scholarly journals Design of Soft Continuum Manipulators Using Parallel Asymmetric Combination of Fiber Reinforced Elastomers

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Naveen Kumar Uppalapati ◽  
Girish Krishnan
Keyword(s):  
Coupling Effect ◽  
Performance Study ◽  
Pneumatic Actuators ◽  
Spatial Deformation ◽  
Complex Design ◽  
Continuum Manipulators ◽  
Place Task ◽  
Curvature And Torsion ◽  
The Individual ◽  
The Cost

Soft continuum manipulators have large workspace, dexterity and adaptability, but at the cost of complex design construction highlighted by concatenating several individually controlled serial segments. In this paper, we propose a new designarchitecture for a soft continuum manipulator composed of a parallel combination of pneumatic actuators. The BR2 manipulator, featured in this paper is asymmetric as it combines one soft bending (B) actuator and two soft rotating (R2) actuators, as opposed to state of the art symmetric architectures that adopt bending segments. Spatial deformation modes are achieved by combining curvature and torsion of the individual actuators. This paper formulates a forward analysis method based on Cosserat rod mechanics to predict the spatial deformation of the manipulator under the effect of external loads with an accuracy less than 9 % of the manipulator length. The model takes into account ‘the coupling effect’ inherent to the asymmetric combination, where pressurizing the rotating actuator attenuates the bendingcurvature and vice versa. Consequently, the paper studies the optimal design of the manipulator constituents that minimize the coupling, and thus maximize the workspace and dexterity. A detailed performance study of the BR2 manipulator on aswiveling base demonstrates a spatial workspace quantified by an axisymmetric area, and sufficient dexterity such that at least 87% of the workspace can be approached with two or more orientations. These are validated through obstacle avoidance, and a pick and place task. The manipulator is also capable ofwhole arm manipulation by spiraling along cylindrical objects of varying diameters. These performance attributes surpass any other single segment module and is a potential building block for constructing customized continuum manipulators.

Design and Modeling of Soft Continuum Manipulators Using Parallel Asymmetric Combination of Fiber-Reinforced Elastomers

2020 ◽  
Vol 13 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Naveen Kumar Uppalapati ◽  
Girish Krishnan
Keyword(s):  
Coupling Effect ◽  
Performance Study ◽  
Pneumatic Actuators ◽  
Bending Performance ◽  
Kirchhoff Rod ◽  
Spatial Deformation ◽  
Complex Design ◽  
Place Task ◽  
The Individual ◽  
State Of Art

Abstract Soft continuum arms (SCAs) have a large workspace, dexterity, and adaptability, but at the cost of complex design construction highlighted by concatenating several serial segments. In this paper, we propose a new design architecture for SCAs composed of a parallel combination of pneumatic actuators. The BR2 SCA featured in this work is asymmetric as it combines one soft bending (B) actuator and two soft rotating (R2) actuators as opposed to state of art symmetric architectures that adopt bending segments. Spatial deformation is obtained by combining the bending and rotating feature of the individual actuators. This paper also formulates an approximate forward analysis method based on Kirchhoff rod equations to predict the spatial deformation under external loads with an accuracy less than 9% of the SCAs length. In addition, the model also takes into account the “coupling effect” inherent to the asymmetric parallel combination, where actuating rotating actuator attenuates the bending performance and vice versa. Consequently, this work also refines the design of the SCA that minimizes the coupling effect. A detailed performance study of the refined BR2 manipulator on a swiveling base demonstrates larger workspace and higher dexterity when compared with state of art single section SCAs. The performance of the design is validated through different tasks like obstacle avoidance, pick and place task, and whole arm grasping. These performance attributes surpass any other single segment soft module and is a potential building block for constructing customized SCAs.

