This study sought to compare the kinetics and kinematics data in a group of habitual shod runners when running in traditional running shoes and newly designed minimalist shoes with lug platform. This ...novel footwear design claims to simulate barefoot running and reduce energy loss during impact. We compared footstrike angle (FSA), vertical average (VALR) and instantaneous (VILR) loading rates, energy loss and initial vertical stiffness between two shoe conditions. Runners demonstrated a decreased FSA while running in minimalist shoes with lug platform than traditional shoes (P = 0.003; Cohen's d = 0.918). However, we did not observe a landing pattern transition. VALR and VILR between two footwear conditions showed no significant difference (P = 0.191-0.258; Cohen's d = 0.304-0.460). Initial vertical stiffness (P = 0.032; Cohen's d = 0.671) and energy loss (P = 0.044; Cohen's d = 0.578) were greater when running in minimalist shoes with lug platform. The results show that minimalist shoes with lug platform reduce the FSA but may not lead to a landing pattern switch or lower vertical loading rates. Interestingly, the new shoe design leads to a greater energy loss than traditional running shoes, which could be explained by a higher initial vertical stiffness.
To assess the biomechanical changes following a systematic gait retraining to modify footstrike patterns from rearfoot strike (RFS) to midfoot strike (MFS).
Pre-post interventional study. All ...participants underwent a gait retraining program designed to modify footstrike pattern to MFS.
Research laboratory.
Twenty habitual RFS male runners participated.
Gait evaluations were conducted before and after the training. Footstrike pattern, vertical loading rates, ankle and knee joint stiffness were compared.
Participants’ footstrike angle was reduced (p < 0.001, Cohen’s d = 1.65) and knee joint stiffness was increased (p = 0.003, Cohen’s d = 0.69). No significant difference was found in the vertical loading rates (p > 0.155). Further subgroup analyses were conducted on the respondents (n = 8, 40% of participants) who exhibited MFS for over 80% of their footfalls during the post-training evaluation. Apart from the increased knee joint stiffness (p = 0.005, Cohen’s d = 1.14), respondents exhibited a significant reduction in the ankle joint stiffness (p = 0.019, Cohen’s d = 1.17) when running with MFS.
Gait retraining to promote MFS was effective in reducing runners’ footstrike angle, but only 40% of participants responded to this training program. The inconsistent training effect on impact loading suggests a need to develop new training protocols in an effort to prevent running injuries.
•A transition from RFS to MFS does not guarantee a reduction in impact loading.•MFS transition is coupled with an increase in knee joint stiffness.•Adopting MFS is not a “one-size-fits-all” approach in reducing running injury risk.
With the emergence of the Internet of Things (IoT), there has been a proliferation of urban studies using big data. Yet, another type of urban research innovations that involve interdisciplinary ...thinking and methods remains underdeveloped. This paper represents an attempt to adopt a Hidden Markov Model (HMM) toolbox developed in Computer Science for the analysis of eye movement patterns in Psychology to answer urban mobility questions in Geography. The main idea is that both people’s eye movements and travel behavior follow the stop-travel-stop pattern, which can be summarized using HMM. Methodological challenges were addressed by adjusting the HMM to analyze territory-wide travel survey data in Hong Kong, China. By using the adjusted toolbox to identify the activity-travel patterns of working adults in Hong Kong, two distinctive groups of balanced (38.4%) and work-oriented (61.6%) lifestyles were identified. With some notable exceptions, working adults living in the urban core were having a more work-oriented lifestyle. Those with a balanced lifestyle were having a relatively compact zone of non-work activities around their homes but a relatively long commuting distance. Furthermore, working females tend to spend more time at home than their counterparts, regardless of their marital status and lifestyle. Overall, this interdisciplinary research demonstrates an attempt to integrate spatial, temporal, and sequential information for understanding people’s behavior in urban mobility research.
•Toddlers demonstrated similar vertical loading rates and footstrike pattern when compared to adults.•Toddlers demonstrated a greater cadence and shorter stride length than adults.•Adults need not to ...modify the running biomechanics according to the posture in toddlers.
High vertical loading rate is associated with a variety of running-related musculoskeletal injuries. There is evidence supporting that non-rearfoot footstrike pattern, greater cadence, and shorter stride length may reduce the vertical loading rate. These features appear to be common among preschoolers, who seem to experience lower running injury incidence, leading to a debate whether adults should accordingly modify their running form.
