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Sound health is considered a basic need of every individual. It allows a person to enjoy routine activities. Objective: To examine the impact of moderate intensity exercise on aerobic fitness. Methods: Participants of the study were voluntarily selected from the department of sports science and Physical Education, Gomal University, Dera Ismail Khan, KPK, Pakistan. In addition, the participants of the study were categorized as; control group (CG =20) and experimental groups (EG-20). A self-made exercise protocol of twelve weeks was applied on the selected subjects and thus for the assessment of aerobic fitness, Harvard Step Test, developed by Brouha et al., (1943) was used. The collected data were tabulated and were analyzed by using appropriate statistical tools i.e. Percentage, Means, Standard Deviation, Paired Sample t-Test and ANOVA. Results: The study found significant difference were found between pre & post cardiovascular fitness of male subject i.e. t (9) = -21.433, sig. = .000 < a= .05. Similarly, significant difference was found between pre & post cardiovascular fitness of female subject i.e. t (9) = -25.249, sig = .000 < a= .05. According to the results of this research study, it may be recommended that the Physical education and exercise must be a necessary subject for all college, school and university level students or the student is necessary to take the subject of physical education and exercise for each year so that their cardiovascular fitness is maintained. Conclusions: The study concluded that moderate intensity exercise has significant impact on aerobic fitness of respondents. more...

In this research a biologically inspired finger-like mechanism similar to human musculoskeletal system is developed based on Shape Memory Alloys (SMAs). SMA actuators are inspiring the design of a modular finger part with compact and compliant actuation. A three-segmented finger-like mechanism is designed and fabricated. This mechanism is composed of six bending Shape Memory Alloy (SMA) actuators. As a result, our finger mechanism is compact and compliant. The insider three SMA actuators are used for finger flexion while the outsider three SMA actuators are for extension. Each segment of this mechanism can be bent and/or extended independently by actuating a corresponding bending SMA actuator. Furthermore, full bending motion can be achieved by applying coordinated control of the three SMA actuators. Toward this goal a mathematical model of the SMA combined finger has been developed. The developed mathematical model is then used to design a proportional-derivative controller for control compliant actuation of the finger-mechanism. The performance of this mechanism has been experimentally evaluated. Our experimental results verify that the SMA-based finger module can achieve the desired postures similar to a human finger. more...

Background: Tracheal stenosis is the obstruction of airway and need a proper diagnosis, management and treatment approach. Objective: To diagnose manage and repair tracheal stenosis. Study Design: Comparative analytical study Place and Duration of Study: Department of Thoracic Surgery, Sandeman Provincial Hospital Quetta from 1st July 2020 to 30th June 2021. Methodology: Forty seven patients were divided into two groups for management and repair of tracheal stenosis. After informed consent patients were underwent various procedure depending upon their diagnosis and comorbidity presentation. Their demography and other related information were entered in well-structured questionnaire. Data was analyzed by SPSS tool using t test and chi square. Results: The mean age of patients was 49.5±2.99 years. There were 57.4% of males in the study. Twenty five cases under went brocnhoscopic procedure while surgical repair was conducted on 22 cases. The success rate of surgical procedure was far more evident than bronchoscopic. Conclusion: Multidisciplinary approach is required in management and repair of tracheal stenosis related to clinical history and diagnosis. Key words: Tracheal stenosis, brochoscopy, tracheal repair more...

Aim: To determine the frequency of airways foreign body bronchus in children pneumothorax. Study Design: Cross-sectional/descriptive study Place and Duration of Study: Department of Thoracic Surgery, Sandeman Provincial Hospital Quetta from 1st January 2020 to 31st December 2020. Methodology: Forty five patients of both genders and aged between 1 to 15 years were enrolled. Patients details demographics age, gender, residence and body mass index were recorded after taking informed consent. Chest computed tomography and X-ray to bronchus were performed to examine the nature and site of foreign body. Bronchoscopy was performed and outcomes were analyzed. Results: There were 30 (66.67%) males and 15 (33.33%) females. Majority of patients 27 (60%) were ages more...

