Validation of design and materials for additive manufacturing of endocavitary mechanical distractor

Purpose This paper describes the evolution of the design of a mechanical distractor fabricated using additive manufacturing (AM) technology for use in surgical procedures, such as transanal endoscopic microsurgery (TEM). The functionality of the final device was analysed and the suitability of different materials was determined. Design/methodology/approach Solid modelling and finite element modelling software were used in the design and validation process to allow the fabrication of the device by AM. Several prototypes were manufactured and tested in this study. Findings A new design was developed to greatly simplify the existing devices used in TEM surgery. The new design is easy to use, more economical and does not require pneumorectum. Different AM materials were investigated with regard to their mechanical properties, orientation of parts in the three-dimensional (3D) printer and cytotoxicity to select the optimal material for the design. Social implications The device designed by AM can be printed anywhere in the world, provided that a 3D printer is available; the 3D printer does not have to be a high-performance printer. This makes surgery more accessible, particularly in low-income regions. Moreover, patient recovery is improved and pneumorectum is not required. Originality/value A suitable mechanical distractor was designed for TEM, and different materials were validated for fabrication by AM.

Generative design of 3D printed hands-free door handles for reduction of contagion risk in public buildings

During the emergency caused by COVID 19 evidence has been provided about the risk of easily getting the virus by touching contaminated surfaces and then by touching eyes, mouth, or nose with infected hands. In view of the restarting of daily activities in presence, it is paramount to put in place any strategy that, in addition to social distancing, is capable to positively impact on the safety levels in public buildings by reducing such risk. The main aim of this paper is to conceive a design methodology, based on a digital, flawless, and sustainable procedure, for producing human-building interfacing solutions that allow anybody to interact in a safer and more comfortable way. Such solutions are focused on the adaptation of existing buildings features and are thought to be an alternative to sensor based touchless technology when this is not applicable due to economic or time constraints. The process is based on the integration of digital technologies such as 3D Scanning, Generative Design and Additive Manufacturing and is optimised to be intuitive and to be adaptive, hence, to be replicable on different kinds of surfaces. The design concept is finalised to generate automatically different products that meet geometry fitting requirements and therefore adapt to the specific geometries of existing handles. A specific case on Hands Free Door Handles is presented and the results of manufacturing and preliminary validation process are provided and discussed.

PENGEMBANGAN BUKU CERITA BERGAMBAR SEBAGAI MEDIA PEMBELAJARAN

DEVELOPMENT OF PICTURE STORY BOOKS AS LEARNING MEDIA Windi [email protected] UniversityABSTRACTThe background of this research is that the level of the education unit which is considered the basis for the cultivation of knowledge is at the elemntary school. Education pursued in basic education will be the foundation for the next education process. This study aims to develop a picture book of “Batu Belah Batu Betangkup” and to find out the feasbility of the picture story book. This picture book product is made using the cup studio paint application. The research method used is the 4D model consisting of four stages, namely difine, design, development, and dessiminate. Data collection was carried out using a questionnaire, the research instrument used had gone through a validation process with a validator. The type of data generated is quantitative data which is analyzed using the assessment criteria guidelines to determine the quantity of the product. Validation results from experts state that the pictorial story book product “Batu Belah Batu Betangkup” developed by the researher is very suitable for use. Expert assessment of product design with an average percentage pf 88,91% with a very feasible category, assessment of linguists with an average percentage of 95,8% with a very decent category, and field users based on the product with an average percentage of 95,83% and language assessment with an average percentage of 95,5% in the very feasible category and the student response product frial obtained 91,5% with the very good category.

Reading - Based Writing Model: A blended learning alternative

ABSTRACT Writing is often regarded as a difficult skill to acquire by majority of EFL learners. Teaching writing is also unquestionably challenging. It is argued that an essential effort to assist learners is having them explore information to write through reading topic and genre- related sources extensively. This article seeks to explain the result of a study employing R&D method to develop a Reading-Based Model to teach academic writing. It will report the results of the needs analysis briefly and then explain the model itself. The data about the students' needs of writing according to the students and the writing lecturers were collected through questionnaire and interview. The results of needs analysis and relevant literature confirmed that reading prior and during writing is elemental. The syntax of the model was developed on the basis of literature dealing with the principles of reading-writing relations and the Genre-based Approach. It consists of 4 main stages. Some activities within each stage can be carried out online. The model has gone through a validation process by two experts (two experienced lecturers teaching writing skills). The model was considered valid by the experts; a few recommendations were concerned with additional activities.

From Validation Statistics to Uncertainty Estimates: Application to VIIRS Ocean Color Radiometric Products at European Coastal Locations

Uncertainty estimates are needed to assess ocean color products and qualify the agreement between missions. Comparison between field observations and satellite data, a process defined as validation, has been the traditional way to assess satellite products. However validation statistics can provide only an approximation for satellite data uncertainties as field measurements have their own uncertainties and as the validation process is imperfect, comparing data potentially differing in temporal, spatial or spectral characteristics. This study describes a method to interpret in terms of uncertainties the validation statistics obtained for ocean color remote sensing reflectance RRS knowing the uncertainties associated with field data. This approach is applied to observations collected at sites part of the Ocean Color component of the Aerosol Robotic Network (AERONET-OC) located in coastal regions of the European seas, and to RRS data from the VIIRS sensors on-board the SNPP and JPSS1 platforms. Similar estimates of uncertainties σVRS (term accounting for non-systematic contributions to the uncertainty budget) are obtained for both missions, decreasing with wavelength from the interval 0.8–1.4 10−3 sr−1 in the blue to a maximum of 0.24 10−3 sr−1 in the red, values that are at least twice (but up to 8 times) the uncertainties reported for the field data. These uncertainty estimates are then used to qualify the agreement between the VIIRS products, defining the extent to which they agree within their stated uncertainty. Despite significant biases between the two missions, their RRS products appear fairly compatible.

