Automated Evaluation of Coordinated Movement of Fingers Using Home Rehabilitation Device

Home rehabilitation is much in need in ageing societies. Especially, for hemiplegia patients who have paralysis at fingers, it is known that long continuous rehabilitation is effective for recovery. To automate home rehabilitation without the help of a medical specialist, it is desirable not only to provide a rehabilitation procedure but also to give the condition of the paralysis of the patient. In our previous studies, we proposed a robotic device to foster separative voluntary finger lift movement. The device mounts pressure sensors at each finger to monitor the degree of unwanted finger movements. However, it is not clear which is an effective way to measure the condition of paralysis by these finger pressure time series data. In this paper, we propose a new measurement method that is based on the “coordinated movement” of fingers. A patient is asked to perform 4 tasks: pinch2 (pinch movement by index finger and thumb), pinch3 (pinch movement by index, middle and thumb), grasp2 (grasp movement by the ring and little finger), and grasp3 (grasp movement by the middle, ring, and little finger). All pressure time series of finger movements are quantified their dissimilarities with data of standard healthy subjects. We found that the grasp3 has the largest correspondence relation with the degree of paralysis

Study of Orally Disintegrating Tablets Using Erythritol as an Excipient Produced by Moisture-Activated Dry Granulation (MADG)

Moisture-activated dry granulation (MADG) is an eco-friendly granulation method that uses a small amount of water and insoluble excipients to absorb moisture. MADG is expected to improve productivity and reduce costs. Erythritol, an excipient used for preparing orally disintegrating tablets (ODTs), has poor tabletability and is difficult to form into tablets by conventional methods, such as high-shear granulation (HSG) and direct compression. In this study, we optimized the manufacturing conditions for ODTs to improve the tabletability of erythritol using MADG. The disintegration time of tablets made using the MADG method was approximately one-tenth that of those made using the HSG method, and the hardness was approximately 1.4 times higher. Moreover, MADG could delay disintegration and improve tabletability. We further attempted to optimize the manufacturing conditions using MADG, particularly in terms of the amount of water used. The disintegration time increased as the amount of added water increased. Moreover, water absorption tests revealed that capillary wetting decreased as the amount of water added increased, but the initial wetting did not change. These results suggested that the disintegration time was prolonged because of the increase in granule density and decrease in capillary wetting with the increase in the amount of added water. The hardness of the tablets increased because of the easy deformation of the granules after the addition of up to 3% water; however, when more than 3% water was added, the hardness decreased because of the aggregation of the granules with the excess water. Finally, two-dimensional maps of the effect of the amount of added water and water activity indicated that tablets with a hardness of ≥80 N and a disintegration time of ≤15 s could be produced by adjusting the amount of added water to within the range of 2.2–3.3% and water activity to 0.3–0.53. These results indicate that MADG can improve the tabletability of erythritol and be used for the granulation of ODTs. Tablets with appropriate hardness and disintegration properties can be produced by adjusting the water content to approximately 2.7% and the water activity to approximately 0.4 when producing ODTs with MADG

Microstructure Formation and Carbon Partitioning with Austenite Decomposition during Isothermal Heating Process in Fe-Si-Mn-C Steel Monitored by In Situ Time-of-Flight Neutron Diffraction

Retained austenite is a key feature used to realize the transformation-induced plasticity in bainitic high strength steels. In this study, the authors focused on the formation of metastable austenite in Fe-0.61C-1.9Si-0.98Mn (mass%) during isothermal heating processes using in situ neutron diffraction techniques. Quantitative discussion of carbon partitioning processes is enabled by applying an in situ phase fraction analysis considering crystallographic textures, in addition to the carbon concentration estimation based on the lattice parameter of austenite. The carbon partitioning behavior is inhomogeneous, resulting in a bimodal carbon concentration distribution in austenite. The carbon enriched, high carbon austenite is stable during isothermal heating at 673 K and is retained even after cooling to room temperature. The remainder is low carbon austenite, which is gradually consumed by bainite transformation. Above 723 K, the high carbon austenite also decomposes to ferrite and cementite due to the fast diffusion of Si. Conversely, below 623 K, cementite is stabilized even without the diffusion of Si. These cementite formation mechanisms prevent the formation and retention of high carbon austenite. The inhomogeneous carbon distribution and cementite formation must be carefully considered to precisely predict the microstructure formation in Si-added bainitic steels

Microstructure Formation and Carbon Partitioning with Austenite Decomposition during Isothermal Heating Process in Fe-Si-Mn-C Steel Monitored by In Situ Time-of-Flight Neutron Diffraction

Retained austenite is a key feature used to realize the transformation-induced plasticity in bainitic high strength steels. In this study, the authors focused on the formation of metastable austenite in Fe-0.61C-1.9Si-0.98Mn (mass%) during isothermal heating processes using in situ neutron diffraction techniques. Quantitative discussion of carbon partitioning processes is enabled by applying an in situ phase fraction analysis considering crystallographic textures, in addition to the carbon concentration estimation based on the lattice parameter of austenite. The carbon partitioning behavior is inhomogeneous, resulting in a bimodal carbon concentration distribution in austenite. The carbon enriched, high carbon austenite is stable during isothermal heating at 673 K and is retained even after cooling to room temperature. The remainder is low carbon austenite, which is gradually consumed by bainite transformation. Above 723 K, the high carbon austenite also decomposes to ferrite and cementite due to the fast diffusion of Si. Conversely, below 623 K, cementite is stabilized even without the diffusion of Si. These cementite formation mechanisms prevent the formation and retention of high carbon austenite. The inhomogeneous carbon distribution and cementite formation must be carefully considered to precisely predict the microstructure formation in Si-added bainitic steels