bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
An Experiment to Test Absolute Motion
Authors: Tadesse Henok
Published: June 2022

We propose a new experiment to test absolute motion based on time of flight technique. A novel method is proposed to overcome the difficulty in time of flight experiments, namely the difficulty in measuring extremely small time intervals. Two light transponders are each fixed to the ends of a rigid rod. Each transponder consists of a light detector unit and a light emitting unit. The light detector unit, upon detecting a light pulse, triggers the light emitting unit. Let the transponder on one end of the rod be Transponder 1 and the transponder on the other end be Transponder 2. Transponder 1 is initially started and emits a short light pulse towards transponder 2. Up on detecting the light pulse, the detector of Transponder 2 immediately triggers the emitter of Transponder 2, which emits a short light pulse towards Transponder 1. Up on detecting the light pulse, the detector of Transponder 1 immediately triggers the emitter of Transponder 1, which emits a short light pulse towards Transponder 2 , and so on. The new technique involves a free running, continuous exchange of a short light pulse. The frequency of the pulses is determined by the round trip time of light. Absolute motion of the rod would change the round trip time, and hence the frequency of the pulses. Two such rods ( four transponders in total, two transponders on each rod) are used in the proposed experiment, with output pulse frequencies f1 and f2. The pulse trains from the two transponder pairs are applied to an electronic unit (consisting of mixers, filters, etc.) which detects the difference of the two frequencies: f1 – f2 . If absolute motion exists, then a difference frequency is detected when the orientation in space of one rod is changed with respect to the other rod. This experiment would provide practically unlimited accuracy in measuring absolute velocity.
The Practice of Reading the Qur'an and the Role of the Teacher in the Development of Santri-Santriwati (Case study: TPQ Al-Muqorrobin Palapa III Kandang Panjang Pekalongan City)
Authors: Rosyid Harun Ar
Published: June 2022

Based on the survey results obtained by the authors, the authors can conclude that being a professional teacher is coveted by students. The teacher's role at TPQ is as a parent to students. Where the teacher must act as a role model for his students so that the learning atmosphere becomes something fun and in accordance with what is expected. Who doesn't want to be the teacher that students want. It seems like all teachers would expect this. However, do we know that the more we ask students to covet, the further away we will be from the criteria of a teacher worthy of being coveted by students? If being a teacher that students desire is our main goal, then as a teacher there is no such thing as professionalism anymore, there is only what students want and what students want. Becoming a teacher that students want doesn't mean obeying everything the students want or want. Because if the teacher obeys all the wishes of the students, it may even make them out of the goals and activities of the teaching and learning process.
Distinct roles of cyclones and anticyclones in setting the midwinter minimum of the North Pacific eddy activity: a Lagrangian perspective
Authors: Okajima Satoru , Nakamura Hisashi , Kaspi Yohai
Published: June 2022

The North Pacific storm-track activity is suppressed substantially under the excessively strong westerlies to form a distinct minimum in midwinter, which seems inconsistent with linear baroclinic instability theory. This “midwinter minimum” of the storm-track activity has been intensively investigated for decades as a test case for storm-track dynamics. However, the mechanisms controlling it are yet to be fully unveiled and are still under debate. Here we investigate the detailed seasonal evolution of the climatological density of surface migratory anticyclones over the North Pacific, in comparison with its counterpart for cyclones, based on a Lagrangian tracking algorithm. We demonstrate that the frequency of surface cyclones over the North Pacific maximizes in midwinter, whereas that of anticyclones exhibits a distinct midwinter minimum under the upstream influence, especially from the Japan Sea region. In midwinter, it is only on such a rare occasion that prominent weakening of the East Asian winter monsoon allows a migratory surface anticyclone to form over the Japan Sea, despite the unfavorable climatological-mean conditions due to persistent monsoonal cold-air outbreaks and the excessively strong upper-tropospheric westerlies. The midwinter minimum of the North Pacific anticyclone density suggests that anticyclones are likely the key to understanding the midwinter minimum of the North Pacific storm-track activity as measured by Eulerian eddy statistics.
What Text Features Make Reading Comprehension Difficult Across Elementary School? Investigating Difficulty and Changes in Difficulty
Authors: Ludewig Ulrich , Trendtel Matthias , Weiss Zarah , Meurers Detmar , McElvany Nele
Published: June 2022

Beginning readers benefit in most situations from reading activities that are neither too difficult nor too easy. This study investigated which text features make reading comprehension difficult for third and fourth grade elementary school students. Specifically, 145 multiple-choice items from a reading comprehension test used in several cross-sectional studies (G3: N = 1387; G4: N = 868) and a longitudinal sub-study (N = 195) were analyzed using explanatory item response models to explain item difficulty and changes in item difficulty across grades. A multi-step feature selection procedure controlling for seven task features led to the selection of eight text features from a total of 268 linguistic text features examined. The results showed that lexical and syntactic features and text genre were the most relevant features and that the importance of specific text features changes from third to fourth grade. Expository text were more difficult on average than narrative texts. This difference was only partially explained by lexical and syntactic features in third grade, but almost completely in fourth grade. The results suggest that text features have a dynamic effect on reading comprehension difficulty throughout third to fourth grade; this is especially true of text genre. Our results can help to select more appropriate texts for elementary students and to improve our understanding of the complex interaction between reader, text and activity as it develops over time.
Fifty Years Later and Still Working: Rediscovering Paulus et al.’s (1970) Automated Scoring of Divergent Thinking Tests
Authors: Forthmann Boris , Doebler Philipp
Published: June 2022

