A decision support system for electrode shaping in multi-pad FES foot drop correction

Background: Functional electrical stimulation (FES) can be applied as an assistive and therapeutic aid in the rehabilitation of foot drop. Transcutaneous multi-pad electrodes can increase the selectivity of stimulation; however, shaping the stimulation electrode becomes increasingly complex with an increasing number of possible stimulation sites. We described and tested a novel decision support system (DSS) to facilitate the process of multi-pad stimulation electrode shaping. The DSS is part of a system for drop foot treatment that comprises a customdesigned multi-pad electrode, an electrical stimulator, and an inertial measurement unit. Methods: The system was tested in ten stroke survivors (3-96 months post stroke) with foot drop over 20 daily sessions. The DSS output suggested stimulation pads and parameters based on muscle twitch responses to short stimulus trains. The DSS ranked combinations of pads and current amplitudes based on a novel measurement of the quality of the induced movement and classified them based on the movement direction (dorsiflexion, plantar flexion, eversion and inversion) of the paretic foot. The efficacy of the DSS in providing satisfactory pad-current amplitude choices for shaping the stimulation electrode was evaluated by trained clinicians. The range of paretic foot motion was used as a quality indicator for the chosen patterns. Results: The results suggest that the DSS output was highly effective in creating optimized FES patterns. The position and number of pads included showed pronounced inter-patient and inter-session variability; however, zones for inducing dorsiflexion and plantar flexion within the multi-pad electrode were clearly separated. The range of motion achieved with FES was significantly greater than the corresponding active range of motion (p < 0.05) during the first three weeks of therapy. Conclusions: The proposed DSS in combination with a custom multi-pad electrode design covering the branches of peroneal and tibial nerves proved to be an effective tool for producing both the dorsiflexion and plantar flexion of a paretic foot. The results support the use of multi-pad electrode technology in combination with automatic electrode shaping algorithms for the rehabilitation of foot drop.The research has been supported in part by grants of the Basque Government (PI2013-10), the ERA-NET EU/MINECO project (INDIGO-DBT2-051) and by the Ministry of Education, Science and Technological Development of Serbia (Project no. 175016)

