Context: Obesity is a growing global health concern. The increased body mass and altered mass distribution associated with obesity may be related to increases in plantar shear that putatively leads to physical functional deficits. Therefore, measurement of plantar shear may provide unique insights on the effects of body mass and body distribution on physical function or performance. Purpose: 1) To investigate the effects of body mass and distribution on plantar shear; 2) To examine how altered plantar shear influences postural control and gait kinetics. Hypothesis: 1) a weighted vest forward distributed (FV) would shift the center of pressure (CoP) location forward during standing compared with a weighted vest evenly distributed (EV); 2) FV would increase plantar shear spreading forces more than EV during standing; 3) FV would increase postural sway during standing while EV would not; and 4) FV would increase peak braking force, plantar impulses, and plantar shear spreading forces during walking more than EV. Methods: Twenty healthy young males participated in four different tests: 1) static test (for measuring plantar shear and CoP location without acceleration; 2) two-leg standing postural control test; 3) one-leg standing postural test; and 4) walking test. All tests were executed in three different weight conditions: 1) unweighted (NV); 2) evenly distributed vest (EV) with 20% added body mass; and 3) front-loaded vest (FV), also with 20% added body mass. Plantar shear stresses were measured using a pressure/shear device, and several shear and postural control metrics were extracted. Repeated measures ANOVAs with Holms post hoc test were used to compare each metric among the three conditions (α = 0.05). Results: FV and EV increased both anterior-posterior and medial-lateral plantar shear forces in single-foot trials compared to NV. FV shifted CoP forward. FV and EV showed decreased CoP range and velocity and increased time-to-boundary (TTB) during postural control compared to NV. While EV increased medial-lateral plantar shear spreading force, FV increased anterior-posterior plantar shear spreading force during walking. Conclusion: Added body mass increases plantar shear spreading forces. Body mass distribution had greater effects during dynamic tasks. In addition, healthy young individuals seem to quickly adapt to external stimuli to control postural stability. However, the interactive effects between body mass and distribution may disrupt physical function and/or performance in other populations—such as elderly, obese, and diabetes. Plantar shear may play a critical role in clinical diagnosis. However, as it is the first step study, follow-up studies are necessary to further support the clinical role of plantar shear.

Purpose: To develop a lightweight, safe, and controllable electrical heating vest for heart failure and/or hypertension patients. Methods: a. A literature review related to the topic was conducted. b. A model of a simplified human body thermoregulation system was developed and simulated. It was used to predict the power requirement of the battery to increase core body temperature up to 1 Celsius degree (°C). c. A prototype with a smart controller was developed d. In-vitro tests of the prototype were conducted to assess performance and safety. e. The prototype was tested on 10 healthy human volunteers and the results were analyzed. Results: a. An average core body temperature increase of 0.3 °C (P<0.05) was observed in healthy human volunteer tests within 30 minutes. b. The vest induced decreases in systolic blood pressure of 5.5 mmHg and diastolic blood pressure of 4.8 mmHg on average. Conclusions: A carbon-fiber vest can increase body core temperature by 0.3°C lowering systolic and diastolic blood pressure, which can be potentially used for helping heart failure and/or hypertension patients.

No description available.

Title: The influence of equipment and arms on skeletal muscles activities while practising direct kick. Aim: The aim of this thesis was to find out the influence of carried equipment and arms on the activity of skeletal muscles when a direct front kick is being practised. The methods used: This thesis has an empirically observational character. Muscular activities were measured by means of surface electromyography synchronised by Qualisys screen system. To obtain statistic data, a t-test has been used, requiring 5 % significance level. Results: While carrying a 15-kilogram load, the activity of skeletal muscles was not significantly reduced when performing a direct front kick. However, a 30- kilogram load caused a substantial reduction of skeletal muscular activities during the kick described above. After adding a 15-kilogram bag to another 15 kilograms in the form of a body armour, a helmet and arms, the muscular activity changed its features in a considerable way. Furthermore, most respondents proved 45-kilogram load to be over their limit. The equipment and arms of that weight led to the summation action potential, exceeding the power- coordinative functional reserve, and thus the deformation of the direct front kick technique. Keywords: close combat, EMG, equipment, arms, direct front kick

