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Field Improvised eXoskeleton (FIX) Final Project Report
Get PDFThe Field Improvised eXoskeleton (FIX) final project report serves to explain and evaluate the results of the testing performed during the Fall 2020 and Spring 2021 semesters to assess whether the FIX prototype meets the design requirements. A full prototype was built to treat a distal radius fracture on Soldiers in the field by testing the ability of an “injured” volunteer to perform a “buddy drag”and comparing between a standard SAM splint and a Modified Splint built by the team. Similarly, the prototype was split into two parts: a Modified Splint subsystem and an external task subsystem for the “buddy drag.” The splint subsystem served the main purpose of improving upon the standard of care for splinting, which is a SAM splint. All subsystems were made of materials present in a Field Medic Pack or from materials that were considered easily accessible, such as straps and duct tape.
The general requirements for the prototype design were for the prototype to: stabilize the fracture site, be capable of performing the test adequately, be assembled quickly, minimize damage to the fracture, have clear fabrication instructions, stay within the given budget, be adjustable, apply an appropriate amount of pressure on the arm for the splint, prevent extra pain, and be comfortable. The fracture was proven to be stabilized using the first of two surrogate arms with an implanted fracture and hall effect sensor to measure maximum fracture displacement. All maximum fracture displacements of the Modified Splint subsystem of the prototype were less than the standard of care SAM splint, which made it an improvement of the standard of care. The “buddy drag” external subsystem of the prototype was proven to perform adequately by comparing a healthy “drag” to a “drag” using the external subsystem. The time taken to perform the “drag” was within 2 seconds of a healthy “drag” for a 10 yard distance for a small person’s weight and was tested up to a weight nearly 50 pounds more than the average weight of a soldier. The fabrication time for the entire prototype is 9 min and 10 seconds, which was considered a reasonable amount of time for a Combat Medic to spend assembling the prototype in the field. The prototype was proven to minimally damage the fracture site using the second surrogate arm that experienced a simulated strap tug similar to the “buddy drag” performed. Similarly to before, the maximum fracture displacement was less than the standard of care in this case. The fabrication instructions were proven to be clear after a volunteer not on the FIX team read over the instructions and provided feedback that was resolved by the FIX team. The prototype cost less than half of the given budget, so it stayed within budget. The prototype was proven to be adjustable through the use of straps and the application of the splints on different volunteers and members of the FIX team with different arm sizes. The splint pressure was tested using pressure sensors and a capillary refill test that compared the pressure applied by the standard of care SAM splint and the prototype Modified Splint. In this case, all pressure tests proved that the Modified Splint compressed the arm more than the SAM splint without restricting the blood flow of the arm, which would prevent further damage to the fracture. There was no extra pain applied during the “buddy drag” because a volunteer filled out a comfort questionnaire regarding their discomfort and answered that he did not experience any pain during the test after resolving a complaint about the strap rubbing by adding a more realistic outer garb to his arm. Lastly, the volunteers answered comfort questionnaires for the splint and external system regarding how comfortable they felt. The volunteers said their comfort ranged from completely comfortable to slightly less comfortable, but none of them were answered in the uncomfortable range. Overall, the full prototype met all requirements and was considered successful while a work-in-progress external system for the ammo carry done by the team was not considered in the final prototype due to time constraints
Comics Plus
Get PDFComics Plus offers subscribers a digital library of comics, manga, and graphic novels licensed from more than 100 different publishers, including such indie gems as IDW, Boom Studios, Dark Horse, and Kodansha Comics. Its all-access package includes more than 20,000 titles, about 14,000 of which are appropriate for K-12 readers. Granular title control gives admins the power to customize Comics Plus to suit the readers they serve. But some titles aren’t included at all, namely the best-selling books of the industry’s top players. Comics Plus may someday persuade these publishers––Marvel, DC, Image, and VIZ Media––to play ball. Until then, most librarians will need to supplement Comics Plus with other methods of acquisition
Characterization of Phenolic Plant Exudates by Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy
No full textThe class of plant exudates that contain the phenol functionality, termed phenolics, is defined, surveyed, and characterized by solid-state 13C NMR spectroscopy and by solution-state 1H NMR spectroscopy. Materials in this group are identified by the phenolic 13C resonance (from the ipso carbon of ArOH) at δ145-160 (δ160-167 for ArOR). The resonance patterns define several subclasses based on the collective similarity of their 13C spectra, specifically, aloetics from the genus Aloe, guaiacs from the genus Guaiacum and other eurosid and conifer genera, xanthics from the genus Garcinia, and kinos from the genus Eucalyptus and many other genera. Phenolic exudates often are mixed with terpenoid materials (the building block of exudates known as resins) and carbohydrates (the building block of exudates known as gums) to form hybrid subgroups such as guaiac gums, guaiac resins, and kino resins. There are numerous phenolic exudates not affiliated with any of these groups, both as pure phenolics and as hybrids (phenolic resins, phenolic gum resins, and phenolic waxes)
Development and Initial Validation of a Scale to Measure Momentary Self-Concept Clarity
