Muscle as a tunable material: implications for achieving muscle-like function in robotic prosthetic devices

2021 ◽  
Vol 224 (19) ◽  
Author(s):  
Kiisa Nishikawa ◽  
Thomas G. Huck
Keyword(s):  
Muscle Stiffness ◽  
Neural Activation ◽  
New Paradigm ◽  
Prosthetic Devices ◽  
Functional Capabilities ◽  
Ankle Impedance ◽  
Dynamic Function ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Applied Forces ◽  
Prosthesis Control

ABSTRACT An ideal prosthesis should perform as well as or better than the missing limb it was designed to replace. Although this ideal is currently unattainable, recent advances in design have significantly improved the function of prosthetic devices. For the lower extremity, both passive prostheses (which provide no added power) and active prostheses (which add propulsive power) aim to emulate the dynamic function of the ankle joint, whose adaptive, time-varying resistance to applied forces is essential for walking and running. Passive prostheses fail to normalize energetics because they lack variable ankle impedance that is actively controlled within each gait cycle. By contrast, robotic prostheses can normalize energetics for some users under some conditions. However, the problem of adaptive and versatile control remains a significant issue. Current prosthesis-control algorithms fail to adapt to changes in gait required for walking on level ground at different speeds or on ramps and stairs. A new paradigm of ‘muscle as a tunable material’ versus ‘muscle as a motor’ offers insights into the adaptability and versatility of biological muscles, which may provide inspiration for prosthesis design and control. In this new paradigm, neural activation tunes muscle stiffness and damping, adapting the response to applied forces rather than instructing the timing and amplitude of muscle force. A mechanistic understanding of muscle function is incomplete and would benefit from collaboration between biologists and engineers. An improved understanding of the adaptability of muscle may yield better models as well as inspiration for developing prostheses that equal or surpass the functional capabilities of biological limbs across a wide range of conditions.

scholarly journals Clinical risk management and child mental health

2003 ◽  
Vol 9 (5) ◽  
pp. 319-326 ◽  
Author(s):  
Fiona Subotsky
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Risk Management ◽  
Health Services ◽  
Child Mental Health ◽  
Policy Development ◽  
Clinical Governance ◽  
Clinical Risk Management ◽  
New Paradigm ◽  
Adult Services ◽  
Wide Range

Risk management is a requirement of clinical governance and a new paradigm for child and adolescent mental health services. Issues are different from those of adult services and a wide range need to be considered, which include not only the risk of harm to self, to others and from others but also from the system (by omission or commission) and to the staff. Systematic policy development, using information from audits, complaints, incidents and inquiries, will be helpful and interagency agreements necessary to promote coordination. The complex regulatory framework is discussed.

scholarly journals CubeSat Communications: Recent Advances and Future Challenges

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nasir Saeed ◽  
Ahmed Elzanaty ◽  
Heba Almorad ◽  
Hayssam Dahrouj ◽  
Tareq Y. Al-Naffouri ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Channel Modeling ◽  
Future Research ◽  
New Paradigm ◽  
Earth Remote Sensing ◽  
Research Directions ◽  
Space Industry ◽  
Recent Advances ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Future Challenges ◽  
Future Research Directions

<pre><pre>Given the increasing number of space-related applications, research in the emerging space industry is becoming more and more attractive. One compelling area of current space research is the design of miniaturized satellites, known as CubeSats, which are enticing because of their numerous applications and low design-and-deployment cost. </pre><pre>The new paradigm of connected space through CubeSats makes possible a wide range of applications, such as Earth remote sensing, space exploration, and rural connectivity.</pre><pre>CubeSats further provide a complementary connectivity solution to the pervasive Internet of Things (IoT) networks, leading to a globally connected cyber-physical system.</pre><pre>This paper presents a holistic overview of various aspects of CubeSat missions and provides a thorough review of the topic from both academic and industrial perspectives.</pre><pre>We further present recent advances in the area of CubeSat communications, with an emphasis on constellation-and-coverage issues, channel modeling, modulation and coding, and networking.</pre><pre>Finally, we identify several future research directions for CubeSat communications, including Internet of space things, low-power long-range networks, and machine learning for CubeSat resource allocation.</pre></pre>

