Sensors for triggering practical Functional Electrical Stimulation walking systems

Functional Electrical Stimulation (FES) techniques have shown significant improvement in mobility and functionality to many patients with pathological gait resulting from upper motor neurological injuries such as stroke, Multiple Sclerosis (MS), etc. Effective functioning of FES walking systems relies on accurate and reliable detection of gait events (i.e heel rise and heel strike) which depends on the type of sensors and the detection algorithm used

Improving the spatial resolution of effective elastic thickness estimation with the fan wavelet transform

We show here a simple technique to improve the spatial resolution of the fan wavelet method for effective elastic thickness (Te) estimation that we have previously developed. The technique involves reducing the number of significant oscillations within the Gaussian window of the Morlet wavelet from approximately five to three or fewer (while making an additional correction for its no-longer-zero mean value). Testing with synthetic models and data over South America indicates that the accompanying reduction in wavenumber resolution does not seriously affect the accuracy of the Te estimates. Comparison against the more widely-used multitaper Fourier transform approach shows that the enhanced wavelet method not only improves upon the multitaper method's spatial resolution, but also is computationally much faster and requires the arbitrary variation of only one parameter compared to three for the multitaper method. Finally, we present a modified method to compute the predicted coherence using the multitaper method that, while not improving its spatial resolution, does improve the bias of recovered Te estimates

An accuracy assessment of the fan wavelet coherence method for elastic thickness estimation

A variety of methods exist to estimate the elastic thickness (T e ) of the lithosphere. In this contribution, we attempt to provide an indication of how well the fan wavelet coherence method recovers T e , through synthetic modeling. The procedure involves simulating initial topographic and subsurface loads and emplacing them on a thin elastic plate of known T e , generating the postloading topography and gravity. We then attempt to recover that T e distribution from the gravity and topography through the wavelet method, hence discovering where its strengths and weaknesses lie. The T e distributions we use here have elliptical and fractal geometries, while the initial loads are fractal. Importantly, we have found that this widely used synthetic loading calibration method will tend to result in underestimates of T e no matter which recovery method is used. This is due to random correlations between the initial loads which, on average, serve to increase their coherence at all wavelengths and spatial locations. For the fan wavelet method, the degree of underestimation from this “background” source is approximately 10% of the true T e . In addition, the fan wavelet coherence method will provide underestimates of (1) the true T e when the study area size is of the order of the highest flexural wavelength or less, (2) relative T e differences when the T e anomaly is narrow compared to its flexural wavelength, and (3) steep T e gradients. Significantly, we find that the recovery is not greatly affected by the assumption of uniform T e in the inversion of the coherence. We also find that T e recovery from the coherence is only weakly dependent upon the initial subsurface-to-surface loading ratio (f). In contrast to the coherence, T e recovery from the admittance is highly “noisy,” with discontinuities and overestimates of T e frequently arising. This is most likely due to the high sensitivity of the admittance to f and is likely to apply to real data as well

Phenylacetylene oligomers as synthetic information molecules

Nucleic acids store genetic information in the sequence of nucleobases. Through duplex formation and template directed synthesis, the information stored in nucleic acids determines their three-dimensional structure and function. Nucleic acids are essential molecules for biological processes and have been used in nanotechnology. Modified nucleic acids have been synthesised that still form duplexes and can be tolerated by enzymes, suggesting that it is possible to construct a synthetic system comparable to nucleic acids, orthogonal to nucleic acids. This thesis describes the synthesis of a new class of synthetic information molecule, characterisation of the duplex forming properties, and attempts at templated oligomerisation reactions. The new synthetic information molecule is based on the phenylacetylene oligomer framework developed by Moore and co-workers. Recognition was achieved via a base-pair that is made from a single point high affinity H-bond, with phenol as the H-bond donor (D) and phosphine oxide as the H-bond acceptor (A). The Sonogashira coupling was used to construct the phenylacetylene oligomer backbone. The AA, DD and AD 2-mers were synthesised and complementary 2-mers showed cooperative duplex formation. No intramolecular H-bonding due to folding was observed in the AD mixed 2-mer. Longer oligomers were synthesised using a method of oligomerisation and chromatographic separation by reverse-phase preparatory HPLC. Homo-oligomers up to the 7-mer were isolated and binding studies between complementary all donor, all acceptor homo-oligomers showed increasing duplex stability with each additional recognition unit in the oligomer chain. Oligomers containing both acceptor and donor recognition modules in the same chain were synthesised and NMR dilution studies were used to investigate their ability to fold. Preliminary experiments were carried out to evaluate the ability of these information molecules to template oligomerisation reactions, but when reactions were carried out at concentrations low enough for a significant template effect, no coupling reactions were observed.ER

