bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Multi-criteria optimal placement of robots in constrained environments
Authors: Zeghloul S. , Pamanes-Garcia J.A. 
Published: March 2009

SUMMARYA general method is presented to automatically determine the placement of manipulators which allows one to optimize multiple kinematic performances indices during the execution of their tasks. It considers the presence of obstacles in the workstation and constraints on the motion of the manipulator's joints. The complete formulation is included, and an example with a six-degree-of-freedom manipulator in a cluttered environment es solved that demonstrates the improvements achieved for the manipulator performances by applying the method.
Inference on robotic assembly precedence constraints using a part contact level graph
Authors: Cho D. Y. , Cho H. S. 
Published: March 2009

SUMMARYThis paper describes a new approach to the automatic generation of assembly precedence constraints for robotic assembly, using a part contact level graph. Since inference of precedence constraints is a prerequisite to generate assembly sequences of a product, much work has been done in this field. However, most of it has some limitations in that they use a cumbersome user query or time-consuming geometric reasoning. To cope with these problems, this paper utilizes three directional part contact level graphs which, in three orthogonal directions, contain the information on directional connections for each pair of mating parts. By using these graphs, an assembly precedence constraint is inferred in two steps: The first step infers a precedence constraint for each directional connection by applying the path-finding algorithm. Utilizing the precedence constraints thus obtained, the next step infers the precedence constraint for each part to be assembled with its base assembly. Examples are given to illustrate the concepts and procedure of the proposed scheme.
Geometric modelling of bounded and frictional grasps
Authors: Xiong Y. L. , Sanger D. J. , Kerr D. R. 
Published: March 2009

SUMMARYThis paper, as an extension of an earlier paper, presents a geometrical representation and theoretical foundation of robot grasping that is affected by friction and by the magnitudes of normal contact forces. Grasp analysis and synthesis are based on the concepts of constraint cone (region), restraint cone and freedom cone in the force screw-space and location screw-space. In fact, the freedom cone is the aggregate of all the screws repelling and reciprocal to the grasp geometry (denoted by the restraint cone). Moreover, the constraint cone and the constraint region describe the effect of friction and the influence of the amplitudes of normal forces. The conditions of equilibrium grasp, stable grasp, form closure, force closure, and relative form closure are derived from the geometrical representation, and approaches are suggested for the design of adaptable fixtures, and for automatic grasp planning. It is shown that relative form closure is of great significance for frictional grasp, since it is possible to generate enough internal forces in the subspace spanned by the contacts and consequently produce corresponding friction forces in the reciprocal subspace.
Binocular vision planning with anthropomorphic features for grasping parts by robots
Authors: Chung Jae-Moon , Nagata Tadashi 
Published: March 2009

SUMMARYPlanning of an active vision having anthropomorphic features, such as binocularity, foveas and gaze control, is proposed. The aim of the vision is to provide robots with the pose informaton of an adequate object to be grasped by the robots. For this, the paper describes a viewer-oriented fixation point frame and its calibration, active motion and gaze control of the vision, disparity filtering, zoom control, and estimation of the pose of a specific portion of a selected object. On the basis of the importance of the contour information and the scheme of stereo vision in recognizing objects by humans, the occluding contour pairs of objects are used as inputs in order to show the proposed visual planning.
Design and evaluation of a high-performance haptic interface
Authors: Ellis R.E. , Ismaeil O.M. , Lipsett M.G. 
Published: March 2009

SUMMARYA haptic interface is a computer-controlled mechanism designed to detect motion of a human operator without impeding that motion, and to feed back forces from a teleoperated robot or virtual environment. Design of such a device is not trivial, because of the many conflicting constraints the designer must face.As part of our research into haptics, we have developed a prototype planar mechanism. It has low apparent mass and damping, high structural stiffness, high force bandwidth, high force dynamic range, and an absence of mechanical singularities within its workspace. We present an analysis of the human-operator and mechanical constraints that apply to any such device, and propose methods for the evaluation of haptic interfaces. Our evaluation criteria are derived from the original task analysis, and are a first step towards a replicable methodology for comparing the performance of different devices.
Linear robust trajectory control of flexible joint manipulators
Authors: Lin Yueh-Jaw , Yu Aiping 
Published: March 2009

