Reactivity of electrochemically synthesised zinc nanofiber in facile reduction of nitro and azide compounds

1076-1083Electrochemistry is used in generation of metallic nano zinc wire from aqueous zinc chloride. For this electrochemical process we have designed a unit galvanic cell. During the electrochemical process both aliphatic and aromatic nitro and azide compounds undergo facile reduction to the corresponding amines. ZnCl2 is used as stoichiometric reagent and causes electrochemical deposition of zinc in cathode. During the process wire shaped nano zinc architecture has been formed in cathode which is supposed to be the active reagent for reduction. The cathode deposited material has been characterised by powder XRD, XPS, FESEM, HRTEM, EDX, SQUID etc. The corresponding amines are prepared in good yields. Both zinc salts and aqueous solution can be recycled

Can shoulder range of movement be measured accurately using the Microsoft Kinect sensor plus Medical Interactive Recovery Assistant software?

© 2017 Journal of Shoulder and Elbow Surgery Board of Trustees. Background: This study compared the accuracy of measuring shoulder range of movement (ROM) with a simple laptop-sensor combination vs. trained observers (shoulder physiotherapists and shoulder surgeons) using motion capture (MoCap) laboratory equipment as the gold standard. Methods: The Microsoft Kinect sensor (Microsoft Corp., Redmond, WA, USA) tracks 3-dimensional human motion. Ordinarily used with an Xbox (Microsoft Corp.) video game console, Medical Interactive Recovery Assistant (MIRA) software (MIRA Rehab Ltd., London, UK) allows this small sensor to measure shoulder movement with a standard computer. Shoulder movements of 49 healthy volunteers were simultaneously measured by trained observers, MoCap, and the MIRA device. Internal rotation was assessed with the shoulder abducted 90° and external rotation with the shoulder adducted. Visual estimation and MIRA measurements were compared with gold standard MoCap measurements for agreement using Bland-Altman methods. Results: There were 1670 measurements analyzed. The MIRA evaluations of all 4 cardinal shoulder movements were significantly more precise, with narrower limits of agreement, than the measurements of trained observers. MIRA achieved ±11° (95% confidence interval [CI], 8.7°-12.6°) for forward flexion vs. ±16° (95% CI, 14.6°-17.6°) by trained observers. For abduction, MIRA showed ±11° (95% CI, 8.7°-12.8°) against ±15° (95% CI, 13.4°-16.2°) for trained observers. MIRA attained ±10° (95% CI, 8.1°-11.9°) during external rotation measurement, whereas trained observers only reached ±21° (95% CI, 18.7°-22.6°). For internal rotation, MIRA achieved ±9° (95% CI, 7.2°-10.4°), which was again better than TOs at ±18° (95% CI, 16.0°-19.3°). Conclusions: A laptop combined with a Microsoft Kinect sensor and the MIRA software can measure shoulder movements with acceptable levels of accuracy. This technology, which can be easily set up, may also allow precise shoulder ROM measurement outside the clinic setting

Can Administration of Potentized Homeopathic Remedy, Arsenicum Album, Alter Antinuclear Antibody (ANA) Titer in People Living in High-Risk Arsenic Contaminated Areas? I. A Correlation with Certain Hematological Parameters

To examine whether elevated antinuclear antibody (ANA) titers reported in random human population of arsenic contaminated villages can be reverted to the normal range by administration of a potentized homeopathic drug, Arsenicum album, randomly selected volunteers in two arsenic contaminated villages and one arsenic-free village in West Bengal (India) were periodically tested for their ANA titer as well as various blood parameters in two types of experiments: ‘placebo-controlled double blind’ experiment for shorter duration and ‘uncontrolled verum fed experiment’ for longer duration. Positive modulation of ANA titer was observed along with changes in certain relevant hematological parameters, namely total count of red blood cells and white blood cells, packed cell volume, hemoglobin content, erythrocyte sedimentation rate and blood sugar level, mostly within 2 months of drug administration. Thus, Arsenicum album appears to have great potential for ameliorating arsenic induced elevated ANA titer and other hematological toxicities

