Panoramic Uncertainty in Vertical Perception

Judgments of the orientation of a visual line with respect to earth vertical are affected by panoramic visual cues. This is illustrated by the rod-and-frame effect (RFE), the finding that the perceived orientation of a luminous rod is biased by the orientation of a surrounding squared frame. In this study, we tested how the uncertainty of frame orientation affects the RFE by asking upright or tilted participants to psychometrically judge the orientation of a briefly flashed rod contained within either a circular frame, a squared frame, or either of two intermediate frame forms, called squircles, presented in various orientations. Results showed a cyclical modulation of frame-induced bias across the range of the square and squircular frame orientations. The magnitude of this bias increased with increasing squaredness of the frame, as if the more unequivocal the orientation cues of the frame, the larger the reliance on them for rod orientation judgments. These findings are explained with a Bayesian optimal integration model in which participants flexibly weigh visual panoramic cues, depending on their orientation reliability, and non-visual cues in the perception of vertical.

Maximizing the Process Capability of Singulation Machine by Dual Work Piece Cutting on Circular Tape Frame

Tape saw singulation is the process where a strip was mounted on the tape attached on the frame and then sawn into single units. Circular tape saw singulation only caters one panel of the two-paneled strip which was found to be consuming with the machine capacity and resources. Driven by continuously growing volumes of customer demands at the Philippines for the past two years, it was a challenge for the machine to maximize its capacity while minimizing the cost and resources. Opportunity was found on exploring the idea of dual work piece where two strip panels were catered by one circular tape frame. Dual work piece application would not only maximize the machine capability and capacity but also reduce the cost of resources consumed per strip loading. In this study, the authors have explored the workability of dual work piece cutting where two panels can be catered on one circular frame instead of the current one panel per circular frame. Dual Work Piece application was found to be effective to achieve the goal of maximizing the machine capacity while trimming down the expenses by 50% that was brought about by the resources demanded to process the strips at singulation. With the results of the study, it was recommended for the dual work piece cutting be applied and explored on growing semiconductor industry.

Reamed intramedullary nailing versus circular frame external fixation for segmental tibial fractures (STIFF-F): a mixed methods feasibility study

Background Segmental tibial fractures are fractures in two or more areas of the tibial diaphysis resulting in a separate intercalary segment of the bone. Surgical fixation is recommended for patients with segmental tibial fractures as non-operative treatment outcomes are poor. The most common surgical interventions are intramedullary nailing (IMN) and circular frame external fixation (CFEF), but evidence about which is better is of poor quality. An adequately powered randomised controlled trial (RCT) to determine optimum treatment is required. STIFF-F aimed to assess the feasibility of a multicentre RCT comparing IMN with CFEF for segmental tibial fracture. Methods STIFF-F was a mixed-methods feasibility study comprising a pilot RCT conducted at six UK Major Trauma Centres, qualitative interviews drawing on Phenomenology and an online survey of rehabilitation. The primary outcome was recruitment rate. Patients, 16 years and over, with a segmental tibial fracture (open or closed) deemed suitable for IMN or CFEF were eligible to participate. Randomisation was stratified by site using random permuted blocks of varying sizes. Participant or assessor blinding was not possible. Interviews were undertaken with patients about their experience of injury, treatment, recovery and participation. Staff were interviewed to identify contextual factors affecting trial processes, their experience of recruitment and the treatment pathway. An online survey was developed to understand the rehabilitation context of the treatments. Results Eleven patients were screened and three recruited to the pilot RCT. Nineteen staff and four patients participated in interviews, and 11 physiotherapists responded to the survey. This study found the following: (i) segmental tibial fractures were rarer than anticipated, (ii) the complexity of the injury, study setup times and surgeon treatment preferences impeded recruitment, (iii) recovery from a segmental tibial fracture is challenging, and rehabilitation protocols are inconsistent and (iv) despite the difficulty recruiting, staff valued this research question and strived to find a way forward. Conclusion The proposed multicentre RCT comparing IMN with CFEF is not feasible. This study highlighted the difficulty of recruiting patients to an RCT of a complex rare injury over a short time period. Trial registration The study was registered with the International Standard Randomised Controlled Trials Number Registry: ISRCTN11229660

Investigation Effects of Different Wind Turbine Designs on Air Flow and Generated Power

This paper describes a study of different designs for the wind turbine. The basic wind turbine configuration with a second smaller rotor mounted in the front of the main rotor to extract as much force as possible from the flow. The wind turbine used in all the simulations was an upwind turbine with a 3 MW horizontal axis. The behaviors of pressures, velocities, and power generated were simulated and discussed. Three different configurations have been designed and simulated in SolidWorks at four different wind velocities ranging from 10 to 40 mph with an increment of 10 mph. The results revealed that the power generated by the rotor of the dual turbine to the rotor of the conventional turbine, the power created by the conventional turbine’s rotor is higher even though the size is the same. Furthermore, adding a diffuser equipped with a plat-type circular frame achieved the best performance. Finally, some numbers and figures are highlighted, and a conclusion is stated to summarize the results.

Prospective randomized comparison of quality of regenerate in distraction osteogenesis of ring versus monolateral fixator in patients with infected nonunion of the tibia using digital radiographs and CT

Aims In this randomized study, we aimed to compare quality of regenerate in monolateral versus circular frame fixation in 30 patients with infected nonunion of tibia. Patients and Methods Both groups were comparable in demographic and injury characteristics. A phantom (aluminium step wedge of increasing thickness) was designed to compare the density of regenerate on radiographs. A CT scan was performed at three and six months postoperatively to assess regenerate density. A total of 30 patients (29 male, one female; mean age 32.54 years (18 to 60)) with an infected nonunion of a tibial fracture presenting to our tertiary institute between June 2011 and April 2016 were included in the study. Results The regenerate mineralization on radiographs was comparable in both groups at two, four, six, and ten months’ follow-up but the rail fixator group had statistically significant higher grades of mineralization when compared with the circular frame group at eight and 12 months’ follow-up. The regenerate mineralization was also higher in the rail fixator group than in the circular frame group on CT at three and six months, although this difference was not statistically significant. Conclusion Overall, the regenerate mineralization was higher in the monolateral than the circular frame group. A monolateral fixator may be preferred in patients with infected nonunion of the tibia with bone defects up to 7 cm. Cite this article: Bone Joint J 2019;101-B:1416–1422.