This is an original study to quantify and grade defect healing in a large animal cranial bone substitute model. The study of various therapies to heal cranial defects requires an appropriate ?critical? animal model. An experimental animal model should be analogous and recognizable as an appropriate challenge to human physiology. In addition, the defect must fail to heal unless treated with the tissue engineering therapy under study. Sheep as a large animal model was chosen because of its ability to tolerate creation of large skull defects analogous to clinical scenario, and its biology of healing as a high order mammal would be closer human beings. There is no agreement on the critical size limits for cranial defects. Various sizes have been termed "critical" in publications utilizing sheep. These ranged from 20-22mm. This study will investigate whether a 20mm defect is adequate. Bilateral circular cranial defects of 10, 20 and 25mm diameters were created in 12 adult sheep. Based on guided tissue engineering principles, defect protection was utilized to prevent in-growth of fibroblasts and other connective tissue cells from the surroundings. As bone tissue regeneration strategies usually involve osteoconduction element, an animal model that considered the defect protection role of osteoconduction would be more appropriate. Repopulation and regeneration of the defect was maximized as an added challenge Bioresorbable polylactic acid co-polymer mesh (MacroPoreTM) and Titanium mesh (TiMeshTM) was used as defect protection. The cranial defects were harvested at 8 and 16 weeks. The end-point analysis included Faxitron X-ray images, DEXA (Dual Energy X-ray Absorptiometry), and histology. The defects were graded to assess their ability to eventually heal. 10mm defects fully healed at 16 weeks. There was new bone formation spanning the entire defect seen on histology. 25mm defects were spanned by thin fibrous tissue only. There was variability in the healing potential of 20mm defect. Based on presence of bone islands within the defect, half of the 20mm defects demonstrated ability to heal while the other half actually had new bone spanning the defects on histology. Critical size cranial defect in sheep for the study of bone graft substitute has to be larger than 25mm diameter. The model is then utilized to study the use of Pro Osteon and AGF compared with the gold standard of autologous bone graft.

In recent times, near-field optical microscopy has received increasing attention for its ability to obtain high-resolution images beyond the diffraction limit. Near-field optical microscopy is achieved via the positioning and manipulation of a probe on a scale less than the wavelength of the incident light. Despite many variations in the mechanical design of near-field optical microscopes almost all rely on direct mechanical access of a cantilever or a derivative form to probe the sample. This constricts the study to surface examinations in simple sample environments. Distance regulation between the sample surface and the delicate probe requires its own feedback mechanism. Determination of feedback is achieved through monitoring the shift of resonance of one arm of a 'tuning fork', which is caused by the interaction of the probes tip with the Van der Waals force. Van der Waals force emanates from atom-atom interaction at the top of the sample surface. Environmental contamination of the sample surface with additional molecules such as water makes accurate measurement of these forces particularly challenging. The near-field study of living biological material is extremely difficult as an aqueous environment is required for its extended survival. Probe-sample interactions within an aqueous environment that result in strong detectable signal is a challenging problem that receives considerable attention and is a focus of this thesis. In order to increase the detectible signal a localised field enhancement in the probing region is required. The excitation of an optically resonant probe by morphology dependent resonance (MDR) provides a strong localised field enhancement. Efficient MDR excitation requires important coupling conditions be met, of which the localisation of the incident excitation is a critical factor. Evanescent coupling by frustrated total internal reflection to a MDR microcavity provides an ideal method for localised excitation. However it has severe drawbacks if the probe is to be manipulated in a scanning process. Tightly focusing the incident illumination by a high numerical aperture objective lens provides the degree of freedom to enable both MDR excitation and remote manipulation. Two-photon nonlinear excitation is shown to couple efficiently to MDR modes due to the high spatial localisation of the incident excitation in three-dimensions. The dependence of incident excitation localisation by high numerical aperture objective on MDR efficiency is thoroughly examined in this thesis. The excitation of MDR can be enhanced by up to 10 times with the localisation of the incident illumination from the centre of the microcavity to its perimeter. Illuminating through a high numerical aperture objective enables the remote noninvasive manipulation of a microcavity probe by laser trapping. The transfer of photon momentum from the reflection and refraction of the trapping beam is sufficient enough to exert piconewtons of force on a trapped particle. This allows the particle to be held and scanned in a predictable fashion in all three-dimensions. Optical trapping removes the need for invasive mechanical access to the sample surface and provides a means of remote distance regulation between the trapped probe and the sample. The femtosecond pulsed beam utilised in this thesis allows the simultaneous induction of two-photon excitation and laser trapping. It is found in this thesis that a MDR microcavity can be excited and translated in an efficient manner. The application of this technique to laser trapped near-field microscopy and single molecule detection is of particular interest. Monitoring the response of the MDR signal as it is scanned over a sample object enables a near-field image to be built up. As the enhanced evanescent field from the propagation of MDR modes around a microcavity interacts with different parts of the sample, a measurable difference in energy leakage from the cavity modes occurs. The definitive spectral properties of MDR enables a multidimensional approach to imaging and sensing, a focus of this thesis. Examining the spectral modality of the MDR signal can lead to a contrast enhancement in laser trapped imaging. Observing a single MDR mode during the scanning process can increase the image contrast by up to 1:23 times compared to that of the integrated MDR fluorescence spectrum. The work presented in this thesis leads to the possibility of two-photon fluorescence excitation of MDR in combination with laser trapping becoming a valuable tool in near- field imaging, sensing and single molecule detection in vivo. It has been demonstrated that particle scanned, two-photon fluorescence excitation of MDR, by laser trapping 'tweezers' can provide a contrast enhancement and multiple imaging modalities. The spectral imaging modality has particular benefits for image contrast enhancements.

