MECHANICAL GAIT TRAINING IN NEUROLOGICAL DISORDERS: A REVIEW OF EVIDENCES

Robotic technologies are becoming more prevalent for treating neurological conditions in clinical settings. We conducted a literature search of original articles to identify all studies that examined the use of robotic devices for restoring walking function in adults with neurological disorders. A search was conducted in MEDLINE, Cochrane Library, Physiotherapy Evidence Database, Google Scholar, CINAHL and EBSCO host from 2005 to 2014. Keywords used were gait, locomotor training, multiple sclerosis, neurological disorders, rehabilitation, robotics, spinal cord injury, stroke, traumatic brain injury and walking. This review analyzed 27 articles that examined the effects of locomotor training with robotic assistance in patients following stroke, spinal cord injury (SCI), multiple sclerosis (MS), traumatic brain injury (TBI), and Parkinson disease (PD). This review supports that locomotor training with robotic assistance is beneficial for improving walking function in individuals following a stroke and SCI. Gait speed and endurance were not found to be significantly different among patients with motor incomplete SCI after a variety of locomotor training approaches. Limited evidence demonstrates that locomotor training with robotic assistance is beneficial in populations of patients with MS, TBI, or PD. We discuss clinical implications and decision making in the area of gait rehabilitation for neurological dysfunction

Critical review on bioconversion of winery wastes into value-added products

Global increase in the human population and life-style changes have led to enormous development in various industries, including beverage industry. Among the innumerable beverage industries, wineries have received increasing attention and consideration due to various health related benefits and involvement of agricultural materials. Winery industry produces huge quantities of waste materials in the form of solid and liquid wastes. Disposal of these residues (wastes) in the environement is a serious concern and has attracted increasing R&D efforts for their utilization in sustainable manner. Several existing treatments available for winery wastes not environmental-friendly and are even expensive. Usually, combined or hydrid treatment methods have been advocated to achieve the complete utilization of these wastes and among these, bio-based treatment processes have been in much focus for attaining environmental suutaibility in particular. Accordinglt, this review mainly focuses on the application of biorefinery concept for sustainable winery waste management as it is expected that such bioprocesses would be of great impliactions for bioeconomy with furture developments. The review also highlights the advanced techniques for the bioconversion of winery wastes and articulates the major associated challenges

Effects of Salt Bath Nitriding Process on AISI 309 Stainless Steel

AISI309 stainless steel is a type of austenitic stainless steel that contains a high percentage of chromium and nickel, along with a small amount of manganese. It is designed to be used in high-temperature applications, such as in furnace parts and heat exchangers. Low temperature salt bath nitriding process was carried out on AISI 309 stainless steel at 550°C for time duration of 80, 160 and 240 minutes. The characteristics of the nitride surface were thoroughly assessed. The microstructure and phase components of the nitrided surface revealed a hardened layer of chromium nitride and iron nitride on the specimen surface. The case depth and the surface hardness were strongly influenced by the alloying components. To analyze the wear, a pin on disc machine was utilized and the wear test was carried out. From the wear test, wear loss were determined. Scanning electron microscopy revealed the variation between loss of material and the base material. A specimen which is untreated is kept aside and comparisons of results were done with nitrided samples