Differences in Running Mechanics Between Overweight/Obese and Healthy Weight Children

Background/Purpose: Physical activity is commonly prescribed to reduce childhood obesity. However, due to differences in mechanics during low-impact activities, such as walking, obese children may be more prone to negative physical complications during high-impact activities, such as running. Therefore, this study analyzed the mechanical differences in running mechanics between healthy weight (HW) and overweight/obese (OV/OB) children. We hypothesized that when compared to HW children, OV/OB children would display higher vertical loading, greater joint moments and greater joint angular impulses during running. We also expect decreased sagittal plane range of motion and increased frontal plane range of motion of the hip, knee, and ankle joints in the OV/OB group during running. Methods: Ground reaction force (GRF) and joint kinematic data were collected for 42 children (25 HW, 17 OV/OB) while they ran across an implanted GRF platform at a given speed of 3.5 ± 5% m/s. Spatial-temporal and joint kinetic data (ankle, knee, & hip) were also determined. A one-way ANOVA was used to compare group differences for all variables of interest (

An inverse gas-solid chromatographic study of the adsorption heterogeneity of aluminum oxide powders used in ceramic processing

Ceramic processing suffers from a paucity of information regarding the exact chemical nature of the surface of the raw material powders. Different lots powder (e.g. alumina), when used in the same process, may result in ceramics having vastly differing properties. A rapid, accurate method of measurement of the surface energy distribution of these materials would be valuable. Using alumina as a model material and porous layer open tubular columns, the methodology required to measure the adsorption isotherm by the Elution at a Characteristic Point (ECP) method has been developed. A critical discussion of the various steps involved, such as detector calibration and relationship between the chromatographic peak shape and the adsorption isotherm is presented. A new method for determination of the adsorption energy distribution function, which is applicable to any convex upwards adsorption isotherm, has been developed. This robust and accurate method offers several advantages over existing techniques which are discussed. The validity of the model and the accuracy of its solutions are critically evaluated. Finally, the reproducibility of thermodynamic parameters (e.g. average adsorption energy) obtained using specific probe solutes, and the ability of the method to discriminate between different samples having the same nominal composition is demonstrated

Heat capacity studies of solid poly(amino acids)

Heat capacities of sixteen poly(amino acids), based on the twenty naturally occurring amino acids, and four copolymers of poly(amino acids) were analyzed using approximate group vibrations and fitting of the skeletal vibrations to a two parameter (θ1, θ3) Tarasov function. New experimental heat capacities were measured by differential scanning calorimetry in the temperature range 220 to 390 K. Good agreement between our experimental data and the calculated data was observed for all but two of the biopolymers, poly(L-methionine) and poly(L-serine). Previous investigations on the three simplest poly(amino acids) - polyglycine, poly(L-alanine), and poly(L-valine) showed agreement between calculation and reported experimental data for only limited, low temperature ranges. At higher temperatures, discrepancies of up to 55% existed between experiment and calculation. It is shown that systematic experimental errors plagued these earlier investigations. In fact, the most likely source of error in these earlier investigations was the presence of removable water. Recommended experimental data are revised on the basis of this investigation. Computed heat capacities are available for all the biopolymers studied in the solid state from 0 to 1000 K. For poly(L-serine) and poly(L-methionine), the lack of agreement between experiment and calculation is attributed to the presence of a broadened glass transition. For the remaining four poly(amino acids), attempts were made to calculate heat capacities based on the results of the sixteen that were measured

Doing More with Less; the MU Skeleton Crew

This presentation will address the budgetary problems libraries are facing, past and present, and the ways in which Marshall University Libraries are dealing with myriad issues that affect library services. We are… the MU Skeleton Crew

Collective bargaining in the Australian public service: From New Public Management to public value

In 2022, Australia's Labor Opposition pledged to reintroduce collective bargaining covering the whole Australian public service (APS) if elected. The elected Labor government is now implementing this ground-breaking reform. The APS has, since 1997, bargained at the agency level with no mandated common terms and conditions of employment applying across the service. This has led to pay dispersion and inequity, and fragmentation of the terms and conditions of employment. The current negotiations aim to rectify this situation. We argue that these reforms represent an ideological shift and a repudiation of New Public Management (NPM) towards a public value approach, which also incorporates being a model employer. We consider whether this refocusing will overcome the problems inherent in the system of bargaining practised under an NPM framework. We examine some of the most important items being negotiated at the time of writing, namely, wages, job security, flexible working, paid parental leave and paid family and domestic violence leave. We conclude that the new approach will overcome the legacy of the previous bargaining system to benefit individuals and the APS as a whole. We further conclude that this public value approach substantially fulfils the government's ideal of becoming a model employer