Thesis (M.S.)--Springfield College, 2004. / Includes bibliographical references. Also available online (PDF file) by a subscription to the set or by purchasing the individual file.

Thesis (Ph.D.)--University of Delaware, 2005 . / Principal faculty advisor: Irene S. Davis, Physical Therapy Department. Includes bibliographical references.

The aim of this study was to determine the combined effects of high-heeled shoes and load carriage on gait and posture adaptation. Furthermore, the adaptation of gait and posture to the combined two conditions was examined by a comparison of the measured parameters between experienced and novice groups. 30 participants underwent a quantitative measurement of temporospatial, kinematic, and kinetic parameters of hip, knee, and ankle on both loaded and unloaded limbs using 3D motion analysis. Double support time and stride length increased during high-heeled gait and the magnitude of alteration was greater with a load. Increased plantarflexion was main cause of raised heel. Ankle plantarflexor moment increased with high-heeled but decreased with load carriage. As a result, plantarflexor moment diminished, in addition knee extensor moment exaggerated further. Hip extensor moment increased with heel height but not with load weight, however, hip angle was affected only by the load.

The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of reverse shoes, partial dorsal hoof wall removal and polystyrene solar support on the biomechanics of the front hoof of the horse. Laminitis is a systemic syndrome that ultimately affects the sensitive lamellae and papilla of the hoof, causing severe pain, and often leading to disruption of the lamellae-hoof wall interface. Degeneration of the lamellar interdigitation occurs and the distal phalanx (P3) separates from the hoof wall. This can cause P3 to rotate towards the sole and, in more severe cases, P3 separates totally from the hoof wall and sinks downwards. Chronic laminitis usually results in the end of the animal’s athletic career and may lead to humane destruction During an in vitro study, three clinically healthy horses were euthanased and their dismembered forelimbs were used. A reverse shoe was applied and three polystyrene pads with a density of 32 kg/m3, thickness of 60mm and wedges of 66%, 50% and no wedging, respectively, were used in this study. Fuji Prescale Super and Ultra Super Low-Pressure film was used to indicate the pressure distribution of the polystyrene on the solar surface of the hoof. Two load cells were used to measure the load borne by the hoof wall and the solar area, respectively. A constantly increasing force with a maximum of 66% of the bodyweight of the horse was applied to the amputated limb by means of a tensile testing machine. A total of four experiments were done on each limb. The results of this investigation showed that for all three of the polystyrene paddings, approximately 75 - 80% of the total load applied was borne by the solar area. The colour changes on the pressure film showed that most of the load of the 50% and 66% wedged polystyrene was borne by the palmar half of the solar surface, and less pressure by the dorsal half. For no wedging, the pressure distribution over the solar surface was even. The reverse shoe with the 66% and the 50% wedged polystyrene pads was shown to be useful in distributing the pressure to the palmar area of the sole. During an in vivo study, the effect of different densities (32 kg/m3, 24 kg/m3 and 16 kg/m3) and different thicknesses (100mm and 60mm) of polystyrene padding, with a wedge of 50%, on the load distribution of the solar surface and the hoof wall was investigated. Compression of polystyrene over time and the effect thereof on the load distribution was determined. The front hooves of three clinically healthy horses with a mean bodyweight of 551 kg, were trimmed and shod with reverse shoes. Reference data was recorded with only the reverse shoes on the hooves. Further data recording was done for the different polystyrene pads. Data was recorded for 4 seconds with a frequency of 50Hz. Between the treatments, the horses walked for 5 minutes on a concrete surface. This procedure was repeated 5, 10 and 15 minutes after application of the pads. All the results of the solar pads used in the in vivo study showed a hyperbolic tendency in which the initial load was high and then diminished with time. Initially, treatments 5 (32 kg/m3 x 60 mm) and 3 (16 kg/m3 x 60mm) proved to be the better treatments, but after 15 minutes no significant different was found between the treatments. From the observations made during the experimental procedure, the 32 kg/m3 x 60mm (treatment 5) compressed to a more dense and rigid end-product than the 16 kg/m3 x 60mm (treatment 3). The compressed pad of treatment 3 was more elastic and may have contributed positively to reducing the compression of the pads on the blood vessels underneath P3. Observations made during the experimental procedures indicated that polystyrene with a thickness of 100mm, is not recommended. This polystyrene was very uncomfortable for the horse immediately after application. Some polystyrene compressed outside the solar surface and was therefore not adequate for the object of the study. It was concluded that polystyrene pads with densities of 32kg/m3, 24kg/m3 and 16kg/m3 and thicknesses of 100mm and 60mm would prove similar support for the remainder of the period that they were applied follow a variable compression phase of less than 15 minutes. Further research need to be done to investigate the effect of the polystyrene pad on the solar surface for a longer period. Copyright / Dissertation (MSc)--University of Pretoria, 2009. / Companion Animal Clinical Studies / unrestricted