SUMMARYThis paper presents a practical approach for the point-to-point control of elastic-jointed robot manipulators. With the proposed approach only position and velocity feedback are referenced, as opposed to most of the existing control schemes of elastic-jointed manipulators which require additional acceleration and/or jerk feedback. To guarantee the robustness of the controller, it is designed on extreme parameter uncertainties due to highly elastic joints of manipulators and energy motivated Lyapunov functions are used to derive the control law. Four pertinent controller gains are chosen in light of the on-line position and velocity feedback of the links and joint sensors. Through a simulated experimental verification, it is demonstrated that the designed simple position and velocity feedback controller, similar to that used for rigid-jointed robots, can globally stabilize the elastic-jointed robot for a bounded reference position. In addition, the tracking performance of the controller reveals that this simple control algorithm is robust in terms of joint flexibility. And the simplicity of the presented control algorithm, as compared to other model-based techniques for flexiblejoint robots, is particularly advantageous. Even though the simulated experiments are conducted on a single-link flexible joint robot, control law derived in this paper has general meaning for multi-link flexible joint robots.
Integrated flexible microactuator systems
Authors: Suzumori Koichi , Koga Akihiro , Kondo Fumika , Haneda Riyoko 
Published: March 2009

SUMMARYThe flexible microactuator (FMA) is a novel pneumaticrubber actuator developed for use in microrobots. Thispaper reports on integrated FMA systems to achievedistributed motion as occurs in intestinal villi, and withmulti-legged arthropods such as centipedes.For the purpose of miniaturization and integration of FMAs, the authors focussed on two technical issues: A new fabrication process based on stereo lithography and a new FMA design called a restraint beam FMA. Stereo lithography enables fabrication of micro-structures with rubber-like materials suitable for integrated FMAs. The restraint beam FMA makes it possible to fabricate FMAs from a single material, allowing stereo lithography to be used.As examples of integrated FMA systems, four prototypes are shown: a 5 × 5 FMA array, a 3 × 3 FMA array which has pneumatic circuits at its base, a pipe interior mobile robot, and an amusement system consisting of 30 FMAs, which demonstrates ball handling ability.
Automatic training method applied to a WiFi+ultrasound POMDP navigation system
Authors: Ocaña M. , Bergasa L. M. , Sotelo M. A. , Flores R. , Llorca D. F. , Schleicher D. 
Published: March 2009

SUMMARYThis paper presents an automatic training method based on the Baum–Welch algorithm (also known as EM algorithm) and a robust low-level controller. The method has been applied to the indoor autonomous navigation of a surveillance robot that utilizes a WiFi+Ultrasound Partially Observable Markov Decision Process (POMDP). This method uses a robust local navigation system to automatically provide some WiFi+Ultrasound maps. These maps could be employed within probabilistic global robot localization systems. These systems use a priori probabilistic map in order to estimate the global robot position. The method has been tested in a real environment using two commercial Pioneer 2AT robotic platforms in the premises of the Department of Electronics at the University of Alcalá. Some experimental results and conclusions are presented.
Development and target following of vision-based autonomous robotic fish
Authors: Hu Yonghui , Zhao Wei , Xie Guangming , Wang Long 
Published: March 2009

