A first approach to a taxonomy-based classification framework for hand grasps

Many solutions have been proposed to help amputated subjects regain the lost functionality. In order to interact with the outer world and objects that populate it, it is crucial for these subjects to being able to perform essential grasps. In this paper we propose a preliminary solution for the online classification of 8 basics hand grasps by considering physiological signals, namely Surface Electromyography (sEMG), exploiting a quantitative taxonomy of the considered movement. The hierarchical organization of the taxonomy allows a decomposition of the classification phase between couples of movement groups. The idea is that the closest to the roots the more hard is the classification, but on the meantime the miss-classification error is less problematic, since the two movements will be close to each other. The proposed solution is subject-independent, which means that signals from many different subjects are considered by the probabilistic framework to modelize the input signals. The information has been modeled offline by using a Gaussian Mixture Model (GMM), and then testen online on a unseen subject, by using a Gaussian-based classification. In order to be able to process the signal online, an accurate preprocessing phase is needed, in particular, we apply the Wavelet Transform (Wavelet Transform) to the Electromyography (EMG) signal. Thanks to this approach we are able to develop a robust and general solution, which can adapt quickly to new subjects, with no need of long and draining training phase. In this preliminary study we were able to reach a mean accuracy of 76.5%, reaching up to 97.29% in the higher levels

An Open RAN Framework for the Dynamic Control of 5G Service Level Agreements

The heterogeneity of use cases that next-generation wireless systems need to support calls for flexible and programmable networks that can autonomously adapt to the application requirements. Specifically, traffic flows that support critical applications (e.g., vehicular control or safety communications) often come with a requirement in terms of guaranteed performance. At the same time, others are more elastic and can adapt to the resources made available by the network (e.g., video streaming). To this end, the Open Radio Access Network (RAN) paradigm is seen as an enabler of dynamic control and adaptation of the protocol stack of 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) networks in the 5th Generation (5G) and beyond. Through its embodiment in the O-RAN alliance specifications, it introduces the Ran Intelligent Controllers (RICs), which enable closed-loop control, leveraging a rich set of RAN Key Performance Measurements (KPMs) to build a representation of the network and enforcing dynamic control through the configuration of 3GPP-defined stack parameters. In this paper, we leverage the Open RAN closed-loop control capabilities to design, implement, and evaluate multiple data-driven and dynamic Service Level Agreement (SLA) enforcement policies, capable of adapting the RAN semi-persistent scheduling patterns to match users requirements. To do so, we implement semi-persistent scheduling capabilities in the OpenAirInterface (OAI) 5G stack, as well as an easily extensible and customizable version of the Open RAN E2 interface that connects the OAI base stations to the near-real-time RIC. We deploy and test our framework on Colosseum, a large-scale hardware-in-the-loop channel emulator. Results confirm the effectiveness of the proposed Open RAN-based solution in managing SLA in near-real-time

Massive body-brain disconnection consequent to spinal cord injuries drives profound changes in higher-order cognitive and emotional functions: A PRISMA scoping review

: Spinal cord injury (SCI) leads to a massive disconnection between the brain and the body parts below the lesion level representing a unique opportunity to explore how the body influences a person's mental life. We performed a systematic scoping review of 59 studies on higher-order cognitive and emotional changes after SCI. The results suggest that fluid abilities (e.g. attention, executive functions) and emotional regulation (e.g. emotional reactivity and discrimination) are impaired in people with SCI, with progressive deterioration over time. Although not systematically explored, the factors that are directly (e.g. the severity and level of the lesion) and indirectly associated (e.g. blood pressure, sleeping disorders, medication) with the damage may play a role in these deficits. The inconsistency which was found in the results may derive from the various methods used and the heterogeneity of samples (i.e. the lesion completeness, the time interval since lesion onset). Future studies which are specifically controlled for methods, clinical and socio-cultural dimensions are needed to better understand the role of the body in cognition

Battery state of charge management strategies for a real-time controller of a Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicle

Abstract This paper deals with the development of energy management strategies for a hybrid electric vehicle (HEV), aiming to reduce the global energy consumption. The vehicle is a Plug-in HEV, and its model had been validated on New European Driving Cycle (NEDC). A real-time model-based supervisory controller is implemented, called Equivalent Consumption Minimization Strategy (ECMS), and it is compared with the original heuristic control. Three ways to manage the energy stored in the battery along the driving mission are presented. Predictive information is then introduced to increase vehicle driveability. Conclusions summarize the benefits of such approach, showing satisfactory results also considering the driver comfort

Bodily Illusions and Motor Imagery in Fibromyalgia

Fibromyalgia (FM) is characterised by chronic, continuous, widespread pain, often associated with a sense of fatigue, non-restorative sleep and physical exhaustion. Due to the nature of this condition and the absence of other neurological issues potentially able to induce disorders in body representations per se, it represents a perfect model since it provides an opportunity to study the relationship between pain and the bodily self. Corporeal illusions were investigated in 60 participants with or without a diagnosis of FM by means of an ad hoc devised interview. In addition, motor imagery was investigated and illusions relating to body part movements and changes in body size, feelings of alienness, and sensations of body parts not belonging to one's own body (disownership and somatoparaphrenic-like sensations) were found. Crucially, these symptoms do not correlate with any of the clinical measures of pain or functional deficits. The results showed that motor imagery was also impaired, and the severity of the deficits found correlated with the functional impairment of the participant. This indicates that disorders in body representations and motor imagery are part of the clinical expression of FM. However, while motor imagery seems to be linked to reduced autonomy and functional deficits, bodily illusions are independent and potentially represent a concurrent symptom

