TCERA (Tunable Compliance Energy Return Actuator) is a robotic actuator inspired by properties and behavior of the human knee joint, in that it utilizes antagonistic contraction to vary torsional stiffness and joint angle. The actuator is an electrically activated artificial muscle which uses two constant air-mass pneumatic springs configured antagonistically about the knee joint. The positions...

This study compared a small bone joint dosimetry calculated by the anisotropic analytical algorithm (AAA) and Monte Carlo simulation using megavoltage (MV) photon beams. The performance of the AAA in the joint dose calculation was evaluated using Monte Carlo simulation, and dependences of joint dose on its width and beam angle were investigated. Small bone joint phantoms containing a vertical w...

This report describes Diversion Alert, a unique online tool aimed at reducing misuse and diversion of prescription drugs, and reports the results of a 1-year evaluation of Diversion Alert's impact in Maine. We used a quasi-experimental research design to compare survey data in Maine with those of neighboring states (New Hampshire and Vermont, 2013 and 2014). Compared with their counterparts in ...

This paper describes a method for defining the maximum torque which can be produced at a joint from isovelocity torque measurements on an individual. The method is applied to an elite male gymnast in order to calculate subject specific joint torque parameters for the knee joint. Isovelocity knee extension torque data were collected for the gymnast using a two repetition concentric-eccentric pro...

in this paper a novel direct adaptive fuzzy system is proposed to control flexible-joints robot including actuator dynamics. the design includes two interior loops: the inner loop controls the motor position using proposed approach while the outer loop controls the joint angle of the robot using a pid control law. one novelty of this paper is the use of a pso algorithm for optimizing the contro...

Bladder cancer is a common type of genitourinary cancer, and radical cystectomy with urinary diversion is considered to be the most effective local treatment for invasive bladder cancer. In order to assess the functional results and health-related quality of life (QOL) in bladder cancer patients with an orthotopic neobladder, and to provide a reasonable basis for the evaluation of urinary diver...

PURPOSE Neuromuscular adaptations to joint angle-specific force increases after isometric training have not yet been fully elucidated. This study examined angle-specific neuromuscular adaptations in response to isometric knee extension training at short (SL, joint angle 38.1° ± 3.7°) versus long (LL, 87.5° ± 6.0°) muscle lengths. METHODS Sixteen men trained three times a week for 6 wk either ...

INTRODUCTION Optimal solutions for reducing diversion without worsening emergency department (ED) crowding are unclear. We performed a systematic review of published simulation studies to identify: 1) the tradeoff between ambulance diversion and ED wait times; 2) the predicted impact of patient flow interventions on reducing diversion; and 3) the optimal regional strategy for reducing diversion...

As a first step towards the integration of information on neural control, biomechanics and isolated muscle function, we constructed a three-dimensional musculo-skeletal model of the hind leg of the death-head cockroach Blaberus discoidalis. We tested the model by measuring the maximum force generated in vivo by the hind leg of the cockroach, the coxa­femur joint angle and the position of th...

Today incontinent urinary diversion continues to be the most widely used diversion technique. A current Medicare evaluation showed that 80% of patients undergoing urinary diversion in the USA are subject to reconstruction by means of an ileal conduit [1]. In particular, older patients, patients with comorbidities, and women more frequently receive an incontinent urinary diversion [2,3]. Even wi...