SUMMARYA novel ostraciiform swimming, vision-based autonomous robotic fish is developed in this paper. Its feasibility and capability are shown by implementing a dynamic target following task in a swimming pool. Inspired by boxfish that is highly stable and fairly maneuverable, the robotic fish is designed and constructed by locating multiple propulsors peripherally around a rigid body. Swimming locomotion of the robotic fish is achieved through harmonic oscillations of the tail and pectoral fins. The forces and moments acting on the fins and body are analyzed and the governing motion equations are derived. Through coordinating the movements of the propulsors, several typical swimming patters are empirical designed and realized. A digital camera is integrated in the robotic fish, and the visual information is processed with the embedded microcontroller. To treat the degradation of underwater image, a continuously adaptive mean shift (Camshift) algorithm is modified to keep visual lock on the moving target. A fuzzy logic controller is designed for motion regulation of a hybrid swimming pattern, which employs synchronized pectoral fins for thrust generation and tail fin for steering. A simple target following task is designed via an autonomous robotic fish swimming after a manually controlled robotic fish with fixed distance. The swimming performance of the robotic fish is tested and the effectiveness of the proposed target following method is verified experimentally.
The law of Hobson-Jobson
Authors: Purcell Susan 
Published: March 2009

ABSTRACTYule and Burnell's 1886 Anglo-Indian dictionary still fascinates and informs today. It is not the finest of Salman Rushdie's writings, but this is the first paragraph of his essay Hobson-Jobson (italics in original):“The British Empire, many pundits now agree, descended like a juggernaut upon the barbicans of the East, in search of loot. The moguls of the raj went in palanquins, smoking cheroots, to sup toddy or sherbet on the verandahs of the gymkhana club, while the memsahibs fretted about the thugs in bandannas and dungarees who roamed the night like pariahs, plotting ghoulish deeds.” (Rushdie, 1992:81)Rushdie points out that the italicised words all appear in the celebrated dictionary Hobson-Jobson: a glossary of colloquial Anglo-Indian words and phrases, and of kindred terms, etymological, historical, geographical and discursive by Henry Yule & A.C. Burnell, first published in 1886.This gem of a dictionary gives definitions and origins of words in common use by the British in colonial India in the late nineteenth century. Some of the entries won't be a surprise to readers – we all know that raj, mogul and memsahib are Indian words. But there are many words with their origins in Hindustani, Bengali, Sanskrit or other Indian or Eastern languages, whose origin is perhaps not quite so well known.
The Rationale for Siting Advanced Health Technologies at Home
Authors: McNerney Walter J. 
Published: March 2009

In the United States, there is growing determination among health care institutions to slow down cost increases, particularly in acute hospital situations.One major strategy is to finance and deliver more health care in the home, which is seen as less expensive than institutional alternatives, of equal quality, often more humane, and preferred by many patients. As a result, this practice will most likely become more prevalent as long as quality of care is sustained, even if the costs are comparable to hospital care.
Reflections on Home-based Health Services and the Future of the Service Sector
Authors: Gershuny Jonathan I. 
Published: March 2009

It has long been assumed that the service sector—that part of the economy devoted to producing intangible commodities—will continue to grow and become the major employer and generator of wealth in developed societies. Such writers as the American sociologist Daniel Bell assume that countries of the first world will advance naturally to become “postindustrial” (i.e., postmanufacturing) societies.“Service workers” already constitute over half the work force in most developed countries, and take comfort from a view which seems to guarantee their future livelihoods. But, their comfort may be unfounded. I shall outline a contrary, less cozy, alternative view, and suggest its implications for the medical sector.
Use of Data Registries to Evaluate Medical Procedures: Coronary Artery Surgery Study and the Balloon Valvuloplasty Registry
Authors: Davis Kathryn 
Published: March 2009

AbstractLarge registries have been used by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute to evaluate a number of medical procedures. Two of these, the Coronary Artery Surgery Study (CASS) and the Balloon Valvuloplasty Registry (BVR), are described to illustrate potential problems in using registry data to compare medical procedures.
Current Uses of Large Data Sets to Assess the Quality of Providers: Construction of Risk-Adjusted Indexes of Hospital Performance
Authors: Desharnais Susan 
Published: March 2009

AbstractThis article examines how large data sets can be used for evaluating the effects of health policy changes and for flagging providers with potential quality problems. An example is presented, illustrating how three risk-adjusted measures of hospital performance were developed using patient discharge abstracts. Advantages and disadvantage of this approach are discussed.
Imaging Technologies
Authors: Cockshott W. Peter , Palmer P. E. S. 
Published: March 2009

