GAIT CHARACTERISTICS AND PRESSURE DISTRIBUTION FOR BAREFOOT AND VARIOUS HEEL.HEIGHT SHOES DURING WALKING

This study was to identify changes in pressure distribution and temporal gait characteristics in barefoot, rubber-soled flat shoe (0 cm heel heights), 4.5 cm high-heeled pumps and 9 cm high-heeled pumps during normal walking. Using the Novel Pedar in-shoe system, data was collected over 30 steps for both right and 'left foot. Comparing MP (Maximum pressure) and MV (mean value) in eight masks (GT, OT, MM, MidM, LM, MA, LA and Heel) of the foot during walking in barefoot and various heel heights. We concluded that: (1) characteristics of pressure distribution in rubber-soled flat were similar to the barefoot in both left and right. (2) The bearing area of insole decreased with the heel height increasing, pressure at GT, MM and MidM increased significantly with the increasing of heel height, while LM and Heel decreased. (3) Pressure distribution of left and right foot was identical but not the temporal gait

APPLICATION AND ADVANCE OF FOOT PRESSURE MEASUREMENT IN BIOMECHANICAL RESEARCH

This study summarized the application and advance of foot pressure measurement (FPM) in biomechanical research in recent years, and gives a view of development in clinical biomechanics, sports biomechanics and ergonomics research

A joint optimal policy of inspection and age based replacement based on a three-stage failure process

Preventive maintenance (PM) and condition-based maintenance (CBM) are two dominant maintenance policies in industrial applications. Inspection activities are the foundation of PM and CBM policies as to provide the operating information of system through processing the collected vibration data. Age based replacement is one of the most used preventive maintenance policy aiming at avoiding unplanned downtime and higher failure loss. This paper proposes a joint optimal policy of inspection and age based replacement based on a three-stage failure process for a single component system. The three-stage failure process, which is closer to reality, divides the failure process of system into three stages: namely normal, minor defective and severe defective. When the severe defective stage is identified, maintenance action is carried out immediately. The system is replaced once it reaches certain age. However, two potential actions are considered and analyzed in this paper when the minor defective stage is identified: halving the subsequent inspection interval or replacing the item immediately. As inspection may not be perfect because of the complexity of plant items, both perfect and imperfect inspection cases are considered. Finally, a case study is presented to demonstrate the efficiency of the proposed models

Investigation of Ce3+ Adsorption by Sn(OH)X by the Gravimetric Method

In this work, the adsorption of Ce3+ by Sn(OH)2, SnO, and Sn(OH)4 was investigated. By comparing the mass of cerium oxalate caused by the adsorbed Ce3+, Sn(OH)2 and Sn(OH)4 have the ability to adsorb Ce3+, while Sn(OH)4 has a stronger adsorption capacity of Ce3+. However, SnO does not have the ability. The possible mechanism of Sn(OH)X adsorption Ce3+ was further discussed. And the result indicates that the hydroxide can adsorb cations by means of anionic groups on its surface in the solution so that the cations can be enriched on the hydroxide surface. The paper provides a new method for adjusting the microstructure of catalysts, which has a promising prospect in the field of catalysts preparation

The binding pocket properties were fundamental to functional diversification of the GDSL-type esterases/lipases gene family in cotton

Cotton is one of the most important crops in the world. GDSL-type esterases/lipases (GELPs) are widely present in all kingdoms and play an essential role in regulating plant growth, development, and responses to abiotic and biotic stresses. However, the molecular mechanisms underlying this functional diversity remain unclear. Here, based on the identification of the GELP gene family, we applied genetic evolution and molecular simulation techniques to explore molecular mechanisms in cotton species. A total of 1502 GELP genes were identified in 10 cotton species. Segmental duplication and differences in evolutionary rates are the leading causes of the increase in the number and diversity of GELP genes during evolution for ecological adaptation. Structural analysis revealed that the GELP family has high structural diversity. Moreover, molecular simulation studies have demonstrated significant differences in the properties of the binding pockets among cotton GELPs. In the process of adapting to the environment, GELPs not only have segmental duplication but also have different evolutionary rates, resulting in gene diversity. This diversity leads to significant differences in the 3D structure and binding pocket properties and, finally, to functional diversity. These findings provide a reference for further functional analyses of plant GELPs

Determination of ketamine in rabbit plasma by gradient elution liquid chromatography/electrospray mass spectrometry

