Hard Floor Research Articles

Development of a bionic hexapod robot with adaptive gait and clearance for enhanced agricultural field scouting.

High agility, maneuverability, and payload capacity, combined with small footprints, make legged robots well-suited for precision agriculture applications. In this study, we introduce a novel bionic hexapod robot designed for agricultural applications to address the limitations of traditional wheeled and aerial robots. The robot features a terrain-adaptive gait and adjustable clearance to ensure stability and robustness over various terrains and obstacles. Equipped with a high-precision Inertial Measurement Unit (IMU), the robot is able to monitor its attitude in real time to maintain balance. To enhance obstacle detection and self-navigation capabilities, we have designed an advanced version of the robot equipped with an optional advanced sensing system. This advanced version includes LiDAR, stereo cameras, and distance sensors to enable obstacle detection and self-navigation capabilities. We have tested the standard version of the robot under different ground conditions, including hard concrete floors, rugged grass, slopes, and uneven field with obstacles. The robot maintains good stability with pitch angle fluctuations ranging from -11.5° to 8.6° in all conditions and can walk on slopes with gradients up to 17°. These trials demonstrated the robot's adaptability to complex field environments and validated its ability to maintain stability and efficiency. In addition, the terrain-adaptive algorithm is more energy efficient than traditional obstacle avoidance algorithms, reducing energy consumption by 14.4% for each obstacle crossed. Combined with its flexible and lightweight design, our robot shows significant potential in improving agricultural practices by increasing efficiency, lowering labor costs, and enhancing sustainability. In our future work, we will further develop the robot's energy efficiency, durability in various environmental conditions, and compatibility with different crops and farming methods.

Assessing lameness prevalence and associated risk factors in crossbred dairy cows across diverse management environments

BackgroundA thorough understanding of lameness prevalence is essential for evaluating the impact of this condition on the dairy industry and assessing the effectiveness of preventive strategies designed to minimize its occurrence. Therefore, this cross-sectional study aimed to ascertain the prevalence of lameness and identify potential risk factors associated with lameness in Holstein Friesian crossbred cows across both commercial and smallholder dairy production systems in Bengaluru Rural District of Karnataka, India.MethodsThe research encompassed six commercial dairy farms and 139 smallholder dairy farms, involving a total of 617 Holstein Friesian crossbred cattle. On-site surveys were conducted at the farms, employing a meticulously designed questionnaire. Lameness in dairy cattle was assessed subjectively using a locomotion scoring system. Both bivariate and binary logistic regression models were employed for risk assessment, while principal components analysis (PCA) was conducted to address the high dimensionality of the data and capture the underlying structure of the explanatory variables.ResultsThe overall lameness prevalence of 21.9% in commercial dairy farms and 4.6% in smallholder dairy farms. Various factors such as age, body weight, parity, body condition score (BCS), floor type, hock and knee injuries, animal hygiene, provision of hoof trimming, and the presence of hoof lesions were found to be significantly associated with lameness. Binary logistic regression analysis indicated that the odds of lameness in crossbred cows increased with higher parity, decreased BCS, presence of hard flooring, poor animal hygiene, and the existence of hoof lesions. These factors were identified as potential risk factors for lameness in dairy cows. Principal component analysis unveiled five components explaining 71.32% of the total variance in commercial farms and 61.21% in smallholder dairy farms. The extracted components demonstrated higher loadings of housing and management factors (such as hoof trimming and provision of footbath) and animal-level factors (including parity, age, and BCS) in relation to lameness in dairy cows.ConclusionsThe findings suggest that principal component analysis effectively reduces the dimensionality of risk factors. Addressing these identified risk factors for lameness is crucial for the strategic management of lameness in dairy cows. Future research in India should investigate the effectiveness of management interventions targeted at the identified risk factors in preventing lameness in dairy cattle across diverse environments.

