Design of a Passive Ankle Prosthesis with Energy Return That Increases with Increasing Walking Velocity

Patients who undergo a transtibial (below the knee) amputation are often met with a difficult decision: selection of a prosthesis. Limitations of currently available prostheses motivate work on a new solution, the EaSY Walk, a passive device that mimics two key aspects of the natural ankle: non-linear rotational stiffness through implementation of a stiffening flexure mechanism and rotational work output that varies as a function of walking velocity to propel the user forward. To achieve the latter, a strategy to convert the maximum available translational energy acquired from deflection along the leg into rotational energy about the ankle joint through coupling of these two degrees of freedom is used. This strategy utilizes maxima/minima of known ankle profiles to control timing of critical device functions as well as the quantity of energy input from leg deflection. In doing so, both consistent operation of the device and maximal energy output at a given walking velocity are theoretically obtained. Optimizing for both aforementioned ankle criteria, 25.1% of the work of the average natural ankle was achieved for 15 mm of leg deflection, less deflection than is exhibited by many shock absorbing pylon prostheses. After fabricating and testing the optimized design using a repeatable robot trajectory, the device was found to convert 26.6% of input translational work as rotational work, accounting for 63.1% of modeled rotational work. Through human subject testing, the device was found to function inconsistently due to the large impact loadings associated with human gait. In order to achieve proper functionality with human gait, design modifications to the energy storage and release devices are recommended

People that score high on psychopathic traits are less likely to yawn contagiously

Considerable variation exists in the contagiousness of yawning, and numerous studies have been conducted to investigate the proximate mechanisms involved in this response. Yet, findings within the psychological literature are mixed, with many studies conducted on relatively small and homogeneous samples. Here, we aimed to replicate and extend upon research suggesting a negative relationship between psychopathic traits and yawn contagion in community samples. In the largest study of contagious yawning to date (N = 458), which included both university students and community members from across 50 nationalities, participants completed an online study in which they self-reported on their yawn contagion to a video stimulus and completed four measures of psychopathy: the primary and secondary psychopathy scales from the Levenson Self-Report Psychopathy Scale (LSRPS), the psychopathy construct from the Dirty Dozen, and the Psychopathic Personality Traits Scale (PPTS). Results support previous findings in that participants that yawned contagiously tended to score lower on the combined and primary measures of psychopathy. That said, tiredness was the strongest predictor across all models. These findings align with functional accounts of spontaneous and contagious yawning and a generalized impairment in overall patterns of behavioral contagion and biobehavioral synchrony among people high in psychopathic traits

Ecossistema inovação.

A palavra Inovação aparece cada vez mais frequentemente, no ambiente empresariale passa a ser alvo de atenção das empresas, com ambição de se manter em mercados competitivos. O livro Ecossitema Inovação, aborda de forma sistêmica a Inovação, com um diagnóstico preciso de todo o ambiente atual vivido pelas empresas instaladas no Brasil, mostrando ferramentas e citando exemplos. Trata a inovação no sentido mais amplo da palavra não se limitando ao desenvolvimento de novos produtos,mas percorrendo toda a hierarquia da organização deixando claro pontos importantes, que muitas vezes não são considerados e são vitais para manter a competitividade e a sobrevivência no longo prazo. Foram avaliados de forma precisa os perfis mais adequados das pessoaspara a empresa inovadora e identificadas as posturas das lideranças para criar um ambiente inovador, definindo a importância da recompensa, reconhecimento e tolerância ao erro. O capítulo que fala sobre a lei do bem é muito mais amplo e abrangente e aborda diversas facetas da relação governo empresa, tratando todo arcabouço jurídico, as relações entre empresas e governo no aspecto fiscal e as diversas formas de custeio disponíveis, desde a subvenção até empréstimo subsidiado. Neste capítulo ainda fala-se sobre compartilhamento de risco entre iniciativa privada e governo, muito usual em países onde o ambiente inovador é fortemente incentivado. Finalmente a leitura do livro dá uma noção muito interessante às pessoas que estejam na área de inovação e precisem ter uma noção clara dos principais desafios a serem enfrentados. A experiência adquirida em áreas dominadas por produtos maduros, fortemente impactados por lançamento de produtos digitais como os tabletes, criaram uma nova ordem de profissionais extremamente criativos, com soluções para vencer a concorrência e eles estão compartilhando neste livro, boa parte desta experiência profissional adquirida durante anos de prática na área de Inovação.bitstream/item/113715/1/pdf-alta-qualidade-embrapa-inovacao-1.pd

Who gets caught by the emotion?: Attentional biases toward emotional facial expressions and their link to social anxiety and autistic traits

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Cell-morphodynamic phenotype classification with application to cancer metastasis using cell magnetorotation and machine-learning.