Automated scoring of divergent thinking tasks is a current hot topic in creativity research. Most of the debated approaches are unsupervised machine learning approaches and researchers seemingly just started to evaluate supervised approaches. Hence, rediscovering the seminal work of Paulus et al. (1970) came as a big surprise to us. More than fifty years ago, they derived prediction formulas for an automated scoring of the Torrance Test of Creative Thinking that was based on a set of text mining variables (e.g., average word length, word counts, and so forth). They found quite impressive cross-validation results. This work reintroduces Paulus et al.’s (1970) approach and investigates how it performs compared to semantic distance scoring. The main contribution of Paulus et al.’s (1970) neglected masterpiece on divergent thinking assessment is echoed by the findings of this work: Creative quality of responses can be well predicted by means of simple text mining statistics. The validity was also stronger as compared to semantic distance. Importantly, using the Paulus et al. (1970) features in a state-of-the-art supervised machine learning approach does not outperform the simple stepwise regression used by Paulus et al. (1970). Yet, we found that supervised machine learning can outperform the Paulus et al. (1970) approach, when semantic distance is added to the set of prediction variables. We discuss challenges that are expected for future research that aim at combining unsupervised approaches based on word embeddings and supervised learning relying on text mining features.
Memes as culture repositories - social emotions during “Stay at home” phase in Poland from public health perspective
Authors: Wójta-Kempa Monika , Wolska-Zogata Irena , Jarynowski Andrzej
Published: June 2022

Aim. The main goal of the article is to create a socio-medical picture of COVID-19 pandemic from Polish Internet memes. Memes are part of a collective memory and could help understand ongoing social processes during the pandemic.Methodology. We perform qualitative analysis of the selected memes shared on the Polish Internet. Among over 2000 gathered memes 25 examples of memes were dedicated to #stayathome phase (18.03-07.04.2020). Results. We have distinguished three main topics, areas and functions: 1) uncertainty and anxiety in everyday life; 2) managing with isolation and making sense of measures; 3) building support community and solidarity with medical staff. We found a relatively high number of supportive, prohealth memes during the stay-at-home phase in comparison to prepandemic era as well as other phases of the pandemic.Conclusions. Memes do not only have humorous functions, but also carry new information as they give context to a new situation or event. Thus, memospheres should be monitored and used in public health awareness campaigns helping people coping with uncertainty, the internalization process of measures acceptance as well as promoting help-giving attitudes. Memes could be utilized as health communication techniques to influence Internet users.
Gold and ‘ratti’ signs inscribed on Mohenjo-Daro’s gold-assaying needles, fish-sign inscriptions signifying gemstones concentrated near lapidaries: Indus script’s taxed commodities
Authors: Ansumali Mukhopadhyay Bahata
Published: June 2022

This article claims a breakthrough in decoding Indus script. It builds on the author’s earlier papers which established Indus script’s use in taxation, and trade/craft licensing, and discussed how different segments of the semasiographic Indus inscriptions encoded different information (tax-types, license-categories, commodity-names, tax-paying modes, tax-rates, tax-receiving entities, etc.). This paper claims that certain inscribed needle-shaped gold artefacts found in a jewelry hoard of Mohenjo-daro, and a similar gold-tipped copper stylus found from Kotada-Bhadli, were gold-assaying needles used with touchstones. Such touchstones, sometimes gold-streaked, are found from Mohenjo-daro, Banawali, etc. Revealingly, the way modern gold-testing needles bear the words “gold” and “karat”, Mohenjo-Daro’s gold-testing needles bore signs and . This study claims that the frequent Indus sign symbolized a blowpipe inside a crucible , and metonymically signified gold, precious metals ( ) and gold-smithy (sign clearly depicted the fire below crucible). Crucible-blowpipe-based words and symbols have signified metal-smithy in ancient Egypt, Mesopotamia, and India. It also identifies sign , which symbolized Abrus precatorious seeds, and signified the related ‘ratti’ (raktikā) based weight-system. ‘Ratti’, India’s traditional gold-measuring and numismatic unit, was the basis of Indus civilization’s weight systems. In certain inscriptions ( ), , a modified “ratti”-symbol, occurs as a metrological term related to gold . In Indus inscriptions, fish-like signs (e.g., , , ) occur frequently with precious-metal symbols ( ). Interestingly seals/tablets containing fish-like signs, are mostly found near Indus lapidaries, bead-factories, and jewellers’ shops. This paper argues that fish-like signs signified gemstones, lapidary activities, related precious commodities, and corresponding weight standards. Since ancestral Dravidian languages were spoken across Indus settlements, Indus scribes possibly applied the ancient Dravidian homonymy, where the polysemic Proto-Dravidian fish-word “mīn”, a popular fish-word of India, also signified ‘shining’, ‘bright’, and ‘gemstone’. Relevantly, the eye-patterned apotropaic gemstone-beads imported from Indus valley were called fish-eye-stones (“NA4-IGI- ḪA”, “NA4-IGI-KU6”) in Mesopotamia.
Toward Bipolar Electrosurgery with Concentric Tube Robots
Authors:   Department of Mechanical Engineering, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, d’Almeida Jesse  F , Rox Margaret , Webster  III Robert  J
Published: June 2022

