Search results for: lower limb amputation

Authors: A. Karadeniz, Belgin Kucukomeroglu

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In this study natural gamma radioactivity levels are determined on sands along the coastal regions of Giresun/Turkey. The coast of Giresun about 290 km long in investigated to collect 101 sand samples. Natural and artificial radioactivity concentrations of sand samples were measured by using HPGe gamma spectrometry. The average activity concentrations of 238U, 232Th, 40K and 137Cs on sand samples of Giresun were found to be 10.83±2.92 Bq/kg, 21.28±3.22 Bq/kg, 6.42±1.06 Bq/kg, 230.94±10.67 Bq/kg respectively. The average activity concentrations for these radionuclides were compared with the reported data of other parts of Turkey and other countries. The average absorbed dose rate for Giresun was calculated to be 38.68 nGy/h respectively. This value is significantly lower than the World averaged value of 60 nGy/h. The external annual effective dose rate concentration in Giresun was found to be 0.047 mSv/y respectively. This result is much lower than the recommeded limit of 5 mSv/y. The external hazard dose rate for Giresun weas calculated to be 0.21 respectively. This result is much lower than the recommended limit of 1.0.

Keywords: concentration, radioactivity, Giresun, natural gamma radioactivity

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Authors: Mehmet Yavuz Hüseyinca, Şuayip Küpeli

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Sandstones from Upper Eocene - Oligocene Tepeköy formation (Member of Mezgit Group) that exposed on the eastern edge of Tuz Gölü (Salt Lake) were analyzed for their rare earth element (REE) contents. Average concentrations of ΣREE, ΣLREE (Total light rare earth elements) and ΣHREE (Total heavy rare earth elements) were determined as 31.37, 26.47 and 4.55 ppm respectively. These values are lower than UCC (Upper continental crust) which indicates grain size and/or CaO dilution effect. The chondrite-normalized REE pattern is characterized by the average ratios of (La/Yb)cn = 6.20, (La/Sm)cn = 4.06, (Gd/Lu)cn = 1.10, Eu/Eu* = 0.99 and Ce/Ce* = 0.94. Lower values of ΣLREE/ΣHREE (Average 5.97) and (La/Yb)cn suggest lower fractionation of overall REE. Moreover (La/Sm)cn and (Gd/Lu)cn ratios define less inclined LREE and almost flat HREE pattern when compared with UCC. Almost no Ce anomaly (Ce/Ce*) emphasizes that REE were originated from terrigenous material. Also depleted LREE and no Eu anomaly (Eu/Eu*) suggest an undifferentiated mafic provenance for the sandstones.

Keywords: central Anatolia, provenance, rare earth elements, REE, Tepeköy sandstone

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Authors: Ahmed M. F. El Shiwi

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Background: Low back pain affects about 60% to 90% of the working-age population in modern industrial society. Myofascial pain syndrome is a condition characterized by muscles shortening with increased tone and associated with trigger points that aggravated with the activity of daily living. Purpose: To examine the effects of magnetic field therapy in patients with lower back myofascial pain syndrome. Methods: Thirty patients were assigned randomly into two groups. Subjects in the experimental group (n=15) with main age of 36.73 (2.52) received traditional physical therapy program (Infrared radiation, ultrasonic, stretching and strengthening exercises for back muscles) as well as magnetic field, and control group (n=15) with main age of 37.27 (2.52) received traditional physical therapy only. The following parameters including pain severity, functional disability and lumbar range of motion (flexion, extension, right side bending, and left side bending) were measured before and after four weeks of treatment. Results: The results showed significant improvement in all parameters in the experimental group compared with those in the control group. Interpretation/Conclusion: By the present date, it is possible to conclude that a magnetic field is effective as a method of treatment for lower back myofascial pain syndrome patients with the parameters used in the present study.

Keywords: magnetic field, lower back pain, myofascial pain syndrome, biological systems engineering

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Authors: Monjurul Hasan, Golam Kibria, Abdus Salam

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Pervious concrete is a form of lightweight porous concrete, obtained by eliminating the fine aggregate from the normal concrete mix. The advantages of this type of concrete are lower density, lower cost due to lower cement content, lower thermal conductivity, relatively low drying shrinkage, no segregation and capillary movement of water. In this paper an investigation is made on the mechanical response of the pervious concrete at zero fine level (zero fine concrete) made with local brick aggregate. Effect of aggregate size variation on the strength, void ratio and permeability of the zero fine concrete is studied. Finally, a comparison is also presented between the stone aggregate made pervious concrete and brick aggregate made pervious concrete. In total 75 concrete cylinder were tested for compressive strength, 15 cylinder were tested for void ratio and 15 cylinder were tested for permeability test. Mix proportion (cement: Coarse aggregate) was kept fixed at 1:6 (by weights), where water cement ratio was valued 0.35 for preparing the sample specimens. The brick aggregate size varied among 25mm, 19mm, 12mm. It has been found that the compressive strength decreased with the increment of aggregate size but permeability increases and concrete made with 19mm maximum aggregate size yields the optimum value. No significant differences on the strength and permeability test are observed between the brick aggregate made zero fine concrete and stone aggregate made zero fine concrete.

