block-flexure is the most common mode of toppling failure in natural and excavated rock slopes. in such failure, some rock blocks break due to tensile stresses and some overturn under their own weights and then all of them topple together. in this paper, first, a brief review of previous studies on toppling failures is presented. then, the physical and mechanical properties of experimental mode...

This work presents initial progress towards an autonomous integrated walking microrobot. Design goals include driving a 1 mN (100 mg), 1 cm device at speeds on the order of 1 cm/s over smooth surfaces. A relatively low complexity MEMS fabrication process is used to create two degree-of-freedom legs to enable a walking gait. Test structures fabricated in this process characterize leg designs and...

The approach to toothpick ingestion and its complications should not be underestimated. The surgeon should be prepared for life-threatening situations such as major vascular involvement, as well as highly specialized and technically challenging procedures, when the hepatic hilum is involved for instance. Referral to tertiary centers is sometimes mandatory.

Flexure mechanisms are a designer’s delight. Except for the limits of elasticity, flexures present few other boundaries as far as applications are concerned. Flexures have been used as bearings to provide smooth and guided motion. For example in precision motion stages; as springs to provide preload, for example in the brushes of a DC motor or a camera lens cap etc. Flexural joints are widely u...

OBJECTIVE The aim of this study was to evaluate whether vertical facial patterns influence maximal occlusal force (MOF), masticatory muscle electromyographic (EMG) activity, and medial mandibular flexure (MMF). MATERIAL AND METHODS Seventy-eight dentate subjects were divided into 3 groups by Ricketts's analysis: brachyfacial, mesofacial and dolychofacial. Maximum occlusal force in the molar r...

Primary colonic adenocarcinoma and synchronous rectal carcinoids are rare tumors. Whenever a synchronous tumor with a nonmetastatic carcinoid component is encountered, its prognosis is determined by the associate malignancy. The discovery of an asymptomatic gastrointestinal carcinoid during the operative treatment of another malignancy will usually only require resection without additional trea...

This paper presents a new and comprehensive method for modeling robots having highly flexible members such as flexure joints. An accurate model of large deformation bending is important for precisely describing the configuration of the flexible member. Additionally, the accuracy of the Jacobian and Hessian of the forward kinematics are critically important at large angles for predicting the def...

Thispaper describesthe fundamental physicalmotivationsfor small-scaleminimum surface-effect design,and presents a three degree-of-freedom micromanipulator design that incorporates a minimum surface.effect approach. The primary focus of the design is the split-tube flexure, a unique small-scale revolute joint that exhibits a considerably larger range of motion and significantly better multi-axis...