The effects of graded motor imagery and its components on chronic pain: A systematic review and meta-analysis

This is the post-print version of the final paper published in The Journal of Pain. The published article is available from the link below. Changes resulting from the publishing process, such as peer review, editing, corrections, structural formatting, and other quality control mechanisms may not be reflected in this document. Changes may have been made to this work since it was submitted for publication. Copyright @ 2013 The American Pain Society.Graded motor imagery (GMI) is becoming increasingly used in the treatment of chronic pain conditions. The objective of this systematic review was to synthesize all evidence concerning the effects of GMI and its constituent components on chronic pain. Systematic searches were conducted in 10 electronic databases. All randomized controlled trials (RCTs) of GMI, left/right judgment training, motor imagery, and mirror therapy used as a treatment for chronic pain were included. Methodological quality was assessed using the Cochrane risk of bias tool. Six RCTs met our inclusion criteria, and the methodological quality was generally low. No effect was seen for left/right judgment training, and conflicting results were found for motor imagery used as stand-alone techniques, but positive effects were observed for both mirror therapy and GMI. A meta-analysis of GMI versus usual physiotherapy care favored GMI in reducing pain (2 studies, n = 63; effect size, 1.06 [95% confidence interval, .41, 1.71]; heterogeneity, I2 = 15%). Our results suggest that GMI and mirror therapy alone may be effective, although this conclusion is based on limited evidence. Further rigorous studies are needed to investigate the effects of GMI and its components on a wider chronic pain population.NHMR

The development of assistive technology to reveal knowledge of physical world concepts in young people who have profound motor impairments.

Cognitively able children and young people who have profound motor impairments and complex communication needs (the target group or TG) face many barriers to learning, communication, personal development, physical interaction and play experiences, compared to their typically developing peers. Physical interaction (and play) are known to be important components of child development, but this group currently has few suitable ways in which to participate in these activities. Furthermore, the TG may have knowledge about real world physical concepts despite having limited physical interaction experiences but it can be difficult to reveal this knowledge and conventional assessment techniques are not suitable for this group, largely due to accessibility issues. This work presents a pilot study involving a robotics-based system intervention which enabled members of the TG to experience simulated physical interaction and was designed to identify and develop the knowledge and abilities of the TG relating to physical concepts involving temporal, spatial or movement elements. The intervention involved the participants using an eye gaze controlled robotic arm with a custom made haptic feedback device to complete a set of tasks. To address issues with assessing the TG, two new digital Assistive Technology (AT) accessible assessments were created for this research, one using static images, the other video clips. Two participants belonging to the TG took part in the study. The outcomes indicated a high level of capability in performing the tasks, with the participants exhibiting a level of knowledge and ability which was much higher than anticipated. One explanation for this finding could be that they have acquired this knowledge through past experiences and ‘observational learning’. The custom haptic device was found to be useful for assessing the participants’ sense of ‘touch’ in a way which is less invasive than conventional ‘pin-prick’ techniques. The new digital AT accessible assessments seemed especially suitable for one participant, while results were mixed for the other. This suggests that a combination of ‘traditional’ assessment and a ‘practical’ intervention assessment approach may help to provide a clearer, more rounded understanding of individuals within the TG. The work makes contributions to knowledge in the field of disability and Assistive Technology, specifically regarding: AT accessible assessments; haptic device design for the TG; the combination of robotics, haptics and eye gaze for use by the TG to interact with the physical world; a deeper understanding of the TG in general; insights into designing for and working with the TG. The work and information gathered can help therapists and education staff to identify strengths and gaps in knowledge and skills, to focus learning and therapy activities appropriately, and to change the perceptions of those who work with this group, encouraging them to broaden their expectations of the TG

Pins & Needles: Towards Limb Disownership in Augmented Reality

The seemingly stable construct of our bodily self depends on the continued, successful integration of multisensory feedback about our body, rather than its purely physical composition. Accordingly, pathological disruption of such neural processing is linked to striking alterations of the bodily self, ranging from limb misidentification to disownership, and even the desire to amputate a healthy limb. While previous embodiment research has relied on experimental setups using supernumerary limbs in variants of the Rubber Hand Illusion, we here used Augmented Reality to directly manipulate the feeling of ownership for one's own, biological limb. Using a Head-Mounted Display, participants received visual feedback about their own arm, from an embodied first-person perspective. In a series of three studies, in independent cohorts, we altered embodiment by providing visuotactile feedback that could be synchronous (control condition) or asynchronous (400ms delay, Real Hand Illusion). During the illusion, participants reported a significant decrease in ownership of their own limb, along with a lowered sense of agency. Supporting the right-parietal body network, we found an increased illusion strength for the left upper limb as well as a modulation of the feeling of ownership during anodal transcranial direct current stimulation. Extending previous research, these findings demonstrate that a controlled, visuotactile conflict about one's own limb can be used to directly and systematically modulate ownership - without a proxy. This not only corroborates the malleability of body representation but questions its permanence. These findings warrant further exploration of combined VR and neuromodulation therapies for disorders of the bodily self

