16 research outputs found
Design of a robot-assisted exoskeleton for passive wrist and forearm rehabilitation
This paper presents a new exoskeleton design for wrist and forearm
rehabilitation. The contribution of this study is to offer a methodology
which shows how to adapt a serial manipulator that reduces the number of
actuators used on exoskeleton design for the rehabilitation. The system
offered is a combination of end-effector- and exoskeleton-based devices. The
passive exoskeleton is attached to the end effector of the manipulator, which
provides motion for the purpose of rehabilitation process. The Denso VP
6-Axis Articulated Robot is used to control motion of the exoskeleton during
the rehabilitation process. The exoskeleton is designed to be used for both
wrist and forearm motions. The desired moving capabilities of the exoskeleton
are flexion–extension (FE) and adduction–abduction (AA) motions for the
wrist and pronation–supination (PS) motion for the forearm. The anatomical
structure of a human limb is taken as a constraint during the design. The
joints on the exoskeleton can be locked or unlocked manually in order to
restrict or enable the movements. The parts of the exoskeleton include
mechanical stoppers to prevent the excessive motion. One passive degree of
freedom (DOF) is added in order to prevent misalignment problems between the
axes of FE and AA motions. Kinematic feedback of the experiments is performed
by using a wireless motion tracker assembled on the exoskeleton. The results
proved that motion transmission from robot to exoskeleton is satisfactorily
achieved. Instead of different exoskeletons in which each axis is driven and
controlled separately, one serial robot with adaptable passive exoskeletons
is adequate to facilitate rehabilitation exercises.</p
Effects of kefir on coccidial oocysts excretion and performance of dairy goat kids following weaning
The aim of this study was to investigate effects of kefir, a traditional source of probiotic, on coccidial oocysts excretion and on the performance of dairy goat kids following weaning. Twin kids were randomly allocated to one of two groups at weaning. Kids of the first group received 20 ml of kefir daily for 6 weeks (KEF), while kids in the control group were given a placebo (CON). Individual faecal samples were regularly (n = 18 per kid) taken to quantify the number of coccidial oocysts per gram of faeces (OpG). There were no differences between the groups in terms of body weight development (P > 0.05) and feed consumption. Kids of both groups were not able to consume enough feed to meet their nutrient requirements during the first 3 weeks following weaning. KEF had a lower frequency of OpG positive samples than CON (P = 0.043). Kefir did not affect the maximum oocyst excretion and age of the kids at the highest oocyst excretion (P > 0.05). KEF shed numerically 35% lower coccidial oocysts than the controls, which corresponded to a statistical tendency (P = 0.074) in lowering Log-OpG in comparison to CON. While KEF had a lower frequency of OpG positive samples and tended to shed lower OPG by around one-third, the frequency of diarrhea, level of highest oocyst excretion, and performance of the kids remained unaffected. Therefore, it is concluded that overall effects of kefir do not have a significant impact on sub-clinical infection and performance in weaned kids under relatively high-hygienic farming conditions
Data-driven fixed-order H∞ controller synthesis in frequency domain: Closed-loop system approach
Excretion of Histomonas meleagridis following experimental co-infection of distinct chicken lines with Heterakis gallinarum and Ascaridia galli
Effect on Quality Change of Cherry Tomato by CO2 Concentration of Flushed Gas and Storage Period
Electrosprayed catalyst layers based on graphene-carbon black hybrids for the next-generation fuel cell electrodes
Here, we report a novel electrode structure with graphene and graphene–carbon black hybrids by electrospraying for polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cells. After syntheses of platinum (Pt)/partially reduced graphene oxide (rGO) and Pt/r-GO/carbon black (CB) hybrid electrocatalysts, suspensions of synthesized electrocatalyst inks were prepared with Nafion® ionomer and poly(vinylidene fluoride-co-hexafluoropropylene) and electrosprayed over carbon paper to form electrodes. Electrosprayed catalyst layer exhibited uniform and small size Pt distribution. As the graphene content increases micrometer-sized droplet, pore formation and surface roughness of the electrode increase. Thus, an open porous electrode structure which is favorable for mass transport is achieved by electrospraying. The maximum power densities, 324 mW cm−2 for Pt/rGO and 441 mW cm−2 for Pt/rGO/CB electrosprayed electrodes, were achieved at a relatively low catalyst loading