Predicting Wrist Joint Angles from the Kinematics of the Arm: Application to the Control of Upper Limb Prostheses

Automation of wrist rotations in upper limb prostheses allows simplification of the human–machine interface, reducing the user’s mental load and avoiding compensatory movements. This study explored the possibility of predicting wrist rotations in pick-and-place tasks based on kinematic information from the other arm joints. To do this, the position and orientation of the hand, forearm, arm, and back were recorded from five subjects during transport of a cylindrical and a spherical object between four different locations on a vertical shelf. The rotation angles in the arm joints were obtained from the records and used to train feed-forward neural networks (FFNNs) and time-delay neural networks (TDNNs) in order to predict wrist rotations (flexion/extension, abduction/adduction, and pronation/supination) based on the angles at the elbow and shoulder. Correlation coefficients between actual and predicted angles of 0.88 for the FFNN and 0.94 for the TDNN were obtained. These correlations improved when object information was added to the network or when it was trained separately for each object (0.94 for the FFNN, 0.96 for the TDNN). Similarly, it improved when the network was trained specifically for each subject. These results suggest that it would be feasible to reduce compensatory movements in prosthetic hands for specific tasks by using motorized wrists and automating their rotation based on kinematic information obtained with sensors appropriately positioned in the prosthesis and the subject’s body.This publication is part of the R&D project PID2020-118021RB-I00 funded by MICIN/AEI/ 10.13039/501100011033

Pneumatic robotic systems for upper limb rehabilitation

The aim of rehabilitation robotic area is to research on the application of robotic devices to therapeutic procedures. The goal is to achieve the best possible motor, cognitive and functional recovery for people with impairments following various diseases. Pneumatic actuators are attractive for robotic rehabilitation applications because they are lightweight, powerful, and compliant, but their control has historically been difficult, limiting their use. This article first reviews the current state-of-art in rehabilitation robotic devices with pneumatic actuation systems reporting main features and control issues of each therapeutic device. Then, a new pneumatic rehabilitation robot for proprioceptive neuromuscular facilitation therapies and for relearning daily living skills: like taking a glass, drinking, and placing object on shelves is described as a case study and compared with the current pneumatic rehabilitation devices

Multimodal Interfaces to Improve Therapeutic Outcomes in Robot-Assisted Rehabilitation

The paper presents the developing of a new robotic system for the administration of a highly sophisticated therapy to stroke patients. This therapy is able to maximize patient motivation and involvement in the therapy and continuously assess the progress of the recovery from the functional viewpoint. Current robotic rehabilitation systems do not include patient information on the control loop. The main novelty of the presented approach is to close patient in the loop and use multisensory data (such as pulse, skin conductance, skin temperature, position, velocity, etc.) to adaptively and dynamically change complexity of the therapy and real-time displays of a virtual reality system in accordance with specific patient requirements. First, an analysis of subject’s physiological responses to different tasks is presented with the objective to select the best candidate of physiological signals to estimate the patient physiological state during the execution of a virtual rehabilitation task. Then, the design of a prototype of multimodal robotic platform is defined and developed to validate the scientific value of the proposed approach

Electrocardiographic Screening of Arrhythmogenic Cardiomyopathy in Genotype-Positive and Phenotype-Negative Relatives

