SCIENCE AND GOVERNANCE IN THE NATIONAL SYSTEMS OF INNOVATION APPROACH

The aim of this article is to analyse the process of technology regulation as a sub-system in the National System of Innovation approach. Firstly, the article discusses the limits of the evolutionary approach by analysing the conflicts of interest involved in the regulation of technology. Then, by analysing with the experience of regulating biotechnology in countries of the European Union and Brazil the article discusses the practices of managing conflicts of interest through the respective regulation models. This discussion turns to the governance of science and technology as a fundamental element of operationalisation of policies for risk analysis and management.National Innovation System, power, technology, institutions, regulation, gmo

Soft volume simulation using a deformable surface model

The aim of the research is to contribute to the modelling of deformable objects, such as soft tissues in medical simulation. Interactive simulation for medical training is a concept undergoing rapid growth as the underlying technologies support the increasingly more realstic and functional training environments. The prominent issues in the deployment of such environments centre on a fine balance between the accuracy of the deformable model and real-time interactivity. Acknowledging the importance of interacting with non-rigid materials such as the palpation of a breast for breast assessment, this thesis has explored the physics-based modelling techniques for both volume and surface approach. This thesis identified that the surface approach based on the mass spring system (MSS) has the benefits of rapid prototyping, reduced mesh complexity, computational efficiency and the support for large material deformation compared to the continuum approach. However, accuracy relative to real material properties is often over looked in the configuration of the resulting model. This thesis has investigated the potential and the feasibility of surface modelling for simulating soft objects regardless of the design of the mesh topology and the non-existence of internal volume discretisation. The assumptions of the material parameters such as elasticity, homogeneity and incompressibility allow a reduced set of material values to be implemented in order to establish the association with the surface configuration. A framework for a deformable surface model was generated in accordance with the issues of the estimation of properties and volume behaviour corresponding to the material parameters. The novel extension to the surface MSS enables the tensile properties of the material to be integrated into an enhanced configuration despite its lack of volume information. The benefits of the reduced complexity of a surface model are now correlated with the improved accuracy in the estimation of properties and volume behaviour. Despite the irregularity of the underlying mesh topology and the absence of volume, the model reflected the original material values and preserved volume with minimal deviations. Global deformation effect which is essential to emulate the run time behaviour of a real soft material upon interaction, such as the palpation of a generic breast, was also demonstrated, thus indicating the potential of this novel technique in the application of soft tissue simulation

The Design and Qualification of a Hydraulic Hardware-in-the-Loop Simulator

The goal of this work was to design and evaluate a hydraulic Hardware-in-the-Loop (HIL) simulation system based around electric and hydraulic motors. The idea behind HIL simulation is to install real hardware within a physically emulated environment, so that genuine performance can be assessed without the expense of final assembly testing. In this case, coupled electric and hydraulic motors were used to create the physical environment emulation by imparting flows and pressures on test hardware. Typically, servo-valves are used for this type of hydraulic emulation, and one of the main purposes of this work was to compare the effectiveness of using motors instead of the somewhat standard servo-valve. Towards this end, a case study involving a Sauer Danfoss proportional valve and emulation of a John Deere backhoe cylinder was undertaken. The design of speed and pressure controllers used in this emulation is presented, and results are compared to data from a real John Deere backhoe and proportional valve. While motors have a substantially lower bandwidth than servo-valves due to their inertia, they have the ability to control pressure at zero and near-zero flows, which is fundamentally impossible for valves. The limitations and unique capabilities of motors are discussed with respect to characteristics of real hydraulic systems.M.S.Committee Chair: Wayne Book; Committee Member: [email protected]; Committee Member: [email protected]

THE ROLE OF THE SOCIAL NETWORKS, BETWEEN A UTILITY AND A NEW ADDICTION

The reality of social networks in recent years has taken on new and enriching scenarios, to learn more about the problems and complex dynamics of life that surround the generations of preadolescents and adolescents. This work has matured over several years, interacting with schools in the Campania region (southern Italy), meeting and talking with teachers, parents and students, observing the reality that surrounds them. The territory of Naples and its province was the one in which the activity was mainly carried out. It has been found that the new frontiers of youth language find their maximum form of exposure in sharing, exhibition, media "exposure", through the channel of the narration of their daily life "live" (most of the time), often it implies a high probability of incurring dangers and dangers that are difficult to manage, as "children" of an age in which to exhibit is in conformity with the historical moment. The definition given by the experts is "Digital Natives", “Digital Immigrants” are adults, who have a different and less fluid approach compared to the reality of youth. Dangers, pitfalls and others are amplified through the simple sharing of one\u27s own experiences. This work benefited from the help of various professional figures, which made sure that some difficult aspects and contexts could emerge. Some problems of this reality linked to social networks are distinguished in a more specific and authentic way

THE ROLE OF THE SOCIAL NETWORKS, BETWEEN A UTILITY AND A NEW ADDICTION

The reality of social networks in recent years has taken on new and enriching scenarios, to learn more about the problems and complex dynamics of life that surround the generations of preadolescents and adolescents. This work has matured over several years, interacting with schools in the Campania region (southern Italy), meeting and talking with teachers, parents and students, observing the reality that surrounds them. The territory of Naples and its province was the one in which the activity was mainly carried out. It has been found that the new frontiers of youth language find their maximum form of exposure in sharing, exhibition, media "exposure", through the channel of the narration of their daily life "live" (most of the time), often it implies a high probability of incurring dangers and dangers that are difficult to manage, as "children" of an age in which to exhibit is in conformity with the historical moment. The definition given by the experts is "Digital Natives", “Digital Immigrants” are adults, who have a different and less fluid approach compared to the reality of youth. Dangers, pitfalls and others are amplified through the simple sharing of one\u27s own experiences. This work benefited from the help of various professional figures, which made sure that some difficult aspects and contexts could emerge. Some problems of this reality linked to social networks are distinguished in a more specific and authentic way