Keywords: pervious concrete, brick aggregate concrete, zero fine concrete, permeability, porosity

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Authors: Chun-Liang Wu, Kai-Ping Shaw, Cheng-Ping Yu, Wu-Chien Chien, Hsiao-Ting Chen, Shao-Huang Wu

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Objective: This study analyzed three criminal judicial cases. We applied the damage analysis of the two vehicles to verify other evidence, such as dashboard camera records of each accident, reconstruct the scenes, and pursue the truth. Methods: Evidence analysis, the method is to collect evidence and the reason for the results in judicial procedures, then analyze the involved damage evidence to verify other evidence. The collision damage analysis method is to inspect the damage to the vehicles and utilize the principles of tool mark analysis, Newtonian physics, and vehicle structure to understand the relevant factors when the vehicles collide. Results: Case 1: Sedan A turned right at the T junction and collided with Scooter B, which was going straight on the left road. The dashboard camera records showed that the left side of Sedan A’s front bumper collided with the body of Scooter B and rider B. After the analysis of the study, the truth was that the front of the left side of Sedan A impacted the right pedal of Scooter B and the right lower limb of rider B. Case 2: Sedan C collided with Scooter D on the left road at the crossroads. The dashboard camera record showed that the left side of the Sedan C’s front bumper collided with the body of Scooter D and rider D. After the analysis of the study, the truth was that the left side of the Sedan C impacted the left side of the car body and the front wheel of Scooter D and rider D. Case 3: Sedan E collided with Scooter F on the right road at the crossroads. The dashboard camera record showed that the right side of the Sedan E’s front bumper collided with the body of Scooter F and rider F. After the analysis of the study, the truth was that the right side of the front bumper and the right side of the Sedan F impacted the Scooter. Conclusion: The application of collision damage analysis in the reconstruction of a sedan-scooter collision could discover the truth and provide the basis for judicial justice. The cases and methods could be the reference for the road safety policy.

Keywords: evidence analysis, collision damage analysis, accident reconstruction, sedan-scooter collision, dashboard camera records

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Authors: Selfa Johnson Zwalnan, Nanchen Nimyel Caleb, Gideon Duvuna Ayuba

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Air conditioning accounts for a significant share of the overall energy consumed in residential buildings. Solar thermal gains in buildings account for a significant component of the air conditioning load in buildings. This study compares the solar thermal gain and air conditioning load of a proposed building design with a typical conventional building in the climatic conditions of Jos, Nigeria, using a combined experimental and computational method using TRNSYS software. According to the findings of this study, the proposed design building's annual average solar thermal gains are lower compared to the reference building's average solar heat gains. The study case building's decreased solar heat gain is mostly attributable to the somewhat lower temperature of the building zones because of the greater building volume and lower fenestration ratio (ratio of external opening area to the area of the external walls). This result shows that the innovative building design adjusts to the local climate better than the standard conventional construction in Jos to maintain a suitable temperature within the building. This finding means that the air-conditioning electrical energy consumption per volume of the proposed building design will be lower than that of a conventional building design.

Keywords: building simulation, solar gain, comfort temperature, temperature, carbon foot print

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Authors: Anita, Sari Septiani Tangke, Rusdina Bte Ladju, Nasrum Massi

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New diagnostic tools are urgently needed to interrupt the transmission of tuberculosis and multidrug-resistant tuberculosis. The microscopic-observation drug-susceptibility (MODS) assay is a rapid, accurate and simple liquid culture method to detect multidrug-resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB). MODS were evaluated to determine a lower and same concentration of isoniazid and rifampin for detection of MDR-TB. Direct drug-susceptibility testing was performed with the use of the MODS assay. Drug-sensitive control strains were tested daily. The drug concentrations that used for both isoniazid and rifampin were at the same concentration: 0.16, 0.08 and 0.04μg per milliliter. We tested 56 M. tuberculosis clinical isolates and the control strains M. tuberculosis H37RV. All concentration showed same result. Of 53 M. tuberculosis clinical isolates, 14 were MDR-TB, 38 were susceptible with isoniazid and rifampin, 1 was resistant with isoniazid only. Drug-susceptibility testing was performed with the use of the proportion method using Mycobacteria Growth Indicator Tube (MGIT) system as reference. The result of MODS assay using lower concentration was significance (P<0.001) compare with the reference methods. A lower and same concentration of isoniazid and rifampin can be used to detect MDR-TB. Operational cost and application can be more efficient and easier in resource-limited environments. However, additional studies evaluating the MODS using lower and same concentration of isoniazid and rifampin must be conducted with a larger number of clinical isolates.

Keywords: isoniazid, MODS assay, MDR-TB, rifampin

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Authors: Asma Ahmed Aljohani, Mohammed Orif

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The concentration of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH) in clam (A. glabrata) was examined in samples collected from Alseef Beach, 30 km south of Jeddah city. Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) was used to analyse the 14 PAHs. The concentration of total PAHs was found to range from 11.521 to 40.149 ng/gdw with a mean concentration of 21.857 ng/gdw, which is lower compared to similar studies. The lower molecular weight PAHs with three rings comprised 18.14% of the total PAH concentrations in the clams, while the high molecular weight PAHs with four rings, five rings, and six rings account for 81.86%. Diagnostic ratios for PAH source distinction suggested pyrogenic or anthropogenic sources.

Keywords: bivalves, biomonitoring, hydrocarbons, PAHs

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Authors: Ayten Bakhtiyar Khasayeva

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Lower Kura depression is a part of the South Caspian Basin (SCB), located between the folded regions of the Greater and Lesser Caucasus. The region is characterized by thick sedimentary cover 22 km (SCB up to 30 km), high sedimentation rate, low geothermal gradient (average value corresponds to 2 °C / 100m). There is Quaternary, Pliocene, Miocene and Oligocene deposits take part in geological structure. Miocene and Oligocene deposits are opened by prospecting and exploratory wells in the areas of Kalamaddin and Garabagli. There are 25 mud volcanoes within the territory of the Lower Kura depression, which are the unique source of information about hydrocarbons contenting great depths. During the wells data research, solid erupted products and mud volcano fluids, and according to the geological and thermal characteristics of the region, it was determined that the main phase of the hydrocarbon generation (MK1-AK2) corresponds to a wide range of depths from 10 to 14 km, which corresponds to the Pliocene-Miocene sediments, and to the "oil and gas windows" according to the intended meaning of R0 ≈ 0,65-0,85%. Fluids of mud volcanoes comprise by the following phases - gas, water. Gas phase consists mainly of methane (99%) of heavy hydrocarbons (С2+ hydrocarbons), CO2, N2, inert components He, Ar. The content of the С2+ hydrocarbons in the gases of mud volcanoes associated with oil deposits is increased. Carbon isotopic composition of methane for the Lower Kura depression varies from -40 ‰ to -60 ‰. Water of mud volcanoes are represented by all four genetic types. However the most typical types of water are HCN type. According to the Mg-Li geothermometer formation of mud waters corresponds to the temperature range from 20 °C to 140 °C (PC2). The solid product emissions of mud volcanoes identified 90 minerals and 30 trace elements. As a result geochemical investigation, thermobaric and geological conditions, zone oil and gas generation - the prospect of the Lower Kura depression is projected to depths greater than 10 km.

