"You challenge yourself and you’re not afraid of anything!" Women’s Narratives of Running in Shanghai

Distance running is a rapidly growing leisure practice among urban Chinese adults. This study explores female runners’ experiences in Shanghai through life story interviews with 14 female runners. We analyzed their stories for cultural narrative resources and gendered life scripts used in the construction of running identities and practices. Although all interviewees constructed running within narratives of health, ideal body and achievement, women also storied running as a liberating and autonomy-boosting activity. Yet, despite their privileged status as educated urban citizens, they had to negotiate essentialist gender discourses and initially lacked self-confidence in sports. They constructed their achievements as exceptional, rather than as something that all Chinese women could do

Laser based tracking and spin measurement

The sports ball market is extremely competitive and in the US alone valued in excess of $1305 million (SGMA 2008). Original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) are continually trying to create a competitive edge over their rivals. In order to research and develop sports balls it is vital to quantitatively measure launch and flight characteristics of the ball, in an attempt to create a ball that has better flight and/or impact characteristics. A launch or flight monitor allows consistent measurement and benchmarking of the ball under test. Current top of the range soccer ball monitors are assessed for performance. Predominantly the sports engineering community uses high speed video (HSV) cameras in this benchmarking process. This technique however is extremely susceptible to errors in spin measurement. These errors are explored in detail and recommendations are given in order to improve the measurements. The properties of laser light make it an ideal tool for accurate, non-contact measurements. It has gained such widespread use, that living in the 21" century it is inconceivable to avoid laser technology. In this thesis, optical laser techniques are pursued for ball launch angle, velocity and spin measurement. In order to successfully utilise these techniques a system that is capable of accurately steering the laser beam to the desired target is developed. A novel laser tracking system (NLTS) has been designed, developed and proven to work successfully, allowing tracking capability of an arbitrarily moving soccer ball, that has no special fiducials. The system is demonstrated to be capable of measuring the position of the ball in space, therefore the NLTS is capable of acting as a launch monitor. The system is proven to track soccer balls in the laboratory and in a more realistic player testing environment. A valuable design feature is that the natural and ambient lighting conditions are inconsequential for the operation of the system. The tracking technique could be applied to any sports ball and could conceivably be transferred to other applications, e.g. military and automotive. Single point vibrometry work and the NLTS are combined to add spin measurement capability. Actual and measured spin rate values show high levels of similarity when tracking a ball with angular, but no translational velocity. A purpose built 'pendulum rig' is used to carry out measurements on a ball with both translational and angular velocity. The testing highlights how influential the radial measurement distance from the spin axis is, regarding the outputted spin rate value. The current set-up would require further development to allow accurate spin rate measurement using the 'pendulum rig'. The main sources of error and recommendations for future developments of this device are outlined and discussed.EThOS - Electronic Theses Online ServiceGBUnited Kingdo

Inflammatory biomarker score and cancer: A population-based prospective cohort study

BACKGROUND: Inflammation is associated with cancer but there are conflicting reports on associations of biomarkers of inflammation with cancer risk and mortality. We investigated the associations of C-reactive protein (CRP) and leukocyte count with cancer risk and mortality using individual biomarkers, and an inflammatory score derived from both biomarkers. METHODS: We conducted this analysis among 2,570 men enrolled in the population-based, prospective Kuopio Ischemic Heart Disease Risk Factor Study in Finland. During an average follow-up period of 26 years, 653 cancer cases and 287 cancer deaths occurred. We computed a z-score for each participant, with the combined z-score being the sum of each individual’s CRP and leukocyte z-scores. Multivariable-adjusted Cox proportional hazard model was used to evaluate associations with cancer risk and mortality. RESULTS: Using individual biomarkers, elevated leukocyte count was associated with an increased risk of cancer (RR = 1.31, 95 % CI 1.04-1.66), and cancer mortality (RR=, 95 % CI 1.39, 0.98-1.97). The corresponding results for CRP were (RR = 1.23, 95 % CI 0.97-1.55) for risk and (RR = 1.15, 95 % CI 0.81-1.64) for cancer mortality. Associations of the biomarkers with cancer appeared to be more robust using the combined z-score. HRs comparing men within the highest z-score quartile to those within the lowest z-score quartiles were 1.47 (95 % CI 1.16-1.88, p-trend < 0.01) for cancer risk, and 1.48 (95 % CI 1.03-2.14, p-trend = 0.09) for cancer mortality. CONCLUSION: Our study suggests that inflammation is associated with cancer risk and mortality, and combining inflammatory biomarkers into a score is a robust method of elucidating this association

