Integration of visual motion and pursuit signals in areas V3A and V6+ across cortical depth using 9.4T fMRI

Neural mechanisms underlying a stable perception of the world during pursuit eye movements are not fully understood. Both, perceptual stability as well as perception of real (i.e. objective) motion are the product of integration between motion signals on the retina and efference copies of eye movements. Human areas V3A and V6 have previously been shown to have strong objective ('real') motion responses. Here we used high-resolution laminar fMRI at ultra-high magnetic field (9.4T) in human subjects to examine motion integration across cortical depths in these areas. We found an increased preference for objective motion in areas V3A and V6+ i.e. V6 and possibly V6A towards the upper layers. When laminar responses were detrended to remove the upper-layer bias present in all responses, we found a unique, condition-specific laminar profile in V6+, showing reduced mid-layer responses for retinal motion only. The results provide evidence for differential, motion-type dependent laminar processing in area V6+. Mechanistically, the mid-layer dip suggests a special contribution of retinal motion to integration, either in the form of a subtractive (inhibitory) mid-layer input, or in the form of feedback into extragranular or infragranular layers. The results show that differential laminar signals can be measured in high-level motion areas in human occipitoparietal cortex, opening the prospect of new mechanistic insights using non-invasive brain imaging.

Dry Friction and Mechanical System Motion Implicit Equations

It is shown that forces acting on the mechanical system points could depend on accelerations of the system points. Differential equation system of the mechanical system motion appears to be implicit. It is not resolved with respect to senior derivatives. Fundamental mathematical problems appear associated with possibility and uniqueness of these equations' solution with respect to the senior derivatives. Such problems are common in mechanical systems with dry sliding friction and rolling friction. Such problems are missing in the point dynamics. However, such problems are rather typical in more complex mechanical systems appearing in the study of a rigid body motion, which entire mass is concentrated in a single point, as well as in systems with one degree of freedom. Four fairly simple examples of mechanical systems are considered, and their motion is described by implicit differential motion equations. Situations could appear in these systems, when motion equations are not solvable with respect to the senior derivatives (motion equations are missing), as well as situations, when there are several solutions with respect to senior derivatives (there are several different systems of the mechanical system motion equations). At the same time, one of the fundamental principles of mechanics is not fulfilled, i.e., the principle of determinism

Design and Validation of A Novel Planar 2R1T Remote Center-of-motion Mechanism Composing of Dual-Triangular and Straight-Line Linkages

Benefiting from small incision and fast recovery, minimally invasive surgeries (MIS) exhibit great advantages in clinical operations. In such kind of surgeries, the remote center-of-motion (RCM) mechanisms play an important role owing to their special motion characteristics. This paper presents the design of a novel planar RCM mechanism of two rotational and one translational degrees-of-freedom. In the proposed design, the mobility of RCM mechanisms is decomposed into one-DOF pure rotation and translation with a remote stationary point. The dual-triangular linkage and the Peaucellier-Lipkin straight-line linkage are introduced to achieve the remote rotation and translation, respectively. Inspired by the concept of virtual screw, a dual-helical differential-motion joint is particularly designed to generate the coaxial rotation and translation. A preliminary prototype is developed to validate the feasibility of the designed RCM mechanism. The experimental results show that the developed prototype is easy to control and of acceptable positioning accuracy, which manifests potential application in MIS.

Research on Geometric Error Modeling and Compensation Method of CNC Precision Cylindrical Grinder Based on Differential Motion Matrix and Jacobian Matrix

In this paper, the geometric error modeling method of CNC cylindrical grinder based on the differential motion relationship between coordinate systems, the function fitting model method of basic geometric error terms based on cftool toolbox and the error compensation method based on Jacobian matrix are proposed. Firstly, the differential motion theory, which is widely used in the field of robot kinematics error modeling, is used to build the machine tool space machining error model of CNC cylindrical grinder. Different from the multi-body theory, this modeling method can clearly reflect the influence degree of each moving part on the grinding wheel cutter. Secondly, SJ6000 laser interferometer was used to measure and identify the geometric error terms of B2-K3032 CNC precision cylindrical grinder. MATLAB cftool toolbox was used to perform mathematical function fitting on the known error data, and the mathematical relationship between 24 geometric errors and machining instructions was found. Finally, combining with the 24 Sum of Sine function model, the known verticality error and position deviation, the differential motion matrix of each moving part in the tool coordinate system and the corresponding Jacobian matrix, the compensation quantity (dx dz db dc) of the comprehensive geometric error in the tool coordinate system by the CNC precision cylindrical grinder is obtained. In order to verify the feasibility of the above method, RA1000 series roundness meter was used to measure the radial circular runout error before and after the correction. The experimental results show that the precision of each shaft section is increased by 17.54%, 15.22%, 15.71%, 18.4%, 12.87%, respectively, and the average machining accuracy is increased by 15.948%. Therefore, the above methods are effective and reasonable for improving the precision of spindle workpieces, and can also be used for reference in the initial design stage of CNC cylindrical grinder manufacturing enterprises or improving the machining accuracy of existing machine tools.