Keywords: geology, geochemistry, mud volcanoes, petroleum potential

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Authors: Adeyemi, Samuel Olusegun

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Biometrics and dietary habit of Citharinus citharus in the lower Niger River area of kogi state were studied between October and December, 2010. A total of 120 fish sampled were used for the study. The total length, standard length and weight were taken for each fish sample for the estimations of length-weight relationship using the formula W = aLb and transformed to Log W = Log a + b Log L. Stomach contents were analyzed by frequency of occurrence method. The standard length of males, females and combined sexes ranged between 6.8 - 16.5, 7.3 – 14.3 cm, 6.8 – 74.2 (cm) respectively, with b – values of 3.0963, 3.174 and 3.1382. The condition factor ranged from 2.04 – 2.80, 1.88 – 2.86 and 1.88 – 2.86 respectively. The food and feeding habits shows that the fish feeds mainly sand grain (25.83%), mud (24.16%), plant parts (12.50%), insect part (2.50%), algae (12.50%) and unidentified items (5.00%). C. citharus in the lower Niger area of kogi state could be termed to an omnivore. River Niger could be said to be suitable for growth and survival of the fish species C. citharus.

Keywords: length-weight, sexes, stomach content, feeding habits, plant materials

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Authors: Rayleigh Dada Abu, Halilu Ahmad Shaba

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Siltation is a serious problem that affects public water supply infrastructures such as dams and reservoirs. It is a major problem which threatens the performance and sustainability of dams and reservoirs. It reduces the dam capacity for flood control, potable water supply, changes water stage, reduces water quality and recreational benefits. The focus of this study is the Lower Usuma reservoir. At completion the reservoir had a gross storage capacity of 100 × 106 m3 (100 million cubic metres), a maximum operational level of 587.440 m a.s.l., with a maximum depth of 49 m and a catchment area of 241 km2 at dam site with a daily designed production capacity of 10,000 cubic metres per hour. The reservoir is 1,300 m long and feeds the treatment plant mainly by gravity. The reservoir became operational in 1986 and no survey has been conducted to determine its current storage capacity and rate of siltation. Hydrographic survey of the reservoir by integrated acoustic echo-sounding technique was conducted in November 2012 to determine the level and rate of siltation. The result obtained shows that the reservoir has lost 12.0 meters depth to siltation in 26 years of its operation; indicating 24.5% loss in installed storage capacity. The present bathymetric survey provides baseline information for future work on siltation depth and annual rates of storage capacity loss for the Lower Usuma reservoir.

Keywords: sedimentation, lower Usuma reservoir, acoustic echo sounder, bathymetric survey

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Authors: Leyla Sattarzadeh, Shahin Fathi Molk Kian, Maghsoud Peeri, Mohammadali Azarbaijani, Hasan Matin Homaee

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Inflammation by various mechanisms may cause atherosclerosis. Systemic circulating inflammatory markers such as C-reactive protein (CRP), pro-inflammatory cytokines such as Interleukin-6 (IL-6), vascular inflammatory markers as adhesion molecules like Intracellular Adhesion Molecule-1 (ICAM-1) and Vascular Cell Adhesion Molecule-1 (VCAM-1) are the predictors of cardiovascular diseases. Regarding the conflicting results about the effect of different patterns of resistance exercise training on these inflammatory markers, present study aimed to examine the effect of different patterns of eight week resistance exercise training on CRP, IL-6, ICAM-1 and VCAM-1 levels in healthy untrained women. 56 healthy volunteered untrained female university students (aged: 21 ± 3 yr., Body Mass Index: 21.5 ± 3.5 kg/m²) were selected purposefully and divided into four groups. At the end of training protocol and after subject drop during the protocol, upper body exercise training (n=11), lower body (n=12) and whole body resistance exercise training group (n=11) completed the eight weeks of training period although the control group (n=7) did anything. Blood samples gathered pre and post-experimental period and CRP, IL-6, ICAM-1 and VCAM-1 levels were evaluated using special laboratory kits, then the difference of pre and post values of each indices analyzed using one-way analysis of variance (α < 0.05). The results of one way ANOVA for difference of pre and post values of CRP, ICAM-1 and VCAM-1 showed no significant changes due to the exercise training, but there were significant differences between groups about IL-6. Tukey post- hoc test indicated that there is significant difference between the differences of pre and post values of IL-6 between lower body exercise training group and control group, and eight weeks of lower body exercise training lead to significant changes in IL-6 values. There were no changes in anthropometric indices. The findings show that the different patterns of upper, lower and whole body exercise training by involving the different amounts of muscles altered the IL-6 values in lower body exercise training group probably because of engaging the bigger amount of muscles, but showed any significant changes about CRP, ICAM-1 and VCAM-1 probably due to intensity and duration of exercise or the lower levels of these markers at baseline of healthy people.

Keywords: resistance training, C-reactive protein, interleukin-6, intracellular adhesion molecule-1, vascular cell adhesion molecule-1

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Authors: Svilen Dimitrov, Manthan Pancholi, Norbert Schmitz, Didier Stricker

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This paper presents the end-to-end development of a wearable motion sensing harness consisting of computational unit and four inertial measurement units to control three smartphone therapeutic games for children. The inertial data is processed in real time to obtain lower body motion information like knee raises, feet taps and squads. By providing a Wi-Fi connection interface the sensor harness acts wireless remote control for smartphone applications. By performing various lower body movements the users provoke corresponding game state changes. In contrary to the current similar offers, like Nintendo Wii Remote, Xbox Kinect and Playstation Move, this product, consisting of the sensor harness and the applications on top of it, are fully wearable, which means they do not rely on the user to be bound to concrete soft- or hardwareequipped space.