Some of the earliest clinical motivations for concen- tric tube robots (CTRs) involved procedures which are often accomplished via electrosurgery [1], [2]. However, the development of electrosurgery in physical prototypes was initially left to future work, as early research focused on mechanics-based models and model-based control methods [3], [4]. In recent years, monopolar electro- surgery has been delivered through CTRs in physical prototypes [5], [6]. Since the ground is attached else- where on the patient’s body, monopolar tools typically simply require an exposed metal tip to cut. Bipolar tools, in contrast, carry two electrodes, are traditionally made in the shape of a forceps with each jaw containing one of the electrodes. Bipolar electro- surgery has several general advantages over monopolar, in applications where it can be used, including more localized heating and lower voltages, which lead to a lower risk of injury to the patient [7]. Motivated by these advantages, a bipolar electrosurgery forceps has been designed for delivery through for CTRs [8]. In this paper we propose an alternate approach in which the CTR itself acts as one of the active electrodes, with the other delivered through the CTR’s central lumen. We demonstrate teleoperated tissue cutting using a concentric tube robot equipped with this approach to electrosurgery.
Generalization for Deep Reinforcement Learning for Inverse Kinematics of Concentric Tube Robots
Authors:   Department of Computer Science, University College London, Iyengar K , Spurgeon S , Stoyanov D ,   Department of Electronic and Electrical Engineering, University College London
Published: June 2022

Concentric tube robots (CTRs) are a class of continuum robot that depend on the interactions between neigh- bouring, concentrically aligned tubes to produce the curvilinear shapes of the robot backbone [1]. The main application of these unique robots is that of minimally invasive surgery (MIS), where most of the developments for CTRs have been focused. Due to the confined workspaces and resulting extended learning times for surgeons in MIS, dexterous, compliant continuum robots such as CTRs have been under development in prefer- ence to the mechanically rigid and limited degrees-of- freedom (DOF) robots used in interventional medicine today. The precurved tubes in CTRs, sometimes referred to as active cannulas or catheters, are manufactured from super-elastic materials like Nickel-Titanium alloys with each tube nested concentrically. From the base, the individual tubes can be actuated through extension and rotation, which results in the bending and twisting of the backbone as well as access to the surgical site through the channel and robot tip. Clinically, CTRs are motivated for use in brain, cardiac, gastric surgery as well other procedures [2]. Due to tube interactions, modelling and control is non- trivial. Position control for CTRs has relied on model development, and although a balance between compu- tation and accuracy has been reached in the literature [1], there remain issues such as performance in the presence of tube parameter discrepancies and the impact of unmodelled physical phenomena such as friction and permanent plastic deformation. This motivates the devel- opment of an end-to-end model-free control framework for CTRs. We extend our previous model-free deep reinforcement learning (deepRL) method [3] with an initial proof of concept for generalization. The task we give the agent then is to control the end-effector Cartesian robot tip position by means of actions that represent changes in joint values to reach a desired position in the robot workspace whilst considering a specific CTR system.
Dense 3D Reconstruction Through Lidar: A New Perspective on Computer-Integrated Surgery
Authors:   Haptic Intelligence Department, Max Planck Institute for Intelligent Systems, Caccianiga Guido , Kuchenbecker Katherine  J
Published: June 2022