Zugl.: Würzburg, Univ., Magisterarbeit, 2005/06

Cette thèse concerne la planification des tâches de manipulation effectuées par une main robotisée. Il s'agit de mettre au point un système de calcul automatique des trajectoires que doivent suivre les doigts et l'objet manipulé, pour passer d'une configuration initiale à une configuration finale données. La méthode proposée dans cette thèse s'appuie sur une formulation originale du problème de planification, basée sur l'étude de la connexité des espaces des configurations de prise. Ces espaces sont explorés par l'intermédiaire de graphes probabilistes. En particulier, un graphe est construit pour explorer GSn, l'espace des configurations de prise à n doigts, n étant le nombre de doigts de la main. Les arêtes de ce graphe sont des chemins linéaires dans GSn. Utiliser de tels chemins permet d'éviter le calcul des mouvements de reconfiguration de prise et donc de réduire les temps de calcul et l'espace mémoire requis par la construction du graphe. Ces chemins ne sont pas cinématiquement réalisables puisque la pose de l'objet et la position des contacts ne peuvent changer indépendamment mais leur utilisation est rendue possible par la généralisation de la propriété de réduction introduite par Alami et al. Les mouvements de changement de prise qui requièrent d'être explicitement calculés au cours de la construction du graphe, sont pris en compte lors d'une étape de fusion des composantes connexes du graphe. Ces fusions sont réalisées à l'aide de chemins élémentaires respectant la cinématique de la manipulation coordonnée. Ces chemins sont appelés "chemins de ressaisie" et "chemins de transfert". Une fois que les configurations initiale et finale appartiennent à une même composante connexe du graphe, les chemins dans GSn sont décomposés en une suite de mouvements de déplacement de l'objet et de reconfiguration de la prise (chemins de transfert et de ressaisie), cinématiquement réalisables. Pour assurer la stabilité des chemins construits, un critère de stabilité de la prise (fermeture de force) est vérifié le long des chemins, lors de leur construction. Pour valider cette approche, une plate-forme de simulation a été développée et a permis de planifier différentes tâches de manipulation dextre avec une main à quatre doigts. Le planificateur offre des performances très intéressantes en terme de temps de calcul et a permis de résoudre des problèmes complexes tels qu'aucun résultat pour des problèmes de difficulté équivalente n'avait jamais été présenté jusqu'à présent. La méthode proposée s'applique à n'importe quel type de main, quel que soit son nombre de doigts mais, comme elle explore uniquement GSn et GS{n-1}, elle peut manquer des solutions si la main robotisée et le modèle des contacts doigt-objet permet la prise avec un nombre différent de doigts. Pour remédier à cela, nous avons proposé une méthode légèrement différente qui s'applique à une main à cinq doigts et consiste à construire un graphe pour explorer chacune des cinq composantes connexes de GS4 à l'aide de chemins linéaires dans cet espace et à tenter de fusionner les différents graphes à l'aide de chemins linéaires dans GS5 ou de chemins de transfert-ressaisie (dans GS3). Enfin, une variante de la méthode proposée a été développée pour prendre en compte le roulement relatif des surfaces de contact au cours de la manipulation de l'objet. Les différentes modifications nécessaires, concernant la représentation des prises et le calcul de chemins de transfert, sont présentées en détail.

