Management of Whiplash-Associated Disorder Addressing Thoracic and Cervical Spine Impairments: A Case Report

Background: Whiplash-Associated Disorders have a relatively high rate of chronicity with 30-50% of patients sustaining systematic whiplash injury reporting chronic symptoms. Physical therapy is often recommended as a treatment and this case report looks to contribute to the knowledge base for future evidence-based treatment of impairments in this population. Description: The patient was a 41-year-old male with complaint of cervical and thoracic stiffness and pain following a high speed (\u3e45mph) motor vehicle accident (MVA). The patient was evaluated by a physician two weeks following accident and referred to therapy 4 weeks following MVA. Methods and Measures: An examination for physical impairments was performed, including the measurement of cervical range of motion using goniometry, and the assessment of soft tissue and segmental mobility of the upper thoracic and cervical spine regions. The FOTO (Focus on Therapeutic Outcomes) questionnaire was used at intake, 4 weeks and 8 weeks. Intervention: Manual therapy and therapeutic exercises were used to address the identified impairments. Manual therapy techniques included soft tissue mobilization, joint mobilization, and joint manipulation. The patient was seen for 8 visits scheduled over 8 weeks. Outcomes: The patient reported complete resolution of symptoms and demonstrated a 21-point increase in FOTO scores at 8 weeks. The patient also demonstrated significant improvements in cervical lateral flexion and rotation range of motion at the 8 weeks mark. Discussion: This case report highlights various interventions used to address cervical and thoracic spine impairment following a high-speed motor vehicle accident. The purpose of this case report is to describe the use of HVLAT manipulations to treat acute cervical impairments and therapeutic exercises and neuromuscular reeducation to address chronicity of symptoms. Conclusion: Addressing impairments of the cervical and thoracic spine with high-velocity low-amplitude thrust manipulations and therapeutic exercises in patients with whiplash-associated disorder is associated with reduced pain, decreased stiffness, improved functional outcome and increased cervical range of motion. More research and follow up is needed to look at the long-term efficacy of said treatment in the prevention of chronic whiplash symptoms

RoboChain: A Secure Data-Sharing Framework for Human-Robot Interaction

Robots have potential to revolutionize the way we interact with the world around us. One of their largest potentials is in the domain of mobile health where they can be used to facilitate clinical interventions. However, to accomplish this, robots need to have access to our private data in order to learn from these data and improve their interaction capabilities. Furthermore, to enhance this learning process, the knowledge sharing among multiple robot units is the natural step forward. However, to date, there is no well-established framework which allows for such data sharing while preserving the privacy of the users (e.g., the hospital patients). To this end, we introduce RoboChain - the first learning framework for secure, decentralized and computationally efficient data and model sharing among multiple robot units installed at multiple sites (e.g., hospitals). RoboChain builds upon and combines the latest advances in open data access and blockchain technologies, as well as machine learning. We illustrate this framework using the example of a clinical intervention conducted in a private network of hospitals. Specifically, we lay down the system architecture that allows multiple robot units, conducting the interventions at different hospitals, to perform efficient learning without compromising the data privacy.Comment: 7 pages, 6 figure

Analysis and evaluation of a fuel cell based automotive vehicle with on-board hydrogen storage

This work focuses on the study, analysis and evaluation of a fuel cell-based vehicle with on-board hydrogen storage. To begin with, an analysis will be made of the 3 different types of automobiles that currently exist: the traditional fuel car, the electric car and the hydrogen combustion car. In this analysis, an assessment will be made of the manufacturing process of each, their environmental impact and their operation. The first two will be discussed briefly. Then, we will explain the growing interest in the implementation of fuel cells in vehicles, and how the use of hydrogen as an alternative fuel in the automotive sector could lead to a reduction in greenhouse gas emissions. For example, when hydrogen is burned in a combustion engine, the only by-product is water vapor, which means that no greenhouse gas emissions such as carbon dioxide are released. This reduction in emissions could help mitigate the effects of climate change. It will also focus on developing the various issues involved in the implementation of hydrogen fuel cells. These include reduced air pollution, increased energy efficiency, reduced dependence on fossil fuels and new business opportunities. However, there are also challenges associated with the use of hydrogen as an alternative fuel, such as large-scale hydrogen production and storage, the need for hydrogen supply infrastructures and the higher initial cost of hydrogen vehicles compared to traditional internal combustion vehicles. In addition, there will be a brief explanation of the different fuel cells and their performances studied through polarization curves. Below is a list of the 4 fuel cells to be highlighted in this work: • PEM fuel cell (proton exchange membrane) • SOFC fuel cell (solid oxide fuel cell) • PAFC fuel cell (Phosphoric acid fuel cell) • MCFC fuel cell (molten carbonate fuel cell) Each type of fuel cell has its advantages and disadvantages in terms of efficiency, costs and applications, which means that different types of fuel cells are used for different applications. Finally, an extrapolated analysis will be developed of what this change costs globally, and how this same change would reduce the environmental impact of automobiles.Objectius de Desenvolupament Sostenible::7 - Energia Assequible i No Contaminan

Rank-1 Tensor Approximation Methods and Application to Deflation

Because of the attractiveness of the canonical polyadic (CP) tensor decomposition in various applications, several algorithms have been designed to compute it, but efficient ones are still lacking. Iterative deflation algorithms based on successive rank-1 approximations can be used to perform this task, since the latter are rather easy to compute. We first present an algebraic rank-1 approximation method that performs better than the standard higher-order singular value decomposition (HOSVD) for three-way tensors. Second, we propose a new iterative rank-1 approximation algorithm that improves any other rank-1 approximation method. Third, we describe a probabilistic framework allowing to study the convergence of deflation CP decomposition (DCPD) algorithms based on successive rank-1 approximations. A set of computer experiments then validates theoretical results and demonstrates the efficiency of DCPD algorithms compared to other ones

Bank fees and charges: economic analysis, legal framework and relevance for financial stability

This article analyses recent developments in Spanish banks’ fee and commission income and the related applicable legal framework. The main conclusions point to the increasing relevance of payment services, the overall rise in such income in Spain, in clear alignment with other European jurisdictions (though it still lags behind), and the role it can play in sustaining bank profits and solvency during economic downturns. There is also a trend towards the introduction of new charges. From a regulatory perspective, there are recent legislative initiatives that aim to guarantee ATM cash withdrawal services, to consider certain banking services universal, to bridge the digital gap and to ensure compliance with the statutory requirements concerning payment accounts with basic features. Nonetheless, the current legal framework does not grant the Banco de España any powers to authorise or overrule fees or charges or to limit their amount. While growing this income stream may have a positive impact on banking sector stability, it may also entail certain risks, such as the migration of customers to new digital operators, the impact on financial inclusion or the harm to credit institutions’ reputations