Lower extremity exoskeletons can assist with performing particular functions such as gait assistance, and physical therapy support for subjects who have lost the ability to walk. This paper presents the analysis and evaluation of lightweight and adjustable two degrees of freedom, quasi-passive lower limb device to improve gait rehabilitation. The exoskeleton consists of a high torque DC motor mounted on a metal plate above the hip joint, and a link that transmits assistance torque from the motor to the thigh. The knee joint is passively actuated by spring installed parallel with the joint. The action of the passive component (spring) is combined with mechanical output of the motor to provide a good control on the designed exoskeleton whi

This study investigates the impact of nonsurgical periodontal treatment (NSPT) on oral health-related quality of life (OHRQoL) in patients with periodontitis stages (S)2 and S3, and the factors associated with the prediction of patient-reported outcomes. Periodontitis patients (n = 68) with moderately deep periodontal pockets were recruited. Responses to the Oral Health Impact Profile (OHIP)-14 questionnaire and clinical parameters including plaque index, bleeding on probing (BOP), probing pocket depth (PPD), and clinical attachment loss (CAL) were recorded. All patients received supra- and subgingival professional mechanical plaque removal. All clinical parameters and questionnaire responses were recorded again 3 months after NSPT.

Heavy oil is classified as unconventional oil resource because of its difficulty to recover in its natural state, difficulties in transport and difficulties in marketing it. Upgrading solution to the heavy oil has positive impact technically and economically specially when it will be a competitive with conventional oils from the marketing prospective. Developing Qaiyarah heavy oil field was neglected in the last five decades, the main reason was due to the low quality of the crude oil resulted in the high viscosity and density of the crude oil in the field which was and still a major challenge putting them on the major stream line of production in Iraq. The low quality of the crude properties led to lower oil prices in the global markets

The crystal structures of a new polymorph and seven new derivatives of 2-(1-phenyl-1H-1,2,3-triazol-4-yl)pyridine have been characterized and examined along with three structures from the literature to identify trends in their intermolecular contact patterns and packing arrangements in order to develop an insight into the crystallization behaviour of this class of compound. Seven unique C-H...X contacts were identified in the structures and three of these are present in four or more structures, indicating that these are reliable supramolecular synthons. Analysis of the packing arrangements of the molecules using XPac identified two closely related supramolecular constructs that are present in eight of the 11 structures; in all cases, the st

Software-defined networks (SDN) have a centralized control architecture that makes them a tempting target for cyber attackers. One of the major threats is distributed denial of service (DDoS) attacks. It aims to exhaust network resources to make its services unavailable to legitimate users. DDoS attack detection based on machine learning algorithms is considered one of the most used techniques in SDN security. In this paper, four machine learning techniques (Random Forest, K-nearest neighbors, Naive Bayes, and Logistic Regression) have been tested to detect DDoS attacks. Also, a mitigation technique has been used to eliminate the attack effect on SDN. RF and KNN were selected because of their high accuracy results. Three types of ne

In this investigation, the mechanical properties and microstructure of Metal Matrix Composites (MMCs) of Al.6061 alloy reinforced by ceramic materials SiC and Al₂O₃ with different additive percentages 2.5, 5, 7.5, and 10 wt.% for the particle size of 53 µ_m are studied. Metal matrix composites were prepared by stir casting using vortex technique and then treated thermally by solution heat treatment at 530 ⁰C for 1 hr. and followed by aging at 175 ⁰C with different periods. Mechanical tests were done for the samples before and after heat treatment, such as impact test, hardness test, and tensile test. Also, the microstructure of the metal matrix composites was examine

Background: Several infectious lung diseases often develop in patients with Rheumatoid arthritis (RA), especially during immunosuppressive medication, including disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drugs (DMARDs). The present study aimed to determine the role of respiratory tract bacterial infection in RA activity. Methods: Blood and sputum samples were collected from 31 patients with RA and 12 healthy subjects as control. The bacterial isolates were isolated and identified in collected sputum by biochemical tests and Vitec 2 system. Results: In the present study, thirty-one patients with RA were compared with 12 healthy subjects. Eight patients with RA were not infected with pathogenic bacteria (RA-NIPB) (25.8%). Twenty-three RA patients wer

            Diabetes mellitus caused by insulin resistance is prompted by obesity. Neuropeptide Nesfatin-1 was identified in several organs, including the central nervous system and pancreatic islet cells. Nesfatin-1 peptide appears to be involved in hypothalamic circuits that energy homeostasis and control food intake. Adiponectin is a plasma collagen-like protein produced by adipocytes that have been linked to the development of insulin resistance (IR), diabetes mellitus type 2 (DMT2), and cardiovascular disease (CVD). Resistin was first identified as an adipose tissue–specific hormone that was linked to obesity and diabetes.  The aim of this study was to estimate the relationship between human serum nesfatin-1, adiponect

Background:The most common pattern of dyslipidemia in diabetic patients is increased triglyceride (TG) and decreased HDL cholesterol level, The concentration of LDL cholesterol in diabetic patients is usually not significantly different from non diabetic individuals, Diabetic patients may have elevated levels of non-HDL cholesterol [ LDL+VLDL]. However type 2 diabetic patients typically have apreponderance of smaller ,denser LDL particles which possibly increases atherogenicity even if the absolute concentration of LDL cholesterol is not significantly increased. The Third Adult Treatment Panel of the National Cholesterol Education Program (NCEP III) and the American Heart Association (AHA ) have designate diabetes as a coronary heart dis