Background Several footwear design characteristics are known to have detrimental effects on the foot. However, one characteristic that has received relatively little attention is the point where the sole flexes in the sagittal plane. Several footwear assessment forms assume that this should ideally be located directly under the metarsophalangeal joints (MTPJs), but this has not been directly evaluated. The aim of this study was therefore to assess the influence on plantar loading of different locations of the shoe sole flexion point. Method Twenty-one asymptomatic females with normal foot posture participated. Standardised shoes were incised directly underneath the metatarsophalangeal joints, proximal to the MTPJs or underneath the midfoot. The participants walked in a randomised sequence of the three shoes whilst plantar loading patterns were obtained using the Pedar® in-shoe pressure measurement system. The foot was divided into nine anatomically important masks, and peak pressure (PP), contact time (CT) and pressure time integral (PTI) were determined. A ratio of PP and PTI between MTPJ2-3/MTPJ1 was also calculated. Results Wearing the shoe with the sole flexion point located proximal to the MTPJs resulted in increased PP under MTPJ 4–5 (6.2%) and decreased PP under the medial midfoot compared to the sub-MTPJ flexion point (−8.4%). Wearing the shoe with the sole flexion point located under the midfoot resulted in decreased PP, CT and PTI in the medial and lateral hindfoot (PP: −4.2% and −5.1%, CT: −3.4% and −6.6%, PTI: −6.9% and −5.7%) and medial midfoot (PP: −5.9% CT: −2.9% PTI: −12.2%) compared to the other two shoes. Conclusion The findings of this study indicate that the location of the sole flexion point of the shoe influences plantar loading patterns during gait. Specifically, shoes with a sole flexion point located under the midfoot significantly decrease the magnitude and duration of loading under the midfoot and hindfoot, which may be indicative of an earlier heel lift.
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The aim of the present study was to predict the effect of inter-individual and inter-ethnic human kinetic variation on the sensitivity towards acute liver toxicity of lasiocarpine in the Chinese and the Caucasian population, and to derive chemical specific adjustment factors (CSAFs) by integrating variation in the in vitro kinetic constants Vmax and Km, physiologically based kinetic (PBK) modelling and Monte Carlo simulation. CSAFs were derived covering the 90th and 99th percentile of the population distribution of pyrrole glutathione adduct (7-GS-DHP) formation, reflecting bioactivation. The results revealed that in the Chinese population, as compared to the Caucasian population, the predicted 7-GS-DHP formation at the geometric mean, the 90th and the 99th percentile were 2.1-, 3.3- and 4.3-fold lower respectively. The CSAFs obtained using the 99th percentile values were 8.3, 17.0 and 19.5 in the Chinese, the Caucasian population and the two populations combined, respectively, while the CSAFs were generally 3.0-fold lower at the 90th percentile. These results indicate that when considering the formation of 7-GS-DHP the Caucasian population may be more sensitive towards acute liver toxicity of lasiocarpine, and further point out that the default safety factor of 3.16 for inter-individual human kinetic differences may not be sufficiently protective. Altogether, the results obtained demonstrate that integrating PBK modelling with Monte Carlo simulations using human in vitro data is a powerful strategy to quantify inter-individual variations in kinetics, and can be used to refine the human risk assessment of pyrrolizidine alkaloids.
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Introduction. Despite the high number of inactive patients with COPD, not all inactive patients are referred to physical therapy, unlike recommendations of general practitioner (GP) guidelines. It is likely that GPs take other factors into account, determining a subpopulation that is treated by a physical therapist (PT). The aim of this study is to explore the phenotypic differences between inactive patients treated in GP practice and inactive patients treated in GP practice combined with PT. Additionally this study provides an overview of the phenotype of patients with COPD in PT practice. Methods. In a cross-sectional study, COPD patient characteristics were extracted from questionnaires. Differences regarding perceived health status, degree of airway obstruction, exacerbation frequency, and comorbidity were studied in a subgroup of 290 inactive patients and in all 438 patients. Results. Patients treated in GP practice combined with PT reported higher degree of airway obstruction,more exacerbations, more vascular comorbidity, and lower health status compared to patients who were not referred to and treated by a PT. Conclusion. Unequalpatient phenotypes in different primary care settings have important clinical implications. It can be carefully concluded that other factors, besides the level of inactivity, play a role in referral to PT.
