Optical Proximity Sensing for Pose Estimation During In-Hand Manipulation

During in-hand manipulation, robots must be able to continuously estimate the pose of the object in order to generate appropriate control actions. The performance of algorithms for pose estimation hinges on the robot's sensors being able to detect discriminative geometric object features, but previous sensing modalities are unable to make such measurements robustly. The robot's fingers can occlude the view of environment- or robot-mounted image sensors, and tactile sensors can only measure at the local areas of contact. Motivated by fingertip-embedded proximity sensors' robustness to occlusion and ability to measure beyond the local areas of contact, we present the first evaluation of proximity sensor based pose estimation for in-hand manipulation. We develop a novel two-fingered hand with fingertip-embedded optical time-of-flight proximity sensors as a testbed for pose estimation during planar in-hand manipulation. Here, the in-hand manipulation task consists of the robot moving a cylindrical object from one end of its workspace to the other. We demonstrate, with statistical significance, that proximity-sensor based pose estimation via particle filtering during in-hand manipulation: a) exhibits 50% lower average pose error than a tactile-sensor based baseline; b) empowers a model predictive controller to achieve 30% lower final positioning error compared to when using tactile-sensor based pose estimates.Comment: 8 pages, 6 figure

Global, regional, and national age-sex-specific mortality for 282 causes of death in 195 countries and territories, 1980-2017: a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2017.

BACKGROUND: Global development goals increasingly rely on country-specific estimates for benchmarking a nation's progress. To meet this need, the Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries, and Risk Factors Study (GBD) 2016 estimated global, regional, national, and, for selected locations, subnational cause-specific mortality beginning in the year 1980. Here we report an update to that study, making use of newly available data and improved methods. GBD 2017 provides a comprehensive assessment of cause-specific mortality for 282 causes in 195 countries and territories from 1980 to 2017. METHODS: The causes of death database is composed of vital registration (VR), verbal autopsy (VA), registry, survey, police, and surveillance data. GBD 2017 added ten VA studies, 127 country-years of VR data, 502 cancer-registry country-years, and an additional surveillance country-year. Expansions of the GBD cause of death hierarchy resulted in 18 additional causes estimated for GBD 2017. Newly available data led to subnational estimates for five additional countries-Ethiopia, Iran, New Zealand, Norway, and Russia. Deaths assigned International Classification of Diseases (ICD) codes for non-specific, implausible, or intermediate causes of death were reassigned to underlying causes by redistribution algorithms that were incorporated into uncertainty estimation. We used statistical modelling tools developed for GBD, including the Cause of Death Ensemble model (CODEm), to generate cause fractions and cause-specific death rates for each location, year, age, and sex. Instead of using UN estimates as in previous versions, GBD 2017 independently estimated population size and fertility rate for all locations. Years of life lost (YLLs) were then calculated as the sum of each death multiplied by the standard life expectancy at each age. All rates reported here are age-standardised

Comparing Model Based and Model Free techniques for Underactuated In-hand Manipulation

Thesis (Master's)--University of Washington, 2021Compared to their fully actuated counterparts underactuated hands are cheap, lighter and provide stable grasp across variety of objects without feedback. However, underactuated hands are less dexterous for in-hand manipulation task due to the limited range of motion in their configuration space. Brake Assisted Tendon Actuator (BATA) is a novel mechanism to enhance dexterity in underactuated hand. This work aims to implement a controller framework for BATA and asses it’s in hand manipulation capabilties. Control is challenging due to contacts, under-actuation and model uncertainty. We develop a simulation environment in MuJoCo and formulate the underlying discrete Markov Decision Process. Model based and model free reinforcement learning methods are implemented to learn a policy for a specific type of in-hand manipulation task: rolling. Simulation results with objects of varying mass and radius suggest Model Predictive Path Integral (MPPI) is more generalizable compared to model free, Proximal Policy Optimization (PPO)

IgG4‐related sclerosing cholangitis, a mimicker of the cholangiocarcinoma: A case report

Abstract An 83‐year‐old‐male patient presented with obstructive jaundice, whose imagings were consistent with the cholangiocarcinoma of the distal common bile duct. The tumor markers were within normal limits. IgG4 level was raised; therefore, IgG4‐sclerosing cholangitis was made as the provisional diagnosis. Steroid therapy was started to which he responded well

Impact of Pre-Existing Right Bundle Branch Block on In-Hospital Outcomes Following Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement: Insight from National Inpatient Sample Database, 2016-2019.

