Interaction in Assistive Robotics: A Radical Constructivist Design Framework.

Despite decades of research, muscle-based control of assistive devices (myocontrol) is still unreliable; for instance upper-limb prostheses, each year more and more dexterous and human-like, still provide hardly enough functionality to justify their cost and the effort required to use them. In order to try and close this gap, we propose to shift the goal of myocontrol from guessing intended movements to in the constructivist sense defined by Piaget. To this aim, the myocontrol system must be able to acquire new knowledge and forget past one, and knowledge acquisition/forgetting must happen , requested either by the user or by the system itself.

[Exercice echocardiography in 2007].

Exercise echocardiography is performed with transthoracic echocardiography recorded during ergometry in order to detect and evaluate coronary heart disease. In experienced hands this technique is safe, comfortable and easy to perform. It is mainly indicated for patients with intermediate probability of coronary disease.

Prognostic value of 24-hour ambulatory blood pressure measurement for the onset of atrial fibrillation in treated patients with essential hypertension.

This study retrospectively determined the prognostic variables of blood pressure by 24-hour ambulatory blood pressure measurement in relation to onset of atrial fibrillation in treated patients who had essential hypertension and analyzed the class effect of antihypertensive management on the nonoccurrence of this supraventricular arrhythmia.

Prognostic value of dobutamine echocardiography in patients with intermediate coronary lesions at angiography.

Unlabelled: The prognostic value of dobutamine echocardiography (DOBU-ECHO) in patients with intermediate coronary lesions has not been described in the literature. The aim of this study was to determine the prognostic value of DOBU-ECHO in patients presenting with coronary lesions smaller than 50% at angiography. Ninety-four consecutive patients were analyzed and followed-up for 64 +/- 7 months (range: 12 to 75 months).

Autonomic tone variations before the onset of paroxysmal atrial fibrillation.

Background: Mechanisms favoring the occurrence of paroxysmal atrial fibrillation (PAF) are complex and poorly defined. This study was designed to analyze dynamic changes in autonomic tone preceding the onset of PAF in a large group of patients.

Methods And Results: Holter tapes from 77 unselected consecutive patients (63 men and 14 women aged 58+/-12 years) with PAF were analyzed.