Symmetry of in-shoe force signatures in athletes under field conditions : an application for injury prevention

The aetiology behind overuse injuries such as stress fractures is complex and multi-factorial. In sporting events where the loading is likely to be uneven (e.g. hurdling and jumps), research has suggested that the frequency of stress fractures seems to favour the athlete’s dominant limb. The tendency for an individual to have a preferred limb for voluntary motor acts makes limb selection a possible factor behind the development of unilateral overuse injuries, particularly when repeatedly used during high loading activities. The event of sprint hurdling is well suited for the study of loading asymmetry as the hurdling technique is repetitive and the limb movement asymmetrical. Of relevance to this study is the high incidence of Navicular Stress Fractures (NSF) in hurdlers, with suggestions there is a tendency for the fracture to develop in the trail leg foot, although this is not fully accepted. The Ground Reaction Force (GRF) with each foot contact is influenced by the hurdle action, with research finding step-to-step loading variations. However, it is unknown if this loading asymmetry extends to individual forefoot joints, thereby influencing stress fracture development. The first part of the study involved a series of investigations using a commercially available matrix style in-shoe sensor system (FscanTM, Tekscan Inc.). The suitability of insole sensor systems and custom made discrete sensors for use in hurdling-related training activities was assessed. The methodology used to analyse foot loading with each technology was investigated. The insole and discrete sensors systems tested proved to be unsuitable for use during full pace hurdling. Instead, a running barrier task designed to replicate the four repetitive foot contacts present during hurdling was assessed. This involved the clearance of a series of 6 barriers (low training hurdles), place in a straight line, using 4 strides between each. The second part of the study involved the analysis of "inter-limb" and "within foot loading asymmetries" using stance duration as well as vertical GRF under the Hallux (T1), the first metatarsal head (M1) and the central forefoot peak pressure site (M2), during walking, running, and running with barrier clearances. The contribution to loading asymmetry that each of the four repetitive foot contacts made during a series of barrier clearances was also assessed. Inter-limb asymmetry, in forefoot loading, occurred at discrete forefoot sites in a non-uniform manner across the three gait conditions. When the individual barrier foot contacts were compared, the stance duration was asymmetrical and the proportion of total forefoot load at M2 was asymmetrical. There were no significant differences between the proportion of forefoot load at M1, compared to M2; for any of the steps involved in the barrier clearance. A case study testing experimental (discrete) sensors during full pace sprinting and hurdling found that during both gait conditions, the trail limb experienced the greater vertical GRF at M1 and M2. During full pace hurdling, increased stance duration and vertical loading was a characteristic of the trail limb hurdle foot contacts. Commercially available in-shoe systems are not suitable for on field assessment of full pace hurdling. For the use of discrete sensor technology to become commonplace in the field, more robust sensors need to be developed.

Dengue or Kokobera? A case report from the top end of the Northern Territory

In early April 1998, the Centre for Disease Control in Darwin was notified of a possible case of dengue which appeared to have been acquired in the Northern Territory. Because dengue is not endemic to the Northern Territory, locally acquired infection has significant public health implications, particularly for vector identification and control to limit the spread of infection. Dengue IgM serology was positive on two occasions, but the illness was eventually presumptively identified as Kokobera infection. This case illustrates the complexity of interpreting flavivirus serology. Determining the cause of infection requires consideration of the clinical illness, the incubation period, the laboratory results and vector presence. Waiting for confirmation of results, before the institution of the public health measures necessary for a true case of dengue, was ultimately justified in this case. This is a valid approach in the Northern Territory, but may not be applicable to areas of Australia with established vectors for dengue. Commun Dis Intell 1998;22:105-107.

A case of Kunjin virus encephalitis in a traveller returning from the Northern Territory

On 6 May 2001, a 67-year-old Australian born, Caucasian male presented to the Emergency Department of the Austin and Repatriation Medical Centre (A&RMC) with a 3 day history of fever, lethargy and confusion. This occurred one week after returning from a trip to the Northern Territory. His previous medical problems included ischaemic heart disease, a repaired abdominal aortic aneurysm, hypertension, hyperlipidaemia and congestive cardiac failure. He smoked 20 cigarettes per day and had a history of heavy alcohol consumption. He had no history of diabetes. His medications were aspirin, frusemide, lisinopril, simvastatin, and a nitroglycerol patch. Fifty years ago, he had an adverse reaction to penicillin with angioedema and an urticarial rash. Four weeks before admission he went on a fishing trip in the Northern Territory. He travelled by road, through outback regions of Victoria, New South Wales, Queensland, the Northern Territory and South Australia, spending time in Daly River, Coolum, Darwin, Dunmarra, Avon Downs, Innaminka and Mataranka. He was away for 3 weeks and camped in tents or outside in a swag throughout the trip. He recalls numerous times where he was exposed to mosquitoes with large numbers of bites at Dunmarra. During the time away, he remained well as did his 5 travelling companions. There was...

