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Excessive Force (excessive + force)
Selected AbstractsDeployable Truss Operation by ETS-VII Robot Arm Using Force Accommodation ControlCOMPUTER-AIDED CIVIL AND INFRASTRUCTURE ENGINEERING, Issue 3 2001Masahiro Nohmi An experiment for teleoperating a truss structure has been performed as part of a space robotics mission on Engineering Test Satellite No. 7 (ETS-VII). This article reports the results from truss experiments conducted by means of the ETS-VII robot arm using force accommodation control, which is a specific control law developed for the ETS-VII robot arm. With this control function, the robot arm moves toward the point where the external force becomes the command value, which is sent from the ground. This control technique is useful especially in the case of teleoperation with time delay, since excessive force and torque can be avoided, and in addition, no a priori trajectory information is required. However, the robot arm cannot attain the desired configuration for itself. These characteristics can be used for deployable and assembly truss operation, making full use of merits and avoiding demerits. The effectiveness is confirmed through an ETS-VII onboard experiment. [source] Mechanisms and modes for ignition of low-voltage, PVC-insulated electrotechnical productsFIRE AND MATERIALS, Issue 2 2006Vytenis BabrauskasArticle first published online: 1 AUG 200 Abstract PVC is the most common insulation material used for wiring in low-voltage (LV) service. ,Low-voltage', in the context of this paper, is taken to be 120,240 VAC. The electrotechnical products considered include insulated wires, cables and cords, and also appurtenant termination devices, e.g. male plugs or female taps. Well-known factors leading to the ignition of PVC-insulated wiring and related products include: (a) manufacturing defects; (b) grossly excessive current; (c) over-insulation, sometimes augmented by overcurrent; (d) localized heating due to strand breakage; (e) localized heating due to mechanical strand severing by staples or nails; and (f) localized heating due to failed terminations. Other failure modes are known but have received only limited study. These include (i) excessive force and creep; (ii) chemical interaction effects; and (iii) breakdown under voltage surge conditions. Additional research is needed in these areas. The proximate cause of ignition involved with many of the above mechanisms is arc tracking (arcing across a carbonized path). In turn, it is shown that PVC is especially susceptible to becoming charred, it requiring only approximately 160°C for the material to become semiconducting during short-term exposure (around 10 h), while longer-term exposure (around 1 month) may cause failures at temperatures as low as 110°C. Some limited data exist which suggest that standard UL and IEC temperature classifications are unduly optimistic, as applied to PVC. Fire can originate if wiring or equipment cannot withstand a powerline surge. Mains-connected electrical appliances need to be designed to resist 6000 V surge voltages, even though this is not mandated in most of the current UL and IEC standards. Data are presented showing that the IEC 60112 wet-tracking test gives especially misleading results for PVC and should be improved or abrogated. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] The demography of nurses and patients on acute psychiatric wards in EnglandJOURNAL OF CLINICAL NURSING, Issue 6 2009Len Bowers Aims and objectives., To describe the ethnic and demographic composition of staff and patients on acute psychiatric wards in England. Background., A significant proportion of the UK population (7·6%) belong to an ethnic minority and there are concerns that ethnic minority patients are not well served by psychiatry, in particular that they are subject to excessive force and coercion. Design., Survey of a random sample of psychiatric wards in three regions. Methods., A survey was conducted of staff (n = 1536) and patients (n = 11 128) on 136 acute admission psychiatric wards. Results., Ethnic minority patients were more likely to be admitted with a diagnosis of schizophrenia, younger, more likely to be admitted for a risk of harm to others and more likely to be legally detained. The association between ethnic minority status and detention remains, even when risk, age, gender and diagnosis are taken into account. Ethnic minority patients come from areas of greater social deprivation and fragmentation. Ethnic concordance between staff and patients varies, but the greatest difference is found in London where the proportion of minority staff is greater than the proportion of minority patients. Conclusions., There continues to be evidence that ethnic