Petru A. Pop

Enhancing the Sport Performance and Quality Life of Athletes by Applying of WBV Method

The mechanical vibrations’ therapy is widely used as a non-conservative and safe physical method for patients diagnosed with osteoporosis, postmenopausal women and sportsmen training, also during athletes’ recovery and rehabilitation phase.This paper has the main goal in assessing the benefic effects of whole-body-vibration (WBV) therapy applied to professional sportsmen as a complementary alternative of training that can improve their sport performance and quality life. The experiment applied on a group of ten volunteers’ athletes from our university, with the ages between of 19 to 29 years and appropriate weight and height, which signed a statement on by self-agreement to participate in this study. The WBV trial performed via a proper dynamic vibration installation during of two months, where the subjects were sitting in a bed with upper limbs on their thighs and inferior limbs extended to provide support for the spine in a fixed support. The installation comprised a vibration bed with direct control of vibration signal and an electronic analyzing system for acquisition and interpretation of vibration data, which allowing an automat control of rotation frequency, alarm and safety system, and visualization on-line the measurement process. The electric motor of vibrating bed can generate predictable vibration values on three axes that used two types of tri-axial vibration sensors, one accelerometer fixed on bed and the second that is an implant accelerometer on the anterior face of the thigh of evaluated subject. Each mechanical vibration training session has performed with a frequency of 45 Hz during of 16 minutes, consisted in eight series with 60 seconds, and one-minute breaks in between. The evaluation of data has made by assessing the values of subjects recorded at the initial stage and at final therapy, which supposed to control the objective parameters, as standing long jump, standing high jump and intensity of exercise performed during of physical efforts.The results of vibration trial stressed that the subjects had a significant increase of sport performances after vibration training at each parameter assessing, which means that WBV can be a viable alternative method used of sportsmen to improve their athletic performance and quality life.Copyright

Significance of Kinetotherapy in Rehabilitation Treatment of Osteoporosis

Osteoporosis is a systemic skeleton disease, characterized by a low bone mass and micro-architectural deterioration of bone tissue with consecutive increasing of fragile bones and susceptibility of fractures. Risk facture, advanced ages, family history, rheumatoid arthritis, low calcium intake, physical inactivity, and low body weight can lead to this condition. The aim of treatment in osteoporosis is to grow-up the bone mineral density of the skeleton and to increase resorption of formed bone, used diverse methods as medications, conservative measures, weight reduction, physical and occupational therapy, mechanical support devices and surgery. This paper presents a balneal-conservative treatment applied to 82 patients diagnosed with osteoporosis from Rehabilitation Clinical Hospital of Felix Spa in 2011–2012, which has combined with a kinetotherapy and medication treatment. The complex rehabilitation treatment involves balneal-physical-kinetic recovery treatment that must be periodical repeated every six months, while the subjects themselves at home followed the kinetotherapy with drugs between balneal-treatments at hospital. The significance of rehabilitation treatment for the osteoporosis patients is to rise both functional and independence level, and improving their quality life. DEXA, Qualeffo-41 Test, fragility fractures, difference of height patients, using the statistical analysis have performed the evaluation of trial. These results emphasized the efficiency of balneal-rehabilitation treatment with main accent on respect the kinetotherapy applied the osteoporosis patients. The future research will be focused upon the implementation of vibration therapy with balneal-conservative treatment on patients with osteoporosis to reduce the therapy time and improving the quality patients life.Copyright

Benefic Effect of Conservative Treatments on Patients Diagnosed With Osteoporosis

Osteoporosis (OP) represents the most common metabolic bone disease, characterized by the shrinkage in bone mass and the destruction of bone quality, thus conferring a higher risk for micro-fractures and injuries. The goal of treatment in OP is to grow-up the bone mineral density of the skeleton and to increase resorption of formed bone, due to improving the quality life of patients. The methods are diverse, such as medications, conservative measures, weight reduction, physical and occupational therapy, mechanical support devices and surgery. This paper presents a balneal-conservative treatment of patients diagnosed with OP from Rehabilitation Clinical Hospital of Felix Spa. The treatment is complex and involves balneal-physical-kinetic therapy or balneal-physical-kinetic recovery treatment, which must be periodical repeated every six months to obtain good results. The study has been applied to two separate groups of patients with OP between 2009–2011. The first group of 100 subjects, presented clinical symptomatology, as pain of variable types like backaches, fragility fractures or deformation of bone shape that resulted from fractures or alterations of weakens bones. A second group of 80 subjects, received the balneal-rehabilitation treatment combined, or not with physical exercises. DEXA and SF-36 scores, using statistical analysis, performed the evaluation of OP treatment. The results of experiment emphasized the efficiency of balneal-rehabilitation treatment applied patients with OP. The future research will be focused upon the implementation of vibration therapy with balneal-conservative treatment on patients with osteoporosis and osteoarthritis to reduce the therapy time and improving the quality life of patients.Copyright

Testing of Sonic-Absorbent Panels’ Behavior in Open-Air Environment

One wildly used method to reduce and control the noise pollution in green city’s buildings is using sonic-absorbent panels. Their applications can be multiple, such as the insulation of buildings, acoustic barriers and fences along the highway or in front of supermarkets, hospitals and other public buildings. This paper presents a method for testing the behavior of sonic-absorbent panels in open-air environment. The work represents a carrying on of previous research about absorbent materials from gypsum family, tested in lab conditions. The experiment setup used a dynamic installation and as a sample a stand formed by six sonic-absorbent panels from special modeling alpha-gypsum plaster. This installation has been composed of two loudspeakers for emitting the sound at a well-defined frequency by the first laptop, the microphone for detecting and transmitting the signal to the second laptop for analyzing and processing the data. All operations were performed using MATLAB Programs, while a Data Logger Sound Level Meter type CENTER 332 was put on near the microphone to compare both results. The first experiment of acoustic stand has been realized by setting up the installation at a frequency from 50 Hz to 1250 Hz and altering the distance between loudspeakers and stand at 0.5m to 1m and 1.5m, respectively. The second experiment kept the same test’s conditions, while two and three layers of sonic-absorbent panels formed the stand, respectively, but at same distance from source of 0.5 m. In both tests, the results underlined the good sonic-absorbent properties of these panels, especially at medium and high frequency, which can recommend using the panels for multiple outside applications.Copyright

Tailoring Thermal Properties of Hybrid Glass Fibers/Carbon Fibers Reinforced Polymeric Composites

The herein paper tackles the issue of dimensional stability of composite materials from the perspective of characterization the overall linear coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE) for different hybrid polymeric composite architectures tailored with the aim of lowering the manufacturing costs and fulfilling few design requirements in several engineering applications. The hybrid configurations are made of unidirectional carbon fibers (max. 1 or 2) embedded along with different combinations of E-glass woven roving or chopped E-glass strand mat as wear/chemical resistant, outside reinforcement layers. A polyester resin type was used as binder. The thermal properties were measured using a differential dilatometer DIL 402 PC/1 from NETZSCH GmbH (Germany) imposing a linear, monotonic temperature rise with 1 K/min from 20°C up to 250°C. Thermal cycling behavior was underlined by imposing two successive heating cycles upon each hybrid composite samples. Thermal strains temperature/time evolution and peak values are further analyzed to size the thermal aging effects. The experimental retrieved data will be further compared with the values obtained by running a micromechanical based approach simulation on the DIGIMAT software (from X-stream Engineering Inc., Luxembourg).Copyright

Advanced Procedure Used for Determining the Absorption Coefficient of Sonic-Absorbent Materials

Solving the acoustical problem and improving the impact indoor environmental quality represents a priority for many researchers and manufacturers of materials with a high noise reduction of coefficient rating. The paper presents a real solution for determination the sound-absorption coefficient of materials with acoustical properties from the gypsum family. The procedure used for test is standing wave method into a Kundt tube. The experiment setup used a complex installation of a Kundt tube containing a loudspeaker for emitting the sound waves at a well-defined frequency by a first PC, a microphone for detecting and transmitting the signal to a second PC for analyzing and processing the data. All of these were performed by using MATLAB Programs. Tests were conducted with two material samples with original receipts, one from gypsum and other from special gypsum plaster with sound-absorbent properties. The frequency was set separately for each material from 50 Hz to 1250 Hz to determine their sound-absorption coefficients. The result of experiments shows the efficiency of installation and superiority of special gypsum plaster vs. gypsum along entire frequency range of testing that can be carrying on to other materials with sound properties.Copyright

Specific Treatments for Improving the Quality of Life in Rheumatologic Affections and Osteoporosis

The analysis and implementation of modern treatments for the patients diagnosed with osteoporosis, degenerative rheumatic affections and peripheral circulatory disorders have become a healthy priority for the society. These treatments have the goal to raise the bone mineral density of the skeleton, reducing joints pain and inflammation while improving and maintaining joints function. This paper presents a conservative treatment of patients from Recovery Clinical Hospital of Felix Spa, diagnosed with degenerative and rheumatoid affections. The treatment is complex and involves balneal-physical-kinetic recovery therapy that must be periodical repeated at every six months to perform. Ankylosing spondylitis was been evaluated by BASFI-BASDAI scores, while the gonarthrosis with Artroflex by SF-36 of quality life scale and Lequesne index. In addition, a vibration treatment combined with balneal-conservative treatment was been proposed to reduce the therapy time and improved the quality live of patients. The vibration system comprises a vibration bed with adjusting control of signal by a digital frequency convertor, and a command panel system for measuring and processing of data. Because the vibration trial is in incipient experiment stage, it was been applied first on Wistar rats, due to increase the calcium mass of bones. The results of all treatments were emphasized the efficiency of balneal cure in rheumatic affections.Copyright

Sizing Extreme Environmental Condition Influences on the Multiphase Polymeric Composites’ CTE

The coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE) of multiphase polymeric composite materials represents an important role in the process of engineered materials design, especially while approaching thermal management issues. Tailoring and designing material combinations in order to develop a composite structure to prove stability over a wide range of temperatures, from cryogenic to high values, to withstand extreme environmental conditions is the dream and the purpose of any engineering team involved in such study/research area. The paper aims to approach and to present the variations of the CTE with extreme environmental conditions (e.g. cryogenic, desert and hygroscopic conditioning) for particular combinations of particle-fibers multiphase polymeric composite materials. Influencing factors will be underlined to accompany the experimental research.Copyright

Some Aspects Regarding Treatment and Rehabilitation of Weight Bearing Joints for Patients With Osteoarthritis

The paper presents some aspects and practical solutions of weight bearing joints treatment for patients with osteoarthritis and following by the rehabilitation process, which has realized at Recovery Clinical Hospital of Felix Spa. A model of human body under applied and conjunction forces explains the damping and shocks into synovial joints from elastic modulus of bone cartilages in contact and variation of dynamic viscosity’s synovial fluid and spine fluid. The conservative treatment of osteoarthritis involves balneal-physical-kinetic therapy or balneal-physical-kinetic recovery treatment, which must be repeated periodical, every six months to get good results. In addition, a vibration treatment of patients with osteoarthritis combines with balneal-conservative treatment is proposed. This vibration treatment system is composed of vibration bed, electrical motor to generate the vibration with direct adjustment of frequency by a digital frequency convertor, and a command panel system of measurement, analysis and interpretation of data from FFT electronic vibration gage. These combination treatments have assured an amelioration of patients with osteoarthritis and improving the bio-lubrication between cartilages of synovial joints, respectively of fluid spine.Copyright

The Application of Horizontal Rotational Forming Process in Fabrication of Thermoplastic Sliding Bearings

The paper is presented an application of horizontal rotational-forming in fabrication of thermoplastic sliding bearings for machine tools. In addition, general aspects regarding the flow process of thermoplastics by used rotational-forming of revolution parts are described. The heat of plastic material at melt-temperature point is realized by High Frequency Current Induction (HFCI) on a centrifugal molding installation of bimetallic bushes. From the experiment tests has observed that between melt-temperature point of thermoplastic material, revolution speed and size molding a synchronism is required, which depends of material density and whirl form of melting. The predictable revolution speed of metallic mold has achievement by technological attempts, in function of workpiece size and type of material. The charge weight is experimental determined in dependence of part’s thickness walls. This process leads to obtain the workpieces at high quality level and constant thickness walls. The new bearings have been made from polyamide-PA.6, which changed with success the bronze bearings used at drilling machine tools.© 2010 ASME