A compact and cost-effective gait simulator to advance prosthesis development with reduced reliance on human subject testing: Development, validation and application.

Gait simulators play a crucial role in assessing the performance of physical prototypes of prosthetic knees, validating numerical simulation findings, and reducing dependency on user trials during prosthesis development. However, their practical application is limited because of substantial capital investment required for sophisticated high degrees-of-freedom (DOF) system development on one side and insufficient DOF for accurate simulation on the other. In this study, we evaluated the minimum DOF of thigh segment that a gait simulator should have to test the performance of prosthetic knees in a cost-effective manner.

Comparison of genicular nerve block with adductor canal block for postoperative pain management in patients undergoing arthroscopic knee ligament reconstruction: A randomised controlled trial.

Background And Aims: Genicular nerve block (GNB) is beneficial in early ambulation and faster patient discharge since it selectively blocks articular branches and is motor-sparing. This study aimed to compare the analgesic efficacy of ultrasound (US)-guided GNB with adductor canal block (ACB) in patients undergoing arthroscopic anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction (ACLR).

Methods: This randomised, double-blind study was conducted on 38 adults undergoing arthroscopic ACLR.

Performance evaluation of carbon quantum dots impregnated glass ionomer cement to avoid peri-implant disease.

Dental cement residues exacerbate peri-implant tissue irritation and peri-implantitis. The present study aims to evaluate the cytotoxicity, physiochemical, optical, and rheological properties of carbon quantum dots (CQDs) impregnated glass ionomer cement (GIC). Surface passivated fluorescent CQDs were synthesized using citric acid via thermal decomposition and blended with GIC.

Long-term community integration study of an affordable manual standing wheelchair.

Purpose: The manual, user-operated Arise Standing Wheelchair (SWC) is the end result of multiple design iterations based on findings and feedback from user trials. The Arise SWC provides standing functionality, outdoor mobility, affordability, and customisability. This paper describes a long-term community integration study of the Arise SWC.

Sustainable remediation of pesticide pollutants using covalent organic framework - A review on material properties, synthesis methods and application.

Covalent organic frameworks (COF) have emerged as a potential class of materials for a variety of applications in a wide number of sectors including power storage, environmental services, and biological applications due to their ordered and controllable porosity, large surface area, customizable structure, remarkable stability, and diverse electrical characteristics. COF have received a lot of attention in recent years in the field of environmental remediation, It also find its way to eliminate the emerging pollutant from the environment notably pesticide from polluted water. This review more concentrated on the application of COF in pesticide removal by modifying COF structure, COF synthesis and material properties.

Biosoftening of banana pseudostem fiber using cellulase and pectinase enzyme isolated from Aspergillus niger for textile industry.

Background: Nowadays, farmers are facing a lot of problems for the disposal of banana pseudostem waste after the harvesting of banana. Banana pseudostem is a rich source of fiber, which is an alternative source of other natural and synthetic fibers. The banana fibers are biodegradable, and they are expected to be in great demand in the international market.

Surface Modification on Nickel Rich Cathode Materials for Lithium-Ion Cells: A Mini Review.

Nickel-rich (Ni-rich) layered oxides are considered as the most promising cathode candidates for lithium-ion cells owing to their high theoretical specific capacity. However, the higher nickel content endows structural deformation through unwanted phase transitions and parasitic side reactions that lead to capacity fading upon prolonged cycling. Hence, a deep understanding of the chemistry and structural behaviour is essential for developing Ni-rich Lithium Nickel Cobalt Manganese oxide (NCM) cathode-based high-energy batteries.

Long-term follow-up of tobacco cessation intervention in a dental setting: A randomized trial.

Aims And Objectives: Tobacco dependence is widely prevalent and a harmful chronic disorder. Achieving long-term tobacco abstinence is an important public health goal. This study aims to assess the long-term effectiveness of moderate-intensity treatment for tobacco cessation in the dental clinic setting.

Equivalent system based inverse dynamics analysis of transfemoral prosthetic legs: Validation and application.

Inverse dynamics analysis of prosthetic legs with polycentric knees is complex due to increased number of links. The present work proposes a simple and general method called equivalent system (ES) analysis. The ES analysis provides forces and moment at hip joint as well as at the functional knee centre (FKC), the instant centre of the polycentric knee.

Anterior-cruciate-ligament reconstruction does not alter the knee-extensor moment arm during gait.

Background: The ability of the quadriceps muscles to extend the knee depends on the moment arm of the knee-extensor mechanism, which is described by the moment arm of the patellar tendon at the knee. The knee-extensor moment may be altered by a change in quadriceps force, a change in the patellar tendon moment arm (PTMA), or both. A change in quadriceps muscle strength after anterior-cruciate-ligament-reconstruction (ACLR) surgery is well documented, however, there is limited knowledge about how this procedure affects the PTMA.

Case Report: Pharyngeal Diphtheria in a Pregnant Woman from South India.

Diphtheria is a vaccine-preventable disease and is caused by toxigenic strains of Corynebacterium diphtheriae. Several case reports have been published in the recent years, and this resurgence of cases has occurred mainly in adolescent and adult populations. Also, several research articles have reported waning immunity against diphtheria in adults who have completed childhood immunization.

An Eight Year Clinico-Microbiological Retrospective Study on Brain Abscesses in India.

Background: Intracranial abscesses have been a diagnostic and therapeutic challenge since time immemorial for both the microbiologists and the neurosurgeons. There is paucity of detailed studies documenting the infecting organism causing brain abscesses in South India.

