scholarly journals Lower Limb Kinematics in Individuals with Hip Osteoarthritis during Gait: A Focus on Adaptative Strategies and Interlimb Symmetry

2021 ◽  
Vol 8 (4) ◽  
pp. 47
Author(s):  
Micaela Porta ◽  
Massimiliano Pau ◽  
Bruno Leban ◽  
Michela Deidda ◽  
Marco Sorrentino ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Lower Limb ◽  
Functional Limitations ◽  
Hip Osteoarthritis ◽  
Movement Analysis ◽  
Human Movement ◽  
Point Of View ◽  
Negative Effects ◽  
Gait Patterns ◽  
Limb Kinematics

Among the functional limitations associated with hip osteoarthritis (OA), the alteration of gait capabilities represents one of the most invalidating as it may seriously compromise the quality of life of the affected individual. The use of quantitative techniques for human movement analysis has been found valuable in providing accurate and objective measures of kinematics and kinetics of gait in individuals with hip OA, but few studies have reported in-depth analyses of lower limb joint kinematics during gait and, in particular, there is a scarcity of data on interlimb symmetry. Such aspects were investigated in the present study which tested 11 individuals with hip OA (mean age 68.3 years) and 11 healthy controls age- and sex-matched, using 3D computerized gait analysis to perform point-by-point comparisons of the joint angle trends of hip, knee, and ankle. Angle-angle diagrams (cyclograms) were also built to compute several parameters (i.e., cyclogram area and orientation and Trend Symmetry) from which to assess the degree of interlimb symmetry. The results show that individuals with hip OA exhibit peculiar gait patterns characterized by severe modifications of the physiologic trend at hip level even in the unaffected limb (especially during the stance phase), as well as minor (although significant) alterations at knee and ankle level. The symmetry analysis also revealed that the effect of the disease in terms of interlimb coordination is present at knee joint as well as hip, while the ankle joint appears relatively preserved from specific negative effects from this point of view. The availability of data on such kinematic adaptations may be useful in supporting the design of specific rehabilitative strategies during both preoperative and postoperative periods.

scholarly journals Suspension of Care for Patients With Spasticity During COVID-19 Pandemic: Ethical and Medico-Legal Point of View Starting From an Italian Study

2021 ◽  
Vol 8 ◽  
Author(s):  
Antonio De Donno ◽  
Adriano Acella ◽  
Carmelinda Angrisani ◽  
Giulia Gubinelli ◽  
Gianluca Musci ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Chronically Ill ◽  
Unintended Consequences ◽  
Point Of View ◽  
Negative Effects ◽  
Care Services ◽  
Perceived Quality Of Life ◽  
Critical Issues ◽  
Almost All ◽  
Provision Of Care

The COVID-19 pandemic has revolutionized the habits of entire communities, having even more profound negative effects on assistance for the chronically ill. The sudden demand for extraordinary resources caught all worldwide countries unprepared, highlighting shortages in provision of care services. This applies to all patients, affected by COVID-19 or not, as many need continuing access to chronic diseases treatments. Almost all of the energy available has been directed toward care of COVID-19 patients, and almost nothing has been done to continue therapy for patients with spasticity. This study builds on a recent article and discusses its results as a basis for highlighting the ethical dilemmas and unintended consequences of health systems changing their priorities during the pandemic. The above mentioned study has shown increased patient-perceived spasticity during lockdown (72.2%) with reductions in perceived quality of life (70.9%). Telemedicine tools have proved insufficient, with access by only 7.3% of these patients. Despite the health emergency, it cannot be denied that this situation is a violation of these patients' rights and dignity. The healthcare system will also have to bear increased costs in the future to recover the loss of previous therapies benefits, because of their interruption. The real challenge will be to exploit the critical issues emerged during the pandemic, and to resolve the measures needed to take the care to the patient, and not vice versa. This applies particularly to fragile patients, to respect their dignity and right to care.

scholarly journals ECOLOGICAL BENEFITS OF GREENING BUILDING ENVELOPES

2012 ◽  
Vol 2 (4) ◽  
Author(s):  
Dragan Gavrilovic ◽  
Marija Stamenković
Keyword(s):  
Green Roofs ◽  
Building Envelope ◽  
Point Of View ◽  
Negative Effects ◽  
Ecological Benefits ◽  
Building Envelopes ◽  
Adverse Impacts ◽  
Building Surfaces ◽  
Urban Heat

