Foot print patterns of the bound feet of a 90-year-old Chinese female were made to obtain insight into the ergonomic
consequences of a Chinese custom that caused significant disabilities for many ...women throughout history. Pressure patterns
were evaluated using the techniques applied to standard thumb print analsyis. A digital summary of the pressure
patterns were compared to the patterns obtained from a normal subject. The outcomes indicated that the bound foot produced
greater plantar tissue pressures than the non-bound foot. These observations help explain the discomfort, gait abnormalities,
and disabilities exhibited by many older women with bound feet living in China today. Although foot-binding
is no longer practiced, this study offers an ergonomic perspective on a custom practiced in China for centuries.
Heat transfer characteristics were determined for five types of men’s shoes
using a thermal foot manikin system capable of measuring heat resistance levels
of shoes. The manikin included 13 separate ...thermal segments that provided an
opportunity to differentiate thermal characteristics within selected regions of the
shoe. Measurements included the whole foot (i.e. all 13 segments), but focus was
placed on segments that were known to be most relevant to conductive heat loss.
It was found that total heat resistance for a man’s winter boot was 1.8 times
higher than the heat resistance of a man’s dress shoe. The measurements revealed
a significant difference between shoes in the lower foot segments. The dress shoe
exhibited resistance of 0.13 m2KW-1, while the resistance of the winter boot was
0.17 m2KW-1. This information is helpful in providing feedback to footwear
manufacturers who can design new products that offer better thermal comfort and
can provide improved shoe safety under extreme temperature conditions.
Abstract
Background and Purpose: Introduction of a foreign gene into plant genome may induce morphological and physiological alterations in transgenic plants. The purpose of this study was to assess ...the impact of gene introduction on morphology and photosynthetic activity of two transgenic alfalfa shoot cultures.
Material and Methods: In vitro maintained shoot cultures of alfalfa (Medicago sativa L. cv. Zaječarska 83) that were transformed with the oryzacystatin II (OC-II) gene and propagated on growth regulator-free medium were subjected to analysis of morphological characteristics and photosynthetic activity. For analysis of phological characteristics, the length of the main axis, the number of axillary and adventitious shoots, total number of leaves and the number of senesced leaves as well as plant dry mass were determined. Net photosynthetic rate was determined as CO2 influx using a LI-6200 closed photosynthesis system. Photosynthetic function was assessed as the rate of basic chlorophyll fluorescence and determined with a Plant Stress Meter by method of induced fluorometry. Chlorophyll content in leaf samples was determined spectrophotometrically.
Results: The most striking feature of transformed cultures was reduced apical dominance and the absence of adventitious roots. In comparisonwith control, main axis length was also reduced. In addition, a general decrease in photosynthesis in transgenic shoots was also observed.
Conclusion: Both morphology and the key processes in photosynthesis were modified in transgenic shoots.However, the fact that transgenic plants carry a gene that confers pest resistance gives potential agronomic value to at least some of the clones whose morphological characteristics and photosynthetic acivity were minimally disturbed.
