Using the Microsoft Kinect to assess human bimanual coordination

Optical marker-based systems are the gold-standard for capturing three-dimensional (3D) human kinematics. However, these systems have various drawbacks including time consuming marker placement, soft tissue movement artifact, and are prohibitively expensive and non-portable. The Microsoft Kinect is an inexpensive, portable, depth camera that can be used to capture 3D human movement kinematics. Numerous investigations have assessed the Kinect\u27s ability to capture postural control and gait, but to date, no study has evaluated it\u27s capabilities for measuring spatiotemporal coordination. In order to investigate human coordination and coordination stability with the Kinect, a well-studied bimanual coordination paradigm (Kelso, 1984, Kelso; Scholz, & Schöner, 1986) was adapted. ^ Nineteen participants performed ten trials of coordinated hand movements in either in-phase or anti-phase patterns of coordination to the beat of a metronome which was incrementally sped up and slowed down. Continuous relative phase (CRP) and the standard deviation of CRP were used to assess coordination and coordination stability, respectively.^ Data from the Kinect were compared to a Vicon motion capture system using a mixed-model, repeated measures analysis of variance and intraclass correlation coefficients (2,1) (ICC(2,1)).^ Kinect significantly underestimated CRP for the the anti-phase coordination pattern (p \u3c.0001) and overestimated the in-phase pattern (p\u3c.0001). However, a high ICC value (r=.097) was found between the systems. For the standard deviation of CRP, the Kinect exhibited significantly higher variability than the Vicon (p \u3c .0001) but was able to distinguish significant differences between patterns of coordination with anti-phase variability being higher than in-phase (p \u3c .0001). Additionally, the Kinect was unable to accurately capture the structure of coordination stability for the anti-phase pattern. Finally, agreement was found between systems using the ICC (r=.37).^ In conclusion, the Kinect was unable to accurately capture mean CRP. However, the high ICC between the two systems is promising and the Kinect was able to distinguish between the coordination stability of in-phase and anti-phase coordination. However, the structure of variability as movement speed increased was dissimilar to the Vicon, particularly for the anti-phase pattern. Some aspects of coordination are nicely captured by the Kinect while others are not. Detecting differences between bimanual coordination patterns and the stability of those patterns can be achieved using the Kinect. However, researchers interested in the structure of coordination stability should exercise caution since poor agreement was found between systems

“To dispose of wealth in works of charity”: entrepreneurship and philanthropy in Medieval England

While entrepreneurs are increasingly recognized as important participants in the medieval economy, their philanthropic activities have received less attention compared to those of the gentry and nobility. This article shows the contribution that the study of medieval entrepreneurs can make to broader business history debates surrounding the identity of philanthropists and their beneficiaries, the types of causes they supported, and their impact on wider society. Philanthropic entrepreneurs used the profits of commerce to provide infrastructure, healthcare, and education to their local communities. Their patterns of philanthropy differed from those of gentry, lawyers, and administrators. Support for municipal infrastructure emerges as a distinctive feature of entrepreneurial philanthropy, reflecting a belief in the importance of trade networks and civic reputation

T-cell Receptor (TCR)-Peptide Specificity Overrides Affinity-enhancing TCR-Major Histocompatibility Complex Interactions

αβ T-cell receptors (TCRs) engage antigens using complementarity-determining region (CDR) loops that are either germ line-encoded (CDR1 and CDR2) or somatically rearranged (CDR3). TCR ligands compose a presentation platform (major histocompatibility complex (MHC)) and a variable antigenic component consisting of a short “foreign” peptide. The sequence of events when the TCR engages its peptide-MHC (pMHC) ligand remains unclear. Some studies suggest that the germ line elements of the TCR engage the MHC prior to peptide scanning, but this order of binding is difficult to reconcile with some TCR-pMHC structures. Here, we used TCRs that exhibited enhanced pMHC binding as a result of mutations in either CDR2 and/or CDR3 loops, that bound to the MHC or peptide, respectively, to dissect the roles of these loops in stabilizing TCR-pMHC interactions. Our data show that TCR-peptide interactions play a strongly dominant energetic role providing a binding mode that is both temporally and energetically complementary with a system requiring positive selection by self-pMHC in the thymus and rapid recognition of non-self-pMHC in the periphery