Attention and sensory integration for gait in young adults with autism spectrum disorder

IntroductionAltered sensorimotor function is a common feature of autism spectrum disorder (ASD). As a result, spatiotemporal walking patterns are typically affected. Attentional processes relevant for locomotion may be altered in people with ASD. This study assessed the extent to which gait alterations observed under sensory challenging conditions are due to reduced attention-related processes in young adults with ASD. MethodsTwenty-one adults with ASD and 21 age- and sex-matched neurotypical participants walked at a self-selected pace on a 10-m walkway under 12 sensory/attention conditions: hard or carpet flooring; well-lit or dim lighting; no attention task, an auditory choice-reaction time information-processing task, or a simple reaction time information-processing task. Gait data were collected with a 12-marker motion capture set and a trunk accelerometer. Spatiotemporal characteristics of gait were derived and compared between the two groups across gait conditions. ResultsFloor/light conditions impacted gait speed, average step length, average stance time, average step width, and step width variability similarly in both groups (p<0.05). The information processing tasks impacted average step length, gait speed, and step length variability (p<0.05). Group differences were found in step length metrics: the ASD group had decreased average step length during the simple reaction time information-processing task and neurotypical participants did not (p=0.039); the ASD group had increased variability on carpet compared to hard floor and the neurotypical group had no change in variability due to floor (p=0.015). SignificanceThese results suggest that attentional set-shifting and somatosensory inputs may play an important role in ASD-related gait alterations. Step length metrics appear to be sensitive to group differences between ASD and neurotypical adults during sensory challenging conditions.

THE RELATIONSHIP OF PARENTS USING THERAPEUTIC COMMUNICATION WITH TEMPER TANTRUM BEHAVIOR IN PRESCHOOL CHILDREN AT RT 021 RW 006 SUKAJAYA VILLAGE

Temper tantrum is an outburst of emotion that is out of control and out of control. The signs and symptoms of this temper tantrum vary, ranging from just whining, crying, screaming, rolling on the floor, kicking, hitting. The impact of this temper tantrum is quite dangerous. For example, a child who vents his frustration by rolling on a hard floor can cause injury to the child. According to data from the Indonesian Ministry of Health, the number of children aged 2-4 years in Indonesia who experience temper tantrums is quite large, which is around 19.39 million people. This study aims to determine the relationship between parents using therapeutic communication with temper tantrum behavior in preschool children in RT 021 RW 006 Sukajaya Village. This study used an analytical observational design with a cross sectional design. Sampling using non-probabilty sampling purposive sampling type with a total of 110 respondents. It was found that the results of the Chi Square test had a significant value of 0.045 &lt; a value (0.05). There is a relationship between parents using therapeutic communication with temper tantrum behavior in preschool age children in RT 021 RW 006 Sukajaya Village. There is a relationship between parents using therapeutic communication with temper tantrum behavior in preschool age children in RT 021 RW 006 Sukajaya.

Investigating Indoor Air Pollution Sources and Student’s Exposure Within School Classrooms: Using a Low‐Cost Sensor and Source Apportionment Approach

Indoor air quality is becoming one of the most important factors for public health, as people tend to spend more time indoors, either at home or at work. This paper combines the use of calibrated low‐cost particulate matter (PM) sensors with source apportionment algorithms to understand the factors that affect the indoor air quality within a typical UK school. Low‐cost optical particle counter (OPC) sensors were placed in three different classrooms within the school, measuring PM concentrations during a typical school week and the subsequent holiday period, to understand the role of occupancy within schools for air quality. When students were in attendance during school hours (09:00–15:30), the classroom with the greatest average PM levels had PM2.5 and PM10 mass concentrations of 14.4 and 51.0 μg/m3, respectively. During school hours, when students were present, all classrooms had average PM2.5 concentrations greater than 8.1 μg m−3 and average PM10 concentrations greater than 13.1 μg m−3. Notably, the English studies classroom exceeded the 24‐h WHO ambient PM10 guideline (45 μg m−3). Employing the non‐negative matrix factorization (NMF) algorithm for source apportionment revealed that between 93% and 98% of PM1 observed within classrooms derived from outdoor sources. This contribution diminished as particle size increased, with outdoor sources accounting for 74%–89% of PM2.5, and 19%–40% of PM10, respectively. The differences in classroom PM concentration and source percentages are attributed to differences in lesson activities, lesson frequency, flooring (carpeted versus hard flooring), location within the school, and proximity to outdoor sources such as roads. The approach described within the paper is easily translated to other indoor locations and could also be straightforwardly scaled due to its relatively low cost. Thereby, it allows for air quality management in locations crucial for the public health and educational outcomes of children.