Anticipation of wheelchair and rollerblade actions in spinal cord injured people, rollerbladers, and physiotherapists

Embodied Cognition Theories (ECT) postulate that higher-order cognition is heavily influenced by sensorimotor signals. We explored the active role of somatosensory afferents and motor efferents in modulating the perception of actions in people who have suffered a massive body-brain disconnection because of spinal cord injury (SCI), which leads to sensory-motor loss below the lesion. We assessed whether the habitual use of a wheelchair enhances the capacity to anticipate the endings of tool-related actions, with respect to actions that have become impossible. In a Temporal Occlusion task, three groups of participants (paraplegics, rollerbladers and physiotherapists) observed two sets of videos depicting an actor who attempted to climb onto a platform using a wheelchair or rollerblades. Three different outcomes were possible, namely: a) success (the actor went up the step); b) fail (the actor stopped before the step without going up) and c) fall (the actor fell without going up). Each video set comprised 5 different durations increasing in complexity: in the shortest (600ms) only preparatory body movements were shown and in the longest (3000ms) the complete action was shown. The participants were requested to anticipate the outcome (success, fail, fall). The main result showed that the SCI group performed better with the wheelchair videos and poorer with rollerblade videos than both groups, even if the physiotherapists group never used rollerblades. In line with the ECT, this suggests that the action anticipation skills are not only influenced by motor expertise, but also by motor connection

Rubber hand illusion induced by touching the face ipsilaterally to a deprived hand: evidence for plastic "somatotopic" remapping in tetraplegics

Background: Studies in animals and humans indicate that the interruption of body-brain connections following spinal cord injury (SCI) leads to plastic cerebral reorganization.Objective: To explore whether inducing the Rubber Hand Illusion (RHI) via synchronous multisensory visuo-tactile bodily stimulation may reveal any perceptual correlates of plastic remapping in SCI.Methods: In 16 paraplegic, 16 tetraplegic and 16 healthy participants we explored whether RHI may be induced by tactile stimuli involving not only the left hand but also the left hemi-face. Touching the participants actual hand or face was either synchronous or asynchronous with tactile stimuli seen on a rubber hand. We assessed two components of the illusion, namely perceived changes in the real hand in space (indexed by proprioceptive drift) and ownership of the rubber hand (indexed by subjective responses to an ad-hoc questionnaire).Results: Proprioceptive drift and ownership were found in the healthy group only in the condition where the left real and fake hand were touched simultaneously. In contrast, no drift was found in the SCI patients who, however, showed ownership after both synchronous and asynchronous hand stroking. Importantly, only tetraplegics showed the effect also after synchronous face stroking.Conclusions: RHI may reveal plastic phenomena in SCI. In hand representation-deprived tetraplegics, stimuli on the face (represented contiguously in the somatic and motor systems), drive the sense of hand ownership. This hand-face remapping phenomenon may be useful for restoring a sense of self in massively deprived individuals

Paleoecology and proliferation of the bivalve Chondrodonta joannae (Choffat) in the upper Cenomanian (Upper Cretaceous) Adriatic Carbonate Platform of Istria (Croatia)

Chondrodonta joannae (Choffat) is a morphologically variable oyster-like bivalve with a predominately calcitic shell. An exceptional exposure of C. joannae-bearing strata of late Cenomanian age crops out along the seaside in northern Istria (Croatia) and permits a taphonomical and functional analysis in order to define the life habit and growth strategies of this bivalve. The C. joannae population from the studied succession is characterized by highly-elongated, large and curved shells, reaching about 50 cm in height and 5 cm in length. This shell shape is typical of the club-like bivalve morphotype, which was adapted to soft-bottom substrates with high sediment accumulation. The shell is slightly inequivalve and characterized by a reduced body cavity, a few centimetres high, and a dorsal region up to 10 times longer. The shell opening mechanism was mostly based on the resilium located between the chondrophores which protrude in the body cavity. The abandoned dorsal cavity is filled by a calcite hinge plate, the ventral edge of which acted as fulcrum for the valve flexibility. In the hinge plate, the function of chondrophores changed. They acted as a hinge to keep tightly interlocked the valves, which considerably emerged above the sediment-water interface. The individuals were arranged in low shrub-type congregations, which produced low-relief mounds. The functional morphology and taphonomic signature suggest that C. joannae individuals collected food at a greater distance from the bottom with respect to the co-occurring rudists. We speculate that the C. joannae proliferation could be related to a late Cenomanian phase of environmental instability predating the OAE2 with fluctuating climatic conditions and ocean fertility

The 'healthy side' of anosognosia for hemiplegia: Increased sense of agency for the unimpaired limb or motor compensation?

Anosognosic patients show a lack of awareness for their hemiplegia coupled with a distorted sense of agency for the actions performed by the plegic limbs. Since anosognosia is often associated with right brain damage, this hemisphere seems to play a dominant role in monitoring awareness for motor actions. Therefore, we would expect that anosognosic patients show distorted awareness and sense of agency also for actions performed with the unimpaired limb