Background: Arrhythmogenic cardiomyopathy is a hereditary cause of ventricular arrhythmias and sudden death. Identifying the healthy genetic carriers who will develop the disease remains a challenge. A novel approach to the analysis of the digital electrocardiograms of mutation carriers through signal processing may identify early electrocardiographic abnormalities. Methods: A retrospective case–control study included a population of healthy genetics carriers and their wild-type relatives. Genotype-positive/phenotype-negative individuals bore mutations associated with the development of arrhythmogenic cardiomyopathy. The relatives included had a non-pathological 12-lead electrocardiogram, echocardiogram, and a cardiac magnetic resonance. Automatic digital electrocardiographic analyses comprised QRS and terminal activation delay duration, the number of QRS fragmentations, ST slope, and T-wave voltage. Results: Digital 12-lead electrocardiograms from 41 genotype-positive/ phenotype-negative (29 simple carriers and 12 double mutation carriers) and 73 wild-type relatives were analyzed. No differences in the QRS length, the number of QRS fragmentations, and the voltage of the T-wave were observed. After adjusting for potential confounders, double carriers showed an average ST-slope flatter than those of the simple carriers and wild type [5.18° (0.73–8.01), 7.15° (5.14–11.05), and 11.46° (3.94–17.49), respectively, p = 0.005]. There was a significant negative correlation between the ST slope and the age in genotype-positive/phenotype-negative relatives (r = 0.376, p = 0.021) not observed in their wild-type counterparts (r = 0.074, p = 0.570). Conclusions: A flattened ST segment may be an early sign of electrical remodeling that precedes T-wave inversion in healthy genetic carriers. A thorough analysis of the digital electrocardiographic signal may help identify and measure early electrical abnormalities

Dynamic Adaptive System for Robot-Assisted Motion Rehabilitation

This paper presents a dynamic adaptive system for administration of robot-assisted therapy. The main novelty of the proposed approach is to close patient in the loop and use multisensory data (such as motion, forces, voice, muscle activity, heart rate, and skin conductance) to adaptively and dynamically change the complexity of the therapy and real-time displays of an immersive virtual reality system in accordance with specific patient requirements. The proposed rehabilitation system can be considered as a complex system that is composed of the following subsystems: data acquisition, multimodal human–machine interface, and adaptable control system. This paper shows the description of the developed fuzzy controller used as the core of the adaptable control subsystem. Finally, experimental results with ten subjects are reported to show the performance of the proposed solution

Is the Direct Soil Application of Two-Phase Olive Mill Waste (Alperujo) Compatible with Soil Quality Protection?

In Spain and other Mediterranean countries, significant quantities of semi-solid olive mill waste are generated, which should be preferentially applied to agricultural soils to close nutrient cycles. However, two-phase olive mill waste (termed alperujo in Spanish) is known to pose risks to soil quality and plant production when applied to soil in large quantities. Alperujo has high contents of polyphenol substances, which can inhibit microbial growth and are also phytotoxic in nature. However, when applied in appropriate quantities and following specific methods, it is possible that the practice may not pose any risks, and this requires evaluation. As a waste management option, direct application of alperujo can supply plant nutrients and organic matter to degradation-prone Mediterranean soils. In order to validate this circular economy fertilization and soil protection strategy, an 18-month field experiment was undertaken, applying moderate quantities of alperujo on permanent crop groves throughout the Spanish region of Valencia. Eleven experimental parcels with permanent crops managed by farmers were identified to test two scenarios: a single application of 10 t/ha, and a second application of 10 t/ha after 10 months. Soil chemical parameters were assessed at 0, 6, 10, and 18 months. Soil organic carbon, total Kjeldahl nitrogen, pH, electrical conductivity, nitrates, and polyphenol contents were modified by alperujo application, but these effects were highly transient in nature, with generally no lasting effects after 4–6 months for either application scenario. Also, qualitative evaluations carried out by farmers revealed few effects, although some reductions in erosive processes and improvements in plant vigor were noted. As such, based on the measured parameters, it is concluded that the direct soil application of alperujo olive mill wastes at low application rates did not lead to any lasting detrimental effects on soil quality or compromise the productivity of permanent crops in this Mediterranean region.EEA Hilario AscasubiFil: García-Randez, Ana. Universidad Miguel Hernández. Centro de Investigación e Innovación Agroalimentaria y Agroambiental; EspañaFil: Marks, Evan A.N. Universidad Miguel Hernández. Department of Agrochemistry and Environment. Soil Science and Environmental Technologies Group; EspañaFil: Pérez-Murcia, María Dolores. Universidad Miguel Hernández. Centro de Investigación e Innovación Agroalimentaria y Agroambiental; EspañaFil: Orden, Luciano. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria (INTA). Estación Experimental Agropecuaria Hilario Ascasubi; ArgentinaFil: Orden, Luciano. Universidad Miguel Hernández. Centro de Investigación e Innovación Agroalimentaria y Agroambiental; EspañaFil: Andreu-Rodríguez, Francisco Javier. Universidad Miguel Hernández. Centro de Investigación e Innovación Agroalimentaria y Agroambiental; EspañaFil: Martínez-Sabater, Encarnación. Universidad Miguel Hernández. Centro de Investigación e Innovación Agroalimentaria y Agroambiental; EspañaFil: Cháfer, María Teresa. Universitat Politècnica de València. Departamento de Tecnología de Alimentos. Instituto de Ingeniería de Alimentos para el Desarrollo; EspañaFil: Moral, Raúl. Universidad Miguel Hernández. Centro de Investigación e Innovación Agroalimentaria y Agroambiental; Españ

