European Polytechnical University

Background: Deep gluteal syndrome (DGS) is an underdiagnosed cause of sciatica-like pain, involving the entrapment of the sciatic nerve by various structures within the subgluteal space. While cases of ossification or calcification in the context of severe pelvic imbalance have been rarely reported, isolated SSL calcification as a primary cause of DGS remains largely unexplored and undocumented. This case report presents the first documented instance of sacrospinous ligament (SSL) calcification identified as the primary cause of DGS and its successful management with ultrasound-guided prolotherapy. Case Presentation: A 51-year-old female presented with severe, worsening left-sided sciatica of several months’ duration. Physical examination revealed an antalgic gait, positive sacroiliac joint tests, and multiple positive DGS-specific provocative tests (FAIR, Pace sign, Seated Piriformis Stretch). Radiographs and musculoskeletal ultrasound (MSK-US) confirmed calcification within the left sacrospinous ligament, with associated sciatic nerve swelling. The patient underwent three sessions of ultrasound-guided prolotherapy (dextrose 10% with lidocaine) targeting the calcification site, followed by a structured rehabilitation program. Results: The patient reported a significant reduction in pain, from a Visual Analog Scale (VAS) score of 10/10 to 1/10 within one month. All previously positive provocative tests converted to negative, indicating a resolution of the nerve entrapment. Functional mobility was fully restored. Conclusions: This case highlights isolated sacrospinous ligament calcification as a potential and previously overlooked pathological entity responsible for deep gluteal syndrome. To our knowledge, this is the first report to implicate ligamentous calcification as a primary etiological factor in DGS. Musculoskeletal ultrasound proved indispensable for both diagnosis and treatment guidance. Furthermore, ultrasound-guided prolotherapy emerged as a successful and minimally invasive therapeutic option in this case, potentially by stabilizing the ligament and reducing neurogenic inflammation. This case expands the differential diagnosis of sciatica, introduces a new target for intervention in refractory cases, and underscores the need for future studies in larger patient cohorts to validate these findings.

In the modern world, water filtration is performed to improve its quality. The most commonly used minerals are zeolite and shungite, as well as filters with nano-sized pores. Due to processes in boundary environments, the resulting waters before and after filtration possess specific properties. Studies after filtration show the structuring of clusters of water molecules. The most stable clusters comprise of two, four, and six water molecules. Hexagonal structures with six water molecules form the basis for the symmetry in the formation of snowflakes. Oleg Mosin at Moscow State University of Applied Biotechnology conducted research on the modeling of water clusters before and after filtration. Since 2020, the author's team has been studying structuring water clusters using patented Swiss systems called EVOdrop. A program for training students by Mario Iliev is being developed. The students participate in experiments involving the research of Non-equilibrium energy spectrum (NES), Differential non-equilibrium energy spectrum (DNES), pH, oxidation-reduction potential (ORP), and Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR). The knowledge acquired after training is applicable in medical biophysics and nanotechnologies. The effects of water restructuring and changes in its physicochemical parameters are analyzed in applied medicine.

The training on Non-equilibrium processes in allocated areas in physics was primarily developed by Anton Antonov (1934-2021) from 1984-2011. During this time, physics students at the South-West University "Neofit Rilski" in Blagoevgrad were trained.

Abstract The paper presents a study on the human learning process during the classification of stimuli, defined by motion and color visual cues and their combination. Because the classification dimension and the features that define each category are uncertain, we model the learning curves using Bayesian inference and more precisely the Normalized Conjunctive Consensus rule, and also on the base of the more efficient probabilistic Proportional Conflict Redistribution rule No 5 (pPCR5) defined within Dezert-Smarandache Theory (DSmT) of plausible and paradoxical reasoning. Our goal is to study how these rules succeed to model consistently both: human individual and group behaviour during the learning of the associations between the stimuli and the responses in categorization tasks varying by the amount of relevant stimulus information. The effect of age on this process is also evaluated.

In this article a new version of our tele-controlled assistive robot for elderly and disabled care - ROBCO 20 is presented. The robot can be controlled remotely via the Internet. Therefore, systems, methods, and algorithms for ensuring security and safety of the end-users in tele-control are proposed. Methods for visual/facial recognition and voice verification of the speaker are described and evaluated. A system for behavioral management and prioritizing users and their rights to access the robot is proposed.

In this study a two-dimensional simplified stress function method describing the interfacial stress transfer in adhesively-bonded monolayered graphene/polymer nanocomposite subjected to static extension load is presented. The application of 2D stress function method, combined with minimization of complementary strain energy functional and developing of governing ODE for 2 or even 4 unknown functions, to obtain 2D stresses in adhesively bonded lap joints or laminates can be seen in Hashin, 1985 and Kumar&Tampi, 2016. The governing forth order ordinary differential equation with constant coefficients for the axial (longitudinal) stress in the first graphene layer of nanocomposite structure is obtained using a variational method. Its analytical solution depends mainly on the geometry of the structure, the properties of used materials and tensile loading. A proper criterion for prediction of the interface debond length along the overlap zone of the structure is applied. The analytical results for a case of monolayered graphene/SU-8/PET structure are illustrated in figures and tables. The influence of the static load and the geometry on the stresses and debond length in the considered structure is analyzed.

The share of service robots is increasing. Large number of those robots are the professional service robots such as customer service and logistics robots. One of the main requirements of these robots is the ability to navigate in an environment where a GPS system cannot be used. This article investigates existing methods for indoor localization and navigation. It proposes a new complete approach. This approach does not require the integration of a new indoor navigation system. Instead, the existing 24/7 video surveillance infrastructure, as well as the capabilities of the service robot, are considered. The proposed approach can reduce both the initial cost of integrating the robotic system as well as the maintenance costs. Subsequent maintenance can be done entirely remotely. The suggested approach is validated experimentally on a mobile robot.

Modern service robots are a combination of a mobile platform and a robotic manipulator. One of the main and most difficult tasks in front of these robots is the object transportation between two points. They should be able to detect any desired object. Then move the platform as close as possible to the desired object. Afterwards the manipulator arm should position the gripper near it. The last step is to grasp and transport the object. This paper presents a novel approach for solving the manipulator arm positioning problem. The presented method combines computer vision and Iterative Learning Control techniques in order to compensate any imprecisions of the robot kinematics and dynamics. This results in an efficient solution, which succeeds in precise positioning near the desired object even when there is a very little knowledge of those mathematics models. It is a robust method, which auto adapts to mechanical wear during normal operations, not severe damages or imprecise factory assembly. The method is then validated on a physical robotic manipulator.