En la actualidad, el network es considerada una herramienta, empleada por una gran variedad de empresas dentro del rubro de calzados, esto, con la finalidad de poder acceder a mercados internacionales; lo anterior, encuentra principalmente motivado en que la industria nacional ha sido sumamente afectada por productos de origen chino y, a su vez, con la adopción de nuevas tecnologías. Asimismo, es importante señalar que las exportaciones en el sector calzado han disminuido considerablemente a partir del año 2017, esto a pesar de ser el cuarto exportador a nivel latinoamericano; el motivo de esta disminución tan drástica puede encontrar razón en el grado de informalidad existente y la falta de innovación existentes en el mercado. Por otro lado, la innovación ha llevado a las empresas a emplear diversos tipos de estrategias para poder ingresar en el mercado destino, siendo la herramienta principal la anteriormente mencionada, el network. El documento tiene como finalidad analizar los factores influyentes para lograr optimizar el proceso de internacionalización de las empresas exportadoras pertenecientes al sector calzado, ubicadas en la ciudad de Lima, Perú. Entre los factores a analizar, encontramos a la reducción en costos, la facilidad de recopilar información y por último el medio difusor internacional. Con esa finalidad, se llevó a cabo el análisis de expertos mediante la herramienta “Atlas Ti.”, con la finalidad de medir la influencia y la relación de estas en la materia de una gran diversidad de países. / Currently, the network is selected as a tool, used by a wide variety of companies within the footwear sector, this, with the request of being able to access international markets; the above, mainly motivated in that the national industry has been extremely specific for products of Chinese origin and, in turn, with the adoption of new technologies. In the same way, it is important to point out that exports in the footwear sector have decreased determined as of the year 2017, this is a weight of being the fourth exporter in Latin America; The reason for this decrease is so dramatic that you can find the reason in the degree of informality and the lack of innovation in the market. On the other hand, innovation has led companies to use various types of strategies to enter the destination market, the main tool being the one mentioned above, the network. The purpose of this document is to analyze the influencing factors to achieve the internationalization process of the exporting companies belonging to Mr. Footwear, located in the city of Lima, Peru. Among the factors to be analyzed, we find the reduction in costs, the ease of gathering information and, finally, the international dissemination medium. To this end, expert analysis was carried out using the "Atlas" tool, in order to measure their influence and relationship in the matter of a great diversity of countries. / Tesis

For years track and field athletes have worn spiked shoes to enhance performance. This study was conducted to determine the effect of track spikes on hip, knee, and ankle peak joint moments (PJM) in collegiate and elite athletes while running. To measure differences in joint moments, ten intercollegiate and post graduate male distance runners from Brigham Young University ran at a four-minute-mile pace (6.7 m/s) across a force plate synched with infrared cameras tracking body positioning in each shoe condition. Repeated measures ANOVA (p < 0.05) revealed no significant peak joint differences between running shoes and track spikes. The minimum hip and peak knee PJM approached significance (F = 3.221, P = 0.116 and F = 2.875, P = 0.134 respectively). The high variability of joint moments between trials made it difficult to detect differences between conditions. The variability may be explained by any number of factors including: biomechanical differences in running form, running at high speeds, type of subjects, and potentially other factors.

The main objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of the changes in total nondurables expenditures, prices, and demographics on the U.S. aggregate demand for clothing categories and shoes. In particular, this study focused on identifying and parameterizing the effects of such changes. To this purpose, a demand system for two clothing categories, shoes, and other nondurable commodities for the U.S. was estimated using aggregate time-series data sets (1929-1994), and a second-stage budgeting model was developed and estimated. The basis for the demand model was the Almost Ideal Demand System model, which was modified to account for the demographic effects. Demographic variables included in the final model were age distribution of the U.S. population (median age and variance), proportion of non-White population in the total U.S. population, and labor force participation rate of U.S. women. The main data sources were documents published by the Bureau of the Census, Bureau of Labor Statistics, and Bureau of Economic Analysis in the U.S. Department of Commerce. The results indicate that the total nondurables expenditures is a significant variable in determining consumers' nondurables expenditure allocation on clothing categories and shoes. The estimated total expenditure elasticities suggest that the clothing categories and shoes are expenditure elastic, ranging from 1.1019 to 1.4944. Most own and cross prices appear to be significant variables in determining the consumer budget allocations for clothing categories and shoes. The median age and non-White population variables evidence as significant variables that affect the U.S. aggregate nondurables expenditure allocation on men’s and boys’ clothing and on shoes. Women’s labor force participation rate evidences as a significant variable that affects the U.S. aggregate nondurables expenditure allocation on women’s and children’s clothing. The estimated own-price elasticities of demand for clothing categories and shoes indicate that all the clothing categories and shoes are inelastic (i.e., -0.3908 to -0.9175). The estimated crossprice elasticities of clothing categories, shoes and other nondurable goods show substitution and complementary relationships between the categories. The demand elasticities with respect to the demographic variables were also estimated. / Ph. D.

