Trajectory Generation for Hip Rehabilitation Exoskeleton Using Trajectory

A walking rehabilitation exoskeleton robot is used for patient having walking difficulty to undergo walking therapy by wearing it on his lower body. If the rehabilitation is done directly by using  predefined normal gait, the patient can feel discomfort and may lead to painful therapy. This can also endangered the patient limb under therapy. Due to that reason, the patient will be discouraged and unmotivated to proceed with the therapy. This paper presents the hip trajectory generation by utilizing the patient current trajectory that morphs into the target trajectory by generating a sequence of gradually changing hip trajectories

Breakdown strength of transformer oil filled with carbon nanotubes under various gap distances

No Abstract. Keywords: transformer; mineral oil; CNT; breakdown voltage; Weibull

Mangosteen peel can reduce methane production and rumen biohydrogenation in vitro

Mangosteen peel (MP), an agricultural by-product of tropical countries, has been reported to contain condensed tannins and saponins, which can affect rumen microbes to reduce enteric methane emission. In the present study, the effects of mangosteen peel on in vitro ruminal fermentation, gas production, methane production, fatty acid biohydrogenation, and microbial population were investigated. Results showed that MP at medium and high levels (25 % and 50 % replacing alfalfa) were able to reduce (P <0.05) in vitro methane production without affecting volatile fatty acid (VFA) production and the pH of the substrate. The lowering effect of MP on methane production was because of suppression of the rumen microbial populations, especially total protozoa and total methanogens. MP at the higher level (50%) reduced (P <0.05) the amounts of biohydrogenation for linoleic acid (C18:2n-6), α-linolenic acid (C18:3n-3) and the total C18 unsaturated fatty acids (UFA) owing to the reduction of the Butyrivibrio fibrisolvens population, that is, the most important rumen microorganism involved in the biohydrogenation process. In conclusion, mangosteen peel has potential to be used in ruminant livestock feeds, with the advantage of reducing ruminal methane production and biohydrogenation, without adverse effects on ruminal pH and VFA production.Keywords: agricultural by-product, saponins, condensed tannins, gas production, volatile fatty acid, microbial quantificatio

An Approach to Data Utilization of The Lokomat Rehabilitation Robot

The use of exoskeleton robot wornon human body has been widely researchedand some have been commercialized. Lowerlimb exoskeleton robot worn in parallel onhuman lower body has found many applicationsespecially in the rehabilitation of human walkinggait. It is used as a robotic therapy in assistingpatient with walking difficulties to recover backhis walking ability. Using Lokomat rehabilitationrobot for therapy is not meant to guide the patientto walk only; but this robotic therapy systemhas the ability to record information signalsduring each therapy session. It is found out thatless research and attention has been given onthe methods that can utilize the recorded datawhich could be very useful and very informativefor physiotherapy study. Thus, the objective ofthis paper is to highlight the method to utilizethe recorded data from Lokomat physiotherapysession

Long term effect of cryopreservation on primary human skin cells

Cryopreservation is essential for tissue engineering and regenerative medicine. This study was carried out to assess the effect of cryopreservation on skin cells and evaluate the performance of cells after 12 months of cryopreservation. Redundant skin tissue samples were obtained from surgery with consent from patients. The tissue was cleaned, processed and cultured until passage 3. Upon confluency, cells were trypsinised and total cell yield and viability were determined before and after being cryopreserved. Sterility and immunocytochemistry analysis for collagen type I (Col-1) and cytokeratin 14 (CK14) antibodies were also performed on cells cryopreserved for one, three, six and twelve months. There is no significant difference in growth rates for cryopreserved cells for 1 to 12 months, except for fibroblasts at 6 months. Cell viability for both keratinocytes and fibroblasts decreased with time (65%± 3.5% - 89%± 4.5%). Sterility testing showed no contamination after 12 months of cryopreservation. Immunocytochemistry analysis showed positive expression for CK14 (keratinocytes) and Col -1 (fibroblasts) after 12 months of cryopreservation. Morphologically, keratinocytes and fibroblasts were able to retain its phenotype. The loss in viability is consistent in all samples and possibly due to thermal-cycling effect. Immunocytochemistry and consistent cell growth analysis showed that keratinocytes and fibroblasts were able to retain their characteristics in cryopreservation condition. These preliminary findings show that primary skin cells can be stored via cryopreservation and still retain their characteristics. However, further investigations using longer periods of cryopreservation (24 months, 48 months) should be conducted

