Sponge Rubber Research Articles

A comparative study on the effect of the insole materials with subtalar strapping in patients with medial compartment osteoarthritis of the knee

This study was conducted to assess the symptomatic effects of the insole with an elevation of 12 mm composed of urethane (urethane insole) or of sponge rubber (rubber insole) with subtalar strapping in patients with medial compartment osteoarthritis of the knee (knee OA). The setting was an outpatient clinic. Eighty-four patients with knee OA were prospectively randomized, and evaluated and treated with the urethane or rubber insole for 4 weeks. Randomization was performed according to birth date and each participant was categorized into the urethane group or the rubber group. The percentage of remission of Lequesne index of severity for knee OA was compared between urethane and rubber insole groups at the conclusion of the study. Participants were asked to report adverse effects of use of the respective insoles. The percentage of remission was significantly improved in the urethane insole group (n = 42) compared with the rubber insole group (n = 42) (P = 0.001). Adverse effects were more common in the rubber insole group (17 out of 42, 40.5%) than in the urethane insole group (8 out of 42, 19.0%), and this was statistically significant (P = 0.028). The inserted insole in combination with subtalar strapping had a more natural form-fit to the sole than the insole insert alone. In our study of the subtalar strapping insole, an insole composed of urethane, was more comfortable than that of rubber sponge.

Aggressive mixed epithelial-stromal tumour of the kidney treated with chemotherapy and radiotherapy

Mixed epithelial-stromal tumour of the kidney is a distinct category of renal neoplasm, defined by Michal and Syrucek. Increasingly recognised over the past few years, this typically benign bimorphic lesion is characterised morphologically by admixed solid and cystic regions that have variable cellularity and growth patterns. We report an unusual case of mixed epithelial-stromal tumour of the kidney, which recurred soon after definitive surgery in an aggressive manner. Because most cases have been reported as benign localised disease amenable to surgical resection, little information is available on treatment of these tumours with chemotherapy. In this patient, chemotherapy resulted in a symptomatic response. A 53-year-old woman presented in July, 2001, with abdominal discomfort from a very large mass in her right upper quadrant. Abdominal ultrasound showed a large cystic mass abutting the liver and the right kidney. CT showed a well-circumscribed 18 18 26 cm mass with solid and cystic components. The mass arose from the right kidney and displaced the right kidney and inferior vena cava medially. The patient underwent right nephrectomy and tumour excision. At surgery, the tumour had the appearance of a large rubber sponge infiltrating from the kidney into the perirenal adipose tissue; other organs had not been invaded. The tumour ruptured during surgery and was removed in fragments. Postoperative adjuvant treatment was not given. Pathological examination showed an unusual bimorphic tumour consisting of multicystic and solid components (figure 1A). The kidney was partly replaced by circumscribed tumour, which was extensively disrupted and fragmented. The relations with the perinephric fat and renal fascia were lost. Neither the venous nor the urinary collecting systems seemed to be involved by the tumour. Excision margins were clear. The cysts or tubules were simple and were lined by benign cuboidal epithelium (figure 1B). The solid component of the tumour consisted mainly of a spindle-cell proliferation of

Development of a Pneumatic Silicon Outer Fence Mold Actuator

In order to develop a human friendly support machine for elderly people, improvement of the interface between human and mechanical system has been becoming very important. Especially, soft mechanical interfaces are strongly required in motion assist machines for handicapped people or elderly people. Therefore, an actuator that has both active elements and passive elements attracts attention to design the soft mechanical interface. To realize these elements, we propose a new type of pneumatic soft actuator that a sponge rubber is covered with silicon rubber (Silicon Outer Fence Mold Actuator). In this paper, the structure of the actuator is explained. Furthermore, it is clarified that the characteristics of the actuator are influenced by the number of sponge layer and sponge material. Moreover, we clear position control performance of the actuator. That is to say, the effectiveness of the proposed actuator is cleared through some experimental results.

