Despite the squat jump's intriguing dynamical properties and prevalence in athletics, there is a lack of information regarding the comprehensive functional role of muscles during the squat jump. To increase our understanding of the strategies the human body uses in accelerating joints and contributing energy to body segments, we incorporated experimental data from trained collegiate men and women into musculoskeletal computer simulations. We evaluated the simulations to determine fundamental coordination principles of the squat jump, and the effect of increased loading and gender on muscle strategies employed during the squat jump. Our results revealed that the plantar flexors and vasti were primarily involved in increasing the mechanical energy of the body, while the proximal muscles were primarily involved in redistributing energy throughout the body. The erector spinae muscles extended the lumbar spine, and contributed energy to the torso, while gluteus maximus and hamstrings extended the hip joint, and contributed energy to the pelvis. The vasti extended the knee joint, and contributed energy to the pelvis and torso. Our results suggested that the rectus femoris plays a critical role in converting rotational energy into vertical kinetic energy. Greater barbell loads reduced the rate of lumbar extension, and resulted in increased normalized energy contributions from soleus and vasti to the torso. When comparing the squat jumps between men and women, our results suggested that soleus and vasti are more active in men than women during the body-weight squat jump. / text

The earliest possible initiation of reperfusion therapy is necessary to reduce morbidity and mortality from acute STEMI. Therefore improving the time to thrombolysis where percutaneous coronary interventional facilities are limited or do not exist is critical. The most effective system would integrate three key components to deliver continuous patient care, including: 1) from time of call for help through to emergency response; 2) transportation to and admission to hospital; 3) assessment and initiation of thrombolytic therapy. The purpose of this prospective study is: to develop a chest pain awareness education programme appropriate for the South African context; to assess safe initiation of thrombolytic therapy by emergency care practitioners for STEMI; and to compare the performance of emergency care practitioner thrombolysis with historical control data.

Thesis (M.S.M.E.)--University of Delaware, 2009. / Principal faculty advisor: Jill S. Higginson, Dept. of Mechanical Engineering. Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Lehigh University, 2003. / Includes vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 162-168).

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Chicago, Dept. of Pathology, August 2001. / Includes bibliographical references. Also available on the Internet.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of South Florida, 2001. / Title from PDF of title page. Document formatted into pages; contains 69 pages. Includes bibliographical references (p. 51-69).

Thesis (M. Sc.)--University of Hong Kong, 2001. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 104-113).

No description available.

Congenital Talipes Equinovarus is the commonest congenital musculoskeletal disorder with an incidence of 1 in 1000 live births. Although there has been much research into various aspects of the condition, there are still many unanswered questions. CTEV shows a spectrum of severity. In practice, a small percentage of cases resolve completely shortly after birth, but the remainder require further management with surgery in up to 80% of patients in some series. In children under the age of 6, soft tissue operations are often all that is required. After that age however, bony procedures are often necessary as the growing bones adapt to their abnormal environments. A number of factors have been investigated to assess the results of initial management and predict which patients will require further treatment, but there is little agreement between authors as to what variables should be studied. Outcome and the assessment of different management strategies is also contentious. This study describes the assessment of 204 families identified as having at least one child with congenital talipes. Outcome was initially assessed using a subjective scoring system. This was then used to evaluate a number of proposed objective and clinical outcome measures. On the basis of this, an objective system of assessment is proposed using measurement of foot length discrepancy, calf circumference, and range of movement at the ankle. Management was then evaluated objectively showing that in the medium term, a prolonged period of conservative management with Denis Browne splints and boots produced the best outcome. Despite a number of family studies looking at inheritance patterns in CTEV, the mode of genetic transmission remains unclear, and, while a number of environmental factors have been linked to CTEV, scientific methodology, in particular lack of a control group, limits the conclusions which can be drawn. Analysis of 176 family pedigrees demonstrates that CTEV may have an autosomal dominant mode of inheritance in a subgroup of cases. This study also presents the results of a case control study of epidemiological factors in CTEV, demonstrating a link between smoking and CTEV.

The objective of this research was to compare the skeletal muscle fiber composition in selected isogenic strains of mice. Six strains of mice were surveyed, one male and one female from each strain. The gastrocnemius and quadriceps muscles were stained for oxidative and glycolytic activities as well as contractile properties by using five histochemical stains. These results indicated that both muscles were composed predominantly of fast glycolytic (FG) and fast oxidativeglycolytic (FOG) fibers. There were few slow oxidative (SO) fibers which were mostly confined to the red portion of each muscle, although in some mice (0113 C57BL/6J black male, 0119 DBA/2J dilute brown female, and 0105 BALB/cJ albino male and female) this fiber type seemed to be lacking completely in one or both muscles surveyed. In addition, it was found through 2 the use of planimetry, that SO fibers (-x = 1140.97 μ2) were significantly smaller (P<0.01) than the FOG and FG fibers (-x = 1514.08μ2).Within the limits of these observations it is concluded that further examination of these strains of mice is necessary in order to better facilitate a quantitative genetic analysis. Moreover, developmental and environmental studies would serve to clarify the genetic influences on muscle fiber composition.