacial erythema were enrolled in an 8-week prospective study, fifty of them exclusively using the study products (micellar water, cream, and serum) with ten participants randomly assigned to a control group. Patients were evaluated at baseline (V0), at 4 weeks (V1), and at 8 weeks (V2). Three-dimensional objective measurements (VECTRA(R)) as well as standardized questionnaires were used. Results: Results were compared with the control group. A significant reduction of 16% in skin redness as indicated by VECTRA(R)analysis was seen in the intervention group comparing V0-V2. Furthermore, rosacea-associated symptoms diminished by 57.1%, while life quality of affected patients within the intervention group improved by 54.5% comparing V0-V2, respectively. Conclusions: A skin care regime suitable for sensitive and redness-prone skin led to an enhanced clinical appearance, to a decrease of associated symptoms in rosacea patients, and to an improved life quality

Associating compositional, nutritional and techno-functional characteristics of faba bean (Vicia faba L.) protein isolates and their production side-streams with potential food applications

Faba beans (Vicia faba L.) show exciting prospects as a sustainable source of protein and fibre, with the potential to transition to a more sustainable food production. This study reveals the compositional, nutritional and techno-functional characteristics of two protein isolates from faba beans (Vicia faba L.), a high-starch fraction and a high-fibre side-stream. During the analysis of those four ingredients, particular attention was paid to the isolates’ protein profile and the side-streams’ carbohydrate composition. The isoelectric precipitated protein isolate 1 showed a protein content of 72.64 ± 0.31% DM. It exhibited low solubility but superior digestibility and high foam stability. High foaming capacity and low protein digestibility were observed for protein isolate 2, with a protein content of 71.37 ± 0.93% DM. This fraction was highly soluble and consisted primarily of low molecular weight proteins. The high-starch fraction contained 83.87 ± 3.07% DM starch, of which about 66% was resistant starch. Over 65% of the high-fibre fraction was insoluble dietary fibre. The findings of this study provide a detailed understanding of different production fractions of faba beans, which is of great value for future product development

A highly integrated bionic hand with neural control and feedback for use in daily life

Restoration of sensorimotor function after amputation has remained challenging because of the lack of human-machine interfaces that provide reliable control, feedback, and attachment. Here, we present the clinical implementation of a transradial neuromusculoskeletal prosthesis-a bionic hand connected directly to the user's nervous and skeletal systems. In one person with unilateral below-elbow amputation, titanium implants were placed intramedullary in the radius and ulna bones, and electromuscular constructs were created surgically by transferring the severed nerves to free muscle grafts. The native muscles, free muscle grafts, and ulnar nerve were implanted with electrodes. Percutaneous extensions from the titanium implants provided direct skeletal attachment and bidirectional communication between the implanted electrodes and a prosthetic hand. Operation of the bionic hand in daily life resulted in improved prosthetic function, reduced postamputation, and increased quality of life. Sensations elicited via direct neural stimulation were consistently perceived on the phantom hand throughout the study. To date, the patient continues using the prosthesis in daily life. The functionality of conventional artificial limbs is hindered by discomfort and limited and unreliable control. Neuromusculoskeletal interfaces can overcome these hurdles and provide the means for the everyday use of a prosthesis with reliable neural control fixated into the skeleton

Digital single-operator pancreatoscopy for the treatment of symptomatic pancreatic duct stones: a prospective multicenter cohort trial

BACKGROUND  Digital single-operator pancreatoscopy (DSOP)-guided lithotripsy is a novel treatment modality for pancreatic endotherapy, with demonstrated technical success in retrospective series of between 88 % and 100 %. The aim of this prospective multicenter trial was to systematically evaluate DSOP in patients with chronic pancreatitis and symptomatic pancreatic duct stones. METHODS  Patients with symptomatic chronic pancreatitis and three or fewer stones ≥ 5mm in the main pancreatic duct (MPD) of the pancreatic head or body were included. The primary end point was complete stone clearance (CSC) in three or fewer treatment sessions with DSOP. Current guidelines recommend extracorporeal shock wave lithotripsy (ESWL) for MPD stones > 5 mm. A performance goal was developed to show that the CSC rate of MPD stones using DSOP was above what has been previously reported for ESWL. Secondary end points were pain relief measured with the Izbicki pain score (IPS), number of interventions, and serious adverse events (SAEs). RESULTS  40 chronic pancreatitis patients were included. CSC was achieved in 90 % of patients (36/40) on intention-to-treat analysis, after a mean (SD) of 1.36 (0.64) interventions (53 procedures in total). The mean (SD) baseline IPS decreased from 55.3 (46.2) to 10.9 (18.3). Overall pain relief was achieved in 82.4 % (28/34) after 6 months of follow-up, with complete pain relief in 61.8 % (21/34) and partial pain relief in 20.6 % (7/34). SAEs occurred in 12.5 % of patients (5/40), with all treated conservatively. CONCLUSION  DSOP-guided endotherapy is effective and safe for the treatment of symptomatic MPD stones in highly selected patients with chronic pancreatitis. It significantly reduces pain and could be considered as an alternative to standard ERCP techniques for MPD stone treatment in these patients

AhR controls redox homeostasis and shapes the tumor microenvironment in BRCA1-associated breast cancer

Cancer cells have higher reactive oxygen species (ROS) than normal cells, due to genetic and metabolic alterations. An emerging scenario is that cancer cells increase ROS to activate protumorigenic signaling while activating antioxidant pathways to maintain redox homeostasis. Here we show that, in basal-like and BRCA1-related breast cancer (BC), ROS levels correlate with the expression and activity of the transcription factor aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR). Mechanistically, ROS triggers AhR nuclear accumulation and activation to promote the transcription of both antioxidant enzymes and the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) ligand, amphiregulin (AREG). In a mouse model of BRCA1-related BC, cancer-associated AhR and AREG control tumor growth and production of chemokines to attract monocytes and activate proangiogenic function of macrophages in the tumor microenvironment. Interestingly, the expression of these chemokines as well as infiltration of monocyte-lineage cells (monocyte and macrophages) positively correlated with ROS levels in basal-like BC. These data support the existence of a coordinated link between cancer-intrinsic ROS regulation and the features of tumor microenvironment. Therapeutically, chemical inhibition of AhR activity sensitizes human BC models to Erlotinib, a selective EGFR tyrosine kinase inhibitor, suggesting a promising combinatorial anticancer effect of AhR and EGFR pathway inhibition. Thus, AhR represents an attractive target to inhibit redox homeostasis and modulate the tumor promoting microenvironment of basal-like and BRCA1-associated BC

Test beam performance measurements for the Phase I upgrade of the CMS pixel detector

A new pixel detector for the CMS experiment was built in order to cope with the instantaneous luminosities anticipated for the Phase I Upgrade of the LHC. The new CMS pixel detector provides four-hit tracking with a reduced material budget as well as new cooling and powering schemes. A new front-end readout chip mitigates buffering and bandwidth limitations, and allows operation at low comparator thresholds. In this paper, comprehensive test beam studies are presented, which have been conducted to verify the design and to quantify the performance of the new detector assemblies in terms of tracking efficiency and spatial resolution. Under optimal conditions, the tracking efficiency is (99.95 ± 0.05) %, while the intrinsic spatial resolutions are (4.80 ± 0.25) μm and (7.99 ± 0.21) μm along the 100 μm and 150 μm pixel pitch, respectively. The findings are compared to a detailed Monte Carlo simulation of the pixel detector and good agreement is found.Peer reviewe