Management practices and cow comfort of crossbred dairy cows in youth managed dairy farm enterprises, South Gondar Zone, Amhara Region, Ethiopia

Good dairy farming methods and cow comfort are essential variables in reproductive efficiency, milk output, milk quality, and dairy cow health. The purpose of this study was to look into the management techniques and cow comfort status of crossbred dairy cows in youth managed dairy farm enterprises in Ethiopia's Amhara region's South Gondar zone. All (20) youth-managed dairy farm enterprises were chosen and questioned using a pre-tested semi-structured questionnaire, and all (204) lactation dairy cows were chosen for cow comfort assessment. The SPSS version 22 program was used to analyze the data. According to the findings, the most common feed sources used for their dairy cattle were formulated and unformulated agro-industrial byproducts followed by non-conventional and hay. Piped (35%) and bore (30%) water were the most common water sources for dairy cattle, with the majority of farms allowing free access to water. The majority of dairy farm firms (70%) uses artificial insemination as well as bull services. The majority of dairy farm enterprises (55%) had shared sheds, followed by individual sheds (45%) built with government assistance (55%), and family (30%) with the same design and construction. The challenges confronting dairy farm enterprises were ranked feed scarcity and high feed costs first, followed by a lack of access to land, a lack of access to markets, and a lack of credit, whereas the opportunities for dairy farm enterprises were ranked first increased demand for milk and milk products first, followed by rapid urbanization, rapid population growth, and the availability of cheap labor. The vast majority of cows (92%) were severely lame, followed by moderate lameness (83%) and the vast majority of cows (52.5%) had moderately injured legs, followed by severely injured legs. The udder and leg cleanliness of most cows was mid cleanliness (52.7%), as opposed to dirty (30%) and clean (17.2%) with a low cow comfort index (0.48). The mean stall length, bed length, brisket board height, neck rail height, lung space, feeder height, and feeder width were 239±16 cm, 222.7±28.3 cm, 10.5±3.6cm, 61.5±15.3 cm, 128.15±21.5 cm, 40.6±8.7 cm, and 36.7±6.9 cm, respectively. The results also revealed that the overall floor softness scored marginal (45%) softness rather than hard (30%) and normal (25%) floor softness. The majority of dairy farm enterprises (55%) did not provide bedding material for their cows and, the bedding materials include straw, hay, and sawdust. Bedding materials are renewed once a month (37.5%), twice a week (37.5%), and once a week (25%). The frequency of manure removal was twice daily (60%), three times daily (30%), and once daily (20%). The findings revealed that the cow’s comfort status is poor, so it is recommended that the barn be renovated routine management practices be improved, and assistance from the government and other relevant stakeholders is required in order to obtain credit to renovate the cow barn and improve management practices.

Capitalizing on skin in orthotics design: the effects of texture on plantar intrinsic foot muscles during locomotion.

