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Background: Running is one of the most popular branches of athletics. Running has several physiological benefits, such as a higher maximal oxygen consumption, increased muscle mass and reduced blood pressure. There have been plenty of discussions about what the most efficient running technique might be, should you use a short step length and a high step frequency or vice versa. It is generally known that you can increase your running speed by increasing your step frequency or your step length, and also both. However, maximal speed is achieved by increasing your step frequency rather than your step length. For endurance runners it is important to have a good running economy, because runners with a good running economy use less energy while running, and therefore require less oxygen than a runner with poor running economy. Previous research have not found any correlations between the length of the leg with step frequency or step length.  Aim: The aim of this study was to examine whether there are any significant correlations between the length of the leg in relation to the step frequency or the step length while running in different speeds.  Method: 15 trained males participated in this correlation study. All participants’ leg length were measured with a measuring tape. Three running trials, with the speeds of 12, 16 and 20 km/h were performed on a treadmill during 1 minute each. Between each trial the participants rested for 3 minutes. The trials were recorded with a video camera, and the participants individual step frequency, step length and heel or fore foot strike were collected. Persons coefficient of correlation test was used to analyze if there were any significant correlations between the length of the leg with step frequency and step length. Also a paired samples T test was performed to see if there was a significant increase between step frequency and step length with the speeds.  Result: There were no significant correlations (p>0,05) found between the length of the leg and the step frequency or the length of the leg and step length in any of the different speeds. The paired samples t-test showed a significant (p<0,001) increase in step frequency and step length with the different speeds.  Conclusion: In conclusion, according to the present study, there were no significant correlations found between the length of the leg with step frequency or step length, which is in consensus with previous research.  Therefore, it is not advisable to predict an individual’s step length based on their leg length. There are various factors involved in determining a person’s step length and step frequency, and this study showed that running speed is one important factor. This information may be useful for runners and their coaches to apply, so they avoid making interventions involving alternations in the runners step length based on their body dimensions, such as leg length.

The first topic of this thesis proposes a digital video decoder for NTSC. The new fully digital design employs a DDFS (digital direct frequency synthesizer) and an adaptive digital PLL to track and lock the demodulation carrier. The complexity of the digital video decoder, hence, is drastically reduced. The overall cost of the proposed design is 6.0 mm2 (39K gates). The maximum power dissipation is 86 mW at the hightest clock rate which is 21.48 MHz. The second topic is to carry out a codec (encoder-decoder) design for interfacing variable-length and fixed-length data compression. The poor memory efficiency caused by the variable-length words converting into a fixed-length packet such that the compression can be hardwaredly and parallelly processing is significantly improved. The proposed codec is to encode more symbols in the redundant bits of the padding bits of the fixed-length packets. This novel encoding scheme relaxes the intrinsic poor bit rate of the traditional fixed-length data compression.

This dissertation begins with proposing a novel street Connectivity Indicator (C.I.) to predict transit performance by identifying the role that street network connectivity plays in influencing the service quality of demand responsive feeder transit services. This new C.I. definition is dependent upon the expected shortest path between any two nodes in the network, includes spatial features with transit demand distribution information and is easy to calculate for any given service area. Subsequently, a methodology to identify and locate critical links within a grid street system for operating feeder transit services is also developed. A 'critical' street link causes the largest change in transit performance due to the link's removal or addition to an existing network. The most important contribution of this section on link criticality is to present a simple closed-form analytical formula in locating the critical link(s) for a grid street network system of 'any' size. Easily computable formulas have been provided and validated by simulation analyses. Another related model is proposed to compute the optimal grid street spacing that would enhance performance of a demand responsive feeder transit system. The model is tested using simulation. Lastly, an analytical model is also developed for estimating optimal service cycle length or headway of a demand responsive feeder transit service designed to serve passengers, especially during peak periods of demand. Simulation analyses over a range of networks have been conducted to validate the new C.I. definition. Results show a desirable monotonic relationship between transit performance and the proposed C.I., whose values are directly proportional and therefore good predictors of the transit performance, outperforming other available indicators, typically used by planners. Further, useful insights indicate a monotonic decrease in link criticality as we depart from the centrally located links to those located at boundaries. Using a real case example from Denver of the Call-n-Ride system operating similar to a demand responsive feeder transit, optimal cycle lengths differed very modestly from those computed using the model. Extensive simulations performed for different sets of feeder service areas and demand densities, further validated the optimal cycle length model.