Microgrid Model on Homer Software

2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (VI) ◽  
pp. 757-760
Author(s):  
Mohd Ahamad
Keyword(s):  
Power Generation ◽  
Power Electronics ◽  
Life Cycle Cost ◽  
Low Voltage ◽  
High Reliability ◽  
Low Cost ◽  
Local Area ◽  
New Paradigm ◽  
Power Sources ◽  
Wide Range

A new concept in power generation is a microgrid. The Microgrid concept assumes a cluster of loads and microsources operating as a single controllable system that provides power to its local area. This concept provides a new paradigm for defining the operation of distributed generation. The microsources of special interest for MGs are small (<100-kW) units with power electronic interfaces. These sources are placed at customers sites. They are low cost, low voltage and have a high reliability with few emissions. Power electronics provide the control and flexibility required by the MG concept. A properly designed power electronics and controllers insure that the MG can meet the needs of its customers as well as the utilities. The goal of this project is to build a complete model of Microgrid including the power sources, their power electronics, and a load and mains model in THE HOMER. The HOMER Micropower Optimization Model is a computer model developed by the U.S. National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) to assist in the design of micropower systems and to facilitate the comparison of power generation technologies across a wide range of applications. HOMER models a power system’s physical behavior and its life-cycle cost, which is the total cost of installing and operating the system over its life span. HOMER allows the modeler to compare many different design options based on their technical and economic merits. It also assists in understanding and quantifying the effects of uncertainty or changes in the inputs.

scholarly journals The regenerated noise of HVAC elements and its measurement in pipeline track

2018 ◽  
Vol 210 ◽  
pp. 02031
Author(s):  
Pavel Drabek
Keyword(s):  
Sound Source ◽  
Hvac Systems ◽  
Air Velocity ◽  
Reverberation Chamber ◽  
Dynamic Function ◽  
Wide Range

HVAC systems may spread unwanted noise that needs to be reduced. One of the components of wide range noise can be a regenerated noise which is a secondary sound source usually caused by air flowing through a device. This regenerated noise associated with airflow is indeed a dynamic function of velocity. Therefore, HVAC designers try to prevent these problems by sizing ductwork or duct configurations so that air velocity is low. Nevertheless, in certain situations, this approach is not possible and it is necessary to deal with the regenerated noise further. This article discusses an alternative way of measuring regenerated noise of various duct elements in the pipeline track without being connected to a reverberation chamber. It should be emphasized that this method is not new but information about it is very limited and therefore almost unused.

Contributions of motor-unit recruitment and rate modulation of compensation for muscle yielding

1982 ◽  
Vol 47 (5) ◽  
pp. 797-809 ◽  
Author(s):  
P. J. Cordo ◽  
W. Z. Rymer
Keyword(s):  
Motor Unit ◽  
Stretch Reflex ◽  
Muscle Force ◽  
Motor Units ◽  
Muscle Stiffness ◽  
Motor Unit Recruitment ◽  
Reflex Response ◽  
Rate Modulation ◽  
Stimulus Rate ◽  
Wide Range

1. Subdivided portions of the cut ventral root innervation of the soleus muscle were electrically stimulated in 14 anesthetized cats. The stimulus trains imposed on these nerves simulated the recruitment and rate-modulation patterns of single motor units recorded during stretch-reflex responses in decerebrate preparations. Each activation pattern was evaluated for its ability to prevent muscle yield. 2. Three basic stimulus patterns, recruitment, step increases in stimulus rate, and doublets were imposed during the course of ramp stretches applied over a wide range of velocities. The effect of each stimulus pattern on muscle force was compared to the force output recorded without stretch-related recruitment or rate modulation. 3. Motor-unit recruitment was found to be most effective in preventing yield during muscle stretch. Newly recruited motor units showed no evidence of yielding for some 250 ms following activation, at which time muscle stiffness declined slightly. This time-dependent resistance to yield was observed regardless of whether the onset of the neural stimulus closely preceded or followed stretch onset. 4. Step increases in stimulus rate arising shortly after stretch onset did not prevent the occurrence of yield at most stretch velocities, but did augment muscle stiffness later in the stretch. Doublets in the stimulus train were found to augment muscle stiffness only when they occurred in newly recruited motor units. 5. These results suggest that at low or moderate initial forces, the prevention of yield in lengthening, reflexively intact muscle results primarily from rapid motor-unit recruitment. To a lesser extent, the spring-like character of the stretch-reflex response also derives from step increases in firing rate of motor units active before stretch onset and doublets in units recruited during the course of stretch. Smooth rate increases appear to augment muscle force later in the course of the reflex response.