Technical innovations in sensing and computation are quickly advancing the Ô¨Åeld of computer-integrated surgery. From one side, spectral imaging and biophoton- ics are strongly contributing to intraoperative diagnostics and decision making. Simultaneously, learning-based algorithms are reshaping the concept of assistance and prediction in surgery. In this fast-evolving panorama, we strongly believe there is still a need for robust geometric reconstruction of the surgical Ô¨Åeld whether the goal is traditional surgical assistance or partial or full autonomy. 3D reconstruction in surgery has been investigated almost only in the space of mono and stereoscopic visual imaging because surgeons always view the proce- dure through a clinical endoscope. Compared to using traditional computer vision, deep learning has made signiÔ¨Åcant progress in creating high-quality 3D recon- structions and dense maps from such data streams, especially for monocular simultaneous localization and mapping (SLAM) [1]. The main limitations are linked to reliability, generalization, and computational cost. Meanwhile, lidar (light detection and ranging) has greatly expanded in use, especially in SLAM for robotics, terrestrial vehicles, and drones. Lidar sensors explicitly measure the depth Ô¨Åeld rather than inferring it from camera images. The technology is evolving quickly thanks to the upsurge of mixed and augmented reality in consumer mobile devices [2]: high-resolution, short- range, miniaturized lidar sensors are expected soon. In parallel to these developments, the concept of multiple-viewpoint surgical imaging was proposed in the early 2010‚Äôs in the context of magnetic actuation and micro-invasive surgery [3]. In routine clinical practice, however, the use of multiple trans-abdominal cannulae still limits the kinematics of the camera and instruments to have a Ô¨Åxed pivot point at the body wall. For this reason, here we propose an approach in which each surgical cannula can potentially hold a miniature lidar. We envision that exploring this powerful sensing tech- nology and enabling multi-viewpoint imaging without disrupting the current surgical workÔ¨Çow will yield far more accurate and complete 3D reconstructions of the surgical Ô¨Åeld, which opens new opportunities for the future of computer-integrated surgery.
Development of a wearable fluorescence sensor for non-invasive monitoring of gut permeability
Authors:   Hamlyn Centre, Imperial College London, London, UK, S√°nchez Elena Monfort , Avery James , Darzi Ara , Thompson Alex J
Published: June 2022

Inflammatory bowel disease, coeliac disease, and malnutrition have all been linked to changes in intestinal function, particularly gut permeability [1]. Endoscopic biopsies and histopathology, together with chemical tests such as Lactulose:Mannitol assays, are the techniques currently used to assess permeability in the clinic. However, those methods are either invasive, unable to offer comprehensive diagnoses, or challenging to perform in infants [2]. Further, the mechanisms and in interactions behind function the the gut‚Äôs aforementioned (and additional) disorders are currently not well understood. As a result, novel diagnostic technologies that provide non-invasive and accurate measurements of intestinal permeability (and other aspects of gut function) could have major therapeutic implications [3]. Recent studies in both humans and animals have shown the potential of transcutaneous fluorescence spectroscopy to provide information relevant to gastrointestinal (GI) function ‚Äì including gut permeability ‚Äì in a non-invasive manner (e.g. [4-7]). This method entails oral administration of a fluorescent contrast agent combined with the use of a wearable probe to non-invasively measure the permeation of the contrast agent from the gut into the blood stream, thereby facilitating measurements of gut leakiness/permeability and other clinically relevant GI functions [4-7]. However, the devices that have been used for this purpose are laser-based, large and expensive, which make them unsuitable for large scale clinical deployment [4-7].To address the above limitations, here we report preliminary results from a compact fluorescence spectroscopy sensor for transcutaneous monitoring of gut function. The primary functionality of the device is to detect fluorescence signals at the skin as an orally ingested contrast agent (fluorescein) permeates through the gut barrier into the blood stream. For the developed sensor, the optical system, electronic design, and optical and temperature safety assessments are reported below, along with preliminary results demonstrating the potential for clinical use.
Nonlinear Trajectory Following Control for a Bio-Inspired Steerable Needle
Authors:   Department of Mechanical Engineering, Imperial College London, Cui Zejian , Donder Abdulhamit , Rodriguez Y Baena F
Published: June 2022

Research in minimally invasive surgery has placed great focus on percutaneous intervention, leading to a boom- ing research interest in steerable needles [1]. Such sys- tems, compared with rigid needles, enjoy the advantage of following a curvilinear trajectory towards a target that lies under anatomical tissue surrounded by vessels while avoiding obstacles along the path. Amongst these, a bio- inspired programmable bevel-tip steerable needle (PBN) has been developed, which can steer in any direction in three-dimensional space without causing tissue damage due to torsion; its steering behaviour has been described by a mechanics-based model[2]. To further investigate needle tracking performance under the newly-developed needle model, this paper presents a tailored closed- loop controller which characterizes needle movement by applying an underactuated Autonomous Underwater Vehicle (AUV) model.
Head-mounting Surgical Robots for Passive Motion Compensation
Authors:   Dept. of Mechanical Engineering and Robotics Center, University of Utah, Posselli Nicholas  R , Bernstein Paul  S , Abbott Jake  J ,   Dept. of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, Moran Eye Center, University of Utah
Published: June 2022