Search for intracranial aneurysm susceptibility gene(s) using Finnish families

BACKGROUND: Cerebrovascular disease is the third leading cause of death in the United States, and about one-fourth of cerebrovascular deaths are attributed to ruptured intracranial aneurysms (IA). Epidemiological evidence suggests that IAs cluster in families, and are therefore probably genetic. Identification of individuals at risk for developing IAs by genetic tests will allow concentration of diagnostic imaging on high-risk individuals. We used model-free linkage analysis based on allele sharing with a two-stage design for a genome-wide scan to identify chromosomal regions that may harbor IA loci. METHODS: We previously estimated sibling relative risk in the Finnish population at between 9 and 16, and proceeded with a genome-wide scan for loci predisposing to IA. In 85 Finnish families with two or more affected members, 48 affected sibling pairs (ASPs) were available for our genetic study. Power calculations indicated that 48 ASPs were adequate to identify chromosomal regions likely to harbor predisposing genes and that a liberal stage I lod score threshold of 0.8 provided a reasonable balance between detection of false positive regions and failure to detect real loci with moderate effect. RESULTS: Seven chromosomal regions exceeded the stage I lod score threshold of 0.8 and five exceeded 1.0. The most significant region, on chromosome 19q, had a maximum multipoint lod score (MLS) of 2.6. CONCLUSIONS: Our study provides evidence for the locations of genes predisposing to IA. Further studies are necessary to elucidate the genes and their role in the pathophysiology of IA, and to design genetic tests

Sonically-enhanced widgets: comments on Brewster and Clarke, ICAD 1997

This paper presents a review of the research surrounding the paper “The Design and Evaluation of a Sonically Enhanced Tool Palette” by Brewster and Clarke from ICAD 1997. A historical perspective is given followed by a discussion of how this work has fed into current developments in the area

The effect of coating properties on the performance of a-C:H and ta-C films

DLC films cover a wide range of different carbon based coatings, starting from soft to extremely hard diamond-like carbon films. In this study two different types of DLC films have been studied in respect of their stress and strain characteristics and tribological performance. The coatings are hydrogenated amorphous carbon (a-C:H) coatings deposited by PECVD and tetrahedral amorphous carbon (ta-C) coating deposited by filtered arc technique. In order to evaluate the mechanical behaviour of the coatings under load, 3D FE modelling was carried out in combination with scratch testing. Also the tribological performance was evaluated with pin-on-disc tests using stepwise increasing normal load. The 3D FEM model was developed for calculating the stress and strain distributions of DLC coated systems and to evaluate how coating thickness and elastic properties affect the stress-strain state at crack initiation location. The simulation was compared to the findings to experimental observations in scratch test contact conditions, when the spherical diamond tip was moving with increased load on a coated surface. The coating performance was evaluated with scratch testing to detect the crack generation as well as the coating adhesion. When combining the simulated coating characteristics with empirical observation of coating fracture patterns the coating fracture performance and tolerance to cracking could be evaluated. A major effect of the coating elastic modulus on the stress and fracture behaviour of the coatings was observed. In the tribological testing the both coatings had a low friction performance. In the tribological testing with stepwise increasing load, the critical load for coating delamination was higher for the a-C:H coating, which is in accordance with the results of FE modelling of coating stress state

Do depressive symptoms predict the incidence of myocardial infarction independent of hopelessness?

