Investigation on the Ignition of Self-Regulating Heating Cables due to Overheating

Owing to the self-regulating heating cables installed to prevent freeze-up, hundreds of fires are reported annually. According to the Fire Statistical Yearbook of 2020, provided by the National Fire Agency of Korea, a total of 2,245 fires occurred due to seasonal equipment, of which 240 were caused by heating wires. It is reported that the fires due to the self-regulating heating cables are mainly caused by short circuit, heat storage, poor contact, and electric leakage. Herein, the possibility of ignition in self-regulating heating cables owing to overheating is investigated. Test samples were prepared according to the IEC 60738 standard, and the resistance characteristics and surface conditions were analyzed at varying temperatures. It was found that the self-temperature control function of these cables was lost at a specific temperature. In addition, the ignition of self-regulating heating cables was confirmed through a fire reproduction test at the experimental temperature.

Assessment of Ankle Joint Proprioception in Cricket Players

Background and Aims: Superior balance ability is necessary to achieve the highest competitive level and avoid lower limb injuries. Balance control improvement is one of the most important goals in sports and exercise. Better the balance, better is the performance. Proprioception plays an important role in balance control and ankle proprioception is arguably the most important. Cricket is an evolving sport and it the ankle-foot complex in the only part that comes in contact with the ground which further leads to ankle injuries. Ankle proprioception is altered by sport related injuries or fatigue all of which subsequently leads to altered balance mobility. Ankle injuries often leads to disruption of muscles and tendons with associated damage to inherent mechanoreceptors which detrimentally alters the quality of proprioceptive information required for balance control. This study consists of an assessment of ankle joint proprioception in cricket players using an active to active reproduction test. Methodology: An observational study was conducted among 40 cricket players. Ankle proprioception was assessed using an active to active reproduction test. The mean difference between both the positions were then calculated. Results: The result of this study showed a clinically significant difference in both ankle plantarflexion and ankle dorsiflexion. The results also showed that right sided movements were affected in subjects who are right sided dominant and the same was there for left sided dominant subjects. The mean errors in Right PF and Left PF was 4.15º and 1.75º respectively which signifies that Right PF is affected in cricket players. The mean errors in Right DF and Left DF was 2.825º and 2.025º respectively which signifies that Right DF is more affected than that of Left DF. Conclusion: The ankle proprioception was affected in majority of the individuals. A clinically significant increase is noted in Right PF, Right DF and Left DF. Right plantarflexion was affected more than that of left plantarflexion and right dorsiflexion was affected more than that of left dorsiflexion. Hence, right sided dominant people showed affection in right sided movements and those who were left sided dominant showed affection in left sided movements. These results thus signify that the players are at mild risk of having ankle injuries because ankle proprioception is associated with ankle injuries which then indirectly affects the performance of the player. Key words: Ankle proprioception, Cricket Players, Balance, Active to Active reproduction test.

Effect of Powder/Water Ratio Variation on Viscosity, Tear Strength and Detail Reproduction of Dental Alginate Impression Material (In Vitro and Clinical Study)

Background: Alginate impression is a common dental polymeric material, presented as powder to be mixed with water. Aim: 1. To analyze the effect of alginate powder/water ratio variation on viscosity, tear strength and detail reproduction by in vitro tests, and 2. To evaluate this variation’s effect on patients’ impressions. Materials and methods: Two commercial alginate products were mixed in different viscosities. Viscosity was measured by a viscometer. For the tear strength test, V-shaped specimens were used. For detail reproduction, a die with three scribed lines was used. Clinical dental impressions were examined by stereomicroscope. Results: The alginate specimens mixed with a higher powder/water ratio showed a higher viscosity and tear strength compared to those with a lower powder/water ratio. Both alginate mixtures reproduced two scribed lines in a detail reproduction test. On the other hand, no clear clinical difference was detected when examining dental impressions mixed with a different powder/water ratio. Conclusion: Although increasing the powder/water ratio of mixed alginate raised the resultant viscosity and tear strength by an in vitro test, clinically, no clear difference in tearing was detected. Detail reproduction was minimally affected by the variation in powder/water ratio.

ChromInst: A single cell sequencing technique to accomplish pre-implantation comprehensive chromosomal screening overnight

Next Generation Sequencing (NGS) is a powerful tool getting into the field of clinical examination. Its preliminary application in pre-implantation comprehensive chromosomal screening (PCCS) of assisted reproduction (test-tube baby) has shown encouraging outcomes that improves the success rate of in vitro fertilization. However, the conventional NGS library construction is time consuming. In addition with the whole genome amplification (WGA) procedure in prior, makes the single cell NGS assay hardly be accomplished within an adequately short turnover time in supporting fresh embryo implantation. In this work, we established a concise single cell sequencing protocol, ChromInst, in which the single cell WGA and NGS library construction were integrated into a two-step PCR procedure of ~ 2.5hours reaction time. We then validated the feasibility of ChromInst for overnight PCCS assay by examining 14 voluntary donated embryo biopsy samples in a single sequencing run of Miseq with merely 13M reads production. The good compatibility of ChromInst with the restriction of Illumina sequencing technique along with the good library yield uniformity resulted superior data usage efficiency and reads distribution evenness that ensures precisely distinguish of 6 normal embryos from 8 abnormal one with variable chromosomal aneuploidy. The superior succinctness and effectiveness of this protocol permits its utilization in other time limited single cell NGS applications.

