Hand posture prediction using neural networks within a biomechanical model

This paper proposes the use of artificial neural networks (ANNs) in the framework of a biomechanical hand model for grasping. ANNs enhance the model capabilities as they substitute estimated data for the experimental inputs required by the grasping algorithm used. These inputs are the tentative grasping posture and the most open posture during grasping. As a consequence, more realistic grasping postures are predicted by the grasping algorithm, along with the contact information required by the dynamic biomechanical model (contact points and normals). Several neural network architectures are tested and compared in terms of prediction errors, leading to encouraging results. The performance of the overall proposal is also shown through simulation, where a grasping experiment is replicated and compared to the real grasping data collected by a data glove device. 

Control of Animal Brucellosis — The Most Effective Tool to Prevent Human Brucellosis

The World Health Organization classifies brucellosis as one of the seven neglected endemic zoonosis which contribute to the perpetuation of poverty in developing countries. Although most of the developed countries are free from this important zoonosis, brucellosis has still a widespread distribution in the Mediterranean region, the Middle East, Central Asia, and parts of Latin America, making it a global problem. Nearly half a million of new cases of human brucellosis are reported each year around the world, in which animals (or products of animal origin) are the most likely source of infection. Brucella melitensis, the main etiologic agent of small ruminant brucellosis, is the most prevalent specie involved in cases of human disease in most parts of the world. Additionally, Brucella abortus (main responsible of bovine brucellosis) and Brucella suis (the most common etiological agent of porcine brucellosis) are often associated with human brucellosis. In animal production, brucellosis has a strong economic impact due not only to its direct consequences (e.g., reproductive failures) but also to indirect loses (e.g., trade restrictions). The problem of brucellosis could be considered a clear example of the need for a “One World, One Health” strategy, given that the only approach to achieve its control and subsequent eradication is the cooperation between public and animal health authorities. The prevention of human brucellosis cannot be achieved without the control of the disease in the animals, as exemplified by the impact that the early measures adopted in the beginning of the 20th century forbidding the consumption of goat milk had on the prevalence of the disease in the British soldiers in Malta. When the prevalence of the disease in the animal population is high or when eradication cannot be achieved due to other factors (e.g., lack of economic resources), its control in livestock must be the first objective. When deciding the optimal approach to tackle the disease, the prevalence of animal brucellosis is not the only parameter to consider by the decision makers since other epidemiological and economic aspects should be considered in order to implement the most adequate control strategy in each region. Cooperation between all stakeholders involved is a cornerstone in the success of any control strategy. Strict biosafety and management measures, vaccination, and test-and-slaughter strategy are recognized as the most effective strategies to control this pathology in livestock. The adequate combination of these measures depends on several factors that will determine the success of the eradication efforts. The present chapter will review the abovementioned measures for the control and eradication of brucellosis in livestock, focusing on the advantages and drawbacks of the diagnosis tools and immunization strategies currently available and evaluating new approaches based on the advance on the knowledge of different aspects of this disease and its etiological agents

Dispositivo para la prevención de la Legionella en instalaciones de agua sanitaria

El trabajo realizado engloba una temática que es de actualidad todos los años, la Legionella. Hemos realizado una investigación en las instalaciones de agua sanitaria evaluando un nuevo concepto para su eliminación, de forma que se pueda disponer de un suministro de agua más seguro. Para ello hemos diseñado, realizado el prototipo y hecho ensayos en laboratorio del funcionamiento de este dispositivo, obteniendo unos resultados bastante optimistas que pueden abrir una nueva línea de estudio en la prevención de la enfermedad legionelosis. Este dispositivo es de fácil aplicación en las nuevas instalaciones y de simple adaptación en las instalaciones ya construidas con muy poco sobrecoste. Una vez explicado, realizado y analizado; hemos resumido las conclusiones que hemos sacado de este trabajo. También hemos detallado las líneas futuras que permite el uso de este dispositivo a nivel de optimización, ahorro y gestión del agua en edificios de pública concurrencia