Depression and hopelessness predict myocardial infarction (MI), but it is unclear whether depression and hopelessness are independent predictors of MI incidents. Hopelessness, depression, and MI incidence rate 18 years later were measured in 2005 men. Cox regressions were conducted with hopelessness and depression serving as individual predictors of MI. Another Cox model examined whether the two predictors predict MI when adjusting for each other. Depression and hopelessness predicted MI in independent regressions but when adjusting for each other, hopelessness, but not depression, predicted MI incidents. Thus, these results suggest that depression and hopelessness are not independent predictors of MI

Application of an industrial robot in the sports domain: simulating the ground contact phase of running

Mechanical devices currently used to test sports equipment are limited to one or two degrees of freedom and cannot replicate complete human movements. The purpose of this study was to investigate the capabilities of a six-degrees-of-freedom industrial robot (iRobot) to replicate the ground contact phase of human running. The objectives were as follows: to quantify the repeatability of the iRobot system; to assess the ability of the system to replicate heelstrike running and forefoot running. High-speed video and force plate data were collected for a single-subject heelstrike running and forefoot running. The iRobot was programmed to replicate the two footstrikes and then to perform 500 cycles of each. System kinematics and ground contact forces were recorded every tenth cycle. The kinematic repeatability of the iRobot was extremely good (less than 2mmmean standard deviation in all marker trajectories). The peak vertical ground reaction forces showed systemic trends specific to the footstrike; heelstrike 3 per cent decrease and forefoot 19 per cent increase over the 500 cycles. iRobot replication of the footstrikes met with some success, particularly for the forefoot running. The iRobot generated highly repeatable kinematics and demonstrated potential for applications within the footwear industry. A number of improvements to the system were identified which could further improve its ability to replicate human running

Multichannel optical sensor for oil film pressure measurement in engine main bearing

An optical sensor has been developed for experimental determination of oil film pressure in journal bearings. The non-intrusive fibre optic sensor is integrated in the sliding surface of the bearing to measure the actual oil film pressure under load without disturbing the actual tribological contact conditions. The sensors with a multichannel system also allowed the use of several optical sensors simultaneously. Four optical sensors were integrated in a hydrodynamic journal bearing of a large scale diesel engine and the engine tests were carried out with different loads to study the sensor operation in demanding operating conditions. The oil film pressure was successfully measured and the results showed differences in bearing pressure depending on the position of the sensor and on the operating cycle of the cylinders. The optical sensor was capable to measure the oil film pressure in journal bearing with a good sensitivity and repeatability during the tests. &nbsp

Cardiorespiratory Fitness Is Related to the Risk of Sudden Cardiac Death A Population-Based Follow-Up Study

ObjectivesOur aim was to examine the relation of cardiorespiratory fitness with sudden cardiac death (SCD) in a population-based sample of men.BackgroundVery limited information is available about the role of cardiorespiratory fitness in the prediction of SCD.MethodsThis population study was based on 2,368 men 42 to 60 years of age. Cardiorespiratory fitness was defined by using respiratory gas exchange analyzer and maximal workload during cycle ergometer exercise test.ResultsDuring the 17-year follow-up, there were 146 SCDs. As a continuous variable, 1 metabolic equivalent (MET) increment in cardiorespiratory fitness was related to a decrease of 22% in the risk of SCD (relative risk: 0.78, 95% confidence interval: 0.71 to 0.84, p < 0.001). In addition to cardiorespiratory fitness, ischemic ST-segment depression during exercise testing, smoking, systolic blood pressure, prevalent coronary heart disease, family history of coronary heart disease, and type 2 diabetes mellitus were related to the risk of SCD. The Harrell C-index for the total model discrimination was 0.767, while cardiorespiratory fitness provides modest improvement (from 0.760 to 0.767) in the risk prediction when added with all other risk factors. The integrated discrimination improvement was 0.0087 (p = 0.018, relative integrated discrimination improvement 0.11) when cardiorespiratory fitness was added in the model. However, the net reclassification index (−0.018) was not statistically significantly improved (p = 0.703).ConclusionsCardiorespiratory fitness is a predictor of SCD in addition to that predicted by conventional risk factors. There was a slight improvement in the level of discrimination, although the net reclassification index did not change while using cardiorespiratory fitness with conventional risk factors