Shape Of Pads Research Articles

A new scoliosis brace padding method based on trunk asymmetry for scoliosis treatment.

Pressure pads are used with scoliosis braces to adjust the magnitude and location of corrective forces that mechanically support the torso to correct the spine deformity. In the conventional brace (C.B.) design approaches, the location and shape of pads are determined based on the visual assessment of the clinician. The accuracy of this approach could be improved because it is limited to the clinician's expertise. The present study aimed to develop a new brace (N.B.) padding method based on trunk asymmetry for adolescents with idiopathic scoliosis and compare the efficacy of the developed method with C.B. in improving the Cobb angle and body posture symmetricity. The trunk surface geometry was scanned using a 3-dimensional scanner. The best plane of symmetry was determined, and the original trunk was reflected in the plane of symmetry, creating the reflected trunk. The difference between the reflected and original trunks was computed and color-coded using deviation contour maps. The boundary of deformed regions, with a minimum of 6-mm deviation contour maps, was identified as the trim lines for brace pads. Eight participants were recruited and divided into conventional and new padding groups. The variation of Cobb angle and torso asymmetry parameters, including the trunk rotation and back surface rotation, as well as the brace satisfaction and trunk appearance perception of the 2 groups, were compared after 3 months of treatment. Cobb angle improved equally in the N.B. and C.B. groups. However, back surface rotation improved in the N.B. group (+49.6%) and worsened in the C.B. group (-6.8%). The mean trunk rotation was improved by 30% in the N.B. and further exacerbated by -2.2% in the C.B. group. The brace satisfaction and trunk appearance perception scores were higher in the N.B. than in the C.B. group, however not statistically significant. The present study showed that the proposed brace padding system improved the trunk appearance without negatively affecting the Cobb angle correction.

A Soft Robotic Gripper With Neutrally Buoyant Jamming Pads for Gentle Yet Secure Grasping of Underwater Objects

Delicate grasping of complex diverse objects is a challenging task for underwater vehicles, such as remotely operated vehicles (ROVs). In this article, a novel controllably compliant soft robotic underwater gripper is presented, which uses two neutrally buoyant particle jamming pads to safely and securely grasp arbitrarily shaped objects, including fragile and/or massive targets. Antagonistic low-friction rolling diaphragm hydraulic cylinders are used to control the compliance of the jaw closure to passively limit the total force applied during the approach. The antagonistic hydraulic cylinders also compensate for the volume reduction of the pads during the jamming process while still enabling rigid grasp during manipulation. Soft finger-like fiber-reinforced actuators are used to maintain the shape of pads without introducing rigid elements. Force limitation is demonstrated by the ability to pick up fragile objects without breakage and to surround soft targets without excessive deformation of the object. We present the overall design, experimental setup, and in-water testing using a compact ROV-based hydraulic drive system. The resulting system has demonstrated capability for grasping a diverse range of objects that vary widely in terms of weight, size, and geometry, largely enabled by the hybrid design of soft grippers guiding jamming pads into optimal configurations.

Morphological study of nymphal stages in Tenodera fasciata (Olivier, 1792) (Mantodea: Mantidae).

To date, no accurate identification method has been established for distinguishing mantis species of the genus Tenodera at all instar nymphal stages. In this paper, all instar nymphal stages of Tenodera fasciata (Olivier, 1792) are described in detail. This is the first step toward establishing an identification method for distinguishing the species from other members of the genus, particularly, T. angustipennis Saussure, 1869, which is sympatric with T. fasciata in Japan. Morphological differences between instars in nymphal stages, and between male and female in nymphal stages, were found. However, there was no difference between male and female 1st instars. Sex in nymphal stages are identified by the presence or absence of a crack at the posterior margin of the abdominal sternite IX between immature gonoplacs, the shape of the posterior margin of the sternites VII and IX, the occurrence of gonapophyses on the sternite VIII, and so on. Instars in nymphal stages are identified by body length, the length of discoidal spines of the profemur, the shape and size of the wing pads, the shape of abdominal sternite VII to IX, and so on.