Many up-and-coming therapeutic protocols in ophthal- mology are technically difficult, near/beyond the limits of human ability, and are being attempted by only a few surgeons. For example, subretinal injection of stem cells or gene therapies requires placement of a fine cannula in the subretinal space, holding that position steady for ‚àº90 s to inject a bleb of fluid. Surgeon hand tremor places a limit on achievable precision. A wide variety of robot-assisted surgical systems have been proposed to improve the precision of eye surgery [1]. However, there has not been much consideration of patient head motion, which is common among patients undergoing eye surgery under monitored anesthesia, a.k.a. conscious sedation, which makes a patient calm and somewhat sleepy during a surgery, but the patient may still be awake. Head motion in this state is due to breathing, talking, snoring, and other (in)voluntary motions of the patient. Of the 16% of patients who snore under monitored anesthesia, half have sudden head movement during surgery [2]. Movement must be compensated by the surgeon, to the best of their ability, to avoid complications. Benchtop experiments with artificial or enucleated (i.e., ex vivo) eyes, which are typical in the development of robotic systems, do not capture the effect of patient motion. Limited in vivo studies in humans have placed the patient under general anesthesia [3], [4], which is not typical of eye surgery and results in reduced patient movement (the patient is still breathing, of course). Any clinical robotic system must deal with patient motion. Active compensation (i.e., closed-loop control) can involve sensing the force between the sur- gical instrument and the eye, or using visual-servoing techniques, or some combination of both [1]. Two groups (including ours) have developed compact telerobotic systems motivated by the prospect of mount- ing the robot directly to the patient‚Äôs head to passively compensate for patient motion [5], [6]. However, to date, neither has actually mounted their robot on a living human, let alone quantify the benefits of head mounting. Mounting a robot to a patient‚Äôs head is not a trivial task.
Towards an MRI-Conditional Robot for Intracerebral Hemorrhage Evacuation
Authors:   Department of Biomedical Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology/Emory University,, Gunderman A.L , Sengupta S , Sigounas D , Cleary K , Chen Y ,   nstitute of Imaging Science, Vanderbilt University Medical Center,   George Washington University,   Children‚Äôs National Hospital
Published: June 2022

Stroke is the second leading cause of death worldwide, causing over six million deaths in 2019 [1]. Intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH), a subcategory of hemorrhagic strokes, accounts for 20% of total stroke deaths, with a one year mortality rate as high as 65% [2]. Forty percent of these deaths occur within two days of symptom onset [2], suggesting a benefit to early hemorrhage evacuation following clinical decompensation [3]. Despite the need for urgency, ‚Äúwatchful waiting‚Äù or conservative management has been a common treatment modality due to the potential cortical disruption and brain shift associated with large craniotomies [3]. However, in recent years, minimally invasive surgery has proven to be a safer alternative to larger, open craniotomies for hemorrhagic clot evacuation [3] and is an increasingly accepted method of treatment for patients with a deep-seated hematoma 30-50 mL in volume [4]. Unfortunately, minimally invasive methods are complicated by lack of adequate visualization, which is necessary to account for brain shift and deformation during the evacuation procedure. In recent studies, there has been a push for coupling minimally invasive robotic interventions with different intraprocedural visualization techniques. Using the concentric tube robot (CTR), several groups have used interventional CT [5], endoscopic cameras [6], and interventional MRI [7] to guide minimally invasive neurosurgical procedures. However, each imaging modality comes with corresponding pitfalls. CT applies ionizing radiation to the patient, requiring a cost-benefit balance between dynamic visualization and ionizing radiation exposure. Endoscopic cameras possess a limited field-of-view, preventing full dynamic brain visualization. MRI, though it provides superior imaging quality without a detrimental impact on the patient, is restricted by the inability to use ferromagnetic materials, i.e., magnets, steel, iron, etc., and the reduction in image quality by non-ferromagnetic metals, such as nitinol. In this paper, we build upon our work in [7], aiming to ameliorate the reduction of imaging quality associated with the use of metallic materials by developing a plastic MRI-compatible robotic system for MRI-guided ICH removal. This paper presents the first use of off-the-shelf plastic tubes for CTR, and characterizes the robot‚Äôs accuracy, MRI-compatibility, and evacuation feasibility for ICH evacuation in phantom trials.
Design and Characterization of Robotically-Guided Ultrasonic Bone Cutting for Laminectomies and Facetectomies
Authors:   Whiting School of Engineering, Johns Hopkins University, USA, MacLean L.J , Theodore N ,   Department of Neurosurgery, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, USA
Published: June 2022

Computer-navigated and robotic guidance systems facilitate accurately placing pedicle screws in the spine. [1] The clinical success of robotics has generated interest in extending these methods to other spinal procedures. [1] Bone cutting is particularly interesting but traditional osteotomies are challenging to robotically guide. [1-2] Fortunately, the development of ultrasonic bone cutting has led to more precise osteotomies that may be better suited for robotics. [3] These bone scalpels oscillate based on a piezoelectric crystal and can be optically tracked. [3] We propose that robotically guiding an ultrasonic bone scalpel will allow for precisely navigated osteotomies. This system offers several clinical benefits including reduced accidental damage (e.g. nerve roots), minimally invasive surgery (MIS), and reduced blood loss. [1-3] Accurately knowing the cut positions could also help alignment corrections. [4] Here, we evaluate the accuracy of a basic design configuration with a cervical spine phantom undergoing laminectomies and facetectomies. We hypothesize that robotically guided ultrasonic bone cutting will improve the spatial precision and facilitate MIS. This work aims to demonstrate the initial proof-of- concept for robotically guided ultrasonic bone cutting.
Development and Control of a Robotic Simulator for Peristaltic Motion
Authors:   Automatic Control and Systems Engineering Department, University of Sheffield, Ten Jarrett , Lahondes Quentin , Miyashita Shuhei , Damian Dana ,   lnsigneo Institute for in silico Medicine, University of Sheffield, UK
Published: June 2022

