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Objectives: The professional literature guides manual handling in numerous health care settings. The effects of these guidelines on stroke rehabilitation and the clinical communication of health care professionals are unknown. This paper aims to investigate the perspectives of nurses and physiotherapists on handling guidelines in their professions to identify conflicts in opinions to provide optimum care to people with stroke. Design: A qualitative focus group study. Methods: Three focus groups were conducted. The participants were physiotherapists or nurses with 1 year of stroke care experience. The data were thematically analysed. Results: Nineteen participants (12 physiotherapists and 7 nurses) were interviewed. The data analysis revealed 3 themes. First, “The application of handling in stroke rehabilitation” includes clinical reasoning and real-world handling practices. The second theme, “Physical Effects on Therapists,” examines the long-term effects of manual handling on therapists, including work-related musculoskeletal disorders. The final theme, “Conflicts among health care professionals,” investigates stroke rehabilitation equipment conflicts between nurses and physiotherapists. Conclusion: The study concludes that stroke transfer guidelines in the specialised literature may impact health care professionals’ perspectives. Conflicts among health care professionals can impair teamwork. Thus, health care professionals should work together as stroke rehabilitation teams to develop unified transfer guidelines that aid rehabilitation and avoid work-related musculoskeletal disorders.

IntroductionCerebral palsy (CP) is a lifelong disorder of posture and movement which often leads to a myriad of limitations in functional mobility. The Functional Mobility Scale (FMS) is a parent-report measure of functional mobility for children with CP at three different distances (5 m, 50 m, and 500 m). This is a cross-sectional study which sought to translate and culturally adapt the FMS into Arabic and to validate the translated version. Functional mobility for children and adolescents with CP in Saudi Arabia was examined.MethodsThe translation methodology complied with the World Health Organization Disability Assessment Schedule 2.0 translation package. A total of 154 children with CP were recruited (mean age 8.16 ± 3.32 years). Parents were interviewed to rate the usual walking ability of their children on the Arabic FMS. The re-test assessment was done with 34 families. The mean time interval between the first and second sessions was 14.3 days (SD = 8.5), with a range of 6–37 days.ResultsConcurrent validity was explored using Spearman’s rank correlation coefficient between scores of the Arabic FMS with their corresponding score on the Gross Motor Function Classification System (GMFCS). Spearman’s r values ranged between (−0.895 and –0.779), indicating strong to very strong correlations. The Test–retest reliability was examined using Cohen’s weighted kappa, which showed almost perfect agreements. There was greater limitation for functional mobility at longer distances as 55.2% of children could not complete 500 meters (FMS score N). Overall, there was limited use of wheelchairs for all distances (ranging from 9.1% to 14.3%). Levels IV and V on the GMFCS had less variation in FMS scores and most of the children in these levels either did not complete the distances (no functional mobility at all distances) or used a wheelchair for mobility.DiscussionThe Arabic FMS was shown to be a reliable and valid measure of functional mobility for children with CP in their environment based on the parental reports. Functional mobility varied at different distances and within each GMFCS level. The use of both the GMFCS and FMS when assessing children with CP is recommended.

Background: Stroke and its associated complications are a major cause of long-term disability worldwide, with spasticity being a common and severe issue. Physical therapy, involving stretching exercises and electrical stimulation, is crucial for managing spasticity. Therefore, this study aimed to evaluate the effects of neuromuscular electrical stimulation (NMES) combined with a conventional rehabilitation program (CRP) on plantarflexor muscle spasticity and walking performance among individuals with chronic stroke. Methods: A pilot randomized clinical trial (RCT) with two groups (active NMES and placebo) was conducted at the physical therapy departments of King Fahad Specialist Hospital, Buraydah, and Sultan Bin Abdulaziz Humanitarian City, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia (November 2020). The assessor and participants were blinded for the group assignment. The active NMES group received exercise and stimulation at the dorsiflexor muscles on the paretic leg for 30 min for 12 sessions. The placebo group received exercise and sham stimulation at the same position and duration as the active group. Of interest were the outcomes for plantarflexor muscle spasticity measured by the modified Ashworth scale (MAS), gait speed measured by 10 m walk test (10-MWT), and functional mobility measured by functional ambulatory category (FAC). Results: Nineteen participants were randomized into active NMES (n = 10) and sham NMES (n = 9) groups, with no significant baseline differences. Within the active NMES group, significant improvements were observed in MAS (p = 0.008), 10-MWT (p = 0.028), and FAC (p = 0.046), while only 10-MWT time improved significantly in the sham NMES group (p = 0.011). Between-group analysis showed that only MAS was significantly lower in the active NMES group (p = 0.006). Percent change analysis indicated a significantly higher increase in percent change for MAS in the active NMES group compared to the sham NMES group (p = 0.035), with no significant differences in other outcome measures. Conclusions: This study showed that NMES in the active group led to significant improvements in spasticity, walking performance, and functional ambulation. Further research is needed to determine the ideal parameters, protocols, and patient selection criteria for NMES interventions in stroke rehabilitation.

