Parameter identification and sensitivity analysis for a robotic manipulator arm

The development of a nonlinear dynamic model for large oscillations of a robotic manipulator arm about a single joint is described. Optimization routines are formulated and implemented for the identification of electrical and physical parameters from dynamic data taken from an industrial robot arm. Special attention is given to difficulties caused by the large sensitivity of the model with respect to unknown parameters. Performance of the parameter identification algorithm is improved by choosing a control input that allows actuator emf to be included in an electro-mechanical model of the manipulator system

International consensus (ICON) on treatment of Ménière's disease

Objective: To present the international consensus for recommendations for Ménière's disease (MD) treatment. Methods: Based on a literature review and report of 4 experts from 4 continents, the recommendations have been presented during the 21st IFOS congress in Paris, in June 2017 and are presented in this work. Results: The recommendation is to change the lifestyle, to use the vestibular rehabilitation in the intercritic period and to propose psychotherapy. As a conservative medical treatment of first line, the authors recommend to use diuretics and Betahistine or local pressure therapy. When medical treatment fails, the recommendation is to use a second line treatment, which consists in the intratympanic injection of steroids. Then as a third line treatment, depending on the hearing function, could be either the endolymphatic sac surgery (when hearing is worth being preserved) or the intratympanic injection of gentamicin (with higher risks of hearing loss). The very last option is the destructive surgical treatment labyrinthectomy, associated or not to cochlear implantation or vestibular nerve section (when hearing is worth being preserved), which is the most frequent option

Do physiotherapists have the skill to engage in the psychological in the bio-psychosocial approach?

Purpose: To describe a cross-sectional exploration of attitudes of physiotherapists in general practice in Western Australia toward psychiatry and mental illness, how often they treat people with mental illness, their perceptions of how well their undergraduate education prepared them to work with these people, and their opinions about what further education would enable them to provide best practice care. Methods: A questionnaire that included questions about participants’ demographic information, personal experiences with mental illness, the ATP-30, and open-ended questions about their preparedness to work with people with mental illness was distributed through 110 email contacts to physiotherapy departments in Western Australia. Results: A total of 75 completed questionnaires contributed to the findings; 11 returned questionnaires were incomplete and were not included in the data analysis. ATP-30 scores indicated moderately positive attitudes toward psychiatry and mental illness. Females indicated significantly more positive attitudes than males. Of the full sample, 41% (n = 31) reported treating someone with a comorbid mental health problem every day and 76% (n = 57) every week. Conclusion: Physiotherapists in general practice in Western Australia have generally positive perceptions of psychiatry. The majority of clinicians reported treating patients with mental illness at least once a week. Participants identified that they felt underprepared to work with this patient group, a need for the undergraduate curriculum to be revised, and an overwhelming need for postgraduate training in psychiatry and mental health

A ground-based NUV secondary eclipse observation of KELT-9b

KELT-9b is a recently discovered exoplanet with a 1.49 d orbit around a B9.5/A0-type star. The unparalleled levels of UV irradiation it receives from its host star put KELT-9b in its own unique class of ultra-hot Jupiters, with an equilibrium temperature > 4000 K. The high quantities of dissociated hydrogen and atomic metals present in the dayside atmosphere of KELT-9b bear more resemblance to a K-type star than a gas giant. We present a single observation of KELT-9b during its secondary eclipse, taken with the Wide Field Camera on the Isaac Newton Telescope (INT). This observation was taken in the U-band, a window particularly sensitive to Rayleigh scattering. We do not detect a secondary eclipse signal, but our 3$\sigma$ upper limit of 181 ppm on the depth allows us to constrain the dayside temperature of KELT-9b at pressures of ~30 mbar to 4995 K (3$\sigma$). Although we can place an observational constraint of $A_g<$ 0.14, our models suggest that the actual value is considerably lower than this due to H$^-$ opacity. This places KELT-9b squarely in the albedo regime populated by its cooler cousins, almost all of which reflect very small components of the light incident on their daysides. This work demonstrates the ability of ground-based 2m-class telescopes like the INT to perform secondary eclipse studies in the NUV, which have previously only been conducted from space-based facilities.Comment: Accepted in ApJL. 7 pages, 3 figure

Structural and Electronic Properties of Amorphous and Polycrystalline In2Se3 Films

Structural and electronic properties of amorphous and single-phase polycrystalline films of gamma- and kappa-In2Se3 have been measured. The stable gamma phase nucleates homogeneously in the film bulk and has a high resistivity, while the metastable kappa phase nucleates at the film surface and has a moderate resistivity. The microstructures of hot-deposited and post-annealed cold-deposited gamma films are quite different but the electronic properties are similar. The increase in the resistivity of amorphous In2Se3 films upon annealing is interpreted in terms of the replacement of In-In bonds with In-Se bonds during crystallization. Great care must be taken in the preparation of In2Se3 films for electrical measurements as the presence of excess chalcogen or surface oxidation may greatly affect the film properties.Comment: 23 pages and 12 figure