Extensive urban development brings many adverse impacts which are reflected in degradation of quality of life and health of residents. Some of these impacts are related to increasing impermeable surfaces in city centers, made of concrete, asphalt, glass, etc. From environmental point of view, negative effects of urbanization include increased temperature and the effect of urban heat island which affects global warming, air pollution, flood risks and reduction of space for plants and animals. One of the ways to mitigate these effects is greening building envelope. This paper deals with ecological benefits which can be achieved by covering the building surfaces with greenery. Comparative analyses of buildings covered with greenery and with conventional materials were done based on data from certain studies conducted abroad. The results shown in the paper indicate a significant improvement in the living conditions in green covered buildings, and confirm that integration of vegetation represents a sustainable approach for the envelope of new and existing buildings. Key words: green roofs, green facades, urban environment, ecological benefits, sustainable design.

scholarly journals Effects of Lower Limb Constraint Induced Movement Therapy in People With Stroke: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Auwal Abdullahi ◽  
Steven Truijen ◽  
Naima A. Umar ◽  
Ushotanefe Useh ◽  
Victor A. Egwuonwu ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Quality Of Life ◽  
Systematic Review ◽  
Oxygen Uptake ◽  
Lower Limb ◽  
Meta Analysis ◽  
Post Intervention ◽  
Constraint Induced Movement Therapy ◽  
Limb Kinematics ◽  
Lower Limb Kinematics

Background: Constraint induced movement therapy (CIMT) is effective at improving upper limb outcomes after stroke.Aim: The aim of this study was to carry out a systematic review and meta-analysis of the effects of lower limb CIMT studies of any design in people with stroke.Materials/ Method: PubMED, PEDro, OTSeeker, CENTRAL, and Web of Science were searched from their earliest dates to February 2021. Lower limbs CIMT studies that measured outcomes at baseline and post-intervention were selected. Sample size, mean, and standard deviation on the outcomes of interest and the protocols of both the experimental and control groups were extracted. McMaster Critical Review Form was used to assess the methodological quality of the studies.Result: Sixteen studies with different designs were included in this review. The result showed that lower limb CIMT improves functional, physiological and person's reported outcomes including motor function, balance, mobility, gait speed, oxygen uptake, exertion before and after commencement of activities, knee extensor spasticity, weight bearing, lower limb kinematics and quality of life in people with stroke post intervention. However, there were only significant differences in quality of life in favor of CIMT post-intervention [mean difference (MD) = 16.20, 95% CI = 3.30–29.10, p = 0.01]; and at follow-up [mean difference (MD) = 14.10, 95% CI = 2.07–26.13, p = 0.02] between CIMT and the control group. Even for the quality of life, there was significant heterogeneity in the studies post intervention (I2 = 84%, p = 0.01).Conclusion: Lower limb CIMT improves motor function, balance, functional mobility, gait speed, oxygen uptake, weigh bearing, lower limb kinematics, and quality of life. However, it is only superior to the control at improving quality of life after stroke based on the current literature.

scholarly journals A lean termelési rendszer munkásokra gyakorolt hatása (Effects of lean production on quality of working life from workers’ point of view)

2011 ◽  
pp. 53-63
Author(s):  
Dávid Losonci
Keyword(s):  
Operations Management ◽  
Negative Impact ◽  
Lean Production ◽  
Empirical Studies ◽  
Health And Safety ◽  
Point Of View ◽  
Negative Effects ◽  
Quality Of Working Life ◽  
Positive Effects

A lean termelési rendszer munkásokra gyakorolt hatásaival foglalkozó irodalomban nincsen egyetértés annak megítélésében, hogy a hatásokban a negatív vagy pozitív hatások dominálnak-e. A szerző tanulmánya ehhez a vitához a pszichológiai, egészségügyi, munkahelyi jellemzőkre és a dolgozói elégedettségre vonatkozó eredmények áttekintésével kapcsolódik. A munkások elégedettségének vizsgálata arra utal, hogy a lean termelési rendszer egyszerre növeli és csökkenti is az elégedettséget, így az összességében nem változik más termelési rendszerekhez képest. A lean termelés kritikusai azt hangsúlyozzák, hogy a többi tényező negatívan hat a munkásokra. Megállapításaik megalapozottsága a nagyon kevés empirikus munka miatt megkérdőjelezhető. Ugyanakkor a tevékenységmenedzsment kutatói érdemben nem tudják cáfolni a stressz, a sérülések és betegségek kockázatának növekedését és a munka intenzívebbé válását. A negatív hatások és a várt pozitív hatások hiányának kiemelése felveti, hogy a munkavállalók bevonásán alapuló lean termelési rendszer nehezen ültethető át a gyakorlatba, illetve hogy a lean termelés intenzifikáción alapuló modellje is elterjedt. _____________ This literature review contributes to the debate related to the effects of lean production on workers. The study reviews different dimensions of the debate and focuses on issues like worker’s satisfaction, psychological effects, health and safety aspects, and workplace characteristics. Findings of researches reviewed in this paper cannot confirm that from workers’ point of view lean production is better than other production initiatives. Lean production enhances and decreases worker’s satisfaction at the same time, altogether, the satisfaction of workers does not change significantly compared to other systems. The negative impact of the other factors (psychological etc.) on workers is usually emphasized in the critique of lean production. Although, the limited number of (empirical) studies doubts these critical voices. However, Operations Management can not reject negative effects like increasing level of stress, increased risks of health and safety problems or intensification of work. The emphasis of the negative effects and the lack of positive effects can refer to the difficult employment of lean involvement system, or simply reflect that the model of lean intensification system is widely spread.

