Alien Registration- Vienneau, Catherine (Mexico, Oxford County)

https://digitalmaine.com/alien_docs/17990/thumbnail.jp

Quantifying Gait Symmetry

It is often assumed that able-bodied humans have fairly symmetrical gait and as a result, researchers often only collect data from the dominant leg. The results of gait symmetry studies have been conflicting due to different definitions of symmetry, and different research methodologies. For the purpose of this study, gait symmetry is defined as “the perfect agreement of the external kinetics and kinematics of the left and right legs” (Herzog, 1989). A symmetry index developed by Robinson (1987) has been widely used to quantify gait symmetry at discrete time points during stance. Problems with this method include: 1) the examiner must choose discrete time points in which to calculate symmetry, possibly missing asymmetries during other parts of the stance phase, 2) this formula does not account for time shifts between the left and right legs, and 3) there is no normalization process to allow for comparisons between variables with different magnitudes. Therefore, the objective of this study was to introduce a new methodology to evaluate gait symmetry using the entire stance phase in over-ground running. Eighteen subjects completed heel-toe over-ground running trials over a force plate at 3.33 m/s with retro-reflective markers on both legs and the pelvis. Thirty kinetic and kinematic variables were collected and 12 were chosen as important variables for calculating symmetry based on low variance of the data and their functional relevance regarding symmetry. For a given variable, the newly developed formula computes the area between the curves for the left and right legs, and divides this area by the average of the two curves’ ranges to normalize the data. The variables were split into a Sagittal Symmetry Index (8 variables) and a Frontal-Transverse Symmetry Index (4 variables), thus making it possible to categorize individuals who are symmetrical in one plane while asymmetrical in the other

A Survey Display Of Business Interest

This project is a survey on what young adults are interested in making a business and if they were willing to make one, what would they make. (Class Project

Air pollution modelling for birth cohorts: a time-space regression model

To investigate air pollution effects during pregnancy or in the first weeks of life, models are needed that capture both the spatial and temporal variability of air pollution exposures.; We developed a time-space exposure model for ambient NO2 concentrations in Bern, Switzerland. We used NO2 data from passive monitoring conducted between 1998 and 2009: 101 rural sites (24,499 biweekly measurements) and 45 urban sites (4350 monthly measurements). We evaluated spatial predictors (land use; roads; traffic; population; annual NO2 from a dispersion model) and temporal predictors (meteorological conditions; NO2 from continuous monitoring station). Separate rural and urban models were developed by multivariable regression techniques. We performed ten-fold internal cross-validation, and an external validation using 57 NO2 passive measurements obtained at study participant's homes.; Traffic related explanatory variables and fixed site NO2 measurements were the most relevant predictors in both models. The coefficient of determination (R(2)) for the log transformed models were 0.63 (rural) and 0.54 (urban); cross-validation R(2)s were unchanged indicating robust coefficient estimates. External validation showed R(2)s of 0.54 (rural) and 0.67 (urban).; This approach is suitable for air pollution exposure prediction in epidemiologic research with time-vulnerable health effects such as those occurring during pregnancy or in the first weeks of life

EFFECT OF BASKETBALL SHOES OF DIFFERENT WEIGHTS ON PERFORMANCE IN A GAME-LIKE SCENARIO

Lighter shoes have been shown to improve running economy; however this same phenomenon has not been investigated in basketball shoes. The purpose of this study was to investigate the physiological effects of basketball shoes of different masses during an on-court, game like scenario. Twelve male basketball players participated in this study. One shoe that was modified to have three different masses (Light, Medium, and Heavy) was evaluated in this study. Subjects completed a basketball-specific 20 minute fieldbased work protocol (Basketball-20) in each shoe on three different days while five physiological variables of interest were collected. The light shoe condition resulted in significantly lower oxygen consumption, ventilation, and rate of energy expenditure than the medium and heavy conditions