Keywords: wearable harness, inertial measurement units, smartphone therapeutic games, motion tracking, lower-body activity monitoring

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Authors: Zemirline Adel, Ouali Mohammed, Mahieddine Ali

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The FOSDT (First Order Shear Deformation Theory) is taking into consideration to study the static behavior of a bimorph beam, with a delamination zone between the upper and the lower layer. The effect of limit conditions and lengths of the delamination zone are presented in this paper, with a PVDF piezoelectric material application. A FEM “Finite Element Method” is used to discretize the beam. In the axial displacement, a displacement field appears in the debonded zone with inverse effect between the upper and the lower layer was observed.

Keywords: static, piezoelectricity, beam, delamination

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Authors: Kurudzirayi Robson Musikavanhu

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Nanophase particles exhibit quantum behavior by virtue of their small size, being particles of gamma to x-ray wavelength [atomic range]. Such particles exhibit high frequencies, high energy/photon, high penetration power, high ionization power [atomic behavior] and are stable at low energy levels as opposed to bulk phase matter [macro particles] which exhibit higher wavelength [radio wave end] properties, hence lower frequency, lower energy/photon, lower penetration power, lower ionizing power and are less stable at low temperatures. The ‘unique’ behavioral motion of Nano systems will remain a mystery as long as quantum theory remains a mystery, and for pharmacology, pharmacovigilance profiling of Nano systems becomes virtually impossible. Quantum theory is the 4 – 3 – 5 electromagnetic law of life and life motion systems on planet earth. Electromagnetic [wave-particle] properties of all particulate matter changes as mass [bulkiness] changes from one phase to the next [Nano-phase to micro-phase to milli-phase to meter-phase to kilometer phase etc.] and the subsequent electromagnetic effect of one phase particle on bulk matter [different phase] changes from one phase to another. All matter exhibit electromagnetic properties [wave-particle duality] in behavior and the lower the wavelength [and the lesser the bulkiness] the higher the gamma ray end properties exhibited and the higher the wavelength [and the greater the bulkiness], the more the radio-wave end properties are exhibited. Quantum theory is the 4 [moon] – 3[sun] – [earth] 5 law of the Electromagnetic spectrum [solar system]. 4 + 3 = 7; 4 + 3 + 5 = 12; 4 * 3 * 5 = 60; 42 + 32 = 52; 43 + 33 + 53 = 63. Quantum age is overdue.

Keywords: electromagnetic solar system, nano-material, nano pharmacology, pharmacovigilance, quantum theory

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Authors: Esra Alveroglu Durucu, Kenan Koc

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In this study, we synthesized and characterized nano-sized Poly- N-isopropylacrylamide (PNIPAM) hydrogels. N-isopropylacrylamide (NIPAM) micro and macro gels are known as a thermosensitive colloidal structure, and they respond to changes in the environmental conditions such as temperature and pH. Here, nano-sized gels were synthesized via precipitation copolymerization method. N,N-methylenebisacrylamide (BIS) and ammonium persulfate APS were used as crosslinker and initiator, respectively. 8-Hydroxypyrene-1,3,6- trisulfonic Acid (Pyranine, Py) molecules were used for arranging the particle size and thus physical properties of the nano-sized hydrogels. Fluorescence spectroscopy, atomic force microscopy and light scattering methods were used for characterizing the synthesized hydrogels. The results show that the gel size was decreased with increasing amount of ionic molecule from 550 to 140 nm due to the electrostatic behavior of the ionic side groups of pyranine. Light scattering experiments demonstrate that lower critical solution temperature (LCST) of the gels shifts to the lower temperature with decreasing size of gel due to the hydrophobicity–hydrophilicity balance of the polymer chains.

Keywords: hydrogels, lower critical solution temperature, nanogels, poly(n-isopropylacrylamide)

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Authors: Muhammad Ather Nadeem, Bilal Ahmad Khan, Tasawer Abbas

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Nanoherbicides utilize nanotechnology to enhance the delivery of biological or chemical herbicides using combinations of nanomaterials. The aim of this research was to examine the efficacy of chitosan nanoparticles containing MCPA herbicide as a potential eco-friendly alternative for weed control in wheat crops. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM), X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR), and ultraviolet absorbance were used to analyze the developed nanoparticles. The SEM analysis indicated that the average size of the particles was 35 nm, forming clusters with a porous structure. Both nanoparticles of fluroxyper + MCPA exhibited maximal absorption peaks at a wavelength of 320 nm. The compound fluroxyper +MCPA has a strong peak at a 2θ value of 30.55°, which correlates to the 78 plane of the anatase phase. The weeds, including Chenopodium album, Lathyrus aphaca, Angalis arvensis, and Melilotus indica, were sprayed with the nanoparticles while they were in the third or fourth leaf stage. There were seven distinct dosages used: doses (D0 (Check weeds), D1 (Recommended dose of traditional herbicide, D2 (Recommended dose of Nano-herbicide (NPs-H)), D3 (NPs-H with 05-fold lower dose), D4 ((NPs-H) with 10-fold lower dose), D5 (NPs-H with 15-fold lower dose), and D6 (NPs-H with 20-fold lower dose)). The chitosan-based nanoparticles of MCPA at the prescribed dosage of conventional herbicide resulted in complete death and visual damage, with a 100% fatality rate. The dosage that was 5-fold lower exhibited the lowest levels of plant height (3.95 cm), chlorophyll content (5.63%), dry biomass (0.10 g), and fresh biomass (0.33 g) in the broad-leaved weed of wheat. The herbicide nanoparticles, when used at a dosage 10-fold lower than that of conventional herbicides, had a comparable impact on the prescribed dosage. Nano-herbicides have the potential to improve the efficiency of standard herbicides by increasing stability and lowering toxicity.

