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The objectives of this exploratory paper are to propose and implement original urban design strategies, but also to highlight the links between cultural and natural heritage at the city–land–sea interface and, in particular, in coastal areas with historical value. For the moment, the tools for evaluating the social and economic “value” of this heritage are extremely limited. Moreover, design and environmental parameters may also come into play in this context, and it is worth considering the creation of an evaluation toolkit. The proposed methodology includes three phases: a documentary analysis, an on-site analysis consisting of a sensory mapping and an analysis by questionnaires. The main result of this work is to demonstrate that the methodology of sensory mapping techniques allows obtaining a holistic global approach where all human senses are considered in the analytical phase of pre-design of a coastal site, thus integrating this approach in a more sustainable design strategy. This methodology was evaluated in a significant natural and historic area. This case study and the literature review demonstrate that it is possible to provide a scheme toolkit that integrates all the parameters of importance identified in urban analysis, sensory mapping, environmental analysis and natural and cultural heritage analysis.

Author(s): Cisneros, Rosemary (Rosa) Elizabeth; Crawley, Marie-Louise; Whatley, Sarah | Abstract: This essay looks at how embodied knowledge of the city can be shaped by the intentional movement of dance and sensory mapping experiments, through a close examination of two different movement practices undertaken as part of the Dancing Bodies in Coventry(DBiC) project. The essay also explores the different ways in which embodied experiences of urban space and place are documented, as well as what the hybridisation of the digital and the bodily might mean for how we understand and navigate our urban environments.

Objective:To evaluate the feasibility of sensory mapping of lumbar facet joint pain in patients scheduled to undergo radiofrequency (RF) denervation.Design:Prospective cohort study.Setting:University teaching hospital.Subjects:A total of 15 participants listed for RF denervation of lumbar facet joint.Method:After written informed consent, participants were recruited to the study. Participants completed a pain diagram prior to their procedure. After successful image-guided placement of RF cannulas, the sensory detection threshold using 50 Hz stimulation was obtained, followed by application of suprathreshold stimulation. Participants mapped their stimulated area in comparison to their pre-procedure pain diagram.Results:All 15 participants had previously undergone diagnostic blocks. All participants were able to report either pain or paraesthesia during suprathreshold stimulation. In total, 14 out of 15 participants reported complete coverage of their usual painful area with suprathreshold stimulation of nerves scheduled for RF denervation. In one of the participants, an area of upper lumbar pain was not covered during suprathreshold stimulation. Nearly two-thirds of the participants (n = 9), reported either pain or paraesthesia, outside their normal painful area during suprathreshold stimulation. A total of 71 nerves were scheduled for RF denervation. Sensory electrical stimulation was successfully achieved in 68 out of 71 nerves (96%). The average sensory detection threshold was found to be 0.3 V while the suprathreshold stimulation was 0.6 V.Conclusion:Lumbar facet joint pain can be mapped using suprathreshold sensory stimulation, which has the potential to introduce objectivity during RF denervation.

Intraoperative sensory cortical mapping is a reliable and safe method for the functional localization of the central sulcus (CS). It is utilized during neurosurgical procedures performed near eloquent brain tissue. It helps in identifying the somatosensory cortex and CS, hence preventing any postoperative neurological deficits. When executed properly, this method can identify the somatosensory cortex for both the upper and lower limbs by locating the CS. This technical report outlines the benefits of cortical sensory mapping (CsM) and detailed methodology. With the help of a properly trained intraoperative neuromonitoring staff who can accurately interpret the signals being monitored, CsM can help in injury prevention during brain surgeries.

