Search results for "Stiffness"

Effects of moderate vs. high iso-inertial loads on power, velocity, work and hamstring contractile function after flywheel resistance exercise.

2019

Flywheel iso-inertial training has been shown to positively affect muscular strength and sports performance (e.g. agility). However, implementing such eccentrically-biased training during a microcycle needs to be carefully planned due to its purported effects on the neuromuscular system that can last for hours/days post-exercise. This study aimed at using tensiomyography to verify the effects of different inertias during the hip extension exercise on the contractile function of biceps femoris and semitendinosus muscles of the dominant leg for up to 72 hours post-exercise. Thirty participants (24.4 ± 3.4 years) were divided into 0.075 or 0.1 kg·m2 inertia groups and a control group. Magnitud…

Acute effects of static and dynamic stretching on the neuromuscular system

2019

Stretching is traditionally incorporated into pre-exercise routines in health, rehabilitation and sporting environments to condition the neuromuscular system for exercise. While a large body of evidence reported that stretching may acutely impair the subsequent muscular performance, some conflicting results highlight possible mitigating factors of neuromuscular responses variability. Because the limited data available do not present a clear consensus, the aim of this thesis was to investigate the effects of different factors on neuromuscular responses to stretch: the muscle group, the stretch duration and modality. By means of four studies, it has been shown that static stretching may alter…

The Fatty Liver Assessment in Germany (FLAG) cohort study identifies large heterogeneity in NAFLD care

2020

Background & Aims NAFLD is a growing health concern. The aim of the Fatty Liver Assessment in Germany (FLAG) study was to assess disease burden and provide data on the standard of care from secondary care. Methods The FLAG study is an observational real-world study in patients with NAFLD enrolled at 13 centres across Germany. Severity of disease was assessed by non-invasive surrogate scores and data recorded at baseline and 12 months. Results In this study, 507 patients (mean age 53 years; 47% women) were enrolled. According to fibrosis-4 index, 64%, 26%, and 10% of the patients had no significant fibrosis, indeterminate stage, and advanced fibrosis, respectively. Patients with advanced fib…

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2017

Increased Arterial Augmentation and Augmentation Index as Surrogate Parameters for Arteriosclerosis in Subjects with Diabetes Mellitus and Nondiabeti…

2007

Background: Arterial augmentation (AP) and the augmentation index (Aix) are surrogate parameters of arterial stiffness and are commonly used as predictors for cardiovascular risk. The aim of this study is to compare these parameters in diabetic subjects and nondiabetic cardiovascular risk subjects with healthy control subjects. Methods: One hundred sixty-six nonsmoking subjects aged between 35 and 70 years were included in the study, which included 100 subjects with cardiovascular disease but not diabetes (mean age 62.73±8.75 years), 33 subjects with type 2 diabetes (66.58±2.69 years), and 33 healthy controls (51.89±8.91 years). In these subjects, arterial stiffness was measured by the diff…

Damage Identification of Beams Using Static Test Data

2003

A damage identification procedure for beams under static loads is presented. Damage is modelled through a damage distribution function which determines a variation of the beam stiffness with respect to a reference condition. Using the concept of the equivalent superimposed deformation, the equations governing the static problem are recast in a Fredholm’s integral equation of the second kind in terms of bending moments. The solution of this equation is obtained through an iterative procedure as well as in closed form. The latter is explicitly dependent from the damage parameters, thus, it can be conveniently used to set-up a damage identification procedure. Some numerical results are present…

Fractional characteristic times and dissipated energy in fractional linear viscoelasticity

2016

Abstract In fractional viscoelasticity the stress–strain relation is a differential equation with non-integer operators (derivative or integral). Such constitutive law is able to describe the mechanical behavior of several materials, but when fractional operators appear, the elastic and the viscous contribution are inseparable and the characteristic times (relaxation and retardation time) cannot be defined. This paper aims to provide an approach to separate the elastic and the viscous phase in the fractional stress–strain relation with the aid of an equivalent classical model (Kelvin–Voigt or Maxwell). For such equivalent model the parameters are selected by an optimization procedure. Once …

Analysis of infilled frames using A coupled finite element and boundary element solution scheme

1988

The behaviour of infilled frames subjected to horizontal loads is analysed by an iterative numerical procedure. The stiffness of the structural system is determined with variations in geometrical and mechanical characteristics. The analysis is carried out utilizing the boundary element method (BEM) for the infill and opportunely dividing the frame into finite elements, so as to transform the mutual interactions of the two subsystems into stresses distributed along the boundary for the infill and into nodal actions for the frame. This makes it possible to take into account the separation arising between the two substructures when mutual tensile stresses are involved. At first, infills withou…

2021

Background Vascular alterations induced by antineoplastic treatment might be considered as a possible underlying mechanism of increased cardiovascular sequelae in childhood cancer survivors (CCSs). We aimed to evaluate arterial stiffness among long‐term CCSs and to compare the data against a population‐based sample. Methods and Results Arterial stiffness was assessed by digital photoplethysmography (stiffness index; m/s) among 1002 participants of the CVSS (Cardiac and Vascular Late Sequelae in Long‐Term Survivors of Childhood Cancer) study, diagnosed with neoplasia (1980–1990) before an age of 15 years. A population‐based sample from the GHS (Gutenberg Health Study) (n=5252) was investiga…

Optimal Design of New Steel Connections

2018

The Limited Resistance Rigid Perfectly Plastic Hinge (LRPH) are special steel connections mainly usable to join beam elements of plane or spatial steel frames. The fundamental characteristics of these devices are the mutual independence of their own resistance and stiffness features as well as the respect of assigned constraints related to the elastic and limit behaviour of the joined elements. Within the frame structural scheme, the device plays the role of a rigid perfectly plastic hinge, constituted by a suitably sized sandwich section. The efficient use of the LRPH in the relevant frame depends on the appropriate design of the device geometry. In the present paper, a new approach devote…