A Multiplexed Sonomyography System for Proprioceptive Proportional Control of Biomechatronic Interfaces

Sonomyography is an ultrasound-imaging-based technique that measures muscle activity. Real-time imaging of deep-seated muscle activity enables robust and intuitive biomechatronic control. However, the form factor of clinical ultrasound systems limits the practical utility of sonomyography. Therefore, recent investigations aim towards developing wearable ultrasound systems to utilize sonomyography for biomechatronic interfacing. In this paper, a wearable, multiplexed sonomyography transducer array for real-time sensing muscle activity has been presented. The forearm-muscle activity was quantified using a computationally inexpensive, correlation-based metric to generate a sonomyography signal. The sonomyography signal was then used to perform a human-computer interaction-based target achievement task involving one degree of freedom control in real-time. Results show that participants achieved the targets with an average success rate of > 96 % for a target width of 10%, with minimal training. The results demonstrate the potential of a multiplexed sonomyography system for intuitive control of biomechatronic interfaces

Neutrino oscillation in a space-time with torsion

Using the Einstein-Cartan-Dirac theory, we study the effect of torsion on neutrino oscillation. We see that torsion cannot induce neutrino oscillation, but affects it whenever oscillation exists for other reasons. We show that the torsion effect on neutrino oscillation is as important as the neutrino mass effect, whenever the ratio of neutrino number density to neutrino energy is $\sim 10^{69}$ cm$^{-3}$ /eV, or the number density of the matter is $\sim 10^{69}$ cm$^{-3}$.Comment: 7 pages, LaTex,Some typos corrected Journal: Int. J. Mod. Phys. A (1999) (will be appeared

Genetic and environment effects on structural neuroimaging endophenotype for bipolar disorder: a novel molecular approach

We investigated gene–environment effects on structural brain endophenotype in bipolar disorder (BD) using a novel method of combining polygenic risk scores with epigenetic signatures since traditional methods of examining the family history and trauma effects have significant limitations. The study enrolled 119 subjects, including 55 BD spectrum (BDS) subjects diagnosed with BD or major depressive disorder (MDD) with subthreshold BD symptoms and 64 non-BDS subjects comprising 32 MDD subjects without BD symptoms and 32 healthy subjects. The blood samples underwent genome-wide genotyping and methylation quantification. We derived polygenic risk score (PRS) and methylation profile score (MPS) as weighted summations of risk single nucleotide polymorphisms and methylation probes, respectively, which were considered as molecular measures of genetic and environmental risks for BD. Linear regression was used to relate PRS, MPS, and their interaction to 44 brain structure measures quantified from magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) on 47 BDS subjects, and the results were compared with those based on family history and childhood trauma. After multiplicity corrections using false discovery rate (FDR), MPS was found to be negatively associated with the volume of the medial geniculate thalamus (FDR = 0.059, partial R2 = 0.208). Family history, trauma scale, and PRS were not associated with any brain measures. PRS and MPS show significant interactions on whole putamen (FDR = 0.09, partial R2 = 0.337). No significant gene–environment interactions were identified for the family history and trauma scale. PRS and MPS generally explained greater proportions of variances of the brain measures (range of partial R2 = [0.008, 0.337]) than the clinical risk factors (range = [0.004, 0.228])

Intestinal perforation due to foreign body ingestion in a schizophrenic patient

Introduction: Ingestion of foreign bodies has been previously reported in some patients with schizophrenia. This behavior may be a manifestation of delusional beliefs or a response to command hallucinations and can lead to severe complications. Case Presentation: This paper reports a patient with schizophreniawho, as a manifestation of his illness, ingested a metallic skewer to kill ademon inside his abdomen that he believed was controlling him. As a result, he developed an acute intestinal perforation and underwent surgery. Conclusions: It is of a great importance to closely monitor the therapy compliance of patients suffering from mental illnesses. This will benefit them by preventing some of the serious complications of their disease, which may include life-threatening conditions such as intestinal perforation that needs surgical intervention. © 2016, Zahedan University of Medical Sciences

Reduced Glutamate in the Medial Prefrontal Cortex Is Associated With Emotional and Cognitive Dysregulation in People With Chronic Pain

© Copyright © 2019 Naylor, Hesam-Shariati, McAuley, Boag, Newton-John, Rae and Gustin. A decrease in glutamate in the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) has been extensively found in animal models of chronic pain. Given that the mPFC is implicated in emotional appraisal, cognition and extinction of fear, could a potential decrease in glutamate be associated with increased pessimistic thinking, fear and worry symptoms commonly found in people with chronic pain? To clarify this question, 19 chronic pain subjects and 19 age- and gender-matched control subjects without pain underwent magnetic resonance spectroscopy. Both groups also completed the Temperament and Character, the Beck Depression and the State Anxiety Inventories to measure levels of harm avoidance, depression, and anxiety, respectively. People with chronic pain had significantly higher scores in harm avoidance, depression and anxiety compared to control subjects without pain. High levels of harm avoidance are characterized by excessive worry, pessimism, fear, doubt and fatigue. Individuals with chronic pain showed a significant decrease in mPFC glutamate levels compared to control subjects without pain. In people with chronic pain mPFC glutamate levels were significantly negatively correlated with harm avoidance scores. This means that the lower the concentration of glutamate in the mPFC, the greater the total scores of harm avoidance. High scores are associated with fearfulness, pessimism, and fatigue-proneness. We suggest that chronic pain, particularly the stress-induced release of glucocorticoids, induces changes in glutamate transmission in the mPFC, thereby influencing cognitive, and emotional processing. Thus, in people with chronic pain, regulation of fear, worry, negative thinking and fatigue is impaired

Corrigendum: Reduced Glutamate in the Medial Prefrontal Cortex Is Associated With Emotional and Cognitive Dysregulation in People With Chronic Pain.

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.3389/fneur.2019.01110.]

Irreducible decomposition for tensor prodect representations of Jordanian quantum algebras

Tensor products of irreducible representations of the Jordanian quantum algebras U_h(sl(2)) and U_h(su(1,1)) are considered. For both the highest weight finite dimensional representations of U_h(sl(2)) and lowest weight infinite dimensional ones of U_h(su(1,1)), it is shown that tensor product representations are reducible and that the decomposition rules to irreducible representations are exactly the same as those of corresponding Lie algebras.Comment: LaTeX, 14pages, no figur

Corrigendum: Reduced Glutamate in the Medial Prefrontal Cortex Is Associated With Emotional and Cognitive Dysregulation in People With Chronic Pain(Front. Neurol., (2019), 10, (1110), 10.3389/fneur.2019.01110)

In the original article, there was an error in the Author Contributions. It has been updated to align with the guidelines of the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors. A correction has been made to the Author Contributions

Tensor Operators for Uh(sl(2))

Tensor operators for the Jordanian quantum algebra Uh(sl(2)) are considered. Some explicit examples of them, which are obtained in the boson or fermion realization, are given and their properties are studied. It is also shown that the Wigner-Eckart's theorem can be extended to Uh(sl(2)).Comment: 11pages, LaTeX, to be published in J. Phys.