PRIMARY OBJECTIVE Spastic equinovarus deformity of the ankle in adults with acquired brain injury can severely limit the achievement of rehabilitation goals. This study examined changes in triceps surae muscle extensibility, passive resistive torque and soleus stretch reflex responses in 10 adult brain injured subjects undergoing serial casting to correct ankle equinovarus deformity. METHOD G...

Glass microprobes were used to measure the stiffness of the flagella of Triton X-100-extracted rat sperm models. The sperm models were treated with 50 microM sodium vanadate and 0.1 mM Mg-ATP to evaluate the stiffness of the passive flagellar structure without the influence of the dynein motor proteins. The passive stiffness was determined to be 4.6 (+/- 1.1) x 10(-19) N x m(2). Rat sperm model...

We show how it is possible to controllably rotate or align microscopic particles of isotropic nonabsorbing material in a TEM00 Gaussian beam trap, with simultaneous measurement of the applied torque using purely optical means. This is a simple and general method of rotation, requiring only that the particle is elongated along one direction. Thus, this method can be used to rotate or align a wid...

The relationship between lower-limb weakness and walking speed after stroke is not clear. This may be related to the measurement used to quantify weakness, typically peak strength. This study examined the relationship between two measures of isometric knee extension strength, i.e., peak torque and the rate of torque development and walking speed in adults with stroke. This study had 83 stroke s...

STUDY DESIGN Retrospective study. PURPOSE Cortical bone trajectory (CBT), a more medial-to-lateral and shorter path than the traditional one for spinal fusion, is thought to be effective for severely degenerated vertebrae because screws are primarily stabilized at the posterior elements. We evaluated the efficacy of this approach through in vivo insertional torque measurement. OVERVIEW OF L...

Isokinetic contraction is the muscular contraction that accompanies constant velocity limb movements around a joint. The velocity of movement is maintained constant by a special dynamometer. The resistance of the dynamometer is equal to the muscular forces applied throughout the range of movement. This method allows the measurement of the muscular forces in dynamic conditions and provides optim...

The objective of this study was to improve the reliability of the endurance test for the powertrain system of military tracked vehicles. The measurement system that measures the driving duty applied to the powertrain system caused by mobility on roads consists of eight analog channels and two pulse channels, including the propeller shaft output torques for the left and right sides. The data obt...

Background. One ofthe key components ofpostural control is the motor system's ability to produce appropriate torques to counteract perturbations that may lead to a loss of balance. Evidence exists to show that there is an age-related decline in absolute strength and in the ability to rapidly produce torque. The relationship between age-related decreases in these voluntary torque production capa...

Abstract – In direct torque control, the selection of an applied voltage vector is based on the measured parameters at the beginning of the sampling period. The delay between the measurement and the application of the voltage vector is the origin of an extra torque ripple. In this paper, a new predictive controller is proposed for compensating this delay and reducing the torque ripple. The stat...

OBJECTIVE To quantify velocity dependent and position related properties of increased muscle tone measured during a constant velocity stretch. METHODS Elbow flexors were vertically stretched under four different velocities (40, 80, 120, and 160 degrees /s) through a 75 degrees range of motion in 12 patients with hemiparesis, 16 with parkinsonism, and 12 normal controls. From reactive torque m...