Adaptations to Postural and Manual Control During Tool Use

Tool use is an important area of research in psychology, neurophysiology, and motor behavior because it provides insights into the organization of perception, cognition, and action. Tool use research has traditionally focused on the neural structures or cognitive processes that contribute to body-tool integration, while there has been comparatively little interest in motor control. When tool use actions are studied, adaptations have mainly been examined at the level of manual control, while postural control and multi-segment coordination have received less attention. Examining these components of behavior in the context of tool use is vital for developing a better understanding of how humans integrate tools into goal-directed actions. The goals of this dissertation were to 1) characterize adaptations to postural control over time when performing a manual task with a tool under different levels of postural constraint and determine their relation to manual task performance, 2) examine postural-manual coupling under different levels of postural constraint during tool use, and 3) determine how multi-segment coordination supports postural stability and suprapostural task performance under different levels of postural constraint during tool use. To address these questions, we adopted a sensorimotor adaptation paradigm to examine postural-manual control and multi-segment coordination before, during, and after an extended bout of tool use. Tool-use adaptations were found to extend beyond the end-effector. Postural control played a crucial role in facilitating improvements in the manual control of tools. Placing constraints on posture interfered with these adaptations, disrupting the coordination of posturalmanual behaviors during tool use. However, multi-segment coordination was modified to overcome this challenge and facilitate postural stability and manual performance. These results demonstrate that healthy young adults are capable of flexibly recruiting and exploiting available degrees of freedom in a task-dependent manner the potential challenges associated with integrating tools into movements. This dissertation provides preliminary support for the importance of considering postural control in tool use actions and highlights the utility of examining interactions across multiple levels of motor behavior—postural control, manual control, postural-manual coupling, and multi-segment coordination—to elucidate how tools are integrated into complex, goal-directed behaviors

‘Our voices aren’t in lockdown’—refugee young people, challenges, and innovation during COVID-19

Using data drawn from consultations and interviews with young people from young people of refugee background in Melbourne, Australia, we examine how young people negotiate their lives in the context of settlement, specifically during the current COVID-19 pandemic. We listened to stories about the challenges they faced, and the initiative and actions they took during the lockdown of nine towers in public housing estates of inner Melbourne during June and July of 2020. In this research, we have found that, despite many pre-existing disadvantages, young people of refugee background have responded to the crisis through public health promotion, volunteering, and innovation. The pandemic has highlighted the role that young people play in supporting their families and communities in the settlement/integration process and the added responsibilities young people have assumed in the context of COVID-19. In negotiating these, young people have drawn upon embodied and communal ways of coping. This paper starts with an exploration of refugee young people’s narratives about their lives and experiences during the pandemic. We adopt intersectionality as a method and analytical tool to interpret these experiences and the roles in which young people have enacted during this time—as navigators, carers, providers, and innovators. We end by evaluating the policy gaps these reflect and highlight

Missed opportunities in prevention of cardiovascular disease in primary care: a cross-sectional study

BACKGROUND: Screening cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk is an important part of CVD prevention. The success of screening is dependent on the rigour with which treatments are subsequently prescribed. AIM To establish the extent to which treatment conforms to guidelines. DESIGN AND SETTING: Cross-sectional study of anonymised patient records from 19 general practices in the UK. METHOD: Data relating to patient characteristics, including CVD risk factors, risk score and prescribed medication were extracted. CVD risk (thus eligibility for cholesterol and blood pressure-lowering treatment) was calculated using the Framingham equation. Guideline adherence was defined with descriptive statistics and comparisons by age, sex and disease were made using χ(2) tests. RESULTS: Of the 34 975 patients (aged 40-74 years) included in this study, 2550 (7%) patients had existing CVD and 12 349 (35%) had a calculable CVD risk or were on treatment. CVD risk was formally assessed in 8390 (24%) patients. Approximately 7929 (64%) patients eligible for primary prevention therapy were being treated appropriately for their CVD risk. Guideline adherence was higher in younger patients (6284 [69%] aged 40-64 years versus 1645 [50%] aged 65-74 years, P<0.001) and in females (4334 [69%] females versus 3595 [59%] males, P<0.001). There was no difference in guideline adherence between patients where CVD risk had been recorded and those where CVD was calculable. Guideline adherence in patients with existing CVD was highest in patients with ischaemic heart disease (866 [ischaemic heart disease], 52%, versus 288 [stroke], 46%, versus 276 [other CVD], 39%; P<0.001). CONCLUSION: There is scope for improvement in assessment and treatment for prevention of CVD in clinical practice. Increasing the uptake of evidence-based treatments would improve the cost-effectiveness of CVD risk screening programmes.This work is independent research funded by the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) under its Programme Grants for Applied Research scheme (Stroke Prevention Programme: RP-PG0606-1153). James P Sheppard is funded by the NIHR Birmingham and Black Country Collaboration for Leadership in Applied Health Research and Care. Richard J McManus holds an NIHR Professorship. The views and opinions expressed are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect those of the NHS, NIHR, or the Department of Health