Up to 33.5% of patients suffering from gastrointestinal (GI) malignancies endure at least one non-lethal operative complication [1], This signals a need for a change to traditional invasive surgical methods. In this regard, in vivo medical robots (IMR) are seeing fast- paced progress providing efficient therapies and reducing patient trauma. IMRs aim to travel throughout the body via peristalsis through the gastrointestinal tract (GIT), conducting diagnostics and microsurgeries from within. Peristalsis can be defined as the repeated waves of circular contractions and relaxations of the gut wall forcing contents (bolus) along the GIT. Many of these technologies feature novel designs, smart materials and complex control to match the dynamic conditions of the treated disease [2]. Examples include the capsule endoscopic robot capable of providing visual diagnostics of the GIT [3], deployable patch and plug aimed at removing and patching stomach ulcers [4], and robotic implants for tissue regeneration [5]. At the same time, it is critical to also develop testing platforms which can exhibit realistic biological conditions to extensively optimise and validate these novel technologies towards their progression to the clinic. Numerous gastrointestinal simulators (GIS) have been developed to evaluate IMRs and have shown to reduce cost and length of testings, and improve the ethicality of the medical industry by limiting the number of animal trials conducted. However, currently developed GIS such as the Human Gastric Simulator [6] and the Mechanical Gastric Simulator [7] are focused on replicating chemical digestion, but gave limited attention on realistic mechanical digestion, utilising gravity as an aid to the mechanical digestion process. This then limited the accuracy of the simulated motion, restraining the ability to understand the influence of the GIT on the movements of IMRs and to critically evaluate their performances. In addition, few studies quantify in vivo peristaltic motion consisting of periodic contractions and dilations of the GIT which further complicates the evaluation of developed GIS and its ability to critically assess IMRs. This paper introduces a novel simulator that replicates the peristaltic motion of the GIT to enhance the optimisation and testing of IMRs.
Cable-Driven Linear Haptic Display for Medical Interventions
Authors:   Institute of Medical Device Technology, University of Stuttgart, Germany, Schäfer Max B , Nawratil Julia , Hemmer Moritz , Weiland Sophie , Pott Peter P
Published: June 2022

The technological state-of-the-art in numerous medical procedures involves high-end actively actuated equipment, leading the surgeon to only telecontrol the device, which is actually in contact with the patient, instead of guiding it directly by hand. Well-known examples are robot-assisted surgical interventions, where the user telecontrols the instrument via an input console, or procedures, which need to be performed using x-ray imaging, such as needle placement during biopsies or for drug injection [1]. Thus, potentially leading to improved accuracy, a lack of haptic sensation aggravates the process of perceiving important information for the surgeon, such as the mechanical characteristics of tissue boundary layers during needle insertion. In most disciplines, the forces during tool-tissue interaction are rather small and only slight changes of those interaction forces contain valuable information. This could be a threshold force from which a material will start to rip, or the force difference when a needle tip enters the next layer of tissue. To render these mechanical characteristics to the user, a dynamic haptic display with high mechanical bandwidth is required. These needs are perfectly met by haptic displays based on cable-driven parallel kinematics due to high stiffness and low inertia. Cable-driven haptic displays have been explored for various applications, such as for virtual reality or as a locomotion interface [2, 3], however, no research about application in medical telemanipulation was found. In this work, the capabilities and characteristics of a cable-driven haptic display for telemanipulation in the medical field have been investigated. As an exemplary application, the needle insertion process was chosen since there is only one degree of freedom (DOF) and very small changes in the tool-tissue interaction force. Cable- driven parallel kinematics have the advantage that they can be easily reconfigured and expanded to include additional DOF. In this paper, the mechanical setup and the dynamic characteristics of a cable-driven linear haptic display, in the following referred to as the haptic display, are presented.
Comparison of Performance Metrics for Real-Time Haptic Feedback in Surgical Skill Training
Authors:   Department of Mechanical Engineering, Rice University, Johnson L.R , Byrne M.D , O’Malley M.K ,   Department of Psychological Sciences, Rice University
Published: June 2022

