Manual Testing Method Research Articles

Comparison of Force and Moments of T-Loop Using Software and Manual Methods

<strong>Background:</strong>T loops are most commonly used in space closure in Orthodontics hence the comparative force and moments were determined using both the methods Objectives: To determine and compare moments and forces generated by T loop spring using software and manual spring testing method.<p><strong>Materials&Methods:</strong> Using the Loop software program (dHal, orthodontic loop simulator 1.7.0.0) force and moment and their ratios were calculated at various positions and for various activations for a standard design of T loop (.017 × .025 TMA) given by Kuhlberg&Burstone. The values were then compared with the corresponding values determined by manual spring tester method. Statistical analysis was done using Independent t-test and multivariate regression analysis.</p><p><strong>Results:</strong> The results showed that the alpha/beta moment ratio was dependant only on the spring position and independent of spring activation. The force system produced by a spring placed 1 mm closer to alpha attachment with 3.5 mm activation provided for bodily movement of anterior segment with M/F ratio of 9.7. This was lesser than that determined by spring tester by 0.7 for same amount of activation and same position.</p><p><strong>Conclusion:</strong> The comparison of the two methods for designing T loop showed statistically insignificant differences in M/F values. The loop software provided for good simulation of T loop design similar to manual method. The values determined by software and manual methods were highly correlated.</p>

Analysis of the reliability of the make test in young adults by using a hand-held dynamometer.

[Purpose] The purpose of this study was to analyze intra-rater and inter-rater reliabilities of the make test, a manual muscle testing measurement method, using a hand-held dynamometer in Korean young adults. [Subjects and Methods] A total of 42 university students participated in this study. The make test, a manual muscle testing method, was conducted. A hand-held dynamometer was used to measure elbow joint flexion during the make test. [Results] Both intra-rater (the intraclass correlation coefficient=0.992) and inter-rater reliabilities (the intraclass correlation coefficient=0.949) were excellent, with values over 0.9. [Conclusion] The make test is a useful manual muscle testing method with high intra-rater and inter-rater reliability.

Physiotherapy with and without Superficial Dry Needling Affects Pain and Muscle Strength in Patients with Patellofemoral Pain Syndrome

Objectives: To investigate the clinical efficacy of physiotherapy with and without superficial dry needling on patients with knee pain; patellofemoral pain syndrome. Methods: A randomized clinical trial conducted in 2015, Tehran, Iran. Of patients with patellofemoral pain syndrome, thirty-four subjects were randomly divided into two groups (17 in each group). Group A was subjected to physiotherapy and group B to physiotherapy with superficial dry needling. Only for group B, superficial dry needling was applied during the ten-day sessions of physiotherapy, every other day. The needle remained for 6 minutes at threepoints of the quadriceps muscle, accompanied with needle rotation. Both groups received 10 therapy sessions. For both groups, in the first and tenth sessions, knee pain and quadriceps muscle strength was evaluated. Results: Statistical analysis showed the two variables in each group had significant improvements after the 10 sessions (P<0.05). Comparing the two groups, group B showed more pain reduction based on the visual analog scale (P<0.05). However, according to manual muscle testing method, the muscle strength between both the groups showed no significant difference (P<0.156). Discussion: Physiotherapy with and without superficial dry needling were seen to reduce pain and increase muscle strength of patients with patellofemoral pain syndrome. However, performing physiotherapy with superficial dry needling had a more significant effect on reducing knee pain. Superficial needling can cause many physiological and neurophysiological effects. Through stimulation of pain control mechanisms, it can help in further reduction of pain. A B S T R A C T

Automatic Assembling of Bearings Including Clearance Measurement

The aim of the work is to develop a method for measuring the radial clearance of mounted antifriction bearings in an automatically and standardized way. The measurement of the radial clearance should take place on bearings mounted on a shaft before and after assembling.Based on this method a measurement setup was constructed which enables to measure the radial clearance of different types of bearings with different dimensions. First tests were done with roller bearings as well as ball bearings with different dimensions. Results of those tests show, that the developed system provides as good or better results than the manual test method for measuring the radial clearance of a bearing by hand. The measuring process itself runs automatically. The results are reliable, independent form the user and reproducible.Furthermore the whole assembling of the bearings on a shaft should be automated without to interrupt the process of mounting in order to measure the radial clearance. Based on the results of the measurements, the process of assembling could be readjusted. By using this closed loop method, it will be achieved that bearings will be mounted on a shaft with the specified radial clearance which is defined by the technical designer.A further part of this work is the automated documentation of the parameters which are connected with the process of assembling. During the assembling all important parameters will be measured automatically. In parallel they will be written to a database. Afterwards a protocol will be generated automatically, which could also be used as dimensional data sheet for each individual assembled bearing. A perfect traceability is than possible.

A mechanical pivot-shift device for continuously applying defined loads to cadaveric knees.

Current techniques to study the biomechanics of the pivot-shift utilize either static or poorly defined loading conditions. Here, a novel mechanical pivot-shift device that continuously applies well-defined loads to cadaveric knees is characterized and validated against the manual pivot-shift. Six fresh-frozen human lower limb specimens were potted at the femur, mounted on a hinged testing base, and fitted with the mechanical device. Five mechanical and manual pivot-shift tests were performed on each knee by two examiners before and after transecting the ACL. Three-dimensional kinematics (anterior and internal-rotary displacements, and posterior and external-rotary velocities) and kinetics (forces and moments applied to the tibia by the device) were recorded using an optical navigation system and 6-axis load cell. Analysis of variance and Bland-Altman statistics were used to gauge repeatability within knees, reproducibility between knees, agreement between the mechanical and manual test methods, and agreement between examiners. The forces and moments applied by the device were continuous and repeatable/reproducible to within 4/10% of maximum recorded values. Kinematic variables (excluding external-rotary velocity) were qualitatively and quantitatively similar to manual pivot-shift kinematics, and were more repeatable and reproducible. The presented device induces pivot-shift-like kinematics by applying highly repeatable three-dimensional loads to cadaver knees. It is based on a simple mechanical principle and designed using easily obtainable components. Consequently, the device enables orthopaedic biomechanists to easily and reliably quantify the effect of ACL injury and reconstruction on pivot-shift kinematics.

Methods for Measurement and Statistical Analysis of the Frangibility of Strengthened Glass

Chemically strengthened glass features a surface compression and a balancing central tension (CT) in the interior of the glass. A greater CT is usually associated with a higher level of stored elastic energy in the glass. During a fracture event, release of a greater amount of stored energy can lead to frangibility, i.e., shorter crack branching distances, smaller fragment size, and ejection of small fragments from the glass. In this paper, the frangibility and fragmentation behaviors of a series of chemically strengthened glass samples are studied using two different manual testing methods and an automated tester. Both immediate and delayed fracture events were observed. A statistical method is proposed to determine the probability of frangible fracture for glasses ion exchanged under a specific set of conditions, and analysis is performed to understand the dependence of frangibility probability on sample thickness, CT, and testing method. We also propose a more rigorous set of criteria for qualifying frangibility.

Automatic Measurement and Control System of Temperature Rise Test for the Power Electronic Transformers

In the domestic certification bodies the automation degree of the definitive test of the accessories products left much to be improved, as for safety of the transformer conforming to the international standard of IEC61558-1, the traditional manual testing method barely meets the requirements of sampling rate, and has caused a lot of technical deficiencies including inadmissible deviation in the calculation and post-processing of the related experimental data, lengthy work-time of staff, and low test efficiency. In this paper, concerning the type test of various electronic and power transformers, a set of intelligent automatic measurement and control system of the temperature rise test is presented, consisting of software packages with modularized designing and an original hardware apparatus with built-in control modules. Therefore this system is capable of performing a series of operations without human intervention, such as controlling of the related testing equipment, data analysis, real-time monitoring, timing acquisition and data processing of corresponding algorithms, auto-save of test configuration and generating original record of the test. Thus, the idea of ‘Full automation with only one simple configuration’ has truly been realized. The experimental results show that compared with the traditional testing method, the application of this system minimized uncertainty caused by human factors in the testing process and improve precision of data analysis, and also ensured the reproducibility, consistency and traceability of the test results effectively.

High Throughput Screening of Perfumery Raw Materials for Antimicrobial Properties

A microdilution protocol was developed and automated using a liquid handling station, allowing the determination of minimum inhibitory concentrations (MIC) of hydrophobic raw materials commonly used in the perfume industry (essential oils and synthetic chemicals). Tests were performed in 96-well microtiter plates against standard bacterial test strains and skin isolates involved in underarm malodor. The comparison with data previously reported in the literature indicated that the protocol was suitable, yielding MIC values that were in general agreement with those derived from manual test methods. For the majority of active test compounds, results showed a pronounced difference in susceptibility pattern between the Gram-positive and Gram-negative test strains used in this study. For a group of acyclic aliphatic aldehydes, a structure-activity relationship depending on the chain length was found.

A Framewrok of Prototype Compressor Impeller Auto-Test System

This paper presents a framework of prototype compressor impeller auto-test system. Two type performance test can be held in a unique pipeline layout. Work conditions are accuratly under control. Status data is acquired synchronously and precisely. Performance evaluation is accomplished efficient. This framework is proved to be highly available to improve traditional manual test method.

A dynamic sweat transfer tester for analyzing transverse sweat transfer properties of multi-weave structure fabrics

The dynamic sweat transfer tester for analyzing the sweat transfer behavior of multi-weave structure fabrics (single fabric contains different weave structures) has been designed and developed. This instrument has been developed to evaluate the sweat transfer rate in 16 different directions and 48 different regions for a test specimen of 7 cm diameter. The concept of the sweat measurement is to measure the sweat transport time required to reach the unit area of the fabric. The instrument works under the principle of electrical conductivity, that is, wetted cotton fabric acts as an electrical conductor between the power connected (5 V) copper pins and ground connected copper pins. The unique feature of this instrument is that the sweat transfer rate can be measured in fabrics which have irregular spreading behavior (single fabric that has different weave structures) at one step. Twelve different woven fabrics have been analyzed for the sweat transfer behavior using the instrument, and the results were well correlated ( R2 = 0.925) with manual test method.

An Auto-Test System Based on VEE for the Improvemet of Target Position Precision

The influence of amplitude and phase errors on precision of target position is analysed. To reduce amplitude and phase errors, iterative algorithm is applied in calibration. In this algorithm, amplitude and phase characteristics of all microwave components need to be tested.In this paper ,an auto-test system developed in VEE and based on GPIB serial bus technology is introduced. Compared with the traditional manual testing method, the anto-test system improves efficiency and accuracy on the test of digital attenuator and phase shifter with high resolution.

Rapid Detection of Klebsiella pneumoniae Carbapenemase Genes in Enterobacteriaceae Directly From Blood Culture Bottles by Real-Time PCR

Klebsiella pneumoniae carbapenemase (KPC)-producing Enterobacteriaceae are endemic in New York City hospitals and have been associated with serious infections globally. A real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) assay was developed to detect carbapenem resistance attributable to KPC from blood culture bottles positive for gram-negative bacilli. Culture confirmation of carbapenemase production included automated imipenem and meropenem susceptibility testing and ertapenem susceptibility testing by disk-diffusion. A total of 323 Enterobacteriaceae isolates were tested, of which 8.7% (n = 28) demonstrated carbapenem-resistance by automated and manual susceptibility testing methods or by RT-PCR. The sensitivity, specificity, and positive and negative predictive values of the RT-PCR assay when compared with the automated method were 92.9%, 99.3%, 92.9%, and 99.3%, respectively, and 96.4%, 99.7%, 96.4%, and 99.7%, respectively, when compared with the ertapenem disk-diffusion method. RT-PCR is a rapid and reliable means of detecting carbapenem resistance due to KPC-plasmids in Enterobacteriaceae directly from blood culture bottles.

Examination of the correlation between the manual and automated serological testing methods for syphilis

We evaluated the correlation between the conventional manual serological testing method for syphilis and a novel automated serological testing method and between six different reagents used in the automated method. Twenty-six serum samples, which were positive on non-treponemal manual serological testing, were obtained from 19 patients with early syphilis. The samples were manually analyzed using the non-treponemal serological test for syphilis kit and automatically analyzed using six different reagents approved by the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare in Japan. Statistically significant correlations were observed between most of the reagents used in the automated testing (r = 0.652-0.996, P < 0.001), except for one combination of the reagents. In the simple regression analysis, the slope of the simple regression line (range, 0.014-3.040) and some of the regression coefficients were not equal to 1.0. Therefore, it is recommended that when the automated serological testing method is used to test for syphilis, the same reagent should be consistently selected to evaluate the changes in antibody titers. Statistically significant correlations were also observed between the manual method and all the reagents used in the automated method (r = 0.682-0.811, P < 0.001). In this case, the regression coefficients ranged 0.375-6.270, and the simple regression line intercept ranged -71.926 to 4.184. The regression coefficient and the intercept between the manual method and some of the reagents used in the automated method were not similar to the values described in the documentation attached to the reagents used in this study.

The Motor Function and Activities of Daily Living Capacity of Seismic Wounded Patients in Intensive Care Unit Ward in 5.12 Wenchuan Earthquake of China

ObjectiveTo describe the motor function and activities of daily living (ADL) functional status of the seismic wounded patients treated in the intensive care unit (ICU) ward, and to provide insight to the planning on their clinical rehabilitation program.MethodA prospective study. Trained assessor applied different common testing methods to measure the motor functions of seismic wounded patients treated in ICU: (1) Manual Muscle Testing (MMT) method to evaluate muscle strength; (2) joint angle ruler to assess joint range of motion (ROM); (3) passive joint activities to assess the muscle tension; (4) Modified Ashworth Score (MAS) to assess spasm; (5) balanced response to assess sitting balance and standing balance; (6) international generic Barthel Index Scale to evaluate ADL. Complications as related to rehabilitation were also recorded. Descriptive statistics were employed to describe the epidemiology, pattern of motor function loss and type of injuries.ResultsThe most common types of injuries in our sample of seismic wounded treated in ICU were: fracture (70%), nervous system injuries (20%), squeezing syndrome (5%) and pulmonary contusion (5%). The fracture proportion was higher in female than male (about 2:1). Amputation and paralysis occurred more in male than female (about 7:1 and 3:1 respectively). Lung infection as a complication in ICU stay was more common in female than male (4:1). We reported that most of the seismic wounded patient had early loss of motor function during the stay in ICU. Conclusion: Limited ROM, declined muscle strength, abnormal muscle tension, balance dysfunction, alteration of ADL capacity and lung infection are the main dysfunctions occurring among the seismic wounded in ICU ward. Loss of motor function can occur early and therefore active physiotherapy should start even during the stay in ICU.

Study on the Inspection Method of Gas Valve’s External Taper Screw Thread Based on Image Domain

The failure of the gas valve’s external screw taper thread is a very serious problem which may result in accidents. Routine inspection on the threads is thus necessary. The efficiency of traditional manual testing methods can not meet the production requirements. An automatic visual inspection system for gas valve’s external screw taper thread is presented in the paper. The system consists of a high-performance 200 mega pixels CCD camera, a LED backlight and a holder of gas valve. Through image acquisition, image processing, edge detection and feature dimension measurement, the system can effectively measure the parameters of taper thread such as half of thread angle, depth of thread, taper angle of thread on image domain. Due to the lead angle and installation error, actual half of thread angle is different from the theoretical values. Three methods are presented in the paper for the half of thread angle. Through analysis, Method 3 and Method 2 can be used to measure half of thread angle. The system can meet the testing requirements of the external screw taper thread and has wide application perspective.

Diagnostic Accuracy Assessment of Sensititre and Agar Disk Diffusion for Determining Antimicrobial Resistance Profiles of Bovine Clinical Mastitis Pathogens

Determining the accuracy and precision of a measuring instrument is pertinent in antimicrobial susceptibility testing. This study was conducted to predict the diagnostic accuracy of the Sensititre MIC mastitis panel (Sensititre) and agar disk diffusion (ADD) method with reference to the manual broth microdilution test method for antimicrobial resistance profiling of Escherichia coli (n = 156), Staphylococcus aureus (n = 154), streptococcal (n = 116), and enterococcal (n = 31) bovine clinical mastitis isolates. The activities of ampicillin, ceftiofur, cephalothin, erythromycin, oxacillin, penicillin, the penicillin-novobiocin combination, pirlimycin, and tetracycline were tested against the isolates. Diagnostic accuracy was determined by estimating the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve; intertest essential and categorical agreements were determined as well. Sensititre and the ADD method demonstrated moderate to highly accurate (71 to 99%) and moderate to perfect (71 to 100%) predictive accuracies for 74 and 76% of the isolate-antimicrobial MIC combinations, respectively. However, the diagnostic accuracy was low for S. aureus-ceftiofur/oxacillin combinations and other streptococcus-ampicillin combinations by either testing method. Essential agreement between Sensititre automatic MIC readings and MIC readings obtained by the broth microdilution test method was 87%. Essential agreement between Sensititre automatic and manual MIC reading methods was 97%. Furthermore, the ADD test method and Sensititre MIC method exhibited 92 and 91% categorical agreement (sensitive, intermediate, resistant) of results, respectively, compared with the reference method. However, both methods demonstrated lower agreement for E. coli-ampicillin/cephalothin combinations than for Gram-positive isolates. In conclusion, the Sensititre and ADD methods had moderate to high diagnostic accuracy and very good essential and categorical agreement for most udder pathogen-antimicrobial combinations and can be readily employed in veterinary diagnostic laboratories.

Automatic Visual Inspection System of Gas Valve’s External Taper Thread Based on Image Domain

The failure of the gas valve’s external screw taper thread is a very serious problem which may result in accidents. Routine inspection on the threads are thus necessary. The efficiency of traditional manual testing methods can not meet the production requirements. An automatic visual inspection system for gas valve’s exteranl screw taper thread was presented in the paper. The system consists of a high-performance 200 megapixels CCD camera, a LED backlight and a holder of gas valve. Through image acquisition, image processing, edge detection and feature dimension measurement, the system can effectively measure the parameters of taper thread such as angle of thread, depth of thread, taper angle of thread on image domain. It can meet the testing requirements of the external screw taper thread and has wide application perspective.

SELECTING AND MODIIFYING METHODS OF MANUAL MUSCLE TESTING FOR CLASSIFICATION IN PARALYMPIC SPORT

Many Paralympic sports classification systems use unspecified manual muscle testing (MMT) methods to assess impairment of muscle strength. This is a potential source of inconsistency in classification, and could be eliminated by nominating a single, published set of MMT methods. Additionally, four modifications can enhance the validity, reliability and utility of conventional MMT methods for classification: 1) limiting assessment to movements that are important to performance in the sport concerned; 2) specifying a single preferred technique for assessment of movement strength; 3) changing the reference range of movement from normal anatomical range to the maximum range of movement required in sport; and 4) adjusting testing techniques so that they are relevant for the sport. This brief communication may improve classification in established sports, and provide guidance for emerging sports that are developing classification systems.

Intra-Rater and Inter-Rater Reliability of the 10-Point Manual Muscle Test (MMT) of Strength in Children with Juvenile Idiopathic Inflammatory Myopathies (JIIM)

Objective. Children with juvenile idiopathic inflammatory myopathies (JIIM) present with muscle inflammation and decreased strength that may affect their functional abilities. The purpose of this study was to determine the intra-rater and inter-rater reliability of the 0 to10-point manual muscle testing method for children with JIIM.Methods. For the intra-rater and inter-rater reliability studies, 10 and 9 children with JIIM participated, respectively. For intra-rater reliability, one pediatric therapist completed two assessments in one day with a one-hour break. For inter-rater reliability, four therapists assessed the same child within a single morning.Results. Spearman correlations for intra-rater reliability ranged from 0.70 to 1.00. Kendall's W coefficient for inter-rater reliability of groups of muscles (total, proximal, distal, and peripheral) ranged from 0.51 to 0.76.Conclusions. The total, proximal, and peripheral Manual Muscle Test (MMT) score, using the 0-10 point scale, has acceptable reliability in JIIM patients.

Testing musculaire manuel et quantifié dans les maladies neuromusculaires. Comment assurer la qualité des mesures de force dans les protocoles cliniques?

Evaluation of functional capacities of patients suffering of neuromuscular disorders, particularly muscle strength, is a critical issue for their diagnosis and follow-up. Within the framework of the natural history of any given disease, such an evaluation may improve the clinician's knowledge of the pathophysiological processes involved, and may help to anticipate and sometimes prevent deleterious consequences as the disease progresses. It is also helpful for identifying correlation between the severity of organic damage and the functional impact of the disease. The measurement of functional capacities must be done with accuracy, sensitivity and reliability, essentially when used as an outcome measure for therapeutic trials. Several evaluation tools for measuring muscle strength are available. They are usually classified into two groups: manual muscle testing (MMT) methods and quantified muscle testing (QMT) methods. In this article, we present the principles of strength measurements, and the different tools and materials that are commonly used in clinical settings. Their limitations and drawbacks are illustrated through several examples. Although QMT is theoretically and potentially more consistent than MMT to precisely follow the muscle capacities of the patients, precise and robust procedures must be elaborated and validated for each tested muscle function. Strength measurements must be performed by trained and experimented clinical evaluators. This issue is critical in the follow up of multicentric therapeutic trials. Inter-rater reliability must be assessed to guarantee the statistical power of the trial.