A sensitive and simple liquid chromatography/electrospray mass spectrometry (LC-ESI-MS) method for determination of ketamine in rabbit plasma using one-step protein precipitation was developed and validated. After addition of methadone as internal standard (IS), protein precipitation by acetonitrile was used as sample preparation. Chromatographically separation was achieved on an SB-C18 (2.1 mm × 50 mm, 3.5 μm) column with methanol-0.1 % formic acid as the mobile phase with gradient elution. Electrospray ionization (ESI) source was applied and operated in positive ion mode; multiple reaction monitoring (MRM) mode was used to quantification using target fragment ions m/z 237.7 → 219.7 for ketamine and m/z 309.9 → 264.8 for the IS. Calibration plots were linear over the range of 5-1000 ng/mL for ketamine in rabbit plasma. Lower limit of quantification (LLOQ) for ketamine was 5 ng/mL. Mean recovery of ketamine from plasma was in the range of 97.5-100.1 %. RSD of intra-day and inter-day precision were both less than 11 %. This method is simple and sensitive enough to be used in pharmacokinetic research for determination of ketamine in rabbit plasma.Colegio de Farmacéuticos de la Provincia de Buenos Aire

Determination of ketamine in rabbit plasma by gradient elution liquid chromatography/electrospray mass spectrometry

A sensitive and simple liquid chromatography/electrospray mass spectrometry (LC-ESI-MS) method for determination of ketamine in rabbit plasma using one-step protein precipitation was developed and validated. After addition of methadone as internal standard (IS), protein precipitation by acetonitrile was used as sample preparation. Chromatographically separation was achieved on an SB-C18 (2.1 mm × 50 mm, 3.5 μm) column with methanol-0.1 % formic acid as the mobile phase with gradient elution. Electrospray ionization (ESI) source was applied and operated in positive ion mode; multiple reaction monitoring (MRM) mode was used to quantification using target fragment ions m/z 237.7 → 219.7 for ketamine and m/z 309.9 → 264.8 for the IS. Calibration plots were linear over the range of 5-1000 ng/mL for ketamine in rabbit plasma. Lower limit of quantification (LLOQ) for ketamine was 5 ng/mL. Mean recovery of ketamine from plasma was in the range of 97.5-100.1 %. RSD of intra-day and inter-day precision were both less than 11 %. This method is simple and sensitive enough to be used in pharmacokinetic research for determination of ketamine in rabbit plasma.Colegio de Farmacéuticos de la Provincia de Buenos Aire

A non-invasive measurement of tongue surface temperature

Oral temperature, tongue specifically, is a key factor affecting oral sensation and perception of food flavour and texture. It is therefore very important to know how the tongue temperature is affected by food consumption. Unfortunately, traditional methods such as clinical thermometers and thermocouples for oral temperature measurement are not most applicable during food oral consumption due to its invasive nature and interference with food. In this study, infrared thermal (IRT) imager was investigated for its feasibility for the measurement of tongue surface temperature. The IRT technique was firstly calibrated using a digital thermometer (DT). The technique was then used to measure tongue surface temperature after tongue was stimulated by (1) water rinsing at different temperatures (0-45℃); and (2) treated with capsaicin solutions (5, 10, and 20 ppm). For both cases, tongue surface temperature showed significant changes as a result of the physical and chemical stimulation. Results confirm that IRT is feasible for tongue temperature measurement and could be a useful supporting tool in future for the study of food oral processing and sensory perception

Determination of tetramethylpyrazine in rat plasma by liquid chromatography/electrospray mass spectrometry

A sensitive and selective liquid chromatography/electrospray mass spectrometry (LC-ESIMS) method for determination of tetramethylpyrazine in rat plasma was developed. After addition of phenacetin as internal standard, protein precipitation by acetonitrile was used as sample preparation. Chromatographic separation was achieved on a Zorbax SB-C18 (2.1 mm×150 mm, 5 µm) column with (40:60, v/v) acetonitrile-water containing 0.1 % formic acid as mobile phase. Electrospray ionization (ESI) source was applied and operated in positive ion mode; selected ion monitoring (SIM) mode was used to quantify tetramethylpyrazine using target fragment ions m/z 136.9 for tetramethylpyrazine and m/z 179.8 for the IS. Calibration plots were linear over the range of 20-4000 ng/mL for tetramethylpyrazine in plasma. Lower limit of quantitation (LLOQ) for tetramethylpyrazine was 20 ng/mL. Mean recovery of tetramethylpyrazine from plasma was in the range 95.4-97.2 %. RSD of intra-day and inter-day precision were less than 9 %, respectively. This method is simple, sensitive and fast enough to be used in pharmacokinetic research for determination of tetramethylpyrazine in rat plasma.Colegio de Farmacéuticos de la Provincia de Buenos Aire