Keywords: mortality, visual injury, chlorophyl contents, chitosan-based nanoparticles

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Authors: Nancy N. Sharmila, Aparna Mishra

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Hemiparesis affects almost 80% of stroke patients each year. It is marked by paralysis or weakness on one half of the body. Our model provides both assistance and physical therapy for hemiparesis patients for swift recovery. In order to accomplish our goal a force is provided that pulls the forearm up (as in flexing the arm), and pushes the forearm down (as in extending the arm), which will also assist the user during ADL (Activities of Daily Living). The model consists of a mechanical component which is placed around the patient’s bicep and an EMG control circuit to assist patients in daily activities, which makes it affordable and easy to use. In order to enhance the neuromuscular system’s effectiveness in synchronize the movement, proprioceptive neuromuscular facilitation (PNF) concept is used. The EMG signals are acquired from the unaffected arm as an input to drive the orthosis. This way the patient is invigorated to use the orthosis for regular exercise.

Keywords: EMG, hemiparesis, orthosis, rehabilitation

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Authors: Reem Alshiha, Tanzila Saba

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Physical rehabilitation is the process of helping people to recover and be able to go back to their former activities that have been delayed due to external factors such as car accidents, old age and victims of strokes (chronic diseases and accidents, and those related to sport activities).The cost of hiring a personal nurse or driving the patient to and from the hospital could be costly and time-consuming. Also, there are other factors to take into account such as forgetfulness, boredom and lack of motivation. In order to solve this dilemma, some experts came up with rehabilitation software to be used with Microsoft Kinect to help the patients and their families for in-home rehabilitation. In home rehabilitation software is becoming more and more popular, since it is more convenient for all parties affiliated with the patient. In contrast to the other costly market-based systems that have no portability, Microsoft’s Kinect is a portable motion sensor that reads body movements and interprets it. New software development has made rehabilitation games available to be used at home for the convenience of the patient. The game will benefit its users (rehabilitation patients) in saving time and money. There are many software's that are used with the Kinect for rehabilitation, but the software that is chosen in this research is Kinectotherapy. Kinectotherapy software is used for rehabilitation patients in Riyadh clinics to test its acceptance by patients and their physicians. In this study, we used Kinect because it was affordable, portable and easy to access in contrast to expensive market-based motion sensors. This paper explores the importance of in-home rehabilitation by using Kinect with Kinectotherapy software. The software targets both upper and lower limbs, but in this research, the main focus is on upper-limb functionality. However, the in-home rehabilitation is applicable to be used by all patients with motor disability, since the patient must have some self-reliance. The targeted subjects are patients with minor motor impairment that are somewhat independent in their mobility. The presented work is the first to consider the implementation of in-home rehabilitation with real-time feedback to the patient and physician. This research proposes the implementation of in-home rehabilitation in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The findings show that most of the patients are interested and motivated in using the in-home rehabilitation system in the future. The main value of the software application is due to these factors: improve patient engagement through stimulating rehabilitation, be a low cost rehabilitation tool and reduce the need for expensive one-to-one clinical contact. Rehabilitation is a crucial treatment that can improve the quality of life and confidence of the patient as well as their self-esteem.

Keywords: x-box, rehabilitation, physical therapy, rehabilitation software, kinect

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Authors: Akm Badrul Alam, Yoshiaki Fujii, Nahid Hasan Dipu, Shakil Ahmed Razo

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Shale rockmasses often include silt layers, impacting slope stability in construction and mining. Analyzing their interaction is crucial for long-term stability. A study used an elastoplastic model, incorporating the stress transfer method and Coulomb's criterion, to assess a shale rock mass with silt layers. It computed stress distribution, assessed failure potential, and identified vulnerable regions where nodal forces were calculated for a comprehensive analysis. A shale rock mass ranging from 14.75 to 16.75 meters thick, with silt layers varying from 0.36 to 0.5 meters, was considered in the model. It examined four silt layer conditions: horizontal (SiHL), vertical (SiVL), inclined against slope (SiIincAGS), and along slope (SilincALO). Mechanical parameters like uniaxial compressive strength (UCS), tensile strength (TS), Young’s modulus (E), Poisson’s ratio, and density were adjusted for varied scenarios: UCS (0.5 to 5 MPa), TS (0.1 to 1 MPa), and E (6 to 60 MPa). In elastic analysis of shale rock masses, stress distributions vary based on layer properties. When shale and silt layers have the same elasticity modulus (E), stress concentrates at corners. If the silt layer has a lower E than shale, marginal changes in maximum stress (σmax) occur for SilHL. A decrease in σmax is evident at SilVL. Slight variations in σmax are observed for SilincAGS and SilincALO. In the elastoplastic analysis, the overall decrease of 20%, 40%, 60%, 80%, and 90% was considered. For SilHL:(i) Same E, UCS, and TS for silt layer and shale, UCS/TS ratio 5: strength decrease led to shear (S), tension then shear (T then S) failure; noticeable failure at 60% decrease, significant at 80%, collapse at 90%. (ii) Lower E for silt layer, same strength as shale: No significant differences. (iii) Lower E and UCS, silt layer strength 1/10: No significant differences. For SilVL: (i) Same E, UCS, and TS for silt layer and shale, UCS/TS ratio 5: Similar effects as SilHL. (ii) Lower E for silt layer, same strength as shale: Slip occurred. (iii) Lower E and UCS, silt layer strength 1/10: Bitension failure also observed with larger slip. For SilincAGS: (i) Same E, UCS, and TS for silt layer and shale, UCS/TS ratio 5: Effects similar to SilHL. (ii) Lower E for silt layer, same strength as shale: Slip occurred. (iii) Lower E and UCS, silt layer strength 1/10: Tension failure also observed with larger slip. For SilincALO: (i) Same E, UCS, and TS for silt layer and shale, UCS/TS ratio 5: Similar to SilHL with tension failure. (ii) Lower E for silt layer, same strength as shale: No significant differences; failure diverged. (iii) Lower E and UCS, silt layer strength 1/10: Bitension failure also observed with larger slip; failure diverged. Toppling failure was observed for lower E cases of SilVL and SilincAGS. The presence of silt interlayers in shale greatly impacts slope stability. Designing slopes requires careful consideration of both the silt and shale's mechanical properties. The temporal degradation of strength in these layers is a major concern. Thus, slope design must comprehensively analyze the immediate and long-term mechanical behavior of interlayer silt and shale to effectively mitigate instability.

