Quantitative Investigation of Hand Grasp Functionality: Thumb Grasping Behavior Adapting to Different Object Shapes, Sizes, and Relative Positions

This paper is the first in the two-part series quantitatively modelling human grasp functionality and understanding the way human grasp objects. The aim is to investigate the thumb movement behavior influenced by object shapes, sizes, and relative positions. Ten subjects were requested to grasp six objects ( 3 shapes × 2 sizes ) in 27 different relative positions ( 3 X deviation × 3 Y deviation × 3 Z deviation ). Thumb postures were investigated to each specific joint. The relative position ( X , Y , and Z deviation) significantly affects thumb opposition rotation (Rot) and flexion (interphalangeal (IP) and metacarpo-phalangeal (MCP)), while the object property (object shape and size) significantly affects thumb abduction/adduction (ABD) motion. Based on the F value, the Y deviation has the primary effects on thumb motion. When the Y deviation changing from proximal to distal, thumb opposition rotation (Rot) and flexion (IP and MCP joint) angles were increased and decreased, respectively. For principal component analysis (PCA) results, thumb grasp behavior can be accurately reconstructed by first two principal components (PCs) which variance explanation ratio reached 93.8% and described by the inverse and homodromous coordination movement between thumb opposition and IP flexion. This paper provides a more comprehensive understanding of thumb grasp behavior. The postural synergies can reproduce the anthropomorphic motion, reduce the robot hardware, and control dimensionality. All of these provide a more accurate and general basis for the design and control of the bionic thumb and novel wearable assistant robot, thumb function assessment, and rehabilitation.

Cluster analysis and individual anthropogenic risk

Models and assessment methods of anthropogenic risk are analyzed at this article, general basis of mathematical approach for risk analysis is disclosed. Based on multivariate statistic methods, algorithm of analysis for Siberian territories safety is formulated, it allows to define acceptable level of risk for each territorial group (cities with population density more than 70 000, towns with population less than 70 000, and municipals areas).

Walking strides direct rapid and flexible recruitment of visual circuits for course control in

Flexible mapping between activity in sensory systems and movement parameters is a hallmark of successful motor control. This flexibility depends on continuous comparison of short-term postural dynamics and the longer-term goals of an animal, thereby necessitating neural mechanisms that can operate across multiple timescales. To understand how such body-brain interactions emerge to control movement across timescales, we performed whole-cell patch recordings from visual neurons involved in course control in Drosophila. We demonstrate that the activity of leg mechanosensory cells, propagating via specific ascending neurons, is critical to provide a clock signal to the visual circuit for stride-by-stride steering adjustments and, at longer timescales, information on speed-associated motor context to flexibly recruit visual circuits for course control. Thus, our data reveal a stride-based mechanism for the control of high-performance walking operating at multiple timescales. We propose that this mechanism functions as a general basis for adaptive control of locomotion.

Servant Leadership

The present study takes a closer look at servant leadership from a daily diary perspective. We hypothesized daily servant leadership to positively relate to the follower resources: self-efficacy and optimism. We further proposed that this relation should be attenuated if followers do not perceive their leaders to also lead servantly on a general basis. In a diary study, 98 followers completed questionnaires over one week. Hierarchical linear modeling showed daily servant leadership to be associated with followers' daily self-efficacy, but not with followers' daily optimism. Additionally, for the proposed interaction of daily servant leadership with general perceptions of servant leadership, results confirmed the proposed interaction for followers' daily optimism, but not for daily self-efficacy.

The Effect of an Accelerator on Cement Paste Capillary Pores: NMR Relaxometry Investigations

Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) relaxometry is a valuable tool for investigating cement-based materials. It allows monitoring of pore evolution and water consumption even during the hydration process. The approach relies on the proportionality between the relaxation time and the pore size. Note, however, that this approach inherently assumes that the pores are saturated with water during the hydration process. In the present work, this assumption is eliminated, and the pore evolution is discussed on a more general basis. The new approach is implemented here to extract information on surface evolution of capillary pores in a simple cement paste and a cement paste containing calcium nitrate as accelerator. The experiments revealed an increase of the pore surface even during the dormant stage for both samples with a faster evolution in the presence of the accelerator. Moreover, water consumption arises from the beginning of the hydration process for the sample containing the accelerator while no water is consumed during dormant stage in the case of simple cement paste. It was also observed that the pore volume fractal dimension is higher in the case of cement paste containing the accelerator.

