Introduction to robotics for medical professionals

The course “Introduction to robotics for medical professionals” aims to present a common ground for students of medical and engineering disciplines alike. This will pave the way for further disciplinary integration of medical professionals in theresearch, development, and effective use of medical robotics. Medical professionals and students will better understand the basic robotics principles and can more efficiently contribute to interdisciplinary teams working on the development andimplementation of healthcare robotics. The underlying objective of this chapter is to facilitate further adoption of robotics in healthcare environments. As medical professionals will be able to better understand the potential and limitations of robotics, they may provide complementary insights to engineers and roboticists, and actively collaborate in robotic projects

'I' without 'I am': on the presence of subjectivity in early Buddhism, in the light of transcendental phenomenology

Investigating the P?li suttas, compiled prior to the development of Abhidhamma, from a phenomenological perspective reveals an internally coherent and consistent doctrine/theory whose crucial theme is the intentionality and subjectivity of consciousness. Reductive interpretations tend to interpret the basic Buddhist principle of ‘non-self ’, and its correlative repudiation of the concept/conceit ‘I am’, as entailing a rejection of any genuine (phenomenological) meaningfulness for the term ‘I’ as a legitimate expression of subjectivity, intentionality, and consciousness. Indeed, it is occasionally even claimed that Buddhas and Arahants cannot possess subjective intentional consciousness at all. In the following reflections, then, a few key aspects of an alternative (phenomenological) perspective upon early P?li Buddhism are introduced and sketched out, whereby it is argued that the presence of subjective intentional consciousness, even in the case of Buddhas and Arahants, is not only presupposed by the suttas, and is not only quite unproblematic for early Buddhist doctrine/theory, but is also actually of fundamental importance for the very possibility of Buddhist truth and practice. Thus, early Buddhist doctrine/theory is not only non-reductive; it also eminently invites a deep dialogue with, and a serious and detailed interpretation from the perspective of, Transcendental Phenomenology.Khristos Nizami

Raw data collected for the study of: Characterization of forearm high-density electromyograms during wrist-hand tasks in individuals with Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy

This dataset contains all the raw data collected for the study: Characterization of forearm high-density electromyograms during wrist-hand tasks in individuals with Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy The data contain raw data from 8 healthy individuals and 3 individuals with Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy. High-density sEMG was recorded from the forearm of the participants during 7 gestures. Those were: 1) Hand Close 2) Hand Open 3) Index Point 4) Thumb Flexion 5) Thumb Extension 6) Wrist Flexion 7) Wrist Extensio

Data for: Real-time myoelectric control of wrist/hand motion in Duchenne muscular dystrophy: A case study

This dataset includes all the reaching times (in seconds) for every subject measured in seconds. The reaching times reported here were analyzed and complement our manuscript: Real-time myoelectric control of wrist/hand motion in Duchenne muscular dystrophy: A case study.THIS DATASET IS ARCHIVED AT DANS/EASY, BUT NOT ACCESSIBLE HERE. TO VIEW A LIST OF FILES AND ACCESS THE FILES IN THIS DATASET CLICK ON THE DOI-LINK ABOV

Comparison between sEMG and force as control interfaces to support planar arm movements in adults with Duchenne: a feasibility study

Contains fulltext : 176981.pdf (publisher's version ) (Open Access)BACKGROUND: Adults with Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) can benefit from devices that actively support their arm function. A critical component of such devices is the control interface as it is responsible for the human-machine interaction. Our previous work indicated that surface electromyography (sEMG) and force-based control with active gravity and joint-stiffness compensation were feasible solutions for the support of elbow movements (one degree of freedom). In this paper, we extend the evaluation of sEMG- and force-based control interfaces to simultaneous and proportional control of planar arm movements (two degrees of freedom). METHODS: Three men with DMD (18-23 years-old) with different levels of arm function (i.e. Brooke scores of 4, 5 and 6) performed a series of line-tracing tasks over a tabletop surface using an experimental active arm support. The arm movements were controlled using three control methods: sEMG-based control, force-based control with stiffness compensation (FSC), and force-based control with no compensation (FNC). The movement performance was evaluated in terms of percentage of task completion, tracing error, smoothness and speed. RESULTS: For subject S1 (Brooke 4) FNC was the preferred method and performed better than FSC and sEMG. FNC was not usable for subject S2 (Brooke 5) and S3 (Brooke 6). Subject S2 presented significantly lower movement speed with sEMG than with FSC, yet he preferred sEMG since FSC was perceived to be too fatiguing. Subject S3 could not successfully use neither of the two force-based control methods, while with sEMG he could reach almost his entire workspace. CONCLUSIONS: Movement performance and subjective preference of the three control methods differed with the level of arm function of the participants. Our results indicate that all three control methods have to be considered in real applications, as they present complementary advantages and disadvantages. The fact that the two weaker subjects (S2 and S3) experienced the force-based control interfaces as fatiguing suggests that sEMG-based control interfaces could be a better solution for adults with DMD. Yet force-based control interfaces can be a better alternative for those cases in which voluntary forces are higher than the stiffness forces of the arms

