177,965 research outputs found
Extracting information from Repertory Grid data: new perspectives on clinical and assessment practice
No full textThe repertory grid technique devised by Kelly (1955/1991) can be useful in clinical practice and re-search, because it provides significant information in terms of the respondents' mental structure. How-ever, it is a complex technique calling for a substantial investment of time and effort by both clinician and respondent if the information obtained is to be relevant and useful. Its main advantage is that it al-lows the patient's personally relevant data to be subjected to the rigor of the mathematical-statistical elaboration of underlying structures in the data provided by computer analysis. The present article shows how this can be undertaken using a grid completed by a woman with an eating disorder. Addi-tionally, the paper provides a historical context for grid analyses carried out with a freeware computer program available in English and Italian that incorporates recently developed methods of grid analysis
Experimental quantum cosmology in time-dependent optical media
No full textIt is possible to construct artificial spacetime geometries for light by using intense laser pulses that modify the spatiotemporal properties of an optical medium. Here we theoretically investigate experimental possibilities for studying spacetime metrics of the form . By tailoring the laser pulse shape and medium properties, it is possible to create a refractive index variation that can be identified with . Starting from a perturbative solution to a generalized Hopfield model for the medium described by an , we provide estimates for the number of photons generated by the time-dependent spacetime. The simplest example is that of a uniformly varying that therefore describes the Robertson–Walker metric, i.e. a cosmological expansion. The number of photon pairs generated in experimentally feasible conditions appears to be extremely small. However, large photon production can be obtained by periodically modulating the medium and thus resorting to a resonant enhancement similar to that observed in the dynamical Casimir effect. Curiously, the spacetime metric in this case closely resembles that of a gravitational wave. Motivated by this analogy, we show that a periodic gravitational wave can indeed act as an amplifier for photons. The emission for an actual gravitational wave will be very weak but should be readily observable in the laboratory analogue
A framework for the integration of traditional and collaborative robotics
No full textIn recent years, a new type of robotic manipulator, i.e., collaborative robots (cobots), was introduced in the market. Their ability to share the workspace with the operator without any safety fences allows automating tasks that were too difficult or too expensive to automate. Moreover, collaborative workcells merge the flexibility of the human operator and the accuracy of automated systems. However, they are usually separated from the main industrial plant, reducing their influence on the process. Hence, a framework to connect traditional and collaborative robotics is presented in this work. The framework is developed in three layers with a top-down approach, where a first offline layer will solve the task scheduling problem of a human-robot collaborative workcell. Due to the unpredictability of the human operator, it is important to develop a second layer to monitor the operator and dynamically adapt the cobot. A possible implementation with depth cameras is presented along with a control scheme. Lastly, a third layer is responsible for the connection between the collaborative workcell and the other devices connected to the process line. A case study presents a possible application of the proposed approach
Ex post evaluation of an operating theatre
No full textIn this paper we present a general framework for the ex post evaluation of an operating theatre driven by different performance criteria. We tested such a framework on a real case study proposing also a comparison with the actual situation
Control Model for Collaborative Manufacturing: an integrated opened framework for Human-Robot Collaboration.
No full textCollaborative robots represent an interesting solution to automate tasks that were too difficult or too expensive to automate since they merge the flexibility of a human operator and the accuracy of automated systems. This work presents a framework developed in three levels with a top-down approach. A first offline level will solve the task scheduling problem of a human-robot collaborative workcell addressing both logistic and robotic aspects, represented by physical interferences and performance indexes. A second level will manage the shared workspace in real-time. These first two levels, due to their general nature, will be described in greater detail. The possible application and validation of the model to a specific case study will be discussed in the third level, which will describe the connection of the model towards different device
Appropriate Similarity Measures for Author Cocitation Analysis
No full textWe provide a number of new insights into the methodological discussion about author cocitation analysis. We first argue that the use of the Pearson correlation for measuring the similarity between authors’ cocitation profiles is not very satisfactory. We then discuss what kind of similarity measures may be used as an alternative to the Pearson correlation. We consider three similarity measures in particular. One is the well-known cosine. The other two similarity measures have not been used before in the bibliometric literature. Finally, we show by means of an example that our findings have a high practical relevance.information science;Pearson correlation;cosine;similarity measure;author cocitation analysis
The interplay between the bone and the immune system.
No full textIn the last two decade, numerous scientists have highlighted the interactions between bone and immune cells as well as their overlapping regulatory mechanisms. For example, osteoclasts, the bone-resorbing cells, are derived from the same myeloid precursor cells that give rise to macrophages and myeloid dendritic cells. On the other hand, osteoblasts, the bone-forming cells, regulate hematopoietic stem cell niches from which all blood and immune cells are derived. Furthermore, many of the soluble mediators of immune cells, including cytokines and growth factors, regulate the activities of osteoblasts and osteoclasts. This increased recognition of the complex interactions between the immune system and bone led to the development of the interdisciplinary osteoimmunology field. Research in this field has great potential to provide a better understanding of the pathogenesis of several diseases affecting both the bone and immune systems, thus providing the molecular basis for novel therapeutic strategies. In these review, we reported last findings about the reciprocal regulation of bone and immune cells
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