Search results for "31"
showing 10 items of 4401 documents
Buying Intentions Influenced by Various Determinants in Tourism
2014
Marketing has acquired a central role in tourism because it helps organizations to create value in transactions with buyers. Thus, this important area of any business process is used to educate consumers, to add value to their experience in tourism, and to seek new ways to reward loyalty through innovative schemes (e.g., programs for frequent travelers). This paper presents the examination of the responses of 154 tourists in relation to their intention to purchase a travel package and the factors that are usually decisive in the decision making process regarding tourism services, factors that could also create the loyalty that any tourism enterprise can create through marketing.
Global representation and multiscale expansion for the Dirichlet problem in a domain with a small hole close to the boundary
2019
For each pair (Formula presented.) of positive parameters, we define a perforated domain (Formula presented.) by making a small hole of size (Formula presented.) in an open regular subset (Formula presented.) of (Formula presented.) ((Formula presented.)). The hole is situated at distance (Formula presented.) from the outer boundary (Formula presented.) of the domain. Thus, when (Formula presented.) both the size of the hole and its distance from (Formula presented.) tend to zero, but the size shrinks faster than the distance. Next, we consider a Dirichlet problem for the Laplace equation in the perforated domain (Formula presented.) and we denote its solution by (Formula presented.) Our ai…
Constant Power Model in Arm Rotation—A New Approach to Hill’s Equation
2014
The purpose of this study was to further develop the constant power model of a previous study and to provide the final solution of Hill’s force-velocity equation. Forearm and whole arm rotations of three different subjects were performed downwards (elbow and shoulder extension) and upwards (elbow and shoulder flexion) with maximum velocity. These arm rotations were recorded with a special camera system and the theoretically derived model of constant maximum power was fitted to the experimentally measured data. The moment of inertia of the arm sectors was calculated using immersion technique for determining accurate values of friction coefficients of elbow and whole arm rotations. The experi…
Myostatin/activin blocking combined with exercise reconditions skeletal muscle expression profile of mdx mice
2015
Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy is characterized by muscle wasting and decreased aerobic metabolism. Exercise and blocking of myostatin/activin signaling may independently or combined counteract muscle wasting and dystrophies. The effects of myostatin/activin blocking using soluble activin receptor-Fc (sActRIIB-Fc) administration and wheel running were tested alone or in combination for seven weeks in dystrophic mdx mice. Expression microarray analysis revealed decreased aerobic metabolism in the gastrocnemius muscle of mdx mice compared to healthy mice. This was not due to reduced home-cage physical activity, and was further downregulated upon sActRIIB-Fc treatment in enlarged muscles. However…
Clinical reasoning and critical reflection in physiotherapists’ examinations of patients with low back pain in its early phase : a qualitative study …
2017
Aim: The aim of this study was to deepen the current understanding of physiotherapists’ decision-making process and more specifically, to investigate their reflections on their clinical reasoning when examining low back pain patients. Method: Data were collected in interviews with six physiotherapists, were the stimulated recall method was used. Interviews were audio-recorded and transcribed and then analysed by content analysis. Results: Physiotherapists critically analysed and reflected their choices and decisions in clinical reasoning with patient’s symptoms, onset of pain, clinical test choices and results. They stopped to consider the adequacy of tests for drawing conclusions and their…
The early changes in trunk muscle strength and disability following lumbar spine fusion
2012
To analyze trunk muscle function pre- and postoperatively in patients undergoing lumbar spine fusion. Associations between changes in trunk muscle strength and disability were also studied.A total of 114 patients undergoing lumbar spine fusion participated in the study. The flexion and extension strength of the trunk was measured preoperatively and 3 months after surgery using a strain-gauge dynamometer. Disability and pain during the past week was evaluated with the Oswestry disability index (ODI) and visual analog scale (VAS), respectively.Preoperative trunk extension and flexion strength levels were 319 N and 436 N in males, respectively, and 160 N and 214 N in females, respectively. In …
Walking and Running Require Greater Effort from the Ankle than the Knee Extensor Muscles.
2016
The knee and ankle extensors as human primary antigravity muscle groups are of utmost importance in a wide range of locomotor activities. Yet, we know surprisingly little about how these muscle groups work, and specifically, how close to their maximal capacities they function across different modes and intensity of locomotion. Therefore, to advance our understanding of locomotor constraints, we determined and compared relative operating efforts of the knee and ankle extensors during walking, running, and sprinting.Using an inverse dynamics biomechanical analysis, the muscle forces of the knee and ankle extensors during walking (1.6 m·s), running (4.1 m·s), and sprinting (9.3 m·s) were quant…
Micromechanical Properties and Collagen Composition of Ruptured Human Achilles Tendon
2012
Background:The Achilles tendon is one of the strongest tendons in the human body, and yet it frequently ruptures, which is a substantial clinical problem. However, the cause of ruptures remains elusive.Hypothesis:Ruptured human Achilles tendon displays inferior biomechanical properties and altered collagen composition compared with noninjured tendon.Study Design:Controlled laboratory study.Methods:Biopsy specimens were obtained at the rupture site and the noninjured part of the tendon (internal controls) in 17 patients with acute Achilles tendon rupture. Age- and weight-matched human cadaveric Achilles tendons (external controls) were also obtained. Tendon samples were tested micromechanica…
Knee extensor and flexor muscle power explains stair ascension time in patients with unilateral late-stage knee osteoarthritis: a cross-sectional stu…
2014
To determine the extent of asymmetrical deficits in knee extensor and flexor muscles, and to examine whether asymmetrical muscle deficits are associated with mobility limitations in persons with late-stage knee osteoarthritis (OA).Cross-sectional.Research laboratory.A clinical sample (N=56; age range, 50-75y) of eligible persons with late-stage knee OA awaiting knee replacement.Not applicable.Knee extensor and flexor power and torque assessed isokinetically; thigh muscle cross-sectional area (CSA) assessed by computed tomography; mobility limitation assessed by walking speed and stair ascension time; and pain assessed with the Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Osteoarthritis Index q…
Effects of muscle activation on shear between human soleus and gastrocnemius muscles
2015
Lateral connections between muscles provide pathways for myofascial force transmission. To elucidate whether these pathways have functional roles in vivo, we examined whether activation could alter the shear between the soleus (SOL) and lateral gastrocnemius (LG) muscles. We hypothesized that selective activation of LG would decrease the stretch-induced shear between LG and SOL. Eleven volunteers underwent a series of knee joint manipulations where plantar flexion force, LG, and SOL muscle fascicle lengths and relative displacement of aponeuroses between the muscles were obtained. Data during a passive full range of motion were recorded, followed by 20° knee extension stretches in both pass…