A Novel Setup and Protocol to Measure the Range of Motion of the Wrist and the Hand

Contains fulltext : 196887.pdf (publisher's version ) (Open Access)The human hand is important for the performance of activities of daily living which are directly related to quality of life. Various conditions, such as Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) can affect the function of the human hand and wrist. The ability to assess the impairment in the hand and the wrist by measuring the range of motion (ROM), is essential for the development of effective rehabilitation protocols. Currently the clinical standard is the goniometer. In this study we explore the feasibility and reliability of an optical sensor (Leap motion sensor) in measuring active hand/wrist ROM. We measured the hand/wrist ROM of 20 healthy adults with the goniometer and the Leap motion sensor, in order to check the agreement between the two methods and additionally, we performed a test-retest of the Leap motion sensor with 12 of them, to assess its reliability. The results suggest low agreement between the goniometer and the leap motion sensor, yet showing a large decrease in measurement time and high reliability when using the later. Despite the low agreement between the two methods, we believe that the Leap motion sensor shows potential to contribute to the development of hand rehabilitation protocols and be used with patients in a clinical setting

Evaluation of the cognitive-motor performance of adults with Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy in a hand-related task

Duchenne muscular Dystrophy (DMD) is a progressive degenerative muscle disease, affecting, among others, the upper extremities. Effective hand rehabilitation can improve the hand function of people with DMD. To reach this goal, we first need to gain more insight into the hand cognitive-motor performance of people with DMD. This is the first study employing a systematic analysis on multi-finger, cognitive-motor performance of people with DMD. For this purpose, we propose an active dynamic visuo-motor task. The task employed six visual stimuli, a subset of which was activated at each trial. The stimuli were activated with a frequency of 1, 2, 3 and 4 Hz. Eight healthy participants and three participants with DMD performed the task. Additionally, the healthy participants performed seven sessions, and we assessed the training effects. Task-related cognitive-motor performance was evaluated using information transfer rate (ITR) and perceived workload. Regarding ITR, healthy participants performed significantly better than DMD participants; however, this was more evident for trials involving more than three fingers. Workload showed no difference between the healthy and the DMD groups. Healthy participants significantly improved their performance during training. Our results suggest that hand rehabilitation of people with DMD should consider multi-finger dynamic training. However, additional research with more people with DMD is needed for further generalization of our conclusions

Interdisciplinary challenge-based learning: science to society: Science to Society

There is a growing recognition that the world’s emerging complex problems require perspectives from multiple disciplines to be properly addressed. For higher education, it is imperative to develop well-rounded graduates with both a depth and breadth of knowledge and skills to integrate perspectives across disciplines. A mixed-methods study was conducted to describe the implementation of an interdisciplinary module with students from nine bachelor programs across science, engineering and social sciences who worked on a challenge-based learning assignment. This module involved external partners setting the ‘challenges’, and the student groups worked on devising an interdisciplinary solution. For students, multiple available options for support such as tutors, lecturers and challenge partners were found to be an enabling factor. At the same time, the minimally structured learning activities, and ambiguity of expectations were the limiting factors. At the staff level, the lack of cohesion within the teaching team and minimal support for guiding student groups were limiting factors. In terms of collaboration in the groups, students recognized the role of the other disciplines, improved their communication, and integrated disciplinary knowledge at varying levels. They faced difficulties such as an unequal distribution of workload and disciplinary differences, causing tension. Lastly, the key competencies developed in the module were perspective-taking, communication, collaboration, reflection, and confidence in existing skills and knowledge. Main recommendations for improving the module are scaffolding support for students, developing the interdisciplinary teaching team, and guiding the challenge definition process

In vivo base editing by a single i.v. vector injection for treatment of hemoglobinopathies

Individuals with β-thalassemia or sickle cell disease and hereditary persistence of fetal hemoglobin (HPFH) possessing 30% fetal hemoglobin (HbF) appear to be symptom free. Here, we used a nonintegrating HDAd5/35++ vector expressing a highly efficient and accurate version of an adenine base editor (ABE8e) to install, in vivo, a -113 A>G HPFH mutation in the γ-globin promoters in healthy CD46/β-YAC mice carrying the human β-globin locus. Our in vivo hematopoietic stem cell (HSC) editing/selection strategy involves only s.c. and i.v. injections and does not require myeloablation and HSC transplantation. In vivo HSC base editing in CD46/β-YAC mice resulted in > 60% -113 A>G conversion, with 30% γ-globin of β-globin expressed in 70% of erythrocytes. Importantly, no off-target editing at sites predicted by CIRCLE-Seq or in silico was detected. Furthermore, no critical alterations in the transcriptome of in vivo edited mice were found by RNA-Seq. In vitro, in HSCs from β-thalassemia and patients with sickle cell disease, transduction with the base editor vector mediated efficient -113 A>G conversion and reactivation of γ-globin expression with subsequent phenotypic correction of erythroid cells. Because our in vivo base editing strategy is safe and technically simple, it has the potential for clinical application in developing countries where hemoglobinopathies are prevalent. Copyright: © 2022, Li et al