A Sonic Net Excludes Birds from an Airfield: Implications for Reducing Bird Strike and Crop Losses

Collisions between birds and aircraft cause billions of dollars of damages annually to civil, commercial, and military aviation. Yet technology to reduce bird strike is not generally effective, especially over longer time periods. Previous information from our lab indicated that filling an area with acoustic noise, which masks important communication channels for birds, can displace European Starlings (Sturnus vulgaris) from food sources. Here we deployed a spatially controlled noise (termed a “sonic net”), designed to overlap with the frequency range of bird vocalizations, at an airfield. By conducting point counts, we monitored the presence of birds for four weeks before deployment of our sonic net, and for four weeks during deployment. We found an 82% reduction in bird presence in the sonic net area compared with change in the reference areas. This effect was as strong in the fourth week of exposure as in the first week. We also calculated the potential costs avoided resulting from this exclusion. We propose that spatially controlled acoustic manipulations that mask auditory communication for birds may be an effective long term and fairly benign way of excluding problem birds from areas of socioeconomic importance, such as airfields, agricultural sites, and commercial properties

A Sonic Net Excludes Birds from an Airfield: Implications for Reducing Bird Strike and Crop Losses

Collisions between birds and aircraft cause billions of dollars of damages annually to civil, commercial, and military aviation. Yet technology to reduce bird strike is not generally effective, especially over longer time periods. Previous information from our lab indicated that filling an area with acoustic noise, which masks important communication channels for birds, can displace European Starlings (Sturnus vulgaris) from food sources. Here we deployed a spatially controlled noise (termed a “sonic net”), designed to overlap with the frequency range of bird vocalizations, at an airfield. By conducting point counts, we monitored the presence of birds for four weeks before deployment of our sonic net, and for four weeks during deployment. We found an 82% reduction in bird presence in the sonic net area compared with change in the reference areas. This effect was as strong in the fourth week of exposure as in the first week. We also calculated the potential costs avoided resulting from this exclusion. We propose that spatially controlled acoustic manipulations that mask auditory communication for birds may be an effective long term and fairly benign way of excluding problem birds from areas of socioeconomic importance, such as airfields, agricultural sites, and commercial properties

The seroepidemiology of a neglected zoonotic and livestock pathogen in free-ranging bovids : Leptospirosis in African buffaloes (syncerus caffer)

Funding: This research was funded by Wellcome Trust, grant number 216634/Z/19/Z to M.H.M and grant number 222941/Z/21/Z to W.G. Sample collection and W.G, T.K., and M.M. were funded by the South African government through the South African Medical Research Council and the National Research Foundation South African Research Chair Initiative [grant #86949]. The APC was funded by the Wellcome Trust. Author Contributions: Conceptualization, M.H.M., W.G. and M.M.; methodology, M.H.M., W.G., A.P. and M.M.; formal analysis, M.H.M. and W.G.; writing—original draft preparation, M.H.M.; writing—review and editing, W.G., A.P., T.J.K. and M.M.; visualization, M.H.M.; supervision, M.M.; project administration, M.H.M. and M.M.; funding acquisition, M.H.M. and M.M. All authors have read and agreed to the published version of the manuscript.Peer reviewedPublisher PD

ATLAST detector needs for direct spectroscopic biosignature characterization in the visible and near-IR

Are we alone? Answering this ageless question will be a major focus for astrophysics in coming decades. Our tools will include unprecedentedly large UV-Optical-IR space telescopes working with advanced coronagraphs and starshades. Yet, these facilities will not live up to their full potential without better detectors than we have today. To inform detector development, this paper provides an overview of visible and near-IR (VISIR; $\lambda=0.4-1.8~\mu\textrm{m}$) detector needs for the Advanced Technology Large Aperture Space Telescope (ATLAST), specifically for spectroscopic characterization of atmospheric biosignature gasses. We also provide a brief status update on some promising detector technologies for meeting these needs in the context of a passively cooled ATLAST.Comment: 8 pages, Presented 9 August 2015 at SPIE Optics + Photonics, San Diego, C

Virtual sculpting and 3D printing for young people with disabilities

In this paper, we present the SHIVA project which was designed to provide virtual sculpting tools for young people with complex disabilities, to allow them to engage with artistic and creative activities that they might otherwise never be able to access. Modern 3D printing then allows us to physically build their creations. To achieve this, we combined our expertise in education, accessible technology, user interfaces and geometric modelling. We built a generic accessible graphical user interface (GUI) and a suitable geometric modelling system and used these to produce two prototype modelling exercises. These tools were deployed in a school for students with complex disabilities and are now being used for a variety of educational and developmental purposes. In this paper, we present the project's motivations, approach and implementation details together with initial results, including 3D printed objects designed by young people who have disabilties