Die Anwendung von Beinlängentests spielt in der Chiropraktik als auch in der manuellen Medizin eine große Rolle. In den meisten Fällen ist beschrieben, dass Beinlängendifferenzen durch Subluxationen im Beckengürtel entstehen (Ausnahmen werden in Punkt 5.4 dargelegt). Diese These zu überprüfen und mit eigenen Erfahrungen abzugleichen, ist dem Autor schon seit geraumer Zeit ein Anliegen. Es ist auch zu klären, welche Art der Beckensubluxation zur Beinlängendifferenz (BLD) führt. Die Voraussetzungen für diese Untersuchung sind in der eigenen Praxis des Autors, im Haus der Chiropraktik gegeben, da alle Patienten ausschließlich nach Vorlage von Röntgenbildern behandelt werden. Diese werden in dem dafür entwickelten Programm X-Ray Solution vermessen und gespeichert. In der Sacro Occipital Technik (SOT) von Dr. M. B. DeJarnette DC, der Aktivator Technik, als auch der Thompson Terminal Point Technik (TTPT) wird auf der Seite des kurzen Beines von einem PI oder Ex Ilium ausgegangen. Als PI Ilium wird eine Beckenverschiebung nach posterior und inferior beschrieben. Referenzpunkt dafür ist die Spina iliaca posterior superior (SIPS). Verschiebt sich diese nach extern, so wird diese Subluxation als Ex Ilium bezeichnet. Je nach Technik werden aber vorher die Halswirbelsäule als Verursacher sowie eine bestimmte Art von Knie- und Fuß-Subluxationspattern ausgeschlossen.

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Germination of plants is one of the most important stages during their growth which is often influenced by environmental stresses, especially drought and salinity. This study was conducted to investigate the effects of salinity and drought on seed germination and growth of Lathyrus sativa. The experiment was laid out in a completely randomized design with factorial arrangement in 4 replications. Salinity treatments were 0, 2, and 4 dS/m and drought treatments included 0, 0.4, 0.8, 1.2 MPa. Salinity and drought treatments were prepared by using sodium chloride and polyethylene glycol 6000, respectively. The results showed that salinity and drought stresses decreased germination percentage, root and radicle length.

Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI) / Objective: Nutritional assessment of infants in the Newborn Intensive Care Unit (NICU) depends on the performance of accurate, serial anthropometric measurements. In this Level IV NICU, nurses used tape measures more often than length boards making the length measurements inaccurate. The purpose of this study is to determine if an in-person, hands-on length board training program versus a self-instruction poster education, increases the use of length boards to measure length in NICU infants. Methods: Two nursing in-service education training sessions on how to correctly use a length board were held with the NICU staff over two separate two (2-week) periods. One session consisted of a self-direct education training method. The second education method was an in-person interactive learning experience with hands on practice. At the end of each education session, the participants completed the same four-question post-test. One month later, data was collected for one month following each of the training periods on the tool used to obtain linear measurements on infants in the NICU. Statistics: A 2x2 contingency table was constructed using the two qualitative variables of length board uses after the poster education versus length board uses after the live in-service education. Analysis was performed using SAS 9.4 ™ statistical software. Chi squared equals 93.980 with 1 degree of freedom. P-value <0.0001. Results: The month following the self-directed poster education, two hundred ninety-one (291) or 92% measurements were obtained using a tape measure and 19 (7%) obtained using a length board. The month following the interactive, in-service training, one hundred forty-eight (148) or 57% measurements were obtained using a tape measure and 105 (41%) with a length board. Thirty five percent (35%) more length measurements were obtained using a length board after the line in-service training (P-value <0.0001). Conclusion: Nurses in a Level IV Newborn Intensive Care Unit utilized length boards significantly more after a live in-service education than after a self-directed education.

The first objective of this thesis was to determine the effect of using self-consolidating concrete versus normal concrete on transfer and development lengths, and flexural strengths of prestressed members. Three small rectangular members were made, two cast with SCC mixes and one cast with a conventional mix, to determine the transfer length of each mix. Transfer lengths of both ends of each member were determined by measuring the concrete surface strains. The change in the transfer length was monitored by determining the transfer length of each member at prestress release, 7 days after release, and 28 days after release. All concrete mixes had lower than code determined transfer lengths at prestress release. Each concrete mix showed between a 12 to 56 percent increase in transfer length after 28 days. One SCC mix exceeded the ACI code stipulated 50 strand diameters 7 days after prestress transfer. The other SCC mix was consistently below the transfer length of the conventional concrete. Separate development length members were cast in a stay-in-place steel form used for creating structural double tees. Each development length member was a stub tee. Iterative load testing was performed to determine the development length of each SCC and conventional mix. Development lengths for both SCC mixes were approximately 20 percent shorter than ACI and AASHTO code predictions. A development length for the conventional concrete was not determined due to non-repeating test data. The flexural strength of each member was determined during load testing. All concrete mixes achieved higher than the ACI predicted strengths. The second objective of this thesis was to experimentally measure prestress losses and compare these experimental values to theoretical models. Crack initiation and crack reopening tests were performed to experimentally determine the prestress losses in each member. Three theoretical models were evaluated, the sixth edition PCI Design Handbook suggested model, a 1975 PCI Committee on Prestress Losses model, and the AASHTO LRFD prestress loss model. The crack initiation experimental values tended to be between 10 and 15 percent lower than theoretical models. In general, the crack reopening prediction of the effective prestress had a good correlation with theoretical models. This suggests crack reopening tests can be used as predictors of effective prestress, and as such, predictors of prestress losses in future experimental research. Additionally, the concrete type was shown to affect the prestress losses determined in the development length members. The SCC members tended to have higher effective prestress forces than the conventional concrete members, and thus had less prestress losses due to creep and shrinkage than the conventional concrete members. / Master of Science