4,068 research outputs found
Full season navigation and control of ultra-compact autonomous ag-bot in GPS denied environment
No full textThis thesis describes perception and an autonomous navigation system for an ultra-lightweight ground robot in agricultural fields. The system is designed for reliable navigation under cluttered canopies using only a 2-D Hokuyo UST-10LX LiDAR and an RTK GPS as the primary sensors for navigation. Its purpose is to ensure that the robot can navigate through rows of crops without damaging the plants in narrow row-based and high-leaf-cover semi-structured crop plantations, such as corn (Zea mays), sorghum (Sorghum bicolor) and soybean (Glycine max). The fundamental contributions of this work are a GPS-INS based reliable localization system for the robot and a LiDAR-based navigation algorithm capable of rejecting outlying measurements in the point-cloud due to plants in adjacent rows, low-hanging leaf cover, or weeds. Finally, this work describes a behavior-based navigation architecture that enables the system to autonomously traverse a breeding field throughout the planting season.Submission published under a 24 month embargo labeled 'Closed Access', the embargo will last until 2020-05-01The student, Karan Chawla, accepted the attached license on 2018-04-27 at 12:05.The student, Karan Chawla, submitted this Thesis for approval on 2018-04-27 at 12:18.This Thesis was approved for publication on 2018-04-27 at 13:38.DSpace SAF Submission Ingestion Package generated from Vireo submission #12540 on 2018-08-31 at 17:30:35Made available in DSpace on 2018-09-04T20:47:32Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 2
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Previous issue date: 2018-04-27Embargo set by: Seth Robbins for item 107468
Lift date: 2020-09-04T20:47:38Z
Reason: Author requested closed access (OA after 2yrs) in Vireo ETD systemEmbargo set by: Seth Robbins for item 107468
Lift date: 2020-09-04T20:50:11Z
Reason: Author requested closed access (OA after 2yrs) in Vireo ETD systemLimited Restriction Lifted for Item 107468 on 2020-09-05T09:15:09Z
Immunogen glycosylation in protein and RNA delivery systems
No full textExtensive glycosylation of viral glycoproteins is a key feature of the antigenic surface of viruses, yet glycan processing can be influenced by the assembly of the protein and production systems. These are important factors to consider in vaccine design, as non-native like assembly and the presence of artificial glycan holes can potentially influence the immune response. To address these concerns, various stabilizing approaches, including the incorporation of proline, disulphide-bonds, glycine-rich linker,and many more, have been employed in the design of recombinant protein immunogens to ensure correct assembly and enhanced expression. Additionally, post-expression purification is typically implemented in recombinant-based immunogens to capture properly folded protein and minimize non-native material. A common strategy that has been employed in the stabilization of HIV-1 immunogens, the introduction of proline substitutions, has been adopted in SARS-CoV-2 vaccine development. This thesis reveals the influence of these mutations on SARS-CoV-2 Spike (S) protein conformations and glycan compositions. Furthermore, this study compares the glycan compositions presented by S protein and receptor binding domain (RBD). Additionally, a serology study of chemically treated S protein with kifunensine (ER-mannosidase I inhibitor), aimed at eliciting all oligomannose-type glycans, highlights that the immune response following SARS-CoV-2 infection, with respect to immunoglobin binding, is not dictated by the glycan processing state of the S protein. This is, however, not the case in HIV-1 vaccine design, in which glycans play a crucial role in structural integrity and act as an epitope for many broadly neutralizing antibodies. In contrast to traditional protein-based immunogens, RNA-based vaccines have emerged as a highly effective delivery platform due to its rapid adaptability. However, one potential limitation is that the immunogen is entirely encoded by nucleotide sequence, and thus, there is no opportunity at the post-expression level to control immunogen assembly. In HIV-1 vaccine research, this is of particular importance because non-native epitopes can compromise the desired immune response, and native immunogen assembly is essential for the presentation of glycan-based epitopes targeted by broadly neutralizing antibodies. The work presented here reveals the archetypal protein architecture and glycosylation of the HIV-1 Env expressed via an RNA-based immunogen. Furthermore, this thesis explores the native-like signatures of the Env and the glycan compositions of the material derived from cell-types, muscle, and dendritic cells, which likely produce immunogens near the sites of intramuscular RNA injection. Finally, this study shows that nucleotide editing can enhance the glycan occupancy of RNA-derived immunogens. The data presented in this thesis emphasize the significance of considering glycan site occupancy and glycan heterogeneity when developing and assessing vaccine candidates
Walking the faithscapes of Varanasi, India: Pilgrimage of the Panchkroshi Yatra
No full textSacred landscapes in India play a pivotal role in the celebration of religious traditions and the mythological stories associated with them. A pilgrimage is an act of journeying to the sacred landscapes primarily for religious reasons and spiritual benefits but is not limited to them. Pilgrimages have various types of paths like circular, linear, spiral, converging at a central point, etc. Circular pilgrimage like the Panchkroshi in Varanasi, India, ends at the same point it started, thus forming an endless loop. The Panchkroshi Pilgrimage is about circumambulating around the holy territory, along a 25-mile long route, protected by 108 shrines of Hindu gods and goddesses. There are a number of goals identified for performing a pilgrimage, with the most important being the attainment of divine salvation. The act of achieving these goals is to walk through the sacred landscapes of the pilgrimage. However, with rapid urbanization and lack of preservation, these heritage landscapes have suffered degradation. The pilgrimage path has become fragmented, breaking the continuity and flow of movement. The pilgrimage route has become a palimpsest of urban residential, commercial zones, state and national highways with no designated pathway for pilgrims to walk on.