Summary Cultivated cotton (Gossypium hirsutum) is the most important fibre crop in the world. Cotton leaf curl disease (CLCuD) is the major limiting factor and a threat to textile industry in India and Pakistan. All the local cotton cultivars exhibit moderate to no resistance against CLCuD. In this study, we evaluated an exotic cotton accession Mac7 as a resistance source to CLCuD by challenging it with viruliferous whiteflies and performing qPCR to evaluate the presence/absence and relative titre of CLCuD‐associated geminiviruses/betasatellites. The results indicated that replication of pathogenicity determinant betasatellite is significantly attenuated in Mac7 and probably responsible for resistance phenotype. Afterwards, to decipher the genetic basis of CLCuD resistance in Mac7, we performed RNA sequencing on CLCuD‐infested Mac7 and validated RNA‐Seq data with qPCR on 24 independent genes. We performed co‐expression network and pathway analysis for regulation of geminivirus/betasatellite‐interacting genes. We identified nine novel modules with 52 hubs of highly connected genes in network topology within the co‐expression network. Analysis of these hubs indicated the differential regulation of auxin stimulus and cellular localization pathways in response to CLCuD. We also analysed the differential regulation of geminivirus/betasatellite‐interacting genes in Mac7. We further performed the functional validation of selected candidate genes via virus‐induced gene silencing (VIGS). Finally, we evaluated the genomic context of resistance responsive genes and found that these genes are not specific to A or D sub‐genomes of G. hirsutum. These results have important implications in understanding CLCuD resistance mechanism and developing a durable resistance in cultivated cotton. more...

Modular snake robot has the ability to maneuver narrow, complex, and unstructured environments. In recent years, Snake robot with 3-D locomotion has been studied by researchers for inspection of pipes, and stairs climbing etc. One of the effective approaches to accomplishing such complex tasks is by designing gaits for modular snake robot. In this paper, A Spiral curve gait along with rolling motion is proposed to adapt to the changes in the pipe diameter while moving on the pipe, which cannot be overcome by a simple helical rolling motion. The joint angles are calculated using Bellow’s model, based on the curvature and torsion of the backbone curve. We validated the proposed gait by simulating thirty degrees of freedom modular snake robot in Open Dynamics Engine simulator. more...

Piezoelectric materials are widely used as an input transducer to harvest electrical energy. In this research, an optimized piezoelectric transducer (PZT-5H) has been designed for maximum efficiency. The transition system consists of an ideal mass, spring and damper. It has been modeled using MATLAB Simscape Toolbox™. Routh–Hurwitz criterion is applied to assess the stability of the transition system. The root-locus and step-response plots are generated for the stability analysis. Effects of varying stiffness, damping coefficient and thickness have been studied in designing of stack PZT-5H. The statistical analysis based on a Taguchi design of experiment and analysis of variance approaches is implemented to obtain the optimum output response from the energy harvester. Consequently, interval plots and a regression model are designed to establish an adequate relationship between the controllable factors and optimum output response of the energy harvester. The results are compared with the literature and they correlate well with each other. more...

