Objective:To investigate the effectiveness of molding custom-made insoles for female patients with foot pain.Methods:The study included 20 patients whose insoles were prescribed according to biomechanical evaluations ...Objective:To investigate the effectiveness of molding custom-made insoles for female patients with foot pain.Methods:The study included 20 patients whose insoles were prescribed according to biomechanical evaluations and molded by repositioning the subtalar joint in its neutral position using a simple set of tools.展开更多
Objectives: We evaluated whether a valgus knee brace and an insole with subtalar strapping could reduce pain and improve functional scores over 12 months in patients with medial knee osteoarthritis (OA). Methods: OA w...Objectives: We evaluated whether a valgus knee brace and an insole with subtalar strapping could reduce pain and improve functional scores over 12 months in patients with medial knee osteoarthritis (OA). Methods: OA was confirmed by radiography in all patients, who were divided into three groups: exercise (n = 44), insole (n = 55), and brace (n = 19). Clinical knee functions and gait analyses were evaluated. Results: After 12 months, the clinical results for all groups had improved compared to pretreatment findings. Although the knee varus moment decreased and the gait speed increased when the insole was worn initially, the effects of the insole decreased at 6 and 12 months. In contrast, the knee varus moment decreased and the gait speed increased when the brace was initially fitted. The effects of the brace were maintained during the 12 months. Conclusions: The insole was effective for patients with Kellgren-Lawrence Grades II and III, and the knee brace was effective for patients with Grades III and IV conditions. Furthermore, the knee brace was more effective when worn for more than 6 months, while the effects of the insoles were not continuous.展开更多
Objectives. The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of orthopaedic soles on the body posture. Methods. Forty-eight runners (21 men and 28 women) maintained a standing-up position on both feet with bare fe...Objectives. The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of orthopaedic soles on the body posture. Methods. Forty-eight runners (21 men and 28 women) maintained a standing-up position on both feet with bare feet with neutral soles and orthopedic soles which contained bilaterally a podiatrist element of 3 mm height behind the metatarsal heads (Metatarsal Retro Capital Bar, MRCB). Stabilometric, plantar pressure and kinematic data in the sagittal plane on both sides were measured at 40 and 60 Hz, respectively. The position of the center of pressure on the anteroposterior axis (YCoP), the forefoot plantar pressure (FPP) and the anteroposterior position of the knee (Yk), the hip (YH), the shoulder (YS) and the ears (YE) with respect to the vertical axis passing through the joint of the ankle were determined for each experimental condition. Findings. The addition of a MRCB orthopedic element induced in backward displacement of CoP, hip, shoulder and ears (p CoP and FPP changes were significantly correlated with YH, YS and YE changes (p Conclusion. These results suggest that the addition of an orthopedic element located behind the metatarsal heads influences the overall position of the body and can help podiatrist in the care of their patients.展开更多
The main objective of this work is to develop a technological solution to support active aging of frail older individuals. In this perspective, we designed a connected insole in order to encourage frail elderly person...The main objective of this work is to develop a technological solution to support active aging of frail older individuals. In this perspective, we designed a connected insole in order to encourage frail elderly persons to become more active in their daily life. The project presented in this paper, funded by the French National Research Agency, aims to design and evaluate an original solution to follow and encourage walking activity. The evaluation is performed in two stages: adjusting tests in a living-lab with nine healthy elderly, then clinical evaluation of three frail patients followed over one month. We designed a noninvasive wireless insole, which automatically measures gait parameters and transmits information to a remote terminal via a secure Internet connection. The first laboratory tests of this technological solution showed good reliability measurements as well as good user acceptability. The average distance error obtained on volunteers is 3.2% and the accuracy of the average walking speed is 96.8% thanks to design of a calibration system based on a personalized stride length measurement. Finally, the introduction of an induction charging instead of a button cell makes the system perfectly autonomous. In this paper, we present the specifications of the solution, the design of the connected insole, the methods used to measure desired parameters, the results of the living-lab tests, and the work in progress.展开更多
An insole design with variable stiffness properties could be an effective conservative treatment option for knee osteoarthritis (OA). However, limited to the experimental conditions, stress distribution inside the car...An insole design with variable stiffness properties could be an effective conservative treatment option for knee osteoarthritis (OA). However, limited to the experimental conditions, stress distribution inside the cartilage of a knee joint is often difficult to be obtained. In this study, a finite element (FE)- based computational model of the human knee-foot-ankle complex is presented to investigate the redistribution of the internal stress of the knee joint using a variable stiffness insole. Based on relationship between the insole parameters and the resulting tissue stress data, additive manufacture technology (AM) could be a fast deliver of an optimal insole that meets patient characteristics. Insoles of four different material combinations were designed. Von-Mises stress declined significantly at the meniscus when the ratio of the lateral and medial stiffness of the insole changes. It suggests that the intervention of variable stiffness insole contributes to the rehabilitation of medial knee osteoarthritis (OA) and provide the guidance for the design of therapeutic insole.展开更多
Our feet are often subjected to moist and warm environments,which can promote the growth of harmful bacteria and the development of severe infection in wounds located in the foot.As a result,there is a need for new an...Our feet are often subjected to moist and warm environments,which can promote the growth of harmful bacteria and the development of severe infection in wounds located in the foot.As a result,there is a need for new and innovative strategies to safely sterilize feet,when shoes are worn,to prevent any potential foot-related diseases.In this paper,we have produced a non-destructive,biocompatible and convenient-to-use insole by embedding a BaTiO_(3)(BT)ferroel ectric material into a conventional polydimethylsilane(PDMS)insole material to exploit a ferroelectric catalytic effect to promote the antibacterial and healing of infected wounds via the ferroelectric charges generated during walking.The formation of reactive oxygen species generated through a ferroelectric catalytic effect in the PDMS-BT composite is shown to increase the oxidative stress on bacteria and decrease both the activity of bacteria and the rate of formation of bacterial biofilms.In addition,the ferroelectric field generated by the PDMS-BT insole can enhance the level of transforming growth factor-beta and CD31 by influencing the endogenous electric field of a wound,thereby promoting the proliferation,differentiation of fibroblasts and angiogenesis.This work therefore provides a new route for antimicrobial and tissue reconstruction by integrating a ferroelectric biomaterial into a shoe insole,with significant potential for health-related applications.展开更多