<p>To understand the modern leadership you have to gain a lot of experience to attain the right competence through which you are able to know what kind of leadership is most suitable to use in the current situation. Leaders agree that every kind of leadership is more or less successful depending on the situation and different organizational factors, for example the co-workers and the environment. Every leader should have a strong willpower and driving force to bring motivation to the organization and to make it more efficient. Another quality that represents a modern leader is the ability to lead and divide the co-workers and the organizations different strengths. The organizational communication is an important factor of how you, as a leader, answer to your co-workers and also how you will be received. Self-confidence, competence and experience are the key words that will lead you to achieve self-insight. Those leaders are the ones who represent the successful, modern leadership.</p><p>There is a general difference in working with men and women. The jargon of the working place is depending on which gender among the co-workers that is in majority. The generalization of men as tough, straight and that they are driven by their achievements versus the generalization of women as emotional, gentle and driven by relations are in various ways true, depending on how high in the hierarchy of the working place you are placed. Now days the leadership is not about gender. Instead it is about the ability to express qualities like willing and daring. Taking chances and succeeding leads to legitimating.</p><p>To make your co-workers feel motivated, the organization needs to have a solid culture. It is the leader’s task to make the foundation of the organizational-culture, and thereby also the existing standards. The work environment, the jargon, the ideal of clothes etcetera is all controlled by the standards ability to influence the organization. In order to be a good leader you should behave as a role model for your co-workers. If you, as a leader, express an engagement for your work, stability, joy, have an enterprising attitude and also succeed in supplying that to people in your surrounding, you will gain a motivated winning team.</p><p>There are different ways to communicate and to share information. The modern leadership is doing this in a pedagogical and a balanced way. To get people to work in your direction and to sell in new ideas to co-workers you need to use strategies. In order to affect others leaders are using all of their collected resources and competence. Some of them are doing this very honestly and deliberately, at the same time as some leaders are completely unknowing about their behavior. In the female intuition there are some qualities that makes us use a pedagogical and balanced way of apply strategies and through that kind of manipulation reach the successful, modern leadership.</p>

This paper addresses contact sensing, i.e. the problem of resolving the location of a contact, the force at the interface and the moment about the contact normals. Called "intrinsic'' contact sensing for the use of internal force and torque measurements, this method allows for practical devices which provide simple, relevant contact information in practical robotic applications. Such sensors have been used in conjunction with robot hands to identify objects, determine surface friction, detect slip, augment grasp stability, measure object mass, probe surfaces, control collision and a variety of other useful tasks. This paper describes the theoretical basis for their operation and provides a framework for future device design.

During the last decade, large and costly instruments are being replaced by system based on microfluidic devices. Microfluidic devices hold the promise of combining a small analytical laboratory onto a chip-sized substrate to identify, immobilize, separate, and purify cells, bio-molecules, toxins, and other chemical and biological materials. Compared to conventional instruments, microfluidic devices would perform these tasks faster with higher sensitivity and efficiency, and greater affordability. Dielectrophoresis is one of the enabling technologies for these devices. It exploits the differences in particle dielectric properties to allow manipulation and characterization of particles suspended in a fluidic medium. Particles can be trapped or moved between regions of high or low electric fields due to the polarization effects in non-uniform electric fields. By varying the applied electric field frequency, the magnitude and direction of the dielectrophoretic force on the particle can be controlled. Dielectrophoresis has been successfully demonstrated in the separation, transportation, trapping, and sorting of various biological particles. / Singapore-MIT Alliance (SMA)