Purpose We performed a detailed analysis of sensory function in patients with chronic post-surgical neuropathic pain (NP) after breast cancer treatments by quantitative sensory testing (QST) with DFNS (German Research Network on Neuropathic Pain) protocol and bed side examination (BE). The nature of sensory changes in peripheral NP may reflect distinct pathophysiological backgrounds that can guide the treatment choices. NP with sensory gain (i.e., hyperesthesia, hyperalgesia, allodynia) has been shown to respond to Na+-channel blockers (e.g., oxcarbazepine). Methods 104 patients with at least “probable” NP in the surgical area were included. All patients had been treated for breast cancer 4–9 years ago and the handling of the intercostobrachial nerve (ICBN) was verified by the surgeon. QST was conducted at the site of NP in the surgical or nearby area and the corresponding contralateral area. BE covered the upper body and sensory abnormalities were marked on body maps and digitalized for area calculation. The outcomes of BE and QST were compared to assess the value of QST in the sensory examination of this patient group. Results Loss of function in both small and large fibers was a prominent feature in QST in the area of post-surgical NP. QST profiles did not differ between spared and resected ICBN. In BE, hypoesthesia on multiple modalities was highly prevalent. The presence of sensory gain in BE was associated with more intense pain. Conclusions Extensive sensory loss is characteristic for chronic post-surgical NP several years after treatment for breast cancer. These patients are unlikely to respond to Na+-channel blockers.

As a practice-led researcher traversing the multiple worlds that exist between artists, communities and institutions, I turned to poetry to begin to speak the unspeakable; to retrieve the metaphorical bones of a story that were taken out. The bones of this story came through the voices of four women who lived and worked at a site located in Western Sydney. Their stories opened a crack in the findings of the research. Unexpectedly their stories interconnected. In an emergent process rather than a predetermined one, the poetic became a way to bring some of the fragmented 'bones' of this story to light. A multilayered participatory process of hand making relationship maps and poetry as the final layer of this experimental approach to ethnographic inquiry, resulted in the creation of what I call 'bone maps' and 'bone poems'. They have created 'ethnographic places' which allow for deeper inquiry into the human side of the story, interwoven with the complexity of official and often perceived more factual accounts as presented across multiple institutional narratives. I found that ethnographically based poetry, informed by earlier sensory mapping processes could reveal what more linear approaches did not. This paper introduces 'Bone Poems', to reveal how this experimental approach reaches ways of knowing, through metaphor, in ways that other methods do not.

Leprosy neuropathy is dependent on the patient's immune response and expresses itself as a focal or multifocal neuropathy with asymmetric involvement. Leprosy neuropathy evolves chronically but recurrently develops periods of exacerbation during type 1 or type 2 reactions, leading to acute neuropathy. Nerve enlargement leading to entrapment syndromes is also a common manifestation. Pain may be either of inflammatory or neuropathic origin. A thorough and detailed evaluation is mandatory for adequate patient follow-up, including nerve palpation, pain assessment, graded sensory mapping, muscle power testing, and autonomic evaluation. Nerve conduction studies are a sensitive tool for nerve dysfunction, including new lesions during reaction periods or development of entrapment syndromes. Nerve ultrasonography is also a very promising method for nerve evaluation in leprosy. The authors propose a composite nerve clinical score for nerve function assessment that can be useful for longitudinal evaluation.

We previously showed that proprioceptive sensory input from the hindlimbs to the anterior cerebellar cortex of the cat may not be simply organized with respect to a body map, but it may also be distributed to multiple discrete functional areas extending beyond classical body map boundaries. With passive hindlimb stepping movements, cerebellar activity was shown to relate to whole limb kinematics as does the activity of dorsal spinocerebellar tract (DSCT) neurons. For DSCT activity, whole limb kinematics provides a solid functional framework within which information about limb forces, such as those generated during active stepping, may also be embedded. In this study, we investigated this idea for the spinocerebellar cortex activity by examining the activity of cerebellar cortical neurons during both passive bipedal hindlimb stepping and active stepping on a treadmill. Our results showed a functional compartmentalization of cerebellar responses to hindlimb stepping movements depending on the two types of stepping and strong relationships between neural activities and limb axis kinematics during both. In fact, responses to passive and active stepping were generally different, but in both cases their waveforms were related strongly to the limb axis kinematics. That is, the different stepping conditions modified the kinematics representation without producing different components in the response waveforms. In sum, cerebellar activity was consistent with a global kinematics framework serving as a basis upon which detailed information about limb mechanics and/or about individual limb segments might be imposed.

