title: Marks of conscious engagement when performing a motor task with or without a robotic arm

authors: Wright, Madison

subjects: conscious control

abstract: Utilizing prosthetic limbs effectively and alleviating the conscious burden through
minimizing conscious control is important to address and understand in the ever-changing
world of technology. Prosthetics can be difficult to learn how to use effectively and using them
increases conscious awareness which is termed a burden. The conscious burden prosthetics
have on users is consistently addressed by a multitude of studies and garners for more in depth
research to understand and identify solutions to alleviate this burden. Conscious motor control
is defined as the level of awareness of an individual performing a movement related skill or
task, where the higher the conscious control the more an individual is thinking of their
movements while executing them. The aim of this thesis was to measure conscious burden
objectively by examining the marks of conscious engagement when performing a reaction time
task with and without a robotic arm.

Chapter 1 is an introduction to this thesis including a literature review of relevant topics
such as prosthetic limbs, conscious movement control, subjective and objective measurements
of conscious movement control and electroencephalography (EEG). Prosthetic rejection rates,
conscious burden and prosthetic limb learning are also addressed. The outline of the experiment
for this thesis is included and discussed more in depth in Chapter 2.

Chapter 2 is the experiment in full examining the level of conscious control while
participating in a reaction time based motor learning task using a robotic arm versus own arm.
There were two conditions, the complex condition (multi-choice) and simple condition (single
choice). A secondary task of tone counting was included in half the trials to examine whether
more conscious processing is involved when working with the robotic arm versus normal arm
while doing the reaction time task. It was expected that there would be higher conscious control
and slower reaction times when participants used the robotic arm compared to their own arm.

EEG was used to assess the connectivity between the left temporal verbal-analytical (T7) site
and the motor planning mid-frontal (Fz) site of the brain. Connectivity of T7-Fz is used to
measure the verbal-analytical engagement in motor planning which is then used to measure
conscious control. The results revealed the complex condition had a significantly higher
reaction time dual-task cost for arm compared to robotic arm and a higher T7-Fz connectivity
dual-cost (difference in performance for single versus dual task) for the robotic arm in the
complex condition compared to simple condition. We concluded that use of a robotic arm
increases verbal-analytical engagement when performing a motor task compared to using the
own arm.

Chapter 3 is the overall discussion of the experimental findings for the use of robotic
arms in reaction time tasks measuring conscious control and what it may mean for future
research. Implicit motor learning is discussed as well as implicit motor learning interventions
such as dual-task learning, analogy learning and errorless learning. There are also other
learning interventions to promote intuitive control in prosthetic limb learning such as gaze
training and neurofeedback.

text: Marks of conscious engagement when performing a motor task with or without a robotic arm Utilizing prosthetic limbs effectively and alleviating the conscious burden through
minimizing conscious control is important to address and understand in the ever-changing
world of technology. Prosthetics can be difficult to learn how to use effectively and using them
increases conscious awareness which is termed a burden. The conscious burden prosthetics
have on users is consistently addressed by a multitude of studies and garners for more in depth
research to understand and identify solutions to alleviate this burden. Conscious motor control
is defined as the level of awareness of an individual performing a movement related skill or
task, where the higher the conscious control the more an individual is thinking of their
movements while executing them. The aim of this thesis was to measure conscious burden
objectively by examining the marks of conscious engagement when performing a reaction time
task with and without a robotic arm.

Chapter 1 is an introduction to this thesis including a literature review of relevant topics
such as prosthetic limbs, conscious movement control, subjective and objective measurements
of conscious movement control and electroencephalography (EEG). Prosthetic rejection rates,
conscious burden and prosthetic limb learning are also addressed. The outline of the experiment
for this thesis is included and discussed more in depth in Chapter 2.

Chapter 2 is the experiment in full examining the level of conscious control while
participating in a reaction time based motor learning task using a robotic arm versus own arm.
There were two conditions, the complex condition (multi-choice) and simple condition (single
choice). A secondary task of tone counting was included in half the trials to examine whether
more conscious processing is involved when working with the robotic arm versus normal arm
while doing the reaction time task. It was expected that there would be higher conscious control
and slower reaction times when participants used the robotic arm compared to their own arm.

