The effects of shoe temperature on the kinetics and kinematics of running

The aim of the current investigation was to examine the effects of cooled footwear on the kinetics and kinematics of running in comparison to footwear at normal temperature. Twelve participants ran at 4.0 m/s ± 5% in both cooled and normal temperature footwear conditions over a force platform. Two identical footwear were worn, one of which was cooled for 30 min. Lower extremity kinematics were obtained using a motion capture system and tibial accelerations were measured using a triaxial accelerometer. Differences between cooled and normal footwear temperatures were contrasted using paired samples t-tests. The results showed that midsole temperature (cooled = 4.21 °C and normal = 23.25 °C) and maximal midsole deformation during stance (cooled = 12.85 mm and normal = 14.52 mm) were significantly reduced in the cooled footwear. In addition, instantaneous loading rate (cooled = 186.21 B.W/s and normal = 167.08 B W/s), peak tibial acceleration (cooled = 12.75 g and normal = 10.70 g) and tibial acceleration slope (cooled = 478.69 g/s and normal = 327.48 g/s) were significantly greater in the cooled footwear. Finally, peak eversion (cooled = −10.57 ° and normal = −7.83°) and tibial internal rotation (cooled = 10.67 ° and normal = 7.77°) were also shown to be significantly larger in the cooled footwear condition. This study indicates that running in cooled footwear may place runners at increased risk from the biomechanical parameters linked to the aetiology of injuries

Speech Processing Approach for Diagnosing Dementia in an Early Stage

The clinical diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias is very challenging, especially in the early stages. Our hypothesis is that any disease that affects particular brain regions involved in speech production and processing will also leave detectable finger prints in the speech. Computerized analysis of speech signals and computational linguistics have progressed to the point where an automatic speech analysis system is a promising approach for a low-cost non-invasive diagnostic tool for early detection of Alzheimer’s disease.We present empirical evidence that strong discrimination between subjects with a diagnosis of probable Alzheimer’s versus matched normal controls can be achieved with a combination of acoustic features from speech, linguistic features extracted from an automatically determined transcription of the speech including punctuation, and results of a mini mental state exam (MMSE). We also show that discrimination is nearly as strong even if the MMSE is not used, which implies that a fully automated system is feasible. Since commercial automatic speech recognition (ASR) tools were unable to provide transcripts for about half of our speech samples, a customized ASR system was developed

Can a combination of lifestyle and clinical characteristics explain the presence of foot ulcer in patients with diabetes?

Aims: The aim of this study was to identify the biomechanical, neurological and clinical parameters along with other demographics and life style risk factors that could explain the presence of foot ulcer in patients with diabetes in Africa. Methods: A total of 1270 (M/F:696/574) patients; 77(M/F:53/24) with ulcerated vs 1193 (M/F: 643/550) with non-ulcerated feet; participated in this study. A set of 28 parameters were collected and compared between the participants with and without active foot ulcers. Multivariate logistic regression was utilised to develop an explanatory model for foot ulceration. Results: Foot swelling (χ2(1,n=1270)=265.9,P=0.000,Phi=0.464) and impaired sensation to monofilament (χ2(2,n=1270)=114.2,P=0.000,Cramer’sV=0.300) showed strong association with presence of ulceration. A lower Temperature sensitivity to cold stimuli and limited ankle joint mobility were observed to be significant (P<0.05) contributors to ulceration. The logistic regression model can justify the presence of foot ulceration with 95.3% diagnostic accuracy, 99.1 % specificity and 37.3% sensitivity. Conclusion: Participants with ulcerated foot show distinct characteristics in few foot related parameters. Swollen foot, limited ankle mobility, and peripheral sensory neuropathy were significant characteristics of patients with diabetic foot ulcer. One out of three patients with ulcerated foot showed common characteristics that could be justified by the model

A stakeholder informed, low-cost, personalised 3D-printed insole for diabetic foot ulcer prevention