Application of machine learning technique in wind turbine fault diagnosis

In this study, a machine learning technique called anomaly detection is employed for wind turbine bearing fault detection. Basically, the anomaly detection algorithm is used to recognize the presence of unusual and potentially faulty data in a dataset, which contains two phases: a training phase and a testing phase. Two bearing datasets were used to validate the proposed technique, fault-seeded bearing from a test rig located at Case Western Reserve University to validate the accuracy of the anomaly detection method, and a test to failure data of bearings from the NSF I/UCR Center for Intelligent Maintenance Systems (IMS). The latter data set was used to compare anomaly detection with SVM, a previously well-known applied method, in rapidly finding the incipient faults.

The roles of adsorption in hydrate precipitation

It has been well established that organic compounds with adjacent hydroxyl groups in Bayer process liquor can inhibit gibbsite precipitation by acting as seed poisons. The degree of inhibition is a function of the number and stereochemistry of the hydroxyl groups. Seed poisons generally adsorb strongly onto hydrate surfaces, implying that surface coverage is the mechanism for yield inhibition. There are examples however of organics that strongly adsorb but do not lead to yield inhibition. There is a possibility that this apparent contradiction may be an artifact of differences in conditions between the adsorption and precipitation experiments. The present work investigates the adsorption and inhibition effects of a range of compounds under strictly similar conditions to clarify the role of adsorption on yield inhibition.

Engineering thin film semiconductor gas sensors to increase sensitivity and decrease operation temperature

Thin film nanostructured gas sensors typically operate at temperatures above 400°C, but lower temperature operation is highly desirable, especially for remote area field sensing as this reduces significantly power consumption. We have investigated a range of sensor materials based on both pure and doped tungsten oxide (mainly focusing on Fe-doping), deposited using both thermal evaporation and electron-beam evaporation, and using a variety of post-deposition annealing. The films show excellent sensitivity at operating temperatures as low as 150°C for detection of NO2. There is a definite relationship between the sensitivity and the crystallinity and nanostructure obtained through the deposition and heat treatment processes, as well as variations in the conductivity caused both by doping and heat treatmetn. The ultimate goal of this work is to control the sensing properties, including selectivity to specific gases through the engineering of the electronic properties and the nanostructure of the films.

Surveillance snapshot of Clostridium difficile infection in hospitals across Queensland detects binary toxin producing ribotype UK 244

In North America and Europe, the binary toxin positive Clostridium difficile strains of the ribotypes 027 and 078 have been associated with death, toxic megacolon and other adverse outcomes. Following an increase in C. difficile infections (CDIs) in Queensland, a prevalence study involving 175 hospitals was undertaken in early 2012, identifying 168 cases of CDI over a 2 month period. Patient demographics and clinical characteristics were recorded, and C. difficile isolates were ribotyped and tested for the presence of binary toxin genes. Most patients (106/168, 63.1%) were aged over 60 years. Overall, 98 (58.3%) developed symptoms after hospitalisation; 89 cases (53.0%) developed symptoms more than 48 hours after admission. Furthermore, 27 of the 62 (67.7%) patients who developed symptoms in the community ad been hospitalised within the last 3 months. Thirteen of the 168 (7.7%) cases identified had severe disease, resulting in admission to the Intensive Care Unit or death within 30 days of the onset of symptoms. The 3 most common ribotypes isolated were UK 002 (22.9%), UK 014 (13.3%) and the binary toxin-positive ribotype UK 244 (8.4%). The only other binary toxin positive ribotype isolated was UK 078 (n = 1). Of concern was the detection of the binary toxin positive ribotype UK 244, which has recently been described in other parts of Australia and New Zealand. No isolates were of the international epidemic clone of ribotype UK 027, although ribotype UK 244 is genetically related to this clone. Further studies are required to track the epidemiology of ribotype UK 244 in Australia and New Zealand. Commun Dis Intell 2014;38(4):E279–E284.

Response to: Electronic health records and healthcare identifiers : legislation discussion paper

Public submission # 029 to a Australian federal parliamentary committee considering proposed legislative changes to the Commonwealth's Healthcare Identifiers Act 2010 and the Personally Controlled Electronic Health Records Act 2012.