Background Syndesmotic fixation is essential in the management of unstable ankle fractures with syndesmotic disruption. It can be achieved either by rigid fixation with screws or dynamic fixation with suture-button devices. Syndesmosis screws are considered the gold standard for the stabilisation and fixation of distal tibiofibular syndesmotic injuries. We use both types of devices in our unit for the stabilisation of syndesmotic injuries. In our department, Arthrex TightRope® (Arthrex, Naples, FL) is the preferred suture-button device for the dynamic fixation of distal tibiofibular syndesmosis. Some studies have reported better outcomes with the use of suture-button devices. In this study, we aim to compare the outcomes with the use of both these devices. Methodology This retrospective cohort study was conducted from 1 June 2019 until 31 May 2020 which included all patients who underwent syndesmotic fixation. Data were collected from the Northern Ireland Electronic Care Record and the Northern Ireland Picture Archiving and Communication System. Primary outcomes included reoperation rates due to failure of syndesmotic hardware. Secondary outcomes included the comparison of complications (e.g. infection, wound problems, or loss of reduction) radiographic fixation/stability, duration of follow-up, and significant ongoing symptoms at the time of discharge from the clinic. Results A total of 53 patients underwent syndesmotic stabilisation during this period. In total, 34 patients underwent fixation with TightRope and 19 underwent syndesmotic screw fixation. Three patients (9%) had reoperation due to any cause in the TightRope group compared to four patients (21%) in the syndesmotic screw group. All four patients in the syndesmotic screws group underwent implant removal due to failure or symptoms due to implant. Only one patient (3%) in the TightRope group underwent implant removal due to ongoing pain [the other two (6%) patients included one with lateral ankle abscess and one with long distal fibula screws, both unrelated to the use of TightRope and TightRope left in situ at reoperation]. Rediastasis was reported in one (5.2%) patient with syndesmotic screws. The median duration of follow-up was 82 days in the syndesmotic screw group compared to 77.5 days in the TightRope group. Conclusions Based on our data, we report a lower incidence of implant-related problems and the need for implant removal with the use of TightRope. Quicker return to weight-bearing and slightly better radiographic stabilisation were noted as well. Our study has its limitations in terms of a small number of patients and the absence of functional outcomes as these were not routinely recorded at the time of discharge from the clinic. more...

In this paper, we present modeling of a novel arc shaped Shape Memory Alloy (SMA) actuator. The arc shaped SMA actuator is developed to provide rotational motion with compliance for bio-inspired soft robots. We modeled the dynamics of proposed SMA actuator using Elahinia’s method. The dynamic modeling is useful to understand the behavior of SMA and for controller tuning. The response from the simulation and experimental system showed similar behavior. more...

Introduction Up to 19% of patients who undergo surgery for an acute hip fracture are readmitted to the hospital within three months of the index operation. We aimed to identify risk factors for unplanned clinic attendance, readmission, and mortality within the first 12 months postoperatively and subsequently determine if there is a role for routine follow-up. Method Patients greater than 65 years old who underwent hip hemiarthroplasty using an uncemented Thompson implant for treatment of a traumatic non-pathological hip fracture were identified from a prospectively maintained database at a single institution between August 2007 and February 2011. Patient demographics, comorbidities, place of residence, mobility status, unplanned attendance to an orthopaedic clinic with symptoms relating to the respective limb, readmission, and mortality were recorded. Regression analysis was performed using the IBM Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS), version 24 (IBM SPSS Statistics, Armonk, NY) with P 2 most likely to require readmission within the first postoperative year. Conclusion To our knowledge, this is the first piece of research that identifies causative factors for unplanned clinic attendance and acute readmission during the first postoperative year in acute hip fracture patients treated by hemiarthroplasty. Routine scheduled follow-up of patients based on risk stratification may be effective in reducing the financial burden of unplanned clinic attendance. more...

In this paper, we have addressed two issues for upper limb assist exoskeleton. 1) Estimation of Desired Motion Intention (DMI); 2) Robust compliance control. To estimate DMI, we have employed Extreme Learning Machine Algorithm. This algorithm is free from traditional Neural Network based problems such as local minima, selection of suitable parameters, slow convergence of adaptation law and over-fitting. These problems cause lot of problem in tuning the intelligent algorithm for the desired results. Furthermore, to track the estimated trajectory, we have developed model reference based adaptive impedance control algorithm. This control algorithm is based on stable poles of desired impedance model, forcing the over all system to act as per desired impedance model. It also considers robot and human model uncertainties. To highlight the effectiveness of the proposed control algorithm, we have compared it with simple impedance and target reference based impedance control algorithms. Experimental evaluation is carried on seven degree of freedom upper limb assist exoskeleton. Results describe the effectiveness of ELM algorithm for DMI estimation and robust tracking of the estimated trajectory by the proposed model reference adaptive impedance control law. more...