A major task across infancy is the creation and tuning of the acoustic maps that allow efficient native language processing. This process crucially depends on ongoing neural plasticity and keen sensitivity to environmental cues. Development of sensory mapping has been widely studied in animal models, demonstrating that cortical representations of the sensory environment are continuously modified by experience. One critical period for optimizing human language mapping is early in the first year; however, the neural processes involved and the influence of passive compared with active experience are as yet incompletely understood. Here we demonstrate that, while both active and passive acoustic experience from 4 to 7 months of age, using temporally modulated nonspeech stimuli, impacts acoustic mapping, active experience confers a significant advantage. Using event-related potentials (ERPs), we show that active experience increases perceptual vigilance/attention to environmental acoustic stimuli (e.g., larger and faster P2 peaks) when compared with passive experience or maturation alone. Faster latencies are also seen for the change discrimination peak (N2*) that has been shown to be a robust infant predictor of later language through age 4 years. Sharpening is evident for both trained and untrained stimuli over and above that seen for maturation alone. Effects were also seen on ERP morphology for the active experience group with development of more complex waveforms more often seen in typically developing 12- to 24-month-old children. The promise of selectively “fine-tuning” acoustic mapping as it emerges has far-reaching implications for the amelioration and/or prevention of developmental language disorders.

The aim of this study was to evaluate the changes in pressure pain sensitivity maps in untrained subjects over 2 subsequent sessions of eccentric exercise (ECC) expected to result in (a) delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS) and (b) adaptation/recovery, respectively. Eleven healthy male subjects participated in this study. Pressure pain threshold (PPT), rate of perceived exertion (RPE), pain intensity, soreness area drawing, maximal voluntary contraction (MVC), and shoulder range of motion were assessed in session 1 before, immediately after, and 24 hours after ECC. The ECC protocol that was used to induce DOMS consisted of 50 eccentric contractions of the right shoulder that were divided into 5 bouts, including 10 contractions at MVC level separated by a 2-minute resting period. Session 2 was identical to session 1 and performed exactly 1 week later. There was only a significant increase in the RPE assessed before the exercise and 24 hours after the exercise in session 1 (p = 0.001). The average PPT only decreased significantly from before the exercise (660.2 ± 76.2 kPa) to 24 hours after the exercise (435.6 ± 59.3 kPa) in session 1 (p = 0.016). The present study confirmed a heterogeneous distribution of mechanical sensitivity before and after sessions of ECC. The first session of ECC underlined increased mechanical sensitivity because of DOMS, whereas the second session reflected an adaptation process. Our results support the potential role of ECC bouts in training regimens.

The sensory profiles of 72 beers commercially available in Italy were described and quantified using descriptive analysis procedures. Principal component analysis indicated that nearly 74% of the variance across samples can be described by the first six principal components. Raw materials and specifically grains impart flavors that are responsible for the main source of variations and discrimination among beers of the Italian market. Second direction of variation is summarized by the perceived overall structure of a given brand and its fruity ester flavors. Although sameness seems to be the key word for pale lagers of the market as emerges from the application of multivariate techniques, this study proved to be efficient in gaining an insight into the relationships between this class of beers and its flavor characteristics and revealed some subtle but clear differences among brands which took the lion's share of the market. PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS The results of this study have practical implications for brewers, importers and distributors. Brewers who wish to introduce or re-position a new or existing beer brand into the Italian market can benefit from these pieces of information to improve the knowledge of the sensory structure of the beer market to better plan their industrial strategies. Moskowitz stated that mapping technique can be used by researchers “to identify which products compete with each other, as well as to discover whether or not there exist in the category unfilled holes that have promise.” As competition intensifies, companies need to orientate more precisely and enhance more efficiently towards consumers' satisfaction and sensory properties of food and beverages are universally reported as determinants of product quality and acceptance.