Granite Exploration by using Electrical Resistivity Imaging (ERI): A Case Study in Johor

Electrical Resistivity Imaging (ERI) is a tool used in near surface geophysical surveys by flowing an electric current through electrodes that were injected into the ground. The usage of electrical resistivity imaging (ERI) method dominated by geophysicist has increased tremendously in geotechnical engineering application owing to the efficiency and effectiveness of the method in term of time, cost and also data coverage. The survey performed with respect to the particular reference to ERI in determining the granite rock underneath the ground. There were seven (7) lines of ERI performed at the study area by using ABEM Terrameter LS 2 set of equipment based on Schlumberger protocol. Six (6) boreholes were also drilled to obtain engineering properties of rock at the study area. In order to develop the relationship between resistivity and engineering properties, a comparison between borehole field test result and the resistivity value were made. Results from the ERT indicated the presence of zones with high resistivity values identified as overburden soil, fractured granite and solid granite. The findings of this study also showed that the electrical resistivity imaging coupled with borehole drillings were applicable tools for the determination of the granite rock underneath the ground via subsurface profiles and such as depth of overburden soil and engineering properties of soil

Exploration of Method for Slope Stabilization Influenced by Unsaturated Soil

This study will lead to the analysis of unsaturated soil using Bishop’s Simplified method which is one method to analyze slope stability in method of slices. Bishop’s original formula of saturated soil was modified by adding the element of matric suction, ( ) a w together with unsaturated friction angle,b which is applicable for the analysis of unsaturated soil. In this study, 40 kPa of matric suctions was applied in the analysis for both Bishop and Fellenius methods. From the analysis, the results indicate that the factor of safety (FOS) value of Bishop’s Simplified method was 4.41 % higher than Fellenius’s method for 40 kPa suction, as the soil is in unsaturated condition. The reason for the relative accuracy of Bishop’s Simplified method is that in considering only the vertical equilibrium of any slice, there is no need to account for the horizontal components of the inter-slice forces

Slope stability analysis using modified Fellenius’s and Bishop’s method

Analysis of slope stability is very important as many structures in hilly areas failed due to instability of slope. The aim of this study is to determine the factor of safety (FOS) of slopes located at Pahang Matriculation College by using limit equilibrium method. Two methods known as modified Fellenius’s method and modified Bishop’s method are used in this study. Laboratory testing involving index and engineering properties are conducted to determine the properties of soil within the study area. The soil at Pahang Matriculation College can be classified as sandy SILT with high plasticity. From the analysis, the FOS values for two slopes in saturated soil conditions (0 kPa suction) are between 1.262-2.885 when using Bishop’s method which are higher compare to 1.199-2.688 when using Fellenius’s method. The percentage differences of FOS between these two methods are between 5.25% to 7.33%. For slopes in unsaturated conditions (20 kPa suctions), the FOS are between 1.550-3.702 when using modified Bishop’s method which always higher compare to 1.492-3.507 when using modified Fellenius’s method. The percentage differences of FOS are between 3.89% to 5.56%. The relative accuracy of Bishop’s method is due to it consider only the vertical equilibrium of each slices and there is no need to consider the horizontal components of the interslice forces without introducing serious error in the FOS value

Numerical investigation of flow boiling in double-layer microchannel heat sink

Double-layer microchannel heat sinks (DL-MCHS) are considered as an effective solution of temperature non-uniformity on the surface of microelectronic devices. However, only single-phase flow is analyzed so far in DL-MCHS. In this paper, numerical investigation has been carried out to observe the flow boiling phenomena in DL-MCHS. FLUENT ver. 14.5 has been used to simulate the multiphase flow in this particular heat sink. A mathematical model of the system has been provided. From the results, it is observed that two-phase heat transfer coefficient increases with increasing heat flux and decreases after achieving critical heat flux (CHF). For the considered channel, CHF is found to be550×〖10〗^4 Wm^(-2).Highest heat transfer rate during boiling is 6.4 W