Purpose Insoles with various wedges have effects on the biomechanical aspects of human movement.The aim of the present study was to investigate the immediate effects of 9 insoles while running on the myoelectric activ...Purpose Insoles with various wedges have effects on the biomechanical aspects of human movement.The aim of the present study was to investigate the immediate effects of 9 insoles while running on the myoelectric activity of selected trunk mus-cles.The conditions were no wedge,posterior,anterior,medial,lateral,posterior-medial,posterior-lateral,anterior-medial,and anterior-lateral.Muscles included were rectus abdominis,external oblique,internal oblique,latissimus dorsi,thoracic erector spinae,lumbar erector spinae,multifidus,and quadratus lumborum during running.Methods Twenty-five(n=25)able-bodied males participated in this quasi-experimental study.Repeated measures analysis of variance test was used to compare dependent variables among various insole wedges.Results Significant differences(P=0.001)in normalized mean amplitude index between the following wedge conditions were measured while running:posterior-lateral/medial(5.67±1.01 vs.4.73±1.09)and posterior-lateral/anterior-medial(5.67±1.01 vs.4.52±1.20)for the internal oblique muscle along with posterior-lateral/anterior(11.44±2.42 vs.9.26±2.35)for the lumbar erector spinae muscle.Similarly,normalized peak amplitude index differences in the medial/anterior-lateral(9.79±3.3321 vs.12.03±3.16)and lateral/anterior-medial(11.6±2.56 vs.9.25±2.38)for the internal oblique muscle and posterior-lateral/anterior-medial(9.58±2.26 vs.8.78±2.15)for the quadratus lumborum muscle were measured.In con-trast,no significant difference was observed for the median frequency index among various insole wedges during running(P>0.0014).Conclusion Decreased activity in the medial wedged conditions may have important negative consequences for the spine,pelvis,and dynamic core.These results provide insights into the effect of various orthotic designs on the EMG activity of central core muscles.Higher activation in an anterior-lateral wedge and lower activation in a medial wedge for core muscles can have clinical relevance,where there is a need to increase,or avoid decrease,core muscle activity.展开更多
Accurate plantar pressure mapping systems with low dependence on the external power supply are highly desired for preventative healthcare and medical diagnosis.Herein,we propose a self-powered smart insole system that...Accurate plantar pressure mapping systems with low dependence on the external power supply are highly desired for preventative healthcare and medical diagnosis.Herein,we propose a self-powered smart insole system that can perform both static and dynamic plantar pressure mapping with high accuracy.The smart insole system integrates an insole-shaped sensing unit,a multi-channel data acquisition board,and a data storage module.The smart insole consists of a 44-pixel sensor array based on triboelectric nanogenerators(TENGs)to transduce pressure to the electrical signal.By optimizing the sensor architecture and the system's robustness,the smart insole achieves high sensitivity,good error-tolerance capability,excellent durability,and short response–recovery time.Various gait and mobility patterns,such as standing,introversion/extraversion,throwing,and surpassing obstacles,can be distin-guished by analyzing the acquired electrical signals.This work paves the way for self-powered wearable devices for gait monitoring,which might enable a new modality of medical diagnosis.展开更多
Flatfoot is defined as the flattening of the medial arch of the foot,and it is classified into flexible flatfoot and rigid flatfoot based on whether the flattening of the medial arch of the foot can be reset when stan...Flatfoot is defined as the flattening of the medial arch of the foot,and it is classified into flexible flatfoot and rigid flatfoot based on whether the flattening of the medial arch of the foot can be reset when standing on toes.The insole is the most basic and common treatment,which is relatively cheaper and easier to adopt.Three-dimensional(3D)printing,an emerging technology characterized by high machining accuracy and use of various materials,can be utilised in personalised insoles,which have good application prospects.Further research on the clinical effects of 3D-printed insoles is still needed.In this study,64 cases of 3D-printed insoles were clinically observed.The results showed that 3D-printed insoles had statistically positive effects in treating flatfoot(P=0.00017),and with adjustment and adaptation,their comfort and clinical effect can be improved.This study provides an empirical reference for further large-scale clinical control research.展开更多
Flexible,compact,lightweight and sustainable power sources are indispensable for modern wearable and personal electronics and small-unmanned aerial vehicles(UAVs).Hierarchical honeycomb has the unique merits of compac...Flexible,compact,lightweight and sustainable power sources are indispensable for modern wearable and personal electronics and small-unmanned aerial vehicles(UAVs).Hierarchical honeycomb has the unique merits of compact mesostructures,excellent energy absorption properties and considerable weight to strength ratios.Herein,a honeycomb-inspired triboelectric nanogenerator(h-TENG)is proposed for biomechanical and UAV morphing wing energy harvesting based on contact triboelectrification wavy surface of cellular honeycomb structure.The wavy surface comprises a multilayered thin film structure(combining polyethylene terephthalate,silver nanowires and fluorinated ethylene propylene)fabricated through high-temperature thermoplastic molding and wafer-level bonding process.With superior synchronization of large amounts of energy generation units with honeycomb cells,the manufactured h-TENG prototype produces the maximum instantaneous open-circuit voltage,short-circuit current and output power of 1207 V,68.5μA and 12.4 mW,respectively,corresponding to a remarkable peak power density of 0.275 mW cm^(−3)(or 2.48 mW g^(−1))under hand pressing excitations.Attributed to the excellent elastic property of self-rebounding honeycomb structure,the flexible and transparent h-TENG can be easily pressed,bent and integrated into shoes for real-time insole plantar pressure mapping.The lightweight and compact h-TENG is further installed into a morphing wing of small UAVs for efficiently converting the flapping energy of ailerons into electricity for the first time.This research demonstrates this new conceptualizing single h-TENG device’s versatility and viability for broad-range real-world application scenarios.展开更多