Foot orthoses (FO) are a commonly prescribed intervention to alter foot function during walking although their effects have been primarily studied in the extrinsic muscles of the foot. Furthermore, enhancing sensory feedback under the foot sole has been recently shown to alter extrinsic muscle activity during gait; however, the effects of FOs with enhanced sensory feedback on plantar intrinsic foot muscles (PIFMs) remain unknown. Thus, the purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of FOs with and without sensory facilitation on PIFM activity during locomotion. Forty healthy adults completed a series of gait trials in non-textured and textured FOs when walking over hard and soft flooring. Outcome measures included bilateral joint kinematics and electromyography (EMG) of four PIFMs. Results of this study highlight the distinct onset and cessations of each PIFM throughout the stance phase of gait. PIFMs remained active during mid-stance when wearing FOs and textured FOs facilitated muscle activity across the stance phase of gait. Increasing cutaneous input from foot sole skin, via the addition of texture under the foot sole, appears to alter motor-neuron pool excitation of PIFMs. Future academics are encouraged to increase our understanding on which pathologies, diseases, and/or medical conditions would best benefit from textured FOs.

The Floating Bottle

She yawned all over again, opened her eyes and rubbed them as if trying to punish them for refusing to close in the sleep her tired body needed like a famished man needs food. Nwanta stared steadily into the heavy darkness that drenched the small room. The same hazy figures that seem to find their way into her room filed in again. One by one they began to take and change shapes, move round the room in a circle and mutter and chant sounds she cannot comprehend. As their chants and mutterings got louder, Nwanta felt her head grow as big as the drinking water pot in her mother’s room. She sat up like one stung by an agbusi, grabbed the torchlight beside her sleeping mat with shivering hands, and immediately, the room was bathed in light. Her eyes flew to the bare hard floor and to the almost lifeless bodies of her children, Chukwuebuka and Chinonso. She sighed and smiled weakly. Then she turned the torch and her gaze to the yellow clock hanging above the only window in the room. 2.00 am! She muttered and sighed again. It was a good time to enjoy a sweet sleep but how could she with the heavy rock of worry in her heart. Last night she had taken to bed ‘21st April,’ marked in red, on the calendar her church distributed after the Last Sunday of the Year Service. Every year she marked the same date in red and kept one calendar after the other in the wooden box that accompanied her and her children to Lagos, from the village. Neatly tucked inside the box were sixteen old calendars, each bearing one marked date: April 21st. On Saturday 21st April 2005, seventeen years ago, Albert took that journey.

Efficient Use Of Squares in Winter Cities With ENVI-met Analysis and The Effects On Thermal Comfort

With the Covid-19 epidemic, open landscape areas have become more preferred instead of indoor spaces in cities. Outdoor use is related to whether the spaces are comfortable or not. The more comfortable the outdoor spaces are in terms of thermals, the more intensive its use. Erzurum city is a winter city and is in Dsb (winters are cold and rainy, summers are dry and hot) climate class. It has a very hot and dry climate in summer due to its high altitude, and a very harsh and cold climate in winter. Havuzbaşi City Square, which is one of the most used squares in Erzurum city center, was chosen as the working area and 4 alternatives were prepared with portable landscape designs. Most of the studies are focused on a single season, and both winter (January 2017) and summer (July 2017) seasons were evaluated in this study. In this context, ENVI-met analysis was made for the current situation and 4 different scenarios for both summer and winter months. In the climate analyzes made, air temperature, relative humidity, wind speed, Mean Radiant Temperature (MRT), Predicted Mean Vote (PMV) and Physiological Equivalent Temperature (PET) indexes were evaluated for 14:00, the hottest hour of the day. As a result of the evaluations, It has been revealed that city squares should not only have hard floors, but also green areas and other landscape design elements should be included in the squares. In addition, Alternative 4, which is a collective landscape design area in the middle of the square, gave the best results, increasing the average PET value to 0,3 ℃ for January and reducing 2,8 ℃ for July. As a result, thermal comfort increases as green space and landscape design elements are used in today's city squares.

The effects of seemingly nonbinding price floors: An experimental analysis

Price floors are common policies in markets for storable goods such as commodities, bankable emissions permits, and currencies. Hard price floors are implemented as unlimited government buybacks and prevent the price from falling below the floor; soft floors, whether implemented as limited buybacks or as reserve prices in emission permit auctions, allow the market price to fall below the floor. We specify and then test in the laboratory a two-period model with the same properties as our infinite-horizon model, Salant et al. (2022). Theory predicts that asset prices will respond to price floors even in a set of circumstances where the floor seems nonbinding. Most of our experimental findings are consistent with theoretical predictions: a seemingly nonbinding floor can cause the price and carryover to jump up, the jump is higher with a hard floor than a soft one, and when the floor is so low that the theory predicts no effect, none is observed. In contrast to theoretical predictions, however, the soft floor fails to increase the carryover and market price in our experiment.