scholarly journals Title: Human Serum/Plasma Glycoprotein Analysis by 1H-NMR, an Emerging Method of Inflammatory Assessment

2020 ◽  
Vol 9 (2) ◽  
pp. 354 ◽  
Author(s):  
Fuertes-Martín ◽  
Correig ◽  
Vallvé ◽  
Amigó
Keyword(s):  
1H Nmr ◽  
Systemic Inflammation ◽  
Metabolic Diseases ◽  
Inflammatory Diseases ◽  
Inflammatory Marker ◽  
Point Of View ◽  
Proton Nuclear Magnetic Resonance ◽  
New Paradigm ◽  
Reactive Protein ◽  
Wide Range

Several studies suggest that variations in the concentration of plasma glycoproteins can influence cellular changes in a large number of diseases. In recent years, proton nuclear magnetic resonance (1H-NMR) has played a major role as an analytical tool for serum and plasma samples. In recent years, there is an increasing interest in the characterization of glycoproteins through 1H-NMR in order to search for reliable and robust biomarkers of disease. The objective of this review was to examine the existing studies in the literature related to the study of glycoproteins from an analytical and clinical point of view. There are currently several techniques to characterize circulating glycoproteins in serum or plasma, but in this review, we focus on 1H-NMR due to its great robustness and recent interest in its translation to the clinical setting. In fact, there is already a marker in H-NMR representing the acetyl groups of the glycoproteins, GlycA, which has been increasingly studied in clinical studies. A broad search of the literature was performed showing a general consensus that GlycA is a robust marker of systemic inflammation. The results also suggested that GlycA better captures systemic inflammation even more than C-reactive protein (CRP), a widely used classical inflammatory marker. The applications reviewed here demonstrated that GlycA was potentially a key biomarker in a wide range of diseases such as cancer, metabolic diseases, cardiovascular risk, and chronic inflammatory diseases among others. The profiling of glycoproteins through 1H-NMR launches an encouraging new paradigm for its future incorporation in clinical diagnosis.

Instrumented Walkway for Estimation of the Ankle Impedance in Dorsiflexion-Plantarflexion and Inversion-Eversion During Standing and Walking

2015 ◽  
Author(s):  
Evandro M. Ficanha ◽  
Guilherme Ribeiro ◽  
Mohammad Rastgaar Aagaah
Keyword(s):  
Degrees Of Freedom ◽  
Force Plate ◽  
Mechanical Impedance ◽  
Standing Position ◽  
Camera System ◽  
Ankle Impedance ◽  
System A ◽  
Human Ankle ◽  
Applied Forces ◽  
And Inversion

This paper describes in detail the fabrication of an instrumented walkway for estimation of the ankle mechanical impedance in both dorsiflexion-plantarflexion (DP) and in inversion-eversion (IE) directions during walking in arbitrary directions and standing. The platform consists of two linear actuators, each capable of generating ±351.3 N peak force that are mechanically coupled to a force plate using Bowden cables. The applied forces cause the force plate to rotate in two degrees of freedom (DOF) and transfer torques to the human ankle to generate DP and IE rotations. The relative rotational motion of the foot with respect to the shin is recorded using a motion capture camera system while the forces applied to the foot are measured with the force plate, from which the torques applied to the ankle are calculated. The analytical methods required for the estimation of the ankle torques, rotations, and impedances are presented. To validate the system, a mockup with known stiffness was used, and it was shown that the developed system was capable of properly estimating the stiffness of the mockup in two DOF with less than 5% error. Also, a preliminary experiment with a human subject in standing position was performed, and the estimated quasi-static impedance of the ankle was estimated at 319 Nm/rad in DP and 119 Nm/rad in IE.