Fall has become the second leading cause of unintentional injury, death, after road traffic injuries, for the elderly in Europe. This proportion will increase in the next decades and become more than ever a real publi...Fall has become the second leading cause of unintentional injury, death, after road traffic injuries, for the elderly in Europe. This proportion will increase in the next decades and become more than ever a real public health issue. France was selected by the World Health Organization to be the first country to implement a program that reduces the coverage of the dependence. Commercial automatic fall detection devices can help seniors get back on their feet faster by reducing the time of emergency procedure. Many seniors do not take advantage of this potentially life-saving technology mainly because of intrusiveness constraints. After having reminded the context and the challenges of fall detection systems, this paper presents an original device which is unobtrusive, comfortable and very effective. The hardware architecture embedded into the sole and a new fall detection algorithm based on acceleration and time thresholds are presented. The algorithm introduces a new concept of differential acceleration to eliminate some drawbacks of current systems. Tests were carried out under real life conditions by 6 young participants for different ADLs. The data were analyzed blindly. We compared the detected falls and found a 100% sensibility and more than 93% sensitivity for all participants and scenarios.展开更多
Paired stable oxygen isotope and Mg/Ca analyses in calcite tests of the mixed-layer-dwelling planktic foraminifer Globigerinoides ruber has been used to reconstruct equatorial Indian Oceanδ18O of seawater （δ 18Osw ...Paired stable oxygen isotope and Mg/Ca analyses in calcite tests of the mixed-layer-dwelling planktic foraminifer Globigerinoides ruber has been used to reconstruct equatorial Indian Oceanδ18O of seawater （δ 18Osw ） over the last ~137 thousand years. On the basis of ice-volume-correctedδ18Osw （δ18Osw-ivc ）, relative changes in sea surface salinity （SSS） have been estimated. The SSS estimates suggest three episodes of higher SSS （131-113 thousand years before present （kyr BP）, 62-58 kyr BP, and 30-24 kyr BP） within the last glacial period as compared with the present. SSS comparison between interglacial episodes reveals that the surface seawater over the core site was significantly saltier during the penultimate interglacial than the Holocene. We suggest that the evolution of a seasonal insolation gradient between the Indian monsoon areas and the equator over the investigated time interval was instrumental in shaping the strength of the Indian winter and summer monsoons that left their imprints on the equatorial Indian Ocean SSS via freshwater input and wind-induced mixing. The study shows that the insolation difference between northern latitudes and the equator during winter affects monsoon strength in the Indian region, especially during cold intervals.展开更多
During a research cruise over the Pacific Ocean in 1989, solar irradiance was measured with a broad-band pyranometer along the cruise track. Cloud cover was photographed with an all-sky time-lapse came ra. Cloud types...During a research cruise over the Pacific Ocean in 1989, solar irradiance was measured with a broad-band pyranometer along the cruise track. Cloud cover was photographed with an all-sky time-lapse came ra. Cloud types were observed and recorded. The data show that both the types and the amounts of clouds affect radiation fluxes on the sea surface. For low-level and middle-level clouds, the correlations (r) between measured irradiance (in Percent of calculated maximum irradiance) and cloud amount (in fraction of sky) were significant: r=-0. 79 and - 0. 66, respectively. For high-level clouds, the correlation was not significant: r=-0. 21. The results indicate that cloud shortwave forcing is a major modifier of the earth's surface insolation and change of cloud amount may affect global climate.展开更多
The paper identifies and analyzes the geographical and temporal variability of solar energy in Kuwait. The fundamental solar trigonometric model has been modified to estimate daily and hourly solar radiation on horizo...The paper identifies and analyzes the geographical and temporal variability of solar energy in Kuwait. The fundamental solar trigonometric model has been modified to estimate daily and hourly solar radiation on horizontal surfaces on the basis of the more readily available meteorological data. The results demonstrate that Kuwait has an abundance of solar energy capability. An overview of the production and consumption of electrical energy, installed capacity, and peak loads in Kuwait is also presented. Finally, it is shown how the power produced from the photovoitaic （PV） cells depends on the solar radiation. The proposed PV module is made up of a combination of series and parallel cells to increase power, while the IoV characteristic and output power of the module each month may be obtained from the model.展开更多
From 1950 to 1987 a strong relationship existed between the El Nino-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) and HadCRUT4 global average temperature anomaly, interrupted occasionally by volcanic erup-tions. After 1987 the relation...From 1950 to 1987 a strong relationship existed between the El Nino-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) and HadCRUT4 global average temperature anomaly, interrupted occasionally by volcanic erup-tions. After 1987 the relationship diverged, with temperature anomaly increasing more than ex-pected, but was re-established after 1997 at an offset of ~0.48°C higher. The period of increased warming from 1987 to 1997 loosely coincided with the divergence of the global average tempera-ture anomalies over land, which are derived from observation station recordings, and the global average anomalies in sea surface temperatures. Land-based temperatures averaged 0.04°C below sea temperatures for the period 1950 to 1987 but after 1997 averaged 0.41°C above sea tempera-tures. The increase in the global average temperature anomaly and the divergence of land and sea surface temperatures also coincided with two significant changes in global average cloud cover. Total cloud cover decreased during the period from 1987 to 1997 and, for most of the remainder of the period from 1984 to 2009, decreases in low-level cloud were accompanied by increases in middle and upper level cloud. These changes can be found in both global average cloud cover and in each of the six 30°C-latitude bands. The impact of these changes in cloud cover can account for the variations in HadCRUT4 global average temperature anomalies and the divergence between land and sea temperatures.展开更多
Recently, there is a movement that aims to realize a distributed energy system in Japan. The PV （photovoltaic） generation is especially expected, and it is anticipated that interconnection number of PVs will increas...Recently, there is a movement that aims to realize a distributed energy system in Japan. The PV （photovoltaic） generation is especially expected, and it is anticipated that interconnection number of PVs will increase more and more ha the future. However, an amount of insolation is easily affected by the weather, the output of PV and the supply of electricity becomes unstable. And it causes various problems in a distribution system. Therefore, it is important to forecast the amount of insolation. In previous study, MLPNN （multilayer perceptron neural network） is a general method to forecast the amount of insolation. However, it is in danger of falling into a local solution by only MLPNN. In this study, the authors propose a forecasting method of amount of insolation using MLPNN and EPSO （evolutionary particle swarm optimization）. The authors use EPSO in addition to MLPNN to solve the problem. The authors also propose a forecasting method of amount of insolation using other regions weather data for the accuracy improvement.展开更多