My master’s in landscape architecture has contributed immensely towards the sensitivity I feel for the environment. The landscapes of the Panchkroshi pilgrimage create an experience for the pilgrims when they walk on the route and my education helps in understanding the experience and re-envisioning it suitable for pilgrims’ convenience. With a formal academic training in landscape architecture, I could craft an appropriate proposal for this project and work through it from research, site study, conceptual design to detailed design and proposals. In this project, I study the landscapes of the pilgrimage route of Panchkroshi that references to the mandala, a sacred circle whose design symbolizes Varanasi, the cosmic center of Hinduism. Pilgrims complete the pilgrimage in five days, once every three years, in the intercalary month, halting each night at the five main temple destinations respectively and visiting only the major shrines during the one-day version of the walk. Residents in the temple site neighborhoods play a significant role in this pilgrimage too as they receive the pilgrims in huge number during pilgrimage. Pilgrimage practice creates a relationship between them. Through this project, I aim to revive a sacred landscape that acts as a medium for the ultimate goals of the journey: salvation, self-fulfillment, collective experience, humility, or any of the other extensive reasons pilgrims undertake this process. The design goal is to reconnect the existing fragmented pilgrimage route and mark its legibility through a sustainable design approach to heritage cultural conservation. This goal is achieved through the development of a tree- and plant-lined continuous walking route connecting all the shrines. The village and community engagement program for the maintenance of water, trees, food and amenities for the pilgrims cultivates the healthy exchange of resources and generate sustainable environment enjoyed by the local as well as pilgrim communities. Way-finding legibility, rest portals, and sanitation are the core elements of this program.Submission original under an indefinite embargo labeled 'Open Access'. The submission was exported from vireo on 2018-09-27 without embargo termsThe student, Saloni Chawla, accepted the attached license on 2018-07-18 at 12:45.The student, Saloni Chawla, submitted this Thesis for approval on 2018-07-18 at 13:20.This Thesis was approved for publication on 2018-07-19 at 17:04.DSpace SAF Submission Ingestion Package generated from Vireo submission #12924 on 2018-09-27 at 10:49:19Made available in DSpace on 2018-09-27T16:17:58Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 2
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Previous issue date: 2018-07-1
Modification of Loop 1 Affects the Nucleotide Binding Properties of Myo1c, the Adaptation Motor in the Inner Ear
No full textMyo1c is one of eight members of the mammalian myosin I family of actin-associated molecular motors. In stereocilia of the hair cells in the inner ear, Myo1c presumably serves as the adaptation motor, which regulates the opening and closing of transduction channels. Although there is conservation of sequence and structure among all myosins in the N-terminal motor domain, which contains the nucleotide- and actin-binding sites, some differences include the length and composition of surface loops, including loop 1, which lies near the nucleotide-binding domain. To investigate the role of loop 1, we expressed in insect cells mutants of a truncated form of Myo1c, Myo1c1IQ, as well as chimeras of Myo1c1IQ with the analogous loop from other myosins. We found that replacement of the charged residues in loop 1 with alanines or the whole loop with a series of alanines did not alter the ATPase activity, transient kinetics properties, or Ca2+ sensitivity of Myo1c1IQ. Substitution of loop 1 with that of the corresponding region from tonic smooth muscle myosin II (Myo1c1IQ-tonic) or replacement with a single glycine (Myo1c1IQ-G) accelerated the release of ADP from A.M 2?3-fold in Ca2+, whereas substitution with loop 1 from phasic muscle myosin II (Myo1c1IQ-phasic) accelerated the release of ADP 35-fold. Motility assays with chimeras containing a single ?-helix, or SAH, domain showed that Myo1cSAH-tonic translocated actin in vitro twice as fast as Myo1cSAH-WT and 3-fold faster than Myo1cSAH-G. The studies show that changes induced in Myo1c via modification of loop 1 showed no resemblance to the behavior of the loop donor myosins or to the changes previously observed with similar Myo1b chimeras
Finite element prediction of the ultimate axial load capacity of V-section band clamps
No full textBand clamps with a flat bottomed V-section are used to connect a pair of circular flanges to provide a joint with significant axial strength. Despite the wide application of Vband clamps, their behaviour is not fully understood and the ultimate axial strength is currently only available from physical testing. This physical testing has indicated that the ultimate strength is determined by two different types of structural deformation, an elastic deformation
mode and a plastic deformation mode. Initial finite element analysis work has demonstrated
that analysis of this class of problem is not straightforward. This paper discusses the difficulties encountered when simulating this type of component interaction where contact is highly localised and contact pressures are high