Can Homeopathic Arsenic Remedy Combat Arsenic Poisoning in Humans Exposed to Groundwater Arsenic Contamination?: A Preliminary Report on First Human Trial

Groundwater arsenic (As) has affected millions of people globally distributed over 20 countries. In parts of West Bengal (India) and Bangladesh alone, over 100 million people are at risk, but supply of As-free water is grossly inadequate. Attempts to remove As by using orthodox medicines have mostly been unsuccessful. A potentized homeopathic remedy, Arsenicum Album-30, was administered to a group of As affected people and thereafter the As contents in their urine and blood were periodically determined. The activities of various toxicity marker enzymes and compounds in the blood, namely aspartate amino transferase, alanine amino transferase, acid phosphatase, alkaline phosphatase, lipid peroxidation and reduced glutathione, were also periodically monitored up to 3 months. The results are highly encouraging and suggest that the drug can alleviate As poisoning in humans

Exergames for falls prevention in sheltered homes: a feasibility study

IntroductionFalls prevention is a global priority given its substantial impact on older adults and cost to healthcare systems. Advances in telerehabilitation technology such as `exergaming’ show potential for delivering accessible, engaging exercise programs for older adults. This study aimed to establish the feasibility, acceptability and usability of exergaming in sheltered housing.MethodsA mixed-methods study with participants randomised in 2 sheltered housing facilities to intervention (n = 1 home, 12 participants) and control (n = 1 home 2, 12 participants) provided usual care for all, (physiotherapy prescribed strength and balance exercises and falls prevention advice) and a 6-week supervised exergaming programme (MIRA) offered 3 times per week to the intervention group only. At 6 weeks, feasibility, usability and acceptability outcomes were collected and analysed using descriptive statistics; qualitative focus groups with participants and interviews with staff were also completed and thematically analysed to elicit barriers and facilitators to usability and acceptability.ResultsMean exercise per week increased from 10.6 to 14.1 minutes in the control group and 9.6 to 36.8 minutes in the intervention group. All study processes and measures appeared feasible; 72% of those invited consented to taking part and 92% completed 6-week follow-up. Individual domains for the System Usability Scores (SUS) showed participants felt `very confident’ using the system with support (70%), would `like to use exergames frequently’ (50%) and found the system `easy to use’ (90%). However, they also felt they `needed to learn a lot at the beginning’ (40%) and would `need technical support’ (70%) for independent use of the exergames. Mean overall SUS was 63 reflecting moderate usability for independent use. Qualitative data indicated exergames were well received and highlighted motivational and social aspects; costs and set up. Staff also felt exergaming complemented traditional care.DiscussionOur study contributes to the evidence guiding the use of exergames to deliver suitable falls prevention interventions for older adults within sheltered housing in community settings

A three-echelon supply chain model with price and two-level quality dependent demand

This paper considers a three-echelon supply chain model with one supplier, one manufacturer and one retailer for trading a single product. We assume that the market demand at the retailer’s end is stochastic, but dependent on price and quality of the product. The final product’s quality depends on the manufacturing process and the raw material’s quality. We first develop models for centralized and decentralized scenarios. Then we try to coordinate the decentralized system with some contract mechanism. We show that revenue sharing contract is not able to coordinate the system, but a composite contract comprised of sales rebate and penalty (SRP) with return is able to coordinate the system. Finally, we illustrate the developed model with a numerical example and show the efficiency of SRP with return policy. We graphically show the effects of various model-parameters on the optimal decisions. Most of the existing literature’s focus on the quality of the finished product, but in this model we incorporate the quality of the raw material as a decision variable along with the finished product quality. We also able to coordinate the three echelon model with a composite contract which is seldom addressed in the existing literatures