THEORETICAL PRINCIPLES OF FORECASTING THE COST OF A SOFTWARE PRODUCT

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pavlo Rodionov ◽  
◽  
Anna Ploskonos ◽  
Lesya Gavrutenko ◽  
◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Selection Process ◽  
Individual Characteristics ◽  
Successful Implementation ◽  
Software Products ◽  
Software Product ◽  
Continue Research ◽  
Cocomo Model ◽  
Factors Of Influence ◽  
The Individual ◽  
The Cost

The paper analyzes the factors that affect the amount of effort required to create a mobile application and its cost. It is established that the main factors of influence are the design of the application, its functionality, the type of mobile platform, the availability and level of testing and support, as well as the individual characteristics of the developer. Based on the analysis of information sources, the main methods and approaches to forecasting the cost of software products are identified, which include the COCOMO model, Price-to-win method, expert evaluation, algorithmic methods and the method of analogies. It is proposed to consider the method of analogies as a tool that allows you to make predictions about the cost of resources required for the successful implementation of IT projects based on the experience of similar projects. It is proved that the advantages of this method are the simplicity of its implementation and the clarity of the results obtained, which follows from the practical orientation of this tool. Among the limitations of the method of analogy is the mandatory need for reliable data relating to similar projects, as well as the difficulty of taking into account unspecified indicators. Taking into account the mentioned limitations of the method of analogies and on the basis of the analysis of scientific sources the possible directions of its optimization are determined. Thus, among the ways to improve the effectiveness of this method are those aimed at optimizing the project selection process, the data for which are used as a basis for forecasting. Attempts to improve the method of analogies by including parameters that were previously ignored by this technique seem promising. This in turn can lead to an expansion of the scope of the method of analogies and increase the accuracy of forecasts. As prospects for further research, the need to continue research in the field of optimization of the method of analogies with the subsequent practical verification of theoretical positions on the data of real projects.

FUNCTIONING OF THE MENTAL DEFENSES IN THE CONDUCT OF INTERROGATION WITHIN THE CRIMINAL PROCESS

2018 ◽  
Vol 28 (6) ◽  
pp. 2161-2165
Author(s):  
Hristo Ivanov Popnikolov
Keyword(s):  
Objective Assessment ◽  
Critical Conditions ◽  
Criminal Process ◽  
External Influences ◽  
Administration Of Justice ◽  
Individual Protection ◽  
The Subject ◽  
The Individual ◽  
The Cost ◽  
Subjective Side

From the subject presented in the report it is evident that the pre-trial and the court bodies may, to some extent, be influenced both by the person of the accused and by his competence to participate in the criminal process. In this regard as an expert, the psychologist can offer invaluable assistance. Each expertise would assist all actors involved in the administration of justice on their objective assessment of the offenders, the understanding of their individual protection and the inherent self-justification during procedural actions. The involvement of psychologists in the criminal process is key to establishing the truth in the investigation, because every crime as an act has a subjective side, expressed in the psychic attitude of the perpetrator to the committed act. Establishing these psychological motives is a key point in the criminal process with a view to establishing the truth.Psychological protection stabilizes the personality in the critical conditions of counteraction, related to the elimination of the experiences of tension, anxiety, stress and frustration, leading to maximum mobilization of its resources and at the same time to their overpayment. Thus, the individual who is the subject of the process action is protected against the adverse external influences, but at the cost of a lot of effort and enormous loss of nervous-mental energy, which increases his own vulnerability instead of contributing to its reduction. The appearance and functioning of psychological protection can be significantly impeded by the interaction of the investigator with the accused. Even more complicated is the situation when it breaks the communication contact that may arise in the psychological alienation and self-isolation of the accused due to the desire to protect himself.Protective psychological dominance is a real psychic activity that investigators, investigators, investigators and judges need to take into account in order to effectively deal with their task and to overcome the resistance of the investigated persons and in a time to prove in a lawful and moral way their guilt and participation in the commitment of the crimes.

Automated Control of the Microclimate in the Premises of Pig-Breeding Complexes

2020 ◽  
pp. 103-108
Author(s):  
Viktoriya Yu. Ukhanova
Keyword(s):  
Agricultural Production ◽  
Individual Characteristics ◽  
Feed Consumption ◽  
Management Systems ◽  
Research Purpose ◽  
Energy Costs ◽  
Technical Equipment ◽  
Pig Farming ◽  
The Individual ◽  
The Cost

