Changes in FDB and soleus muscle activity after a train of stimuli during upright stance

Background: Evidence of self-sustained muscle activation following a brief electrical stimulation has been reported in the literature for certain muscles. Objectives: This report shows that the foot muscle (Flexor Digitorum Brevis - FDB) shows a self-sustained increase in muscle activity during upright stance in some subjects following a train of stimuli to the tibial nerve. Methods: Healthy subjects were requested to stand upright and surface EMG electrodes were placed on the FDB, Soleus and Tibialis Anterior muscles. After background muscle activity (BGA) acquisition, a 50 Hz train of stimuli was applied to the tibial nerve at the popliteal fossa. The root mean square values (RMS) of the BGA and the post-stimulus muscle activation were computed. Results: There was a 13.8% average increase in the FDB muscle EMG amplitude with respect to BGA after the stimulation was turned off. The corresponding post-stimulus Soleus EMG activity decreased by an average of 9.2%. We hypothesize that the sustained contraction observed in the FDB following stimulus may be evidence of persistent inward currents (PIC) generated in FDB spinal motoneurons. The post-stimulus decrease in soleus activity may have occurred due to the action of inhibitory interneurons caused by the PICs, which were triggered by the stimulus train. Conclusions: These sustained post-stimulation changes in postural muscle activity, found in different levels in different subjects, may be part of a set of possible responses that contribute to overall postural control.

Relationship between body mass index with dietary fiber intake and skinfolds-differences among bodybuilders who train during morning and nocturne period

Background: The prevalence of overweight individuals has increased in recent years. Moreover, the importance of a healthy diet is associated with the practice of physical activity and attempt to verify the achievement of physical exercise influences on food choice. However, it relationship between food intake and physical activity have not been studied. Aim: To evaluate if the period in which the trainings are conducted, morning and nocturne, interfere qualitatively and quantitatively in food consumption as well as verify possible associations between anthropometric profiles and dietary habits. Methods: We collected data from 33 adult volunteers, between men and women, practitioners of bodybuilding. Results: A total of 33 volunteers were interviewed (18 (54.5%) were men and 15 (45.5%) were women). Regarding anthropometric data, it turns out that that the volunteers of the two periods had similar characteristics, differentiating only weight. The consumption of nutritional supplements was observed in 30.77% of the practitioners in the morning period vs. 35% for the nocturne. Considering macronutrient intake, there was a significant difference in the consumption of protein between the periods. The consumption during nocturne period was greater (126 +/- 5% of the daily requirement) than the morning period (115.7 +/- 2%). As for micro-nutrients, calcium intake was greater among men when compared to women. There was a positive correlation between the BMI, and arm circumference for practitioners of the morning period. Conclusion: This study show that the practitioners who train in the morning have quietly better eating habits than those in the nocturne period, however both are inappropriate.

A robotic system to train activities of daily living in a virtual environment

In the past decade, several arm rehabilitation robots have been developed to assist neurological patients during therapy. Early devices were limited in their number of degrees of freedom and range of motion, whereas newer robots such as the ARMin robot can support the entire arm. Often, these devices are combined with virtual environments to integrate motivating game-like scenarios. Several studies have shown a positive effect of game-playing on therapy outcome by increasing motivation. In addition, we assume that practicing highly functional movements can further enhance therapy outcome by facilitating the transfer of motor abilities acquired in therapy to daily life. Therefore, we present a rehabilitation system that enables the training of activities of daily living (ADL) with the support of an assistive robot. Important ADL tasks have been identified and implemented in a virtual environment. A patient-cooperative control strategy with adaptable freedom in timing and space was developed to assist the patient during the task. The technical feasibility and usability of the system was evaluated with seven healthy subjects and three chronic stroke patients.

Train your Brain - Psychotherapeutische Interventionsprogramme bei Angststörungen

Ängste und Depressionen gehören mitunter zu den häufigsten psychischen Störungen, die mit starkem individuellen Leiden und hohen sozioökonomischen Kosten einhergehen. Kulturell eingebettete biopsychosoziale Belastungsfaktoren tragen zur Entstehung, Aufrechterhaltung und Chronifizierung dieser häufigen Leiden bei. Moderne psychotherapeutische Interventionsprogramme können helfen, die individuellen Belastungsfaktoren besser zu ordnen, Vermeidungsverhalten zu durchbrechen und individuelles Wohlbefinden und psychosoziales Funktionieren zu fördern. Oftmals sind es kleine und feine Verhaltensänderungen im Alltag, die die subjektive Lebensqualität deutlich verbessern. Der Vortrag bietet eine kritische Übersicht über aktuelle psychotherapeutische Behandlungsansätze und deren empirische Evidenz.

Adverse aerodynamics effects of a high speed train under the influence of cross winds, analysis and optimization of wind fence

The research work that here is summarized, it is classed on the area of dynamics and measures of railway safety, specifically in the study of the influence of the cross wind on the high-speed trains as well as the study of new mitigation measures like wind breaking structures or wind fences, with optimized shapes. The work has been developed in the Research Center in Rail Technology (CITEF), and supported by the Universidad Politécnica de Madrid, Spain.

Formal verification of safety protocol in train control system

In order to satisfy the safety-critical requirements, the train control system (TCS) often employs a layered safety communication protocol to provide reliable services. However, both description and verification of the safety protocols may be formidable due to the system complexity. In this paper, interface automata (IA) are used to describe the safety service interface behaviors of safety communication protocol. A formal verification method is proposed to describe the safety communication protocols using IA and translate IA model into PROMELA model so that the protocols can be verified by the model checker SPIN. A case study of using this method to describe and verify a safety communication protocol is included. The verification results illustrate that the proposed method is effective to describe the safety protocols and verify deadlocks, livelocks and several mandatory consistency properties. A prototype of safety protocols is also developed based on the presented formally verifying method.

Efficient computation of the pressures developed during high-speed train passing events

The paper resumes the results obtained applying various implementations of the direct boundary element method (BEM) to the solution of the Laplace Equation governing the potential flow problem during everyday service manoeuvres of high-speed trains. In particular the results of train passing events at three different speed combinations are presented. Some recommendations are given in order to reduce calculation times which as is demonstrated can be cut down to not exceed reasonable limits even when using nowadays office PCs. Thus the method is shown to be a very valuable tool for the design engineer.