Enhancing Sustainability in Intensive Dill Cropping: Comparative Effects of Biobased Fertilizers vs. Inorganic Commodities on Greenhouse Gas Emissions, Crop Yield, and Soil Properties

The treatment and valorization of organic solid waste has become a promising alternative to increase intensive crop productivity while reducing its environmental impact. Currently, reusing improved organic waste as novel biofertilizers is a vital tool to adapt semiarid agricultural regions to climate change, but this has been scarcely studied in aromatic crops. The present study aims to assess the greenhouse gas emissions, soil properties, and crop yield of a dill crop using a drip irrigation system with a normalized N application rate of 160 kg N ha−1. We compare eight different fertilizing scenarios grouped into organic-based (manures and compost) and inorganic-based inputs (NPK commodities and slow-release formulations). GHG fluxes were measured during the 57-day fertigation period using static chambers. Key soil properties were measured previous to fertilizer applications and at harvest, coinciding with crop yield estimations. An increase in soil organic carbon was observed with stabilized organic treatments at 0–20 cm soil depth. The results show that stabilized organic-based materials lowered NO3− concentrations in dill biomass more than synthetic fertilizers, producing similar yields to those with synthetic fertilizers. In general, N2O emissions were positively affected by the treatments. Local specific emission factors for N2O were determined (0.08%), which were substantially lower than the default value (0.51%) of IPCC. The cumulative CO2 emissions were high in all the organic scenarios compared to the control treatment (277 kg C-CO2 ha−1), probably due to differences in labile organic C contents. Organic-based treatments showed multiple positive effects on crop quality, crop yields, and GHG mitigation potential. The use of organic amendments is an optimized N fertilizing strategy to promote circular economy and sustainability.EEA Hilario AscasubiFil: Martínez-Sabater, Encarnación. Universidad Miguel Hernández. Centro de Investigación e Innovación Agroalimentaria y Agroambiental; EspañaFil: Pérez-Murcia, María Dolores. Universidad Miguel Hernández. Centro de Investigación e Innovación Agroalimentaria y Agroambiental; EspañaFil: Andreu-Rodríguez, Francisco Javier. Universidad Miguel Hernández. Centro de Investigación e Innovación Agroalimentaria y Agroambiental; EspañaFil: Orden, Luciano. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria (INTA). Estación Experimental Agropecuaria Hilario Ascasubi; ArgentinaFil: Orden, Luciano. Universidad Miguel Hernández. Centro de Investigación e Innovación Agroalimentaria y Agroambiental; EspañaFil: Agulló, Enrique. Universidad Miguel Hernández. Centro de Investigación e Innovación Agroalimentaria y Agroambiental; EspañaFil: Sáez-Tovar, José. Universidad Miguel Hernández. Centro de Investigación e Innovación Agroalimentaria y Agroambiental; EspañaFil: Martínez-Tome, Juan. Universidad Miguel Hernández. Centro de Investigación e Innovación Agroalimentaria y Agroambiental; EspañaFil: Bustamante, María Ángeles. Universidad Miguel Hernández. Centro de Investigación e Innovación Agroalimentaria y Agroambiental; EspañaFil: Moral, Raúl. Universidad Miguel Hernández. Centro de Investigación e Innovación Agroalimentaria y Agroambiental; Españ