The astronomical theory of climate change is based on the solution of differential equations describing Earth’s orbital and rotational motions. The equations are used to calculate the change in insolation over the Ea...The astronomical theory of climate change is based on the solution of differential equations describing Earth’s orbital and rotational motions. The equations are used to calculate the change in insolation over the Earth’s surface. As a result of the author’s solution of the orbital problem, the periods and amplitudes of Earth-orbit variations and their evolution have been refined. Unlike previous studies, the equations of Earth’s rotational motion are solved completely. The Earth’s rotational axis precesses relative to a direction different from the direction of the orbit’s axial precession, and oscillates with periods of half a month, half a year and 18.6 years. Also, its oscillations occur with irregular periods of several tens of thousands of years and more. All these motions lead to oscillations of the obliquity in the range of 14.7° to 32.1°, which prove to be 7 - 8 times larger than obtained by a previous theory. In the same proportion, the Earth’s insolation oscillations increase in amplitude, with insolation extremes occurring in other epochs than those in the previous theory. The amplitudes and the onset times of the extremes correlate with known paleoclimate changes. Thirteen insolation periods of paleoclimate variation over an interval of 200 thousand years are identified. From the insolation evolution calculated over a time interval of 1 million years, 6 climate gradations from very cold to very warm are identified.展开更多
Building envelope is a fence that controls heat exchange between interior and exterior and plays an essential role in providing thermal comfort conditions of residents. In recent years, due to the necessity of conserv...Building envelope is a fence that controls heat exchange between interior and exterior and plays an essential role in providing thermal comfort conditions of residents. In recent years, due to the necessity of conserving energy and also preventing increased environmental pollution, the importance of sustainable construction has been doubled. Checking the problems of thermal behavior of the building envelope materials, and what influences in the heating and cooling loads exerted and energy consumption of buildings, are the questions that this research seeks to answer. In this regard, building information modelling analysis (BIM) has worthy contribution in the completion process of sustainable design;thus using software Design Builder, it is paid attention to simulation of the thermal behavior of two types of defined materials for the building envelope that was designed as a Research Institute of Renewable Energy of Yazd University. For Type 1 materials, two layers of brick have been selected, and for Type 2 a thermal insulation layer also added it. Results of the analysis showed that the use of materials Type 2 in the cooling load %4.8 and in the thermal load %62.5 reduction can be achieved which means reducing the load on active system and thus reducing the initial cost of building. Also reduction in annual energy consumption by almost %2.4 for cooling and %62.9 for heating buildings have been achieved, which makes saving non-renewable energy consumption, and consequently reducing environmental pollution as well as reducing current costs will be established.展开更多
In the north-eastern Qinghai-Tibet Plateau(QTP),the source area of the Yellow River(SAYR)has been experiencing significant changes in climatic and environmental conditions in recent decades.To date,few studies have co...In the north-eastern Qinghai-Tibet Plateau(QTP),the source area of the Yellow River(SAYR)has been experiencing significant changes in climatic and environmental conditions in recent decades.To date,few studies have combined modern hydrological conditions with paleoclimate records to explore the mechanism(s)of these changes.This study seeks to improve understanding of hydrological variability on decadal and centennial timescales in the SAYR and to identify its general cause.We first determined annual fluctuations in the surface area of Lake Ngoring from 1985 to 2020 using multi-temporal Landsat images.The results show that lake surface area changes were generally consistent with variations in precipitation,streamflow and the regional dry-wet index in the SAYR,suggesting that the water balance of the Lake Ngoring area is closely associated with regional hydroclimate changes.These records are also comparable to the stalagmite δ^(18)O monsoon record,as well fluctuations in the Southern Oscillation Index(SOI).Moreover,an association of high TSI(total solar insolation)anomalies and sunspot numbers with the expansion of Lake Ngoring surface area is observed,implying that solar activity is the key driving factor for hydrologic variability in the SAYR on a decadal timescale.Following this line of reasoning,we compared the δ^(13)C org-based lake level fluctuations of Lake Ngoring for the last millennium,as previously reported,with the hydroclimatic history and the reconstructed TSI record.We conclude that the hydrological regime of Lake Ngoring has been mainly controlled by centennial fluctuations in precipitation for the last millennium,which is also dominated by solar activity.In general,it appears that solar activity has exerted a dominant influence on the hydrological regime of the SAYR on both decadal and centennial timescales,which is clearly manifested in the variations of lake area and water level of Lake Ngoring.展开更多
Footwear have been evaluated mostly using commercially available products, while some researchers have used custom shoes. Hence, the understanding of the effects of various parameters of a shoe is quite limited. The f...Footwear have been evaluated mostly using commercially available products, while some researchers have used custom shoes. Hence, the understanding of the effects of various parameters of a shoe is quite limited. The footbed simulator invented in recent years allows a range of parameters to be studied in quiet standing. It can be used to evaluate perceived feel and center of pressure changes to changes in heel height, seat length, material, wedge angle and toe spring. This paper is meant to show the value of the footbed simulator in terms of research and the actual production of shoes. A study performed with two heel heights, three combinations of seat length and material and three wedge angles showed that the perceived feel is closely related to the center of pressure. The results also show the optimum footbed has a significantly different perceived feel. Thus, the footbed simulator is an ideal way to generate custom footwear designs.展开更多
基金This work was supported by grants from the Provincial Science and Technology Project of Guangdong Province(No.2016A020220009)。
文摘Objective:To investigate the effectiveness of molding custom-made insoles for female patients with foot pain.Methods:The study included 20 patients whose insoles were prescribed according to biomechanical evaluations and molded by repositioning the subtalar joint in its neutral position using a simple set of tools.