Analysis on the Shape and Size of Sanitary Pads and User Experience Evaluation

Analysis on the Shape and Size of Sanitary Pads and User Experience Evaluation

Magnetizable Concrete Flux Concentrators for Wireless Inductive Power Transfer Applications

Wireless inductive power transfer (IPT) systems incorporate magnetic flux concentrators in order to improve some features, as coupling and efficiency, and also to reduce electromagnetic emissions. Usually, flux concentrators consist of ferrite cores, which are arranged according to the size and shape of inductive power pads and also according to the application. Ferrite is the most common magnetic material due to its optimal balance between performance and cost. Despite the availability of ferrite cores with a wide set of shapes and sizes, in some applications, the optimal matching between inductive power paths and flux concentrators becomes problematic. In this article, magnetic cement concrete is evaluated as a size-adaptable material for the arrangement of flux concentrators of IPT systems. Both cement powder and concrete are magnetically characterized at different temperatures, field levels, and frequencies, and measurements show that the achieved levels of permeability, Curie’s temperature, and losses make this material attractive for potential flux concentrator uses. A potential IPT application is evaluated by means of a finite-element study and the results are applied to a prototype design. Feasibility of the use of the magnetic cement is tested by means of different power pads according to different flux concentrator arrangements.

Taxonomy of Litoria graminea (Anura: Hylidae), with descriptions oftwo closely related new species.

I clarify the correct provenance and taxonomic identity of the poorly known canopy-dwelling frog, Litoria graminea, from New Guinea. I base my redescription upon analysis of relevant historical material as well as upon more recently obtained specimens from several localities in Papua New Guinea. Determining the correct identity of L. graminea makes clear that one recently named species (L. dux Richards Oliver) is a junior synonym of that taxon and that additional close relatives of that species remain undescribed, two of which I describe here. The first is known from a series of localities along the southern versant of the Central Dividing Range and the Owen Stanley Mountains. The second is known from a single site in the foothills of the Owen Stanley Mountains in Central Province, Papua New Guinea. Differences among the species are largely confined to pigmentation features and the shape of the male nuptial pads. Further, I show that several morphometric and color-pattern features earlier thought to distinguish among members of this complex are encompassed by natural variation within true L. graminea, making the characters taxonomically uninformative. The two newly described species share the unusual feature of having green oral mucosa, although their bones were white in life. This coloration is presumably due to sequestration of biliverdin, as seen in a few other tropical treefrogs, but the function of this sequestration remains unknown.

Design Studies for a TPC Readout Plane Using Zigzag Patterns With Multistage GEM Detectors

A new Time Projection Chamber (TPC) is currently under development for the sPHENIX experiment at RHIC. The TPC will be read out using multistage GEM detectors on each end and will be divided into approximately 40 pad layers in radius. Each pad layer is required to provide a spatial resolution of ~250 microns, which must be achieved with a minimal channel count in order to minimize the overall cost of the detector. The current proposal is to make the pads into a zigzag shape in order to enhance charge sharing among neighboring pads. This will allow for the possibility to interpolate the hit position to high precision, resulting in a position resolution many times better than the 2mm pitch of the readout pads. This paper discusses various simulation studies that were carried out to optimize the size and shape of the zigzag pads for the readout board for the TPC, along with the technical challenges in fabricating it. It also describes the performance of the first prototype readout board obtained from measurements carried out in the laboratory using a highly collimated X-ray source.

Design of interfaces with lithographically patterned adhesive pads for gluing at the microscale

The creation of small adhesive pads by traditional dispensing methods is technically limited. However, the miniaturisation of micromechanical components requires the parallel development of adhesive pads with sizes in the sub-50 µm range combining good geometrical confinement and mechanical strength. Therefore, a new design of interfaces with adhesive pads of 32–8 µm are presented through local deposition of a liquid adhesive by means of “top-down” or “bottom-up” patterning. Using lithography and photochemical process, the shape of the adhesive pads is first stabilized by partial cross-linking and effective adhesive bonding with a counterface subsequently takes place during full cross-linking. The parameters for photochemical cross-linking of the adhesive pads are optimised and the mechanical performance of the patterned adhesive interfaces is evaluated. For “top-down” patterned adhesive interfaces, the geometrical stabilisation of the adhesive pads requires relatively long cross-linking times consequently resulting in low mechanical strength. For “bottom-up” patterned adhesive interfaces, the formation of adhesive pads is controlled by self-organisation of the adhesive over chemically structured substrates and requires short cross-linking times for geometrical stabilization, leading to higher mechanical strength during adhesive bonding. The fabrication of adhesive pads by a “bottom-up” approach is further discussed in relation to the influences of processing parameters on dewetting of the adhesive.