Endovascular surgery involves minimally invasive sur- gical techniques that can result in significantly shorter operation times and hospital stays, lower complication rates, less blood loss, and lower rates of postoperative mechanical ventilation and atrial fibrillation than the equivalent open procedures [1], [2]. Repeated practice is central to skill acquisition, and minimally invasive procedures like endovascular surgery may require more or specialized practice compared to traditional surgery. For example, despite known benefits of endovascular aortic valve replacement compared to traditional surgical methods, Smith et al. attributed observations of higher rates of stroke, transient ischemic attacks, and major vascular complications to a protracted learning curve for the endovascular approach [3]. Virtual reality endovascular surgical simulators can be loaded with a patient’s pre-operative CT scan, enabling rehearsal of difficult cases before operating. Simulators are also accessible to trainees, giving opportunities for additional practice in navigating to hard-to-reach vas- cular structures, or exposure to rare procedures. Still, surgical simulators lack the provision of real-time and objective performance feedback. Instead, feedback is only available after the completion of a surgical task, and often does not provide the trainee with insight into how they should change their task performance strategies to achieve performance goals. Objective measures of skill derived from endovascular guidewire movement kinematics that characterize tool tip movement smoothness have been shown to correlate with expertise [4], [5]. Such metrics have not yet been used during training as real-time performance feedback, despite evidence that providing feedback can improve training outcomes [6]. Our approach to providing real-time performance feed- back during surgical skill training is intended to address this gap. We propose to use estimates of spectral arc length (SPARC), idle time, and average velocity to quantify task performance, then encode these measures as vibrotactile cues displayed to trainees in a wearable haptic device (see Fig. 1).
Predictable therapeutic microswarm dispersion for targeted drug delivery application
Authors:   School of Computer Science and Electronic Engineering, University of Essex, Abolfathi Kiana , Yazdi Mohammad Reza Hairi , Hoshiar Ali Kafash ,   School of Mechanical Engineering, University of Tehran,   Department of Mechanical Engineering, Lassonde School of Engineering, York University, Toronto, Canada
Published: June 2022

The magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs) based micro- nanorobots are emerging drug carriers. Controllability by an external magnetic field is the major advantage of these drug carriers. However, they are facing several challenges including controllability of the individual motion of MNPs under a global magnetic field. The microswarm control where collective MNPs were guided by a magnetic field was proposed as a solution [1]. Steering the MNPs as a microswarm to the targeted region has many advantages which include increasing the delivered drug to the site, preserving the healthy organs from drug penetration, and decreasing the negative side effects. In recent studies, particle swarms were guided using a rotating/oscillating magnetic field [2], [3]. A simulation platform for steering the aggregated MNPs based on the gradient field was developed [4]. Despite studies on the separation, no computational platform for predicting changes in particle dispersion under different magnetic field conditions has been introduced. After reaching the position of interest, the aggregates also had to be separated to ensure successful drug delivery. In this study using mathematical modelling, a separation platform has been developed. More details on the mathematical model used here can be found in [5]. The paper is divided into two sections. First, the accuracy of the simulation platform is discussed and then the effective parameters have been studied.
A Modular ROS-based dVRK Teleoperation Controller Architecture
Authors:   Department of Computer Science, University of Toronto, Gondokaryono R , Haiderbhai M , Munawar A , Looi T , Drake J , Kahrs L. A ,   The Wilfred and Joyce Posluns CIGITI, SickKids, Toronto,   Department of Computer Science, John Hopkins University
Published: June 2022

The da Vinci Research Kit (dVRK) [1], a hardware and software stack for research development, implements the teleoperation control of the Patient Side Manipulators (PSMs) using the Master Tool Manipulators (MTMs), with the original capabilities of the da Vinci Surgical System such as input device clutching, rotated vision perspective control, and input output position scaling. A recent research trend in automation and learning [2], uses 3D simulators such as AMBF [3], SurRol [4], and UnityFlexML [5]. These simulators re-implement the teleoperation controller and kinematics solver due to the non-modularity of the dVRK software (Fig. 1a). We ar- gue that future dVRK research requires an architecture, that supports testing algorithms in simulation and real hardware, with a singular teleoperation controller and kinematics. This in turn will provide a robust robot test workflow and standardized algorithm comparisons and benchmarks. Another research trend is the use of alternative input devices to control simulated PSMs. AMBF incorporates a large variety of input device options. Additionally, there has been work in using the MTM to teleoperate in- dustrial robots [6]. In all of these cases, the teleoperation controller and kinematics are re-implemented. To the best of our knowledge, there does not exist a formal definition of the dVRK teleoperation interfaces. We propose a modular dVRK teleoperation controller architecture, that is based on the Robot Operating Sys- tem (ROS), with the original capabilities and further improvements such as: • A lightweight and minimal dependency software implementation with a modular kinematics solver • Defined input interface to integrate a variety of input devices • Defined output interfaces that integrates to existing dVRK simulations and hardware
3D Printed Cups for Acetabular Reconstruction: a 3D-CT Implant Study
Authors:   Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital, Stanmore, UK, Laura Anna Di , Henckel Johann , Belzunce Martin , Hothi Harry , Hart Alister ,   Department of Mechanical Engineering, University College London, UK,   Division of Surgery and Interventional Science, University College London, UK
Published: June 2022

Custom 3D printed titanium acetabular implants have only recently been introduced and enable surgeons to treat traditionally unreconstructable massive acetabular defects. Whilst there is an accepted threshold for implant migration (proximal translation of >1 mm within 2 years) that constitutes loosening in primary and revision uncemented hip implants, there is no reference threshold for custom acetabular implants used to treat massive defects, with no long-term outcome studies [1]. Aim: We performed bone-to-bone registration of sequential CT imaging with the aim to help define radiological loosening of custom-made three- dimensionally 3D printed trabecular titanium cups for the management of massive acetabular defects. Objectives: Our primary and secondary objectives were to assess implant position and orientation 1-year post surgery in comparison with the immediate post-operative CT imaging.
A drop-in robotic gamma probe for minimally invasive radioguided surgery
Authors:   Department of Surgery and Interventional Sciences, GENIE Centre, University College  London, UK, Pampiglione T , Fumado L , Grootendorst M.R , Vyas K , Chand M ,   Department of Urology, Hospital Del Mar, Barcelona, Spain,   Department of Clinical Affairs, Lightpoint Medical Ltd., Amsterdam, The Netherlands,   Department of Research and Development, Lightpoint Medical Ltd., Chesham, UK
Published: June 2022