Active and Regioselective Ru Single-Site Heterogeneous Catalystsfor Alpha-Olefin Hydroformylation

[EN] A heterogeneous ruthenium catalyst consisting ofisolated single atoms and disordered clusters stabilized in a N-doped carbon matrix has been synthesized with very good activityand remarkable regioselectivity in the hydroformylation of 1-hexene. The role of the nitrogen heteroatoms has been probedessential to increase the catalyst stability and activity, enabling thestabilization of Ru(II)-N sites according to X-ray photoelectronspectroscopy (XPS) and XANES. Intrinsic size-dependent activityof Ru species of different atomicity has been extracted, correlatingthe observed reaction rate and the particle size distributiondetermined by means of aberration-corrected high-angle annulardark-field scanning transmission electron microscopy, permittingthe identification of single-atom sites as the most active ones. This catalyst appears as a promising alternative with respect to itsheterogeneous counterparts, paving the way for designing improved Ru heterogeneous catalysts.The research leading to these results has received funding from the Spanish Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities, through the "Severo Ochoa" Excellence Programme (SEV2016-0683) and RTI2018-099668-B-C21 and PGC2018101247-B-100 "Programa Estatal de Generacion de Conocimiento". P.C acknowledges the financial support from the "Generalitat Valenciana" through the project AICO/2020/205. HR-HAADF-STEM measurements were performed at the DME-UCA node of ELECMI ICTS with financial support from FEDER/MINECO (MAT2017-87579-R and PID2019110018GA-I00); XAS experiments were performed at the BL22-CLAESS beamline at the ALBA Synchrotron with the collaboration of ALBA staff as part of projects 2019093692 and 2020024106. XPS experiments were performed at the BL24CIRCE beamline at the ALBA Synchrotron with the collaboration of ALBA staff. J.E.B acknowledges the Polytechnical University of Valencia for the economic support through the grant of an FPI scholarship associated with the PAID programme "Programa de Ayudas de Investigacion y Desarrollo".Escobar-Bedia, FJ.; Lopez-Haro, M.; Calvino, JJ.; Martin-Diaconescu, V.; Simonelli, L.; Pérez-Dieste, V.; Sabater Picot, MJ.... (2022). Active and Regioselective Ru Single-Site Heterogeneous Catalystsfor Alpha-Olefin Hydroformylation. ACS Catalysis. 12(7):4182-4193. https://doi.org/10.1021/acscatal.1c057374182419312

Influencia de la visualización en terapias de rehabilitación virtual asistidas por robots

[Resumen] La neurorehabilitación post-ictus basada en terapias virtuales se realiza junto con dispositivos visuales. El tipo de visualización puede influenciar en la calidad de la percepción de la tarea afectando al rendimiento sensomotor del paciente. El propósito de este trabajo es evaluar si existe diferencias en los patrones de movimientos cinemáticos cuando pacientes post-ictus realizan una tarea de alcance, visualizando un juego terapéutico virtual con dos diferentes tipos de representación del entorno virtual: 2D y 3D. En este estudio han participado nueve pacientes post-ictus recibiendo una terapia virtual asistida por el robot de rehabilitación PUPArm. Los pacientes deb´ian realizar movimientos horizontales con el miembro superior para completar el objetivo principal de las tareas, el cuál consistía en alcanzar objetivos perif´ericos o perspectivos dependiendo del tipo de entorno virtual mostrado. Para realizar un análisis del rendimiento sensomotor de los pacientes se registran diferentes tipos de parámetros a partir de la adquisición de datos objetivos por parte del dispositivo robótico para evaluar la influencia de la visualización de la tarea.Este trabajo ha sido financiado por la Comisión Europea a través del proyecto HomeRehab: Echord++ (GA 601116) y por el Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad a través del proyecto DPI2015-70415-C2-2-Rhttps://doi.org/10.17979/spudc.978849749808

TRL calibration applied to the measurement of chip transistor s-parameters up to 40 ghz

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