9,552 research outputs found
Preparation of NiO catalyst on FeCrAI substrate using various techniques at higher oxidation process
The cheap nickel oxide (NiO) is a potential catalyst candidate to replace the
expensive available platinum group metals (PGM). However, the current methods to
adhere the NiO powder on the metallic substrates are complicated. Therefore, this
work explored the development of nickel oxide using nickel (Ni) on FeCrAl
substrate through the combination of nickel electroplating and oxidation process for
catalytic converter application. The approach was started with assessment of various
nickel electroplating process based on the weight gain during oxidation. Then, the
next experiment used the best process in which the pre-treatment using the solution
of SiC and/or Al2O3 in methanol. The specimens then were carried out to short term
oxidation process using thermo gravimetric analysis (TGA) at 1000
o
C. Meanwhile,
the long term oxidation process was conducted using an automatic furnace at 900,
1000 and 1100
o
C. The atomic force microscopy (AFM) was used for surface
analysis in nanometer range scale. Meanwhile, roughness test was used for roughness
measurement analysis in micrometer range scale. The scanning electron microscope
(SEM) attached with energy dispersive X-ray (EDX) were used for surface and cross
section morphology analysis. The specimen of FeCrAl treated using ultrasonic prior
to nickel electroplating showed the lowest weight gain during oxidation. The surface
area of specimens increased after ultrasonic treatment. The electroplating process
improved the high temperature oxidation resistance. In short term oxidation process
indicated that the ultrasonic with SiC provided the lower parabolic rate constant (kp)
and the Al2O3 and NiO layers were also occurred. The Ni layer was totally
disappeared and converted to NiO layer on FeCrAl surface after long term oxidation
process. From this work, the ultrasonic treatment prior to nickel electroplating was
the best method to adhere NiO on FeCrAl substrate
A Systematic Review of International Clinical Guidelines for Rehabilitation of People With Neurological Conditions: What Recommendations Are Made for Upper Limb Assessment?
Conclusions: We present a comprehensive, critical, and original summary of current
recommendations. Defining a core set of measures and agreed protocols requires
international consensus between experts representing the diverse and multi-disciplinary
field of neurorehabilitation including clinical researchers and practitioners, rehabilitation
technology researchers, and commercial developers. Current lack of guidance may
hold-back progress in understanding function and recovery. Together with a Delphi
consensus study and an overview of systematic reviews of outcome measures it will
contribute to the development of international guidelines for upper limb assessment in
neurological conditions.This review formed part of the COST Action TD 1006A
European Network on Robotics for Neurorehabilitation. It was
an interdisciplinary EU-funded research network concentrating
on the coordination of European research in the area of
rehabilitation robotics
A functional electrical stimulation system for human walking inspired by reflexive control principles
This study presents an innovative multichannel functional electrical stimulation gait-assist system which employs a well-established purely reflexive control algorithm, previously tested in a series of bipedal walking robots. In these robots, ground contact information was used to activate motors in the legs, generating a gait cycle similar to that of humans. Rather than developing a sophisticated closed-loop functional electrical stimulation control strategy for stepping, we have instead utilised our simple reflexive model where muscle activation is induced through transfer functions which translate sensory signals, predominantly ground contact information, into motor actions. The functionality of the functional electrical stimulation system was tested by analysis of the gait function of seven healthy volunteers during functional electrical stimulation–assisted treadmill walking compared to unassisted walking. The results demonstrated that the system was successful in synchronising muscle activation throughout the gait cycle and was able to promote functional hip and ankle movements. Overall, the study demonstrates the potential of human-inspired robotic systems in the design of assistive devices for bipedal walking
Impact of Baseline Magnetic Resonance Imaging on Neurologic, Functional, and Safety Outcomes in Patients With Acute Traumatic Spinal Cord Injury
Study Design: Systematic review. Objective: To perform a systematic review to evaluate the utility of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in patients with acute spinal cord injury (SCI). Methods: An electronic search of Medline, EMBASE, the Cochrane Collaboration Library, and Google Scholar was conducted for literature published through May 12, 2015, to answer key questions associated with the use of MRI in patients with acute SCI. Results: The literature search yielded 796 potentially relevant citations, 8 of which were included in this review. One study used MRI in a protocol to decide on early surgical decompression. The MRI-protocol group showed improved outcomes; however, the quality of evidence was deemed very low due to selection bias. Seven studies reported MRI predictors of neurologic or functional outcomes. There was moderate-quality evidence that longer intramedullary hemorrhage (2 studies) and low-quality evidence that smaller spinal canal diameter at the location of maximal spinal cord compression and the presence of cord swelling are associated with poor neurologic recovery. There was moderate-quality evidence that clinical outcomes are not predicted by SCI lesion length and the presence of cord edema. Conclusions: Certain MRI characteristics appear to be predictive of outcomes in acute SCI, including length of intramedullary hemorrhage (moderate-quality evidence), canal diameter at maximal spinal cord compression (low-quality evidence), and spinal cord swelling (low-quality evidence). Other imaging features were either inconsistently (presence of hemorrhage, maximal canal compromise, and edema length) or not associated with outcomes. The paucity of literature highlights the need for well-designed prospective studies. © 2017, © The Author(s) 2017