AbstractHigh technology developments in diagnostic imaging raise a number of issues that are disturbing. New developments do not always favor greater diagnostic efficacy since fads, marketing promotion, and entrepreneurs can distort medical goals. New advances disseminate rapidly in affluent societies before formal benefit evaluations are completed. We suggest that digitization of radiography must be critically assessed, and simplicity of equipment design should be promoted. Though medical and economic factors can provide guidelines for policy making, the ultimate priority decisions are political in nature.
The Assessment of a New Technology for Evaluating Respiratory Abnormalities in Sleep
Authors: Nino-Murcia German , Bliwise Donald L. , Keenan Sharon , Dement William 
Published: March 2009

AbstractThis study assessed the diagnostic utility of two technologies for evaluating respiratory abnormalities in sleep. We compared conventional polysomnography with a new, ambulatory microprocessor technology. Two key features of the comparison involved: (a) the use of multiple, skilled interpreters of each system; and (b) inter-rater agreement within the systems as a crucial test for the diagnostic utility of each. Results indicated that general categories of respiratory abnormalities could be judged more reliably than more specific categories, regardless of technology. For certain categories of respiratory abnormalities, however, inter-rater agreement with the newer technology was extremely low (e.g., reliability coefficients of.12,.09, and –.06). Factors contributing to these low diagnostic reliabilities are discussed. Our data indicate that any assessment of new technology cannot be made apart from the clinical judgments to be rendered with that new technology. This approach may be generalizable to the assessment of other diagnostic technologies.
Is High-Flux Dialysis Cost-Effective?
Authors: Hornberger John C. , Garber Alan M. , Chernew Michael E. 
Published: March 2009

AbstractHigh-flux dialysis is a new method for providing routine-maintenance hemodialysis to patients with endstage renal disease. It promises to shorten the duration of the dialysis session, but poses potential clinical risks to patients and financial risks to dialysis centers because of the high unit cost of purchasing new dialysis equipment. We retrospectively evaluated the cost-effectiveness of high-flux dialysis compared to conventional dialysis in a hospital-based center. The center provided only conventional dialysis until March 1989, when it initiated high-flux dialysis. The estimated annual costs of treatment were US $31,249 (high-flux) and $32,562 (conventional). The rate of hospital admissions was almost identical in both groups (conventional, 1.29 admissions per year; high-flux, 1.24 admissions per year; p = 0.23). Predicted prolongation of life expectancy with high-flux dialysis was significantly higher after statistical adjustment for observable patient characteristics (1.8 to 4.5 years; p <0.01). The cost-effectiveness ratio was $28,188 per life-year saved for high-flux compared to conventional dialysis. These findings suggest that the added capital expense of purchasing high-flux equipment can be justified from the perspective of its societal cost-effectiveness.
Data Bases for the Assessment of Medical Technologies: Examples from Europe
Authors: Gutzwiller Felix , Chrzanowski Richard , Paccaud Fred 
Published: March 2009

AbstractThe assessment of medical technologies has to answer several questions ranging from safety and effectiveness to complex economical, social, and health policy issues. The type of data needed to carry out such evaluation depends on the specific questions to be answered, as well as on the stage of development of a technology.Basically two types of data may be distinguished: (a) general demographic, administrative, or financial data which has been collected not specifically for technology assessment; (b) the data collected with respect either to a specific technology or to a disease or medical problem.On the basis of a pilot inquiry in Europe and bibliographic research, the following categories of type (b) data bases have been identified: registries, clinical data bases, banks of factual and bibliographic knowledge, and expert systems. Examples of each category are discussed briefly. The following aims for further research and practical goals are proposed: criteria for the minimal data set required, improvement to the registries and clinical data banks, and development of an international clearinghouse to enhance information diffusion on both existing data bases and available reports on medical technology assessments.
Technology Acquisition in Canada: control in Regulated Market
Authors: Deber Raisa B. , Thompson Gail G. , Leatt Peggy 
Published: March 2009

