[Purpose] The objective of this study was to perform forward bending of the trunk and reaching training in chronic stroke patients and to investigate subsequent changes in trunk control, dynamic balance, and gait. [Subject] Twenty-three chronic stroke patients were randomly divided into two groups, with 10 patients in the forward bending of the trunk and reaching group and 13 patients in the co...

Abstract: mechanical properties of AISIH 13 hot-work tool steel have been studied. Cast samples made of the modified new steel were homogenized and austenitized at different conditions, followed by tempering at the specified temperature ranges. Hardness, red hardness, three point bending test and Charpy impact test were carried out to evaluate the mechanical properties together with characteriz...

The modeling of statistical size effect of concrete structures that fail at crack initiation is studied, with special attention to the interaction between the autocorrelation length and the size of the failure zone. The mechanical failure of concrete is modeled by a network of axial springs with degrading stiffness. The heterogeneity of concrete is idealized by spatial variation of the tensile ...

The conventional French fatigue test has yielded significantly different results for two asphalt materials with the same grade of pure asphalt. A research program was begun to study the influence of the asphalt nature on the fatigue behavior of asphalt materials. The program included full-scale experimentation on the circular test track of the Laboratoire Central des Ponts et Chaussees, laborat...

Strength of both muscles and bone are important for fracture prevention in osteoporotic individuals. Therefore, drugs that are preclinically tested in animals for preventing or treating osteoporosis, and reducing fracture risk, should not only be checked for their effects on bone strength, but also for those on muscle strength. We developed a rat model to measure both in the same animal, using ...