ABSTRAKT Bakgrund: Mediastinit är en allvarlig komplikation efter öppen hjärtkirurgi. Syftet med post- thorax västen är att förebygga och förhindra mediastinit genom att stötta upp instabilitet och minska friktion i sternum efter operation. Uttalade osäkerheter och brister i erfarenheter av att jobba med västen väckte författarnas intresse för att intervjua intensivvårdssjuksköterskor och sjuksköterskor om deras erfarenheter med att arbeta med post-thorax västen. Syfte: Syftet med studien var att belysa sjuksköterskors erfarenheter av att vårda patienter som bar Post-thorax väst. Design: En kvalitativ intervjustudie Metod: Semistrukturerade intervjuer av 14 stycken grundutbildade och intensivvårdsutbildade sjuksköterskor som arbetade vid två enheter på ett sjukhus i Norra Sverige och hade mer än 6 månaders erfarenhet av att arbeta med västen. Intervjuerna analyserades genom en kvalitativ innehållsanalys. Resultat: Sjuksköterskors erfarenheter av att vårda patienter som burit Post-thorax väst resulterade i 4 kategorier och 13 subkategorier. Följande kategorier finns representerade: Ambivanlens, Säkerhet, Svårigheter, Motivation. Konklusion: Resultatet i studien visade att deltagarna hade varierande erfarenheter av att arbeta med patienter som bär väst. Deltagare utryckte svårigheter och fördelar med västen samt sin egen osäkerhet kring den. Deltagare ville ha utbildning och en utvärdering av västen och de beskrev motivationsarbetet och varför det är viktigt. Deltagarnas erfarenheter av patienternas upplevelser var något som genomsyrade alla kategorier. Resultatet kan tala för att implementeringen av västen på berörda enheter inte genomförts på ett optimalt sätt. / ABSTRACT Background: Mediastinitis is an infection in the mediastinum which can be a serious complication after open heart surgery. The purpose of the Post-thorax vest is to prevent mediastinitis by providing the required support to and minimize any friction within the sternum after heart surgery. There are outspoken uncertainties and gaps in the experience of working with the vest which aroused the interest of the authors to interview nurses and intensive care nurses about their experiences of working with the Post-thorax vest. Aim: The aim of this study was to investigate nurses’ experiences of working with patients who wear a Post-thorax vest. Design: A qualitative interview study Method: Semi-structured qualitative interview study of 14 nurses and intensive care nurses who worked at two units in the north of Sweden who had at least 6 months of experience working with the vest. The interviews were analyzed using content analysis. Results: Nurses’ experiences of working with patients who wore Post-thorax vests resulted in 4 categories and 13 sub-categories. The following categories are represented: Ambivalence, Security, Difficulties, Motivation. Conclusion: The result of the study showed that the participants had various experiences of working with patients wearing the vest. Participants expressed difficulties and benefits of the vest, and their own uncertainty about it. Participants wanted education and an evaluation of the vest and they described why motivational work was important. The participants described patients' experiences of the vest in almost every category. The result may indicate that the implementation of the vest at the units in question where not completed in an optimal way.

A number of general studies of the history of eighteenth century men's clothing have been written by authors such as Zilla Halls, Avril Hart, and Norah Waugh. However, a cursory review of costume literature reveals a lack of academic study on specific men's garments and their history. This work focuses on documenting the development of eighteenth century men's waistcoats using the artifacts themselves. The purpose of using extant waistcoats is to study closely their construction and decorative details with close attention to the similarities and differences in the style, cut and assembly of the garments.

Made available in DSpace on 2014-12-17T14:26:16Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 KarlaCTC_DISSERT.pdf: 1938449 bytes, checksum: 0e27dc3a5851f96c845df4f136c66e74 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2014-06-05 / Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Norte / This thesis aims to analyze the ergonomic and functional aspects of the motorcycle patrolmen tactical vest and make a contribution to improve their technical and tactical characteristics reconciling pleasantness function, improving working conditions of policeman. The start point of this case study was the following hypothesis : The start point of this case study was the following hypothesis: once the policemen prepare their own tactical vests with layouts created by them. So, if someone observes these layouts, s/he will have an understanding of use of those devices and artifacts questions both positive, and negative. This hypothesis was confirmed by the results, considering that it was possible to understand the use of the tactic vests by means of the Policemen s opinion on issues recognized by themselves. It was also possible to understand that users perform interventions, based on their own inventive or learned from the experience of other policemen / A presente disserta??o tem como objetivo analisar os aspectos ergon?micos e funcionais do colete t?tico dos motopatrulheiros da pol?cia militar do RN e apresentar uma contribui??o visando melhorar suas caracter?sticas t?cnicas conciliando agradabilidade e fun??o t?tica, melhorando as condi??es laborais do motopatrulheiro. Partimos da seguinte hip?tese: Considerando que os policiais customizam seus coletes t?ticos e observando como criam seus layouts e fazem uso dos dispositivos presentes nestas customiza??es, levanta-se a hip?tese de que a partir das observa??es se possa chegar a uma compreens?o do uso destes equipamentos, tanto nos quesitos positivos, quanto negativos. Para se comprovar a hip?tese proposta pela disserta??o, procedera-se a uma an?lise dos resultados obtidos pelas entrevistas no local de trabalho, question?rios, filmagens em v?deo e fotos. Os resultados confirmaram a hip?tese. Conseguiu-se compreender o uso do colete t?tico a partir da opini?o dos usu?rios com rela??o a quest?es por eles mesmos apontadas. Pode-se, ainda, perceber que o usu?rio realiza interven??es baseadas na pr?pria inventiva ou aprendida com a experi?ncia de outro policial

Master’s thesis describes the design parameters of components of electrical and electronic circuits for the game lasetag. There are described the various components and suggested their connection.

