Skeletal pneumaticity is found in the presacral vertebrae of most sauropod dinosaurs, but pneumaticity is much less common in the vertebrae of the tail. We describe previously unrecognized pneumatic fossae in the mid-caudal vertebrae of specimens of Giraffatitan and Apatosaurus. In both taxa, the most distal pneumatic vertebrae are separated from other pneumatic vertebrae by sequences of three ...

PURPOSE To compare efficacy and safety of holmium:YAG laser and pneumatic lithotripter in the management of ureteral stones. MATERIALS AND METHODS One hundred and twelve patients with 1 to 2 cm ureteral calculi were selected for pneumatic or holmium:YAG laser transurethral ureterolithotripsy (56 patients in each group). Ultrasonography and plain abdominal x-ray were performed for all the pati...

Rather severe parametric uncertainties and uncertain nonlinearities exist in the dynamic modeling of a parallel manipulator driven by pneumatic muscles. Those uncertainties not only come from the timevarying friction forces and the static force modeling errors of pneumatic muscles but also from the inherent complex nonlinearities and unknown disturbances of the parallel manipulator. In this pap...

We used inclined lithography to fabricate a pneumatic microvalve for tall microchannels such as those used to convey large cells. The pneumatic microvalve consists of three layers. The upper layer is the actual liquid microchannel, which has a parallelogram-shaped cross section of width 500 μm, height 100 μm, and an acute angle of 53.6◦. The lower layer is a pneumatic microchannel that function...

The non-pneumatic anti-shock garment (NASG) is a first-aid device that reverses hypovolaemic shock and decreases obstetric haemorrhage. It consists of articulated neoprene segments that close tightly with Velcro, shunting blood from the lower body to the core organs, elevating blood pressure and increasing preload and cardiac output. This chapter describes the controversial history of the prede...

This paper describes solutions that can be applied to pneumatic manipulator problems in positioning, both for angle trajectories and for long linear trajectories, used in construction tasks. Optimal positioning of a pneumatic manipulator along angle trajectories with minimum control energy consumption is given. The implementation of the control system is presented. Control algorithms for a long...

The performance characteristics of four 24-inch wheelchair tires are considered; one pneumatic and three airless. Specifically, two new airless polyurethane foam tires (circular and tapered cross-section) were compared to both a molded polyisoprene tire and a rubber pneumatic tire. Rolling resistance, coefficient of static friction, spring rate, tire roll-off, impact absorption, wear resistance...

After total hip (THR) or knee replacement (TKR), there is still an appreciable risk of developing deep-vein thrombosis despite prophylaxis with low-molecular-weight heparin (LMWH). In a prospective, randomised study we examined the efficacy of LMWH in combination with intermittent pneumatic compression in patients undergoing primary unilateral THR or TKR. We administered 40 mg of enoxaparin dai...

This study aimed to develop a novel 3D parallel mechanism robot driven by three vertical-axial pneumatic actuators with a stereo vision system for path tracking control. The mechanical system and the control system are the primary novel parts for developing a 3D parallel mechanism robot. In the mechanical system, a 3D parallel mechanism robot contains three serial chains, a fixed base, a movabl...