Right bundle branch block (RBBB) is a common finding in older adults and may have higher complications following the transcutaneous aortic valve replacement (TAVR) procedure. The National Inpatient Sample (NIS) was queried for all hospitalizations undergoing percutaneous TAVR from 2016 to 2019. Cohorts with RBBB were compared to hospitalized patients without RBBB. Weighted multivariable logistic regression was used to assess the association between RBBB and in-hospital outcomes. Out of 203,900 procedures performed, 5.05% had RBBB, and 94.95% didn\u27t have RBBB. The primary outcome of in-hospital mortality was not statistically different between patients with and without RBBB (0.92% vs 1.41%, OR: 0.65, 95% CI: 0.41-1.03, P = 0.07), a finding that did not change when adjusted for comorbidities in multivariate analysis (adjusted OR: 0.65, 95% CI: 0.41-1.05, P = 0.08). In the RBBB group, total complication rates were higher (adjusted OR: 3.67, 95% CI: 3.32-4.06, P\u3c0.001), driven primarily by pacemaker implantation (adjusted OR: 4.18, 95% CI: 3.77-4.63, P\u3c0.001). We also found higher cardiac arrest (adjusted OR: 2.46, 95% CI: 1.08-23.99, P = 0.001) and post-procedural heart failure (adjusted OR: 2.75, 95% CI: 1.07-7.08, P = 0.036). Hence patient with a history of RBBB who undergo TAVR have an increased need for permanent pacemaker implantation compared to those without a right bundle branch block. Whether extended monitoring post TAVR would reduce complications is a matter of further study

Impact of Pre-Existing Right Bundle Branch Block on In-Hospital Outcomes Following Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement: Insight from National Inpatient Sample Database, 2016-2019.

Right bundle branch block (RBBB) is a common finding in older adults and may have higher complications following the transcutaneous aortic valve replacement (TAVR) procedure. The National Inpatient Sample (NIS) was queried for all hospitalizations undergoing percutaneous TAVR from 2016 to 2019. Cohorts with RBBB were compared to hospitalized patients without RBBB. Weighted multivariable logistic regression was used to assess the association between RBBB and in-hospital outcomes. Out of 203,900 procedures performed, 5.05% had RBBB, and 94.95% didn\u27t have RBBB. The primary outcome of in-hospital mortality was not statistically different between patients with and without RBBB (0.92% vs 1.41%, OR: 0.65, 95% CI: 0.41-1.03, P = 0.07), a finding that did not change when adjusted for comorbidities in multivariate analysis (adjusted OR: 0.65, 95% CI: 0.41-1.05, P = 0.08). In the RBBB group, total complication rates were higher (adjusted OR: 3.67, 95% CI: 3.32-4.06,

Global, regional, national, and selected subnational levels of stillbirths, neonatal, infant, and under-5 mortality, 1980-2015: a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2015.