Accurate prediction of gene feedback circuit behavior from component properties

A basic assumption underlying synthetic biology is that analysis of genetic circuit elements, such as regulatory proteins and promoters, can be used to understand and predict the behavior of circuits containing those elements. To test this assumption, we used time‐lapse fluorescence microscopy to quantitatively analyze two autoregulatory negative feedback circuits. By measuring the gene regulation functions of the corresponding repressor–promoter interactions, we accurately predicted the expression level of the autoregulatory feedback loops, in molecular units. This demonstration that quantitative characterization of regulatory elements can predict the behavior of genetic circuits supports a fundamental requirement of synthetic biology

Platforms: The Sequel

In this article, the authors discuss recent developments on sales and use tax reporting and collection obligations imposed on platforms that facilitate taxable sales of tangible personal property or services

Why Do People Undergo THR and What Do They Expect to Gain—A Comparison of the Views of Patients and Health Care Professionals

Little concerted effort has been made to understand why individuals undergo total hip replacement (THR) surgery and their rehabilitation goals. Similarly, insight of views and perspective of health care professionals’ (HCPs) regarding surgery and what objective measures help them with decision-making is lacking. This patient and public involvement report aimed to explore both patients’ and HCPs’ perspectives of THR surgery. Twenty patients, 10 pre-THR, 10 post-THR, 9 physiotherapists, and 6 surgeons took part. Results suggest a consensus among patients and HCPs on pain reduction being the main reason for undergoing THR. The inability to carry out simple daily activities such as dog walking and sleep deprivation had a significant effect on patients’ mental and physical well-being. This article is the first to explore the views of THR patients and HCPs on reasons behind THR surgery amalgamated into a single report. As walking is important, wearable activity monitors are suggested as a possible motivator to enhance patient compliance to self-care rehabilitation and increase quality of life. A future research project on the use of such wearable activity monitors in enhancing mobility post-THR is therefore planned

The effectiveness of self-advocacy videos to inform enablers about the support needs of students with vision impairment

The aim of this project was to understand how enablers (e.g. teaching assistants, paraprofessionals, support workers, etc.) access and use information about students with vision impairment (VI) to support them in specialist education. The one-page profile is used widely as a tool for learner-centred planning and information, and is generally seen to be effective and accessible. However more recent studies have demonstrated that video is an extremely effective medium for training and support in a range of settings. We investigated whether student self-advocacy video clips would be an effective and accessible medium for presenting information about students’ support needs. This study took the form of a pre- and post-questionnaire. The aim of the pre-questionnaire was to gauge current levels of enabler confidence and assess the effectiveness of existing methods of accessing learner information. 15 enablers were given this questionnaire to complete. Six students (aged 11-17) with VI and additional complex support needs were then each supported to develop a short video in which they expressed their support needs in an education setting. The enablers were asked to watch the video clips, and complete the post-questionnaire to assess the impact these videos had on their confidence and understanding. 12 out of the 15 enablers returned the second questionnaire. The questionnaire results demonstrated that current methods for accessing learner information were not wholly effective. Enablers found video to be a desirable and accessible format for presenting learner information. Participants found the medium of video to significantly aid retention and recollection of student information. From the findings it emerged that one-page profiles remained the preferred single method of accessing student information. However, overall, we found that enablers favoured a multi-method approach to presenting and accessing learner information that was dependent on time and context

Comparison of the Microbial Diversity and Abundance Between the Freshwater Land-locked lakes of Schirmacher Oasis and the Perennially Ice-covered Lake Untersee in East Antarctica

Extreme conditions such as low temperature, dryness, and constant UV-radiation in terrestrial Antarctica are limiting factors of the survival of microbial populations. The objective of this study was to investigate the microbial diversity and enumeration between the open water lakes of Schirmacher Oasis and the permanently ice-covered Lake Untersee. The lakes in Schirmacher Oasis possessed abundant and diverse group of microorganisms compared to the Lake Untersee. Furthermore, the microbial diversity between two lakes in Schirmacher Oasis (Lake L27C and L47) was compared by culture-based molecular approach. It was determined that L27Chad a richer microbial diversity representing 5 different phyla and 7 different genera. In contrast L47 consisted of 4 different phyla and 6 different genera. The difference in microbial community could be due to the wide range of pH between L27C (pH 9.1) and L47 (pH 5.7). Most of the microbes isolated from these lakes consisted of adaptive biological pigmentation. Characterization of the microbial community found in the freshwater lakes of East Antarctica is important because it gives a further glimpse into the adaptation and survival strategies found in extreme conditions