The application of artificial neural networks to interpret acoustic emissions from submerged arc welding
No full textThis thesis was submitted for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy and awarded by Brunel University.Automated fusion welding processes play a fundamental role in modern manufacturing industries. The proliferation of joint geometries together with the large permutation of associated process variable configurations has given rise to research into complex system modelling and control strategies. Many of these techniques have involved monitoring of not only the electrical characteristics of the process but visual and acoustic information. Acoustic information derived from certain welding processes is well documented as it is an established fact that skilled manual welders utilise such information as an aid to creating an optimum weld. The experimental investigation presented in this thesis is dedicated to the feasibility of monitoring airborne acoustic emissions of Submerged Arc Welding (SAW) for diagnostic and real time control purposes. The experimental method adopted for this research takes a cybernetic approach to data processing and interpretation in an attempt to replicate the robustness of human biological functions. A custom designed audio hardware system was used to analyse signals obtained from bead on mild steel plate fusion welds. Time and frequency domains were used in an attempt to establish salient characteristics or identify the signatures associated with changes of the process variables. The featured parameters were voltage / current and weld travel speed, due to their ease of validation. However, consideration has also been given to weld defect prediction due to process instabilities. As the data proved to be highly correlated and erratic when subjected to off line statistical analysis, extensive investigation was given to the application of artificial neural networks to signal processing and real time control scenarios. As a consequence, a dedicated neural based software system was developed, utilising supervised and unsupervised neural techniques to monitor the process. The research was aimed at proving the feasibility of monitoring the electrical process parameters and stability of the welding process in real time. It was shown to be possible, by the exploitation of artificial neural networks, to generate a number of monitoring parameters indicative of the welding process state. The limitations of the present neural method and proposed developments are discussed, together with an overview of applied neural network technology and its impact on artificial intelligence and robotic control. Further developments are considered together with recommendations for future areas of research
THE STORIES THAT I WROTE/ THE I THAT STORIES WROTE
No full text“It becomes ruthlessly apparent that unless we are able to speak and write in different voices there is no way to convey across borders, to speak to and with diverse communities” (bell hooks, p41, 1999).
This thesis is a compendium of stories of a few NHS workers and their everyday lives, the traumas they face, the feelings they sublimate and suppress and the impact they had on me; a heartfelt autoethnography (Ellis, 1999) of the I who interviewed them and got displaced in the process, and the theoretical constructs that underpin both these stories and the storyteller.
In my indigenous system of knowledge (Jnana Yoga), knowledge is tripartite. The first facet is that of the (hearing of the) subject: The Other from which we seek to learn and understand (in my case the interviewees). The second facet is that of (thinking) formulating theorisations that you hold true- the underpinning assumptions of the knowledge. The third facet is (meditation) the reflections upon the transformation of the I who is creating the knowledge, its beliefs, emotions and identities, and the shifts that occurred in the process of knowledge creation (see Rao and Paranjpe, 2016; Grimes, 1996, pp 98-99). The three occur together and form jnana (knowledge/wisdom). The work I present to you for my Doctoral examination is structured in the tradition of this trinity.
This thesis is organised in six sections.
In Contexts, I introduce this work and the intersections it inhabits: introducing themes such as Queer Writing, Prose Poetry and their place in Critical research.
In Theories and Definitions, I write of the world view I and this work have come to inhabit through the studies and meditations I have been through. This addresses themes of Ideology, Hermeneutics of Suspicion, Psychodynamics and a Marxist critique of it, Language and Trauma.
In Methods, I speak of the various I’s that inhabit me, as well as the processes of interviewing and that of knowledge production. The former is expressed through Heartful Autoethnographic (Ellis 1999) work, and the latter takes form of discussing Free Association Narrative Interviews (Hollway and Jefferson, 2008) and my method of interpretation/meaning creation. I also explain how I started from the latter and continued with the former.
In Seeing Comes Before Words (Berger, 2008), I write of the interview process viewed through psychodynamics- e.g. How the interviewees’ narrative exhibits Free Association, Repression and Defence Mechanisms and so on. I explain the decisions I made in this process of knowledge creation.