EEG was used to assess the connectivity between the left temporal verbal-analytical (T7) site
and the motor planning mid-frontal (Fz) site of the brain. Connectivity of T7-Fz is used to
measure the verbal-analytical engagement in motor planning which is then used to measure
conscious control. The results revealed the complex condition had a significantly higher
reaction time dual-task cost for arm compared to robotic arm and a higher T7-Fz connectivity
dual-cost (difference in performance for single versus dual task) for the robotic arm in the
complex condition compared to simple condition. We concluded that use of a robotic arm
increases verbal-analytical engagement when performing a motor task compared to using the
own arm.

Chapter 3 is the overall discussion of the experimental findings for the use of robotic
arms in reaction time tasks measuring conscious control and what it may mean for future
research. Implicit motor learning is discussed as well as implicit motor learning interventions
such as dual-task learning, analogy learning and errorless learning. There are also other
learning interventions to promote intuitive control in prosthetic limb learning such as gaze
training and neurofeedback.

year: 2024

title: The Characteristics of New Zealand Oolong Tea

authors: Zhang, Bin

subjects: EGCG Catechins

abstract: Tea is a beverage made from steeping dried leaves in hot water. Worldwide, more than 10,000 different teas are made from different varietals of Camellia sinensis.Tea is a relatively new tea crop to New Zealand and they do grow well in New Zealand conditions. Research to date in New Zealand indicated is present some unique features compared to tea will wide. The main unique problem with New Zealand Oolong tea is the character of special colour and flavour and different process of manufacture. No systematic trials of the EGCG content had been performed on New Zealand Oolong tea and therefore this research investigated the characteristics of New Zealand Oolong tea processing and use HPLC to determine the content of EGCG in fresh tea leaves of New Zealand Oolong tea.

This study used HPLC to determine EGCG the content of leaves used to make New Zealand Oolong tea. In the fresh tea leaves that have not been through the indoor wilting stage, the content of EGCG is 124mg/g. In finished tea the content of EGCG is 112mg/g. That is significantly higher than other teas such as Pu-erh, Fujian Oolong tea, DaHongPao Black tea. 

The results indicated that the early stages of the current tea manufacturing process are critical for controlling the EGCG content and extend of EGCG oxidation in the finished product.

text: The Characteristics of New Zealand Oolong Tea Tea is a beverage made from steeping dried leaves in hot water. Worldwide, more than 10,000 different teas are made from different varietals of Camellia sinensis.Tea is a relatively new tea crop to New Zealand and they do grow well in New Zealand conditions. Research to date in New Zealand indicated is present some unique features compared to tea will wide. The main unique problem with New Zealand Oolong tea is the character of special colour and flavour and different process of manufacture. No systematic trials of the EGCG content had been performed on New Zealand Oolong tea and therefore this research investigated the characteristics of New Zealand Oolong tea processing and use HPLC to determine the content of EGCG in fresh tea leaves of New Zealand Oolong tea.

This study used HPLC to determine EGCG the content of leaves used to make New Zealand Oolong tea. In the fresh tea leaves that have not been through the indoor wilting stage, the content of EGCG is 124mg/g. In finished tea the content of EGCG is 112mg/g. That is significantly higher than other teas such as Pu-erh, Fujian Oolong tea, DaHongPao Black tea. 

The results indicated that the early stages of the current tea manufacturing process are critical for controlling the EGCG content and extend of EGCG oxidation in the finished product.

year: 2012

title: The use of Māori words in National Science Challenge online discourse

authors: Calude, Andreea S.

abstract: This paper presents data relating to the use of Maori borrowings as they occur in a corpus of scientific discourse on the websites of the eleven National Science Challenges (NSCs) and their associated Twitter feeds.

text: The use of Māori words in National Science Challenge online discourse This paper presents data relating to the use of Maori borrowings as they occur in a corpus of scientific discourse on the websites of the eleven National Science Challenges (NSCs) and their associated Twitter feeds.

year: 2018