Numerical study on axial vibration of water-lubricated small thrust bearing considering grooved pad

This paper presents the effect of pad with transverse grooves on the axial vibration for a small thrust bearing under water lubricated. Due to downsizing of electronic devices, the component part such as the thrust bearing in the micro fabrication becomes small size. Therefore, to study the characteristic of vibration for a small thrust bearing under water lubricated is significant for high precision machining. The hydrodynamic lubrication model was used to predict the water film thickness, the water pressure profile, and the bearing stiffness. A finite difference method (FDM) and a Newton-Raphson scheme are employed to achieve numerical results, i.e. the water pressure distributions, the water lubricating film thicknesses and the bearing stiffness under the variation of groove depths. The grooved shape of pads, that examined in this paper, was elliptical shape. The equation of motion under the impulse excitation considering in the axial vibration for a small thrust bearing was solved by using a Runge-Kutta method. The numerical results showed that the use of elliptical transverse grooves is effective to increases the fluid film stiffness and the maximum displacement in the axial vibration is able to be reduced.

A Geometric Design Study of High-Temperature Position Sensors

In this paper, we propose the position sensor designs for high-temperature applications. Oxidation and the chemical reaction of resistive elements, together with the mechanical degradation of component materials at high temperatures, limit the high-temperature applications of conventional position sensors. In order to overcome these drawbacks of conventional position sensors, we designed position sensors consisting of a resistive element, a passivation layer, contact pads, and a conductive brush. The oxidation and chemical reactions of the resistive elements at high temperatures can be prevented by using a passivation layer that has excellent chemical resistance and hardness. Inorganic materials and noble metals that can withstand high temperatures have been used for the resistive elements, the substrate, the electrodes, and the brush. The output signal characteristics of the proposed position sensors are determined mainly by the geometries of the contact pads and the brush. To investigate these geometric effects, three types of position sensors having individual shape of contact pads were fabricated with MEMS technologies and a preliminary performance evaluation at room temperature was carried out. From the preliminary test results, we concluded that S-types were appropriate for high-temperature applications and carried out the performance tests at high temperatures with the S-type position sensor.

Oral Findings in Brazilian Infants Born at Full Term

Objective: To evaluate the oral findings of Brazilian infants born at full term as well as to identify the presence of abnormalities at birth. Material and Methods: Cross-sectional study comprising 190 infants aged up to 2 days old. Data were obtained by applying a structured questionnaire to the mothers as well as by collecting information from the infants’ medical records. Clinical examination was conducted to evaluate the infants’ oral features and it included the relationship of alveolar ridges and shape of the gum pads and the insertion of the lingual and labial frenula. The presence of oral developmental abnormalities was also evaluated. Chi-square and Mann-Whitney U tests were used to analyze the infants’ abnormalities and gender (α = 0.05). Results: Most infants presented round upper gum pads (71.6%) and U-shaped lower one (52.6%). The mean discrepancy between the alveolar ridges was 3.33mm. Interference with tongue movement was found in 12.6% of the newborns. There was 50.0% prevalence of oral cysts. Among them, Epstein pearl was found in 27.4% of the cases, Bohn nodules in 26.3%, and dental lamina cysts in 11.1%. There was no significant difference between the occurrence of abnormalities and the infants’ gender. The normal features of the oral cavity meet the literature data. The herein found congenital developmental abnormalities were oral cysts and ankyloglossia. Conclusion: Different classification forms made it difficult to compare the current study data with those from other studies. Therefore, it suggests the need for standardization in order to evaluate these abnormalities.

Microcapacitors with controlled electrical capacity in the pF–nF range printed by laser-induced forward transfer (LIFT)

Micrometric-sized pixels of hybrid organic–inorganic thin films (Ag/parylene-C) have been printed by laser-induced forward transfer (LIFT) on flexible, cost-efficient substrates. Micrometric capacitors have been fabricated by laser printing such pixels together with silver nanoparticles (AgNP) paste. The AgNP paste has been deposited in the shape of square pads, acting as bottom electrode. This combination is suitable to be used in microelectronic circuits, as the electrical components exhibit controllable capacity in the pF–nF range. Electrical characterizations of the printed pixels demonstrate that the capacitors are fully operative and stable over time.