Estimating Turbulence Distribution over a Heterogeneous Path Using Time-Lapse Imagery from Dual Cameras

Knowledge of turbulence distribution along an experimental path can help in effective turbulence compensation and mitigation. Although scintillometers are traditionally used to measure the strength of turbulence, they provide a path-integrated measurement and have limited operational ranges. A technique to profile turbulence using time-lapse imagery of a distant target from spatially separated cameras is presented here. The method uses the turbulence induced differential motion between pairs of point features on a target, sensed at a single camera and between cameras to extract turbulence distribution along the path. The method is successfully demonstrated on a 511 m almost horizontal path going over half concrete and half grass. An array of Light-Emitting Diodes (LEDs) of non-uniform separation is imaged by a pair of cameras, and the extracted turbulence profiles are validated against measurements from 3D sonic anemometers placed along the path. A short-range experiment with a heat source to create local turbulence spike gives good results as well. Because the method is phase-based, it does not suffer from saturation issues and can potentially be applied over long ranges. Although in the present work, a cooperative target has been used, the technique can be used with non-cooperative targets. Application of the technique to images collected over slant paths with elevated targets can aid in understanding the altitude dependence of turbulence in the surface layer.

On the potential role of lateral connectivity in retinal anticipation

We analyse the potential effects of lateral connectivity (amacrine cells and gap junctions) on motion anticipation in the retina. Our main result is that lateral connectivity can—under conditions analysed in the paper—trigger a wave of activity enhancing the anticipation mechanism provided by local gain control (Berry et al. in Nature 398(6725):334–338, 1999; Chen et al. in J. Neurosci. 33(1):120–132, 2013). We illustrate these predictions by two examples studied in the experimental literature: differential motion sensitive cells (Baccus and Meister in Neuron 36(5):909–919, 2002) and direction sensitive cells where direction sensitivity is inherited from asymmetry in gap junctions connectivity (Trenholm et al. in Nat. Neurosci. 16:154–156, 2013). We finally present reconstructions of retinal responses to 2D visual inputs to assess the ability of our model to anticipate motion in the case of three different 2D stimuli.

Design and Workspace Analysis of a Differential Motion Rotary Style Breast Interventional Robot

Introduction. Magnetic Resonance Imaging has better resolution for soft tissue; at the same time, the robot can work in a stable manner for a long time. MRI image-guided breast interventional robots have attracted much attention due to their minimally invasive nature and accuracy. In this paper, a hydraulic-driven MRI-compatible breast interventional robot is proposed to perform breast interventional procedure. Methods. First is the analysis of the design requirements of the hydraulic-driven MRI-compatible breast interventional robot, and then the design scheme is determined. Second, the three-dimensional model and the link frames are established. The workspace of the robot end point is solved by MATLAB/Simulink software. Then, the 3D printing technology is used to make a physical model of the MRI-compatible breast interventional robot. After assembly and debugging, the physical model is used for workspace verification, and the simulation result of the workspace shows that it is correct. Finally, the experimental research on the positioning error of the hydraulic drive is carried out, which established the theoretical foundation for the follow-up control research of the robot. Results. The positioning error has nothing to do with the motion distance, speed, and length of the selected tubing. The errors are 0.564 mm, 0.534 mm, and 0.533 mm at different distances of 40 mm, 80 mm, and 120 mm, respectively. The errors are 0.552 mm, 0.564 mm, and 0.559 mm at different speeds of 3 mm/s, 5 mm/s, and 8 mm/s, respectively. The errors are 0.564 mm, 0.568 mm, and 0.548 mm for different lengths of 0.5 m, 1 m, and 1.6 m, respectively. Then, the robot’s working space on the X O Z plane and the X O Y plane meets the conditions. Conclusion. The structure of a differential rotary breast interventional robot is determined, with the link frames assigned to the mechanism and the Denavit-Hartenberg parameters given. Workspace simulation of MRI-compatible breast interventional robot is done in MATLAB. The 3D printed MRI-compatible breast interventional robot is assembled and debugged to verify that its working space and positioning error meet the requirements.

Adhesions as a component of the trigger finger: a dynamic sonographic study

We performed a detailed dynamic high-resolution ultrasound examination of the flexor tendons in trigger fingers and compared this with normal contralateral digits. There was a loss of defined linear tendon margins and/or traction of the flexor tendons on the surrounding soft tissue during passive flexion of the distal interphalangeal joint in 17 out of 20 trigger fingers, which indicated adherence to the surrounding tissues. The differential motion between the flexor digitorum profundus tendon and the flexor digitorum superficialis tendons was also lost in ten trigger fingers, which suggested adherence between the tendons. No signs of peritendinous or intertendinous adhesions were found in the healthy control fingers. We conclude that tendon adhesions are present in the majority of trigger fingers. We could not determine a relationship between the severity of triggering and the presence of adherence due to limited sample size. Level of evidence: II

A novel error compensation method for multistage machining processes based on differential motion vector sets of multiple contour points

Modeling the variation propagation based on the stream of variation (SoV) methodology for multistage machining processes (MMPs) has been investigated intensively in the past two decades, however little research is conducted on the variation reduction and the existing work fails to be applied to irregular features caused by the machining-induced variation varying with the positions of the contour points on the machined surface. This paper proposes a novel error compensation method for MMPs through modifying the tool path to reduce variation for general features. The method based on differential motion vector (DMV) sets of multiple contour points is presented to represent the deviation of the irregular feature. Then the conventional SoV model is further extended to more accurately describe variation propagation for irregular features considering the actual datum-induced variations and the varying machining-induced variations, especially the deformation errors for the low stiffness workpiece. Based on the extended SoV model and error equivalence mechanism, the datum error and fixture error are transformed to the equivalent tool path error. Then the original tool path is modified through shifting the machine zero point of machine tools with no need for changing the original G code and workpiece setup. A real cutting experiment validates the effectiveness of the proposed error compensation method for MMPs with an average precision improvement of over 60%. The application of the extended SoV model significantly contributes to compensating more complex error sources for MMPs, such as the clamp force, the internal residual stress, etc.