Static and Dynamic Plantar Pressure and Normalized Plantar Pressure Characteristics among Children, Adults, and the Elderly

Background: A better understanding of plantar pressure while standing and walking would help in improving balance and gait performance across different age ranges. Objective: To clarify the differences of plantar pressure while standing and walking among children, adults, and the elderly. Materials and Methods: Fifty-three participants including eleven aged 3 to 8 years, thirty aged 20 to 40 years, and twelve aged 60 to 90 years were included in the present study. Plantar pressure and related parameters while quiet standing and walking with self-selected speed were assessed. Results: In static plantar pressure, no significant differences were observed of mean different pressure and mean different contact area between dominant and non-dominant limbs among the three groups, while center of pressure (COP) displacement was shown as significantly greater between children and adults (p<0.05). For dynamic plantar pressure, no significant differences in COP velocity were found among the three groups. The elderly showed significant lower normalized maximum plantar pressure in areas of the second and third metatarsal, and internal heel compared with the young adults (p<0.05). Additionally, normalized maximum plantar pressures among children seemed to differ from adults. Conclusion: Plantar pressure characteristics could indicate that children develop gait ability in braking and propulsion phases with greater heel and toe function, while the ability of braking and propulsion declined with aging. These could reflect balance ability while standing or walking. Keywords: Foot pressure; Children; Elderly; Normalization

Experimental Investigation of Wind Pressure Characteristics for Cladding of Dome Roofs

Cladding for dome roofs is often made of membrane materials that are light and easy to install. Due to these characteristics, wind damage to dome roof cladding is very common. In particular, open or retractable dome roofs are prone to wind damage because of inadequacies in wind load calculations. In this study, the wind pressure characteristics of a dome with a central opening were investigated. Wind tunnel tests were performed, and the pressure distribution was investigated by analyzing external and internal pressure coefficients. Based on the experimental results, the peak net pressure coefficients for the cladding design of a dome roof with a central opening were proposed. For the external peak pressure coefficients, the values of leeward regions were similar despite height–span ratios and turbulence intensity values. For the internal peak pressure coefficients, negative pressure was dominant, and the coefficients were not significantly affected by changes in height–span ratio. This tendency locally increased the negative peak net pressure, in which the load acts in the upward direction, and relatively significantly increased the positive peak net pressure, in which the load acts in the downward direction.

Problematic Issues of a Signature Examination as a Small Volume Handwriting Object

The paper highlights the current state of the theory and practice of forensic handwriting analysis of signatures, main provisions and definitions. Topical issues of the study of signatures as a kind of small volume handwriting objects are considered. The problems of the study of a signature produced by using high-tech devices, i.e. plotters, or draft machines, are touched upon. The authors carry out an analysis of such objects taking into account the pressure characteristics of the signature, the differentiation of the original signature and its imitation. The problems of the study of signatures made with the help of copiers and the ways of their solution are considered. Some topical problems of the theory and practice of forensic handwriting examination are presented, the need to adapt the theoretical provisions of certain private methods to modern handwriting objects is indicated. In addition, the paper deals with the use of special knowledge of experts in the field of forensic handwriting studies and technical and forensic examination of documents.