Radioguided surgery (RGS) techniques have been developed to enable more accurate and selective nodal identification and dissection in cancer patients [1]. The most well-established application of RGS is sentinel lymph node biopsy (SLNB), and use of a technetium- 99m (99mTc)-labelled radiotracer in combination with a fluorescent or blue dye is the recommended technique for optimal sentinel lymph node (SLN) detection in those malignancies [2-3]. Minimally-invasive radioguided SLN procedures currently rely on the use of rigid laparoscopic gamma probes (RLGPs), which have limited manoeuvrability and control due to their rigidity and dimensions. To address these limitations, miniaturised ‘drop-in’ gamma probes have been developed by different groups, with each probe having different design and performance features [4]. Our group has developed the SENSEI® drop-in gamma probe in collaboration with Lightpoint Medical Ltd. The probe can be used in both robotic and laparoscopic surgery due to its design. Here we present the design and technical characteristics of the device, the interim clinical trial results in prostate cancer (PCa) and the planned clinical study in rectal cancer (RCa).
Exploratory Analysis of the Nordic Safety Climate Questionnaire - Thai Version and Safety Climate among Thai Employees
Authors: Choosong Thitiworn , Rungruang Supeecha , Choomalee Kittisak , Sirirak Thanita
Published: June 2022

Introduction: High death and injury rates at work are continually reported by the Ministry of Labour, Thailand, despite the promotion of the occupational safety, health, and environment (OSHE) management system across all enterprises. To identify the gap between OSHE and workers’ perception in terms of safety climate in Thai organizations, the Nordic Safety Climate Questionnaire-Thai Version (T-NOSACQ) was used in this study.
Methods: The content validity index of the T-NOSACQ was assessed and this tool was employed to examine workers in six manufacturing firms and a tertiary care hospital between October 2015 and December 2016. Exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis was performed on the total dataset to justify the final questionnaire. Multiple regression analysis was performed to determine the factors related to the safety climate score.
Results: The final T-NOSACQ included 5 dimensions with a total of 42 items. The internal consistency of each subscale was in the range of 0.73–0.89. There were 1191 participants, including 88.9% workers and 11.1% leaders, who voluntarily responded to the questionnaire. The lowest safety climate score was obtained on the dimension ‘employees’ risk acceptance’, especially at factory A (2.67±0.45 and 2.92±0.45 for the worker and leader groups, respectively). The highest score was obtained on the dimension ‘employees’ engagement to safety, especially at factory F (3.30±0.33 and 3.46±0.42 for the worker and leader groups, respectively).
Conclusion: The safety climate in both leader and workers groups can be predicted by T-NOSACQ. Thai employees exhibited a positive perception of safety engagement. However, the OSHE management system in Thailand, especially employees’ risk acceptance, should be improved.
Real work experiences, practices and adverse events associated with long term usage of N95 respirators during the COVID-19 pandemic – A cross-sectional survey amongst Indian physicians
Authors: Henry Renoy , Krishnamoorthy Smitha , Ravikumar Anjali , Pradeep Manu , Padmanabhan Dakshin Sitaram , Menon Raviraj , Surendran Sandeep
Published: June 2022

Introduction: Doctors are at increased risk of exposure to SARS-CoV-2 virus, and use of N95 respirators has emerged as a key preventive measure. This study aimed to study the real-world experiences, practices and adverse effects of N95 respirator usage amongst doctors of India.
Methods: An analytical, cross-sectional online survey was conducted between November 2020 and January 2021. Real-world usage characteristics of N-95 respirators were collected via a pre-validated questionnaire (use, reuse, wearing and disposal practices) and compared amongst different sub-cohorts.
Results: 453 responses from physicians were analyzed. The most important adjunct to the N95 respirator perceived by the respondents was the full-face shield (81.9%). Most doctors had to purchase extra mask per month (median = 5) and this was more amongst the medical specialties (p = 0.006). Highest mean VAS scores for adverse events were reported for breathing on exertion (6.62 ± 2.25) and ear pain (6.34 ± 2.69). VAS ear pain was higher in ages < 40 and doctors working in the public sector (p = 0.017 and p = 0.019 respectively).
Conclusion: There are many inadequacies with regard to proper mask removal and doffing techniques among doctors in India. The major adverse effects faced by the doctors on prolonged mask usage were ear pain and breathing on exertion. However, it can be noted in spite of these deficiencies; there is generally good adherence to protocols and good practices of mask usage in hospital setting.