ASSOCIATION OF PECTORALIS MINOR MUSCLE LENGTH AND SHOULDER RANGE OF MOTION AMONG INDIVIDUALS WITH AND WITH OUT SHOULDER PAIN

Background and Aim: To evaluate the association of pectoralis minor muscle length and the shoulder range of motion with and without shoulder pain. Methodology: A sample of 214 participants with and without shoulder pain were enrolled in an analytical cross sectional study at Institute of physical medicine and rehabilitation, Dow University of health sciences, Karachi.  Questionnaire was provided to all participants after taking consent. Individuals were categorized into two equal groups i.e. one with and the other without pain). Shoulder active ranges were measured with universal goniometer and pectoralis minor length with measuring tape. Statistical Package of Social Sciences version 21 was used for data analysis. The descriptive variables were assessed for frequencies and percentages. Continuous variables were shown with mean and standard deviations and were correlated with bivariate correlation test. Considered significant was 0.05 p value. Results: Females were 176(82.2%) and males were 38 (17.8%). Mean ± SD of age, weight, height, and BMI were 26.82 ±7.50, 58.45 ±12.11, 160.59 ± 12.43, and 22.18 ±3.78 respectively. The pain intensity negatively correlated with shoulder range of motions (rs = -0.307 to -0.775, p< 0.05) except medial rotation.  Significant difference (p< 0.05) is found for length of pectoralis minor and range of motion between groups. There was also weak positive correlation between pectoralis minor index and shoulder lateral rotation (rs =0.215; p = 0.003). Conclusion: The shoulder pain affects shoulder joint range of motion and pectoralis minor length. Decreased pectoralis minor muscle length accompanies limited shoulder range of motion except, medial rotation.

Gardening Assistant.

This project involves the design and construction of an autonomous robot engineered to complete some basic maintenance tasks of a regular lawn. The primary aim of the task is to design and construct such a device, which if it functions accordingly, makes lawn maintenance easier and more efficient, while at the same time help save the gardeners from the scorching summer heat. Initially, individual subsystems of the device were designed and tested separately which included; blade design for grass trimming, water tank and valve for watering, encoder motors and microcontrollers for car motion and sensors for obstacle avoidance and autonomous navigation through the lawn. Thorough research on each subsystem has been conducted by the team. The team had to improvise, at times, to alternate solutions during the implementation phase in order to achieve more accurate and efficient results. Following development and research, some components have been assembled and tested, both, individually and in combination with other components. Early prototypes of these subsystems included the use of single microcontroller to control the four motors, and a magnetometer to navigate on a straight path. After testing of prototypes, the device has been modified to improve efficiency and overall functionality. Some components, including the magnetometer, have been removed and encoders of the motors are being read instead, to compute distance and accurate turning of the vehicle; whereas the single microcontroller has been replaced by five microcontrollers using the master slave methodology. In order to provide the scheduled rebooting and to include a rain detection mechanism, additional components have been added before final testing of the prototype device, such as the inclusion of a real-time clock and a rain-detection sensor. In the construction of the final device, materials have been used to improve stability, strength and waterproofing. A body structure made from a strong water-resistant chemical has been added to the final device to provide a rigid frame for components, while a stable wooden board has been 6 used as the base. Similarly, watering system used in the prototype has been fixed using the same chemical to prevent water leakage. A number of existing components have been arranged on and around this frame, including the ultrasonic sensors and the trimming blade. The device has been tested for four main cases which includes obstacle avoidance, boundary detection, automatic rebooting along with rain sensing and, grass trimming along with watering. The tests conducted on the final device yielded consistent results in terms of functionality and efficiency. Therefore, the performance of the device during future assessments is expected to be successful, provided no damage or unknown alterations occur prior to the assessment