The cross-talk of LDL-cholesterol with cell migration: Insights from the Niemann Pick Type C1 mutation

Cholesterol is considered indispensible for the recruitment and functioning of integrins in focal adhesions for cell migration. However, the physiological cholesterol pools that control integrin trafficking and focal adhesion assembly remain unclear. Using Niemann Pick Type C1 (NPC) mutant cells, which accumulate Low Density lipoprotein (LDL)-derived cholesterol in late endosomes (LE), several recent studies indicate that LDL-cholesterol has multiple roles in regulating focal adhesion dynamics. Firstly, targeting of endocytosed LDL-cholesterol from LE to focal adhesions controls their formation at the leading edge of migrating cells. Other newly emerging literature suggests that this may be coupled to vesicular transport of integrins, Src kinase and metalloproteases from the LE compartment to focal adhesions. Secondly, our recent work identified LDL-cholesterol as a key factor that determines the distribution and ability of several Soluble NSF Attachment Protein (SNAP) Receptor (SNARE) proteins, key players in vesicle transport, to control integrin trafficking to the cell surface and extracellular matrix (ECM) secretion. Collectively, dietary, genetic and pathological changes in cholesterol metabolism may link with efficiency and speed of integrin and ECM cell surface delivery in metastatic cancer cells. This commentary will summarize how direct and indirect pathways enable LDL-cholesterol to modulate cell motility.

The health professional behind the syringe: Benefits of a pharmacist vaccination program

Background: The Queensland Pharmacist Immunisation Pilot (QPIP) which ran in 2014 was Australia’s first to allow pharmacists to administer vaccinations. An aim of QPIP was to investigate the benefits of trained pharmacists administering vaccinations in a community pharmacy setting. Methods: Participant demographics and previous influenza vaccination experiences were recorded using GuildCare software. Participants also completed a ‘post-vaccination satisfaction survey’ following their influenza vaccination. Results: A total of 10,889 participant records and 8,737 satisfaction surveys were analysed. Overall, 1.9% of the participants reported living with a chronic illness, and 22.5% were taking concomitant medications. As part of the consultation before receiving the vaccine, participants acknowledged the opportunity to discuss other aspects of their health with the pharmacist, including concerns about their general health, allergies, and other medications they were taking. It was worth noting that 17.5% of people would not have received an influenza vaccination if the QPIP service was unavailable. Additionally, approximately 10% of all participants were eligible to receive a free vaccination from the National Immunisation Program, but still opted to receive their vaccine from a pharmacist. Conclusion: The findings from this pilot demonstrate the benefit of a pharmacist vaccination program in increasing vaccination rates, and have helped pave the way for expanding the scope of practice for pharmacists.

Assessment of Nanoscience and Nanotechnology Initiatives in India

Nanotechnology is a new technology which is generating a lot of interest among academicians, practitioners and scientists. Critical research is being carried out in this area all over the world.Governments are creating policy initiatives to promote developments it the nanoscale science and technology developments. Private investment is also seeing a rising trend. Large number of academic institutions and national laboratories has set up research centers that are workingon the multiple applications of nanotechnology. Wide ranges of applications are claimed for nanotechnology. This consists of materials, chemicals, textiles, semiconductors, to wonder drug delivery systems and diagnostics. Nanotechnology is considered to be a next big wave of technology after information technology and biotechnology. In fact, nanotechnology holds the promise of advances that exceed those achieved in recent decades in computers and biotechnology. Much interest in nanotechnology also could be because of the fact that enormous monetary benefits are expected from nanotechnology based products. According to NSF, revenues from nanotechnology could touch $ 1 trillion by 2015. However much of the benefits are projected ones. Realizing claimed benefits require successful development of nanoscience andv nanotechnology research efforts. That is the journey of invention to innovation has to be completed. For this to happen the technology has to flow from laboratory to market. Nanoscience and nanotechnology research efforts have to come out in the form of new products, new processes, and new platforms.India has also started its Nanoscience and Nanotechnology development program in under its 10(th) Five Year Plan and funds worth Rs. One billion have been allocated for Nanoscience and Nanotechnology Research and Development. The aim of the paper is to assess Nanoscience and Nanotechnology initiatives in India. We propose a conceptual model derived from theresource based view of the innovation. We have developed a structured questionnaire to measure the constructs in the conceptual model. Responses have been collected from 115 scientists and engineers working in the field of Nanoscience and Nanotechnology. The responses have been analyzed further by using Principal Component Analysis, Cluster Analysis and Regression Analysis.

Laser Surface Alloying of a Creep Resistant Magnesium Alloy MRI 230D with Al and Al2O3

A creep resistant permanent mould cast Mg alloy MRI 230D was laser surface alloyed with Al and a mixture of Al and Al2O3 using pulsed Nd:YAG laser irradiation at four different scan speeds in order to improve the corrosion and wear resistance. The microstructure, corrosion and wear behavior of the laser surface alloyed material is reported in this manuscript. The coating comprised of a featureless microstructure with cellular-dendritic microstructure near the interface and exhibited good interfacial bonding. A few solidification cracks reaching down to substrate were also observed. The two step coating with Al followed by a mixture of Al and Al2O3 exhibited a slightly better corrosion resistance than the single step coating with Al. In the long run, however, corrosion resistance of both the coatings became comparable to the as-cast alloy. The corroded surface of the laser surface alloyed specimens revealed a highly localized corrosion. The laser surface alloyed specimens exhibited an improvement in wear resistance. The laser scan speed did not exhibit a monotonic trend either in corrosion or wear resistance.