Brian McGrath and VictoriaMarshall discern the newly resilient urban patterns that are emerging in the meta-city, shifting and adjusting to changing local and global conditions. Based on smart infrastructure, self-sufficiency and hybrid local models, highly adaptive design patterns take the form of responsive micropatches rather than overarching masterplans. As demonstrated by the featured projects, ‘pattern recognition’, sensory mapping techniques and sensitivity to a city's ecosystem are becoming essential tools to the urban designer. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Background The prevalence of persistent post-sternotomy pain (PPSP) varies largely and has been mainly studied using questionnaires. We decided to perform a systematic qualitative and quantitative sensory examination study on a power-calculated sample of patients who had undergone sternotomy for cardiac surgery. Pain was diagnosed as PPSP if the patient complained of sternal pain that had developed after surgery together with corresponding sensory disturbances. Patients and methods One hundred elective patients undergoing coronary artery bypass via sternotomy were recruited for dynamic sensory mapping 4–6 months after surgery. Sensory testing was performed using thermal rollers, a cotton stick and pinprick. The intensity of sensation was registered as a score on a numeric rating scale. The area of sensory dysfunction on the chest wall was traced onto paper and calculated with the help of a computer-based program. The patient also answered a validated pain questionnaire. Results Altogether 90 patients took part in the examination. Thirteen (15.4%) of the patients had pain and formed the PPSP group, while the remaining patients formed the non-PPSP group. Both groups had sensory abnormalities over the chest wall (69% of all patients). Sensory disturbances were more common, more profound and extended over a larger skin area in the PPSP group. Furthermore, daily activity performance in the PPSP group was poorer compared to the non-PPSP group. Conclusion PPSP is a clinical diagnosis easily achieved using simple diagnostic tools and a medical history. Severity and extent of sensory abnormalities were found to be greater in the PPSP group.

Flash profile is a quick sensory profiling technique designed to meet industrial needs. It is based on the combination of free choice profiling and a comparative evaluation of the whole product set. This study aimed at comparing Flash profile with conventional profiling. This has been done with two product spaces: strawberry blended yoghurts and apricot “fromages frais”, both from the French market. Multidimensional data treatment such as Generalised Procrustes Analysis and Canonical Variate Analysis (CVA) allowed us to assess the correspondence between the sensory maps obtained with both methods. In the case of strawberry yoghurts, very similar results were obtained with the two methods. On the other hand the sensory positioning of the apricot fresh cheeses somewhat differed between the methods. For both product sets, Flash profile was slightly more discriminating than the conventional profile. Advantages and limits of Flash profile are discussed.

Object. The aim of this study was to evaluate the spatial accuracy of interictal magnetoencephalography (MEG) in localizing the primary epileptogenic focus in comparison with alternative MEG-derived estimates such as ictal onset recording or sensory mapping of the periphery where seizures manifest. Methods. During this retrospective study of 12 patients with epilepsy who had undergone successful magnetic source (MS) imaging with the aid of a dual 37-channel biomagnetometer as well as simultaneous MEG/electroencephalography (EEG) recordings, ictal events were observed in five patients and quantitative comparisons of interictal spike and ictal seizure onset source localizations were made. In the eight patients who had presented with sensorimotor seizure, source localization of cortical sites concordant with seizure foci was determined using somatosensory functional mapping, and the results were quantitatively compared with interictal spike source localizations. Interictal spike sources demonstrated on MEG localized to the same region as the corresponding ictal event or somatosensory source localizations. The mean distance between the ictal foci and interictal spike sources was 1.1 ± 0.3 cm. Results of functional somatosensory mapping in patients with sensorimotor seizures demonstrated that seizure sources consistently colocalized with interictal MEG spike sources, with a mean distance of 1.5 ± 0.4 cm. No systematic directional bias was observed. Interictal sources tended to be tightly clustered, and the mean ellipsoid volume, defined by one standard deviation of the source spatial coordinates, was 1 cm3. Conclusions. Interictal spike localizations on MEG were concordant with ictal and, where relevant, functional somatosensory mapping localizations. These findings support the interpretation of interictal spikes on MEG as a useful and effective noninvasive method for localizing primary seizure foci.