Nanorobotics in Medicine: A Systematic Review of Advances, Challenges, and Future Prospects

Nanorobotics offers an emerging frontier in biomedicine, holding the potential to revolutionize diagnostic and therapeutic applications through its unique capabilities in manipulating biological systems at the nanoscale. Following PRISMA guidelines, a comprehensive literature search was conducted using IEEE Xplore and PubMed databases, resulting in the identification and analysis of a total of 414 papers. The studies were filtered to include only those that addressed both nanorobotics and direct medical applications. Our analysis traces the technology's evolution, highlighting its growing prominence in medicine as evidenced by the increasing number of publications over time. Applications ranged from targeted drug delivery and single-cell manipulation to minimally invasive surgery and biosensing. Despite the promise, limitations such as biocompatibility, precise control, and ethical concerns were also identified. This review aims to offer a thorough overview of the state of nanorobotics in medicine, drawing attention to current challenges and opportunities, and providing directions for future research in this rapidly advancing field

Real-time hybrid cutting with dynamic fluid visualization for virtual surgery

It is widely accepted that a reform in medical teaching must be made to meet today's high volume training requirements. Virtual simulation offers a potential method of providing such trainings and some current medical training simulations integrate haptic and visual feedback to enhance procedure learning. The purpose of this project is to explore the capability of Virtual Reality (VR) technology to develop a training simulator for surgical cutting and bleeding in a general surgery

Mental illness in chronic kidney disease : prognosis, drug utilization, and treatment outcomes

Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is a common yet heterogeneous condition, covering a wide spectrum of disease severity ranging from mildly decreased kidney function to kidney failure. Patients with CKD can often encounter mental health conditions that are related to poor prognosis. Depression is the most studied mental illness, while previous research has primarily focused on patients with kidney failure undergoing dialysis. Antidepressant medications are the main pharmacological approach for treating depression, with selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) being the most frequently prescribed type. Notably, antidepressants may have different risk-benefit profiles in CKD patients, for whom dose adjustments are recommended. However, the implementation of SSRI dose adjustment in routine care is largely unknown. Despite the widespread use, there remains uncertainty about the efficacy and safety of antidepressants in the CKD population due to limited clinical evidence, whereas a few observational studies have reported several adverse health outcomes associated with antidepressant use in patients with CKD. In addition, little is known about the burden of bipolar disorder and schizophrenia, less common but severe mental illnesses, in patients with CKD. This thesis aims to expand existing knowledge about the prevalence and impact of mental illnesses, as well as the utilization and safety of antidepressants in patients with CKD. Study I evaluated to what extent patients’ kidney function influences SSRI dosing in routine practice. We found that a lower estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) was moderately associated with being prescribed SSRIs with a reduced initial or maintenance dose. Nonetheless, two-fifths of patients with severely decreased eGFR received SSRI prescriptions without proper dose reduction, potentially exposed to a higher risk of adverse drug reactions. Study II examined the association between an incident diagnosis of depression and adverse clinical outcomes in patients with non-dialysis CKD. We found significant associations between incident depression and hospitalization, CKD progression, major adverse cardiovascular events, and all-cause mortality in patients with non-dialysis CKD. The association with CKD progression became more evident one year after the depression diagnosis, while the associations with the other outcomes were more pronounced within the first year after diagnosis. Study III investigated the comparative safety of antidepressant treatment in patients with CKD and incident depression, using the target trial emulation framework. We found that compared with non-initiation, initiation of antidepressants was associated with a higher risk of short-term adverse events such as hip fracture and upper gastrointestinal bleeding, but was not associated with long-term outcomes, including all-cause mortality, major adverse cardiovascular events, CKD progression, and suicidal behavior. Selection of the appropriate type and dosage of antidepressants is crucial to improve treatment safety. Initiating mirtazapine versus SSRIs was associated with a lower risk of upper gastrointestinal bleeding but a higher risk of mortality. Initiating SSRIs with a reduced dose versus a standard dose was associated with lower risks of upper gastrointestinal bleeding and CKD progression but a higher risk of cardiac arrest. Study IV described the prevalence of three severe mental illnesses (i.e., depression, bipolar disorder, and schizophrenia) and examined their impact on clinical outcomes in patients with CKD. In a nationwide cohort of nephrologist-referred CKD patients, we estimated a prevalence of 5.4% for depression, 1.9% for bipolar disorder, and 0.5% for schizophrenia, amounting to an overall prevalence of 7% for any of these disorders, which was 60% higher than the general population. We found that each of the disorders was associated with a higher mortality rate and bipolar disorder was also associated with a faster eGFR decline. Nevertheless, CKD patients with bipolar disorder or schizophrenia exhibited a lower rate of initiating kidney replacement therapy, suggesting potential inequities in access to this life-sustaining treatment. In conclusion, the present thesis highlights the commonness and negative impact of mental illness in patients with CKD and provides real-world evidence on the prescribing and safety of antidepressants in the CKD population

Emulation of haptic feedback for manual interfaces

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Mechanical Engineering, 1996.Includes bibliographical references (p. 329-339).by Karon E. MacLean.Ph.D