Search results for "Equipment Design"

The Use of Accelerometers and Gyroscopes to Estimate Hip and Knee Angles on Gait Analysis

2014

In this paper the performance of a sensor system, which has been developed to estimate hip and knee angles and the beginning of the gait phase, have been investigated. The sensor system consists of accelerometers and gyroscopes. A new algorithm was developed in order to avoid the error accumulation due to the gyroscopes drift and vibrations due to the ground contact at the beginning of the stance phase. The proposed algorithm have been tested and compared to some existing algorithms on over-ground walking trials with a commercial device for assisted gait. The results have shown the good accuracy of the angles estimation, also in high angle rate movement.

A Non-Invasive Thermal Drift Compensation Technique Applied to a Spin-Valve Magnetoresistive Current Sensor

2011

A compensation method for the sensitivity drift of a magnetoresistive (MR) Wheatstone bridge current sensor is proposed. The technique was carried out by placing a ruthenium temperature sensor and the MR sensor to be compensated inside a generalized impedance converter circuit (GIC). No internal modification of the sensor bridge arms is required so that the circuit is capable of compensating practical industrial sensors. The method is based on the temperature modulation of the current supplied to the bridge, which improves previous solutions based on constant current compensation. Experimental results are shown using a microfabricated spin-valve MR current sensor. The temperature compensati…

Push-and-pull enteroscopy using a single-balloon technique for difficult colonoscopy.

2006

Background and study aims Several factors predict difficult or incomplete colonoscopy with a standard colonoscope, including female gender, low body mass index, extensive diverticulosis, and prior pelvic surgery. Patients and methods A push-and-pull enteroscopy device and a single-balloon technique was used in 14 patients (six men, eight women; mean age 62 +/- 15 years) after failure of ileocolonoscopy or endoscopic therapy using either a standard or a pediatric colonoscope. The original ileocolonoscopy had been performed to investigate colon polyps (n = 6), an obscure inflammatory process in the ileocecal region (n = 6), or iron deficiency anemia with a positive fecal occult stool test (n …

Prospective comparison of push enteroscopy and push-and-pull enteroscopy in patients with suspected small-bowel bleeding.

2006

BACKGROUND The management of patients with suspected mid-gastrointestinal bleeding has in the past been AND AIMS: difficult, as push enteroscopy (PE) only allows limited endoscopic access for diagnosis and treatment. Recently published uncontrolled data on push-and-pull enteroscopy (PPE) using the double-balloon technique suggest that this new method has a high diagnostic yield and therapeutic efficacy. A prospective controlled study was therefore carried out to compare PPE with PE as the common nonsurgical gold standard method. METHODS: The diagnostic yield, complications, and various examination parameters were compared in 52 consecutive patients with suspected mid-gastrointestinal bleedi…

Transvalvular enteroscopy using a mother-baby endoscope system: a new approach to the distal ileum.

1997

In the past decade various endoscopes have been developed to examine the small bowel, with two principal procedures established: sonde-type enteroscopy and push-type enteroscopy. The main indication is gastrointestinal bleeding of obscure origin. Push-type enteroscopy has proved itselfto be useful for the investigation ofdiseases of the small intestine. 1 The mean instrumental insertion length published by different working groups varied between 50 and 90 cm past the ligament of Trei tzfl 2 The small bowel examination area is limited to the jejunum. The alternative method is sonde-type enteroscopy that allows an insertion length of 140 (30 to 200) cm. 3, 4 Disadvantages of this type of ente…

Current status of double balloon enteroscopy with focus on the Wiesbaden results.

2006

A New HLA-Based Distributed Control Architecture for Agricultural Teams of Robots in Hybrid Applications with Real and Simulated Devices or Environme…

2011

The control architecture is one of the most important part of agricultural robotics and other robotic systems. Furthermore its importance increases when the system involves a group of heterogeneous robots that should cooperate to achieve a global goal. A new control architecture is introduced in this paper for groups of robots in charge of doing maintenance tasks in agricultural environments. Some important features such as scalability, code reuse, hardware abstraction and data distribution have been considered in the design of the new architecture. Furthermore, coordination and cooperation among the different elements in the system is allowed in the proposed control system. By integrating …

Features and application of coupled cold plasma and photocatalysis processes for decontamination of water

2020

Dielectric barrier discharge plasma and photocatalysis have been proposed as tools for decontamination of process water, especially in food industry. The present investigation aims to redefine and identify the features of coupling the two technologies in terms of degradation efficiency of a model compound. Results show that, when the process is carried out in plasma activated water in the presence of irradiated TiO2, the efficiency of the integrated process is lower than the sum of the two processes acting separately. It is proposed that afterglow species, e.g. hydrogen peroxide and/or peroxynitrites could be activated by UVA light irradiation producing hydroxyl radicals in the liquid phase…

Struvite formation from the supernatants of an anaerobic digestion pilot plant

2009

This work studied the influence of the characteristics of the supernatants on the struvite precipitation process. Eighteen experiments with the supernatants generated in an anaerobic digestion pilot plant were performed in a stirred reactor. In order to obtain the pH control during the crystallization process, a Fuzzy Logic based controller was used. High phosphorus precipitation and recovery efficiencies were obtained. The composition of the supernatants was analyzed in order to study its influence on the solids formed from those solutions. The presence of calcium reduced the percentage of phosphorus precipitated as struvite leading to the formation of amorphous calcium phosphate (ACP), wh…

Comparative electrochemical treatments of two chlorinated aliphatic hydrocarbons. Time course of the main reaction by-products.

2011

The chlorinated aliphatic hydrocarbons conjugate toxicity with high chemical stability, bioaccumulation and long-range diffusivity. Chloroethanes are particularly ubiquitous in the industry and in household products, and their entry to the environment may entail potential risks for the living beings. At present, the US Environmental Protection Agency is carrying out the Endocrine Disruptor Screening Program (EDSP), where 1,2-dichloroethane (DCA) and 1,1,2,2-tetrachloroethane (TCA) are considered as priorities for their potential effects on the endocrine system. DCA is also found in the list of priority substances drawn up by the European Commission. To avoid the release of chloroethanes int…