3B33 A viscoelastic adaptive tuned vibration absorber(The 12th International Conference on Motion and Vibration Control)

The tuned vibration absorber is a well-established vibration control device, which can be used to suppress a troublesome resonance or to attenuate the vibration of a structure at a particular forcing frequency. Two of the drawbacks of such a device, however, are that it can detune during operation because of changes in forcing frequency, or that there may be differences between the designed and in situ behavior. A variable stiffness element in the tuned vibration absorber can be used to maintain a tuned condition so that the natural frequency of the absorber can be adjusted with time. The mechanical properties of viscoelastic material, Young's modulus and loss factor in particular, change with temperature. Viscoelastic materials are then suitable candidates for the realization of adaptive tuned vibration absorbers, although their loss factor may be high. Viscoelastic materials have also the advantage to be cheap and common, and their manufacturing processes are well established. This paper presents an investigation on the use of viscoelastic materials as variable stiffiiess elements of tuned vibration absorbers. Both numerical and experimental investigations have been carried out. In particular, three different absorbers have been built with three different materials. The materials have been chosen so to show, at ambient temperature, glassy, transient and rubbery behavior respectively. The absorbers have been built in the shape of beams and heating pads have been attached to one side of the beam in order to control temperature. The best performing absorber showed a 27% change in the tuned frequency.

Shape Optimization of 3D Mechanical Systems Using Metamodels

In this work resource saving technique is used for shape optimization of 3D mechanical objects. According to statistical data, appearance of cracks in the areas of barrel support pads of tank wagons often causes damages to the barrels. The shape optimization of barrel support pads of a tank wagon is implemented and, as result, the concentration of stresses is significantly reduced in the barrel support areas. The optimization technique is based on CAD/CAE, design of experiment, approximation and optimization software packages. The shape of the support pads is defined by NURBS polygon points that serve as design parameters. For reduction of computational resources, FE models of tank wagon are replaced with high-quality metamodels which are based on locally weighted polynomials. The specific recommendations for the shape of the pads are given. As the second object truly spatial tetrapod is considered. The optimal curved shape of the tetrapod for lattice structure is elaborated.

Two-dimensional position sensitive transition radiation detector

A new transition radiation detector (TRD) prototype foreseen to fulfill the requirements of the TRD subdetector of the CBM experiment at FAIR has been designed, constructed and tested with electrons and pions of a few GeV/c. The detector prototype was build with the original TRD architecture which preserves the high conversion efficiency of transition radiation in a single TRD layer. This TRD architecture is based on two multiwire proportional chambers readout by a common double-sided pad read-out electrode. The triangular shape of the readout pads gives access to the position information in both coordinates which defines the readout electrode plane. Pion efficiency as a function of number of TRD layers and position resolution were studied using electron and pion beams delivered by PS at CERN. Dedicated front-end electronics, designed for high counting rate environment was used. An extrapolated pion efficiency of 0.5% for a six layer TRD configuration at 90% electron efficiency using a regular foil radiator was obtained. The position resolution across the pads is of the order of 320μm and along the pads of 5.5mm.

底屈制動短下肢装具内の踵パッドが歩行動作に及ぼす影響

本研究では健常者を対象として，底屈制動短下肢装具内の踵部分にゴムパッドを貼付することにより，歩行動作中の時間・空間的パラメータにどのような影響を及ぼしているのか検証することを目的とした．方法は直交表に割り付けた実験水準に基づきパッドを作成し，三次元動作解析装置を用いて，踵パッド付底屈制動短下肢装具装着下で歩行し，立脚初期の実験データを得た．結果として踵パッドは，面荷重によって，床反力進行方向成分に力学的作用を及ぼし，時間空間的パラメータに影響を及ぼしていた．特に荷重応答期における足関節モーメントに寄与し，体重心を前方かつ上方に推進させ歩行を円滑にし，立脚相初期の力学的作用が歩行周期全般に影響を及ぼしていることを示唆した．