PROBLEMS AND ERRORS IN THE ORGANIZATION OF PRODUCTION, SOLVED WITH THE HELP OF LEAN PRODUCTION METHODOLOGY

The paper examines the practice of applying the methodology of lean production through leveling the problem areas of the organization of traditional production and the subsequent validation process. The main most popular elements of lean manufacturing among domestic manufacturers are given, and the results of verification after the introduction of lean manufacturing elements at all levels of production processes are present.

Metric Goodness and Measurement Invariance of the Italian Brief Version of Interpersonal Reactivity Index: A Study With Young Adults

The Interpersonal Reactivity Index (IRI) is a widely used multidimensional measure to assess empathy across four main dimensions: perspective taking (PT) empathic concern (EC) personal distress (PD) fantasy (F). This study aimed to replicate the Italian validation process of the shortened IRI (Interpersonal Reactivity Index) scale in order to confirm its psychometric properties with a sample of young adults. The Gender Measurement Invariance of empathy in this age group was also an objective of the work in order to increase the data on this aspect. A total of 683 Italian university students participated in a non-probabilistic sampling. The 16-item version was confirmed in its four-factor structure but with changes to some items. The model showed good fits with both the CFA and the gender Measurement Invariance. The internal consistency measures were found to be fully satisfactory. Convergent validity was tested by the correlations with the Prosocialness Scale for Adults and The Toronto Alexithymia Scale-20. As hypothesized the measure proved good convergent validity with Prosocialness, i.e., the willingness to assist, help, share, care and empathy with others, and a relevant inverse association with the External Oriented Thinking, characterizing individuals with emotionally poor thinking. This research provided additional evidence for a link between alexithymia and poor empathic abilities in young adults.

Instrumento para mensuração do conhecimento tático declarativo no basquetebol feminino: validade de conteúdo da versão preliminar (Instrument for measurement of declarative tactical knowledge in women's basketball: validity of preliminary version content

O objetivo do estudo foi verificar as evidências de validade de conteúdo de cenas de vídeo extraídas de partidas oficiais de basquetebol para a construção da versão preliminar do Instrumento para Mensurar o Conhecimento Tático Declarativo para Basquetebol Feminino (IMCTD-BF). Editou-se, para o processo de validação de conteúdo, 70 cenas extraídas de jogos entre equipes que disputaram o LBF (Liga de Basquete Feminina). As cenas passaram pela análise de cinco peritos, treinadores (as) de basquetebol, nos quesitos: clareza da imagem, pertinência prática e representatividade do item. Calculou-se o Coeficiente de Validade do Conteúdo (CVC) para verificar a concordância entre os peritos, sendo o ponto de corte .80. Encontrou-se valores de CVC de .956 para clareza da imagem, .997 para pertinência prática e .960 para representatividade do item. Os procedimentos de validade ecológica e a concordância entre peritos, referentes à tomada de decisão e ao tipo de ataque, resultaram na seleção de 38 cenas. Conclui-se que foi possível construir a versão preliminar do IMCTD-BF a partir de 38 cenas que apresentaram evidências de validade de conteúdo. Abstract. The aim of the study was to verify the evidence of content validity of video scenes extracted from official basketball matches for the construction of the preliminary version of the Instrument to Measure Declarative Tactical Knowledge for Women's Basketball (IMCTD-BF). For the content validation process, 70 scenes extracted from games between teams that competed in the LBF (Women's Basketball League) were edited. The scenes were analyzed by five experts, basketball coaches, in the following items: clarity of the image, practical relevance and representativeness of the item. The Content Validity Coefficient (CVC) was calculated to verify the agreement between experts, with a cutoff point of .80. CVC values ​​of .956 were found for image clarity, .997 for practical relevance and .960 for item representativeness. The ecological validity procedures and the agreement between experts, regarding decision-making and the type of attack, resulted in the selection of 38 scenes. It is concluded that it was possible to build the preliminary version of the IMCTD-BF from 38 scenes that presented evidence of content validity. Resumem. El objetivo del estudio fue verificar la evidencia de validez de contenido de escenas de video extraídas de partidos oficiales de baloncesto para la construcción de la versión preliminar del Instrumento para Medir el Conocimiento Táctico Declarativo para el Baloncesto Femenino (IMCTD-BF). Para el proceso de validación de contenido se editaron 70 escenas extraídas de partidos entre equipos que compitieron en la LBF (Liga de Baloncesto Femenino). Las escenas fueron analizadas por cinco expertos, entrenadores de baloncesto, en los ítems: claridad de imagen, relevancia práctica y representatividad del ítem. Se calculó el Coeficiente de Validez de Contenido (CVC) para verificar la concordancia entre expertos, con un punto de corte de .80. Se encontraron valores CVC de .956 para claridad de imagen, .997 para relevancia práctica y .960 para representatividad de ítems. Los procedimientos de validez ecológica y el acuerdo entre expertos, en cuanto a la toma de decisiones y el tipo de atentado, dieron como resultado la selección de 38 escenas. Se concluye que fue posible construir la versión preliminar del IMCTD-BF a partir de 38 escenas que presentaban evidencia de validez de contenido.