文摘Objectives: We evaluated whether a valgus knee brace and an insole with subtalar strapping could reduce pain and improve functional scores over 12 months in patients with medial knee osteoarthritis (OA). Methods: OA was confirmed by radiography in all patients, who were divided into three groups: exercise (n = 44), insole (n = 55), and brace (n = 19). Clinical knee functions and gait analyses were evaluated. Results: After 12 months, the clinical results for all groups had improved compared to pretreatment findings. Although the knee varus moment decreased and the gait speed increased when the insole was worn initially, the effects of the insole decreased at 6 and 12 months. In contrast, the knee varus moment decreased and the gait speed increased when the brace was initially fitted. The effects of the brace were maintained during the 12 months. Conclusions: The insole was effective for patients with Kellgren-Lawrence Grades II and III, and the knee brace was effective for patients with Grades III and IV conditions. Furthermore, the knee brace was more effective when worn for more than 6 months, while the effects of the insoles were not continuous.
文摘Objectives. The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of orthopaedic soles on the body posture. Methods. Forty-eight runners (21 men and 28 women) maintained a standing-up position on both feet with bare feet with neutral soles and orthopedic soles which contained bilaterally a podiatrist element of 3 mm height behind the metatarsal heads (Metatarsal Retro Capital Bar, MRCB). Stabilometric, plantar pressure and kinematic data in the sagittal plane on both sides were measured at 40 and 60 Hz, respectively. The position of the center of pressure on the anteroposterior axis (YCoP), the forefoot plantar pressure (FPP) and the anteroposterior position of the knee (Yk), the hip (YH), the shoulder (YS) and the ears (YE) with respect to the vertical axis passing through the joint of the ankle were determined for each experimental condition. Findings. The addition of a MRCB orthopedic element induced in backward displacement of CoP, hip, shoulder and ears (p CoP and FPP changes were significantly correlated with YH, YS and YE changes (p Conclusion. These results suggest that the addition of an orthopedic element located behind the metatarsal heads influences the overall position of the body and can help podiatrist in the care of their patients.
文摘The main objective of this work is to develop a technological solution to support active aging of frail older individuals. In this perspective, we designed a connected insole in order to encourage frail elderly persons to become more active in their daily life. The project presented in this paper, funded by the French National Research Agency, aims to design and evaluate an original solution to follow and encourage walking activity. The evaluation is performed in two stages: adjusting tests in a living-lab with nine healthy elderly, then clinical evaluation of three frail patients followed over one month. We designed a noninvasive wireless insole, which automatically measures gait parameters and transmits information to a remote terminal via a secure Internet connection. The first laboratory tests of this technological solution showed good reliability measurements as well as good user acceptability. The average distance error obtained on volunteers is 3.2% and the accuracy of the average walking speed is 96.8% thanks to design of a calibration system based on a personalized stride length measurement. Finally, the introduction of an induction charging instead of a button cell makes the system perfectly autonomous. In this paper, we present the specifications of the solution, the design of the connected insole, the methods used to measure desired parameters, the results of the living-lab tests, and the work in progress.
文摘An insole design with variable stiffness properties could be an effective conservative treatment option for knee osteoarthritis (OA). However, limited to the experimental conditions, stress distribution inside the cartilage of a knee joint is often difficult to be obtained. In this study, a finite element (FE)- based computational model of the human knee-foot-ankle complex is presented to investigate the redistribution of the internal stress of the knee joint using a variable stiffness insole. Based on relationship between the insole parameters and the resulting tissue stress data, additive manufacture technology (AM) could be a fast deliver of an optimal insole that meets patient characteristics. Insoles of four different material combinations were designed. Von-Mises stress declined significantly at the meniscus when the ratio of the lateral and medial stiffness of the insole changes. It suggests that the intervention of variable stiffness insole contributes to the rehabilitation of medial knee osteoarthritis (OA) and provide the guidance for the design of therapeutic insole.
