Sensory motor systems of artificial and natural hands

The surgeon Ambroise Paré designed an anthropomorphic hand for wounded soldiers in the 16th century. Since that time, there have been advances in technology through the use of computer-aided design, modern materials, electronic controllers and sensors to realise artificial hands which have good functionality and reliability. Data from touch, object slip, finger position and temperature sensors, mounted in the fingers and on the palm, can be used in feedback loops to automatically hold objects. A study of the natural neuromuscular systems reveals a complexity which can only in part be realised today with technology. Highlights of the parallels and differences between natural and artificial hands are discussed with reference to the Southampton Hand. The anatomical structure of parts of the natural systems can be made artificially such as the antagonist muscles using tendons. Theses solutions look promising as they are based on the natural form but in practice lack the desired physical specification. However, concepts of the lower spinal loops can be mimicked in principle. Some future devices will require greater skills from the surgeon to create the interface between the natural system and an artificial device. Such developments may offer a more natural control with ease of use for the limb deficient person

Structures of CD6 and Its Ligand CD166 Give Insight into Their Interaction

SummaryCD6 is a transmembrane protein with an extracellular region containing three scavenger receptor cysteine rich (SRCR) domains. The membrane proximal domain of CD6 binds the N-terminal immunoglobulin superfamily (IgSF) domain of another cell surface receptor, CD166, which also engages in homophilic interactions. CD6 expression is mainly restricted to T cells, and the interaction between CD6 and CD166 regulates T-cell activation. We have solved the X-ray crystal structures of the three SRCR domains of CD6 and two N-terminal domains of CD166. This first structure of consecutive SRCR domains reveals a nonlinear organization. We characterized the binding sites on CD6 and CD166 and showed that a SNP in CD6 causes glycosylation that hinders the CD6/CD166 interaction. Native mass spectrometry analysis showed that there is competition between the heterophilic and homophilic interactions. These data give insight into how interactions of consecutive SRCR domains are perturbed by SNPs and potential therapeutic reagents

Review of electromyography control systems based on pattern recognition for prosthesis control application

Electromyographic control is a technique that involve with the detection, processing and classification of the electromyography signal that could be applied in human-assisting robots, prosthesis application or rehabilitation devices. This paper reviews recent research and development electromyographic control systems with an emphasis on pattern recognition control for prosthesis application. Various methods used in the different stages of the pattern recognition based control system are discussed in details

Simple and computationally efficient movement classification approach for EMG-controlled prosthetic hand: ANFIS vs. artificial neural network

The aim of this paper is to propose an exploratory study on simple, accurate and computationally efficient movement classification technique for prosthetic hand application. The surface myoelectric signals were acquired from 2 muscles—Flexor Carpi Ulnaris and Extensor Carpi Radialis of 4 normal-limb subjects. These signals were segmented and the features extracted using a new combined time-domain method of feature extraction. The fuzzy C-mean clustering method and scatter plots were used to evaluate the performance of the proposed multi-feature versus other accurate multi-features. Finally, the movements were classified using the adaptive neuro-fuzzy inference system (ANFIS) and the artificial neural network. Comparison results indicate that ANFIS not only displays higher classification accuracy (88.90%) than the artificial neural network, but it also improves computation time significantly

Hand movements classification for myoelectric control system using adaptive resonance theory

This research proposes an exploratory study of a simple, accurate, and computationally efficient movement classification technique for prosthetic hand application. Surface myoelectric signals were acquired from the four muscles, namely, flexor carpi ulnaris, extensor carpi radialis, biceps brachii, and triceps brachii, of four normal-limb subjects. The signals were segmented, and the features were extracted with a new combined time-domain feature extraction method. Fuzzy C-means clustering method and scatter plot were used to evaluate the performance of the proposed multi-feature versus Hudgins’ multi-feature. The movements were classified with a hybrid Adaptive Resonance Theory-based neural network. Comparative results indicate that the proposed hybrid classifier not only has good classification accuracy (89.09 %) but also a significantly improved computation time

Comparison of three commercially available placental growth factor-based tests in women with suspected preterm pre-eclampsia: the COMPARE study

To compare the performance of three placental growth factor (PlGF)-based tests in predicting delivery within 14 days from testing in women with suspected preterm pre-eclampsia before 35 weeks' gestation. Methods: This was a retrospective analysis of samples collected from three prospective pregnancy cohort studies. Participants were pregnant women with suspected preterm pre-eclampsia recruited in tertiary maternity units in the UK and Ireland. Samples were analyzed simultaneously according to the manufacturers' directions. The tests compared were the DELFIA Xpress PlGF 1-2-3 test, the Triage PlGF test and the Elecsys immunoassay soluble fms-like tyrosine kinase-1 (sFlt-1)/PlGF ratio. Areas under receiver–operating characteristics curves (AUCs) were compared. The main outcome measure was detection of a difference of 0.05 in AUC between tests for delivery within 14 days of testing. Results Plasma samples from 396 women and serum samples from 244 women were assayed. In predicting delivery within 14 days secondary to suspected pre-eclampsia prior to 35 weeks' gestation, no significant differences were observed in AUCs (P = 0.795), sensitivities (P = 0.249), positive predictive values (P = 0.765) or negative predictive values (P = 0.920) between the three tests. The specificity of the Elecsys sFlt-1/PlGF ratio test was higher than that of the other two tests (P < 0.001). Conclusions: The tests perform similarly in their prediction of need for delivery within 14 days in women with suspected pre-eclampsia. The high negative predictive values support the role of PlGF-based tests as ‘rule-out’ tests for pre-eclampsia

Needs assessment to strengthen capacity in water and sanitation research in Africa:experiences of the African SNOWS consortium

Despite its contribution to global disease burden, diarrhoeal disease is still a relatively neglected area for research funding, especially in low-income country settings. The SNOWS consortium (Scientists Networked for Outcomes from Water and Sanitation) is funded by the Wellcome Trust under an initiative to build the necessary research skills in Africa. This paper focuses on the research training needs of the consortium as identified during the first three years of the project