The foundation of Tailoring for the Visual Learner is the exploration of new and creative approaches to preserve, promote, and pass on the art of individually handcrafted menswear for theatre and film. This project culminated in the creation of an instructional video guide unlike anything currently available on the market. Using high definition cameras and a team of highly skilled professionals, I produced, wrote, directed and hosted an instructional video that takes the viewer through every step of the creation of a hand tailored vest: from fabric preparation and drafting to the final fitting. Instruction utilizes a modern voice aimed at early career sewing professionals who wish to advance, and seek an alternative to confusing drafting books or incomplete online tutorials that avoid the features of a truly well constructed garment. By combining up close camera work with textual explanations, graphics, and verbal explanations, I have created a new approach to tailoring instruction aimed at visual learners, who make up a large majority of costuming professionals. By taking the viewer through the tailoring process up close and step-by-step, the time-honored tradition of tailoring is now available and affordable to countless artisans who seek to advance and/or teach their craft. / text

[pt] Ameaças contra a vida, principalmente por disparos de armas de fogo, impulsionam a pesquisa de novos materiais para fabricação de soluções para proteção balística individual. Os compósitos poliméricos reforçados por fibras de polietileno de ultra alto peso molecular revolucionaram esse campo nos últimos 15 anos e têm sido extensivamente estudados, principalmente por suas excepcionais propriedades mecânicas e baixa densidade, visando desenvolver materiais com alta capacidade específica de absorção de energia. Em desacordo, a produção desses compósitos é dominada por poucas empresas no mundo, e sua disponibilidade relativamente limitada, além do fato das placas balísticas serem materiais controlados e de domínio de fabricação restrito, o que dificultou a obtenção de informações. Neste sentido, a presente pesquisa buscou projetar, fabricar e caracterizar seis modelos de placas balísticas para proteção contra disparo de munição de fuzil, utilizando diferentes tipos de compósitos (préimpregnados) com a adição de camada da liga de titânio. A caracterização contou com ensaios de FTIR do CBPF, TGA e DSC da PUC-Rio, ensaio de tração (EMT) das fibras, de dureza, MEV e metalografia no CTEx. A análise do desempenho das placas foi realizada no CAEx e contou com câmera de ultra alta velocidade, equipamentos para ensaios balísticos e equipamento de varredura 3D a laser. Os resultados dos ensaios foram mensurados pela velocidade dos disparos e pela profundidade da deformação da face posterior de 16 placas. Foi possível concluir que a fabricação de protótipos mantendo os valores de espessura ou densidade de área da solução semelhante a de placas controle somente em pré-impregnado foi eficiente. O emprego da chapa da liga de Ti-6Al-4V com espessura de apenas 1mm se deu em substituição de até 30 por cento do material pré-impregnado. Na situação limite, foi possível obter placas que resistiram aos impactos de munição de fuzil com cerca de 95 por cento da velocidade especificada na norma, dentro da tolerância de deformação posterior. / [en] Life threats, mainly from firearms, incentive research into new materials for manufacturing personal ballistic protection. Polymer composites reinforced with ultra high molecular weight polyethylene fiber have revolutionized this field over the last 15 years and have been extensively studied, especially for their exceptional mechanical properties and low density, to develop materials with high specific energy absorption capacity. In disagreement, the production of these composites is dominated by few companies in the world, and their availability is relatively limited, besides the fact that ballistic plates are controlled materials and restricted manufacturing domain, which made it difficult to obtain information. In this sense, the present research aims to design, manufacture and characterize six models of ballistic plates for protection against firing of rifle ammunition, using different types of composites (prepregs) with the addition of a titanium alloy layer. The characterization included FTIR at CBPF, TGA and DSC tests at PUC-Rio, fiber tensile strength, SEM, and metallography at CTEx. The plate performance analysis was performed at CAEx and included an ultra high speed camera, ballistic testing equipment and 3D laser scanning equipment. Test results were measured by firing speed and depth of the back face deformation of 16 plates. It was possible to conclude that the prototyping keeping the thickness or areal density values of the solution similar to control plates only in prepreg was efficient. The use of Ti-6Al-4V alloy plate with thickness of only 1mm by replacing up to 30 percent of prepreg material. In the border situation, it was possible to obtain plates that withstood the impact of rifle ammunition at about 95 percent of the speed specified in the standard, within the back face deformation tolerance.