This study sought to compare the running biomechanics between preschoolers and adults.
Ten preschoolers (4.2±1.6 years) and ten adults (35.1±9.5 years) were recruited and ran overground with their usual shoes at a self-selected speed. Vertical average (VALR) and vertical instantaneous loading rate (VILR) were calculated based on the kinetic data. Footstrike pattern and spatiotemporal parameters were collected using a motion capture system.
There was no difference in normalized VALR (p=0.48), VILR (p=0.48), running speed (p=0.85), and footstrike pattern (p=0.29) between the two groups. Preschoolers demonstrated greater cadence (p<0.001) and shorter normalized stride length (p=0.01).
By comparing the kinetic and kinematic parameters between children and adults, our findings do not support the notion that adults should modify their running biomechanics according to the running characteristics in preschoolers for a lower injury risk.
Pose® Method gait retraining has been claimed to modify running form and prevent injury. This study examined the running biomechanics before and after Pose® Method gait retraining. Fourteen runners ...underwent a 4-week Pose® Method gait retraining program delivered by a certified coach. Paired t-tests were employed to compare vertical average (VALR) and instantaneous loading rates (VILR), lower limb kinematics, footstrike angle and trunk flexion in the sagittal plane before and after the training. Kinetically, there were no significant differences in the VALR (p= 0.693) and VILR (p= 0.782) before and after the training. Kinematically, participants exhibited greater peak hip flexion (p= 0.008) and knee flexion (p= 0.003) during swing. Footstrikeangle also reduced significantly (p= 0.008), indicating a footstrike pattern switch from rearfoot strike to midfoot strike. There was no significant difference in the trunk flexion in the sagittal plane after training (p= 0.658). After a course of Pose® Method gait retraining, runners demonstrated a footstrike pattern switch and some kinematics changes at the hip and knee joint during swing. However, injury-related biomechanical markers (e.g., VALR and VILR) and the trunk kinematics remained similar after training. Runners may consider other gait retraining programs for impact loading reduction.
Effects of heel-toe drop, which is the height difference between the rearfoot and forefoot parts of the shoe, have been studied during running in minimalist shoe models. However, these types of shoes ...also feature low heel stack height. Effects of heel-toe drop remain largely unknown during running in cushioned shoes, which usually present a standard heel stack height (e.g. 21 mm). The purpose of this study was to investigate the isolated effect of heel-toe drop on running kinematics and kinetics and perceived footwear comfort of runners in standard cushioned shoes. Fifteen male habitual rearfoot strike runners ran in four shod conditions: no drop (0 mm, D0), 4-mm (D4), 8-mm (D8), and 12-mm drop (D12). Running kinematics and kinetics were collected using motion capturing system and instrumented treadmill, respectively. Footwear comfort was acquired immediately after each running trial using a visual analogue scale. Significant effects were demonstrated on footstrike angle (p < 0.001), stride length (p = 0.005), and cadence (p = 0.015). A greater footstrike angle was indicated during running in D8 compared with D4 (p = 0.034) and D0 (p = 0.006). However, such reduction was not sufficient to cause footstrike pattern transition towards a midfoot/forefoot strike pattern. Stride length in D8 was significantly larger than in D12 (p = 0.007). No significances were found on vertical loading rates, contact time and perceived footwear comfort (p > 0.05). The isolated effects of heel-toe drop on running biomechanics were demonstrated in shoe models with a standard heel stack height. A lower heel-toe drop of standard cushioned shoes may reduce footstrike angle and increase stride length during running.