Chemiluminescent flow-through sensor for automated dissolution testing of analgin tablets using manganese dioxide as oxidate

A chemiluminescence (CL) flow-through sensor for the determination of analgin was described. It was based on the direct oxidation of analgin by manganese dioxide to produce a weak CL in the absence of luminescence reagent. The CL intensity in acidic medium was enhanced by the addition of Rhodamine B (RhB). The solid-phase manganese dioxide was immobilized on the sponge rubber inside the CL flow cell by a very simple means. The calibration graph is linear in the range 4×10 −5 to 1×10 −3 g/ml with a detection limit of 2.7×10 −5 g/ml (S/N=3). The sensor was successfully used for automated dissolution testing of analgin tablets and sampling frequency was 120 times/h. The dissolution profiles of analgin tablets from three different plants were obtained, which demonstrate the stability, sensitivity, large dynamic measuring range and robustness of the system.

Development of a Haptic Sensor for Monitoring Skin Conditions

This paper is a study on the development of a haptic sensor system for monitoring skin conditions. The sensor is an assembly of layered media. The base of the sensor is a stainless plate, on which a sponge rubber, a PVDF film with electrode patches, a protective surface layer of acetate film and a gauge are stacked in sequence. The sensor is attached to the forefinger and pressed against the surface of the skin. It is then slid over the skin to collect surface morphological features. Through the fundamental experiment using the artificial objects, two evaluation parameters characterizing skin conditions are determined. One is the variance of the signal processed with a wavelet analysis, which is the index of roughness. The other is a parameter showing the dispersion of power spectrum density in the frequency domain, which is the index of softness. The sensor system is then applied to the clinical test of skin with various conditions. Results show that the sensor output well describes the skin conditions and represents the subjective evaluations of dermatologist.

617 前立腺癌・肥大症判別用触診センサの開発に関する研究

This paper is a study on the optimum design of a palpation sensor for the diagnosis of prostate abnormalities. The palpation sensor is configured as a polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) film placed on a sponge rubber base. Thus, the stiffness of the sponge rubber base of the sensor is of great importance for the best discrimination of normality and abnormality. First, the elastic characteristics of real organ tissues, both normal and abnormal, are investigated. Then, FEM analysis is introduced for the optimal design of sensor and the best fit stiffness of the sponge rubber base is determined.

Computer-Aided Design of a Palpation Sensor for Detecting Prostatic Cancer and Hypertrophy

This paper is a study on the optimum design of a palpation sensor for the diagnosis of prostate abnormalities. The palpation sensor is configured as a polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) film placed on a sponge rubber base. Thus, the stiffness of the sponge rubber base of the sensor is of great importance for the best discrimination of normality and abnormality. First, the elastic characteristics of real organ tissues, both normal and abnormal, are investigated. Then, FEM analysis is introduced for the optimal design of sensor and the best fit stiffness of the sponge rubber base is determined. Also verified by the FEM analysis is the effect on improvement of sensor sensitivity with a convex vulcanized rubber sheet atop of the sensor. Finally, verification test on the sensor performance is performed and good agreement between the analysis and experimental results is confirmed.

Chemiluminescence flow-through sensor for pipemidic acid using solid sodium bismuthate as an oxidant

A novel chemiluminscence (CL) flow-through sensor for pipemidic acid is described. It was based on the sensitizing effect of pipemidic acid on the CL oxidation of sulfite by sodium bismuthate in H 2SO 4 media. The solid-phase sodium bismuthate was mechanicially immobilized on the sponge rubber inside of the CL flow cell as CL oxidant. The calibration graph is linear in the range 0.1–10 μg/ml with a detection limit of 6.2×10 −8 g/ml (3 σ). A complete analysis could be performed in 1 min with a relative standard deviation (R.S.D.) of 2.5% for 2 μg/ml pipemidic acid ( n=8). This method has been successfully applied to determine pipemidic acid in pharmaceutical preparation.

3219 皮膚表面粗さ・硬さ計測用センサシステムの開発

This paper is a study on the development of a haptic sensor system for monitoring skin conditions. The base of the sensor is a copper shell, around which a rubber sponge layer, PVDF film, a protective layer of acetate film and gauze are applied in sequence. The sensor is attached to the tip of an elastic cantilevered beam and pressed against an area of skin. It is then slide over the skin to collect surface morphological features. Through the fundamental experiment using the artificial objects, the surface roughness and softness are evaluated visually by using Symmetrized Dot Pattern. The sensor system is then applied to the clinical test. Results show that the sensor output well describes the skin conditions.

An ultrasonic technique to monitor the blowing process in sponge rubbers

The ultrasonic technique can be used successfully to monitor the blowing process during the curing cycle of sponge rubber. The measurements have been found to be sensitive to the blowing process. Unlike other tests, the simultaneously formed crosslinks have no fundamental effect on the observed measurements. Furthermore, with the outlined test facility, it is possible to monitor the blowing process in real time.

Development of an Active Palpation Sensor for Detecting Prostatic Cancer and Hypertrophy.

This paper is concerned with the development of an active palpation sensor for detecting the prostatic cancer and hypertrophy. The receptor of the sensor is a polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) film placed on the surface of a sponge rubber layer. It is fixed at the end of a slender bar and, being protected by a medical rubber glove, inserted into the examinee's rectum. After positioned face to face to the prostate gland, the sensor probe is driven sinusoidally at about 50 Hz with peak-to-peak amplitude 2 mm. The voltage signal from the PVDF film is integrated over the sampling period and used as the output of sensor for extracting the features of the collected data. The evaluation of stiffness by the sensor on 27 normal and unhealthy prostate glands are compared with the results of diagnosis by the doctor's palpation. It is shown that the output of sensor becomes greater with an increase of the stiffness of the prostate gland, which has good correlation with the doctor's evaluation on the stiffness. Further results on the laboratory test reconfirm that the present sensor well discriminates the stiffness of the prostate glands in vivo and non-invasively.

Optimization of Manufacturing Conditions for Rubber Sponge to reduce Load Deviation

Optimization of Manufacturing Conditions for Rubber Sponge to reduce Load Deviation

Analysis of the production of sponge rubber profiles

Analysis of the production of sponge rubber profiles

Analysis of the production of sponge rubber profiles

EPDM sponge rubber profiles for automotive industry are becoming increasingly complex. As there is still little knowledge and process understanding, extensive investigations have been done at the Institute of Plastics Processing to describe the influence of the rheological material properties, the compound components and the process parameters during the extrusion, blowing and vulcanisation on the profile quality. Thus the manufacturer gains a better process comprehension. In connection with improved test methods, this leads to higher product quality and reduced production costs.

225 前立腺癌および肥大症判別用能動駆動センサの開発研究

This paper is concerned with the development of palpation sensor for detecting the prostatic cancer and hypertrophy. The sensor probe is a layered medium with polyvinylidene flouride (PVDF) films embeded in a matrix sponge rubber and placed on the tip of a driving mechanism. It is pushed onto the flexible object and oscillated at about 50Hz and peak-to-peak amplitude 2mm. The laboratory test shows that the magnitude of sensor output has a good correlation with the spring constant of the sample rubber block. Some clinical data on the stiffness of prostate glands are presented. Further, the effect of the structure of probe on the sensor output is detailed.

Development of a haptic sensor for measuring skin morphological features.

This paper is concerned with the development of a haptic sensor system that monitors the human skin conditions. The base of the sensor is an aluminum shell, around which a sponge rubber layer, a PVDF film, a protective acetate film and a gauze are stacked in sequence. The sensor is attached onto the tip of an elastic cantilevered beam and pressed against the human skin. It is then moved by hand over the skin to collect the surface morphological features through the sensor. The characteristics of data are extracted by calculating the variance and the distribution of power intensity over several segmented frequency ranges. Each set of data obtained is used as a training set of data for a neural network that distinguishes the skin with atopic dermatitis from the normal healthy skins. Experimental results show that 100% of recognition is achieved by using the constructed network system.

Development of Soft Tactile Sensor for Prostatic Palpation Diagnosis: Sensor Structure Design and Analysis

This paper is concerned with the development of a palpation probe for assessment of prostatic cancer and hypertrophy. The sensor is constructed by layering two polivinylidene fluoride (PVDF) films into soft material layers such as vulcanized rubber and sponge rubber sheets. Since the contact condition between the sensor and soft objects influences the sensor output significantly, the improvement of its sensitivity is investigated by design of an attachment covered over the sensor surface. In this report, the theoretical model of the sensor and the design of the attachment are presented and the attachment is validated for soft substances due to experimental investigation. Finally, a compact probe developed for clinical testing is presented and the data obtained from the patients are treated by the wavelet transform for de‐noising. Some representative clinical data show that the sensor could be a useful tool for group medical checkup on prostatic cancer and hypertrophy.

Development of Soft Tribo-Sensor Using PVDF Film for Skin Surface Contour Measurement

This paper is concerned with a basic experimental study on the development of a tactile sensor for skin surface contour measurement. The sensor, imitating the finger, was constructed from an aluminum pipe as the digital phalanx, a sponge rubber sheet as the digital pulp and PVDF film as the sensory receptor. Furthermore, the sensor was covered with cellophane tape or a piece of gauze, which seemed to be an effective substitution for a fingerprint. The sensor is supposed to be moved directly along the skin surface and the skin texture would be estimated by measuring the output of the sensor. Since the signals from sensor are complex, three data processing methods, so-called Ten-point Average, Symmetrized Dot Pattern and Wavelet Transform, were introduced to evaluate the surface roughness both qualitatively and quantitatively. The experimental results obtained on some different types of paper and some parts of skin are presented. Furthermore, an efficient visual display technique and a quantitative evaluation method were proposed for the determination of skin roughness. The proposed tactile sensor shows great potential for skin surface contour measurement.

New Additives for Minimizing Cement Body Permeability

An experimental investigation was carried out with a new array of cement additives, replacing some of the currently used ones. In this study, the cement slurry pressure was monitored during the setting of the cement. Two time-cycles of cement expan sion and contraction were observed. This is due to the individual contribution of each component in the cement mixture. To obtain the optimum tightness of the cement, final contraction in the cycle is crucial for blockage of gas migration. Concentrations of the additives were obtained experimentally in this study for which the cyclic pressure behavior of the cement was optimized and the permeability reduced for the best final cement results. The parameters investigated in this study were as follows: pressure applied on the slurry with time, compressive strength, and permeability of the set cement. The major causes of the early microfractures are the incomplete cement-water reaction, low compressive strength of the set cement, and the sudden change in the hydrostatic pressure as the cement changes its phase from a liquid to a solid state. The fluid loss and free water content were measured and controlled for each sample. Three new cement additives were investigated; one was used to eliminate the microannulus with the pipe while the other two were used to eliminate the microfrac tures within the cement body. An appropriate amount of Ironite Sponge concentra tion eliminated the microannulus with the pipe. The optimum amount of synthetic rubber powder needed during the optimum two-cycle expansion-contraction process was also obtained under reservoir conditions. The Anchorage clay concentration in the mixture that migrates for a limited time minimizes the cement body pores. This concentration can also be optimized. This paper reports the appropriate amounts of X-C polymer, Anchorage clay, Ironite Sponge, and synthetic rubber needed to optimize the compressive strength and eliminate both microfracture and microannu lus. There are certain limits to the amount and type of synthetic rubber powder for which microfractures are eliminated. The article reports an experimental approach that can be used to eliminate gas migration through a cement design that is environmentally safe and inexpensive, using recyclable materials.

Development of a Palpation Sensor for Detecting Prostatic Cancer and Hypertrophy. Signal Processing on Clinical Data.

This paper is concerned with the development of a palpation sensor for possible detection of prostatic cancer and hypertrophy. The sensor is a layered medium with two polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) films embedded in the matrix sponge rubber. This sensor fixed with a finger is pressed against the prostates and the output voltage signals from the polymer films are measured. The temporal mean values, I1 and I2, on the absolute signals from polymer films are calculated and their ratio I1/I2 is used as the sensor output. First, the experimental method for the clinical test is proposed. The prostate glands diagnosed by a doctor's fore finger are classified into four groups according to their stiffness and the data processing for assorting the glands into the groupes are presented. The effect of the convexes placed on the surface of sensor is examined by conparing the clinical data with that of the sensor without the convexes.