Abstract The electrical characteristics of quad-crescent-shaped silicon nanowire (NW) solar cells (SCs) are numerically analyzed and as a result their performance optimized. The structure discussed consists of four crescents, forming a cavity that permits multiple light scattering with high trapping between the NWs. Additionally, new modes strongly coupled to the incident light are generated along the NWs. As a result, the optical absorption has been increased over a large portion of light wavelengths and hence the power conversion efficiency (PCE) has been improved. The electron–hole (e–h) generation rate in the design reported has been calculated using the 3D finite difference time domain method. Further, the electrical performance of the SC reported has been investigated through the finite element method, using the Lumerical charge software package. In this investigation, the axial and core–shell junctions were analyzed looking at the reported crescent and, as well, conventional NW designs. Additionally, the doping concentration and NW-junction position were studied in this design proposed, as well as the carrier-recombination-and-lifetime effects. This study has revealed that the high back surface field layer used improves the conversion efficiency by $$\sim$$ ∼ 80%. Moreover, conserving the NW radial shell as a low thickness layer can efficiently reduce the NW sidewall recombination effect. The PCE and short circuit current were determined to be equal to 18.5% and 33.8 mA $$/\hbox {cm}^2$$ / cm 2 for the axial junction proposed. However, the core–shell junction shows figures of 19% and 34.9 mA $$/\hbox {cm}^2$$ / cm 2 . The suggested crescent design offers an enhancement of 23% compared to the conventional NW, for both junctions. For a practical surface recombination velocity of $$10^{2}$$ 10 2 cm/s, the PCE of the proposed design, in the axial junction, has been reduced to 16.6%, with a reduction of 11%. However, the core–shell junction achieves PCE of 18.7%, with a slight reduction of 1.6%. Therefore, the optoelectronic performance of the core–shell junction was marginally affected by the NW surface recombination, compared to the axial junction.

In this study, the finite element method using ANSYS workbench 16.1 has been successfully used to predict the fatigue life, fatigue strength, and the factors of safety for the as cast AA5052 as arrow matrix and its composites: AA5052/7 wt% ZrO2, AA5052/7 wt% TiO2 and AA5052/7 wt% Al2O3. The Finite Element Analysis (FEA) model was building according to dimensions of the experimental fatigue specimen. The total number of elements was 504 elements with a total number of nodes of 2572 nodes. The numerical fatigue test was processed under static structural analysis, and it has been analyzed using fatigue tool on ANSYS, Goodman theory was used for the prediction of life. The FEM using ANSYS.16.1 workbench simulation showed a good agreement with the experimental results for all the stress life curves and the highest difference in fatigue life was 17% and the lowest was 1.4%, for ZrO2 composite, while the maximum overall average error was 2.031% for AA5052 and the lowest was 0.378%, for Al2O3 composite. The maximum difference about 4.14 % between the experimental and numerical fatigue strength at 107 cycles for the row matrix and less than for the composites, also the minimum factor of safety for the AA5052 alloy is 0.8327 and for AA5052/7 wt% ZrO2 composite is 1.0709 while for both AA5052/7wt%TiO2 and AA5052/7 wt% Al2O3 composites are 1.0707 at specific design life.

Abstract A crystal superlattice structure featuring nonlinear layers with alternating orthogonal optic axes interleaved with orthogonal poling directions, is shown to generate high-quality hyperentangled photon pairs via orthogonal quasi-phase-matched spontaneous parametric downconversion. We demonstrate that orthogonal quasi-phase matching (QPM) processes in a single nonlinear domain structure correct phase and group-velocity mismatches concurrently. Compared with the conventional two-orthogonal-crystals source and the double-nonlinearity single-crystal source, the orthogonal QPM superlattice is shown to suppress the spatial and temporal distinguishability of the generated photon pairs by several orders of magnitude, depending on the number of layers. This enhanced all-over-the-cone indistinguishability enables the generation of higher fluxes of photon-pairs by means of the combined use of (a) long nonlinear crystal in noncollinear geometry, (b) low coherence-time pumping and ultra-wide-band spectral detection, and (c) focused pumping and over-the-cone detection. While each of these three features is challenging by itself, it is remarkable that the orthogonal QPM superlattice meets all of these challenges without the need for separate spatial or temporal compensation.