This article proposes an automatic longitudinal deceleration based method for multi-wheel vehicle rollover safety in autonomous mode. The information of lateral acceleration and vehicle roll angle is used to generate the longitudinal acceleration at which the vehicle will remain stable to rollover. The lateral and roll dynamics are coupled with longitudinal dynamics using a potential field function for lateral acceleration. This virtual potential field is developed on g-g diagram which represents vehicle portrait of lateral and longitudinal acceleration on abscissa and ordinate respectively. The motion of vehicle is represented by a point moving on this phase portrait of g-g diagram. TruckSim model of multi-wheel military vehicle with in-wheel motors is used with this algorithm which shows that the vehicle is less susceptible to rollover. The safe longitudinal acceleration is achieved by torque control of in-wheel motors fitted in each wheel. Using this method, the vehicle followed the desired trajectory as higher speeds which are safe. This is particularly useful for vehicle autonomous driving with rollover stability. more...

Upper Limb Rehabilitation Robots (ULRR) for the patient having shoulder and elbow joint movement disorders, requires further study for development. One aspect that must be fulfilled by such robots, is the need to handle uncertainties due to biomechanical variation of different patients, without significantly degrading performance. Currently, rehabilitation robots require re-tuning of controller gain for each individual. This is time consuming process and requires expert training. To overcome this problem, we propose robust sliding mode control algorithm, which uses very basic information of subject like weight, height, age and gender to handle these model uncertainties. For analysis, we have compared our proposed algorithm with Robust Computed Torque Control (RCTC) and Boundary Augmented Sliding Mode Control (BASMC) algorithms with diverse subjects. Results describe the superiority of the proposed algorithm in handling uncertain parameters human arm and robot without degrading the performance. more...

Upper limb assist exoskeleton robot requires quantitative techniques to assess human motor function and generate command signal for robots to act in compliance with human motion. To asses human motor function, we present Desired Motion Intention (DMI) estimation algorithm using Muscle Circumference Sensor (MCS) and load cells. Here, MCS measures human elbow joint torque using human arm kinematics, biceps/triceps muscle model and physiological cross sectional area of these muscles whereas load cells play a compensatory role for the torque generated by shoulder muscles as these cells measure desire of shoulder muscles to move the arm and not the internal activity of shoulder muscles. Furthermore, damped least square algorithm is used to estimate Desired Motion Intention (DMI) from these torques. To track this estimated DMI, we have used passivity based adaptive control algorithm. This control techniques is particular useful to adapt modeling error of assist exoskeleton robot for different subjects. Proposed methodology is experimentally evaluated on seven degree of freedom upper limb assist exoskeleton. Results show that DMI is well estimated and tracked for assistance by the proposed control algorithm. more...

In this study, we developed a wearable robot operating on the external skeleton to support the movements of a weak person’s upper limbs, mainly 3-degree of freedom (DOF) of the shoulder, 1-degree of freedom of the elbow. Moreover, we applied a redundant degree of freedom to design an upper extremities wearable robot that accurately follows the movement of the upper limbs. Namely, we applied 4 driving parts to the robot to enable 3-degree of freedom for shoulders by optimizing the conformance between the links and body movement range. The optimal design which minimizes error where the robot and the body is adjusted, improves wear sensation and signal input. We attached a multi-axes load-cell to generate motion intent signals detecting the movements of the body. According to the EMG signal measurements when moving the upper limbs with the robot on, the RMS value decreased compared to that without the robot. This is due to the decrease in muscle activity, which results from using smaller muscular strength. That is to say, when comparing the same movements, the person wearing the robot used less muscular strength with the help of the robot. Also through SEF50 analysis of the EMG signals, we were able to verify that the muscle fatigue lessened. more...

Conventional gait rehabilitation requires at least three therapists in a traditional rehabilitation training program. Several robots have been developed to reduce human burden and increase rehabilitation efficacy. In this study, we present a lower-limb wearable robot (WA-H) for gait rehabilitation of hemiplegia patients, and propose a protocol of 12 weeks gait rehabilitation training program using WA-H. To identify the efficacy of the robot and protocols, we conducted a clinical study with two actual hemiplegia patients and observed a chronological change of ambulation ability through four assessments. We discovered the progression of results by 6 minute walking test, TUGT (Timed Up and Go Test), SPPB (Short Physical Performance Battery), BBS (Berg Balance Test), and Fugl-Meyer score. The torques generated in the normal side and paralyzed side of the patient became similar, indicating rehabilitation. The result also showed the walking of the paralysis patient improved and imbalance motion had considerable improved performance. more...