Category: Lesser Toes, Morton’s neuroma Introduction/Purpose: Background: Morton’s neuromata are a common cause of forefoot pain. Surgical excision of the neuroma is expected to result in loss of sensation, however in the author’s experience post-operative sensation can be incongruent with the expected cutaneous innervation of the excised nerve. There is a lack of literature regarding this observed discrepancy. The purpose of this study was to carry out sensory mapping in post excision patients. Methods: Methods: Data was collated from the consecutive case series of a single surgeon from 2013-2015 resulting in a total of 19 respondents (23 excisions). All patients were a minimum of 7 months post-excision (average=23 months). Each toe was divided into 13 anatomical segments (total 65). Sensation was assessed using a 10 g monofilament and results were recorded on a sensory map. Results: 19 excisions were done from the 3 rd intermetatarsal space (group A) and 4 from the 2nd intermetatarsal space (group B). The range of patients from group A affected by complete sensory loss within any individual segment varied from 5.3%-47.4%. In the lesser toes (2, 3, 4 and 5), at least 10% of patients described decreased or absent sensation in =7/13 segments in each of all the lesser toes. Over 36.9% of patients reported decreased or absent sensation involving =7/13 segments in each the 3 rd and 4th toes. The percentage of patients who reported unaltered sensation ranged from 21.1%-100% across all 65 segments. Group B followed a similar pattern but had a much smaller cohort of patients. Conclusion: The results of the sensory mapping indicate an unexpected pattern of loss and preservation of sensation when considering the perceived knowledge of the cutaneous innervation of the forefoot. Further research is required to evaluate this intriguing pattern of innervation. A greater understanding would be useful in better informing our patients during the consent process.

Background Within the last years, occipital nerve stimulation (ONS) has proven to be an important method in the treatment of severe therapy-resistant neurological pain disorders. The correspondence between lead placement as well as possible stimulation parameters and the resulting stimulation effects remains unclear. Objective The method aims to directly relate the neuromodulatory mechanisms with the clinical treatment results, to achieve insight in the mode of action of neuromodulation, to identify the most effective stimulation sets and to optimize individual treatment effects. Methods We describe a new computer-based imaging method for mapping the spatial, cognitive and affective sensory effects of ONS. The procedure allows a quantitative and qualitative analysis of the relationship between lead positioning, the stimulation settings as well as the sensory and clinical stimulation effects. Conclusion A regular mapping of stimulation and sensory parameters allows a coordinated monitoring. The stimulation results can be reviewed and compared with regards to clinical effectiveness.

Mirror-image sensory dysfunction (MISD) has not been systematically characterized in persistent postoperative pain.The presence of MISD was evaluated with standardized stimuli, in preoperative patients scheduled for a thoracotomy (n = 14) and in patients with postthoracotomy pain syndrome [PTPS (n = 14)]. The primary outcome was investigation of the areas of sensory dysfunction, evaluated twice by dynamic sensory mapping with metal rollers and a brush.In PTPS patients, sensory dysfunction was present on the surgical side, and in 12 of 14 patients MISD was demonstrated. The total areas of sensory dysfunction [median (interquartile range)] were: day 1, 500 (289 to 636) cm and 60 (0 to 379) cm on the surgical and nonsurgical side (P0.005), respectively; and day 2, 355 (266 to 697) cm and 81 (0 to 202) cm on the surgical and nonsurgical side (P0.0002), respectively. Magnitudes of areas on the surgical side, respective of the nonsurgical side, did not significantly differ between the 2 days of investigation (P0.5). The agreement between test-retest assessments was fair to excellent on the surgical side but poor on the nonsurgical side. None of the PTPS patients experienced mirror pain.MISD is a common finding in PTPS patients and deserves further study involving mechanism and clinical implications.

This paper documents a preliminary investigation into the relationship between neurodiversity and the built environment using a pilot project developed with Logan City Council and engaging candidates within the Master of Urban Design at the Queensland University of Technology. The research begins to examine the way many places are designed and built can be alienating and inhibit accessibility to people with movement and sensory differences. Logan Central has been used as a case study area to map the physical attributes, and identify barriers and challenges in the built environment – specifically for people with disabilities but also taking in consideration the wider population. The integration of all individuals – mainstream, those with disability, differences and multigenerational populations – strengthens the social and economic fabric of Australia, enabling its citizens to live healthy, productive, and fulfilling lives.

