Design, implementation, control, and user evaluations of assiston-arm self-aligning upper-extremity exoskeleton

Physical rehabilitation therapy is indispensable for treating neurological disabilities. The use of robotic devices for rehabilitation holds high promise, since these devices can bear the physical burden of rehabilitation exercises during intense therapy sessions, while therapists are employed as decision makers. Robot-assisted rehabilitation devices are advantageous as they can be applied to patients with all levels of impairment, allow for easy tuning of the duration and intensity of therapies and enable customized, interactive treatment protocols. Moreover, since robotic devices are particularly good at repetitive tasks, rehabilitation robots can decrease the physical burden on therapists and enable a single therapist to supervise multiple patients simultaneously; hence, help to lower cost of therapies. While the intensity and quality of manually delivered therapies depend on the skill and fatigue level of therapists, high-intensity robotic therapies can always be delivered with high accuracy. Thanks to their integrated sensors, robotic devices can gather measurements throughout therapies, enable quantitative tracking of patient progress and development of evidence-based personalized rehabilitation programs. In this dissertation, we present the design, control, characterization and user evaluations of AssistOn-Arm, a powered, self-aligning exoskeleton for robotassisted upper-extremity rehabilitation. AssistOn-Arm is designed as a passive back-driveable impedance-type robot such that patients/therapists can move the device transparently, without much interference of the device dynamics on natural movements. Thanks to its novel kinematics and mechanically transparent design, AssistOn-Arm can passively self-align its joint axes to provide an ideal match between human joint axes and the exoskeleton axes, guaranteeing ergonomic movements and comfort throughout physical therapies. The self-aligning property of AssistOn-Arm not only increases the usable range of motion for robot-assisted upper-extremity exercises to cover almost the whole human arm workspace, but also enables the delivery of glenohumeral mobilization (scapular elevation/depression and protraction/retraction) and scapular stabilization exercises, extending the type of therapies that can be administered using upper-extremity exoskeletons. Furthermore, the self-alignment property of AssistOn-Arm signi cantly shortens the setup time required to attach a patient to the exoskeleton. As an impedance-type device with high passive back-driveability, AssistOn- Arm can be force controlled without the need of force sensors; hence, high delity interaction control performance can be achieved with open-loop impedance control. This control architecture not only simpli es implementation, but also enhances safety (coupled stability robustness), since open-loop force control does not su er from the fundamental bandwidth and stability limitations of force-feedback. Experimental characterizations and user studies with healthy volunteers con- rm the transparency, range of motion, and control performance of AssistOn- Ar

On The Numerical Solution of Linear Fredholm-Volterra İntegro Differential Difference Equations With Piecewise İntervals

The numerical solution of a mixed linear integro delay differential-difference equation with piecewise interval is presented using the Chebyshev collocation method. The aim of this article is to present an efficient numerical procedure for solving a mixed linear integro delay differential difference equations. Our method depends mainly on a Chebyshev expansion approach. This method transforms a mixed linear integro delay differential-difference equations and the given conditions into a matrix equation which corresponds to a system of linear algebraic equation. The reliability and efficiency of the proposed scheme are demonstrated by some numerical experiments and performed on the computer algebraic system Maple 10

Design, implementation and control of a self-aligning full arm exoskeleton for physical rehabilitation

We present kinematics, design, control, characterization and user evaluation of AssistOn-Arm, a novel, powered, self-aligning exoskeleton for robot-assisted upper extremity rehabilitation that allows for movements of the shoulder girdle as well as shoulder rotations. AssistOn-Arm can both actively and passively enable translational movements of the center of glenohumeral joint, while also passively compensating for the translational movements at elbow and wrist. Automatically aligning all its joint axes, AssistOn-Arm provides an ideal match between human joint axes and the exoskeleton axes, guaranteeing ergonomy and comfort throughout the therapy, and extending the usable range of motion for upper extremity movement therapies. Furthermore, self-aligning feature of AssistOn-Arm significantly shortens the setup time required to attach the patient to the exoskeleton. In addition to the typical shoulder rotation exercises, AssistOn-Arm can deliver glenohumeral mobilization (scapular elevation/depression and protraction/retraction) and scapular stabilization exercises, extending the type of therapies that can be administered using the upper-arm exoskeletons. To ensure safety and gentle interactions with the patient, AssistOn-Arm is designed to be passively backdriveable, thanks to its capstan-based multi-level transmission and spring-based passive gravity compensation mechanism. Open and closed-loop impedance controllers have been implemented to safely regulate interactions of AssistOn-Arm with patients and performance of the device has been experimentally characterized. Ergonomy and useability of the device has also been demonstrated through human subject experiments

