The past decade spotlighted a trend, which is that of individual users taking the role of innovators and physically creating their own products by explooting model additive manufacturing techniques. This trend emphasized the need for facilities able to serve as a platform for passionate makers to share knowledge, meet others and provides opportunities to realize their ideas. One of these platforms is Karlskrona Makerspace (KMS). KMS is located at Blekinge Institute of Technology (BTH) and provides 3D printing service, CNC milling machine and other facilities to help companies and individuals build physical prototypes. The purpose of this thesis is to expand the business of KMS and offer their service to more people. The study collects customer needs from potential KMS customers and aims at obtaining a viable business model after ranking risks. The main methodology used for building a business model is Running Lean Methodology to clear up complex associations in a business. The result shows that the business model identifies target customers, and clarifies the solutions to increase funding for KMS.

It has been suggested that Patellofemoral Pain (PFP) may be the result of a coordinate state which exhibits less joint coordination variability. The ability to relate joint coordination variability to PFP pathology could have many clinical uses; however, evidence to support clinical application is lacking. Vector coding’s coupling angle variability (CAV) has been introduced as a possible analysis method to quantify joint coordination variability. The purpose of this study was to assess the clinical usefulness of CAV measures from a dynamical systems perspective. This involved establishing the precision limits of CAV measures when physiological conditions are held constant, altering control parameters of knee pain and population then determining if the observed changes in CAV were clinically meaningful. 20 female recreational runners with PFP and 21 healthy controls performed a treadmill acclimation protocol then ran at a self-selected pace for 15 minutes. 3-D kinematics, force plate kinetics, knee pain and perceived exertion were recorded each minute. CAV were calculated for six knee-ankle combinations for 2 sets of 5 non-consecutive stride cycles at each capture period. Data were selected for the PFP group at a high (=>3) and low (<=high-2) pain level in a non-exhausted state (<14). Healthy data were used from the 11th minute of the running. Levels of agreement were performed between the 2 sets of CAV measures for both populations, a paired t-test compared low to high pain CAV measures and independent t-tests compared populations at the high pain state. Several CAV measures showed a significant increase in value with an increase in pain and were significantly greater for the PFP group. None of the observed changes exceeded the precision limits of all CAV measures investigated. These results do not agree with previous claims that less variability is indicative of pathology but rather the opposite. This suggests that there might be an optimal amount of variability to maintain a healthy coordinate state with deviations in any direction being detrimental. However; due to the volatile nature of CAV measures, the clinical use of CAV is not recommended using current analysis methods since changes observed weren’t considered clinically meaningful.

No description available.

The purpose of this study was to examine the effect of extreme exercise on vitamin B-6 metabolism and urea nitrogen. Nine men and five women completed two 5-day trials; Trial 1 (T1) included a 50-km ultramarathon on day 4 and during Trial 2 (T2) subjects were "inactive" on day 4. During both trials, subjects consumed a diet providing men 2.0 and women 1.5 mg of vitamin B-6. With the exception of the ultramarathon, T1 activity was replicated during T2. Twenty four-hour urine collections were completed and blood was drawn pre-race (pre), mid-race (mid), post-race (post) and 60 minutes post race (P-60). On the inactive, day blood was drawn at the same intervals. Plasma was analyzed for pyridoxal 5'-phosphate (PLP), pyridoxal, 4-pyridoxic acid (4-PA), urea nitrogen (PUN), creatinine, albumin, glucose, and lactate concentration and alkaline phosphatase activity. Urine was analyzed for 4PA, creatinine, and total urinary nitrogen (TUN). During T1, compared to pre, plasma PLP concentration increased 17% at mid, decreased 5% by post, and 19% by P-60. During T2, plasma PLP concentration decreased 13% pre to P-60. During T1, plasma 4-PA concentration increased 135% and the percent dietary vitamin B-6 that was excreted as urinary 4-PA the day of the ultramarathon was higher than that excreted the day before and the day after. During T1, from pre to post mean PUN concentration increased 36.9%, and the average rate ofincrease from pre to mid, mid to post, and post to P60 was 0.5, 1.75, and 2 mg/dL/hour, respectively. During T1 on days 3, 4, and 5,88%, 100%, and 95% of nitrogen intake was excreted in the urine compared to 86%, 83%, and 84% for the same days during T2. The day of the ultramarathon, 24-hour TUN excretion was 2 g higher than the previous day. Extreme exercise of greater than six hours initially increases the plasma concentration of PLP but ultimately results in a significant decrease in plasma PLP, an increase in plasma 4-PA, and an increase in percent of dietary vitamin B-6 (as 4-PA) excreted in the urine. Additionally, the rate of change in PUN inoeases as duration increases. / Graduation date: 2001

No description available.

