METHODS: The system components and hand prototypes involve the anthropometry, CAD design and prototyping, biomechatronics engineering together with the prosthetics. The modeler construction of the system develop allows the ultrasonic sensors that are placed on the shoulder to generate the wrist movement of the prosthesis. The kinematics of wrist movement, which are the pronation/supination and flexion/extension were tested using the motion analysis and general motion of human hand were compared. The study also evaluated the require degree of detection for the input of the ultrasonic sensor to generate the wrist movements.
RESULTS: The values collected by the vicon motion analysis for biomechatronics prosthesis system were reliable to do the common tasks in daily life. The degree of the head needed to bend to give the full input wave was about 45°-55° of rotation or about 14 cm-16 cm. The biomechatronics wrist prosthesis gave higher degree of rotation to do the daily tasks but did not achieve the maximum degree of rotation.
CONCLUSION: The new development of using sensor and actuator in generating the wrist movements will be interesting for used list in medicine, robotics technology, rehabilitations, prosthetics and orthotics.
METHODS: This is a follow-up study among 84 obese housewives without co-morbidities aged 18 to 59 years old who previously participated as a control group (delayed intervention, G1) in the My Body is Fit and Fabulous at Home (MyBFF@home) Phase II. Baseline data were obtained from 12 month data collection for this group. A new group of 42 obese housewives with co-morbidities (G2) were also recruited. Both groups received a 6 month intervention (July-December 2015) consisting of dietary counselling, physical activity (PA) and self-monitoring tools (PA diary, food diary and pedometer). Study parameters included weight, height, waist circumference, blood pressure and body compositions. Body compositions were measured using a bioelectrical impedance analysis device, Inbody 720. Descriptive and repeated measures ANOVA analyses were performed using SPSS 21.
RESULTS: There were reductions in mean body fat, fat mass and visceral fat area, particularly among obese women without co-morbidities. There were also decreases fat and skeletal muscle from baseline to month six with mean difference - 0.12 (95% CI: -0.38, 0.14) and visceral fat area from month three to month six with mean difference - 9.22 (- 17.87, - 0.56) for G1. G2 showed a decreasing pattern of skeletal muscle from baseline to month six with mean difference - 0.01(95% CI: -0.38, 0.37). There was a significant difference for group effect of visceral fat area (p Weight management efforts are therefore not as straightforward in those with co-morbidities compared to those without, and require thorough and tailor-made strategies for a better chance of success.
Methods: Nineteen young state-level weightlifters performed concentric strength tests of the upper limbs using an isokinetic dynamometer. Peak torque/body weight was measured for each weightlifter in dominant and non-dominant limbs.
Results: Peak torque/body weight was significantly different in external rotation (p 0.05). Time to peak torque in external rotation was less in the dominant than in the non-dominant limb. However, opposite results were obtained in external rotation, whereby time to peak torque was longer in the dominant limb compared to the non-dominant limb. Similarly, no significant difference was found between dominant and non-dominant limbs in terms of average power (p > 0.05).
Conclusions: The findings of this study may help in establishing potential imbalance in variables of muscular contractions between dominant and non-dominant limbs of weightlifters. This may help to maximise performance and minimise potential shoulder injury.