Investigation on developing of a piezoresistive pressure sensor for foot plantar measurement system

In this paper, fundamental theories in developing piezoresistive pressure sensor will be discussed and our work on designing a foot plantar measurement system as the application will be explained. The mathematical equations and design procedures will be elaborate while the practical application will be investigate, experimented and analyzed. Simulation results from design theory will also be included and finally the conclusion of the proposed piezoresistive pressure sensor will be discussed

Fundamental references over insole plantar pressure in terms of human body weight percentage

This paper proposes a fundamental study and detailed investigation about the insole touch area of plantar pressure to be considered as a reference measurement for all researchers that study any location over the insole area. A 101 pressure sensor positions, that number represents the most covered area of the insole, these 101 locations were investigated in this work to find out the variation limits for each individual point. A different gain conditioning circuits based on the supply op-amp has been used to measure the output of the sensors to fulfill sufficient accuracy. The measurements have been carried out on one size foot, but with persons have different weights to prove the proposed method hypothesis. It is found that more than 80% of the measured points were different, even for different body weights. The measurements resulted in that maximum applied force, and consequently the mass, not exceed one kilogram, while the minimum approach to a few grams. The verification of the hypothesis is satisfied when the accumulation of all points, in terms of mass, results in Total body weight/242%

An accurate setting for remapping process of foot plantar pressure

This paper present a precise and detailed study for the touch area on the foot based on amplifier gain settings of individual sensors that are distributed over the plantar insole area, the idea is to fill the insole area with sensor size areas that satisfy covering almost the foot touch area. The procedure includes steps have to be implemented to achieve accurate reference values with respect to body weight. The values of individual sensor points have been evaluated for the both (Foot-Sensor-Insole-Ground) and (Foot-Sensor-Ground). It is found that, there is a wide range difference between the test points in each case and the existence of the insole reduced the pressure weight. A percentage value according to total body weight can be being assigned as the reference points in future studies

Systematic development of an autonomous robotic car for fire-fighting based on the interactive design approach

Fire incidences are classed as catastrophic events, which mean that persons may experience mental distress and trauma. The development of a robotic vehicle specifically designed for fire extinguishing purposes has significant implications, as it not only addresses the issue of fire but also aims to safeguard human lives and minimize the extent of damage caused by indoor fire occurrences. The primary goal of the AFRC is to undergo a metamorphosis, allowing it to operate autonomously as a specialized support vehicle designed exclusively for the task of identifying and extinguishing fires. Researchers have undertaken the tasks of constructing an autonomous vehicle with robotic capabilities, devising a universal algorithm to be employed in the robotic firefighting process, and designing a fuzzy controller algorithm that can be used in all expected scenarios. The use of a fuzzy logic algorithm in this design demonstrates the usefulness of this system, all factors are involved in which cases are previously identified and taught, as well as the overall map of the premises have been uploaded so that the system can identify the exact place of the fire source, and two types of fire have also been examined. When the performance of the foam pump, water pump, and robotic car motors is compared to the data from the flam sensor, temperature sensor and GPS data, it demonstrates a high responsiveness in terms of applying the appropriate approach based on the type of fire due to the probable action for which the system has been trained. This will have the benefit of shortening the required process for fire extinguishment and using the appropriate fire extinguishing tools. This technology may be used to put out flames, deploy in different areas, and handle a variety of fire scenarios inside building

Burnout among surgeons before and during the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic: an international survey

Background: SARS-CoV-2 pandemic has had many significant impacts within the surgical realm, and surgeons have been obligated to reconsider almost every aspect of daily clinical practice. Methods: This is a cross-sectional study reported in compliance with the CHERRIES guidelines and conducted through an online platform from June 14th to July 15th, 2020. The primary outcome was the burden of burnout during the pandemic indicated by the validated Shirom-Melamed Burnout Measure. Results: Nine hundred fifty-four surgeons completed the survey. The median length of practice was 10 years; 78.2% included were male with a median age of 37 years old, 39.5% were consultants, 68.9% were general surgeons, and 55.7% were affiliated with an academic institution. Overall, there was a significant increase in the mean burnout score during the pandemic; longer years of practice and older age were significantly associated with less burnout. There were significant reductions in the median number of outpatient visits, operated cases, on-call hours, emergency visits, and research work, so, 48.2% of respondents felt that the training resources were insufficient. The majority (81.3%) of respondents reported that their hospitals were included in the management of COVID-19, 66.5% felt their roles had been minimized; 41% were asked to assist in non-surgical medical practices, and 37.6% of respondents were included in COVID-19 management. Conclusions: There was a significant burnout among trainees. Almost all aspects of clinical and research activities were affected with a significant reduction in the volume of research, outpatient clinic visits, surgical procedures, on-call hours, and emergency cases hindering the training. Trial registration: The study was registered on clicaltrials.gov "NCT04433286" on 16/06/2020