The acquisition and teaching of English phrasal verbs in Primary scholl

Predmet istraživanja ove disertacije je nastava frazalnih glagola u osnovnoj školi, prvenstveno u VIII i IX razredu osnovne škole u Republici Srpskoj. U današnje vrijeme, kao posljedica dominacije komunikativnog metoda u nastavi engleskog kao stranog jezika, veliki značaj pridaje se komunikativnoj kompetenciji. Primijenjena lingvistika i nastavnici stranog jezika u praksi konstantno traže najefikasniju formu predstavljanja vokabulara, tako da instrukcije kojima se može predstaviti vokabular prećutno postaju prioritetno područje nastave stranog jezika. Shodno tome, cilj rada se kreće u više pravaca, stavljajući fokus na ispitivanje efikasnosti elemenata eksplicitnih instrukcija u prepoznavanju, prevođenju i upotrebi frazalnih glagola izdvojenih iz korpusa literature koja se koristi u nastavi engleskog kao stranog jezika u osnovnim školama u Republici Srpskoj. Kako bi se obezbijedila teorijska osnova ispitivanju, sumiraće se stavovi različitih istraživača o tome kako predavati frazalne glagole i koje strategije koristiti, te će se nastava frazalnih glagola sagledati kroz metode nastave stranog jezika, s posebnim osvrtom na prevođenje frazalnih glagola (FG) i uticaj rečeničnog konteksta, da bi se na kraju eksplicitna nastava vokabulara predstavila kao važna osnova za razvijanje same komunikacijske kompetencije. S druge strane, ispitaće se ocjena uspješnosti prepoznavanja, prevođenja i upotrebe ciljane grupe frazalnih glagola u nastavi engleskog jezika za kontrolnu grupu oba uzrasta koja je pratila redovan nastavni proces, te za eksperimentalnu grupu koja je dobijala eksplicitni input tokom časova engleskog jezika u školskoj 2016/2017. godini. Empirijsko istraživanje sprovedeno je kroz nekoliko etapa. Dio istraživanja, pored ocjenjivanja parametara uspješnosti prepoznavanja i prevođenja u rečeničnom kontekstu i upotrebe FG koji su korelirani prema polu i uspjehu u školu, te analizirani na osnovu doslovnog i idiomatskog prevoda, čini i upitnik za učenike o samoprocjeni prepoznavanja, prevođenja i upotrebe FG. Pored navedenog, s obzirom na to da je u osnovnim školama fokus nastavnika uglavnom usmjeren na gramatička pravila, ispitani su i stavovi nastavnika o predstavljanju vokabulara, važnosti prepoznavanja, razumijevanja i upotrebe FG u formalnom nastavnom procesu. Na osnovu prikupljenih i analiziranih podataka došli smo do zaključka da implicitna nastava vokabulara, te strategije predstavljanja vokabulara koje se najčešće koriste u nastavi engleskog kao stranog jezika, zaostaje za eksplicitnim pristupom nastavi, te da se primjenom eksplicitne nastavne intervencije, usmjerene ka razvijanju jezičke svijesti, postižu bolji rezultati. Uz to, pojedini faktori olakšavaju, ili, naprotiv, otežavaju prepoznavanje, prevođenje i upotrebu frazalnih glagola kod učenika engleskog jezika kao stranog.This dissertation centers around the teaching of phrasal verbs in primary school, primarily in final grades of primary school in the Republic of Srpska. In recent times, due to the predominance of the communicative method in teaching English as a foreign language communicative competence has received a significant amount of attention. Applied linguistics and foreign language teachers are constantly seeking the most effective form of vocabulary presentation, so vocabulary instructions to be chosen become a priority area of foreign language teaching. Therefore, the aim of the paper is to move in a number of directions, focusing on examining the effectiveness of the elements of explicit instructions in the recognition, translation and use of the phrasal verbs extracted from the corpus used in teaching English as a foreign language in primary schools in the Republic of Srpska. In order to provide the theoretical basis for the study, the views of various researchers will be summed up as to how to teach phrasal verbs and which strategies to use; phrasal verbs teaching will be presented through foreign (English) language teaching methods, with particular reference to the translation of the phrasal verbs (PV) and the influence of the context, so that explicit vocabulary teaching could be presented as an important basis for the development of communication competence itself. On the other hand, we will examine the success rate of the recognition, translation and use of a target group of phrasal verbs in the English language for a control group of both ages that followed a regular teaching process and an „experimental“ group that gained explicit input during the English language classesin 2016/2017 school year. Empirical research was conducted in several stages. Self-assessment success rate of recognition, translation and use of phrasal verbs for the pupils is a part of the research, besides assessing the parameters of recognition, translation in the context and the use of PVs that were correlated by gender and the success in the school, and analyzed on the basis of literal and idiomatic translation. In addition to the above, since primary schools teachers mainly focus on grammatical rules, the attitudes of the teachers on the presentation of vocabulary, the importance of recognizing, understanding and using PVs in formal teaching process were also examined. Based on the collected and analyzed data, we came to the conclusion that implicit vocabulary teaching and vocabulary presentation strategies most commonly used in teaching English as a foreign language lag behind explicit teaching and that through explicit language teaching interventions, aimed at developing language awareness, better results are achieved. In addition, some factors facilitate or, on the contrary, make it difficult to recognize, translate, and use phrasal verbs in English as a foreign language

Primena Veberovih fokalno-direktrisnih ravanskih krivih u aproksimaciji konturne krive osnove arhitektonskih objekata

One of the major aims when researching some problems in architectural design of buildings is to fully understand and adequately apply the underlying scientific foundations that architects use in their projects. In this paper we analyze the application possibilities of the Weber's focal-directorial curves in the approximation of ground-base contour line of architectural objects i.e. buildings. Thus, a Weber's curve with m foci and n directrices was defined. Furthermore, particular qualifiers were introduced in order to estimate the level of adequacy of the conducted approximation. The importance of the research can be sought in the fact that the exact procedure has been created with its applicability in architectural-urban design of contemporary forms as well as in the domain of the historical heritage and conservation in the sense of the creating proper geometrical models for further computer aided use.Jedan od glavnih ciljeva istraživanja nekih problema u arhitektonskom dizajniranju zgrada je potpuno razumevanje i adekvatno primenjivanje naučnih načela koje arhitekte koriste u svojim projektima. U ovom radu analiziramo mogu nosti primene eberovih fokalno-direktrisnih krivih u aproksimaciji konture osnove arhitektonskih objekata, tj. zgrada. U vezi sa tim, definisana je Veberova kriva sa m fokusa i n direktrisa. Osim toga, uvedeni su posebni kvalifikatori kako bi se procenio nivo preciznosti izvršene aproksimacije. ažnost istraživanja se posebno iskazuje u činjenici da je postupak kreiran sa mogu noš u primene u arhitektonsko-urbanističkom dizajniranju savremenih oblika, kao i u domenu zaštite i revitalizacije istorijskog nasle a u smislu stvaranja odgovaraju ih geometrijskih modela za dalju upotrebu pomo u računara

