Respective Contributions of Instrumented 3D Gait Analysis Data and Tibial Motor Nerve Block on Presurgical Spastic Equinus Foot Assessment: A Retrospective Study of 40 Adults.

Spastic equinus foot is a common deformity in neurologic patients who compromise walking ability. It is related to the imbalance between weak dorsiflexion and overactive plantar flexor muscles. To achieve the best functional results after surgical management, the challenge is to identify the relevant components involved in the deformity using several methods, namely, examination in the supine position, motor nerve blocks allowing transient anesthesia of suspected overactive muscles, and kinematic and electromyographic data collected during an instrumented 3D gait analysis.

Orientation-independent spectra for biaxial systems in polarized Raman microspectrometry.

From an extension of the scattering intensity expressions in polarized Raman macrospectrometry to the case of micro-Raman backscattering experiments, we have established theoretical expressions to calculate orientation-independent intensity sums. This approach makes use of the K2 Raman invariant and of correction coefficients due to integration of the Raman scattering over the cone of collection of the objective lens, and it may be applied to uniaxial as well as to biaxial symmetry systems. The intensity sums thus obtained are expected to be orientation insensitive and allow one to compare conformational changes in various biaxially oriented polymer samples, either amorphous and/or semicrystalline thin films.

Significant enhancement of the optical second harmonic generation in a poled azopolymer thin grating.

Nonlinear optical properties of an electrically poled surface relief grating inscribed on a thin film of azopolymer have been investigated. The linear and nonlinear optical far-field diffraction patterns of the grating are compared, and they show a clear angular separation of the fundamental (lambda = 1.064 mum) and second harmonic generated beams that are diffracted at different angles.

Vibrational circular dichroism in general anisotropic thin solid films: measurement and theoretical approach.

In this study, the measurement of the true vibrational circular dichroism (VCD) spectrum is considered from an experimental and theoretical approach for any general anisotropic thin solid sample exhibiting linear as well as circular birefringence (LB, CB) and dichroism (LD, CD) properties. For this purpose, we have made use of a simple model alpha-helix polypeptide, namely, the poly(gamma-benzyl-L-glutamate) or PBLG, reference sample possessing a well-known VCD spectrum and giving rise to slightly oriented films by deposition onto a solid substrate. Also, we have used a different Fourier transform infrared modulation of polarization (PM-FTIR) optical setup with two-channel electronic processing in order to record the PM-VLD and PM-VCD spectra for various sample orientations in its film plane.

Orientation distribution functions based upon both (P1), (P3) order parameters and upon the four (P1) up to (P4) values: application to an electrically poled nonlinear optical azopolymer film.

The most probable orientational distribution functions of rod-like polar molecules contained in a noncentrosymmetric uniaxial system are established using the first-rank and third-rank Legendre polynomials, (P1(cos theta)) and (P3(cos theta)) order parameters, and the maximum entropy method. Emphasis is put on the different domains of existence in the ((P1), (P3)) plane for the various shapes of the distributions: it is thus shown that, for any positive (P1(cos theta)) value and for decreasing (P3(cos theta)) values, the distribution function may exhibit either a distorted oblate form with an intense maximum at 0 degrees, or a three-leaved rose curve with maxima at 60 degrees, 180 degrees, and 300 degrees, and finally another markedly oblate shape with a strong maximum at 180 degrees. As an illustrative example, we have considered the azobenzene molecular orientations in an electrically poled p(DR1M) homopolymer thin film after a thermal process and several relaxation periods.