minority patients are subject to an excessive amount of legal coercion in English mental health services. However, the proportion of staff belonging to an ethnic minority is greater than the proportion of patients. Relevance to clinical practice., Solutions to the problem of excessive use of legal coercion with ethnic minority patients need to be found. Changes of recruitment strategies are required if concordance is to be achieved. [source] Unsanctioned aggression in rugby union: relationships among aggressiveness, anger, athletic identity, and professionalizationAGGRESSIVE BEHAVIOR, Issue 3 2009J. P. Maxwell Abstract Aggressive players who intentionally cause injury to their opponents are common in many sports, particularly collision sports such as Rugby Union. Although some acts of aggression fall within the rules (sanctioned), others do not (unsanctioned), with the latter tending to be less acceptable than the former. This study attempts to identify characteristics of players who are more likely to employ unsanctioned methods in order to injure an opponent. Male Rugby Union players completed questionnaires assessing aggressiveness, anger, past aggression, professionalization, and athletic identity. Players were assigned to one of two groups based on self-reported past unsanctioned aggression. Results indicated that demographic variables (e.g., age, playing position, or level of play) were not predictive of group membership. Measures of aggressiveness and professionalization were significant predictors; high scores on both indicated a greater probability of reporting the use of unsanctioned aggressive force for the sole purpose of causing injury or pain. In addition, players who had been taught how to execute aggressive illegal plays without detection were also more likely to report using excessive force to injure an opponent. Results provide further support that highly professionalized players may be more likely to use methods outside the constitutive rules of Rugby Union in order to intentionally injure their opponents. Results are discussed within the context of the increasing win-at-all-cost attitude that is becoming more prevalent in sport and its implications for youth athletes. Aggr. Behav. 35:237,243, 2009. © 2009 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [source] Interatrial Septum Thickness and Difficulty with Transseptal Puncture during Redo Catheter Ablation of Atrial FibrillationPACING AND CLINICAL ELECTROPHYSIOLOGY, Issue 12 2008DAVID R. TOMLINSON M.D. Background:Patients undergoing catheter ablation for atrial fibrillation (AF) frequently require redo procedures, but there are no data reporting interatrial septum thickness (IAS) and difficulty during repeat transseptal puncture (TSP). Methods:Patients undergoing two separate AF ablation procedures had preprocedural fossa ovalis (FO) thickness measured using transesophageal echocardiography (TEE). "Difficult" TSP was defined by two observers as requiring excessive force, or conversion to TEE guidance. Results:The study comprised 42 patients (37 male) with mean ± SD age 55 ± 9 years. Mean FO thickness was significantly greater at the time of redo TSP (2.2 ± 1.6 mm vs 2.6 ± 1.5 mm at redo, P = 0.03); however, this finding was limited to those who underwent initial dual transseptal sheath procedures, FO thickness 2.0 ± 1.5 mm and 2.5 ± 1.4 mm for TEE 1 and 2, respectively (P = 0.048). There was a trend for more frequent difficult redo TSP procedures, 7/42 (17%; 95% confidence interval [CI] 8,31) redo, versus 4/42 (10%; 95% CI 3,23) first TSP. On univariate analysis, FO thickness was not predictive of TSP difficulty; the only predictor of difficult redo TSP was diabetes. Conclusions:IAS thickness at the FO increased following catheter ablation of AF, yet on subgroup analysis this was limited to initial procedures utilizing dual transseptal sheaths. There was a trend toward more frequent difficulty during redo TSP, yet this was not associated with FO thickening. Diabetes may predispose to difficulty during redo TSP; this finding requires confirmation in a larger study population. [source] "It's doom alone that counts": can international human rights law be an effective source of rights in correctional conditions litigation?,BEHAVIORAL SCIENCES & THE LAW, Issue 5 2009Michael L. Perlin J.D. Over the past three decades, the U.S. judiciary has grown increasingly less receptive to claims by convicted felons as to the conditions of their confinement while in prison. Although courts have not articulated a return to the "hands off" policy of the 1950s, it is clear that it has become significantly more difficult for prisoners to prevail in constitutional correctional litigation. The passage and aggressive implementation of the Prison