Effect of locally damaged elbow segments on the integrity and reliability of the heating system

This paper presents the integrity and reliability evaluation of the heating system as a whole, based on results of metallographic tests performed on parent material and the ultrasonic measurement of wall thickness of elbows made of steel St 35.8

Integrity assessment of regulation system pipeline elements in hydroelectric generating set a6 of hydro power plant 'djerdap 1'

Vertical Kaplan turbines with nominal power of 176 MW manufactured in Russia are installed in 6 hydroelectric generating sets at hydro power plant 'Djerdap 1' (Kladovo, Serbia). Most of the components are made of materials in accordance to GOST and ASTM standards. During rehabilitation of hydroelectric generating set, the analysis of the current state and integrity assessment of turbine regulation system pipeline required non-destructive tests on parent material and welded joints between pipes and pipes-elbows. The purpose of the regulation system, comprising of the pipeline for the turbine regulator oil supply, is to open and close vanes of the guide vane apparatus and to regulate the position of runner blades and their number of revolutions. Internal pressure in the regulation system is p = 4 MPa. Structural integrity is a recent scientific and engineering discipline which in broader sense comprises state analysis and behaviour diagnostics, service life assessment and rehabilitation of structures, meaning that beside the usual situation where structural integrity assessment is required when flaws are detected by non-destructive testing, this discipline is also includes stress state analysis. This approach is especially important for welded structures, since cracktype flaws can originate from welding and from unfavourable service conditions. In this paper, the results of non-destructive tests referring to the lack of penetration in roots of butt-welded joints between pipes and pipes-elbows, as well as tensile test results of technical specimens with reinforcements and in specimens with parallel machined sides and standard dimensions, are presented in order to carry out the integrity assessment of the turbine regulation system pipeline of hydroelectric generating set A6 at hydro power plant Djerdap 1. Results of analytical strength calculation of butt-welded joints between 2 pipes, and pipe-elbow with a lack of penetration in the root are also presented

Effect of locally damaged elbow segments on the integrity and reliability of the heating system

This paper presents the integrity and reliability evaluation of the heating system as a whole, based on results of metallographic tests performed on parent material and the ultrasonic measurement of wall thickness of elbows made of steel St 35.8

Integrity assessment of regulation system pipeline elements in hydroelectric generating set a6 of hydro power plant 'djerdap 1'

Vertical Kaplan turbines with nominal power of 176 MW manufactured in Russia are installed in 6 hydroelectric generating sets at hydro power plant 'Djerdap 1' (Kladovo, Serbia). Most of the components are made of materials in accordance to GOST and ASTM standards. During rehabilitation of hydroelectric generating set, the analysis of the current state and integrity assessment of turbine regulation system pipeline required non-destructive tests on parent material and welded joints between pipes and pipes-elbows. The purpose of the regulation system, comprising of the pipeline for the turbine regulator oil supply, is to open and close vanes of the guide vane apparatus and to regulate the position of runner blades and their number of revolutions. Internal pressure in the regulation system is p = 4 MPa. Structural integrity is a recent scientific and engineering discipline which in broader sense comprises state analysis and behaviour diagnostics, service life assessment and rehabilitation of structures, meaning that beside the usual situation where structural integrity assessment is required when flaws are detected by non-destructive testing, this discipline is also includes stress state analysis. This approach is especially important for welded structures, since cracktype flaws can originate from welding and from unfavourable service conditions. In this paper, the results of non-destructive tests referring to the lack of penetration in roots of butt-welded joints between pipes and pipes-elbows, as well as tensile test results of technical specimens with reinforcements and in specimens with parallel machined sides and standard dimensions, are presented in order to carry out the integrity assessment of the turbine regulation system pipeline of hydroelectric generating set A6 at hydro power plant Djerdap 1. Results of analytical strength calculation of butt-welded joints between 2 pipes, and pipe-elbow with a lack of penetration in the root are also presented

Synthesis of New Heteropolycyclic Bis-Carboxamide: 3,5-Dichloro-N,N’(p-Chlorophenyl)dithieno [3,2-b:2’,3’-d]Furan-2,6-Carboxamide

New heteropolycyclic bis-carboxamide 5 was synthesized in multistep synthesis starting from furylacrylic acid (1). This type of compounds are now being examined as potential anti-AIDS agent. The most important stage in the multistep synthesis is the preparation of intermediate 3,5-dichloro- dithieno[3,2-b:2’,3’-d]furan-2,G-dicarbonyl chloride (4)