Aims: The study aimed at identifying and assessing the prevalence of aerobic, anaerobic bacteria and fungi associated with brain abscesses at a tertiary care hospital in South India.

Toolkit for delivering the 3Es and 6As tobacco interventions in dental care.

Tobacco use is one of the major public health problems in India and also the single most important remediable public health problem. Tobacco cessation is the need of the hour. The dentists have a unique opportunity and professional obligation to be a positive influence in reducing the economic and social burden inflicted by tobacco use on dental and general health.

Swing phase considerations in prosthetic knee design: Case series to validate simulations.

Background: Previously reported simulations comparing a new polycentric knee (called IPK) and a single-axis knee suggested that polycentricity could lead to improved performance during swing phase and negate the need for an extension assist. They also showed that an anteriorly translated socket adapter for enhanced stance stability compromises foot clearance during swing.

Objectives: The objectives of this study are to validate those findings using gait trials to enable further improvement in the IPK design before mass production.

User experience study of an affordable manual standing wheelchair.

Purpose: The manual user-operated Arise Standing Wheelchair (SWC) is the end-result of multiple design iterations based on comments from user trials. The Arise SWC provides standing functionality, outdoor mobility, affordability, and customizability. This paper describes a user experience study of the Arise SWC's pre-commercial version.

Energy storage and stress-strain characteristics of a prosthetic foot: a priori design and analysis with experiments.

This work proposes an experimentally validated numerical approach for a systematic a priori evaluation of the energy storage and stress-strain characteristics of a prosthetic foot during the stance phase of walking. Boundary conditions replicating the rocker based inverted pendulum model were incorporated. The mechanically complex Ottobock Solid Ankle Cushioned Heel (SACH) foot was opted as the test device.

Validation of wearable inertial sensor-based gait analysis system for measurement of spatiotemporal parameters and lower extremity joint kinematics in sagittal plane.

Wearable inertial sensor-based motion analysis systems are promising alternatives to standard camera-based motion capture systems for the measurement of gait parameters and joint kinematics. These wearable sensors, unlike camera-based gold standard systems, find usefulness in outdoor natural environment along with confined indoor laboratory-based environment due to miniature size and wireless data transmission. This study reports validation of our developed (i-Sens) wearable motion analysis system against standard motion capture system.

A review of innovation strategies and processes to improve access to AT: Looking ahead to open innovation ecosystems.

It is essential to understand the strategies and processes which are deployed currently across the Assistive Technology (AT) space toward measuring innovation. The main aim of this paper is to identify functional innovation strategies and processes which are being or can be deployed in the AT space to increase access to AT globally. We conducted a scoping review of innovation strategies and processes in peer-reviewed literature databases and complemented this by identifying case studies demonstrating innovation strategies.

Design of a low-cost, reconfigurable, standing wheelchair with easy and stable sit-stand-sit transition capability.

Purpose: Assistive devices like Standing Wheelchairs (SWC) have remained out of reach of the economically underprivileged even before the pandemic-induced financial downturn, and more so now. This paper describes the mechanical design of a manual user-actuated SWC that is cost-effective (equivalent of USD 210 in India, ex-factory) and has special features that minimise user effort and accommodates varying body weights (50-110 kg) and dimensions (1.52-1.

A self-aligning end-effector robot for individual joint training of the human arm.

Aim: Intense training of arm movements using robotic devices can help reduce impairments in stroke. Recent evidence indicates that independent training of individual joints of the arm with robots can be as effective as coordinated multi-joint arm training. This makes a case for designing and developing robots made for training individual joints, which can be simpler and more compact than the ones for coordinate multi-joint arm training.

Conversion of waste cooking oil into value-added emulsion liquid membrane for enhanced extraction of lead: Performance evaluation and optimization.

This research study investigated the synthesis of environmentally benign green emulsion liquid membrane (GELM) employing waste cooking oil (WCO) as diluent. The emulsion was prepared using D2EHPA as the carrier, Span 80 as surfactant, and sulphuric acid as internal/stripping agent. The influence of nine operating variables namely, Span 80 concentration, D2EHPA concentration, shaking time, shaking speed, pH of the feed, treat ratio (TR), HSO concentration, lead concentration in feed, and volume ratio of organic phase to aqueous phase (O/A) on the performance of lead extraction was studied.

Biomechanical design framework for prosthetic feet: Experimentally validated non-linear finite element procedure.

Performance evaluation of prosthetic feet during their design is typically performed experimentally, which may be time and cost intensive. This work presents a first-of-its-kind application of a numerical procedure for the a priori determination of various stance phase biomechanical parameters of a prosthetic foot, such as its roll-over characteristics, centre of pressure trajectory, ankle flexion moment arm and ankle range of motion, to aid in its design. The numerical procedure is based on finite element analysis, which includes geometric, material and contact non-linearity.

Interactions of porphyrins with DNA: A review focusing recent advances in chemical modifications on porphyrins as artificial nucleases.

The advance of porphyrins as artificial nucleases along the years have developed a class of compounds having potential therapeutic applications. Being an extrovert of chemistry, a variety of chemical modifications have been done on porphyrin macrocycle in order to improve the spectroscopic properties and to adapt as artificial receptors that can recognize molecules. The last twenty years has witnessed broad research in the arena of porphyrin- DNA interactions and their evolution from simple to more complex entities.

Design journey of an affordable manual standing wheelchair.

Purpose: Only 1 in 10 people with disabilities can access assistive devices, underlining the critical need for low-cost assistive products. This paper describes the design evolution of a manual user-operated standing wheelchair (SWC), translating from prototype to product.

Methods: The SWC design has been refined over 5 years through multiple iterations based on comments from user trials.