Recently, the realization of artificial sensory systems mimicking the biological perception has been intensively pursued for the next generation neuromorphic electronics and humanoid robots. Particularly, an artificial somatosensory system which can emulate the functions of the biological skin and body sensation is considered to have a great potential in achieving highly integrated and neuromorphic sensory network. The biological somatosensory system is a complex sensory network, which is composed of sensory neurons (receptors), neural pathways, and a part of the brain for the perception process. By the sensory receptors such as mechanoreceptors, thermoreceptors, and nociceptors, [1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10] which are located on or beneath the skin, various environmental stimuli are detected and transmitted to the brain through the neural pathways. This enables the specific sensations such as strain, pressure, temperature, and distortion (flexion/ bending) of the body. In realizing an artificial somatosensory system, however, the integration of a large amount of sensory networks for the individual sensation still remains as a significant challenge, especially in the case of largearea electronic skin (e-skin) devices. For example, it is reported that to realize an e-skin for robotics and prosthetic limbs, an estimated 45 000 mechanoreceptors are needed in about 1.5 m 2 -area devices. [11] Additionally, the number of sensors could increase even further, considering the e-skins to have equivalent numbers of thermoreceptors and nociceptors in the system. Therefore, to fully mimic the biological skin perception over a large-area, a large number of sensory systems with complicated multi-layer architectures would be required as well as a large amount of data associated with their perception processing.In recent research, a new strategy to achieve artificially intelligent perception has been introduced in chemical and gas detection systems by analyzing the different responses recognized from many cross interferences. [12][13][14][15][16][17][18] These cross-reactive sensory systems, inspired by mammalian olfactory and gustatory systems, can simultaneously detect and identify specific responses from a variety of non-specific vapor, liquid elements, and their combinations by analyzing the difference in sensing responses with pattern recognition and machine learning algorithms. [19][20][21][22][23][24][25][26][27] Although these previous advances are noteworthy, Mimicking human skin sensation such as spontaneous multimodal perception and identification/discrimination of intermixed stimuli is severely hindered by the difficulty of efficient integration of complex cutaneous receptor-emulating circuitry and the lack of an appropriate protocol to discern the intermixed signals. Here, a highly stretchable cross-reactive sensor matrix is demonstrated, which can detect, classify, and discriminate various intermixed tactile and thermal stimuli using a machine-learning approach. Particularly, the multimodal perception ability is ...

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BackgroundTo evaluate risk factors of redisplacement and remind surgeons of key factors regarding conservative treatment of distal radius fracture.MethodsA total of 132 patients who received conservative treatment for distal radius fractures between March 2008 and February 2011 were included in this study. Radial inclination, radial length, volar tilting angle, ulnar variance, fragment translation, and presence of dorsal metaphyseal comminution were measured on the X-rays taken immediately after reduction, one week after injury during the first follow-up outpatient clinic visit, and after the gain of radiological union. Secondary displacement was defined as a loss of reduction during the follow-up period, and was divided into 'early' and 'late' categories. We analyzed the influence of initial displacement radiologic variables, dorsal cortex comminution, and patient age on the development of secondary displacement.ResultsDevelopment of secondary displacement was significantly associated only with initial displacement radiologic variables (p < 0.001), development of the late secondary displacement was significantly associated with age (p = 0.005), and initial displacement radiologic variables were associated significantly with a serial increase in ulnar variance (p = 0.003).ConclusionsGreater displacement on the initial radiographs indicates a higher possibility of development for secondary displacement, and older patients had a higher probability of late secondary displacement development. Furthermore, dorsal comminutions did not affect secondary displacement directly.

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The aim of this study was to evaluate the bone mineral density and the prevalence of osteoporosis in postmenopausal Korean women with low-energy distal radius fractures and compared with those of aged-matched normal Korean women. Two hundred and six patients with distal radius fractures between March 2006 and March 2010 were included in this study. Patients were divided into three groups by age; group 1 (50-59 years), group 2 (60-69 years), and group 3 (70-79 years). Controls were age-matched normal Korean women. The bone mineral density values at all measured sites, except for the spine, were significantly lower in group 1 than those of control. While the bone mineral density values in group 2 and 3 were lower than those of controls, these differences were not statistically significant. All groups had significantly higher prevalence of osteoporosis at the Ward’s triangle; however, at the spine, femoral neck and trochanteric area it was not significantly different from those of age-matched controls. Although the prevalence of osteoporosis of the postmenopausal women with low-energy distal radius fractures may not be higher than that of the control, osteoporosis should be evaluated especially in younger postmenopausal patients to prevent other osteoporotic hip and/or spine fractures.

Shoulder arthroplasty is technically demanding and relies heavily on precise surgical technique and preoperative planning. Proper glenoid component sizing plays a crucial role for successful shoulder arthroplasty. In this study, we measured the glenoid size together with penetration depth using three-dimensional computed tomography (3D-CT). From January 2010 to January 2011, 38 patients, including males and females, without evidence of a pathological glenoid, were enrolled for this study. CT images were taken and subsequently reconstructed in 3D images. The height of the glenoid was measured and the width was measured at five different levels (H1-H5). Axial images were taken at each level, with the anteroposterior (AP) glenoid diameter divided into eight areas (W1-W7). The penetration depth between the near and far cortices (thickness) at points W1-W7 was also measured. The overall mean height of the glenoid was 37.67 ± 4.09 mm. The width of the glenoid was the greatest at the distal 4/5th point and it was the least at the proximal 1/5th point. The penetration depth of the glenoid increased as the reference point progressed in the posterior direction, which was at the 5/7th point from the anterior margin. The measurement was greatest at the W4 point at the H1 level, but the W5 point was greatest at all other levels. On the basis of this study, the posterior and inferior parts of the glenoid are thinner than the anterior and superior parts. Thus, caution must be taken when inserting screws into the posteroinferior parts, where the glenoid is thinner than 15 mm, especially in females, to avoid penetration of the far cortex.

Continuous negative pressure is effective in treating septic arthritis of the shoulder. Cite this article: Bone Joint J 2016;98-B:660-5.