The effect of unsupportive and supportive footwear on children’s multi-segment foot dynamics during gait

Footwear is necessary for children’s foot comfort and protection. Despite the popularity of flip-flop (thongs) footwear among children, strong clinical opinion endures of the potential deleterious effect this footwear may have on developing feet. On the contrary, thongs may be beneficial for children’s developing feet due to the footwear’s flexible and unrestrictive nature, as children who mature within habitually barefoot communities are observed to develop stronger and healthier feet. This thesis considers the developing nature of human ambulation and the physiological basis for children’s foot maturation. It then explores the effect of thong footwear on childrens barefoot dynamics with comparisons to traditionally advocated supportive footwear. Foot compensations were observed when thongs were worn while walking and to a lesser extent while jogging. Greater ankle dorsiflexion and reduced hallux dorsiflexion suggests a mechanism to retain the thong. Greater midfoot plantarflexion indicates a gripping action to sustain the thong. Barefoot motions were unaffected by thongs during the sidestep. The midfoot splinting effect of supportive shoes was reinforced while walking, jogging and sidestepping. Thongs had a minimal effect on barefoot dynamics, while supportive shoes limited midfoot power generation with a corresponding increase in ankle power generation. Overall findings suggest that foot motion when wearing thongs may be more replicable of barefoot motion than originally believed. In terms of foot arch development, thongs may be more beneficial than supportive shoes, due to the minimal alterations to barefoot motions when they are worn. The reported midfoot plantarflexion required to grip the thong may be beneficial to children’s foot arch strengthening and overall foot development. While supportive shoes have the necessary protective features, they have been shown to inhibit midfoot and hallux motions with a compensatory increase in ankle motions

The metaverse—Not a new frontier for crime.

Law enforcement co-ordination agencies have recently issued position/guidance documents relating to the potential for VR environments (the “Metaverse”) to become new environment for criminal activity, and calling for additional work to enhance investigative capability. By reviewing the historic development of VR and comparing it with the appearance of the WWW, the authors propose that the situation is not as dire as the issued documents may suggest, but represents an evolutionary rather than revolutionary step in online experiences. They conclude, therefore, that while ability to examine VR presentation/interaction devices may be useful, continued development of ability to examine online systems remains essential

Pathophysiological aspects of severe Falciparum malaria in Thailand and Ghana

The mechanisms of parasite clearance in falciparum malaria are still unclear but the spleen is considered to be the major site of parasite removal. The process of removing intraerythrocytic parasites leaving the host erythrocyte intact is termed "pitting". We have investigated several possible mechanisms for parasite clearance. Using monoclonal antibodies to Ring Erythrocyte Surface antigen, (RESA or Pf 155) an early antigen expressed on the erythrocyte surface and staining for intraerythrocytic plasmodial DNA we have demonstrated that removal of intracellular parasites by host phagocytes leaving the erythrocyte intact, occurs in vivo. During acute falciparum malaria infection, red blood cells (RBC) containing abundant RESA, but no intracellular parasites, are present in the circulation. These RESA-positive parasite-negative RBC are not seen in parasite cultures in vitro. This indicates that in acute falciparum malaria there is active removal of intra-erythrocytic parasites by a host mechanism in vivo (probably the spleen) without destruction of the parasitized RBC. The ability of parasites to form rosettes has been considered a marker of pathogenicity in malaria and those parasites with a greater potential for this phenomenon were considered inherently more pathogenic. We have reported rosetting in a Thai patient with Plasmodium ovale infection suggesting that rosetting is in fact a common property of all plasmodia. Using a laser diffraction technique, we measured red blood cell (RBC) deformability over a range of shear stresses and related this to the severity of anemia in 36 adults with severe falciparum malaria. The RBC deformability at a high shear stress of 30 Pa, similar to that encountered in the splenic sinusoids, showed a significant positive correlation with the nadir hemoglobin concentration during hospitalization (r = 0.49, P < 0.002). Reduction in RBC deformability resulted mainly from changes in non-parasitised erythrocytes. Since reduced red blood cell deformability (RBC-D) can also contribute to impaired microcirculatory flow, RBC-D was measured and compared in 23 patients with severe falciparum malaria (seven of whom subsequently died), 30 patients with uncomplicated malaria, and 17 healthy controls. The RBC-D was significantly reduced in severe malaria and was particularly low in all fatal cases. At a low shear stress of 1.7 Pascal (Pa), a red blood cell elongation index less than 0.21 on admission to the hospital predicted fatal outcome with a sensitivity of 100% (confidence interval [Cl] 59 - 100%) and a specificity of 88% (Cl = 61 - 98%). The reduction in the RBC- D appeared to result mainly from changes in unparasitized erythrocytes. This finding may provide a rationale for the use of exchange transfusion in severe malaria since this process will replace rigid cells with more deformable cells. (Abstract shortened by ProQuest.)

Temporal trend in the transfer of Sellafield-derived 14C into different size fractions of the carbonate component of NE Irish Sea sediment

From 1994 onwards, 14C discharges from the Sellafield nuclear fuel reprocessing plant have been made largely to the Northeast Irish Sea. They represent the largest contributor to UK and European populations of the collective dose commitment derived from the entire nuclear industry discharges. Consequently, it is important to understand the long-term fate of 14C in the marine environment. Research undertaken in 2000 suggested that the carbonate component of Northeast Irish Sea sediments would increase in 14C activity as mollusc shells, which have become enriched in Sellafield-derived 14C, are broken down by physical processes including wave action and incorporated into intertidal and sub-tidal sediments. The current study, undertaken in 2011, tested this hypothesis. The results demonstrate significant increases in 14C enrichments found in whole mussel shells compared to those measured in 2000. Additionally, in 2000, there was an enrichment above ambient background within only the largest size fraction (&gt;500 μm) of the intertidal inorganic sediment at Nethertown and Flimby (north of Sellafield). In comparison, the present study has demonstrated 14C enrichments above ambient background in most size fractions at sites up to 40 km north of Sellafield, confirming the hypothesis set out more than a decade ago

Initial 4D seismic results after CO 2 injection start-up at the Aquistore storage site

The first post-CO2-injection 3D time-lapse seismic survey was conducted at the Aquistore CO2 storage site in February 2016 using the same permanent array of buried geophones used for acquisition of three previous pre-CO2-injection surveys from March 2012 to November 2013. By February 2016, 36 kilotons of CO2 have been injected within the reservoir between 3170 and 3370 m depth. We have developed time-lapse results from analysis of the first post-CO2-injection data and three pre-CO2-injection data sets. The objective of our analysis was to evaluate the ability of the permanent array to detect the injected CO2. A “4D-friendly simultaneous” processing flow was applied to the data in an effort to maximize the repeatability between the pre- and post-CO2-injection volumes while optimizing the final subsurface image including the reservoir. Excellent repeatability was achieved among all surveys with global normalized root-mean-square (Gnrms) values of 1.13–1.19 for the raw prestack data relative to the baseline data, which decreased during processing to Gnrms values of approximately 0.10 for the final crossequalized migrated data volumes. A zone of high normalized root-mean-square (nrms) values (0.11–0.25 as compared with background values of 0.05–0.10) is identified within the upper Deadwood unit of the storage reservoir, which likely corresponds to approximately 18 kilotons of CO2. No significant nrms anomalies are observed within the other reservoir units due to a combination of reduced seismic sensitivity, higher background nrms values, and/or small quantities of CO2 residing within these zones

Kinetic and Kinematic Asymmetries during Unloaded and Loaded Static Jumps

Abstract available in the Annual coaches and Sport Science College

To Vax or Not to Vax: Predictors of Anti-Vax Attitudes and COVID-19 Vaccine Hesitancy Prior to Widespread Vaccine Availability

The novel coronavirus (COVID-19) is a highly contagious disease responsible for millions of deaths worldwide. Effective vaccines against COVID-19 are now available, however, an extreme form of vaccine hesitancy known as anti-vax attitudes challenge vaccine acceptance and distribution efforts. To understand these anti-vax attitudes and their associated psychological characteristics, we examined several predictors of vaccine hesitancy for COVID-19 and anti-vax attitudes generally. We surveyed 1004 adults (M = 47.0 years, SD = 17.1 years, range 18–98 years) in September-October 2020 across the United States (51% female, 49% male; 76.5% White, 23.5% non-White), prior to widespread availability of the COVID-19 vaccines. Attitudes toward vaccinations were influenced by a variety of factors, especially political attitudes. We should therefore anticipate and attempt to mitigate these challenges to achieving widespread vaccination to reduce the spread of COVID-19 and other communicable diseases