Autonomous Mobile Robots in High Occupancy Aerospace Manufacturing

Using a combination of active Radio-Frequency Identification tracking and staff interviews with members from an aerospace manufacturing company, it was uncovered that over 80 hours per week was spent in the manual movement of goods between departments. On a site of over 1000 employees that uses dedicated build cells in separated departments, this mixed-use facility proves challenging for the adoption of an autonomous delivery system due to its narrow corridors and high occupancy, however by investigating the concerns of employees and suggesting low-cost retroactive solutions, this project seeks to justify the transition from manual to automated onsite logistics. The conclusion found that indeed the company does have the transport yields to justify the use of Autonomous Mobile Robots, that the robots would supplement rather than replace workers and that safety was a key factor to address when using robots on a site of this configuration.

Sensing the lightness: a narrative analysis of an integrative medicine program for healthcare providers in the COVID-19 department

Objectives There is limited research addressing physical and emotional exhaustion among healthcare providers (HCPs) in COVID-19 departments. We examined the impact of an integrative medicine (IM) intervention for HCPs working in isolated COVID-19 in-patient departments, addressing concerns and wellbeing. Methods HCPs working in 3 isolated COVID-19 in-patient departments underwent 40-minute IM treatment sessions (including acupuncture, manual-movement and/or mind-body modalities) provided by integrative oncology practitioners. The MYCAW (Measure Yourself Concerns and Well-being) questionnaire was used to address the two leading concerns and post-treatment reflections and narrative. Data were qualitatively analyzed using ATLAS.Ti software for systematic coding. Results A total of 181 HCPs underwent 305 IM treatments. Narrative themes focused on physical symptoms (primarily pain and fatigue) and emotional concerns, including perceived communication barriers with patients; and reflections on wellbeing and insights following IM treatments. HCPs reported feeling a sense of "relief" which was likely related to the 3 main effects of the IM intervention: a sense of "being cared for" and treated; experiencing emotional, sometimes spiritual effects of the treatment; and the feeling of relaxation, combined with the relief of pain. Qualitative analysis identified clusters of emotional and spiritual-related keywords such as "calming", "release", "relaxation” and “disengagement” following the first IM session (119 of 181 narratives, 65.7%). Conclusions HCPs working in isolated COVID-19 departments reported improved wellbeing and the addressing of their concerns following IM treatment sessions provided during their work shift. Further research is needed to explore the impact of IM on HCPs burnout and resilience in palliative care settings.

KHARKIV TEST PLATFORM FOR RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT OF Si SPECTROMETRIC PLANAR DETECTORS AND DETECTORS ARRAYS FOR MEDICAL APPLICATION

A universal test platform for research and development of planar radiation detectors for use in medicine has been created having the possibility of obtaining complete information about the characteristics of the detector before creating a detecting module with specialized electronics. 5 jobs were created with the ability to perform the following work: measurement of the electrophysical characteristics of individual detectors and selected detection elements of the matrices based on the station with manual movement of microprobes; determination of the yield of suitable detector elements of matrices using a test station with automated microprobe movement and automated collection and processing of electrophysical measurement data; measurement of the energy resolution (ER) of individual silicon detectors, “scintillator-silicon photosensor” type detectors and measurement of the ER of selected matrix elements before creating a detection module with specialized electronics.

Peculiarities of brain processes during the stop and switch of motor programs among women

The purpose of the study is to establish differences in the cortical electrical activity among women under conditions of complete inhibition of a running motor program of manual movement (Stop-Signal paradigm) and under conditions of its inhibition, with subsequent switching to an alternative motor task (Stop-Change paradigm). We used the “event-related desynchronization/synchronization” (ERD/ERS) method. Indicators ERD and ERS were evaluated in the frequency range of EEG (1-35 Hz) in the frontal, central, and parietal leads. It was established that women demonstrated greater precision in conducting the task in the set with the Stop-Change paradigm than men. In both sets of the experiment, the predominance of ERS events in the range of α- and partially β1-activity of EEG is distinguished as a common regularity. Meanwhile, in different sets of the experiment, cortical electrical activity acquired certain specific features of the frequency-spatial organization that could indicate different brain processes during the response to Stop and Stop-Change stimuli. In the set of the use of the Stop-Change paradigm, a higher level of activation processes in the frontal, central, and parietal cortex areas in the EEG α- and β-activity range is generally showed among women.

Required time for setting up an anaesthesia machine mounted on a movable ceiling pendant

The present study was performed to evaluate the duration of time required to set up an anaesthesia machine mounted on an automated or manually movable ceiling pendant. Nurses moved the machine’s position according to the surgical site (right or left). The duration of time required to set up the anaesthesia machine for surgery was compared between automated and manual operation and among nurses with varying years of work experience. Movement of the anaesthesia machine from the right to left position took longer for the automated (278 ± 11s) than manual (188 ± 63s) method. However, no difference was observed between automated (288 ± 11s) and manual (267 ± 140s) movement of the machine from the left to right position. Experienced nurses took less time in both directions. Manual movement took less time than automated movement in the right-to-left direction, which may be advantageous when nurses are in a hurry or have musculoskeletal system disorders and may allow them to perform other operating room preparation tasks. Either automated or manual movement may be used depending on the situation. Both the larger deviations with manual movement and the shorter time required by experienced nurses suggest that training and experience shorten the manual set-up time.