Background: Diabetic Foot Ulcer (DFU) incidence will rise in line with the increasing global prevalence of diabetes. Healthcare providers must develop effective interventions that address the needs of patients and clinicians if DFUs are to be prevented. Aim: Engage with stakeholders (patients and clinicians) to inform the development and evaluation criteria of a novel low-cost 3D-printed insole to reduce DFU risk in patients with neuropathy. Method: Data from the transcripts of 15 semi-structured patient interviews and the views of 7 podiatrists were used to develop a consensus statement of insole design specifications. A prototype insole was developed and evaluated against these specifications. Clinical effectiveness was established by comparing reduction in peak plantar pressures and patient perceived comfort of 4 people with diabetic neuropathy whist wearing 1) no insole 2) standard custom insole and 3) 3D-printed insole conditions. The F-scan in-shoe pressure measurement system was used to collect kinetic data. Insoles were presented in a random order with participants blinded to the condition. Results: The 3D-printed insole fulfilled most of the design specifications including being lightweight, easy to clean and walk in. It was more effective at reducing forefoot plantar loads when compared to the standard insole condition, reducing mean peak plantar pressure by 31%, a 4% greater reduction over the standard insole condition. Conclusion: This study provided valuable pilot data for the efficacy, acceptability and future direction of this intervention. The impact of stakeholder involvement on insole design, adherence and ulceration rate need to be evaluated through a clinical trial

An adaptive large neighbourhood search for asset protection during escaped wildfires

The asset protection problem is encountered where an uncontrollable fire is sweeping across a landscape comprising important infrastructure assets. Protective activities by teams of firefighters can reduce the risk of losing a particular asset. These activities must be performed during a time-window for each asset determined by the progression of the fire. The nature of some assets is such that they require the simultaneous presence of more than one fire vehicle and its capabilities must meet the requirements of each asset visited. The objective is then to maximise the value of the assets protected subject to constraints on the number and type of fire trucks available. The solution times to this problem using commercial solvers preclude their use for operational purposes. In this work we develop an Adaptive Large Neighbourhood Search algorithm (ALNS) based on problem-specific attributes. Several removal and insertion heuristics, including some new algorithms, are applied. A new benchmark set is generated by considering the problem attributes. In tests with small instances the ALNS is shown to achieve optimal, or near optimal, results in a fraction of the time required by CPLEX. In a second set of experiments comprising larger instances the ALNS was able to produce solutions in times suitable for operational purposes. These solutions mean that significantly more assets can be protected than would be the case otherwise

Col11a2 Deletion Reveals the Molecular Basis for Tectorial Membrane Mechanical Anisotropy

The tectorial membrane (TM) has a significantly larger stiffness in the radial direction than other directions, a prominent mechanical anisotropy that is believed to be critical for the proper functioning of the cochlea. To determine the molecular basis of this anisotropy, we measured material properties of TMs from mice with a targeted deletion of Col11a2, which encodes for collagen XI. In light micrographs, the density of TM radial collagen fibers was lower in Col11a2 –/– mice than wild-types. Tone-evoked distortion product otoacoustic emission and auditory brainstem response measurements in Col11a2 –/– mice were reduced by 30–50 dB independent of frequency as compared with wild-types, showing that the sensitivity loss is cochlear in origin. Stress-strain measurements made using osmotic pressure revealed no significant dependence of TM bulk compressibility on the presence of collagen XI. Charge measurements made by placing the TM as an electrical conduit between two baths revealed no change in the density of charge affixed to the TM matrix in Col11a2 –/– mice. Measurements of mechanical shear impedance revealed a 5.5 ± 0.8 dB decrease in radial shear impedance and a 3.3 ± 0.3 dB decrease in longitudinal shear impedance resulting from the Col11a2 deletion. The ratio of radial to longitudinal shear impedance fell from 1.8 ± 0.7 for TMs from wild-type mice to 1.0 ± 0.1 for those from Col11a2 –/– mice. These results show that the organization of collagen into radial fibrils is responsible for the mechanical anisotropy of the TM. This anisotropy can be attributed to increased mechanical coupling provided by the collagen fibrils. Mechanisms by which changes in TM material properties may contribute to the threshold elevation in Col11a2 –/– mice are discussed.National Institutes of Health (U.S.) (Grant R01-DC00238