BACKGROUND: Established in 2000, Millennium Development Goal 4 (MDG4) catalysed extraordinary political, financial, and social commitments to reduce under-5 mortality by two-thirds between 1990 and 2015. At the country level, the pace of progress in improving child survival has varied markedly, highlighting a crucial need to further examine potential drivers of accelerated or slowed decreases in child mortality. The Global Burden of Disease 2015 Study (GBD 2015) provides an analytical framework to comprehensively assess these trends for under-5 mortality, age-specific and cause-specific mortality among children under 5 years, and stillbirths by geography over time. METHODS: Drawing from analytical approaches developed and refined in previous iterations of the GBD study, we generated updated estimates of child mortality by age group (neonatal, post-neonatal, ages 1-4 years, and under 5) for 195 countries and territories and selected subnational geographies, from 1980-2015. We also estimated numbers and rates of stillbirths for these geographies and years. Gaussian process regression with data source adjustments for sampling and non-sampling bias was applied to synthesise input data for under-5 mortality for each geography. Age-specific mortality estimates were generated through a two-stage age-sex splitting process, and stillbirth estimates were produced with a mixed-effects model, which accounted for variable stillbirth definitions and data source-specific biases. For GBD 2015, we did a series of novel analyses to systematically quantify the drivers of trends in child mortality across geographies. First, we assessed observed and expected levels and annualised rates of decrease for under-5 mortality and stillbirths as they related to the Soci-demographic Index (SDI). Second, we examined the ratio of recorded and expected levels of child mortality, on the basis of SDI, across geographies, as well as differences in recorded and expected annualised rates of change for under-5 mortality. Third, we analysed levels and cause compositions of under-5 mortality, across time and geographies, as they related to rising SDI. Finally, we decomposed the changes in under-5 mortality to changes in SDI at the global level, as well as changes in leading causes of under-5 deaths for countries and territories. We documented each step of the GBD 2015 child mortality estimation process, as well as data sources, in accordance with the Guidelines for Accurate and Transparent Health Estimates Reporting (GATHER). FINDINGS: Globally, 5·8 million (95% uncertainty interval [UI] 5·7-6·0) children younger than 5 years died in 2015, representing a 52·0% (95% UI 50·7-53·3) decrease in the number of under-5 deaths since 1990. Neonatal deaths and stillbirths fell at a slower pace since 1990, decreasing by 42·4% (41·3-43·6) to 2·6 million (2·6-2·7) neonatal deaths and 47·0% (35·1-57·0) to 2·1 million (1·8-2·5) stillbirths in 2015. Between 1990 and 2015, global under-5 mortality decreased at an annualised rate of decrease of 3·0% (2·6-3·3), falling short of the 4·4% annualised rate of decrease required to achieve MDG4. During this time, 58 countries met or exceeded the pace of progress required to meet MDG4. Between 2000, the year MDG4 was formally enacted, and 2015, 28 additional countries that did not achieve the 4·4% rate of decrease from 1990 met the MDG4 pace of decrease. However, absolute levels of under-5 mortality remained high in many countries, with 11 countries still recording rates exceeding 100 per 1000 livebirths in 2015. Marked decreases in under-5 deaths due to a number of communicable diseases, including lower respiratory infections, diarrhoeal diseases, measles, and malaria, accounted for much of the progress in lowering overall under-5 mortality in low-income countries. Compared with gains achieved for infectious diseases and nutritional deficiencies, the persisting toll of neonatal conditions and congenital anomalies on child survival became evident, especially in low-income and low-middle-income countries. We found sizeable heterogeneities in comparing observed and expected rates of under-5 mortality, as well as differences in observed and expected rates of change for under-5 mortality. At the global level, we recorded a divergence in observed and expected levels of under-5 mortality starting in 2000, with the observed trend falling much faster than what was expected based on SDI through 2015. Between 2000 and 2015, the world recorded 10·3 million fewer under-5 deaths than expected on the basis of improving SDI alone. INTERPRETATION: Gains in child survival have been large, widespread, and in many places in the world, faster than what was anticipated based on improving levels of development. Yet some countries, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa, still had high rates of under-5 mortality in 2015. Unless these countries are able to accelerate reductions in child deaths at an extraordinary pace, their achievement of proposed SDG targets is unlikely. Improving the evidence base on drivers that might hasten the pace of progress for child survival, ranging from cost-effective intervention packages to innovative financing mechanisms, is vital to charting the pathways for ultimately ending preventable child deaths by 2030. FUNDING: Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation