M. Tech. Electrical Engineering. / Discusses how to develop the kinematic and dynamic model and the controller for the 2-DOf motion platform used in an augmented reality environment for wheelchair driving. This comes as a motivation to help to train disabled and elderly people to drive wheelchairs.. With accurate inverse dynamic model, it is possible to achieve high performance control algorithms of robots and direct dynamic model is required for their simulation. The other part of this research was to model and control the roller for the feedback of the wheelchair wheels.

Structural analysis of surface and subsurface data from the Middle Magdalena Valley basin and Eastern Cordillera fold-thrust belt to construct a kinematic model for its Cenozoic structural and stratigraphic evolution. The La Salina west-vergent thrust system marks the boundary between the Paleogene foreland basin of the Middle Magdalena basin and the Eastern Cordillera fold-thrust belt. New low-temperature thermochonological and sandstone petrographic analyses provide constraints on ages of thrust deformation and sediment dispersal. Apatite fission track (AFT) and U-Th/He thermochronological results show the timing of three structural events along the La Salina fault system: (1) late Eocene-early Oligocene (~43–35 Ma) initial hanging wall exhumation; (2) continued middle Miocene (~15 Ma) exhumation; and (3) continued but more rapid late Miocene (~12–3 Ma) hanging wall exhumation. Vitrinite reflectance results provide estimates of maximum burial depths for the hanging wall of the La Salina fault ranging from 4 to 6 km., this depth of burial estimates constrain the basin geometry during its late Eocene to late Miocene evolution. The eastern hanging wall of the La Salina fault displays a broad anticline-syncline pair affecting Cretaceous to Eocene strata with no significant faulting, whereas the western footwall contains a complex series of tight, thrust-related folds in Eocene-Quaternary strata. For foreland basin province, a proposed triangle zone accommodates a small amount of east-west shortening (< 1000 m) along the frontal thrust system by east-vergent backthrusting within a broader passive-roof duplex. East-west shortening in the Cenozoic stratigraphic section was also accommodated by detachment folding, which produced localized areas of steep dips. In the proposed kinematic restoration, the most recent phase of deformation represents out-of-sequence reactivation of the La Salina fault that is consistent with irregular crosscutting relationships of some footwall structures. Earliest exhumation by ~45–30 Ma in the Eastern Cordillera fold-thrust belt province matches (1) an increased proportion of sedimentary lithic fragments; and (2) a high degree of compositional maturity (Q88F4Lf8). Exhumation since ~15 Ma in the foreland province coincides with (1) the highest accumulation rates observed for the upper Miocene Real Group; and (2) a decrease in compositional maturity (Q55F8Lf36). / text

Baigiamajame magistro darbe nagrinėjamas šešiakojo roboto judėjimas. Pateikiami vienos kojos atvirkštinės kinematikos uždavinio sprendimai Denavito ir Hartenbergo bei geometriniu metodais. Analizuojamas vienos kojos trajektorijos sudarymo metodas ir pateikiams jos aprašymo būdas. Pateikiami galimi trajektorijų pavyzdžiai. Sudaroma trikojės roboto eisenos seka bei diagrama. Darbe pateikiamas roboto valdymo algoritmas ir valdymo programa, atsižvelgiant į apibrėžtus variklių valdymo kriterijus. Eksperimentiškai tiriamas roboto judėjimas lygiu paviršiumi taikant trikoję eiseną. Pagal rezultatus koreguojama eisena. Atliekami trajektorijos pakartojimo tikslumo bandymai. Įvertinus rezultatus pateikiamos baigiamojo darbo išvados ir pasiūlymai. / Hexapod robot locomotion is analyzed in this paper. Inverse kinematics solutions are proposed for one leg using Denavit-Hartenberg and geometric methods. Trajectory forming for one leg is analyzed and solution for delineating trajectory is introduced. Possible leg trajectory examples are presented. Tripod gait sequence and diagram is designed for robot. Work presents robot control algorithm and program according to motor control parameters. Robot locomotion over regular terrain using tripod gait is tested. Gait then is corrected according to test results. Tests are made for trajectory repeating accuracy. Conclusions and solutions are made according to results.

Disregard for patient-specific joint-level variability may be related to decreased functional ability, poor implant longevity and dissatisfaction post-TKA. The purpose of this study was to, 1) compare pre and post-implant intraoperative passive knee adduction angle kinematic patterns and characterize the effect of surgical intervention on each pattern, 2) examine the association between passive pre and post-implant knee kinematics measured intraoperatively and dynamic knee kinematics and kinetics pre and post-TKA measured during gait, and 3) compare dynamic post-TKA kinematic and kinetic patterns between patient-specific knee recipients and traditional TKA recipient. Patients received a TKA using the Stryker Precision Knee navigation system capturing pre/post-implant kinematics through a passive range of flexion. One-week prior and 1-year post-TKA patients underwent three-dimensional gait analysis. Knee joint waveforms were calculated according to the joint coordinate system. Principal component analysis (PCA) was applied to frontal plane gait angles, moments and navigation angles. Paired two- tailed t-tests were used to compare principal component (PC) scores between pre and post-implant patterns, and a one-way ANOVA was used to test if post-implant patterns were significantly different from zero. Two-tailed Pearson correlation coefficients tested for associations between navigation and gait PCscores, and an un-paired two-tailed t-test was used to compare PCscores between patient-specific and traditional TKA groups. Six different passive kinematic phenotypes were captured pre-implant. Although some waveform patterns persisted at small magnitudes post-implant (PC1 and PC3: p<0.001), curves remained within the clinically acceptable alignment range through passive motion. A positive correlation was found between navigation adduction angle PC1 and gait adduction moment PC1 pre and post-TKA (p<0.001, r=0.79; p<0.01 r=0.67), and a negative correlation between navigation adduction angle PC1 and gait adduction angle PC1 post-TKA (p=0.03, r=-0.53). The patient-specific group showed significantly lower PC2 scores than the traditional TKA group (p=0.03), describing a lower flexion moment magnitude during early stance phase, possibly representing a functional limitation or non- confidence during gait. These results were an important first step to assess patient- specific approaches to TKA, suggesting possible applications for patient-specific intraoperative kinematics to aid in surgical decision-making and influence functional outcomes.

Objective: To determine the effects of head position and of different postural control demands on head tremor measures in participants with essential tremor. Methods: Seventeen participants with essential tremor (ET) of the head and 17 control participants took part. Individuals held their heads in varying degrees of rotation, flexion, and extension. Subsequently, individuals sat and stood in different postures, incorporating different foot placements (feet apart and together), surfaces (solid and foam), and vision conditions (eyes open and closed). Neck muscle activity was recorded from three muscles bilaterally (trapezius, sternocleidomastoid, splenius capitis). Three-dimensional head and thorax positions were recorded using an Optotrak system, and head angular velocity with respect to thorax was calculated by differentiating tilt-twist angles. Fourier analysis was used to determine tremor power. Results: ET participants showed sharp peaks at their tremor frequency in spectral plots of kinematic data, whereas CN participants did not. Electromyography data was too noisy for frequency analysis. ET participants displayed increased tremor power in head positions 25° from neutral compared to neutral and positions 50° from neutral. Tremor power increased with increasing difficulty of posture for both participant groups. Removal of vision resulted in decreased tremor power in ET participants; power was significantly decreased in the easier postures, and progressively less so with increasing difficulty of posture. Interestingly, tremor direction was inconsistent in both groups, and two ET participants displayed multiple tremor peaks. Conclusions: The tilt-twist method is a feasible way of measuring head kinematics. Changing stiffness of the neck likely mediates the effect of head position on head tremor power, with the resultant interplay of the central driver and the mechanical resonance driving the amplitude changes. Decreasing stability of posture increases head tremor, likely due to the associated increase in postural sway and stress on the postural control system. Vision appears to exacerbate head tremor through the addition of tremor-related visual noise and an implicit task to stabilize vision; this is possible evidence of a visuomotor deficit. However, stabilizing vision becomes less important with increasing difficulty of posture, resulting in a narrowing gap in tremor power between vision and no vision conditions. / Thesis (Master, Rehabilitation Science) -- Queen's University, 2011-03-31 18:16:59.927

Tyrimo tikslas – nustatyti įvairias golfo mosto kinematines charakteristikas, jų tarpusavio sąsajas ir ryšį su žaidėjų meistriškumu. Tyrimo uždaviniai: 1. Palyginti mažo ir vidutinio meistriškumo golfo žaidėjų mosto kinematines charakteristikas smūgiuojant dviem skirtingomis lazdomis. 2. Nustatyti tirtų kinematinių rodiklių tarpusavio sąsajas ir ryšį su golfo žaidėjų meistriškumu. Rezultatai Mažo meistriškumo (MM) grupės medinės lazdos Nr. 1 (M1) galvutės greitis buvo 140,6 km/h, o vidutinio meistriškumo (VM) – 156,6 km/h. Mojant tiek geležine lazda Nr. 7 (G7), tiek M1 lazdomis VM grupės riešo ulnarinio lenkimo kampinio greičio vidurkiai buvo 1270,3 ir 1302,3 l./s atitinkamai, o MM – 1113,0 bei 1160,5 l./s. Taip pat mosto atgal fazių trukmė VM grupės smūgiuojant abiem lazdomis buvo ilgesnė, o mosto fazių santykiai didesni. Išvados: 1. Smūgiuojant medine lazda Nr. 1 vidutinio meistriškumo grupės atstovų reikšmingai didesnis buvo lazdos galvutės greitis, riešo ulnarinio lenkimo kampinis greitis, smūgiuoto kamuoliuko atstumas, mosto fazių santykis, patikimai ilgesnė mosto atgal fazės trukmė negu mažo meistriškumo golfininkų. 2. Smūgiuojant geležine lazda Nr. 7 vidutinio meistriškumo grupės atstovų patikimai didesnis buvo plaštakų greitis, riešo ulnarinio lenkimo kampinis greitis, smūgiuoto kamuoliuko atstumas, mosto fazių santykis, reikšmingai ilgesnė mosto atgal fazės trukmė. 3. Smūgiuojant geležine lazda Nr. 7 nustatytas stiprus teigiamas ryšys tarp nuokrypio nuo mosto... [toliau žr. visą tekstą] / Aim of the research – to indentify different golf swing kinematic indicators, interrelation between them and the correlation to the player's skill. Tasks of the research: 1. To compare the kinematic characteristics of swing of low and middle skill golfers with two different golf clubs. 2. To identify the interrelation among investigated kinematic parameters‘ interfaces and the correlation with the golfers’ skills. Results. Low skill group’s driver head speed was 140,6 km/h, and the average skill group’s ¬– 156,6 km/h. Swinging 7 iron and driver average skill group ulnar wrist flexion angular velocity averages were 1270,3 and 1302,3 d./sec, respectively, and low skill – 1113,0 and 1160,5 d./sec. Additionally backswing phase duration of average skill group with both clubs were longer and had bigger swing phase ratio. Conclusions: 1. Swing with driver were significantly higher in the average skill group in regards to the club‘s head speed, ulnar wrist flexion angular velocity, ball distance, swing phase ratio and significantly longer backswing phase duration in comparison to the low skill golfers. 2. Swing with 7 iron were significantly higher in the average skill group in regards to the hand speed, ulnar wrist flexion angular velocity, ball distance, swing phase ratio and significantly longer duration of the backswing phase. 3. Swing with the 7 iron club show a strong positive relation between the deviation from swing path and angle of the club head. During the swing with... [to full text]

<p>Nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy is an established technique for macromolecular structure determination at atomic resolution. However, the majority of the current structure determination approaches require a large set of experiments and use large amount of data to elucidate the three dimensional protein structure. While current structure determination protocols may perform well in data-rich settings, protein structure determination still remains to be a difficult task in a sparse-data setting. Sparse data arises in high-throughput settings, for larger proteins, membrane proteins, and symmetric protein complexes; thereby requiring novel algorithms that can compute structures with provable guarantees on solution quality and running time.</p><p>In this dissertation project we made an effort to address the key computational bottlenecks in NMR structural biology. Specifically, we improved and extended the recently-developed techniques by our laboratory, and developed novel algorithms and computational tools that will enable protein structure determination from sparse NMR data. An underlying goal of our project was to minimize the number of NMR experiments, hence the amount of time and cost to perform them, and still be able to determine protein structures accurately from a limited set of experimental data. The algorithms developed in this dissertation use the global orientational restraints from residual dipolar coupling (RDC) and residual chemical shift anisotropy (RCSA) data from solution NMR, in addition to a sparse set of distance restraints from nuclear Overhauser effect (NOE) and paramagnetic relaxation enhancement (PRE) measurements. We have used tools from algebraic geometry to derive analytic expressions for the bond vector and peptide plane orientations, by exploiting the mathematical interplay between RDC- or RCSA-derived sphero-conics and protein kinematics, which in addition to improving our understanding of the geometry of the restraints from these experimental data, have been used by our algorithms to compute the protein structures provably accurately. Our algorithms, which determine protein backbone global fold from sparse NMR data, were used in the high-resolution structure determination protocol developed in our laboratory to solve the solution NMR structures of the FF Domain 2 of human transcription elongation factor CA150 (RNA polymerase II C-terminal domain interacting protein), which have been deposited into the Protein Data Bank. We have developed a novel, sparse data, RDC-based algorithm to compute ensembles of protein loop conformations in the presence of a moderate level of dynamics in the loop regions. All the algorithms developed in this dissertation have been tested on experimental NMR data. The promising results obtained by our algorithms suggest that our algorithms can be successfully applied to determine high-quality protein backbone structures from a limited amount of experimental NMR data, and hence will be useful in automated NOE assignments and high-resolution protein backbone structure determination from sparse NMR data. The algorithms and the software tools developed during this project are made available as free open-source to the scientific community.</p> / Dissertation

Introduction: Neck pain is a common problem in society and is more prevalent among women. The consequences of neck pain for the individual often include activity and participation limitations, thus affecting many dimensions of life. There is still a lack of understanding of the underlying mechanisms of the disorder and likewise of efficient rehabilitation for people with neck pain. However, coordination exercises have shown promising short-term effects. To carry this line of research forward, there is a need to improve methods for objective characterization of impairments and to investigate novel methods of rehabilitation. Aims: To characterize impairments of active cervical range of motion of the upper and lower cervical levels in women with chronic neck pain with a novel method (Study I and II) and identify the influence of head posture and movement strategies (Study II). Further, to investigate the effects of a novel method for neck coordination exercise on sensorimotor function and neck pain (study III) and the consistencies of motor variability metrics in a goal directed arm movement task to aid the design of future clinical research (Study IV). Methods: All studies were laboratory based with kinematic assessments of neck movements (Study I-III), balance (Study III) and goal directed arm movements (Study III, IV). The studies had designs that were: cross-sectional (I and II), randomized controlled trial (III) or test-retest reliability study (IV). Participants in Study I (n=135) and II (n=160) were women with chronic non-specific neck pain and healthy controls. In Study III, women with chronic non-specific neck pain (n=108) were randomized into three different individually supervised 11 week interventions. Study IV included healthy women (n=14). Results: It was found that cervical range of motion impairments in women with non-specific neck pain were direction- and level-specific; impairments were greater in extension in the upper and flexion in the lower levels of the cervical spine. The magnitude of impairments in range of motion was associated to self-ratings of functioning and health. Possible group differences in natural head posture were rejected as a cause for the direction specific effects. Neither could the effects be explained by a strategy to minimize torque in the cervical spine during movement execution. The neck coordination training was not superior to strength training (best-available) and massage treatment (sham) in improving sensorimotor functions or pain according to short-term and 6 months follow ups. The results from the study of the goal directed movement task showed that between and within-subject sizes of most motor variability metrics were too large to make the test suitable for application in clinical research. Conclusions: Women with chronic non-specific neck pain have direction- and level-specific impairments in cervical sagittal range of motion. The underlying causes of these specific impairments remains unresolved, but the direction specific impairments are not related to natural head posture. The clinical validity of the method of characterization of cervical range of motion was supported and it can be useful in future clinical research. The novel method of neck coordination exercise showed no advantages on sensorimotor functions or pain compared with best-available treatment in women with chronic non-specific neck pain. / Långvarig smärta i nacken är vanligt förekommande och orsakar både personligt lidande och stora kostnader för samhället. Långvariga nackbesvär är vanligare hos kvinnor än hos män. Det saknas kunskap om effektiva rehabiliteringsmetoder, men forskning har indikerat att träning som förbättrar nackens koordination kan vara effektivt. För att uppnå bättre rehabiliteringsresultat är det viktigt att utveckla metoder för att objektivt mäta funktionsnedsättningar och att utveckla samt utvärdera nya rehabiliteringsmetoder. Syftet med avhandlingen kan sammanfattas i tre delar: Att detaljerat mäta nedsättningar i nackens rörelseomfång hos kvinnor med långvarig nacksmärta; att utvärdera effekten av en ny metod för nackkoordinationsträning på rörelsefunktion och smärta hos kvinnor med långvarig nacksmärta; samt att utvärdera ett nytt test för att mäta precision och koordination vid målriktade armrörelser och ämnat för framtida klinisk forskning. Resultaten visade att kvinnor med långvarig nacksmärta hade specifika nedsättningar i nacken rörelseomfång; i övre nackregionen var bakåtböjning mer begränsad medan i nedre nackregionen var framåtböjning mer begränsad. Vi kunde utesluta att resultaten berodde på skillnader i huvudets normala hållning. Graden av rörelsebegränsning i nacken uppvisade samband med personernas självskattade funktion, symtom och hälsa. Nackkoordinationsträningen var inte var bättre än styrketräning eller massage för att förbättra rörelsefunktion eller för att minska smärta. Det nya testet för armrörelser var inte lämpat för kliniska studier av rörelseprecision. Slutsatserna från avhandlingsarbetet är att kvinnor med långvarig nacksmärta har begränsningar i nackens rörelseomfång vid framåt- och bakåtböjning av huvudet som är specifika vad gäller nivå i halsryggen och riktning. Att graden av rörelsebegränsning uppvisade samband med självskattad funktion, symtom och hälsa styrker testets kliniska validitet. Ytterligare forskning behövs för att förstå orsakerna bakom de specifika nedsättningarna. Nackkoordinationsträningen som utvärderades kan inte rekommenderas för kvinnor med långvarig nacksmärta eftersom korttidsuppföljning och 6-månadersuppföljning visade att träningsformen inte var bättre än styrketräning eller massage, vare sig när det gällde att förbättra sensomotorisk funktion eller att minska smärta.

Advances in hardware design have made wheeled mobile robots (WMRs) exceptionally mobile. To fully exploit this mobility, WMR planning, control, and estimation systems require motion models that are fast and accurate. Much of the published theory on WMR modeling is limited to 2D or kinematics, but 3D dynamic (or force-driven) models are required when traversing challenging terrain, executing aggressive maneuvers, and manipulating heavy payloads. This thesis advances the state of the art in both the formulation and calibration of WMR models We present novel WMR model formulations that are high-fidelity, general, modular, and fast. We provide a general method to derive 3D velocity kinematics for any WMR joint configuration. Using this method, we obtain constraints on wheel ground contact point velocities for our differential algebraic equation (DAE)-based models. Our “stabilized DAE” kinematics formulation enables constrained, drift free motion prediction on rough terrain. We also enhance the kinematics to predict nonzero wheel slip in a principled way based on gravitational, inertial, and dissipative forces. Unlike ordinary differential equation (ODE)-based dynamic models which can be very stiff, our constrained dynamics formulation permits large integration steps without compromising stability. Some alternatives like Open Dynamics Engine also use constraints, but can only approximate Coulomb friction at contacts. In contrast, we can enforce realistic, nonlinear models of wheel-terrain interaction (e.g. empirical models for pneumatic tires, terramechanics-based models) using a novel force-balance optimization technique. Simulation tests show our kinematic and dynamic models to be more functional, stable, and efficient than common alternatives. Simulations run 1K-10K faster than real time on an ordinary PC, even while predicting articulated motion on rough terrain and enforcing realistic wheel-terrain interaction models. In addition, we present a novel Integrated Prediction Error Minimization (IPEM) method to calibrate model parameters that is general, convenient, online, and evaluative. Ordinarily system dynamics are calibrated by minimizing the error of instantaneous output predictions. IPEM instead forms predictions by integrating the system dynamics over an interval; benefits include reduced sensing requirements, better observability, and accuracy over a longer horizon. In addition to calibrating out systematic errors, we simultaneously calibrate a model of stochastic error propagation to quantify the uncertainty of motion predictions. Experimental results on multiple platforms and terrain types show that parameter estimates converge quickly during online calibration, and uncertainty is well characterized. Under normal conditions, our enhanced kinematic model can predict nonzero wheel slip as accurately as a full dynamic model for a fraction of the computation cost. Finally, odometry is greatly improved when using IPEM vs. manual calibration, and when using 3D vs. 2D kinematics. To facilitate their use, we have released open source MATLAB and C++ libraries implementing the model formulation and calibration methods in this thesis.

We develop the theory of parton distributions f(_a)(π, k(^t2), μ(^2), unintegrated with respect to transverse momentum k(_t), from a phenomenological standpoint. In particular, we demonstrate a convenient approximation in which the unintegrated functions are obtained by explicitly performing the last step of parton evolution in perturbative QCD, with single-scale functions a(π, Q(^2) as input. Results are presented in the context of DGLAP and combined BFKL-DGLAP evolution, but with angular ordering imposed in the last step of the evolution. We illustrate the application of these unintegrated distributions to predict cross sections for physical processes at lepton-hadron and hadron-hadron colliders. The use of partons with incoming transverse momentum, based on k(_t)-factorisation, is intended to replace phenomenological "smearing" in the perturbative region k(_t) > k(_o) (k(_o) ≈ 1 GeV), and enables the full kinematics of a process to be included even at leading order. We apply our framework to deep inelastic scattering and the fitting of F(_2)(π, Q(^2), to the transverse momentum spectra of prompt photons in hadroproduction and in photoproduction, and to the topical problem of bb production at HERA. Finally, we address the issue of parton-parton recombination (shadowing) at very low values of π, building on recent work by Kovchegov and others to make predictions for the likely magnitude of shadowing effects at the LHC.