This paper presents an environment recognition method for bipedal robots using a time-delay neural network. For a robot to walk in a varying terrain, it is desirable that the robot can adapt to any environment encountered in real-time. This paper aims to develop a sensory mapping unit to recognize environment types from the input sensory data based on an artificial neural network approach. With the proposed sensory mapping design, a bipedal walking robot can obtain real-time environment information and select an appropriate walking pattern accordingly. Due to the time-dependent property of sensory data, the sensory mapping is realized by using a time-delay neural network. The sensory data of earlier time sequences combined with current sensory data are sent to the neural network. The proposed method has been implemented on the humanoid robot NAO for verification. Several interesting experiments were carried out to verify the effectiveness of the sensory mapping design. The mapping design is validated for the uphill, downhill and flat surface cases, where three types of environment can be recognized by the NAO robot online.

Quantitative sensory testing (QST) is a widely accepted tool to investigate somatosensory changes in pain patients. Many different protocols have been developed in clinical pain research within recent years. In this review, we provide an overview of QST and tested neuroanatomical pathways, including peripheral and central structures. Based on research studies using animal and human surrogate models of neuropathic pain, possible underlying mechanisms of chronic pain are discussed. Clinically, QST may be useful for 1) the identification of subgroups of patients with different underlying pain mechanisms; 2) prediction of therapeutic outcomes; and 3) quantification of therapeutic interventions in pain therapy. Combined with sensory mapping, QST may provide useful information on the site of neural damage and on mechanisms of positive and negative somatosensory abnormalities. The use of QST in individual patients for diagnostic purposes leading to individualized therapy is an interesting concept, but needs further validation.

Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) enhances the understanding of neuroanatomy and functions of the brain and is becoming an accepted brain-mapping tool for clinicians, researchers, and basic scientists alike. A noninvasive procedure with no known risks, fMRI has an ever-growing list of clinical applications, including presurgical mapping of motor, language, and memory functions. fMRI benefits patients and allows neurosurgeons to be aware of, and to navigate, the precise location of patient-specific eloquent cortices and structural anomalies from a tumor. Optimizing preoperative fMRI requires tailoring the fMRI paradigm to the patient's clinical situation and understanding the pitfalls of fMRI interpretation.

Forward predictions are not only crucial to predict somatosensory consequences of movements, but may also guide cross-modal sensory mapping (Ramnani, 2006). When a visual stimulus temporally predicts an auditory tone onset (‘when’ information), the amplitude of the N1-P2 complex is reduced compared to a temporally unpredictable tone (e.g., Ford et al., 2007; Sowman, Kuusik, & Johnson, 2012). However, cue quality and/or tone identity (‘what’ information) may further modulate visual-to- auditory predictions. When the quality of a visual cue varies, its strength to predict a subsequent tone onset influences cross- modal sensory mapping. In addition, infrequently occurring deviant tones (altered in frequency) induce uncertainty about tone identity that may further impact visual-to-auditory predictions (cf. Schwartze, Farrugia, & Kotz, 2013, for sensory predictions). A visual-to-auditory cross-modal prediction paradigm was used in the current experiment. Participants passively viewed visual cues that temporally predicted a subsequent tone onset or not. We manipulated (1) the predictive strength of a visual cue (five different cue colors vs. one [grey] color), (2) the probability of an auditory tone to occur (80% standard, 20% deviant tones), and (3) temporal predictability (predictable vs. unpredictable tone onset). Predictable blocks either preceded unpredictable blocks or vice versa (between subjects-design). This allowed investigating whether frequent standard tones are affected by uncertainty of tone identity (‘what’ information) as a function of temporal predictability (‘when’ information). The results on lateral electrodes revealed that the N1-P2 complex to standard tones was modulated by temporal predictability. The N100 amplitude was enhanced (predictable>unpredictable) when predictable blocks preceded unpredictable blocks, while the N100 amplitude was reduced (predictable

Methodology for sensory profiling of fermented milks has been studied. A vocabulary of sensory attributes has been developed which encompasses most of the difference between samples. Principal Component Analysis, incorporating factor rotation, allowed simplification of the variability between samples to five Principal Components capable of clear interpretation. Sensory mapping was found to be a useful tool for categorizing fermented milks. The acceptability of the fermented milks was successfully modelled, by Partial Least Squares Regression, in terms of a limited number of key attributes. The model explained 88.4% of the variance. The relations between sensory attributes and the composition of the fermented milks were considered using Multiple Linear Regression. Although a number of statistically significant relations were derived they were of poor to modest value for purposes of prediction.

