Intelligent robotic rehabilitation system for treatment of disabilities subsequent to injuries or neurological disorders

Injuries or neurological trauma, such as stroke, complete and incomplete spinal cord injuries result in paraplegia and hemiplegia, which is the leading cause of disabilities world over. Survivors have muscle coordination discrepancies resulting in impaired joint motions and inability to perform activities of daily living (ADL). Neurological trauma falls in top 15 risk factors for Kazakhstan people and their health conditions. Urgent steps are required to be initiated as the current rate of such disorders is predicted to increase by three times over the next 30 years. Robot assisted physical therapy has shown some preliminary signs of improvement in subjects and therefore active orthosis have been developed to impart repetitive, prolonged and systematic therapy. Existing robots are normally inspired by the industrial robots and thus provide constrained motion to the articulating joints in an uncomfortable and unsafe manner. There is a need to develop human friendly, safe and intelligent robots in order to carry out physical therapy. We aim at developing an intelligent rehabilitation system (IRS) using wearable robots equipped with state of the art sensors and actuators, optimization routines (to identify musculoskeletal functions at the affected limb) and development of advanced controllers. Physical therapy is expected to be evidence based, objective and human friendly

Intelligent robotic rehabilitation system for treatment of disabilities subsequent to injuries or neurological disorders

Injuries or neurological trauma, such as stroke, complete and incomplete spinal cord injuries result in paraplegia and hemiplegia, which is the leading cause of disabilities world over. Survivors have muscle coordination discrepancies resulting in impaired joint motions and inability to perform activities of daily living (ADL). Neurological trauma falls in top 15 risk factors for Kazakhstan people and their health conditions. Urgent steps are required to be initiated as the current rate of such disorders is predicted to increase by three times over the next 30 years. Robot assisted physical therapy has shown some preliminary signs of improvement in subjects and therefore active orthosis have been developed to impart repetitive, prolonged and systematic therapy. Existing robots are normally inspired by the industrial robots and thus provide constrained motion to the articulating joints in an uncomfortable and unsafe manner. There is a need to develop human friendly, safe and intelligent robots in order to carry out physical therapy. We aim at developing an intelligent rehabilitation system (IRS) using wearable robots equipped with state of the art sensors and actuators, optimization routines (to identify musculoskeletal functions at the affected limb) and development of advanced controllers. Physical therapy is expected to be evidence based, objective and human friendly

A novel compliant surgical robot: Preliminary design analysis

A robotic surgical system capable of performing minimally invasive surgery (MIS) is proposed in this paper. Based on the requirements of MIS, a compliant, seven- degrees of freedom (7-DOF) pneumatically actuated mechanism is designed. A remote center of motion (RCM) as a parallelogram mechanism for holding the laparoscopic camera is also developed. The operating workspace of robotic surgical system is determined considering the physical constraints imposed by mechanical joints. The simulation results show that the robotic system meets the design requirement. This research will lay a good foundation for the development of a compliant surgical robot to assist in MIS

Effect of Organic Manures and Biofertilizers on Leaf and Fruit Nutrient Status in Guava (Psidium guajava L.) Cv. Sardar

Pooled analysis of two-year data on nutrient status of 'Sardar' guava raised under organic manures and biofertilizers indicated that maximum leaf nitrogen (1.73%), phosphorus (0.24%), potassium (1.23%), calcium (1.96%), magnesium (0.80%); and maximum fruit nitrogen (1.12%), phosphorus (0.15%), potassium (0.94%), calcium (0.22%), magnesium (0.66%) was recorded, respectively, after fruit harvest with application of full dose of nitrogen to the plant applied through poultry manure augmented with Azotobacter and Azospirillium

Hydrothermal synthesis of zeolite production from coal fly ash : a heuristic approach and its optimization for system identification of conversion

Commercialization of synthetic zeolites has given considerable impetus to optimization of its production routes. The preferred production route involves hydrothermal treatment of coal fly ash in a strong alkali solution. The process involves several parameters, such as reaction temperature, time, the concentration and amount of alkali solution, and silica content in the fly ash, all of which strongly and non-monotonically affect the conversion. We herein perform several experiments with the Kazakhstani fly ash, and obtained a highest conversion of zeolites of 78% using 3 M NaOH at 110 °C. Further, we propose a conversion model using zero-order Takagi-Sugeno fuzzy system to analyze the effect of individual process parameters on conversion, and thereby, the reaction mechanism(s) of zeolite formation. The model is designed and developed, using the data, both from literature and our experiments on Kazakhstani fly ash. The obtained results clearly illustrate that the model accurately predict the conversion percentage of zeolite for a given set of reaction parameters. The model is further optimized to provide accurate inferences and an average deviation between the model predictions and experimental values for zeolite yield is observed to be less than 5%

Evaluation of eosinophil count and neutrophil-lymphocyte count ratio versus C-reactive protein levels in patients with sepsis