AbstractThe authors provide a detailed overview of how the national and provincial health systems of Canada exercise control over the diffusion of medical technology. In particular, they examine the diffusion of CT scanning and the adoption of non-ionic radio contrast media. While the nature of the parliamentary system theoretically aflows the government, especially the executive, to exert more control over its policy agenda than in the United States, the authors believe that effective control is hampered by a lack of political will and insufficient “teeth” in the Ministry of Health' mandate and policy. The authors also conclude that the manipulation of reimbursement systems to encourage or discourage the diffusion of various medical technologies is not always effective, and that political clout often triumphs over rational decision making.
Health Care Technolgies in The Netherlands
Authors: Rutten Frans , David H. Banta 
Published: March 2009

AbstractThis article argues that while health care and government authorities in the Netherlands in the last decades have attempted to rationalize the diffusion of medical technology, much work remains to be done. The authors contend that though a mix of direct government regulation and economic incentives will be needed, regulation by incentive is more effective than regulation by directive in achieving cost effective use of technology. Generally, bureaucratic structures provide only limited opportunities for tight control of the diffusion of medical technologies. The article offers possible future strategies for directing the adoption and use of medical technologies and stresses the importance of reliable infor mation culled from comprehensive technology assessments.
Evaluation of the Costs and Relative Effectiveness of Alternative Strategies for the Removal of Mandibular Third Molars
Authors: Tulloch J. F. Camilla , Antczak-Bouckoms Alexia A. , Ung Nancy 
Published: March 2009

AbstractDecision analysis is used to compare the cost and disability of alternative treatment strategies for asymptomatic mandibular third molars. The analysis shows that extracting only those third molars that remain impacted and become pathologically involved is always associated with less expected cost and disability than prophylactic removal of asymptomatic wisdom teeth.
Cost–Benefit Evaluation of Dental Implants
Authors: Jönsson Bengt , Karlsson Göran 
Published: March 2009

AbstractThe growing evidence of the efficacy and effectiveness of dental implants calls for economic evaluations to determine the economic efficiency of this technology for different indications. Such studies must be integrated with the clinical evaluations in order to produce the relevant data. In most cases, dental implants will produce a better outcome than the best alternative technology, but this improvement will only come at greater cost. Cost–benefit evaluations of dental implants must therefore address the difficult task of assessing the value of the improvement in oral health.
Technological Methods in the Diagnosis and Treatment of Temporomandibular Disorders
Authors: Laskin Daniel M. , Greene Charles S. 
Published: March 2009

AbstractAlthough there have been numerous technological devices introduced for the diagnosis and treatment of temporomandibular disorders, many are either ineffective or are research tools without direct clinical application. This article reviews the various modalities and makes recommendations regarding their effectiveness based on the available clinical and scientific evidence.
Antibiotic prophylaxis for Dental Patients with Joint Prostheses? A Decision Analysis
Authors: Jacobson Jed J , Schweitzer Stuart , DePorter David J. , Lee J. Jack 
Published: March 2009

AbstractA decision analysis was performed to assess the risks, costs, and effects of no prophylaxis, oral penicillin, and cephalexin regimens currently being debated for dental patients at risk for late prosthetic joint infection (LPJI). The analysis suggests that there is a very small risk of LPJI (29.3 cases per 106dental visits), which is outweighed by a greater risk of death with an oral penicillin strategy than with a “no prophylaxis” strategy (2.31:1.93). An oral cephalosporin appears to spare life and limb but does so at an extremely high cost. Over $500,000 must be spent to spare one year of life, while $480,000 needs to be spent to prevent one case of LPJI. Some individual dental patients may still be at a much greater risk for LPJI than others. However, from the evidence to date, routine predental antibiotic prophylaxis for all prosthetic joint patients is a very expensive preventive strategy and is not cost-effective. However, clinical experience suggests that antibiotic prophylaxis may be appropriate in some situations.