Training of Reaching in Stroke Survivors With Severe and Chronic Upper Limb Paresis Using a Novel Nonrobotic Device: A Randomized Clinical Trial

Background and Purpose—Severe upper limb paresis is a major contributor to disability after stroke. This study investigated the efficacy of a new nonrobotic training device, the Sensorimotor Active Rehabilitation Training (SMART) Arm, that was used with or without electromyography-triggered electrical stimulation of triceps brachii to augment elbow extension, permitting stroke survivors with severe paresis to practice a constrained reaching task.

Methods—A single-blind, randomized clinical trial was conducted with 42 stroke survivors with severe and chronic paresis. Thirty-three participants completed the study, of whom 10 received training using the SMART Arm with electromyography-triggered electrical stimulation, 13 received training using the SMART Arm alone, and 10 received no intervention (control). Training consisted of 12 1-hour sessions over 4 weeks. The primary outcome measure was “upper arm function,” item 6 of the Motor Assessment Scale. Secondary outcome measures included impairment measures; triceps muscle strength, reaching force, modified Ashworth scale; and activity measures: reaching distance and Motor Assessment Scale. Assessments were administered before (0 weeks) and after training (4 weeks) and at 2 months follow-up (12 weeks).

Results—Both SMART Arm groups demonstrated significant improvements in all impairment and activity measures after training and at follow-up. There was no significant difference between these 2 groups. There was no change in the control group.

Conclusions—Our findings indicate that training of reaching using the SMART Arm can reduce impairment and improve activity in stroke survivors with severe and chronic upper limb paresis, highlighting the benefits of intensive task-oriented practice, even in the context of severe paresis.

Development and evaluation of a vaginal ring device for sustained delivery of HIV microbicides to non-human primate

Background There is considerable interest in developing coitally indepen- dent, sustained release formulations for long-term administration of HIV microbicides. Vaginal ring devices are at the forefront of this formulation strategy. Methods Non-medicated silicone elastomer vaginal rings were prepared having a range of appropriate dimensions for testing vaginal ?t in pig- tailed and Chinese rhesus macaques. Cervicovaginal proin?ammatory markers were evaluated. Compression testing was performed to compare the relative ?exibility of various macaque and commercial human rings. Results All rings remained in place during the study period and no tissue irritation or signi?cant induction of cervicovaginal proin?ammatory mark- ers or signs of physical discomfort were observed during the 8-week study period. Conclusions Qualitative evaluation suggests that the 25 · 5-mm ring pro- vided optimal ?t in both macaque species. Based on the results presented here, low-consistency silicone elastomers do not cause irritation in maca-

Evaluation of a Microfluidic Device for the Electrochemical Determination of Halide Content in Ionic Liquids

A microfluidic device designed for electrochemical studies on a microliter scale has been utilized for the examination of impurity levels in ionic liquids (ILs). Halide impurities are common following IL synthesis, and this study demonstrates the ability to quantify low concentrations of halide in a range of ILs to levels of similar to 5 ppm, even in ILs not currently measurable using other methods such as ion chromatography. To validate the mixer device, the electrochemistry of ferrocene was also examined and compared with spectroscopic and bulk electrochemistry measurements. An automated

Hicks meets Hotelling: the direction of technical change in capital-resource economies

We analyze a two-sector growth model with directed technical change where man-made capital and exhaustible resources are essential for production. The relative profitability of factor-specific innovations endogenously determines whether technical progress will be capital- or resource-augmenting. We show that any balanced growth equilibrium features purely resource-augmenting technical change. This result is compatible with alternative specifications of preferences and innovation technologies, as it hinges on the interplay between productive efficiency in the final sector, and the Hotelling rule characterizing the efficient depletion path for the exhaustible resource. Our result provides sound micro-foundations for the broad class of models of exogenous/endogenous growth where resource-augmenting progress is required to sustain consumption in the long run, contradicting the view that these models are conceptually biased in favor of sustainability.

Carbon leakage revisited: unilateral climate policy with directed technical change

Using a stylized theoretical model, we argue that current economic analyses of climate policy tend to over-estimate the degree of carbon leakage, as they abstract from the effects of induced technological change. We analyse carbon leakage in a two-country model with directed technical change, where only one of the countries enforces an exogenous cap on emissions. Climate policy induces changes in relative prices, that cause carbon leakage through a terms-of-trade effect. However, these changes in relative prices also affect the incentives to innovate in different sectors. This leads to a counterbalancing induced-technology effect, which always reduces carbon leakage. We therefore conclude that the leakage rates reported in the literature may be too high, as these estimates neglect the effect of price changes on the incentives to innovate.

Cold-Atom-Induced Control of an Optomechanical Device

We consider a cavity with a vibrating end mirror and coupled to a Bose-Einstein condensate. The cavity field mediates the interplay between mirror and collective oscillations of the atomic density. We study the implications of this dynamics and the possibility of an indirect diagnostic. Our predictions can be observed in a realistic setup that is central to the current quest for mesoscopic quantumness.