This dissertation is composed of four different studies focused on using Human Factors Engineering (HFE) assessment tools traditionally used in industrial settings to evaluate personal protective equipment (PPE) footwear of basketball athletes and assessment of compressible soft robotic sensors to evaluate pressures. The first study developed a Basketball Shoe Taxonomy (BST) designed to categorize shoes using a combination of design factors and effects on performance. The second study investigated the influence of basketball shoe design on jumping performance. Using four jumping patterns, six male and ten female basketball National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I student-athletes completed 16 trials wearing two different Adidas basketball shoe designs. There was no significant difference in effect of shoe type on jumping performance (p > 0.05). The third study examined each athlete’s perception of comfort and quality of fit of the shoes used in the second study using a visual analog scale (VAS) and Likert scale survey. One student-athlete out of 16 reported that one of the shoes tested was their favorite and the most comfortable basketball shoe they had ever worn. Results indicated an average overall comfort rating below 60% for both shoes and there was not a significant difference in perception of comfort or quality of fit between the shoes (p > 0.05). The final study was designed to validate the use of compressible Stretchsense™ sensors (CSSs) to ground reaction pressures. Participants performed three repetitions of squatting, shifting center of pressure between the right foot and left foot, and shifting center of pressure forward and back between the toes and heels. Performance was evaluated using CSSs, BodiTrak Vector Plater™ (BVP), and Kistler Force Plates™ (KFPs). The results indicate that CSSs are an acceptable replacement to ground reaction pressure mats. In addition, the use of an Autoregressive Integrated Moving Average (ARIMA) model resulted in average R2 values greater than 90%. High R2 values in the ARIMA modeling indicates that the software accurately models the human 3D foot-shoe interaction pressures used in the development of the ground reaction pressure socks (GRPS) for sport applications and for fall detection in elderly and balance impaired individuals.

No description available.

Athletic performance is an important factor to consider when designing athletic footwear. Improvements in agility drill performance can lead to improved sports performance. Changing footwear characteristics can be one way to help improve performance. The design and materialization of the upper of a shoe can impact biomechanical metrics and needs to be further explored during agility movements. Therefore, the first purpose of this study was to investigate the impact that stiffening the upper panel of an athletic shoe could have on agility performance using biomechanical outcome measures that correlate with athletic performance. Stiffening the upper panel significantly altered contact time during the lateral skater jump with the stiffest shoe having the shortest contact time compared to the other two shoe stiffness conditions (p=0.020-0.046). Shoe upper panel stiffness significantly changed peak concentric power in the anterior-posterior drill where the least stiff shoe produced the highest power compared to the stiffest shoe (p=0.006). The same dataset was used to address the second goal of this study which was to model the foot and ankle complex as a system of gears to understand force attenuation and propulsion during agility tasks. Although no differences were found between footwear conditions in gearing, it was shown that modeling the foot and ankle system through gearing can advance our understanding of the impact that footwear changes can have on performance and may be an important outcome measure in future footwear studies. / Master of Science / Athletic performance is an important factor to consider when designing athletic footwear. Through changes in shoe design, it is possible to improve agility drill performance. The design and materials used to construct the upper (top portion of the shoe) of the shoe can change the way an athlete completes a task and therefore, these measures need to be explored during several agility movements. The first goal of this study was to determine the impact of stiffening the upper portion of an athletic shoe on agility performance using outcome measures that are associated with improved athletic performance. Stiffening the upper portion of the shoe altered the contact time during the lateral skater jump with the stiffest shoe having the shortest contact time compared to the other two shoe conditions. Shoe upper panel stiffness also impacted peak concentric power in the anterior-posterior drill where the least stiff shoe produced the highest power compared to the stiffest shoe. The same dataset was used to model the foot and ankle as a system of gears in order to understand how an individual absorbs force and then utilizes force to move the body forward or to the side when completing agility tasks. Although no differences were found between footwear conditions when assessing gearing, it was shown that modeling the foot and ankle system in this way could aid in the understanding of how footwear changes can alter performance.