A Novel Elastic Force-Field to Influence Mediolateral Foot Placement During Walking.

Bipedal gait can be stabilized through mechanically-appropriate mediolateral foot placement, although this strategy is disrupted in a subset of neurologically injured individuals with balance deficits. The goal of the present work was to develop a device to influence mediolateral foot placement during treadmill walking. We created a novel force-field using a combination of passive elasticity and active control; wires in series with extension springs run parallel to the treadmill belts and can be rapidly repositioned to exert mediolateral forces on the legs of users.

Ontogenetic changes in citrate synthase and lactate dehydrogenase activity in the jumping muscle of the American locust (Schistocerca americana).

Intraspecific studies have repeatedly shown that muscle-specific oxidative enzyme activities scale negatively with body mass while muscle-specific glycolytic enzyme activities scale positively. However, most of these studies have not included juveniles. In this study, we examined how citrate synthase (CS, EC 2.