Impacts of using a social robot to teach music to children with low-functioning autism

This article endeavors to present the impact of conducting robot-assisted music-based intervention sessions for children with low-functioning (LF) autism. To this end, a drum/xylophone playing robot is used to teach basic concepts of how to play the instruments to four participants with LF autism during nine educational sessions. The main findings of this study are compared to similar studies conducted with children with high-functioning autism. Our main findings indicated that the stereotyped behaviors of all the subjects decreased during the course of the program with an approximate large Cohen’sdeffect size. Moreover, the children showed some improvement in imitation, joint attention, and social skills from the Pre-Test to Post-Test. In addition, regarding music education, we indicated that while the children could not pass a test on the music notes or reading music phrases items because of their cognitive deficits, they showed acceptable improvements (with a large Cohen’sdeffect size) in the Stambak Rhythm Reproduction Test, which means that some rhythm learning occurred for the LF participants. In addition, we indicated that parenting stress levels decreased during the program. This study presents some potential possibilities of performing robot-assisted interventions for children with LF autism.

Proprioceptive accuracy is not associated with self-reported body awareness, body competence, and affect

Purpose Proprioception plays an essential role in motor control and in psychological functioning: it is the basis of body schema and the feeling of body ownership. There are individual differences in the processing accuracy of proprioceptive stimuli. Although proprioceptive acuity plays an important role in physical competence, there are contradictory findings concerning the role it plays in healthy psychological functioning. This study aims to shed more light on this association. Material and methods Sixty-eight young adults participated in this study. We estimated proprioceptive acuity by the reposition accuracy of elbow joint positions. We tested both dominant and non-dominant hands with two different versions of Joint Position Reproduction Test. Perceived physical competence, body awareness, and affectivity were assessed using questionnaires (Physical Competence scale of Body Consciousness Questionnaire, Somatic Absorption Scale, and Positive and Negative Affectivity Schedule, respectively). Results No significant association between proprioceptive acuity and body awareness, perceived body competence, and positive and negative affect was found. Conclusion Proprioceptive acuity, measured in the elbow joint, does not play a substantial role in body awareness, perceived body competence, and affect.

The ecological risk assessment of soil contamination with Ti and Fe at military sites in Ukraine: avoidance and reproduction tests with Folsomia candida

The aim of this research was to assess the effect of soil contamination with titanium (Ti) and iron (Fe) at military sites in Ukraine using the avoidance and reproduction tests with Folsomia candida (springtail). The soil used for the tests was sampled in 2017 from Dolyna, Ivano-Frankivsk region, Ukraine from two plots, namely a contaminated and a control site. The sample site is a former military site previously used for tank training. At the control site mainly the concentrations of Ti and Fe were exceeded. The control soil was free from contamination. The avoidance test and reproduction test were conducted with the use of springtail species F. candida. The following nine levels of contamination with heavy metals were established: 1%, 1.5%, 5%, 10%, 15%, 25%, 50%, 75% and 100%. The duration of the avoidance test was 7 days, and that of the reproduction test was 28 days. Overall, the results show that the avoidance and reproduction tests with collembolans have the potential to be used as screening tools in an ecological risk assessment of heavy metals. In the avoidance test, the concentrations from 1.5 to 100% significantly decreased the number of F. candida in the contamination site in comparison to the control site. At the same time, avoidance was not observed in the first concentration (1%). According to the reproduction test, the negative effect on the number of F. candida juveniles was observed beginning at the 10% dose. The half maximal effective concentration (EC50) for the avoidance test was 50.12%, while that for the reproduction test was 22.39%. The contamination with heavy metals at the military areas indicated the short- and long-term toxicity risk on the springtail F. candida.

Evaluation of shoulder kinesthesia in patients with unilateral frozen shoulder

Background: Intact sensory-motor system provides kinesthesia for maintaining joint stability. Joint proprioception or joint kinesthetic sensation is often used alternately to describe a deep sensation of joint motion and joint position sense. Mechanoreceptors located in superficial layer of joint capsule, muscle spindle, golgi tendon organ complex and ligaments around joint provides joint kinesthetic sensation. Frozen shoulder or adhesive capsulitis is one of the common musculoskeletal disorders encountered in Indian population with a prevalence of almost 50% older patients with diabetes and 2-10% in non-diabetic patients. This study assessed joint kinesthetic sensation during shoulder movements in people with frozen shoulder and healthy controls which may be affected due to presence of disease process or pain. Authors hypothesized that pain and alterations in non-contractile tissues (mainly capsule) around shoulder joint due to frozen shoulder may interfere with the joint kinesthetic sensation.Methods: Case group consisted of 41 participants with frozen shoulder and 41 healthy participants without shoulder pathology. Joint kinesthesia was assessed in frozen shoulders and dominant shoulders using angle reproduction test by actively reproducing the target angle placed passively by the therapist during flexion, abduction, medial and lateral rotation movements. The angle reproduced was measured using universal goniometer by the same therapist and 3 readings were recorded.Results: Results indicate significant differences between the mean difference of angle reproduction test during shoulder movements in cases of frozen shoulder and healthy group (p value <0.05).Conclusions: Significant shoulder kinesthetic deficits were observed in patients with unilateral frozen shoulder. Therefore, clinicians should consider rehabilitation of kinesthesia in treatment of patients with frozen shoulder.