A closed-loop neurobotic system for fine touch sensing.

Objective: Fine touch sensing relies on peripheral-to-central neurotransmission of somesthetic percepts, as well as on active motion policies shaping tactile exploration. This paper presents a novel neuroengineering framework for robotic applications based on the multistage processing of fine tactile information in the closed action-perception loop.

Approach: The integrated system modules focus on (i) neural coding principles of spatiotemporal spiking patterns at the periphery of the somatosensory pathway, (ii) probabilistic decoding mechanisms mediating cortical-like tactile recognition and (iii) decision-making and low-level motor adaptation underlying active touch sensing.

Coupling internal cerebellar models enhances online adaptation and supports offline consolidation in sensorimotor tasks.

The cerebellum is thought to mediate sensorimotor adaptation through the acquisition of internal models of the body-environment interaction. These representations can be of two types, identified as forward and inverse models. The first predicts the sensory consequences of actions, while the second provides the correct commands to achieve desired state transitions.

Contribution of cerebellar sensorimotor adaptation to hippocampal spatial memory.

Complementing its primary role in motor control, cerebellar learning has also a bottom-up influence on cognitive functions, where high-level representations build up from elementary sensorimotor memories. In this paper we examine the cerebellar contribution to both procedural and declarative components of spatial cognition. To do so, we model a functional interplay between the cerebellum and the hippocampal formation during goal-oriented navigation.

Is nasal carriage of Staphylococcus aureus the main acquisition pathway for surgical-site infection in orthopaedic surgery?

The endogenous or exogenous origin of Staphylococcus aureus, responsible for orthopaedic surgical-site infections (SSI), remains debated. We conducted a multicentre prospective cohort study to analyse the respective part of exogenous contamination and endogenous self-inoculation by S. aureus during elective orthopaedic surgery.

Ten-year results of ALIZE acetabular cup with hydroxyapatite coating and AURA hydroxyapatite-coated stem in total hip arthroplasty.

One hundred seven total hip arthroplasties were done between 1991 and 1992 with ALIZE acetabular cup with hydroxyapatite coating (Biomet France, Valence, France) and AURA hydroxyapatite-coated stem (Biomet France) in 107 patients. The articulation was ceramic on polyethylene for 102 patients and metal on polyethylene for the remaining 5 patients. The mean follow-up of the series was 8.