In the pig breeding, a large share of the production cost is accounted for by the cost of electricity and heat. Reducing energy costs is one of the important tasks of the industry. It is important to identify and study modern technologies and equipment for pig farming due to the constant increase in electricity tariffs, significant energy costs for creating and maintaining a microclimate. (Research purpose) The research purpose is in an analysis of modern available technologies and equipment for agricultural production, including pig farming, allowing to reduce the cost of production. (Materials and methods) Authors used a method for determining the standard indicators of energy consumption of energy resources in the pig industry, based on the calculation and analytical method. The article presents an analyze of automated microclimate management systems in pig breeding complexes, taking into account the individual characteristics of farms produced by OWEN. (Results and discussion) Automated microclimate management systems can improve the productivity of pig farms; reduce the cost of electrical and thermal energy, reduce the number of diseases of animal from hypothermia, high humidity or temperature in the room, feed consumption; monitor the chemical composition of the air. The article considers three options for creating a microclimate in rooms with animals, taking into account the individual characteristics of enterprises. (Conclusions) The profitability of pig production depend on the level of technical equipment of farms, automation, and the use of energy-saving technologies and equipment. The use of innovations in agricultural production makes it possible to increase labor productivity up to three times, and savings due to reduced feed costs can reach several million rubles a year.

scholarly journals Cost-Effectiveness of an Exercise Programme that Provided Group or Individual Training to Reduce the Fall Risk in Healthy Community-Dwelling People Aged 65–80: A Secondary Data Analysis

Healthcare ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (6) ◽  
pp. 714
Author(s):  
Isaac Aranda-Reneo ◽  
Laura Albornos-Muñoz ◽  
Manuel Rich-Ruiz ◽  
María Ángeles Cidoncha-Moreno ◽  
Ángeles Pastor-López ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Economic Evaluation ◽  
Cost Effectiveness ◽  
Older People ◽  
Incremental Cost ◽  
Fall Risk ◽  
Community Dwelling ◽  
Effective Measure ◽  
The Individual ◽  
The Cost ◽  
Individual Training

Research has demonstrated that some exercise programs are effective for reducing fall rates in community-dwelling older people; however, the literature is limited in providing clear recommendations of individual or group training as a result of economic evaluation. The objective of this study was to assess the cost-effectiveness of the Otago Exercise Program (OEP) for reducing the fall risk in healthy, non-institutionalized older people. An economic evaluation of a multicenter, blinded, randomized, non-inferiority clinical trial was performed on 498 patients aged over 65 in primary care. Participants were randomly allocated to the treatment or control arms, and group or individual training. The program was delivered in primary healthcare settings and comprised five initial sessions, ongoing encouragement and support to exercise at home, and a reinforcement session after six months. Our hypothesis was that the patients who received the intervention would achieve better health outcomes and therefore need lower healthcare resources during the follow-up, thus, lower healthcare costs. The primary outcome was the incremental cost-effectiveness ratio, which used the timed up and go test results as an effective measure for preventing falls. The secondary outcomes included differently validated tools that assessed the fall risk. The cost per patient was USD 51.28 lower for the group than the individual sessions in the control group, and the fall risk was 10% lower when exercises had a group delivery. The OEP program delivered in a group manner was superior to the individual method. We observed slight differences in the incremental cost estimations when using different tools to assess the risk of fall, but all of them indicated the dominance of the intervention group. The OEP group sessions were more cost-effective than the individual sessions, and the fall risk was 10% lower.

scholarly journals ‘Rising demand and decreasing resources’: Theorising the ‘cost of austerity’ as a barrier to social worker discretion

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-18
Author(s):  
CIARÁN MURPHY
Keyword(s):  
Social Worker ◽  
Child Protection ◽  
Child Protection Services ◽  
Radical Reform ◽  
Critical Realist ◽  
Documentary Analysis ◽  
Effective System ◽  
The Individual ◽  
The Uk ◽  
The Cost

Abstract The Munro Review of Child Protection asserted that the English child protection system had become overly ‘defensive’, ‘bureaucratised’ and ‘standardised’, meaning that social workers were not employing their discretion in the interests of the individual child. This paper reports on the results of an ethnographic case study of one of England’s statutory child protection teams. The research sought to explore the extent of social worker discretion relative to Munro’s call for ‘radical reform’ and a move towards a more ‘child-centred’ system. Employing an iterative mixed methods design – encompassing documentary analysis, observation, focus group, questionnaire, interview and ‘Critical Realist Grounded Theory’ – the study positioned the UK Government’s prolonged policy of ‘austerity’ as a barrier to social worker discretion. This was because the policy was seen to be contributing to an increased demand for child protection services; and a related sense amongst practitioners that they were afforded insufficient time with the child to garner the requisite knowledge, necessary for discretionary behaviour. Ultimately, despite evidence of progress relative to assertions that social worker discretion had been eroded, the paper concludes that there may still be ‘more to do’ if we are to achieve the ‘child-centred’ and ‘effective’ system that Munro advocated.