Background: Neural mobilization (NM) constitutes the most effective, common method for assessing and treating several neuromuscular disorders. The study at hand aims to determine the effectiveness of the NM technique compared to lumbar stabilization exercise (LSE) and Radial Extracorporeal Shock Wave Therapy (rESWT) in the physical therapy management of chronic low back pain (CLBP) with radiculopathy. Methods: Two groups comprising 30 participants and randomly chosen formed the basis of this investigation: Group A (NM, LSE, and rESWT) and Group B (LSE and rESWT). The period of three to six weeks constituted the time it took to measure the results herein reached baseline. The results of the observations focused on pain assessed by numerical pain rating scale (NPRS), Lumbar flexion range of motion (Lumbar FROM) by Schober’s method, and disability level as measured by the Modified Oswestry Disability Questionnaire (MODQ). Results: In the control group, the mean scores of pain, lumbar FROM, and MODQ at baselines showed a high level of similarity (6.47, 2.87, and 43.71 respectively in the intervention group, and 6.20, 2.93 and 44.66. Both groups showed improvement in their pain scores at three weeks (P

Background: One of the main problems in a patient with Parkinson’s disease (PD) is recurrent falls. This paper aims to explore the nature of interventions which target the role of physiotherapy preventing fall in patients with PD. Methods: A scoping review was led dependent on Arksey and O'Malley. This paper-based on this structure to perceive intervention studies have been embraced in physiotherapy to prevent fall after Parkinson disease. The search included various databases. The referencing arrangements of every pertinent paper were additionally filtered for more studies. Results: 173 articles were included, thirty-nine of which met the eligibility criteria. Fifteen studies reported on the direct impact of physiotherapy on fall, while the rest examined the impacts of physiotherapy on factors that are associated with falls. Different outcomes, intervention types, and duration were used in these studies. Findings showed favorable results of physiotherapy on fall and near fall incidence, balance, gait, functional mobility, muscle strength and fear of falling. Conclusion: Physiotherapy can decrease fall incidence and fall risk in people with PD. However, the heterogeneity in the patients’ selection, intervention studies, outcome measures are chosen, time since the onset of disease, variation in intensity and duration of treatment between included studies makes the comparisons difficult. Consequently, more studies are needed on best intervention.

Background: Shoulder Impingement Syndrome (SIS) is a major contributing factor for shoulder pain. Although many therapists use Kinesio Taping (KT) and Manual Therapy (MT) for SIS, no such studies in combination with Supervised Exercise Therapy (SET) have been conducted in the context of Saudi Arabia. Thus, the purpose of this study is to compare the effectiveness of KT and MT with SET in patients with SIS. Methods: Randomized controlled trial. Thirty-two subjects were assigned into two groups (KT with SET and MT with SET). The following outcome measures were measured at baseline, three weeks and six weeks. The outcome measurements are pain intensity by a numerical pain rating scale (NPRS), Active range of motion in the shoulder (AROM) by goniometry, and the functions of the shoulder measured through Shoulder Pain and Disability Index (SPADI). A simple descriptive statistical analysis was adopted to describe the patient-specific demographic characteristics with respect to outcome parameters. Within-group and between groups comparison were analyzed using ANOVA, and Scheffes’ posthoc tests by using SPSS 21.0. Results: Sixteen subjects completed treatment in each group. No differences were identified between groups at baseline. In ANOVA, it was shown that both groups significantly (p

All vehicles are affected by the type of the road they are moving on it. Therefore the stability depends mainly on the amount of vibrations and steering system, which in turn depend on two main factors: the first is on the road type, which specifies the amount of vibrations arising from the movement of the wheels above it, and the second on is the type of the used suspension system, and how the parts connect with each other. As well as the damping factors, the tires type, and the used sprungs. In the current study, we will examine the effect of the road roughness on the performance coefficients (speed, displacement, and acceleration) of the joint points by using a BOGE device.