Grip force and force sharing in two different manipulation tasks with bottles

Grip force and force sharing during two activities of daily living were analysed experimentally in 10 right-handed subjects. Four different bottles, filled to two different levels, were manipulated for two tasks: transporting and pouring. Each test subject’s hand was instrumented with eight thin wearable force sensors. The grip force and force sharing were significantly different for each bottle model. Increasing the filling level resulted in an increase in grip force, but the ratio of grip force to load force was higher for lighter loads. The task influenced the force sharing but not the mean grip force. The contributions of the thumb and ring finger were higher in the pouring task, whereas the contributions of the palm and the index finger were higher in the transport task. Mean force sharing among fingers was 30% for index, 29% for middle, 22% for ring and 19% for little finger. Practitioner Summary: We analysed grip force and force sharing in two manipulation tasks with bottles: transporting and pouring. The objective was to understand the effects of the bottle features, filling level and task on the contribution of different areas of the hand to the grip force. Force sharing was different for each task and the bottles features affected to both grip force and force sharing.We wish to thank the Fundació Caixa-Castelló and the Universi- tat Jaume I for financial support through project P1-1B2009-40 and the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness and FEDER through project DPI2014-60635-R. With the financial support of the Department of Mechanical Engineering and Con- struction at the Universitat Jaume I, Mark Andrews helped the authors with the English language edition of the manuscript

Medición del movimiento de todos los segmentos de la mano mediante videogrametría

Comunicación presentada en el XIX Congreso Nacional de Ingeniería Mecánica, celebrado en Castellón, del 14 al 16 de noviembre de 2012La medición del movimiento de la mano es importante en muy diversos campos, a la vez que compleja por el elevado número de grados de libertad que posee. Generalmente es deseable que la técnica de medición no interfiera en el normal desarrollo de las actividades a realizar por la mano, siendo una buena alternativa la captura de movimiento a partir de imágenes de video y uso de marcadores pasivos (o videogrametría). Estas técnicas se han usado ampliamente en el análisis de la marcha, pero su aplicación al análisis del movimiento de la mano es todavía escasa. La mayor parte de los trabajos de la literatura presentan su uso sólo para un dedo, o realizan grandes simplificaciones cinemáticas. En este trabajo se describe un método para la medición de los movimientos de todos los segmentos de la mano a partir del registro de imágenes de video y el uso de 29 marcadores reflectantes, seleccionados para definir unos sistemas de referencia asociados a cada segmento, que se utilizan para calcular los ángulos de rotación entre cada par de segmentos consecutivos. Se ha tenido especial cuidado en el significado fisiológico de estos ángulos de rotación (25 en total). Así, el movimiento de la mano se describe con ángulos de flexión-extensión en todas las articulaciones interfalángicas y en las metacarpocarpianas de los dedos anular y meñique, y con ángulos de flexión-extensión y de abducción-aducción en todas las articulaciones metacarpofalángicas, en la metacarpocarpiana del pulgar y también en la muñeca. Para analizar la repetibilidad y factibilidad del método propuesto, se ha desarrollado un experimento que ha consistido en el agarre de un mismo cono por cinco sujetos distintos. Cada sujeto ha realizado tres repeticiones diferentes del agarre en cada una de las dos sesiones en que se le han colocado los marcadores y se ha realizado su seguimiento. La técnica ha demostrado ser factible para el estudio del movimiento de la mano durante la realización de agarres, con un error de repetibilidad global de 2.3º

Assessment of MALDI-TOF MS as Alternative Tool for Streptococcus suis Identification

The accuracy of matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF MS) for identifying Streptococcus suis isolates obtained from pigs, wild animals, and humans was evaluated using a PCR-based identification assay as the gold standard. In addition, MALDI-TOF MS was compared with the commercial multi-tests Rapid ID 32 STREP system. From the 129 S. suis isolates included in the study and identified by the molecular method, only 31 isolates (24.03%) had score values ≥2.300 and 79 isolates (61.24%) gave score values between 2.299 and 2.000. After updating the currently available S. suis MALDI Biotyper database with the spectra of three additional clinical isolates of serotypes 2, 7, and 9, most isolates had statistically significant higher score values (mean score: 2.65) than those obtained using the original database (mean score: 2.182). Considering the results of the present study, we suggest using a less restrictive threshold score of ≥2.000 for reliable species identification of S. suis. According to this cut-off value, a total of 125 S. suis isolates (96.9%) were correctly identified using the updated database. These data indicate an excellent performance of MALDI-TOF MS for the identification of S. suis