scholarly journals In the service of secrecy: An enveloped history of priority, proof and patents

2021 ◽  
pp. 135918352110288
Author(s):  
Eva Hemmungs Wirtén
Keyword(s):  
Intellectual Property ◽  
Early Modern ◽  
Property System ◽  
Private And Public ◽  
History Of ◽  
The Individual ◽  
Propriété Industrielle ◽  
The Cost ◽  
Double Envelope ◽  
Double Compartment

This article is about an everyday paper object: an envelope. However, as opposed to most other flat paper containers, the enveloppe Soleau can only be bought from L’Institut national de la propriété industrielle (INPI) in Paris. At the cost of €15 you get a perforated, double-compartment envelope allowing you to constitute proof of creation and assign a precise date to your idea or project. But the enveloppe Soleau is something much more than just a simple and cheap way by which you can prove priority in any creative domain. It is a material footprint anchored to centuries of practices associated with disclosure and secrecy, a gateway into the infrastructure of the intellectual property system and its complicated relationship to the forms of knowledge it purports to hold. The purpose of this article is to consider the making of the enveloppe Soleau as a bureaucratic document, a material device performing a particular kind of legal paperwork. In four different vignettes, the article tracks the material becoming of the enveloppe Soleau as an evidentiary receptacle, beginning by going back to early modern practices of secrecy and priority, continuing with its consolidation in two patents (from 1910 and 1911) to the inventor Eugène Soleau (1852–1929), and ending up, in 2016, dematerialized in the e-Soleau. As a bureaucratic document, the enveloppe Soleau shows just how much work a mundane paper object can perform, navigating a particular materiality (a patented double envelope); formalized processes of proof (where perforations have legal significance); the practices of double archiving (in an institution and with the individual) and strict temporal limitations (a decade). Ultimately, the enveloppe Soleau travels between the material and immaterial, between private and public, between secrecy and disclosure, but also between what we perceive of as the outside and inside of the intellectual property system.

Bringing Ergonomics to the Design of a Behavioural Care Unit

2000 ◽  
Vol 44 (8) ◽  
pp. 8-11
Author(s):  
Jacqueline B. Barnett
Keyword(s):  
Design Process ◽  
Iterative Process ◽  
User Needs ◽  
Work Processes ◽  
Team Members ◽  
Early Design ◽  
Design Changes ◽  
Final Design ◽  
The Individual ◽  
The Cost

The application of ergonomics is important when considering the built environment. In order to create an environment where form follows function, a detailed understanding of the tasks performed by the individuals who will live and work in the facility is required. Early involvement in the project is key to maximizing the benefit of ergonomics. At Sunnybrook and Women's College Health Sciences Centre in Toronto, Canada, this early intervention was embraced during the design process of a behavioural care unit for aggressive patients. The ergonomist was involved in three phases of design; user needs analysis, block schematics and detailed design. The user needs and characteristics were established using a combination of focus groups, interviews, direct observation, task analysis and critique of current working environments. The challenge was to present the information to the design team in a useful manner. The format chosen was a modification of Userfit (Poulson 1996) that outlined the various characteristics of the patient group and the design consequences with “what does this mean for me” statements. During the block schematics phase an iterative design process was used to ensure that the ergonomic principles and the user needs were incorporated into the design. Ergonomic input was used in determining the room sizes and layout and to ensure work processes were considered. Simple mock-ups and anthropometric data assisted in illustrating the need for design changes. Examples that highlight the areas of greatest impact of ergonomic intervention include the patient bathrooms, showers and tub room. Significant changes were made to the design to improve the safety of the work and living space of the end users. One of the greatest challenges was having an appreciation for the individual goals of the team members. Ensuring there was adequate space for equipment and staff often resulted in recommendations for increased space. This in turn would increase the cost of the project. The architect and, later in the project, the engineer had goals of bringing the project in on budget. The final design was very much a team effort and truly die result of an iterative process. The sum of the individual contributions could not match the combined efforts. It was only through the ergonomic contributions in this early design phase that the needs of the staff, patients and families could be so well represented. The success of the iterative process provides the foundation for bringing ergonomics considerations into the early design stages of future projects.

