Control Trainer Research Articles

Balance Assessment in Subacute Stroke Patients Using the Balance Control Trainer (BalPro).

ObjectiveTo demonstrate the efficacy of the balance control trainer (BCT), developed for training patients with balance problems, as a balance assessment tool in subacute stroke patients.MethodsA prospective cross-sectional study was carried out on 38 subacute stroke patients in their first episode of a stroke, and having the ability to maintain a standing position without aid for at least 5 minutes. Patients were assessed using the BCT (BalPro) 43.7±35.7 days after stroke. The balance was assessed using the Berg Balance Scale (BBS), the Timed Up and Go Test (TUG), a 10-meter walking test (10mWT), a 6-minute walking test (6MWT), and the Korean version of the Modified Barthel Index. The correlation and validity between the BCT and various balance assessments were analyzed.ResultsStatistically significant linear correlations were observed between the BCT score and the BBS (r=0.698, p<0.001). A moderate to excellent correlation was seen between the BCT score and 11 of the 14 BBS items. The BCT scores and other secondary outcome parameters (6MWT r=0.392, p=0.048; TUG r=–0.471, p=0.006; 10mWT r=–0.437, p=0.012) had a moderate correlation.ConclusionBalance control training using the BCT (BalPro) showed significant statistical correlation with the BBS, and could therefore be a useful additional balance assessment tool in subacute stroke patients.

Infection Prevention And Control In TB Programs.

P oor infection prevention and control in congregate settings such as health facilities and prisons is a serious obstacle to advancing public health efforts worldwide and can have deadly consequences, as in the 2015 Ebola outbreak in West Africa. Other areas of the world with similarly high burdens of infectious disease are also in urgent need of improved infection prevention and control. Countries in the former Soviet Union are facing tuberculosis (TB) and multidrugresistant TB burdens that are among the highest in the world. The lack of trained staff, equipment, motivation, and monitoring to adequately address infection prevention and control at health care facilities in these countries puts health care workers and patients at serious risk and threatens the sustainability of TB control efforts. At Project HOPE, infection prevention and control is a priority. Under the US Agency for International Development (USAID) Strengthening Tuberculosis Control Project in Ukraine, Project HOPE and Chemonics, an international development company, guided the National TB Control Programme in revising national and regional policies for infection prevention and control at TB health care facilities and laboratories. We also trained and mentored health care workers and laboratory personnel in effective infection prevention and control practices. As a result, these TB facilities and laboratories realigned their budgets to conform to international standards and introduced new standard operating procedures that significantly improve quality, efficiency, and safety. The most dramatic improvements are evident at Ukraine’s TB facilities in Odessa and Dnipropetrovsk, where the rate of infectionamonghealth care personnel has dropped fivefold over the past three years. In Tajikistan, under programs supported by the USAID TB CARE I Project; the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria; and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Project HOPE assisted Macheton National TB Hospital to form a team of expert infection prevention and control trainers who subsequently trained health care workers from seventeen pilot sites. In 2015, for the first time ever, TB cases among health workers throughout the country were systematically recorded and reported. Eighty-five percent of health care personnel at the seventeen pilot sites were screened for symptoms, and eleven TB cases were detected. As a result of its commitment to making TB infection prevention and control apriority, theMachetonTBHospital was designated by the Tajikistan government as the national infection control demonstration site and training base. Activities there are being scaled up across the nation, and fifteen national TB representatives from Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, and Kyrgyzstan are being trained in infection prevention and control methods, practices, and mentoring by leading international experts. Successful infection prevention and control programs such as those implemented with Project HOPE’s technical expertise, in partnership with governments, donors, and other nongovernmental organizations, provide encouragement that TB can be eradicatedwhen evidence-based practices are followed. ▪

Effects of Balance Control Training on Functional Outcomes in Subacute Hemiparetic Stroke Patients.

ObjectiveTo investigate the efficacy of balance control training using a newly developed balance control trainer (BalPro) on the balance and gait of patients with subacute hemiparetic stroke.MethodsForty-three subacute stroke patients were assigned to either a balance control training (BCT) group or a control group. The BCT group (n=23) was trained with BalPro for 30 minutes a day, 5 days a week for 2 weeks, and received one daily session of conventional physical therapy. The control group (n=20) received two sessions of conventional physical therapy every day for 2 weeks. The primary outcome was assessment with the Berg Balance Scale (BBS). Secondary outcomes were Functional Ambulation Category (FAC), the 6-minute walking test (6mWT), Timed Up and Go (TUG), the Korean version of Modified Barthel Index (K-MBI), and the manual muscle test (MMT) of the knee extensor. All outcome measures were evaluated before and after 2 weeks of training in both groups.ResultsThere were statistically significant improvements in all parameters except MMT and FAC after 2 weeks of treatment in both groups. After training, the BCT group showed greater improvements in the BBS and the 6mWT than did the control group.ConclusionBalance control training using BalPro could be a useful treatment for improving balance and gait in subacute hemiparetic stroke patients.

Effects of the Balance Control Training in Chronic Hemiplegic Stroke Patients

Objective: To investigate the training effects on balance and gait ability using balance control trainer combined with partial weight-bearing system in chronic hemiplegic stroke patients. Method: A prospective crossover clinical trial was designed. The subjects consisted of 16 chronic hemiplegic stroke patients. All patients had a stroke more than six months. In addition to conventional physical therapy (PT), 8 patients in group A were trained with the balance control trainer for 30 min/day, 5 day/week, for first 2 weeks and then received only conventional physical therapy for 2 weeks. The other 8 patients in group B received only conventional PT for first 2 weeks and then were trained with the balance control trainer for 30 min/day, 5 day/week, for next 2 weeks, with additional conventional PT. We evaluated with clinical tests including functional ambulation categories (FAC), Berg balance scale (BBS), 6 min walking distance (6mWT), timed up and go (TUG), Korean-modified barthel Index (K-MBI) and muscle strengthening of knee extensor (MMTknee) before training, 2 weeks and 4 weeks after training in those patients. Results: After training, subjects in experimental period (2weeks period of conventional PT+Balance control trainer in group AB 5: 32-38)

A Cost-Effective Approach to the Design and Implementation of Microcontroller-based Universal Process Control Trainer

This paper presents a novel approach to the design and implementation of a low-cost universal digital process control trainer. The need to equip undergraduates studying Electronic Engineering and other related courses in higher institutions with the fundamental knowledge of digital process control practical was the main objective of the work. Microcontroller-based design and implementation was the approach used where only one AT59C81 with few flip-flops were used for the whole eight processes covered by the trainer thereby justifying its low-cost and versatility.

Feasibility and Effects of Newly Developed Balance Control Trainer for Mobility and Balance in Chronic Stroke Patients: A Randomized Controlled Trial

ObjectiveTo investigate the feasibility and effects of balance training with a newly developed Balance Control Trainer (BCT) that applied the concept of vertical movement for the improvements of mobility and balance in chronic stroke patients.MethodForty chronic stroke patients were randomly assigned to an experimental or a control group. The experimental group (n=20) underwent training with a BCT for 20 minutes a day, 5 days a week for 4 weeks, in addition to concurrent conventional physical therapy. The control group (n=20) underwent only conventional therapy for 4 weeks. All participants were assessed by: the Functional Ambulation Categories (FAC), 10-meter Walking Test (10mWT), Timed Up and Go test (TUG), Berg Balance Scale (BBS), Korean Modified Barthel Index (MBI), and Manual Muscle Test (MMT) before training, and at 2 and 4 weeks of training.ResultsThere were statistically significant improvements in all parameters except knee extensor power at 2 weeks of treatment, and in all parameters except MBI which showed further statistically significant progress in the experimental group over the next two weeks (p<0.05). Statistically significant improvements on all measurements were observed in the experimental group after 4 weeks total. Comparing the two groups at 2 and 4 weeks of training respectively, 10mWT, TUG, and BBS showed statistically more significant improvements in the experimental group (p<0.05).ConclusionBalance training with a newly developed BCT is feasible and may be an effective tool to improve balance and gait in ambulatory chronic stroke patients. Furthermore, it may provide additional benefits when used in conjunction with conventional therapies.

Design and Implementation of Electronic Control Trainer with PIC Microcontroller

This paper describes the implementation of a PIC microcontroller in a conventional laboratory-type electronic trainer. The work comprises software for the PIC and hardware for the software. The PIC controller uses an EasyPIC6 board and includes a PC-interfaced programmer for the PIC chip. It has many external modules: 128 × 64 graphic LCD display, 2 × 16 LCD display, 4 × 4 keypad, and port expander, all in the same bench. The trainer is capable of 36 experiments in logic/analogue electronic and control systems. A 5-sided approximate sensor, two photoelectric sensors (BR56-DDT-P and BEN9M-TFR), four CMOS, four BCD-7-segment driven by CD4511B, two relays (2-pole and 3-pole), six voltages, ammeter measurement, DC motor, and 24VDC power supply, connect through connectors and pinions. Results of all the experiments show the trainer satisfying requirements of undergraduate and postgraduate projects involving conventional electronic and classical control systems.

Peer pressure against prejudice: A high school field experiment examining social network change

Individuals often conform to the intergroup attitudes and behaviors modeled by their peers in a given situation. To what extent does peer influence on intergroup prejudice 1) diffuse across a social network of peers and 2) affect attitudes and behavior across time? Student leaders (“Peer Trainers”) were trained to confront expressions of intergroup prejudice in five randomly assigned high schools across a period of five months; students recruited to be Peer Trainers in five control schools waited to be trained. Independent surveys of Peer Trainers' social networks reveal that treatment Peer Trainers were significantly more likely than control Trainers to be nominated by peers as students who confront prejudice. Treatment Peer Trainers' tolerant behavior spread to close friends and to acquaintances in their social network; their attitudes spread inconsistently, and only to close friends. Studying peer influence within social networks can improve understanding of social influence, prejudice reduction, and social change.

Poster 450: Effects of Balance Training With the Balance Control Trainer on Gait and Balance in Patients With Chronic Stroke

Poster 450: Effects of Balance Training With the Balance Control Trainer on Gait and Balance in Patients With Chronic Stroke

Design, Development and Applications of PC-based Process Control Trainer for Automation

Initially, Process Control was typically done in the analog domain using continuous-time signals with analog systems. However, as the complexity of the control function increased, it became very costly, and, at times,unfeasible to use only analog elements. The rapid evolution of digital computers caused a major shift to digital technologies, and led to the control action being done in the digital domain using discrete-time signals with digital systems.The main motive behind designing and developing the PC-Based Process Control Trainer (PCT) for automation is to have a system which is versatile, easy to use, interactive, intelligent, and quickly developed. Physical variables like temperature, fluid flow and levels at various points in the system are monitored and control action is provided to various heaters, stirrers, valves and pumps. One utilizes LABTECH’s LT/CONTROL software package which reads the inputs from the standard data acquisition and control add-on cards. It performs various calculations as per the requirement and the results are used in the control strategy. It provides real-time data logging, data storage and realtime display control panel for the user interface with multiple display screens to view the system. The PCT is built,tested and found to work satisfactorily. About twenty experiments are set up and performed on it. These check various devices in the system, help in studying various types of control actions and automate the trainer for particular processes.The PCT has varied applications for automation. On the educational front, it can be used as a basic control laboratory. New experimental setups can be configured to study open loop and closed loop control systems for temperature, flow and level control. Automation of different processes with a choice of control actions can be done.From the industrial point of view, it provides an insight to industrial control; prototypes of process control systems can be built and used as a stepping stone to change the present manual or semi-automatic control to complete automation.

The quanser DC motor control trainer individual or team learning for hands-on control education - Product Review

The quanser DC motor control trainer individual or team learning for hands-on control education - Product Review

A Vessel is its Own Best Lifeboat: Prevention of Casualties through Education

The U.S. Coast Guard has observed the death rate for commercial fishermen decline steadily during the years following the enactment of the Fishing Vessel Safety Act of 1988. This Act called for requirements of survival equipment and fire fighting equipment, among other items, targeted at minimizing the consequences of a vessel capsize, sinking, fire or other casualty that required the crew to abandon ship. In recent years, the death rate has plateaued with minimal to no decreases and even a slight increase in 1996. While of concern, this plateau seems logical because the primary focus over the last eight to ten years has been on reducing the consequences of commercial fishing casualties (response). However, fishing vessels continue to capsize or sink before crew members are able to access survival equipment and lives are being lost. In order to continue to decrease the industry death rate, regulators and those responsible for oversight of this industry must shift the focus from reducing the consequence of casualties (response) to decreasing the likelihood of casualties occurring (prevention). This paper details the most recent initiative the U.S. Coast Guard has undertaken in its Fishing Vessel Safety Program and describes the Fishing Vessel Training Suite developed to facilitate this industry-wide education. The Training Suite consists of three trainers and a document titled, "Best Practices Guide to Vessel Stability." The three trainers include:Interactive Stability Trainer,Small Vessel Damage Stability Trainer, andSmall Vessel Damage Control Trainer. The U.S. Coast Guard has received very positive feedback from the commercial fishing industry and lives have been saved as a result of the use of this Training Suite.