Assessment of a portable device for the quantitative measurement of ankle joint stiffness in spastic individuals

ObjectiveSpasticity is a common complication with neurological diseases and CNS lesions. Instrumented systems to evaluate spasticity often cannot provide an immediate result, thus limiting their clinical usefulness. In this study we investigated the accuracy and reliability of the portable Neurokinetics RA1 Ridgidity Analyzer to measure stiffness of the ankle joint in 46 controls, 14 spinal cord injured (SCI) and 23 multiple sclerosis (MS) participants. MethodsAnkle stiffness measures were made twice by two raters, at speeds above and below the expected stretch reflex threshold. Ankle torque was measured with the portable device and a stationary torque motor. Inter- and intra-rater reliability was assessed with the intra-class correlation coefficient (ICC). ResultsStiffness measures with the portable and stationary devices were significantly correlated for controls and MS participants (p<0.01). Intra-rater reliability for the portable device ranged from 0.60–0.89 (SCI) and 0.63–0.67 (control) and inter-rater reliability ranged from 0.70–0.73 (SCI) and 0.61–0.77 (control). Ankle stiffness measures in SCI and MS participants were significantly larger than in controls for both slow (p<0.05) and fast movements (p<0.01), with stiffness being larger for fast compared to slow movements in SCI and MS participants (p<0.05), but not in controls (p=0.5). ConclusionThe portable device correlated well with measures obtained by a torque motor in both controls and MS participants, showed high intra- and inter-rater reliability for the SCI participants, and could easily distinguish between stiff and control ankle joints. However, the device, in its current form, may be less accurate during rapid movements when inertia contributes to stiffness and the shape of the air-filled pads did not provide a good interface with the foot. SignificanceThis study demonstrates that a portable device can potentially be a useful diagnostic tool to obtain reliable information of stiffness for the ankle joint.

Effect of Shape and Size of Polishing Pad on Material Removal Characteristic

The objective of this paper is to investigate the effect of shape and size of polishing pad on the material removal characteristics in the NC polishing. The material removal model was established based on Preston equation. The law of the effect of shape and size of polishing pad on the model was simulated. Experiments were carried out. Results showed that both of the shape and size of polishing pads influence the shape of material removal curves, polishing efficiency, and surface roughness. The amount of removed material increases with the increasing of size of polishing pad.

Bionic Design of the Surface Morphology of Rubber Bush Covered on Driving Drums

Driving drum uses friction force to transfer power in belt conveyor. By means of bionic technology, the surface morphology of driving drum's flexible cladding was researched to increase the frictional traction force in this paper. Taking tree frog and katydid as biological prototypes, the structural features and adhesion mechanisms of their epidermal pad attachment organs were studied. Imitating the shape and structure of the epidermal pads, based on the principle of function bionics, four new surface morphologies of drum’s bush were designed. The behavior of the bionic bush contacting to the belt was simulated with finite element analysis software. The results of contact analysis show that the bionic drum’s bushes can generate embedding and interlocking effect during the contact process. The contact form can be changed from plane or cambered surface contact to meshing contact to enhance the frictional traction of drums. Keywords: Epidermal pad; Surface morphology; Bionic design; Finite element analysis; Friction

Analysis of a MV XLPE cable termination design with embedded electrodes

Insertion of embedded electrodes (EEs) inside a MV XLPE cable termination strongly affects electric field around the termination and accordingly must be carefully considered. In this paper, influence of embedded electrodes on voltage distribution in some constructions of the 20 kV cable terminations was analyzed. Different options were considered for a specific number of the EEs along the cable insulation surface, taking into account possible effects of floating or grounded EEs, their different position and separation. In every option, a basic method of stress relieving with resistive layer over the end of semi conducting screen and primary cable insulation was applied. Reference design was a cable termination without EE. Its voltage distribution, total electric field and tangential component were observed for comparison. The stress relief materials, in the shape of pads or tubes, were used. Their properties were kept the same in all constructions. Voltage distribution was monitored, starting from the end of the primary cable insulation in the vicinity of the phase conductor and ending at the cable insulation attached to the semiconducting screen end at ground potential. The different design options were experimentally verified. .