Biomechanical effects of saddle height changes in leisure cycling with unilateral transtibial prostheses: A simulated study.

Cycling is a beneficial physical activity for rehabilitating individuals with lower-limb amputations and serves as a feasible leisure sport. However, the optimal bicycle configuration for cycling with a unilateral transtibial prosthesis at leisure levels has not been investigated. For saddle height at professional cycling levels, existing literature suggests utilizing the same configuration as that used by intact cyclists, where the knee reaches 25-35° at maximum extension.

Quantification of caffeine in coffee cans using electrochemical measurements, machine learning, and boron-doped diamond electrodes.

Electrochemical measurements, which exhibit high accuracy and sensitivity under low contamination, controlled electrolyte concentration, and pH conditions, have been used in determining various compounds. The electrochemical quantification capability decreases with an increase in the complexity of the measurement object. Therefore, solvent pretreatment and electrolyte addition are crucial in performing electrochemical measurements of specific compounds directly from beverages owing to the poor measurement quality caused by unspecified noise signals from foreign substances and unstable electrolyte concentrations.

Backward Walking Styles and Impact on Spatiotemporal Gait Characteristics.

Forward walking (FW) is a common balance assessment tool. However, its sensitivity is limited by the ceiling effect. Reverse gait, such as backward walking (BW), has been reported to have more advantages than FW for balance assessment.

Users' adaptations to the proportional speed control of a motorised walker.

Purpose: Speed control is commonly used to regulate the forces applied by motorised walkers (MW) and there are often situations where the speed targeted deviates from the preferred walking speed of its users, such as when encouraging higher walking speeds and due to safety consideration. This study investigates the effects of different MW's target speeds on the selected walking speeds, force applied, perceived exertion, and gait of MW users during steady-state walking.

Materials And Methods: The spatiotemporal gait parameters and perceived exertion of twenty young healthy participants were measured as they walked at a comfortable, self-selected speed using a MW as it was controlled to target forward speeds of 0.

The effect of horizontal forces from a Smart Walker on gait and perceived exertion.

Increasingly, electric motors are being incorporated into wheeled walkers to implement various smart features to better assist their users physically. These modified walkers, known as Smart Walkers, use their electric motors to generate horizontal forces that can be used to reduce the physical load for walking, prevent falls and provide navigation support. However, these forces can also alter gait and may inadvertently increase the exertion of the users.

Effects of mechanical assistance on muscle activity and motor performance during isometric elbow flexion.

Mechanical assistance on joint movement is generally beneficial; however, its effects on cooperative performance and muscle activity needs to be further explored. This study examined how motor performance and muscle activity are altered when mechanical assistance is provided during isometric force control of ramp-down and hold phases. Thirteen right-handed participants (age: 24.

Force and electromyography responses during isometric force release of different rates and step-down magnitudes.

This study investigated motor responses of force release during isometric elbow flexion by comparing effects of different ramp durations and step-down magnitudes. Twelve right-handed participants (age: 23.1 ± 1.

An overview of hand postures and aging on morphological changes of the median nerve.

Background: High-resolution ultrasound is being widely used in carpal tunnel examination to understand morphological and biomechanical characteristics of the median nerve and surrounding anatomy structures.

Main Body: Healthy young and elderly men were recruited. The median nerve at proximal wrist region was examined by ultrasound imaging technique.

Deformation of the median nerve at different finger postures and wrist angles.

Background: The objective of this study was to evaluate the changes of the median nerve cross-sectional area (MNCSA) and diameters of the median nerve at different finger postures and wrist angles.

Methods: Twenty-five healthy male participants were recruited in this study. The median nerve at wrist crease was examined at six finger postures, and repeated with the wrist in 30° flexion, neutral (0°), and 30° extension.