The general trend in gear industry is an increased focus on gear transmission efficiency. This thesis focuses on the understanding of how different gear manufacturing methods – particularly the contribution of the running-in process – affect the surface characteristics and friction response, with the purpose of increasing gearbox efficiency. The thesis consists of a summary and five appended papers. The research hypothesis in paper A and paper B was that the dry elastic contact area ratio is a descriptive parameter for the contact condition. Paper A deals with the influence of manufacturing method on the initial contact conditions. The emphasis in paper B is the changes that occur during running-in and correlating these changes to design requirements. Paper C examines the influence of manganese phosphate coating and lubricants, with respect to friction and the risk of scuffing at the initial contact. Paper D examines the effect of running-in load on the friction response for different surfaces. In paper E, the question of whether the load during running-in influences the gear mesh efficiency is further expounded. The main conclusions of this thesis are that the running-in influences the gear mesh efficiency; a high running-in load enhances the gear mesh efficiency. The difference in mesh efficiency is in the range of one tenth of a per cent. Thus, the influence of running-in cannot be neglected because it is in the same order of magnitude as reported for other gear efficiency enhancements. Furthermore, the dry elastic contact area ratio presents a descriptive measure of how surface topography influences the contact, at both a global (form deviation) and local (roughness) level. The surface topography caused by the manufacturing method has a significant influence on the contact area ratio. Shaving was found to have the highest contact area ratio, and would therefore be the best choice if deviations from case hardening could be minimised. It was also confirmed that surfaces coated with manganese phosphate raise the limiting load for scuffing failure up to 13 times compared to the uncoated ground equivalent. / <p>QC 20141002</p>

Due to a proliferation of health and social advantages, the popularity of running among the more mature members of the female population is expanding steadily. However, with both age and gender acting as possible risk factors, the incidence of running related injuries and associated conditions is high among this group. With the predominance of debilitating conditions such as knee joint osteoarthritis acting at the knee joint, knowledge of lower limb biomechanics during running will provide insight into possible risk factors and potential management strategies. Three biomechanical and one magnetic resonance imaging study focussed on the specific running gait of mature females and the effect of footwear on lower limb joint kinematics and loading. The biomechanical studies used synchronised ground reaction force and lower extremity kinematic data to provide three dimensional running data and knee moments for each female. The long term study objectives were to 1) determine whether the running gait of mature females could be a predisposing factor to injuries and conditions at the knee joint, and 2) determine if changes in footwear could modify biomechanical variables associated with the development of injuries and overuse conditions among this group. In Study One, a direct comparison of mature and young female running gait was used to identify any biomechanical movement characteristics specific to the mature group that could predispose to injuries and debilitating conditions. It was found that rearfoot eversion, ankle dorsiflexion, knee internal rotation, and knee external adductor moment that are associated with increased loading of the lateral knee joint and possible medial knee joint osteoarthritis development, were significantly higher among the mature females compared to the younger group (p&lt;0.05). A common management strategy for running related conditions is the adaption of footwear. Therefore Study Two investigated the effect of a motion control running shoe on the running gait of young and mature females, with a specific focus on the variables associated with knee joint injury and osteoarthritis development. The results showed a motion control shoe to reduce certain biomechanical variables (rearfoot eversion and knee internal rotation) associated with mature female runners. However, one variable (knee external adductor moment) commonly associated with increased medial knee loading and osteoarthritis development, remained high among the mature females. One specific method used to reduce the knee external adductor moment, is the implementation of a lateral wedge in running shoes. Therefore, Study Three assessed the singular effects of a medial wedge, a lateral wedge, and then the effect of an orthotic combining both interventions on the running gait of mature females. Results demonstrated non significant changes in any kinematic variable with the medial or lateral wedge, although the lateral wedge was shown to reduce the knee external adductor moment. The orthotic intervention however produced significant reductions in rearfoot eversion, knee internal rotation, and knee external adductor moment previously found to be high among mature female runners. Although all mature females studied had previously been characterised as free from symptoms of knee injury or osteoarthritis, a final investigation was undertaken to assess the condition of the knee joint (Study Four). Magnetic resonance imaging scans of the knee were taken for ten of the mature females. Results indicated that eight out of the ten females had early stage osteoarthritis present, with an average 79% of features presenting on the medial side of the knee joint. Additionally, there was a strong positive correlation between knee osteoarthritis and the knee external adductor moments measured in the ongoing biomechanical study (Study Three). These studies have shown that the running gait of mature females is significantly different to that of younger female runners, and could predispose the mature group to injury and knee osteoarthritis development. The trends in kinematic adaption to a motion control shoe have shown promising results, and indicated the potential for footwear to reduce rearfoot eversion and knee internal rotation among mature female runners. However, a specific orthotic, incorporating both medial and lateral support has been found to reduce biomechanical features of gait associated with overloading at both the medial and lateral knee joint. The positive correlation between the knee adductor moment and signs of osteoarthritis for an asymptomatic population suggests that the knee adductor moment may be a useful predictive tool for identifying female runners at risk of osteoarthritis development.