Get PDFSeveral studies have suggested that momentary self-concept clarity (SCC) levels are important for emotion regulation and self-control processes, but these studies have used unvalidated measures of momentary SCC. Here, we report on the development and preliminary validation of a brief self-report scale, the Momentary Self-Concept Clarity Scale (M-SCCS). One hundred and twenty-two adults completed momentary SCC items 6-7 times per day for two weeks. Multilevel factor analyses suggested the M-SCCS has good factorial validity. The scale also showed excellent between-person reliability, fair within-person reliability, and patterns of criterion relations that resemble other self-report measures of SCC. There was little measurement reactivity over time. The M-SCCS may be useful for future experience-sampling studies aimed at uncovering short-term self-regulatory processes involving SCC
Aesthetic Issues in Jazz
No full textJazz emerged in the twentieth century as one of the great African-American contributions to world culture. Within philosophical theorising about music, jazz has often functioned – sometimes explicitly, sometimes implicitly – as an ‘exotic’ alternative to Western classical music, which has functioned as the de facto paradigm of musical activity in the field. The result has been a focus on one central aspect of jazz practice for much of its history that was largely moribund in the classical tradition throughout the twentieth century, namely improvisation in instrumental jazz performances. Philosophers have addressed the nature of improvisation and its implications for the ontology and values of jazz – its musical values as well as its ethical and political implications. It is this work that I provide an overview of here. (For some philosophical reflections on jazz song, see Brown 2013; Carvalho 2013; Levinson 2013a and 2013b; and Bicknell 2015, pp. 41–70.
Changes in Communication Patterns When Implementing Lean
Get PDFPurpose: This paper explores the changes in communication patterns when companies implement Lean, and how those changes relate to Lean implementation success.
Design/methodology/approach: This is a multiple site case study involving four business units of a manufacturing company in South America, including two repeated measurement instances separated 24 months for approximately 600 direct workers and 65 supervisors. The analytical models include Social Network Analysis measures and Ordinary Least Squares (OLS) regression.
Findings: When implementing Lean: 1) teams have a higher frequency of communication among members. 2) Teams become more decentralized 3) Teams communicate more with supervisors and 4) Supervisors communicate more amongst themselves and collaborate more. Also, 5) Better performing teams change more pronouncedly.
Research limitations/implications: The study contains data for four business units but within only one company, limiting the external validity of the conclusions. The sample was predominantly male. Participant attrition and other potential covariates not included in the study can be additional limitations.
Practical implications: Lean implementations could be practically helped by managers by embracing and supporting the more intense communication patterns associated with lean success, and alternatively they could proactively detect barriers to communication by measuring how these patterns change or fail to change and try to unlock communication by working on those barriers, and supply communications infrastructure and opportunities for collaboration to try to boost the chances of success.
Originality/value: This is to our knowledge the first study measuring communication networks from the point of view of team members and low-level supervisors in Lean implementations. This is also the first study showing that communication patterns change more rapidly in more successful teams, and that communication pattern changes when implementing Lean can be an indicator of success
The Association Between an Established Chief Experience Officer Role and Hospital Patient Experience Scores
Get PDFThe healthcare industry is currently reacting to multiple stakeholders demanding improvements to the patient experience. Some healthcare organizations are implementing new management structures, i.e., the role of Chief Experience Officer (CXO). This study statistically reviewed descriptors associated with hospitals that have and have not created and filled the role of CXO and, more importantly, measured the association between the CXO role and results of patients’ perceptions of their experience of care as measured by publicly reported Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems (HCAHPS) results. This study was conducted utilizing data gather on hospitals in three states, California, Florida, and New York. The results of the study yield insight into the organization characteristics of hospitals and the market factors associated with those hospitals that have filled the CXO role. Hospitals with a formal CXO role are larger, more likely to be for profit, and operate in metro areas of these states with higher per capita income. In addition, hospitals that have a formal CXO role are also more likely to have higher HCAHPS scores as determined by the patient recommendation question as well as the hospital overall rating question included in the HCAHPS survey
Reflecting on the Value of Vignettes in Higher Education Research: Toward a Preliminary Typology to Guide Future Usage
No full textWhen conceived of as both a research strategy and mode to present findings, vignettes can be combined with various qualitative methodologies in higher education research. Rather than being a discipline unto itself, higher education research is best understood as a multi and cross-disciplinary field of study that, we contend, is made richer by its diverse perspectives and methodological eclecticism. Drawing examples from higher education research and other fields, we seek to create a typology to guide higher education scholars through decisions about how, when, and why to use vignettes in their work. Based on our own experience incorporating vignettes in our research, we reflect upon the consequences of these choices for scholars, participants, and studies