The need for human body posture robots has led researchers to develop dexterous design of exoskeleton robots. Quantitative techniques to assess human motor function and generate commands for robots were required to be developed. In this paper, we present a passivity based adaptive control algorithm for upper limb assist exoskeleton. The proposed algorithm can adapt to different subject parameters and provide efficient response against the biomechanical variations caused by subject variations. Furthermore, we have employed the Particle Swarm Optimization technique to tune the controller gains. Efficacy of the proposed algorithm method is experimentally demonstrated using a seven degree of freedom upper limb assist exoskeleton robot. The proposed algorithm was found to estimate the desired motion and assist accordingly. This algorithm in conjunction with an upper limb assist exoskeleton robot may be very useful for elderly people to perform daily tasks. more...

Need to develop human body`s posture supervised robots, gave the push to researchers to think over dexterous design of exoskeleton robots. It requires to develop quantitative techniques to assess human motor function and generate the command to assist in compliance with complex human motion. Upper limb rehabilitation robots, are one of those robots. These robots are used for the rehabilitation of patients having movement disorder due to spinal or brain injuries. One aspect that must be fulfilled by these robots, is to cope with uncertainties due to different patients, without significantly degrading the performance. In this paper, we propose chattering free sliding mode control technique for this purpose. This control technique is not only able to handle matched uncertainties due to different patients but also for unmatched as well. Using this technique, patients feel active assistance as they deviate from the desired trajectory. Proposed methodology is implemented on seven degrees of freedom (DOF) upper limb rehabilitation robot. In this robot, shoulder and elbow joints are powered by electric motors while rest of the joints are kept passive. Due to these active joints, robot is able to move in sagittal plane only while abduction and adduction motion in shoulder joint is kept passive. Exoskeleton performance is evaluated experimentally by a neurologically intact subjects while varying the mass properties. Results show effectiveness of proposed control methodology for the given scenario even having 20 % uncertain parameters in system modeling. more...

BACKGROUND Plant production is severely affected by biotic and abiotic stresses R-genes exhibit resistance against a range of diseases and pathogens in plants. The nucleotide binding site and leucine rich repeat (NBS-LRR) class of R-genes is the most comprehensively studied in terms of sequence evolution and genome distribution. The differential response for resistance against biotic and abiotic stress has been observed in cultivated and wild relatives of the genus Gossypium. RESULTS Efforts have been made to address the recent evolution of NBS-LRR sequences within Gossypium hirsutum and resistance gene analogue (RGA) sequences derived from G. arboreum and G. raimondii. The % identity and phylogenetic analysis of NBS-LRR-encoded RGAs from tetraploid New World cotton and its diploid ancestors G. raimondii and G. arboreum suggest that the evolution of NBS-LRR-encoding sequences in G. hirsutum occurred by gradual accumulation of mutants that led to positive selection and a slow rate of divergence within distinct R-gene families. CONCLUSION The allotetraploid genome of cotton, after separating from its diploid parents, experienced polyploidisation, natural and artificial selection, hybrid necrosis, duplication and recombination which became the reason to shed off and evolve new genes for its survival. These driving forces influenced the development of genomic architecture that make it susceptible to diseases and pathogens as compared to donor parents. © 2015 Society of Chemical Industry more...