Clinical And Radiographic Evaluation Of Elbows From Spinal Cord Injuried Patients
To evaluate clinically and radiologically the elbows of spinal cord injured patients and compare them to the control group. Methods: Twenty patients (10 paraplegics and 10 tetraplegics) were clinically evaluated through assessment of pain scale, measurement of active and passive range of motion, degree of muscle strength and MEPS score. They were also submitted to bilateral plain radiography of the elbows. Both groups were compared to the control group. Results: Four paraplegic and three tetraplegic patients referred mild to moderate, sporadic and motion related pain. The control group was asymptomatic. No statistic significant difference was found in passive range of motion among the three groups. The tetraplegic group showed a lower active range of motion as well as lower MEPS score as compared to the control group. Equal number of patients in the spinal cord injured patients had radiological abnormalities, but those were more severe in the tetraplegic group. Conclusion: Spinal cord injured patients presented clinical and radiological elbow abnormalities, which were more evident on tetraplegics.242778
Biomechanics
Biomechanics is a vast discipline within the field of Biomedical Engineering. It explores the underlying mechanics of how biological and physiological systems move. It encompasses important clinical applications to address questions related to medicine using engineering mechanics principles. Biomechanics includes interdisciplinary concepts from engineers, physicians, therapists, biologists, physicists, and mathematicians. Through their collaborative efforts, biomechanics research is ever changing and expanding, explaining new mechanisms and principles for dynamic human systems. Biomechanics is used to describe how the human body moves, walks, and breathes, in addition to how it responds to injury and rehabilitation. Advanced biomechanical modeling methods, such as inverse dynamics, finite element analysis, and musculoskeletal modeling are used to simulate and investigate human situations in regard to movement and injury. Biomechanical technologies are progressing to answer contemporary medical questions. The future of biomechanics is dependent on interdisciplinary research efforts and the education of tomorrow’s scientists
Control strategies for integration of electric motor assist and functional electrical stimulation in paraplegic cycling: Utility for exercise testing and mobile cycling
AIM: The aim of this study was to investigate feedback
control strategies for integration of electric motor assist and functional electrical stimulation (FES) for paraplegic cycling, with particular focus on development of a testbed for exercise testing in FES cycling, in which both cycling cadence and workrate are simultaneously well controlled and contemporary physiological measures of exercise performance derived. A second aim was
to investigate the possible benefits of the approach for mobile, recreational cycling.
METHODS: A recumbent tricycle with an auxiliary electric motor is used, which is adapted for paraplegic users, and instrumented for stimulation control. We propose a novel integrated control strategy which simultaneously provides feedback control of leg power output (via automatic adjustment of stimulation intensity) and cycling cadence (via electric motor control). Both loops are
designed using system identification and analytical (model-based) feedback design methods. Ventilatory and pulmonary gas exchange response profiles are derived using a portable system for real-time breath-by-breath acquisition.
RESULTS:We provide indicative results from one paraplegic subject in which a series of feedback-control tests illustrate accurate control of cycling cadence, leg power control, and external disturbance rejection. We also provide physiological response profiles from a submaximal exercise step test and a maximal incremental exercise test, as facilitated by the control strategy.
CONCLUSION: The integrated control strategy is effective in facilitating
exercise testing under conditions of well-controlled cadence
and power output. Our control approach significantly extends the
achievable workrate range and enhances exercise-test sensitivity
for FES cycling, thus allowing a more stringent characterization
of physiological response profiles and estimation of key parameters
of aerobic function.We further conclude that the control approach
can significantly improve the overall performance of mobile recreational
cycling
Aerospace medicine and biology: A continuing bibliography with indexes, supplement 130, July 1974
This special bibliography lists 291 reports, articles, and other documents introduced into the NASA scientific and technical information system in June 1974
Brachial Plexus Injury
In this book, specialists from different countries and continents share their knowledge and experience in brachial plexus surgery. It discusses the different types of brachial plexus injury and advances in surgical treatments
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