Clinical Use of Intravenous Iron: Administration, Efficacy, and Safety

Hematology ◽  
2010 ◽  
Vol 2010 (1) ◽  
pp. 338-347 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael Auerbach ◽  
Harold Ballard
Keyword(s):  
Iron Deficiency ◽  
Iron Deficiency Anemia ◽  
Intravenous Iron ◽  
Repeated Administration ◽  
Adverse Outcomes ◽  
Deficiency Anemia ◽  
New Paradigm ◽  
Disease States ◽  
Iron Administration ◽  
Wide Range

AbstractThis section reviews the history, pharmacology, administration, efficacy, and toxicity of intravenous iron. Intravenous iron offers advantages over oral iron for the treatment of iron deficiency anemia across a wide range of disease states associated with absolute and functional iron deficiency. However, there remain concerns about the acute safety profiles of the available preparations and the potential for long-term toxicity with their repeated administration. Seven intravenous iron formulations are available. Confusion concerning the relative toxicities of the different formulations abounds. The similarities and differences are discussed. Iron repletion has been associated with adverse outcomes in infections. The relationship, if any, between intravenous iron administration and infections is reviewed. The potential advantages of total dose infusion (TDI), complete repletion in a single setting, are highlighted. A new paradigm for iron replacement therapy in iron deficiency anemia is presented.

What Really Matters Concerning Local Government Evaluation: Community Sustainability

2016 ◽  
Vol 14 (3) ◽  
pp. 279-302 ◽  
Author(s):  
Paulo Caldas ◽  
Brian Dollery ◽  
Rui Cunha Marques
Keyword(s):  
Local Government ◽  
Strategic Management ◽  
Evaluation Model ◽  
Financial Sustainability ◽  
Community Sustainability ◽  
New Paradigm ◽  
Sustainability Index ◽  
Evaluation Community ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Evaluation Models

How to evaluate local government or what really matters concerning local government evaluation and who cares about it are questions which are on the table currently across the world. This paper carry out a survey on the wide range of indicators and evaluation models of local government used worldwide and shows that they are based mainly on performance evaluation and financial sustainability ratios. We conclude that they address only part of the problem of strategic management, financing, and sustainable development issues of local government. In particular, the governance dimension is absent. Therefore, a broader vision is proposed that integrates our usual local government evaluation into the important issues of governance and sustainability. This article focus on “measuring what matters” in local government and presents the need of a new evaluation model, a Councils’ Sustainability Index, based on the integration of council’s financial performance with communities’ sustainability and governance dimensions. Thus, it might be an important contribution for the creation of a new paradigm on local government evaluation and councils’ strategic management. The Portuguese case is used to illustrate this purpose.

Evidentiality in interaction

2015 ◽  
Vol 39 (1) ◽  
pp. 46-84 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mikyung Ahn ◽  
Foong Ha Yap
Keyword(s):  
Main Clause ◽  
New Paradigm ◽  
Matrix Clause ◽  
Final Particle ◽  
Discourse Context ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Complement Clause ◽  
Using Data ◽  
Semantic Scope

This paper examines how hearsay evidential markers in Korean are used within the pragmatic domain to serve a wide range of epistemic and politeness functions. In particular, we focus on a new paradigm of hearsay evidential markers — more specifically, the V-ta ha-X > V-ta-X type, among them -tako, -tamye, -tamyense, -tanun, and -tanta (see Ahn & Yap 2014) — and using data from the Sejong Contemporary Spoken Corpus, we examine the extended uses of these hearsay evidential markers in natural conversations, and show how these ‘say’-derived evidential markers contribute to the expression of different shades of speaker stance. Special attention is also given to their distinctive roles in modulating the strength — as well as pragmatic nuance — of an epistemic claim. This study also examines the role of main-clause ellipsis, in particular its contribution to the reanalysis of the (quoted) complement clause as a stand-alone ‘new main clause’, and the concomitant reinterpretation of the erstwhile ha ‘say’ complement-taking matrix clause as a sentence final particle that often retains an evidential reading but also captures the pragmatic nuance of its discourse context. The findings of this study contribute to a fuller understanding of how ‘say’-derived evidential constructions in Korean (and potentially also in other languages) extend their semantic scope to develop into markers of speakers’ subjective and intersubjective/interpersonal stance.

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