基金National Natural Science Foundation of China,Grant/Award Numbers:52172265,5230130435Scientific research project of Hunan Provincial Department of Education,Grant/Award Number:21B0009+2 种基金Hunan Excellent Youth Science Foundation,Grant/Award Number:2022JJ20067State Key Laboratory of Powder Metallurgy,Central South University,Changsha,Chinathe Hong Kong Polytechnic University,Grant/Award Number:1-W34B。
文摘Our feet are often subjected to moist and warm environments,which can promote the growth of harmful bacteria and the development of severe infection in wounds located in the foot.As a result,there is a need for new and innovative strategies to safely sterilize feet,when shoes are worn,to prevent any potential foot-related diseases.In this paper,we have produced a non-destructive,biocompatible and convenient-to-use insole by embedding a BaTiO_(3)(BT)ferroel ectric material into a conventional polydimethylsilane(PDMS)insole material to exploit a ferroelectric catalytic effect to promote the antibacterial and healing of infected wounds via the ferroelectric charges generated during walking.The formation of reactive oxygen species generated through a ferroelectric catalytic effect in the PDMS-BT composite is shown to increase the oxidative stress on bacteria and decrease both the activity of bacteria and the rate of formation of bacterial biofilms.In addition,the ferroelectric field generated by the PDMS-BT insole can enhance the level of transforming growth factor-beta and CD31 by influencing the endogenous electric field of a wound,thereby promoting the proliferation,differentiation of fibroblasts and angiogenesis.This work therefore provides a new route for antimicrobial and tissue reconstruction by integrating a ferroelectric biomaterial into a shoe insole,with significant potential for health-related applications.
文摘Purpose Insoles with various wedges have effects on the biomechanical aspects of human movement.The aim of the present study was to investigate the immediate effects of 9 insoles while running on the myoelectric activity of selected trunk mus-cles.The conditions were no wedge,posterior,anterior,medial,lateral,posterior-medial,posterior-lateral,anterior-medial,and anterior-lateral.Muscles included were rectus abdominis,external oblique,internal oblique,latissimus dorsi,thoracic erector spinae,lumbar erector spinae,multifidus,and quadratus lumborum during running.Methods Twenty-five(n=25)able-bodied males participated in this quasi-experimental study.Repeated measures analysis of variance test was used to compare dependent variables among various insole wedges.Results Significant differences(P=0.001)in normalized mean amplitude index between the following wedge conditions were measured while running:posterior-lateral/medial(5.67±1.01 vs.4.73±1.09)and posterior-lateral/anterior-medial(5.67±1.01 vs.4.52±1.20)for the internal oblique muscle along with posterior-lateral/anterior(11.44±2.42 vs.9.26±2.35)for the lumbar erector spinae muscle.Similarly,normalized peak amplitude index differences in the medial/anterior-lateral(9.79±3.3321 vs.12.03±3.16)and lateral/anterior-medial(11.6±2.56 vs.9.25±2.38)for the internal oblique muscle and posterior-lateral/anterior-medial(9.58±2.26 vs.8.78±2.15)for the quadratus lumborum muscle were measured.In con-trast,no significant difference was observed for the median frequency index among various insole wedges during running(P>0.0014).Conclusion Decreased activity in the medial wedged conditions may have important negative consequences for the spine,pelvis,and dynamic core.These results provide insights into the effect of various orthotic designs on the EMG activity of central core muscles.Higher activation in an anterior-lateral wedge and lower activation in a medial wedge for core muscles can have clinical relevance,where there is a need to increase,or avoid decrease,core muscle activity.
基金Startup Funding from Local Government,Grant/Award Number:827/000544National Natural Science Foundation of China,Grant/Award Number:51973119+4 种基金Program of the China Postdoctoral Science Foundation,Grant/Award Number:2022M712160Program of the National Natural Science Foundation of China,Grant/Award Number:52150009Open Project of Key Lab of Special Functional Materials of Ministry of Education,Henan University,Grant/Award Number:KFKT-2022-10High-Level University Construction Fund,Grant/Award Number:860-000002081205Natural Science Foundation of Guangdong Province,Grant/Award Number:2019A1515011566。
文摘Accurate plantar pressure mapping systems with low dependence on the external power supply are highly desired for preventative healthcare and medical diagnosis.Herein,we propose a self-powered smart insole system that can perform both static and dynamic plantar pressure mapping with high accuracy.The smart insole system integrates an insole-shaped sensing unit,a multi-channel data acquisition board,and a data storage module.The smart insole consists of a 44-pixel sensor array based on triboelectric nanogenerators(TENGs)to transduce pressure to the electrical signal.By optimizing the sensor architecture and the system's robustness,the smart insole achieves high sensitivity,good error-tolerance capability,excellent durability,and short response–recovery time.Various gait and mobility patterns,such as standing,introversion/extraversion,throwing,and surpassing obstacles,can be distin-guished by analyzing the acquired electrical signals.This work paves the way for self-powered wearable devices for gait monitoring,which might enable a new modality of medical diagnosis.
基金the Class IV Peak Discipline Project of Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine—“3D Snowball”Project(No.Ggxq03)。
文摘Flatfoot is defined as the flattening of the medial arch of the foot,and it is classified into flexible flatfoot and rigid flatfoot based on whether the flattening of the medial arch of the foot can be reset when standing on toes.The insole is the most basic and common treatment,which is relatively cheaper and easier to adopt.Three-dimensional(3D)printing,an emerging technology characterized by high machining accuracy and use of various materials,can be utilised in personalised insoles,which have good application prospects.Further research on the clinical effects of 3D-printed insoles is still needed.In this study,64 cases of 3D-printed insoles were clinically observed.The results showed that 3D-printed insoles had statistically positive effects in treating flatfoot(P=0.00017),and with adjustment and adaptation,their comfort and clinical effect can be improved.This study provides an empirical reference for further large-scale clinical control research.
基金This research is supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China Grant(Nos.51705429&61801525)the Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities,Guangdong Natural Science Funds Grant(2018A030313400)+1 种基金Space Science and Technology Foundation,111 Project No.B13044UK Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council(EPSRC)for support under grant EP/P018998/1,Newton Mobility Grant(IE161019)through Royal Society.