Optimization techniques for underfoot pressure measurement

A plantar foot pressure measurement provides important information which can be used as a helpful tool for evaluating patients with foot complaints. Foot plantar pressure systems are devices that are used to measure underfoot pressure. They can be classified into two types: platform systems and insole systems. An insole system is flexible and portable, thereby allowing a wider variety of studies to be carried out with different gait tasks, footwear designs and terrains, while a platform system is fixed and limited to the measurement of underfoot pressure in a static condition, and is usually used for the detection of ulceration. Currently, underfoot pressure ranges have not been effectively established, and there is insufficient information about the minimum and maximum values of underfoot pressure. Likewise, constraints with regard to the implementation of insole systems still persist and are represented by the need to put a spacer on the sensor during measurements, with the problem of sensor parameters changing after the calibration. Therefore, optimization of measurement techniques have been proposed for the implementation of an insole system to measure the underfoot pressure to overcome these drawbacks. This research was approved by the Human Research Ethics Committee of Universiti Putra Malaysia. The research was aimed at measuring the pressure of 15 points under the foot for 12 samples, divided into two groups (male and female). Two techniques were used to implement the insole system for the effective measurement of underfoot pressure, namely a sensor optimization of the output voltage swing, and the setting of the physical characteristics of a spacer to be placed on the sensors. In addition, a self- calibration technique was employed with the insole system to maintain the sensor measurements and to solve the problem of the changing of the sensor parameters after a period of time following the calibration. The performance of the proposed device after the application of these techniques was tested with an insole system based on the calculation of the body weight. The results showed that the proposed insole plantar pressure device was able to measure the plantar pressure ranges effectively and was able to calculate the body weight with a measurement error of up to 5.07 % of the real value of the body weight using a weight scale. This was compared to the use of a commercial device (novel EMED system) which calculated the body weight with a measurement error of up to 9.2 %, or the use of the current insole system without any optimization technique, which calculated the body weight with a measurement error of up to 9.06 % from the real value. This work will contribute towards the benefit of the social and industrial sectors in terms of measurement precision

Pancreatic surgery outcomes: multicentre prospective snapshot study in 67 countries

Background: Pancreatic surgery remains associated with high morbidity rates. Although postoperative mortality appears to have improved with specialization, the outcomes reported in the literature reflect the activity of highly specialized centres. The aim of this study was to evaluate the outcomes following pancreatic surgery worldwide.Methods: This was an international, prospective, multicentre, cross-sectional snapshot study of consecutive patients undergoing pancreatic operations worldwide in a 3-month interval in 2021. The primary outcome was postoperative mortality within 90 days of surgery. Multivariable logistic regression was used to explore relationships with Human Development Index (HDI) and other parameters.Results: A total of 4223 patients from 67 countries were analysed. A complication of any severity was detected in 68.7 percent of patients (2901 of 4223). Major complication rates (Clavien-Dindo grade at least IIIa) were 24, 18, and 27 percent, and mortality rates were 10, 5, and 5 per cent in low-to-middle-, high-, and very high-HDI countries respectively. The 90-day postoperative mortality rate was 5.4 per cent (229 of 4223) overall, but was significantly higher in the low-to-middle-HDI group (adjusted OR 2.88, 95 per cent c.i. 1.80 to 4.48). The overall failure-to-rescue rate was 21 percent; however, it was 41 per cent in low-to-middle-compared with 19 per cent in very high-HDI countries.Conclusion: Excess mortality in low-to-middle-HDI countries could be attributable to failure to rescue of patients from severe complications. The authors call for a collaborative response from international and regional associations of pancreatic surgeons to address management related to death from postoperative complications to tackle the global disparities in the outcomes of pancreatic surgery (NCT04652271; ISRCTN95140761)