Gıs-based analysis of Turkey house sale statistics

Konut satışları, bir ülkenin temelde sosyal ekonomik parametrelerine paralel değişkenlik gösteren bir olgudur. Konut satış verileri kullanılarak, ülkelerin gelişim göstergelerine ilişkin önemli sonuçlar elde edilebilmektedir. Ancak ülke çapında ya da idari birimleri üzerinde konut satışlarıyla ilgili yorum yapabilmek için, coğrafi tabanlı analizler büyük önem arz etmektedir. Çünkü yerel eğilimlerin ve kümelenmelerin tespit edilebilmesi ve sonuçların görsel olarak sunulabilmesi için Coğrafi Bilgi Sistemleri (CBS) etkin bir platform oluşturmaktadır. Konut satış istatistiklerinin analizi ve il biriminde görselleştirilmesi amaçlı yapılan bu çalışmada, 2014-2018 yılları arasında Türkiye İstatistik Kurumu’ndan (TUİK) elde edilen ülke ve il bazındaki konut satış istatistikleri verileri kullanılmıştır. Elde edilen sözel veriler, CBS ortamında sayısal verilerle ilişkilendirilerek analiz edilmiştir. Çalışma ile, konut satış piyasasındaki ilk el ve ikici el satışlar oranlamaları, il bazındaki ikinci el/ilk el satışları ve illerin nüfusuna göre satış sayıları değerlendirilerek çeşitli kıyaslamalar yapılmıştır. Ayrıca çalışmada, Getis Ord Gi* yöntemi kullanılarak yerel kümelenmelerin bulunması için sıcak nokta analizi yapılmıştır. Sonuç olarak, Doğu illerinde satış sayılarının nüfusa göre az olduğu, Marmara ve Ege sahillerinde satış sayılarının yoğun olduğu gözlemlenmiştir. Ege ve Akdeniz sahil illerinde ilk el satışın ikinci el konut satışlarına göre oldukça fazla olduğu, Güneydoğu Anadolu bölgesinde ise ikinci el satışları fazla olduğu göze çarpmaktadır.House sales are a phenomenon that varies according to the social-economic parameters of a country. Significant results can be obtained regarding the development indicators of countries with house sales. The geographical-based analysis is of great importance to comment on the country-wide or administrative units of housing sales. Because Geographical Information Systems (GIS) is an effective platform for detecting local trends and local clusters and presenting the results. In this study, housing sales statistics which is obtained from Turkey Statistical Institute (TSI) between 2014 and 2018 years in the country and province-level of Turkey data has been used for analysis and visualization purposes. The obtained verbal data were analyzed by joining with numerical data in GIS environment. By this study, first-hand and second-hand sales ratios in the housing sales market, second-hand / zero sales by province and the number of sales according to the population of the provinces were evaluated and various comparisons were performed. In addition, hot spot analysis was performed to find local clusters using Getis Ord Gi * method. As a result, it is observed that the number of sales according to the population is lower in the Eastern provinces and the number of sales is high in Marmara and Aegean coasts. In the Aegean and Mediterranean coastal provinces, it is observed that first sales are much higher than second-hand house sales and second-hand sales are high in Southeast Anatolia

Job Satisfaction, Anxiety Level and Associated Factors in a Group of Residents in a University Hospital

In present study, we aimed to research the job satisfaction among the residents at Dicle University Medical Faculty Hospital, some factors affecting this and some psychological effects of not being pleased with their jobs. With respect to this aim, socio demographic data form, Minnesota Job Satisfaction, Beck Anxiety Inventory, State Trait Anger Scale were given to 140 residents at University who accepted to join this study and were collected the following day. In study, 35 percent of the participants having joined the study weren’t pleased with their works. The number of satisfied residents was higher among the willingly choice making residents in favour of their Works(34.8%) than the participants who were unwilling to choice the department (65.2%) they are working now (x2:11.046, p<0.01). Beck anxiety results were found to be much higher in the residents who were not pleased with their workers than the workers pleased with their works. Finally, there are some factors determining the job satisfaction. There is relationship between job satisfaction and mental health. Because this can give rise to negative effects on the performance of the work, it is required that some solution ways be found in order to increase the work contention