We present an overview of Keep in Touch, a networked fabric touchscreen designed to support and maintain intimacy for couples in long distance relationships. To achieve this, a novel sensorial interface was created by combining the visual and tactile senses together. Each partner is presented with a blurred digital projection of their lover. When they touch their partner's body, the image comes into focus revealing their features. We describe how this sensory mapping creates an expressive and emotional interface allowing couples to communicate through touch, gestures, and body language.

In this paper we present Panoptes, a new device for collecting and relating spatial data through an auditory interface. The main objective of this device is to make navigation easier for the visually impaired. The design consists of a handheld device containing an ultrasonic sensor, a gyroscope, a signal processing chip and a power source. Various elements of the design were simulated and the results show that the device, in concert with the natural capabilities of the human brain, allowed the user to process and use the information to navigate.

Embouchure dystonia is a focal task-specific disorder involving abnormal non-coordinated movements and involuntary muscle contraction around the mouth. In professional brass players it is often so disabling that patients have to limit or give up their occupation. We examined the somatosensory homuncular representation and measured gap detection sensitivity of the lips in eight former professional musicians affected by embouchure dystonia and eight control subjects. Relative to controls, the patients' digit, and especially the thumb, representations were shifted in a lateral direction towards the lip representational zone. Patients' upper lips showed decreased sensitivity compared to their lower lips (p < 0.01). This asymmetry result was absent in controls. Abnormal somatosensory reorganization may contribute to the disorder.

The authors present a mathematical analysis of self-organizing sensory mapping which was first proposed by Kohonen. It is shown that using the sensory mapping learning rule is equivalent to minimizing an energy function of the network outlined. The underlying work of Kohonen and the topology preserving networks are reviewed, along with the algorithm for implementing the network. The concept of the energy of a network is defined and a detailed analysis of the mapping algorithm is outlined. >

vations we conducted this cadaveric experiment to identify location specific adhesions and their effect on joint motion. Methods: To simulate zone II adhesions a fresh cadaver was dissected. The experiment was completed in three phases. The first phase consisted of simulating adhesion by suturing the long finger flexor tendons (FDS and FDP) together in the location where profundus is inferior to superficialis. The second phase consisted of simulating adhesions by suturing the long finger flexor tendons were superficialis is lateral to profundus. The third phase consisted on suturing the long finger flexor tendons together were the superficial is posterior to profundus. In order to simulate active long finger digital flexion both of the tendons of the FDS and FDP were simultaneously pulled proximally at the level of the forearm. Results: This experiment revealed that limitations in digital motion following zone II repair is dependent on the precise location of tendon adhesion. Phase one of this cadaveric experiment produced limitations in both PIP and DIP joint flexion. Phase two demonstrated minimal limitation in PIP joint flexion, however, DIP joint flexion was limited. Phase three revealed that the DIP joint demonstrated minimal flexion deficit. Conclusion: This cadaveric experiment simulated flexor tendon adhesions at three levels within Zone II. This experiment revealed that limitations in digital motion following zone II repair will be dependant on the precise location of tendon adhesions within this zone.

The stationary state of the self-organizing sensory mapping of Kohonen is investigated. For this purpose the equation for the stationary state is derived for the case of one-dimensional and two-dimensional mappings. The equation can be solved for special cases, including the general one-dimensional case, to yield an explicit expression for the local magnification factor of the map.

(1982). Sensory mapping and preferences for urban nature. Landscape Research: Vol. 7, No. 2, pp. 2-8.