Keywords: shale rock masses, silt layers, slope stability, elasto-plastic model, temporal degradation

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Authors: Radhika Ramanchi

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The oil market during 2014-2015 in India with large price fluctuations is very confusing to individual investor. The drop in oil prices supported stocks of some oil marketing companies (OMCs) like Bharat Petroleum Corporation, Hindustan Petroleum Corporation (HPCL) and Indian Oil Corporation etc their shares rose 84.74%, 128.63% and 59.16%, respectively. Lower oil prices, and lower current account, a smaller subsidy burden are the reasons for outperformance. On the other hand, lower crude prices giving downward pressure on upstream companies like Oil and Natural Gas Corp. Ltd (ONGC) and Reliance Petroleum (RIL) Oil India Ltd (OIL). Not having clarity on a subsidy sharing mechanism is the reason for downward trend on these stocks. Shares of ONGC and RIL have underperformed so far in 2015. When the oil price fall profits of the companies will effect, generate less money and may cut their dividends in Long run. In this situation this paper objective is to study investment strategies in oil marketing companies, by applying CAPM and Security Market Line.

Keywords: petrol industry, price fluctuations, sharp single index model, SML, Markowitz model

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Authors: Mohamed Amine Adaour, Mohamed Sadek Bachene, Mosaab Fortassi, Wafaa Siouda

Abstract:

— Foot infections are responsible for a significant number of hospitalizations and amputations in diabetic patients. The objective of our study is to analyze and evaluate the management of diabetic foot in a surgical setting. A retrospective study was conducted based on a selected case of suspected diabetic foot infections of osteitis treated at the Mohamed Boudiaf hospital in Medea.The case was reiterated as a therapeutic charge, consisting of treating first the infection of the soft tissues, then the osteitis: biopsy after at least 15 days of cessation of antibiotic therapy. Successful treatment of osteitis was defined at the end of a follow-up period of complete wound healing, lack of bone resection/amputation surgery at the initial bone site during follow-up , Instead, biopsies are prescribed in the treatment of soft tissue infection. The mean duration of treatment for soft tissue infection was 2-3 weeks, the duration of the antibiotic-free window of therapy prior to bone biopsy was 2-4 weeks. This patient received medical management without surgical resection. The success rate for treating osteitis at one year was 73%, and healing at one year was 88%.It is often limited to a sausage of the foot at the cost of repeated amputations. The best management remains prevention, which necessarily involves setting up a specialized and adapted centre.

Keywords: diabetic foot, bone biopsy, osteitis, algeria

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Authors: Sungpil Ha, Ju Yong Kang, Sangbaek Park, Seung-Ju Lee, Soo-Won Chae

Abstract:

The growing number of obese patients in aging societies has led to an increase in the number of patients with knee medial osteoarthritis (OA). Artificial joint insertion is the most common treatment for knee medial OA. Surgery is effective for patients with serious arthritic symptoms, but it is costly and dangerous. It is also inappropriate way to prevent a disease as an early stage. Therefore Non-operative treatments such as toe-in gait are proposed recently. Toe-in gait is one of non-surgical interventions, which restrain the progression of arthritis and relieves pain by reducing knee adduction moment (KAM) to facilitate lateral distribution of load on to knee medial cartilage. Numerous studies have measured KAM in various foot progression angle (FPA), and KAM data could be obtained by motion analysis. However, variations in stress at knee cartilage could not be directly observed or evaluated by these experiments of measuring KAM. Therefore, this study applied motion analysis to major gait points (1st peak, mid –stance, 2nd peak) with regard to FPA, and to evaluate the effects of FPA on the human lower extremity, the finite element (FE) method was employed. Three types of gait analysis (toe-in, toe-out, baseline gait) were performed with markers placed at the lower extremity. Ground reaction forces (GRF) were obtained by the force plates. The forces associated with the major muscles were computed using GRF and marker trajectory data. MRI data provided by the Visible Human Project were used to develop a human lower extremity FE model. FE analyses for three types of gait simulations were performed based on the calculated muscle force and GRF. We observed the maximum stress point during toe-in gait was lower than the other types, by comparing the results of FE analyses at the 1st peak across gait types. This is the same as the trend exhibited by KAM, measured through motion analysis in other papers. This indicates that the progression of knee medial OA could be suppressed by adopting toe-in gait. This study integrated motion analysis with FE analysis. One advantage of this method is that re-modeling is not required even with changes in posture. Therefore another type of gait simulation or various motions of lower extremity can be easily analyzed using this method.

Keywords: finite element analysis, gait analysis, human model, motion capture

Procedia PDF Downloads 311

Authors: Mohamed Amine Adaour, Mohamed Sadek Bachene, Mosaab Fortassi, Wafaa Siouda

Abstract:

Foot infections are responsible for a significant number of hospitalizations and amputations in diabetic patients. The objective of our study is to analyze and evaluate the management of diabetic foot in a surgical setting. A retrospective study was conducted based on a selected case of suspected diabetic foot infections of osteitis treated at the Mohamed Boudiaf hospital in Medea. The case was reiterated as a therapeutic charge, consisting of treating first the infection of the soft tissues, then the osteitis: biopsy after at least 15 days of cessation of antibiotic therapy. Successful treatment of osteitis was defined at the end of a follow-up period of complete wound healing, lack of bone resection/amputation surgery at the initial bone site during follow-up , Instead, biopsies are prescribed in the treatment of soft tissue infection. The mean duration of treatment for soft tissue infection was 2-3 weeks, the duration of the antibiotic-free window of therapy prior to bone biopsy was 2-4 weeks. This patient received medical management without surgical resection. The success rate for treating osteitis at one year was 73%, and healing at one year was 88%.It is often limited to a sausage of the foot at the cost of repeated amputations. The best management remains prevention, which necessarily involves setting up a specialized and adapted centre.