COVID-19 Salgını Erken Dönemlerinde Genel Popülasyonda Uyku Kalitesini Etkileyen Etmenlerin Belirlenmesi

Objective: This study aimed to determine the factors affecting sleep quality in the general population during the early phase of the Coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. Materials and Methods: This was a cross-sectional study and included 595 people who were surveyed online. The data were collected through the "socio-demographic characteristics form", "Pittsburgh Sleep Quality index" and "Generalized Anxiety Disorder scale-7". Results: In this study, sleep quality among individuals was found to be poor, and as the level of generalised anxiety increased, sleep quality decreased. Sleep quality was found to be poor those living in urban areas and those with chronic diseases. Conclusion: The results of the study can be used to develop therapeutic strategies and implement social policies to support people with sleep difficulties.Amaç: Bu çalışma Koronavirüs hastalığı-2019 (COVID-19) salgını erken dönemlerinde genel popülasyonda uyku kalitesini etkileyen etmenlerin belirlenmesi amacı ile planlanmıştır. Gereç ve Yöntem: Bu çalışma kesitsel tipte olup “online survey” (çevrimiçi anket) ile ulaşılan 595 kişi ile tamamlanmıştır. Veriler ‘‘sosyodemografik özellikler formu”, “Pittsburgh Uyku Kalitesi indeksi”, “Yaygın Anksiyete Bozukluğu ölçeği-7” ile toplanmıştır. Bulgular: Bu çalışmada bireylerin uyku kalitesi kötü olup, yaygın anksiyete düzeyi arttıkça uyku kalitesi azalmaktadır. Kentsel bölgede yaşayanlarda ve kronik hastalığı olanlarda uyku kalitesi kötü bulunmuştur. Sonuç: Sonuçlar, bu süreçte uyku güçlüğü çeken bireyleri desteklemek için terapötik stratejilerin geliştirilmesi ve sosyal politikaların uygulanması için kullanılabili

Maskotların Şehir Marka İmajına Etkisi: Bursa Örneği

Maskotlar, şehir markaları için hedef kitlenin dikkatini çekebilen ve onların zihinlerinde kolay yer edinebilen tanıtım araçlarıdır. Şehirler ile hedef kitleler arasında duygusal bağ kurmada önemli rol oynayan maskotlar, şehirlerin markalaşma sürecine önemli katkı sunmaktadır. Özellikle şehirlerin ortak değerlerini yansıtan ve şehrin sosyal dokusu ile uyumlu maskotların, şehirleri rakiplerinden farklılaştıracağı ve hedef kitle zihninde daha güçlü bir imajın oluşmasını sağlayacağını söylemek mümkündür. Mevcut araştırma ile timsah maskotunun, Bursa’nın şehir imajına olan etkisinin ölçülmesi amaçlanmaktadır. Araştırma kapsamında timsah maskotu algıları ile Bursa’nın şehir imajı arasında ilişkiyi ortaya koymak amacıyla nicel araştırma yöntemlerinden ilişkisel desen tercih edilmiştir. Söz konusu araştırmada kolayda örnekleme yöntemine göre belirlenmiş Bursa’da yaşayan 309 şehir sakinine anket yapılarak veriler toplanmış ve analiz edilmiştir. Bu kapsamda timsah maskotu ile şehir imajı arasında pozitif yönlü anlamlı bir ilişki olduğu ve timsah maskotunun Bursa şehir imajı üzerinde olumlu bir etkisinin olduğu sonucuna ulaşılmıştır. Çalışmada maskotların ticari markaların imajlarına sağladığı katkılardan farklı olarak şehir marka imajına olan katkısı tespit edilmiştir. Bu yönüyle şehir markası ve marka maskot literatüründeki boşlukların giderilmesi ve bu bağlamda gelecek çalışmalar için yol gösterici olması bakımından önem taşımaktadır