In Stories from Empirical Work/Brief Interviews with Non-Hideous Women/Men (Wallace, 2012), I write of the stories told to me by the interviewees. I spoke with seven people at length, and viewed our interactions through a psychodynamic lens. My interpretation of these interactions, a psychopathology of everyday working life, cover themes such as Power, Privilege, Politics, Oppression and Trauma, and the impacts of work on their selves. These are presented in stories of various length.
Once the knowledge is created, comes the question of form: what aesthetics convey this trinity of knowledge best. Rather than reduce the above themes to abstract, distant concepts, I connect with my own traumas, my own otherness to write of these in an evocative manner- my writing perhaps best described as “queer” (see Barker 2020), a hybrid of prose and prose poetry (see Heatherington and Atherton, 2020 or Poetry Foundation, 2021).Through my writing style, I attempt to evoke the same feelings in the reader as I felt during the process.
This work sits within the tradition of Critical Management Studies (Alvesson, Bridgman and Willmott, 2009). Sympathisers of Helen Johnson’s “Ten Incitements to Rebellion” (2021) will resonate with this work.
Let’s begin
Who decides where I belong?
No full text“The bell rang. I took out my tiffin box from my bag
and left the classroom. I climbed down the stairs and
went to sit at my usual place in the shed area.
Looking through the iron grill rods, I saw a group of
girls from my class sitting in a circle under the tree.
Some other kids played in the ground. I finished my
lunch and went and sat next to the bai. Bai is my only
friend in school. She works in the office and calls me
‘Shaktimaan’ to tease me, but I like it. Each day at
school seems the same, each lunch break...
I walk around looking for familiar faces each
afternoon.” – Sneha*
“The school Annual Day is coming up. I’m very
excited. This is the only time of the year I feel
wanted. I love dancing and I’m good at it and all the
groups planning a dance performance want me in it.
This is different from other days in class. Every time a
teacher gives us work to do in a group, no one takes
me till the teacher tells them to. Even if the groups
are divided by the teacher, I am given the easiest
thing to do like collecting pictures. I know I have
problems in writing and remembering things
but it is not that I do it on purpose. Why can’t
I be part of groups in class too and not just for
dancing?” – Sonal
Task-Guided and Semantic-Aware Ranking for Academic Author-Paper Correlation Inference
No full textWe study the problem of author-paper correlation inference in big scholarly data, which is to effectively infer potential correlated works for researchers using historical records. Unlike supervised learning algorithms that predict relevance score of author-paper pair via time and memory consuming feature engineering, network embedding methods automatically learn nodes' representations that can be further used to infer author-paper correlation. However, most current models suffer from two limitations: (1) they produce general purpose embeddings that are independent of the specific task; (2) they are usually based on network structure but out of content semantic awareness. To address these drawbacks, we propose a task-guided and semantic-aware ranking model. First, the historical interactions among all correlated author-paper pairs are formulated as a pairwise ranking loss. Next, the paper's semantic embedding encoded by gated recurrent neural network, together with the author's latent feature is used to score each author-paper pair in ranking loss. Finally, a heterogeneous relations integrative learning module is designed to further augment the model. The evaluation results of extensive experiments on the well known AMiner dataset demonstrate that the proposed model reaches significant better performance, comparing to a number of baselines.We would like to thank Yuxiao Dong for suggestions. This work is supported by the Army Research Laboratory under Cooperative Agreement Number W911NF-09-2-0053 and the National Science Foundation (NSF) grant IIS-1447795. This work is partially supported by King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST)
INVISIBLE STRUGGLES: EXPLORING CHALLENGES FACED BY WOMEN WITH AMPUTATION IN INDIA
No full textWomen in India, particularly those with amputation, face significant challenges, including but not limited to, unequal prosthetic access and satisfaction, societal discrimination, and the physical and emotional consequences of amputation. These challenges are further exacerbated by gender biases towards access to education and socioeconomic factors, which increases their vulnerability to unemployment and mental health issues. This article emphasizes the urgent need for affordable and customizable prosthetic options tailored to the unique needs of women with amputation, particularly those from low-income backgrounds who often face neglect. Thus, addressing these disparities would significantly enhance their overall well-being and independence.
Article PDF Link: https://jps.library.utoronto.ca/index.php/cpoj/article/view/44002/33160
How To Cite: Alam J, Joshi A, Mir N, Chawla N, Sagar S. Invisible struggles: Exploring challenges faced by women with amputation in India. Canadian Prosthetics & Orthotics Journal. 2024; Volume 7, Issue 1, No.5. https://doi.org/10.33137/cpoj.v7i1.44002
Corresponding Author: Professor Sushma Sagar,
Division of Trauma Surgery and Critical Care, Jai Prakash Narayan Apex Trauma Centre, AIIMS, New Delhi, India.
E-Mails: [email protected]; [email protected]
ORCID ID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4700-9868
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