Background: One major problem encountered in the intensive care unit is differentiating the inflammatory response from an infective process. Clinical and standard laboratory tests are not very helpful because most critically ill patients develop some degree of inflammatory response, whether or not they have sepsis. Numerous biomarkers have been evaluated to predict mortality in critically ill patients, although none have proved entirely useful. Objective of the study was to evaluate eosinophil count and neutrophil-lymphocyte count ratio with C-reactive protein levels in patients with sepsis.Methods: 71 patients >18 years of age of either sex with a diagnosis of sepsis were enrolled in this one-year observational study. Patients were classified according to the criteria of the American College of Chest Physicians/Society of Critical Care Medicine into sepsis group (n=50) and no sepsis group (n=21). Sepsis group were further divided into subgroups: sepsis (n=19), severe sepsis (n=16) and septic shock (n=15). Absolute eosinophil cell, neutrophil and lymphocyte counts for first 4 consecutive days and then on alternate days up to one week were also noted down. C-reactive protein levels on day 3 were also noted down.Results: In the sepsis group, mean eosinophil count was significantly (p<0.0001) low, mean neutrophil/lymphocyte count ratio was significantly (p<0.0001) high, mean CRP count was significantly (p=0.019) more as compared to that of no sepsis group. Among 16 mortalities, significant (p<0.05) decrease was noted in mean eosinophil count from day 3 onwards in patients of sepsis and septic shock subgroups. Mean N/L ratio showed no significant difference in patients of sepsis, severe sepsis or septic shock. Mean CRP count showed significant (p<0.05) increase in severe sepsis patients and mean Apache II score showed significant (p<0.05) deterioration in patients of septic shock.Conclusions: Neutrophil/lymphocyte count ratio (NLCR) and absolute eosinophil count (AEC) came out as better independent biomarker of sepsis in critically ill patients with infection admitted in intensive care unit. Diagnostic performance was better in these two diagnostic markers as compared to CRP marker. NLCR presented with sensitivity of 89.58%, AEC with 82.35% and CRP with 80.77%. Outcomes of NLCR and AEC were quick, easy and economical in establishing diagnosis of sepsis

Brain–computer interface and assist-as-needed model for upper limb robotic arm

https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/1687814019875537Post-stroke paralysis, whereby subjects loose voluntary control over muscle actuation, is one of the main causes of disability. Repetitive physical therapy can reinstate lost motions and strengths through neuroplasticity. However, manually delivered therapies are becoming ineffective due to scarcity of therapists, subjectivity in the treatment, and lack of patient motivation. Robot-assisted physical therapy is being researched these days to impart an evidence-based systematic treatment. Recently, intelligent controllers and brain–computer interface are proposed for rehabilitation robots to encourage patient participation which is the key to quick recovery. In the present work, a brain–computer interface and assist-as-needed training paradigm have been proposed for an upper limb rehabilitation robot. The brain–computer interface system is implemented with the use of electroencephalography sensor; moreover, backdrivability in the actuator has been achieved with the use of assist-as-needed control approach, which allows subjects to move the robot actively using their limited motions and strengths. The robot only assists for the remaining course of trajectory which subjects are unable to perform themselves. The robot intervention point is obtained from the patient’s intent which is captured through brain–computer interface. Problems encountered during the practical implementation of brain–computer interface and achievement of backdrivability in the actuator have been discussed and resolved

Addressing water stress through wastewater reuse: Complexities and challenges in Bangalore, India

Wastewater reuse is an important adaptation option for mitigating water stress in rapidly growing urban centres. But, wastewater reuse is easier said than done, particularly in developing countries. The task becomes even more challenging when one takes a basin-level perspective. We illustrate these challenges by studying the Vrishabhavathy River in Bangalore, India, which carries almost half of the city’s wastewater. First, we find that the sewage treatment plant (STP) located on this river does not function efficiently and no positive impact of effluent discharge on river water quality was observed. Second, while the Sewerage Board has implem ented conventional centralized sewage treatment and proposed its expansion and even larger scale projects, decentralized wastewater treatment, advocated by many civil society groups, may be more cost effective. Options at all scales, however, face several institutional challenges in implementation. Third, while untreated wastewater is a health hazard for downstream farmers using this water for irrigation, substantial wastewater recycling upstream would have a negative impact on their livelihoods by reducing the quantity of water available for irrigation. In addition, as the Vrishabhavathy is a tributary of the inter-state river Cauvery, reduced flows might impact on inter-state water sharing commitments complicating matters further. Realizing the potential of wastewater reuse in Bangalore will thus require techno-institutional integration and thinking at a basin scal

Structural basis for IL-33 recognition and its antagonism by the helminth effector protein HpARI2

IL-33 plays a significant role in inflammation, allergy, and host defence against parasitic helminths. The model gastrointestinal nematode Heligmosomoides polygyrus bakeri secretes the Alarmin Release Inhibitor HpARI2, an effector protein that suppresses protective immune responses and asthma in its host byinhibiting IL-33 signalling. Here we reveal the structure of HpARI2 bound to mouse IL-33. HpARI2 contains three CCP-like domains, and we show that it contacts IL-33 primarily through the second and third of these. A large loop which emerges from CCP3 directly contacts IL-33 and structural comparison showsthatthisoverlapswiththebindingsiteonIL-33foritsreceptor,ST2, preventing formation of a signalling complex. Truncations of HpARI2 which lack thelargeloopfromCCP3arenotabletoblockIL-33-mediatedsignallingin a cell-based assay and in an in vivo female mousemodelofasthma.Thisshows that direct competition between HpARI2 and ST2 is responsible for suppression of IL-33-dependent responses