This thesis focuses on reliability when testing gear efficiency and on how gear mesh efficiency can be increased without detrimental effects on the gears. Test equipment commonly used in gear research was analysed to identify important parameters for gear efficiency testing. The effect of the bearing model's load-dependent losses on gear mesh efficiency was also investigated. Two different surface finishes of gears, ground and superfinished, were investigated to determine how two different load levels during running-in affect gear mesh efficiency and changes in surface roughness. Efficiency and gear temperature were also measured for ground and superfinished gears with dip lubrication, as well as two different forms of spray lubrication (before and after gear mesh contact). Tests on a gear test rig, showed that different assemblies of the same test setup can yield different measurements of torque loss. The applied bearing model had a significant effect on the estimated gear mesh efficiency. The mesh efficiency of ground gears is affected by the running-in procedure, with a higher running-in load resulting in a higher mesh efficiency than a lower load. This effect was not seen for superfinished gears, which show the same gear mesh efficiency for both running-in loads. Gearbox efficiency increased with spray lubrication rather than dip lubrication. The gear mesh efficiency increased, and thus gear temperatures were reduced, when superfinished gears were used rather than ground gears. A lower gear temperature was measured when gears were spray lubricated at the mesh inlet rather than the mesh outlet. / <p>QC 20170314</p>

Dissertation submitted in partial compliance with the requirements for the Masters Degree in Technology: Chiropractic, Durban Institute of Technology, 2005 12, xiii, 84 leaves / Plantar Fasciitis (PF) or “painful heel syndrome” is an inflammation of the plantar fascia at its insertion on the medial calcaneal tubercle. Accounting for 7-9% of total sports injuries, this condition is predominantly due to overuse and is notoriously difficult to treat. Traditionally treatment focused on the resolution of the inflammation with the application of such modalities cross frictions / transverse frictions being the modality of choice. With such modalities there are however limitations which include the detection of the appropriate areas in which treatment should be given as well as the treatment depth achieved. The GISTM, however is an advanced form of soft tissue mobilisation that employs the use of specifically designed stainless steel instruments that, when manually brushed over the skin of the affected area, are thought to detect and release scar tissue, adhesions and fascial restrictions. This complementary technique is hypothesized to work in the same manner as cross friction massage, and is thought to achieve quicker and improved outcomes by its detection of the treatment area(s) as well as improving the depth of treatment application. This assertion was however untested. Therefore the purpose of this study was to determine the efficacy of the Graston Technique Instrument-assisted Soft Tissue Mobilisation (GISTM) in the treatment of Plantar Fasciitis in runners. / M

The investigation proposes a comparative study to determine whether or not there is a relationship between the running broad jump and the standing broad jump based upon the results of the performances of two hundred and seventy girls enrolled in Jefferson Junior High School, Abilene, Texas, and to determine whether or not one of the three allowed performances consistently results in the greatest distance.