文摘Flexible,compact,lightweight and sustainable power sources are indispensable for modern wearable and personal electronics and small-unmanned aerial vehicles(UAVs).Hierarchical honeycomb has the unique merits of compact mesostructures,excellent energy absorption properties and considerable weight to strength ratios.Herein,a honeycomb-inspired triboelectric nanogenerator(h-TENG)is proposed for biomechanical and UAV morphing wing energy harvesting based on contact triboelectrification wavy surface of cellular honeycomb structure.The wavy surface comprises a multilayered thin film structure(combining polyethylene terephthalate,silver nanowires and fluorinated ethylene propylene)fabricated through high-temperature thermoplastic molding and wafer-level bonding process.With superior synchronization of large amounts of energy generation units with honeycomb cells,the manufactured h-TENG prototype produces the maximum instantaneous open-circuit voltage,short-circuit current and output power of 1207 V,68.5μA and 12.4 mW,respectively,corresponding to a remarkable peak power density of 0.275 mW cm^(−3)(or 2.48 mW g^(−1))under hand pressing excitations.Attributed to the excellent elastic property of self-rebounding honeycomb structure,the flexible and transparent h-TENG can be easily pressed,bent and integrated into shoes for real-time insole plantar pressure mapping.The lightweight and compact h-TENG is further installed into a morphing wing of small UAVs for efficiently converting the flapping energy of ailerons into electricity for the first time.This research demonstrates this new conceptualizing single h-TENG device’s versatility and viability for broad-range real-world application scenarios.
文摘Fall has become the second leading cause of unintentional injury, death, after road traffic injuries, for the elderly in Europe. This proportion will increase in the next decades and become more than ever a real public health issue. France was selected by the World Health Organization to be the first country to implement a program that reduces the coverage of the dependence. Commercial automatic fall detection devices can help seniors get back on their feet faster by reducing the time of emergency procedure. Many seniors do not take advantage of this potentially life-saving technology mainly because of intrusiveness constraints. After having reminded the context and the challenges of fall detection systems, this paper presents an original device which is unobtrusive, comfortable and very effective. The hardware architecture embedded into the sole and a new fall detection algorithm based on acceleration and time thresholds are presented. The algorithm introduces a new concept of differential acceleration to eliminate some drawbacks of current systems. Tests were carried out under real life conditions by 6 young participants for different ADLs. The data were analyzed blindly. We compared the detected falls and found a 100% sensibility and more than 93% sensitivity for all participants and scenarios.
基金the DAAD,Germany,Council of Scientific and Industrial Research,Indiathe the Department of Science and Technology, India forproviding financial support
文摘Paired stable oxygen isotope and Mg/Ca analyses in calcite tests of the mixed-layer-dwelling planktic foraminifer Globigerinoides ruber has been used to reconstruct equatorial Indian Oceanδ18O of seawater （δ 18Osw ） over the last ~137 thousand years. On the basis of ice-volume-correctedδ18Osw （δ18Osw-ivc ）, relative changes in sea surface salinity （SSS） have been estimated. The SSS estimates suggest three episodes of higher SSS （131-113 thousand years before present （kyr BP）, 62-58 kyr BP, and 30-24 kyr BP） within the last glacial period as compared with the present. SSS comparison between interglacial episodes reveals that the surface seawater over the core site was significantly saltier during the penultimate interglacial than the Holocene. We suggest that the evolution of a seasonal insolation gradient between the Indian monsoon areas and the equator over the investigated time interval was instrumental in shaping the strength of the Indian winter and summer monsoons that left their imprints on the equatorial Indian Ocean SSS via freshwater input and wind-induced mixing. The study shows that the insolation difference between northern latitudes and the equator during winter affects monsoon strength in the Indian region, especially during cold intervals.
文摘During a research cruise over the Pacific Ocean in 1989, solar irradiance was measured with a broad-band pyranometer along the cruise track. Cloud cover was photographed with an all-sky time-lapse came ra. Cloud types were observed and recorded. The data show that both the types and the amounts of clouds affect radiation fluxes on the sea surface. For low-level and middle-level clouds, the correlations (r) between measured irradiance (in Percent of calculated maximum irradiance) and cloud amount (in fraction of sky) were significant: r=-0. 79 and - 0. 66, respectively. For high-level clouds, the correlation was not significant: r=-0. 21. The results indicate that cloud shortwave forcing is a major modifier of the earth's surface insolation and change of cloud amount may affect global climate.
文摘The paper identifies and analyzes the geographical and temporal variability of solar energy in Kuwait. The fundamental solar trigonometric model has been modified to estimate daily and hourly solar radiation on horizontal surfaces on the basis of the more readily available meteorological data. The results demonstrate that Kuwait has an abundance of solar energy capability. An overview of the production and consumption of electrical energy, installed capacity, and peak loads in Kuwait is also presented. Finally, it is shown how the power produced from the photovoitaic （PV） cells depends on the solar radiation. The proposed PV module is made up of a combination of series and parallel cells to increase power, while the IoV characteristic and output power of the module each month may be obtained from the model.
文摘From 1950 to 1987 a strong relationship existed between the El Nino-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) and HadCRUT4 global average temperature anomaly, interrupted occasionally by volcanic erup-tions. After 1987 the relationship diverged, with temperature anomaly increasing more than ex-pected, but was re-established after 1997 at an offset of ~0.48°C higher. The period of increased warming from 1987 to 1997 loosely coincided with the divergence of the global average tempera-ture anomalies over land, which are derived from observation station recordings, and the global average anomalies in sea surface temperatures. Land-based temperatures averaged 0.04°C below sea temperatures for the period 1950 to 1987 but after 1997 averaged 0.41°C above sea tempera-tures. The increase in the global average temperature anomaly and the divergence of land and sea surface temperatures also coincided with two significant changes in global average cloud cover. Total cloud cover decreased during the period from 1987 to 1997 and, for most of the remainder of the period from 1984 to 2009, decreases in low-level cloud were accompanied by increases in middle and upper level cloud. These changes can be found in both global average cloud cover and in each of the six 30°C-latitude bands. The impact of these changes in cloud cover can account for the variations in HadCRUT4 global average temperature anomalies and the divergence between land and sea temperatures.