scholarly journals Lower Limb Kinematics Using Inertial Sensors during Locomotion: Accuracy and Reproducibility of Joint Angle Calculations with Different Sensor-to-Segment Calibrations

Sensors ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 20 (3) ◽  
pp. 715 ◽  
Author(s):  
Julien Lebleu ◽  
Thierry Gosseye ◽  
Christine Detrembleur ◽  
Philippe Mahaudens ◽  
Olivier Cartiaux ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Lower Limb ◽  
Inertial Sensors ◽  
Sagittal Plane ◽  
Frontal Plane ◽  
Human Movement ◽  
Absolute Difference ◽  
Measurement Unit ◽  
Joint Angles ◽  
3D Tracking ◽  
Limb Kinematics

Inertial measurement unit (IMU) records of human movement can be converted into joint angles using a sensor-to-segment calibration, also called functional calibration. This study aims to compare the accuracy and reproducibility of four functional calibration procedures for the 3D tracking of the lower limb joint angles of young healthy individuals in gait. Three methods based on segment rotations and one on segment accelerations were used to compare IMU records with an optical system for their accuracy and reproducibility. The squat functional calibration movement, offering a low range of motion of the shank, provided the least accurate measurements. A comparable accuracy was obtained in other methods with a root mean square error below 3.6° and an absolute difference in amplitude below 3.4°. The reproducibility was excellent in the sagittal plane (intra-class correlation coefficient (ICC) > 0.91, standard error of measurement (SEM) < 1.1°), good to excellent in the transverse plane (ICC > 0.87, SEM < 1.1°), and good in the frontal plane (ICC > 0.63, SEM < 1.2°). The better accuracy for proximal joints in calibration movements using segment rotations was traded to distal joints in calibration movements using segment accelerations. These results encourage further applications of IMU systems in unconstrained rehabilitative contexts.

Can trust become a factor of economic growth? Dynamic changes in the level of trust of Russian youth

2020 ◽  
pp. 92-107 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. I. Bakhtigaraeva ◽  
A. A. Stavinskaya
Keyword(s):  
Institutional Environment ◽  
Negative Effects ◽  
Dynamic Changes ◽  
Generalized Trust ◽  
Level Of Education ◽  
Advantages And Disadvantages ◽  
The Future ◽  
Analysis Of Dynamics

The article considers the role of trust in the economy, the mechanisms of its accumulation and the possibility of using it as one of the growth factors in the future. The advantages and disadvantages of measuring the level of generalized trust using two alternative questions — about trusting people in general and trusting strangers — are analyzed. The results of the analysis of dynamics of the level of generalized trust among Russian youth, obtained within the study of the Institute for National Projects in 10 regions of Russia, are presented. It is shown that there are no significant changes in trust in people in general during the study at university. At the same time, the level of trust in strangers falls, which can negatively affect the level of trust in the country as a whole, and as a result have negative effects on the development of the economy in the future. Possible causes of the observed trends and the role of universities are discussed. Also the question about the connection between the level of education and generalized trust in countries with different quality of the institutional environment is raised.

COMBINATORIAL POLYNOMIALLY COMPUTABLE CHARACTERISTICS OF SUBSTITUTIONS AND THEIR PROPERTIES

2020 ◽  
Vol 7 (2) ◽  
pp. 34-41
Author(s):  
VLADIMIR NIKONOV ◽  
◽  
ANTON ZOBOV ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Mathematical Expectation ◽  
Point Of View ◽  
Small Range ◽  
Computational Point ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Bijective Function ◽  
The Difference ◽  
Element Base ◽  
Selection Of

The construction and selection of a suitable bijective function, that is, substitution, is now becoming an important applied task, particularly for building block encryption systems. Many articles have suggested using different approaches to determining the quality of substitution, but most of them are highly computationally complex. The solution of this problem will significantly expand the range of methods for constructing and analyzing scheme in information protection systems. The purpose of research is to find easily measurable characteristics of substitutions, allowing to evaluate their quality, and also measures of the proximity of a particular substitutions to a random one, or its distance from it. For this purpose, several characteristics were proposed in this work: difference and polynomial, and their mathematical expectation was found, as well as variance for the difference characteristic. This allows us to make a conclusion about its quality by comparing the result of calculating the characteristic for a particular substitution with the calculated mathematical expectation. From a computational point of view, the thesises of the article are of exceptional interest due to the simplicity of the algorithm for quantifying the quality of bijective function substitutions. By its nature, the operation of calculating the difference characteristic carries out a simple summation of integer terms in a fixed and small range. Such an operation, both in the modern and in the prospective element base, is embedded in the logic of a wide range of functional elements, especially when implementing computational actions in the optical range, or on other carriers related to the field of nanotechnology.