To understand the modern leadership you have to gain a lot of experience to attain the right competence through which you are able to know what kind of leadership is most suitable to use in the current situation. Leaders agree that every kind of leadership is more or less successful depending on the situation and different organizational factors, for example the co-workers and the environment. Every leader should have a strong willpower and driving force to bring motivation to the organization and to make it more efficient. Another quality that represents a modern leader is the ability to lead and divide the co-workers and the organizations different strengths. The organizational communication is an important factor of how you, as a leader, answer to your co-workers and also how you will be received. Self-confidence, competence and experience are the key words that will lead you to achieve self-insight. Those leaders are the ones who represent the successful, modern leadership. There is a general difference in working with men and women. The jargon of the working place is depending on which gender among the co-workers that is in majority. The generalization of men as tough, straight and that they are driven by their achievements versus the generalization of women as emotional, gentle and driven by relations are in various ways true, depending on how high in the hierarchy of the working place you are placed. Now days the leadership is not about gender. Instead it is about the ability to express qualities like willing and daring. Taking chances and succeeding leads to legitimating. To make your co-workers feel motivated, the organization needs to have a solid culture. It is the leader’s task to make the foundation of the organizational-culture, and thereby also the existing standards. The work environment, the jargon, the ideal of clothes etcetera is all controlled by the standards ability to influence the organization. In order to be a good leader you should behave as a role model for your co-workers. If you, as a leader, express an engagement for your work, stability, joy, have an enterprising attitude and also succeed in supplying that to people in your surrounding, you will gain a motivated winning team. There are different ways to communicate and to share information. The modern leadership is doing this in a pedagogical and a balanced way. To get people to work in your direction and to sell in new ideas to co-workers you need to use strategies. In order to affect others leaders are using all of their collected resources and competence. Some of them are doing this very honestly and deliberately, at the same time as some leaders are completely unknowing about their behavior. In the female intuition there are some qualities that makes us use a pedagogical and balanced way of apply strategies and through that kind of manipulation reach the successful, modern leadership.

Ungdomar med sociala anpassningsproblem kan identifieras på olika sätt, exempelvis genom deras personlighetsegenskaper eller kognitioner. Studiens syfte är att integrera dessa aspekter och undersöka om det finns ungdomar som både är manipulativa och förväntar sig att misslyckas samt studera om deras sociala anpassningsproblem och familjeproblematik skiljer sig från andra ungdomars. I studien används sekundärdata ifrån ett utvecklingspsykologiskt projekt, bestående av enkätsvar från åttondeklassare samt deras föräldrar i en medelstor svensk stad. Resultatet visar att det existerar en undergrupp av ungdomar som är manipulativa och förväntar sig att misslyckas. Dessa ungdomar uppvisar sociala anpassningsproblem och familjeproblem i större utsträckning än övriga ungdomar. Studien visar vilken kombination av manipulation och misslyckandeförväntningar som identifierar ungdomar med hög grad av sociala anpassningsproblem samt familjeproblem.

Current robotics research is largely driven by the vision of creatingan intelligent being that can perform dangerous, difficult orunpopular tasks. These can for example be exploring the surface of planet mars or the bottomof the ocean, maintaining a furnace or assembling a car.   They can also be more mundane such as cleaning an apartment or fetching groceries. This vision has been pursued since the 1960s when the first robots were built. Some of the tasks mentioned above, especially those in industrial manufacturing, arealready frequently performed by robots. Others are still completelyout of reach. Especially, household robots are far away from beingdeployable as general purpose devices. Although advancements have beenmade in this research area, robots are not yet able to performhousehold chores robustly in unstructured and open-ended environments givenunexpected events and uncertainty in perception and execution.In this thesis, we are analyzing which perceptual andmotor capabilities are necessaryfor the robot to perform common tasks in a household scenario. In that context, an essential capability is tounderstand the scene that the robot has to interact with. This involvesseparating objects from the background but also from each other.Once this is achieved, many other tasks becomemuch easier. Configuration of objectscan be determined; they can be identified or categorized; their pose can be estimated; free and occupied space in the environment can be outlined.This kind of scene model can then inform grasp planning algorithms to finally pick up objects.However, scene understanding is not a trivial problem and evenstate-of-the-art methods may fail. Given an incomplete, noisy andpotentially erroneously segmented scene model, the questions remain howsuitable grasps can be planned and how they can be executed robustly.In this thesis, we propose to equip the robot with a set of predictionmechanisms that allow it to hypothesize about parts of the sceneit has not yet observed. Additionally, the robot can alsoquantify how uncertain it is about this prediction allowing it toplan actions for exploring the scene at specifically uncertainplaces. We consider multiple modalities includingmonocular and stereo vision, haptic sensing and information obtainedthrough a human-robot dialog system. We also study several scene representations of different complexity and their applicability to a grasping scenario. Given an improved scene model from this multi-modalexploration, grasps can be inferred for each objecthypothesis. Dependent on whether the objects are known, familiar orunknown, different methodologies for grasp inference apply. In thisthesis, we propose novel methods for each of these cases. Furthermore,we demonstrate the execution of these grasp both in a closed andopen-loop manner showing the effectiveness of the proposed methods inreal-world scenarios. / <p>QC 20111125</p> / GRASP