We define cell morphodynamics as the cell's time dependent morphology. It could be called the cell's shape shifting ability. To measure it we use a biomarker free, dynamic histology method, which is based on multiplexed Cell Magneto-Rotation and Machine Learning. We note that standard studies looking at cells immobilized on microscope slides cannot reveal their shape shifting, no more than pinned butterfly collections can reveal their flight patterns. Using cell magnetorotation, with the aid of cell embedded magnetic nanoparticles, our method allows each cell to move freely in 3 dimensions, with a rapid following of cell deformations in all 3-dimensions, so as to identify and classify a cell by its dynamic morphology. Using object recognition and machine learning algorithms, we continuously measure the real-time shape dynamics of each cell, where from we successfully resolve the inherent broad heterogeneity of the morphological phenotypes found in a given cancer cell population. In three illustrative experiments we have achieved clustering, differentiation, and identification of cells from (A) two distinct cell lines, (B) cells having gone through the epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition, and (C) cells differing only by their motility. This microfluidic method may enable a fast screening and identification of invasive cells, e.g., metastatic cancer cells, even in the absence of biomarkers, thus providing a rapid diagnostics and assessment protocol for effective personalized cancer therapy

People that score high on psychopathic traits are less likely to yawn contagiously

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Chromosome-scale and haplotype-resolved genome assembly of a tetraploid potato cultivar

Potato is the most widely produced tuber crop worldwide. However, reconstructing the four haplotypes of its autotetraploid genome remained an unsolved challenge. Here, we report the 3.1 Gb haplotype-resolved (at 99.6% precision), chromosome-scale assembly of the potato cultivar ‘Otava’ based on high-quality long reads, single-cell sequencing of 717 pollen genomes and Hi-C data. Unexpectedly, ~50% of the genome was identical-by-descent due to recent inbreeding, which was contrasted by highly abundant structural rearrangements involving ~20% of the genome. Among 38,214 genes, only 54% were present in all four haplotypes with an average of 3.2 copies per gene. Taking the leaf transcriptome as an example, 11% of the genes were differently expressed in at least one haplotype, where 25% of them were likely regulated through allele-specific DNA methylation. Our work sheds light on the recent breeding history of potato, the functional organization of its tetraploid genome and has the potential to strengthen the future of genomics-assisted breeding

Facial mimicry and metacognitive judgments in emotion recognition are distinctly modulated by social anxiety and autistic traits

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Reading your emotions in my physiology? Reliable emotion interpretations in absence of a robust physiological resonance

Affective states are expressed in an individual’s physical appearance, ranging from facial expressions and body postures, to indicators of physiological arousal (e.g., a blush). Confirming the claimed communicative function of these markers, humans are capable of distinguishing between a variety of discrete emotion displays. In an attempt to explain the underlying mechanism, characteristic bodily changes within the observer, including physiological arousal and mimicry, have been suggested to facilitate the interpretation of an expression. The current study aims to create a holistic picture of emotion perception by (1) using three different sources of emotional information (prototypical facial expressions, bodily expressions, and subtle facial cues) and (2) measuring changes in multiple physiological signals (facial electromyography, skin conductance level, skin temperature, and pupil size). While participants clearly discriminated between perceived emotional expressions, there was no overall 1–1 correspondence with their physiological responses. Some specific but robust effects were observed. Angry facial expressions were consistently responded to with a peak in skin conductance level. Furthermore, sad body expressions were associated with a drop in skin temperature. In addition to being the best recognized expression, viewing happy faces elicited congruent facial muscle responses, which supports the potential role of embodied simulation in emotion recognition. Lastly, tears were not only rated as highly emotional intense but also evoked a peak in skin conductance level in the observer. The absence of distinct physiological responses to other expressions could be explained by the lacking functionality of affect sharing in a non-interactive experimental context. Consequentially, emotional alignment in body and mind might especially take place in real social situations, which should be considered in future research.NWO016.VIDI.185.036Action Contro

A Balloon-Borne Millimeter-Wave Telescope for Cosmic Microwave Background Anisotropy Measurements

We report on the characteristics and design details of the Medium Scale Anisotropy Measurement (MSAM), a millimeter-wave, balloon-borne telescope that has been used to observe anisotropy in the Cosmic Microwave Background Radiation (CMBR) on 0\fdg5 angular scales. The gondola is capable of determining and maintaining absolute orientation to a few arcminutes during a one-night flight. Emphasis is placed on the optical and pointing performance as well as the weight and power budgets. We also discuss the total balloon/gondola mechanical system. The pendulation from this system is a ubiquitous perturbation on the pointing system. A detailed understanding in these areas is needed for developing the next generation of balloon-borne instruments.Comment: 37 pages, 15 figures, uses BoxedEPS.te