BACKGROUND Foot problems associated with Systemic Sclerosis (SSc)/Scleroderma have been reported to be both common and disabling. There are only limited data describing specifically, the mechanical changes occurring in the foot in SSc. A pilot project conducted in preparation for this trial confirmed the previous reports of foot related impairment and reduced foot function in people with SSc an...

To investigate kinetic differences in the coronal plane between healthy individuals wearing shoes with lateral-offset soles and shoes with lateral-wedge insoles while walking, hip abduction, knee adduction, and ankle abduction moments were estimated using a 3-dimensional motion analysis system under 3 different conditions: wearing conventional shoes (control), wearing lateral-offset sole shoes ...

INTRODUCTION Pressure sensitive insoles have emerged as a powerful tool for assessing the pressure distribution on the sole of a foot. The pressures measured by the insole sensors can also be combined to determine a partial set of net ground reactions (COP-center of pressure, vGRF vertical ground reaction force) (Barnett, et.al, 2000, Chesnin, et.al, 2000). Such information could conceivably be...

Background: The pathophysiological mechanism behind chronic proctalgia is not fully understood. The study investigated whether treatment of lower limb length discrepancy (anisomelia) with an insole could relieve levator ani syndrome and chronic proctalgia. Patients and Methods: Nine patients with proctalgia were identified as also having anisomelia. The patients underwent clinical evaluation, i...

There is limited evidence on the efficacy of insole materials to reduce plantar pressure during regular walking and loaded walking. In-shoe pressures subjective footwear comfort were recorded in twenty healthy participants at a self-selected treadmill speed six conditions: two commercial insoles or no insole, with without carrying load backpack. A single-material comprised polyurethane, had red...

We have used a novel device structure to study optical enhancement and back reflectors (BRs) in a-Si n-i-p solar cells by separating the effects of substrate texture, BR texture, and BR reflectivity. QE and diffuse and total reflection are compared for devices on smooth or textured substrates, with smooth or textured BRs. There is little improvement in J,, for substrate hare exceeding 5%. Subst...

Photoconductive (PC) terahertz (THz) emitters are often limited by ohmic loss and Joule heating-as these effects can lead to thermal runaway and premature device breakdown. To address this, the proposed work introduces PC THz emitters based on textured InP materials. The enhanced surface recombination and decreased charge-carrier lifetimes of the textured InP materials reduce residual photocurr...

Bicycle riding is an increasingly popular recreational and competitive activity, however, the more popular the more biking-related injuries. Most of cycling injuries are musculoskeletal related and caused by a combination of inadequate preparation, inappropriate bike fitting, poor technique, and overuse of prolonged uphill biking. However, after well bike fitting, the injury is still existed, t...

Introduction: Plantar fasciitis is the most common cause of plantar heel pain, accounting for almost 15% of all foot-related complaints. Arch supports and heel pads are the main foot orthotics to manage the heel pain. Despite the high prevalence of plantar fasciitis, information about the effectiveness of different orthoses is still scarce. This study was aimed to compare the effectiveness of u...

We have successfully demonstrated the enhanced luminous flux and lumen efficiency in white light-emitting diodes by the randomly textured phosphor structure. The textured phosphor structure was fabricated by a simple imprinting technique, which does not need an expensive dry-etching machine or a complex patterned definition. The textured phosphor structure increases luminous flux by 5.4% and 2....