Keywords: osteitis, antibiotic therapy, bone biopsy, diabetic foot

Procedia PDF Downloads 57

Authors: Mohamed Amine Adaour, Mohamed Sadek Bachene, Mosaab Fortassi, Wafaa Siouda

Abstract:

Foot infections are responsible for a significant number of hospitalizations and amputations in diabetic patients. The objective of our study is to analyze and evaluate the management of diabetic foot in a surgical setting. A retrospective study was conducted based on a selected case of suspected diabetic foot infections of osteitis treated at the Mohamed Boudiaf hospital in Medea.The case was reiterated as a therapeutic charge, consisting of treating first the infection of the soft tissues, then the osteitis: biopsy after at least 15 days of cessation of antibiotic therapy. Successful treatment of osteitis was defined at the end of a follow-up period of complete wound healing, lack of bone resection/amputation surgery at the initial bone site during follow-up , Instead, biopsies are prescribed in the treatment of soft tissue infection. The mean duration of treatment for soft tissue infection was 2-3 weeks, the duration of the antibiotic-free window of therapy prior to bone biopsy was 2-4 weeks. This patient received medical management without surgical resection. The success rate for treating osteitis at one year was 73%, and healing at one year was 88%.It is often limited to a sausage of the foot at the cost of repeated amputations. The best management remains prevention, which necessarily involves setting up a specialized and adapted centre.

Keywords: osteitis, antibiotic, biopsy, diabetic foot

Procedia PDF Downloads 63

Authors: Elsa Reethu, S. Karthik Babu, N. Syed

Abstract:

Background: Studies in the past focused on the additional benefits of action observation in improving upper and lower limb functions and improving activities of daily living when administered along with conventional therapy. Nevertheless, there is a paucity of literature proving the effects of motor imagery of truncal exercise in improving trunk control in patients with stroke. Aims/purpose: To study the effect of motor imagery of truncal exercises on trunk function and balance in early stroke. Methods: A total of 24 patients were included in the study. 12 were included in the experimental group and 12 were included in control group Trunk function was measured using Trunk Control Test (TCT), Trunk Impairment Scale Verheyden (TIS Verheyden) and Trunk Impairment Scale Fujiwara (TIS Fujiwara). The balance was assessed using Brunel Balance Assessment (BBA) and Tinetti POMA. For the experimental group, each session was for 30 minutes of physical exercises and 15 minutes of motor imagery, once a day, six times a week for 3 weeks and prior to the exercise session, patients viewed a video tape of all the trunk exercises to be performed for 15minutes. The control group practiced the trunk exercises alone for the same duration. Measurements were taken before, after and 4 weeks after intervention. Results: The effect of treatment in motor imagery group showed better improvement when compared with control group when measured after 3 weeks on values of static sitting balance, dynamic balance, total TIS (Verheyden) score, BBA, Tinetti balance and gait with a large effect size of 0.86, 1.99, 1.69, 1.06, 1.63 and 0.97 respectively. The moderate effect size was seen in values of TIS Fujiwara (0.58) and small effect size was seen on TCT (0.12) and TIS coordination component (0.13).at the end of 4 weeks after intervention, the large effect size was identified on values of dynamic balance (2.06), total TIS score (1.59) and Tinetti balance (1.24). The moderate effect size was observed on BBA (0.62) and Tinetti gait (0.72). Conclusion: Trunk motor imagery is effective in improving trunk function and balance in patients with stroke and has a carryover effect in the aspects of mobility. The therapy gain that was observed during the time of discharge was seen to be maintained at the follow-up levels.

Keywords: stroke, trunk rehabilitation, trunk function, balance, motor imagery

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Authors: Emine Ebru Demirci, Remzi Şahin

Abstract:

The purpose of this study is to compare Self Compacting Concrete (SCC) and Conventional Concrete (CC), which are used in beams with dense reinforcement, in terms of their capillary absorption. During the comparison of SCC and CC, the effects of two different factors were also investigated: concrete strength class and curing condition. In the study, both SCC and CC were produced in three different concrete classes (C25, C50 and C70) and the other parameter (i.e curing condition) was determined as two levels: moisture and air curing. Beam dimensions were determined to be 200 x 250 x 3000 mm. Reinforcements of the beams were calculated and placed as 2ø12 for the top and 3ø12 for the bottom. Stirrups with dimension 8 mm were used as lateral rebar and stirrup distances were chosen as 10 cm in the confinement zone and 15 cm at the central zone. In this manner, densification of rebars in lateral cross-sections of beams and handling of SCC in real conditions were aimed. Concrete covers of the rebars were chosen to be equal in all directions as 25 mm. The capillary absorption measurements were performed on core samples taken from the beams. Core samples of ø8x16 cm were taken from the beginning (0-100 cm), middle (100-200 cm) and end (200-300 cm) region of the beams according to the casting direction of SCC. However core samples were taken from lateral surface of the beams. In the study, capillary absorption experiments were performed according to Turkish Standard TS EN 13057. It was observed that, for both curing environments and all strength classes of concrete, SCC’s had lower capillary absorption values than that of CC’s. The capillary absorption values of C25 class of SCC are 11% and 16% lower than that of C25 class of CC for air and moisture conditions, respectively. For C50 class, these decreases were 6% and 18%, while for C70 class, they were 16% and 9%, respectively. It was also detected that, for both SCC and CC, capillary absorption values of samples kept in moisture curing are significantly lower than that of samples stored in air curing. For CC’s; C25, C50 and C70 class moisture-cured samples were found to have 26%, 12% and 31% lower capillary absorption values, respectively, when compared to the air-cured ones. For SCC’s; these values were 30%, 23% and 24%, respectively. Apart from that, it was determined that capillary absorption values for both SCC and CC decrease with increasing strength class of concrete for both curing environments. It was found that, for air cured CC, C50 and C70 class of concretes had 39% and 63% lower capillary absorption values compared to the C25 class of concrete. For the same type of concrete samples cured in the moisture environment, these values were found to be 27% and 66%. It was found that for SCC samples, capillary absorption value of C50 and C70 concretes, which were kept in air curing, were 35% and 65% lower than that of C25, while for moisture-cured samples these values were 29% and 63%, respectively. When standard deviations of the capillary absorption values are compared for core samples obtained from the beginning, middle and end of the CC and SCC beams, it was found that, in all three strength classes of concrete, the variation is much smaller for SCC than CC. This demonstrated that SCC’s had more uniform character than CC’s.