scholarly journals Financial and Labor Benefits of the Individual TB Risk Assessment Model for Annual TB Screening

2020 ◽  
Vol 41 (S1) ◽  
pp. s234-s234
Author(s):  
Kristin Sims ◽  
Roger Stienecker
Keyword(s):  
Risk Assessment ◽  
Health Care ◽  
Assessment Model ◽  
Health Care Personnel ◽  
Individual Risk ◽  
Tuberculosis Screening ◽  
Hospital System ◽  
National Tuberculosis ◽  
The Individual ◽  
The Cost

Background: Since 1991, US tuberculosis (TB) rates have declined, including among health care personnel (HCP). Non–US born persons accounted for approximately two-thirds of cases. Serial TB testing has limitations in populations at low risk; it is expensive and labor intensive. Method: We moved a large hospital system from facility-level risk stratification to an individual risk model to guide TB screening based on Tuberculosis Screening, Testing, and Treatment of US Health Care Personnel: Recommendations from the National Tuberculosis Controllers Association and CDC, 2019. This process included individual TB risk assessment, symptom evaluation, TB testing for M. tuberculosis infection (by either IGRA or TST) for HCP without documented evidence of prior LTBI or TB disease, with an additional workup for TB disease for HCP with positive test results or symptoms compatible with TB disease. In addition, employees with specific job codes deemed high risk were required to undergo TB screening. Result: In 2018, this hospital system of ~10,000 employees screened 7,556 HCP for TB at a cost of $348,625. In 2019, the cost of the T Spot test increased from $45 to $100 and the cost of screening 5,754 HCP through October 31, 2019, was $543,057. In 2020, it is anticipated that 755 HCP will be screened, saving the hospital an estimated minimum of $467,557. The labor burden associated with employee health personnel will fall from ~629.66 hours to 62.91 hours. The labor burden associated with pulling HCPs from the bedside to be screened will be reduced from 629.66 hours to 62.91 hours as well. Conclusion: Adoption of the individual risk assessment model for TB screening based on Tuberculosis Screening, Testing, and Treatment of US Health Care Personnel: Recommendations from the National Tuberculosis Controllers Association and CDC, 2019 will greatly reduce financial and labor burdens in healthcare settings when implemented.Funding: NoneDisclosures: None

PRESIDENT'S MESSAGE

PEDIATRICS ◽  
1962 ◽  
Vol 30 (1) ◽  
pp. 157-158
Author(s):  
Carl C. Fischer
Keyword(s):  
Whooping Cough ◽  
American People ◽  
Practice Of Medicine ◽  
The Subject ◽  
The Government ◽  
The Individual ◽  
The Cost ◽  
Federal Assistance ◽  
Children Under 5

REGARDLESS of how we, as individual physicians, may feel about the role of the federal government in the individual practice of medicine, the time has long since passed when we can afford the luxury of ignoring it. In past years the influence of the government on medicine has been mostly in general areas and perhaps least of all in that of pediatrics; but under the present administration there has been a decided change. For this reason it seems necessary to me to call to the attention of all Fellows of the Academy the particular items in President Kennedy's message of February 26, 1962, which relate specifically to the practice of Pediatrics. These may be considered to be three in number: The first of these dealt with the subject of immunization. On this topic President Kennedy said: I am asking the American people to join in a nationwide vaccination program to stamp out these four diseases (whooping cough, diphtheria, tetanus, and poliomyelitis) encouraging all communities to immunize both children and adults, keep them immunized and plan for the routine immunization of children yet to be born. To assist the states and local communities in this effort over the next 3 years, I am proposing legislation authorizing a program of federal assistance. This program would cover the full cost of vaccines for all children under 5 years of age. It would also assist in meeting the cost of organizing the vaccination drives begun during this period, and the cost of extra personnel needed for certain special tasks.

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