1,721,081 research outputs found
Invariant aspects of human locomotion in different gravitational environments
No full textPrevious literature showed that walking gait follows the same mechanical paradigm, i.e. the straight/inverted pendulum, regardless the body size, the number of legs, and the amount of gravity acceleration. The Froude number, a dimensionless parameter originally designed to normalize the same (pendulum-like) motion in differently sized subjects, proved to be useful also in the comparison, within the same subject, of walking in heterogravity. In this paper the theory of dynamic similarity is tested by comparing the predictive power of the Froude number in terms of walking speed to previously published data on walking in hypogravity simulators. It is concluded that the Froude number is a good first predictor of the optimal walking speed and of the transition speed between walking and running in different gravitational conditions. According to the Froude number a dynamically similar walking speed on another planet can be calculated as νPLANET = νEARTH√gPLANET/gEARTH where νEARTH is the reference speed on Earth
On the mechanical power of joint extensions as affected by the change in muscle force (or cross-sectional area), ceteris paribus
No full textThis paper offers a reference prediction for the changes of mechanical power generated during a maximal (vertical, horizontal or inclined) joint extension, as a consequence of just the changes of muscle force or cross-sectional area (CSA). Ceteris paribus (all other things being equal), for a given joint, the exponents at which the force changes have to be raised to predict the duration, final speed and power of the maximal extension are -0.5, 0.5, and 1.5, respectively, for horizontal movements. For example, a force decrease of 30% leads to an increase of 19.5% of the duration of the extension and to a decrease of 16.3% and of 41.4% of its final speed and power. The equations for vertical or inclined extension performances are subject to the same exponents. However, the actual prediction is dependent upon the ratio between muscle strength and body weight, reflecting the fraction of the muscle strength (or CSA) acting against gravity during the manoeuvre. For instance, during a vertical extension, a force decrease of 30% leads to an increase of 30.9% of the duration of the extension and to a decrease of 29.3% and of 50.5% of its final speed and power. Based on the proposed model, a methodology is also described to detect the effects on the extension power of other determinants, in addition to CSA, of the useful force change (e.g. neuromuscular factors, motor control)
The transmission efficiency of backward walking at different gradients
No full textThe specialized design of the bipedal system towards forward locomotion has been assessed by measuring the metabolic cost and the mechanical work of both forward and backward walking on a treadmill at seven gradients from 0 to +32%. With respect to forward locomotion, backward walking implies: (1) a higher metabolic cost particularly at level gradient, while at steeper inclines the difference decreases, (2) the same mechanical internal work despite an increased stride frequency, (3) higher mechanical external work within a gradient range from 0 to +15%, (4) lower "energy recovery", i.e. the ability to save mechanical energy by moving as an inverted pendulum, mainly in level walking, and (5) as a consequence of the above results, a decrease of the efficiency of locomotion particularly at the 0% gradient. The transmission efficiency of backward walking, relative to the forward progression, was found to be about 65% in level locomotion, while at higher gradients it increased to and was maintained at a value of about 93%. The poorer economy of level backward walking could also be explained by an impaired elastic contribution in the last part of the double contact phase, while the similarity of the two gaits on higher gradients is caused by disruption of the pendulum-like paradigm due to the trajectory geometry of the body's centre of mass progressively losing its downward portion
The Nuances of a Myth. On Henze’s Interest in the Figure of Orpheus
No full textHans Werner Henze’s copious output offers a fertile ground to investigate encrypted queer meanings. Although Henze spoke openly about the relationship between his homosexuality and his work during an interview in 1991, the musicological literature devoted to gender and sexuality issues in his output has developed only over the past decade. There are therefore plenty of opportunities for further research in this area. Two works separated in time by 27 years, namely the opera «Boulevard Solitude» (1952) and the ballet «Orpheus» (1979), lend themselves particularly well to investigating Henze’s purpose in encrypting the theme of homosexuality. The aim of this paper is to show the connection between the homosexual themes of the Orpheus myth and several dramaturgical elements of the two works. The analysis shows that investigating Henze’s output through a queer lens can bring to light dramaturgical aspects that open new perspectives on his music