A high throughputs and consistent method for the sampling and isolation of Endophytic bacteria allied to high altitude the medicinal plant Arnebia benthamii (Wall ex. G. Don)

Bacterial communities in the root zones are vibrant and play an essential role in medicinal plant microbe interaction and are a major driving force for maintaining the stability of soil ecosystem. The major bottleneck for the studying the interaction lies on sampling methods. Though various methods from time to time have been reported and developed however each method exhibited variation and inconsistency. We recommend here the standardized method after consulting the major developed methods so far across the globe. Primarily we divide the root zone in major bulk and rhizopshere fractions and a definite bacterial gradient around the root zone of the medicinal plant Arnebia benthamii (Wall ex. G. Don), a high altitude medicinal herb was observed. We propose to use this method as general basis for soil sampling and enumeration of bacterial diversity from root systems.

The Politics of Carnap’s Non-Cognitivism and the Scientific World-Conception of Left-Wing Logical Empiricism

Based on a reconstruction of the development of Rudolf Carnap’s views from the Aufbau until the 1960s, this paper provides an account of the philosopher’s understanding of non-cognitivism, which is here seen as in line with the so-called scientific world-conception of left-wing logical empiricism. The starting point of Carnap’s conception is the claim that every human decision depends on certain attitudes that cannot be justified at a cognitive level, that are neither based on empirical facts nor logical reasoning. The key features of Carnap’s non-cognitivism, however, go beyond this general basis and involve several fundamentally moral commitments, such as a commitment toward science, and the embracing of moral attitudes as the result of a long-term process of rational discourse. I argue that these commitments contained in Carnap’s non-cognitivism/scientific world-conception establish a genuinely political worldview that is characteristic of left-wing logical empiricism and converges with socialism and democracy.

Agency, ecosystems and sustainable development. Part 1: the ecosystem

Purpose This two-part paper is concerned with the creation of a generalised cybernetic agency-based ecosystem. The purpose of the first part is to explore the basis for the creation of an agentic ecology theory to provide a generalised multidisciplinary context-free manifold that can be applied to specific domains and contexts. As an element of this, it will explore the relationship between agency and its agents (at various foci) and the nature of agency ecologies and their evolution. It will also explore the relationship between viability and sustainability. In the second part of the paper, the purpose will be to formulate a general basis for agency ecology, followed by an agency model that recognises the analytical and decision-making attributes of the viability–sustainability relationship by centering on the modelling a socioeconomic ecosystem and a social disciplinary species model. Design/methodology/approach Agency theory will be used to model a generic agency ecology and its environment of subordinate elements – especially those subordinates that can be used as amenities to satisfy the needs to agency development. Part 1 of the paper will take a tour of concepts relevant to the representation of neo-ecosystem structures and their application. Part 2 will centre on delivering a schema capable of embracing agency neo-ecology from which applications may derive. Findings It is shown that agency theory as a modelling schema can be used as a methodology through which to provide diagnosis to examine the condition of, or for locating problems within, an agency in its ecosystem environment. This is illustrated within a socioeconomic context. Research limitations/implications The paper is conceptual in nature, and there has been no intention to diagnose any substantive issues within the socioeconomic context. Originality/value A generalised agency ecology approach is proposed over this two-part paper that is novel through the use of third-order cybernetics.

Street View Imaging for Automated Assessments of Urban Infrastructure and Services

Many forms of ambient data in cities are starting to become available that allows tracking of short-term urban operations, such as traffic management, trash collections, inspections, or non-emergency maintenance requests. However, arguably the greatest promise of urban analytics is to set up measurable objectives and track progress toward systemic development goals connected to human development and sustainability over the longer term. The challenge for such an approach is the connection between new technological capabilities, such as sensing and machine learning and local knowledge, and operations of residents and city governments. Here, we describe an emerging project for the long-term monitoring of sustainable development in fast-growing towns in the Galapagos Islands through the convergence of these methods. We demonstrate how collaborative mapping and the capture of 360-degree street views can produce a general basis for a broad set of quantitative analytics, when such actions are coupled to mapping and deep-learning characterizations of urban environments. We map and assess the precision of urban assets via automatic object classification and characterize their abundance and spatial heterogeneity. We also discuss how these methods, as they continue to improve, can provide the means to perform an ambient census of urban assets (buildings, vehicles, services) and environmental conditions.

Koreans in the Red Army. On the Problem of Russian-Korean Relations in the Soviet Union

The problems of Korean service in the Red Army are considered. It is noted that Koreans, both Russian citizens and emigrants from Korea, voluntarily joined the Red Army from the first days of its existence, and then Soviet Koreans were drafted into it on a general basis. Most of the Koreans served in the Siberian Military District and in the Special Far Eastern Army. Special attention is paid to the problems of Russian-Korean relations. The conclusion is made that the absence of racial and national discrimination in the Red Army did not exclude problems and contradictions in the relations between Russian and Korean servicemen. But these problems did not have a serious impact on the combat capability of the Red Army