Litigation Reform Act has been a powerful disincentive to such litigation in many areas of prisoners' rights law. From the perspective of the prisoner, the legal landscape is more hopeful in matters that relate to mental health care and treatment. Here, in spite of a general trend toward more stringent applications of standards of proof and a reluctance to order sweeping, intrusive remedies, some courts have aggressively protected prisoners' rights to be free from "deliberate indifference" to serious medical needs, and to be free from excessive force on the part of prison officials. A mostly hidden undercurrent in some prisoners' rights litigation has been the effort on the part of some plaintiffs' lawyers to look to international human rights doctrines as a potential source of rights, an effort that has met with some modest success. It receives support by the inclination of other courts to turn to international human rights conventions,even in nations where such conventions have not been ratified,as a kind of "best practice" in the area. The recent publication and subsequent ratification (though not, as of yet, by the United States) of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) may add new support to those using international human rights documents as a basis for litigating prisoners' rights claims. To the best of our knowledge, there has, as of yet, been no scholarly literature on the question of the implications of the CRPD on the state of prisoners' rights law in a U.S. domestic context. In this article, we raise this question, and offer some tentative conclusions. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Urological complications of coitusBJU INTERNATIONAL, Issue 3 2002N. Eke Objective To ascertain the urological complications of coitus, as the proximity of the lower urinary tract to the organs of coitus exposes the tract to coital trauma. Materials and methods Medline was searched from 1966 to 2000 to identify reports on coital injuries. Publications and relevant references were retrieved. Those reporting urological complications were selected for analysis. Results In all, 1454 cases of reported coital injuries were reviewed; 790 occurred in men while 664 occurred in women, mainly in the genital area. Physical urological complications were more common in men than in women. The injuries were often sustained during voluntary coitus, but one penile fracture was sustained during an attempted rape. The presentations included penile swellings and deviations, haemorrhage, erectile dysfunction and urinary incontinence. Complications included vesicovaginal fistulae, bladder and cavernosal ruptures, and urinary tract infections. Rare complications included isolated rupture of the penile vasculature. Major risk factors included penovaginal disproportion, excessive force at coitus, urethral coitus, fellatio and anal intercourse. Urethral injuries were the commonest complications; in men these were associated with 10,38% of penile fractures. The treatments included cold compress and anti-inflammatory agents in contusions, repairs of lacerations, closure of fistulae and urethral and vaginal reconstruction. The results of treatment were essentially good. Recurrent penile fractures were reported. Conclusion Coitus, although pleasurable, may be risky. The complications have been termed ,faux pas' implying that they are preventable. While the ultimate prevention is abstinence, this is an unrealistic prescription. Therefore, efforts are necessary to identify risk factors to enable preventive strategies. [source] Pathoanatomy of posterior ankle impingement in ballet dancers,CLINICAL ANATOMY, Issue 6 2010Jeffrey A. Russell Abstract Dance is a high performance athletic activity that leads to great numbers of injuries, particularly in the ankle region. One reason for this is the extreme range of ankle motion required of dancers, especially females in classical ballet where the en pointe and demi-pointe positions are common. These positions of maximal plantar flexion produce excessive force on the posterior ankle and may result in impingement, pain, and disability. Os trigonum and protruding lateral talar process are two common and well-documented morphological variations associated with posterior ankle impingement in ballet dancers. Other less well-known conditions, of both bony and soft tissue origins, can also elicit symptoms. This article reviews the anatomical causes of posterior ankle impingement that commonly affect ballet dancers with a view to equipping healthcare professionals for improved effectiveness in diagnosing and treating this pathology in a unique type of athlete. Clin. Anat. 23:613,621, 2010. © 2010 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [source] | ||||||||||||||||