Door de transitie naar een biobased en circulaire economie neemt de behoefte aan biomassa als bron van grondstoffen en chemicaliën toe. De teelt van vezelhennep staat daarom opnieuw in de belangstelling vanwege de veelzijdigheid van het gewas. De vezels uit de stengel worden bijvoorbeeld gebruikt voor textieltoepassingen en plantinhoudsstoffen uit de bladeren en bloemen (o.a. Cannabidiol (CBD)) worden gebruikt als voedingssupplement vanwege de gezondheidsbevorderende eigenschappen. Echter, vezelhennep bevat, naast het bekende CBD, nog een veel breder scala aan plantinhoudsstoffen waaraan gezondheidsbevorderende effecten worden toegeschreven. Afhankelijk van het productie/extractieproces en de gebruikte cultivars komen de andere plantinhoudsstoffen in meer of mindere mate in de producten terecht. Vanuit de producenten van vezelhennep extracten is er vraag naar betere karakterisatie van hun extracten en er is behoefte aan meer kennis over de gezondheidseffecten van de extracten zodat de toepasbaarheid vergroot kan worden. Het doel van dit project is dan ook om een relatie te leggen tussen samenstelling aan secundaire plantinhoudsstoffen van verschillende vezelhennepextracten en de gezondheidseffecten van deze extracten. Om dit doel te bereiken zal er onderzoek gedaan worden naar de invloed van verschillende extractiemethodes, cultivars en bewaarmethodes op de samenstelling aan plantinhoudsstoffen en zal een nieuwe methode voor het verkrijgen van plantinhoudsstoffen doorontwikkeld worden. Deze extracten worden vervolgens getest op hun effecten op de humane gezondheid middels een unieke combinatie aan modelsystemen om de relatie te kunnen leggen met specifieke samenstelling. Veroudering is hier als overkoepeld thema gekozen, omdat het in de vergrijzende samenleving steeds relevanter wordt om gezonder oud te worden. Als subthema’s is gekozen voor afweerfunctie, neuro-inflammatie en spierfunctie. De resultaten zullen worden toegepast om nieuwe, beter gekarakteriseerde extracten op de markt te kunnen brengen. Tevens is dit project, door het multidisciplinaire karakter, uitermate geschikt om een hybride leeromgeving te ontwikkelen waarin studenten worden geleerd om multidisciplinair te werken.
Tango is among the most widespread world music genres nowadays. However, only partial information about the elements and techniques of composing, arranging and performing tango has been documented and made available so far. This research project aims at investigating tango’s main aspects in the oeuvre of relevant tango musicians, promoting its creative practice and expanding its artistic community. By making the implicit knowledge in scores and recordings explicit and ready for creative use by the greater artistic community, tango can be preserved, on one side; and musicians can experiment and reach new artistic horizons, securing its continuation and development as vivid, contemporary music, on the other. The project has two research questions: 1. What are the main features and techniques of tango music composition, arrangement and performance? 2. How can musicians nowadays integrate these features and techniques into their practice to deepen their understanding and enhance their artistic creations and performances? This research uses a mixed method design, including the analysis of scores and recordings, literature review, interviews, observational studies and experimentation. It expands the artistic community on the topic and bridges two top-notch institutions devoted to tango learning: Codarts and UNSAM (Argentina). The research also endeavours improvements in the Codarts curriculum as it complements and expands its educational programme by providing students with research tools to enhance their creative practice. Theoretical and artistic outcomes will be documented and disseminated in concerts, concert-lectures, papers, articles and a tailor-made website containing compositions, arrangements, videos, text, musical examples and annotated scores, so as to record: a) the musical materials and techniques found in the analysed scores and recordings, together with their applications in practice and performance; b) the artistic processes, reflections and production of the participants; c) information on how to create, arrange and perform tangos.
The Netherlands is one of the most densely populated countries in Europe. Despite the excellent road network, The Netherlands is confronted with this density on a daily basis: the negative impact of traffic jams and incidents on travel times is growing by 38% the next 5 years. VIA NOVA will lay the necessary foundation for the next step of technological developments to overcome these negative impacts of congestion in future. This next step in technological developments is called Talking Traffic. Vehicles will communicate directly with the infrastructure and other road users and vice versa. The potential with respect to congestion reduction is big, because traffic can be managed more directly. To reach this potential, Talking Traffic relies to a large extent on (big)data already available in modern cars: data of sensors, navigation, etc. However, the problem is data usage in terms of quality and variety among car-brands. The partners stressed the fact that besides technical requirements: data deployment quality, code of practice and a guideline, research should also address business requirements. Without a clear view on quality variations and demands with respect to quality, the data cannot be used effectively. VIA NOVA researches the following issues, o quality and quantity of data from cars o needed quality and quantity of data from cars in Talking Traffic use cases o big data analysis tools to interpret large quantities of data o business models, privacy and security of data from cars The outcome enables users to judge whether data from cars can be useful to solve specific traffic related problems, which data is than to be used, which quality of data is needed and finally the quantity of the needed data. With this measure Talking Traffic can be deployed more effectively resulting in more reduction of congestion.