Grasp modelling with a biomechanical model of the hand

The use of a biomechanical model for human grasp modelling is presented. A previously validated biomechanical model of the hand has been used. The equilibrium of the grasped object was added to the model through the consideration of a soft contact model. A grasping posture generation algorithm was also incorporated into the model. All the geometry was represented using a spherical extension of polytopes (s-topes) for efficient collision detection. The model was used to simulate an experiment in which a subject was asked to grasp two cylinders of different diameters and weights. Different objective functions were checked to solve the indeterminate problem. The normal finger forces estimated by the model were compared to those experimentally measured. The popular objective function sum of the squared muscle stresses was shown not suitable for the grasping simulation, requiring at least being complemented by task-dependent grasp quality measures

Chapter Towards a Realistic and Self-Contained Biomechanical Model of the Hand

Computer modelling & simulatio

Impaired proteasome activity and neurodegeneration with brain iron accumulation in FBXO7 defect

FBXO7 is implicated in the ubiquitin–proteasome system and parkin-mediated mitophagy. FBXO7defects cause a levodopa-responsive parkinsonian-pyramidal syndrome(PPS). Methods: We investigated the disease molecular bases in a child with PPS and brain iron accumulation. Results: A novel homozygous c.368C>G (p.S123*) FBXO7 mutation was identified in a child with spastic paraplegia, epilepsy, cerebellar degeneration, levodopa nonresponsive parkinsonism, and brain iron deposition. Patient’s fibroblasts assays demonstrated an absence of FBXO7 RNA expression leading to impaired proteasome degradation and accumulation of poly-ubiquitinated proteins. Conclusion: This novel FBXO7 phenotype associated with impaired proteasome activity overlaps with neurodegeneration with brain iron accumulation disorders.Fundacio La Marato de TV3 [Grants 20143130 to BPD, and 20143131 to CE], by the Instituto de Salud Carlos III (ISCIII) - Subdireccion General de Evaluacion y Fomento de la Investigacion within the framework of the National R + D+I Plan cofunded with ERDF funds [Grants PI18/01319 to BPD and PI18/00147 to CE], and by the Generalitat Valenciana [Grant PROMETEO/2018/ 135 to CE]. Part of the equipment employed in this work has been funded by Generalitat Valenciana and cofinanced with ERDF funds (OP ERDF of Comunitat Valenciana 2014-2020). SFR had a contract funded by the Spanish Foundation Per Amor a l’Art (FPAA). PS had a FPU-PhD fellowship funded by the Spanish Ministry of Education, Culture and Sport Inmunoterapia

Enhancing Competency-Based Education in Instrumental Analysis: A Novel Approach Using High-Performance Liquid Chromatography for Real-World Problem Solving

Curricula related to instrumental analysis aim for competency-based education to promote the development of teaching strategies that encourage students to successfully tackle the problem-solving and tasks inherent to their profession. However, this endeavor is constrained by the complexity of equipment and the lack of time in laboratory classes. The objective of this work is to present an alternative high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) practice that adapts the desired competencies to a shorter and more effective timeframe. It seeks more active participation from the student and contextualizes chromatographic analysis within a real-world problem that encompasses the entire analytical process, from sample to final result. In this scenario, the student receives a solid sample of spicy paprika from a supermarket and must report the level of spiciness in terms of the total amount of capsaicinoids. To achieve this, they must first apply different experimental conditions for extracting the analytes of interest (varying temperatures and solvents) and selecting the most optimal condition. This practice is designed for short sessions, specifically conducted in two 2.5 h laboratory sessions, and has been implemented in the subject “Advanced Techniques in Instrumental Analysis (ATIA)” in the fourth year of the Degree in Biotechnology at the University of Cadiz. The results obtained demonstrated a significant increase in student motivation and an improvement in the acquisition of skills; 100% of the students achieved a grade higher than seven in the final evaluation of their learning process