Going Beyond Counting First Authors in Author Co-citation Analysis
Full text linkThe present study examines one of the fundamental aspects of author co-citation analysis (ACA) - the way co-citation
counts are defined. Co-citation counting provides the data on which all subsequent statistical analyses and mappings
are based, and we compare ACA results based on two different types of co-citation counting - the traditional type that
only counts the first one among a cited work's authors on the one hand and a non-traditional type that takes into
account the first 5 authors of a cited work on the other hand. Results indicate that the picture produced through this non-traditional author co-citation counting contains more coherent author groups and is therefore considerably clearer. However, this picture represents fewer specialties in the research field being studied than that produced through the traditional first-author co-citation counting when the same number of top-ranked authors is selected and analyzed. Reasons for these effects are discussed
Variations on the Author
Full text link“Variations on the Author” discusses two of Eduardo Coutinho’s recent films (Um Dia na Vida, from 2010, and Últimas Conversas, posthumously released in 2015) and their contribution to the general question of documentary authorship. The director’s filmography is characterized by a consistent yet self-effacing form of authorial self-inscription: Coutinho often features as an interviewer that rather than express opinions propels discourses; an interviewer that is good at listening. This mode of self-inscription characterizes him as an author who is not expressive but who is nonetheless markedly present on the screen. In Um Dia na Vida, however, Coutinho is completely absent form the image, while Últimas Conversas, on the contrary, includes a confessional prologue that moves the director from the margins to the center of his films. This article examines the ways in which these works stand out in the filmography of a director who offers new insights into the notion of cinematic authorship
The optimum finger spacing in human swimming
No full textCompetitive swimmers spread fingers during the propulsive stroke. Due to the inherent inefficiency of human swimming, the question is: does this strategy enhance performance or is it just a more comfortable hand posture? Here we show, through computational fluid dynamics (CFD) of a 3D model of the hand, that an optimal finger spacing (12°, roughly corresponding to the resting hand posture) increases the drag coefficient (+8.8%), which is 'functionally equivalent' to a greater hand palm area, thus a lower stroke frequency can produce the same thrust, with benefits to muscle, hydraulic and propulsive efficiencies. CFD, through flow visualization, provides an explanation for the increased drag associated with the optimum finger spacing
Interplay among the changes of muscle strength, cross-sectional area and maximal explosive power: theory and facts
No full textA model has recently been proposed to predict the changes of mechanical power (Ẇ) during a maximal explosive effort (such as a standing high jump off both feet) following an adaptation (e.g. training/de-training). The model is based on the assumption that, all other things being equal (ceteris paribus), the predicted changes in Ẇ depend on the measured changes of muscle force (F) or cross-sectional area (CSA) only. It follows that, if the measured changes in Ẇ are not equal to those predicted by the model, factors other than a change in F (or CSA) must be responsible for this difference. The model does not allow the determination of factors specifically involved in the adaptation process but it helps in discriminating whether an adaptation has taken place at a local level (when the observed changes in F would be attributed to factors other than the observed changes in CSA, e.g. co-contractions, fibre type modifications...), or at a central level (when the observed changes in Ẇ would be attributed to other factors than the observed changes in F, e.g. co-ordination of multiple joints and muscle groups...), or in both regions. In this paper the model has been applied to data reported in the literature on disuse (BR, bed rest), de-conditioning (SF, space flight), strength training (ST) and de-training (DT). The results of these calculations have confirmed previous observations on the determinants of the adaptation process and further suggest: (1) that training for one specific motor task (e.g. ST) could affect the performance of a second task (e.g. a maximal explosive jump) but that, as soon as the trained motor task is terminated (DT), this ability is re-gained; and (2) that neuromuscular impairment in disuse (BR) is closer to de-training than to the de-conditioning brought about by weightlessness (SF)
- …