文摘Recently, there is a movement that aims to realize a distributed energy system in Japan. The PV （photovoltaic） generation is especially expected, and it is anticipated that interconnection number of PVs will increase more and more ha the future. However, an amount of insolation is easily affected by the weather, the output of PV and the supply of electricity becomes unstable. And it causes various problems in a distribution system. Therefore, it is important to forecast the amount of insolation. In previous study, MLPNN （multilayer perceptron neural network） is a general method to forecast the amount of insolation. However, it is in danger of falling into a local solution by only MLPNN. In this study, the authors propose a forecasting method of amount of insolation using MLPNN and EPSO （evolutionary particle swarm optimization）. The authors use EPSO in addition to MLPNN to solve the problem. The authors also propose a forecasting method of amount of insolation using other regions weather data for the accuracy improvement.
文摘The astronomical theory of climate change is based on the solution of differential equations describing Earth’s orbital and rotational motions. The equations are used to calculate the change in insolation over the Earth’s surface. As a result of the author’s solution of the orbital problem, the periods and amplitudes of Earth-orbit variations and their evolution have been refined. Unlike previous studies, the equations of Earth’s rotational motion are solved completely. The Earth’s rotational axis precesses relative to a direction different from the direction of the orbit’s axial precession, and oscillates with periods of half a month, half a year and 18.6 years. Also, its oscillations occur with irregular periods of several tens of thousands of years and more. All these motions lead to oscillations of the obliquity in the range of 14.7° to 32.1°, which prove to be 7 - 8 times larger than obtained by a previous theory. In the same proportion, the Earth’s insolation oscillations increase in amplitude, with insolation extremes occurring in other epochs than those in the previous theory. The amplitudes and the onset times of the extremes correlate with known paleoclimate changes. Thirteen insolation periods of paleoclimate variation over an interval of 200 thousand years are identified. From the insolation evolution calculated over a time interval of 1 million years, 6 climate gradations from very cold to very warm are identified.
文摘Building envelope is a fence that controls heat exchange between interior and exterior and plays an essential role in providing thermal comfort conditions of residents. In recent years, due to the necessity of conserving energy and also preventing increased environmental pollution, the importance of sustainable construction has been doubled. Checking the problems of thermal behavior of the building envelope materials, and what influences in the heating and cooling loads exerted and energy consumption of buildings, are the questions that this research seeks to answer. In this regard, building information modelling analysis (BIM) has worthy contribution in the completion process of sustainable design;thus using software Design Builder, it is paid attention to simulation of the thermal behavior of two types of defined materials for the building envelope that was designed as a Research Institute of Renewable Energy of Yazd University. For Type 1 materials, two layers of brick have been selected, and for Type 2 a thermal insulation layer also added it. Results of the analysis showed that the use of materials Type 2 in the cooling load %4.8 and in the thermal load %62.5 reduction can be achieved which means reducing the load on active system and thus reducing the initial cost of building. Also reduction in annual energy consumption by almost %2.4 for cooling and %62.9 for heating buildings have been achieved, which makes saving non-renewable energy consumption, and consequently reducing environmental pollution as well as reducing current costs will be established.
基金supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China(Grant Nos.42171160 and 42172205).
文摘In the north-eastern Qinghai-Tibet Plateau(QTP),the source area of the Yellow River(SAYR)has been experiencing significant changes in climatic and environmental conditions in recent decades.To date,few studies have combined modern hydrological conditions with paleoclimate records to explore the mechanism(s)of these changes.This study seeks to improve understanding of hydrological variability on decadal and centennial timescales in the SAYR and to identify its general cause.We first determined annual fluctuations in the surface area of Lake Ngoring from 1985 to 2020 using multi-temporal Landsat images.The results show that lake surface area changes were generally consistent with variations in precipitation,streamflow and the regional dry-wet index in the SAYR,suggesting that the water balance of the Lake Ngoring area is closely associated with regional hydroclimate changes.These records are also comparable to the stalagmite δ^(18)O monsoon record,as well fluctuations in the Southern Oscillation Index(SOI).Moreover,an association of high TSI(total solar insolation)anomalies and sunspot numbers with the expansion of Lake Ngoring surface area is observed,implying that solar activity is the key driving factor for hydrologic variability in the SAYR on a decadal timescale.Following this line of reasoning,we compared the δ^(13)C org-based lake level fluctuations of Lake Ngoring for the last millennium,as previously reported,with the hydroclimatic history and the reconstructed TSI record.We conclude that the hydrological regime of Lake Ngoring has been mainly controlled by centennial fluctuations in precipitation for the last millennium,which is also dominated by solar activity.In general,it appears that solar activity has exerted a dominant influence on the hydrological regime of the SAYR on both decadal and centennial timescales,which is clearly manifested in the variations of lake area and water level of Lake Ngoring.
基金the Research Grants Council of Hong Kong for funding this study under grant GRF 613607,the Sino Software Research Institute for funding the software development and the reviewers to help improve the paper
文摘Footwear have been evaluated mostly using commercially available products, while some researchers have used custom shoes. Hence, the understanding of the effects of various parameters of a shoe is quite limited. The footbed simulator invented in recent years allows a range of parameters to be studied in quiet standing. It can be used to evaluate perceived feel and center of pressure changes to changes in heel height, seat length, material, wedge angle and toe spring. This paper is meant to show the value of the footbed simulator in terms of research and the actual production of shoes. A study performed with two heel heights, three combinations of seat length and material and three wedge angles showed that the perceived feel is closely related to the center of pressure. The results also show the optimum footbed has a significantly different perceived feel. Thus, the footbed simulator is an ideal way to generate custom footwear designs.
