Treatment of infantile idiopathic scoliosis using a novel thoracolumbosacral orthosis: a case report

Background The recommended treatment for mild to moderate infantile idiopathic scoliosis curves involves serial casting. There are concerns, however, regarding the safety of repeated casting in very young children owing to the requirement for anesthetization during the casting process. Very little research has been conducted on the influence of bracing as an initial treatment for scoliosis in this age group. This report details the successful treatment of a large thoracic curve using a thoracolumbosacral orthosis in an infant diagnosed with infantile idiopathic scoliosis. Case presentation The Dutch-Australian patient presented at 11 weeks of age with a 44° thoracic scoliosis and a rib vertebral angle difference of 14°. The history and physical examination failed to reveal a cause of the curvature, and a diagnosis of infantile idiopathic scoliosis was made. The patient was prescribed a thoracolumbosacral orthosis (ScoliBrace) to be worn on a part-time basis for a period of 8 months. At the end of the bracing program, the patient’s curve had been reduced to 7° and a rib–vertebral angle difference of 0°. A final follow-up of the patient at 2 years after the cessation of treatment revealed no evidence of scoliosis. The parents were compliant with the bracing protocol and reported that the treatment was tolerated by the infant. Conclusion The use of an orthosis as a standalone treatment in this patient resulted in significant reduction in a large thoracic scoliosis. Based on the results witnessed in this patient, further investigation into bracing as an alternative to casting is warranted.

Van Der Waals Epitaxial Growth of Bismuth Thin-film on Silicon (111) Substrate by MBE

Crystallinity of an 80-nm-thick bismuth thin film grown on Si(111) substrate by MBE was investigated. The highly (0003) textured Bi film contains two twinning domains with different bilayer stacking sequences. The basic lattice parameters c and a as well as b, the bilayer thickness, of the two domains were determined from a series of X-ray diffraction (XRD) measurements, and found that the differences are within 0.1% as compared with those of bulk Bi reported in literature, suggesting that the Bi film has been nearly fully relaxed. From the XRD φ-scans of asymmetric Bi (01-14), (10-15), (11-26) planes and Si (220) plane as well as selected area electron diffraction patterns and electron back scatter diffraction pole figures, we confirmed the well registration between the lattices of Si and Bi lattice, i.e. the ω angle difference between Bi[0003] and Si[111] and the φ angle different between Bi[01-14] and Si[220] are 0.056° and 0.25°, respectively, and thus concluded that the growth is a quasi-van der Waals epitaxy.

Application of differential countermeasure machine learning model in the field of UAV circuit inspection

In this paper, we establish one-objective differential game equations for one-to-one attack and defense in a two-dimensional plane. Through calculation and visual analysis, obtain the optimal pursuit path movement trajectory, and through machine learning method to training UAV, using cycle process of simulation, output with time growth each cycle pursuit path results, by comparing the movement trajectory image of the pursuit results and find the sheep just escape critical point exit. After that, the angle difference between the two initial positions was changed and tested again to enable the UAV to learn the optimal escape strategy more comprehensively, thus making a more precise path selection. Finally, this method can be reasonably evaluated.

Turning stability analysis of a 12-kW self-propelled riding-type automatic onion transplanter to ensure user safety

The lateral turning stability analysis of the self-propelled riding-type upland crop machinery is an important issue as the cultivation lands are usually uneven, and cause severe work-related injuries, even death. In this study, the lateral turning stability of a 12-kW self-propelled riding-type automatic onion transplanter was analyzed for ensuring the operator’s safety during transplanting operation. To evaluate turning stability, the center of gravity (CG) of the developed onion transplanter was determined theoretically. Then, a simulation was carried out to identify the lateral turning stability angles using the RecurDyn software, and the results were validated through tests. Rollover angles in the loaded and unloaded conditions were also checked. The statistical significance of the replications was determined by a one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA). According to the physical dimensions of the onion transplanter, the mathematical rollover angle was 34.5°. The average simulated rollover angles were 43.9°. Due to the symmetrical structure, a 4.5° turning difference was observed between the right and left side turning, and a 3° angle difference was occurred due to the variation of load conditions. The rollover angles fulfilled the ISO (International Organization for Standardization) standard. The findings of this study would be helpful for the manufacturers to ensure operator safety during the upland crop machinery operation in uneven and sloped lands.

Kinematic Synthesis of Gait Correction for a Rehabilitation Machine

This paper outlines the synthesis process for a redesign of the intelligently controlled assistive rehabilitation elliptical’s (ICARE) pedal system to enhance replication of gait-like movement patterns while training. The synthesized mechanism overcomes some limitations identified in certain ellipticals, specifically generation of taller, more rounded foot paths compared to over-ground gait. The proposed solution minimizes the position and angle difference curves between the ICARE foot motion and normal gait.

Severity of Idiopathic Scoliosis Is Associated with Differential Methylation: An Epigenome-Wide Association Study of Monozygotic Twins with Idiopathic Scoliosis

Epigenetic mechanisms may contribute to idiopathic scoliosis (IS). We identified 8 monozygotic twin pairs with IS, 6 discordant (Cobb angle difference >10°) and 2 concordant (Cobb angle difference ≤2°). Genome-wide methylation in blood was measured with the Infinium HumanMethylation EPIC Beadchip. We tested for differences in methylation and methylation variability between discordant twins and tested the association between methylation and curve severity in all twins. Differentially methylated region (DMR) analyses identified gene promoter regions. Methylation at cg12959265 (chr. 7 DPY19L1) was less variable in cases (false discovery rate (FDR) = 0.0791). We identified four probes (false discovery rate, FDR < 0.10); cg02477677 (chr. 17, RARA gene), cg12922161 (chr. 2 LOC150622 gene), cg08826461 (chr. 2), and cg16382077 (chr. 7) associated with curve severity. We identified 57 DMRs where hyper- or hypo-methylation was consistent across the region and 28 DMRs with a consistent association with curve severity. Among DMRs, 21 were correlated with bone methylation. Prioritization of regions based on methylation concordance in bone identified promoter regions for WNT10A (WNT signaling), NPY (regulator of bone and energy homeostasis), and others predicted to be relevant for bone formation/remodeling. These regions may aid in understanding the complex interplay between genetics, environment, and IS.