Physical capital stock, technological upgrading and modernisation in Hungary

2005 ◽  
Vol 55 (2) ◽  
pp. 201-221 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andrea Szalavetz
Keyword(s):  
Capital Accumulation ◽  
Physical Capital ◽  
Developed Countries ◽  
Point Of View ◽  
Technology Generation ◽  
Development Policies ◽  
Specific Factors ◽  
Physical Capital Accumulation

This paper discusses the relation between the quality and quantity indicators of physical capital and modernisation. While international academic literature emphasises the role of intangible factors enabling technology generation and absorption rather than that of physical capital accumulation, this paper argues that the quantity and quality of physical capital are important modernisation factors, particularly in the case of small, undercapitalised countries that recently integrated into the world economy. The paper shows that in Hungary, as opposed to developed countries, the technological upgrading of capital assets was not necessarily accompanied by the upgrading of human capital i.e. the thesis of capital skill complementarity did not apply to the first decade of transformation and capital accumulation in Hungary. Finally, the paper shows that there are large differences between the average technological levels of individual industries. The dualism of the Hungarian economy, which is also manifest in terms of differences in the size of individual industries' technological gaps, is a disadvantage from the point of view of competitiveness. The increasing differences in the size of the technological gaps can be explained not only with industry-specific factors, but also with the weakness of technology and regional development policies, as well as with institutional deficiencies.

Flouride and Nitrate Status of Some Ground Waters in Chittor District of Rajasthan State (India)

2018 ◽  
Vol 6 (9) ◽  
pp. 119
Author(s):  
Trapti Sharma ◽  
R. P. Nagar ◽  
R. C. Gaur ◽  
Pooja Gupta ◽  
Charanjit Kaur
Keyword(s):  
Point Of View ◽  
World Health ◽  
Indian Council ◽  
Standard Methods ◽  
Ground Waters ◽  
Drinking Waters ◽  
Health Organization ◽  
Research World ◽  
Drinking Purpose

In Rajasthan state the ground waters of some areas like Ramganj-mandi, Morak, Barmer, Jaisalmer, Chittor and Udaipur etc. are susceptible from drinking point of view.To test the quality of groundwater in Chittor district 14, ground water samples were collected from various places and analyzed for pH, E.C., Fluoride and Nitrate parameters by standard methods (A.P.H. A., Washington, USA, 1995). The study revealed that none of the ground waters was found suitable completely from drinking point of view. Some are having electrical conductivity > 1.4 dS/m, some are having pH >8.5, some area having fluoride >1.5 ppm and some are having nitrate>45 ppm. These are the limits of various parameters permitted by various International authorities like Bureau of Indian Standard, Indian Council of Medical Research,world health Organization etc. for drinking waters. So, it is recommended to the residents of above areas to use water for drinking purpose only after reverse osmosis or adopting suitable method of removing excess of Fluoride and Nitrate for drinking water to avoid unwanted pathogenic diseases harmful for human health.

A Futures Study on the Quality Of Life from the Point Of View of Iranian Youth

2017 ◽  
Vol 14 (2) ◽  
pp. 1
Author(s):  
Sina Saeedy ◽  
Mojtaba Amiri ◽  
Mohammad Mahdi Zolfagharzadeh ◽  
Mohammad Rahim Eyvazi
Keyword(s):  
Quality Of Life ◽  
Life Satisfaction ◽  
Mixed Model ◽  
Satisfaction With Life ◽  
Point Of View ◽  
Human Society ◽  
Futures Studies ◽  
The Social ◽  
The University

Quality of life and satisfaction with life as tightly interconnected concepts have become of much importance in the urbanism era. No doubt, it is one of the most important goals of every human society to enhance a citizen’s quality of life and to increase their satisfaction with life. However, there are many signs which demonstrate the low level of life satisfaction of Iranian citizens especially among the youth. Thus, considering the temporal concept of life satisfaction, this research aims to make a futures study in this field. Therefore, using a mixed model and employing research methods from futures studies, life satisfaction among the students of the University of Tehran were measured and their views on this subject investigated. Both quantitative and qualitative data were analysed together in order to test the hypotheses and to address the research questions on the youth discontentment with quality of life. Findings showed that the level of life satisfaction among students is relatively low and their image of the future is not positive and not optimistic. These views were elicited and discussed in the social, economic, political, environmental and technological perspectives. Keywords:  futures studies, quality of life, satisfaction with life, youth

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