A steer-by-wire (SbW) system, also known as a next-generation steering system, is one of the core elements of autonomous driving technology. Navigating a SbW system road vehicle in varying driving conditions requires an adaptive and robust control scheme to effectively compensate for the uncertain parameter variations and external disturbances. Therefore, this article proposed an adaptive global fast sliding mode control (AGFSMC) for SbW system vehicles with unknown steering parameters. First, the cooperative adaptive sliding mode observer (ASMO) and Kalman filter (KF) are established to simultaneously estimate the vehicle states and cornering stiffness coefficients. Second, based on the best set of estimated dynamics, the AGFSMC is designed to stabilize the impact of nonlinear tire-road disturbance forces and at the same time to estimate the uncertain SbW system parameters. Due to the robust nature of the proposed scheme, it can not only handle the tire–road variation, but also intelligently adapts to the different driving conditions and ensures that the tracking error and the sliding surface converge asymptotically to zero in a finite time. Finally, simulation results and comparative study with other control techniques validate the excellent performance of the proposed scheme. more...

Prior to developing the wearable walking assistant robot that supports walking for hemiplegia patients, a neural oscillator, a type of CPG (central pattern generation), was applied to 2-DOF double pendulum, which can replace the leg of a robot. The walking pattern generation method was proposed using the gait pattern of the non-affected side of hemiplegia patients. Because it is difficult for hemiplegia patients to distinguish the intended action signal of the patient wearing a robot on their affected side, we had to utilize a limited amount of information to get the maximum effect. We needed an effective solution for robot control in an outside environment where many unknown disturbances exist. In order to deal with these two problems, we used a nonlinear oscillator with a double pendulum as a test bed to explore the possibility of producing a robot walking pattern. more...

This paper is related to the development of ASIC for tactile sensing system in humanoid robots. First of all, it is necessary to choose the best sensor for tactile sensing in humanoid robots. A large number of sensors like capacitive, resistive, piezoresistive, tunnel effective, optical, ultrasonic, magnetism based, piezoelectric sensors are available in market for tactile sensing. Not all the sensors are suitable for tactile sensing at all locations of humanoid robotics. We need to use different sensors for different locations in humanoid robotics like fingerprints and belly. Fingerprints of robot are most important part where we need a huge number of sensors on a limited place. As we need a large amount of data for exact modeling of properties contact surface so we require data from a large number of tactile sensors and hence we need to develop an array of tactile sensors. more...

Research article

Plant production is severely affected by biotic and abiotic stresses R-genes exhibit resistance against a range of diseases and pathogens in plants. The nucleotide binding site and leucine rich repeat (NBS-LRR) class of R-genes is the most comprehensively studied in terms of sequence evolution and genome distribution. The differential response for resistance against biotic and abiotic stress has been observed in cultivated and wild relatives of the genus Gossypium.Efforts have been made to address the recent evolution of NBS-LRR sequences within Gossypium hirsutum and resistance gene analogue (RGA) sequences derived from G. arboreum and G. raimondii. The % identity and phylogenetic analysis of NBS-LRR-encoded RGAs from tetraploid New World cotton and its diploid ancestors G. raimondii and G. arboreum suggest that the evolution of NBS-LRR-encoding sequences in G. hirsutum occurred by gradual accumulation of mutants that led to positive selection and a slow rate of divergence within distinct R-gene families.The allotetraploid genome of cotton, after separating from its diploid parents, experienced polyploidisation, natural and artificial selection, hybrid necrosis, duplication and recombination which became the reason to shed off and evolve new genes for its survival. These driving forces influenced the development of genomic architecture that make it susceptible to diseases and pathogens as compared to donor parents. more...

This paper presents an application of static and dynamic sliding mode control of ball and beam system. Conventional PID controllers use incomplete simplified models and are mostly designed for linear systems. Although, some PID controllers are designed for nonlinear system but they are using simplified incomplete model which do not cater for matched disturbances. Our proposed control laws using static & dynamic sliding mode control use complete nonlinear system without model approximation. Moreover, static sliding mode control (SSMC) caters for matched disturbance rejection as well. There is an inherent issue of chattering with static sliding mode control (SSMC). However, dynamics sliding mode control (DSMC) counter it well. DSMC is not only equally effective when it comes to matched disturbance rejection but also removes chattering as well. In the end detailed comparative analysis is presented and experimental results confirm the superiority of DSMC. more...