The urban-rural gap in cervical cancer screening uptake is a significant public health consideration. Educational interventions are commonly adopted to promote cervical cancer screening among females ...in rural areas; however, the characteristics and effectiveness of these educational interventions remain unclear. In this review, we aimed to identify the characteristics of educational interventions used in rural populations and to evaluate the effects of these interventions on cervical cancer screening-related outcomes. Seven English databases were searched in January 2022. Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) and quasi-experimental studies were included. The Joanna Briggs Institute (JBI) Critical Appraisal Checklist for Randomized Controlled Trials and the JBI Critical Appraisal Checklist for Quasi-Experimental Studies were used for quality appraisal. RevMan 5.4 software was used for the meta-analysis. A narrative synthesis was conducted in instances where a meta-analysis was inappropriate. Three RCTs and seven quasi-experimental studies conducted in six countries were included. A social cognitive theory-based framework, the community setting, group sessions, healthcare professional-led approaches, and culture-tailored materials were implemented in the educational interventions for cervical cancer screening. The educational content mainly included basic information on cervical cancer screening, psychological issues, barriers and strategies to overcome them, and locally available resources. Educational interventions increased the knowledge and uptake of cervical cancer screening in the rural population. However, the studies only evaluated the short-term effects of these educational interventions, with the cervical screening behavior only being assessed in one instance for each participant. Educational interventions promote cervical cancer screening among females in rural areas. Theory-driven, community-involved, group-based, and healthcare professional-led approaches should be prioritized in the application of educational interventions in rural populations. Both the short- and long-term, influences of educational interventions on the cervical cancer screening behavior of females in rural areas need to be recognized.
Comfort is a major criterion for footwear selection. Previous studies have suggested that physical properties were not enough to predict comfort and psychological factors could also affect the ...perception. To understand comfort, this study examined the effect of controlled shoe description and price cue on the perception of comfort. Furthermore, this study also examined the running biomechanics in response to footwear conditions of differing comfort. Fifteen runners completed treadmill running tests in two conditions: Shoe A and Shoe B. The same pair of neutral running shoes was used in both conditions, yet Shoe B was described to be the “latest model designed to maximize comfort” and more expensive than Shoe A. Comfort assessment was conducted after the running trial of each condition. Participants reported significantly greater comfort in Shoe B than Shoe A (P = .011, Cohen's d = 0.70). There were no significant differences found among the temporal‐spatial parameters (P > .916) and the vertical loading rates (P > .161) when comparing the more and less comfortable conditions. In conclusion, runners exhibited a biased perception of footwear comfort when presented with different shoe description and price information. However, such a difference in perceived comfort alone is not likely to affect running biomechanics.
This study aimed to evaluate the feasibility and preliminarily estimate the effects of a theory-driven, culture-tailored, community-based educational intervention promoting cervical cancer screening ...among rural females.
An experimental study with the two-arm parallel, nonrandomized control trial design was implemented, followed by individual semi-structured interviews. Thirty rural females between 26 and 64 were recruited, with 15 in each group. Both groups were exposed to the usual care about cervical cancer screening promotion from the local clinics, while participants in the intervention group additionally received five educational sessions in 5 weeks. Data were collected at baseline and immediately postintervention.
All participants completed the study, and the retention rate was 100%. Participants in the intervention group had more significant increments in cervical cancer screening-related self-efficacy (P < 0.001), knowledge (P < 0.001), and intention levels (P = 0.003) than those in the control group. Most participants showed acceptance and satisfaction with this educational intervention.
This study revealed that the theory-driven, culture-tailored, community-based educational intervention was feasible among the rural populations to promote cervical cancer screening. A large-scale interventional study with a prolonged follow-up duration is warranted to explore this educational intervention's effectiveness further.
The face recognition of familiar and unfamiliar people is an essential part of our daily lives. However, its neural mechanism and relevant electroencephalography (EEG) features are still unclear. In ...this study, a new EEG-based familiar and unfamiliar faces classification method is proposed. We record the multichannel EEG with three different face-recall paradigms, and these EEG signals are temporally segmented and filtered using a well-designed filter-bank strategy. The filter-bank differential entropy is employed to extract discriminative features. Finally, the support vector machine (SVM) with Gaussian kernels serves as the robust classifier for EEG-based face recognition. In addition, the F-score is employed for feature ranking and selection, which helps to visualize the brain activation in time, frequency, and spatial domains, and contributes to revealing the neural mechanism of face recognition. With feature selection, the highest mean accuracy of 74.10% can be yielded in face-recall paradigms over ten subjects. Meanwhile, the analysis of results indicates that the EEG-based classification performance of face recognition will be significantly affected when subjects lie. The time-frequency topographical maps generated according to feature importance suggest that the delta band in the prefrontal region correlates to the face recognition task, and the brain response pattern varies from person to person. The present work demonstrates the feasibility of developing an efficient and interpretable brain-computer interface for EEG-based face recognition.
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