Keywords: self compacting concrete, reinforced concrete beam, capillary absorption, strength class, curing condition

Procedia PDF Downloads 346

Authors: Jie Bai, Yongsheng Gao, Shengxin Wang, Jie Zhao

Abstract:

Through the establishment of the elbow biomechanical model, it can provide theoretical guide for rehabilitation therapy on the upper limb of the human body. A biomechanical model of the elbow joint can be built by the connection of muscle force model and elbow dynamics. But there are many undetermined coefficients in the model like the optimal joint angle and optimal muscle force which are usually specified as the experimental parameters of other workers. Because of the individual differences, there is a certain deviation of the final result. To this end, the RMS value of the deviation between the actual angle and calculated angle is considered. A set of coefficients which lead to the minimum RMS value will be chosen to be the optimal parameters. The direct search method and the conjugacy search method are used to get the optimal parameters, thus the model can be more accurate and mode adaptability.

Keywords: elbow biomechanical model, RMS, direct search, conjugacy search

Procedia PDF Downloads 512

Authors: Muhammad Ather Nadeem, Bilal Ahmad Khan, Hussam F. Najeeb Alawadi, Athar Mahmood, Aneela Nijabat, Tasawer Abbas, Muhammad Habib, Abdullah

Abstract:

The global prevalence of Avena fatua infestation poses a significant challenge to wheat sustainability. While chemical control stands out as an efficient and rapid way to control weeds, concerns over developing resistance in weeds and environmental pollution have led to criticisms of herbicide use. Consequently, this study was designed to address these challenges through the chemical synthesis, characterization, and optimization of chitosan-based nanoparticles containing clodinofop Propargyl and fenoxaprop-P-ethyl for the effective management of A. fatua. Utilizing the ionic gelification technique, chitosan-based nanoparticles of clodinofop Propargyl and fenoxaprop-P-ethyl were prepared. These nanoparticles were applied at the 3-4 leaf stage of Phalaris minor weed, applying seven altered doses. These nanoparticles were applied at the 3-4 leaf stage of Phalaris minor weed, applying seven altered doses (D0 (Check weeds), D1 (Recommended dose of traditional-herbicide (TH), D2 (Recommended dose of Nano-herbicide (NPs-H)), D3 (NPs-H with 05-fold lower dose), D4 ((NPs-H) with 10-fold lower dose), D5 (NPs-H with 15-fold lower dose), and D6 (NPs-H with 20-fold lower dose)). Characterization of the chitosan-containing herbicide nanoparticles (CHT-NPs) was conducted using FT-IR analysis, demonstrating a perfect match with standard parameters. UV–visible spectrum further revealed absorption peaks at 310 nm for NPs of clodinofop propargyl and at 330 nm for NPs of fenoxaprop-p-ethyl. This research aims to contribute to sustainable weed management practices by addressing the challenges associated with chemical herbicide use. The application of chitosan-based nanoparticles (CHT-NPs) containing fenoxaprop-P-ethyl and clodinofop-propargyl at the recommended dose of the standard herbicide resulted in 100% mortality and visible injury to weeds. Surprisingly, when applied at a lower dose with 5-folds, these chitosan-containing nanoparticles of clodinofop Propargyl and fenoxaprop-P-ethyl demonstrated extreme control efficacy. Furthermore, at a 10-fold lower dose compared to standard herbicides and the recommended dose of clodinofop-propargyl and fenoxaprop-P-ethyl, the chitosan-based nanoparticles exhibited comparable effects on chlorophyll content, visual injury (%), mortality (%), plant height (cm), fresh weight (g), and dry weight (g) of A. fatua. This study indicates that chitosan/tripolyphosphate-loaded nanoparticles containing clodinofop-propargyl and fenoxaprop-P-ethyl can be effectively utilized for the management of A. fatua at a 10-fold lower dose, highlighting their potential for sustainable and efficient weed control.

Keywords: mortality, chitosan-based nanoparticles, visual injury, chlorophyl contents, 5-fold lower dose.

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Authors: Adaour Mohamed Amine, Bachene Mohamed Sadek, Fortassi Mosaab, Siouda Wafaa

Abstract:

Foot infections are responsible for a significant number of hospitalizations and amputations in diabetic patients. The objective of our study is to analyze and evaluate the management of diabetic foot in a surgical setting. A retrospective study was conducted based on a selected case of suspected diabetic foot infections of osteitis treated at the Mohamed Boudiaf hospital in Medea. The case was reiterated as a therapeutic charge, consisting of treating first the infection of the soft tissues, then the osteitis: biopsy after at least 15 days of cessation of antibiotic therapy. Successful treatment of osteitis was defined at the end of a follow-up period of complete wound healing, lack of bone resection/amputation surgery at the initial bone site during follow-up , Instead, biopsies are prescribed in the treatment of soft tissue infection. The mean duration of treatment for soft tissue infection was 2-3 weeks, the duration of the antibiotic-free window of therapy prior to bone biopsy was 2-4 weeks. This patient received medical management without surgical resection. The success rate for treating osteitis at one year was 73% and healing at one year was 88%.It is often limited to a sausage of the foot at the cost of repeated amputations. The best management remains prevention, which necessarily involves setting up a specialized and adapted centre.

Keywords: osteitis, antibiotic therapy, bone biopsy, diabetic foot

Procedia PDF Downloads 72