A robust lateral shift free (LSF) electrothermal micromirror with flexible multimorph beams

Electrothermal bimorph-based scanning micromirrors typically employ standard silicon dioxide (SiO2) as the electrothermal isolation material. However, due to the brittle nature of SiO2, such micromirrors may be incapable to survive even slight collisions, which greatly limits their application range. To improve the robustness of electrothermal micromirrors, a polymer material is incorporated and partially replaces SiO2 as the electrothermal isolation and anchor material. In particular, photosensitive polyimide (PSPI) is used, which also simplifies the fabrication process. Here, PSPI-based electrothermal micromirrors have been designed, fabricated, and tested. The PSPI-type micromirrors achieved an optical scan angle of ±19.6° and a vertical displacement of 370 μm at only 4 Vdc. With a mirror aperture size of 1 mm × 1 mm, the PSPI-type micromirrors survived over 200 g accelerations from either vertical or lateral directions in impact experiments. In the drop test, the PSPI-type micromirrors survived falls to a hard floor from heights up to 21 cm. In the standard frequency sweeping vibration test, the PSPI-type micromirrors survived 21 g and 29 g acceleration in the vertical and lateral vibrations, respectively. In all these tests, the PSPI-type micromirrors demonstrated at least 4 times better robustness than SiO2-type micromirrors fabricated in the same batch.

Tracing recent outdoor geolocation by analyzing microbiota from shoe soles and shoeprints even after indoor walking

The microbial communities on shoe soles and shoeprints could carry microbial information about where someone walked. This is possible evidence to link a suspect in a crime case to a geographic location. A previous study had shown that the microbiota found on shoe soles depend on the microbiota of the soil on which people walk. However, there is a turnover of microbial communities on shoe soles during walking. The impact of microbial community turnover on tracing recent geolocation from shoe soles has not been adequately studied. In addition, it is still unclear whether the microbiota of shoeprints can be used to determine recent geolocation. In this preliminary study, we investigated whether the microbial characteristics of shoe soles and shoeprints can be used to trace geolocation and whether this information can be destroyed by walking on indoor floors. In this study, participants were asked to walk outdoors on exposed soil, then walk indoors on a hard wood floor. High-throughput sequencing of the 16S rRNA gene was performed to characterize the microbial communities of shoe soles, shoeprints, indoor dust, and outdoor soil. Samples of shoe soles and shoeprints were collected at steps 5, 20, and 50 while walking indoors. The PCoA result showed that the samples were clustered by geographic origin. The shoeprint showed a more rapid turnover of microbial community than the shoe sole during indoor walking. The result of FEAST showed that the microbial communities of shoe sole and shoeprint were mainly (shoe sole, 86.21∼92.34 %; shoeprint, 61.66∼90.41 %) from the soil of the outdoor ground where the individual recently walked, and a small portion (shoe sole, 0.68∼3.33 %; shoeprint, 1.43∼27.14 %) from the indoor dust. Based on the matching of microbial communities between geolocation and shoe sole or shoeprint, we were able to infer the recent geolocation of the individual with relatively high accuracy using the random forest prediction model (shoe sole: 100.00 %, shoeprint: 93.33∼100.00 %). Overall, we are able to accurately infer the geolocation of an individual’s most recent outdoor walk based on the microbiota of shoe sole and shoeprint, even though these microbiotas show a turnover when walking indoor floor. The pilot study was expected to provide a potential method for tracing recent geolocation of suspects.

Parameter search of a CPG network using a genetic algorithm for a snake robot with tactile sensors moving on a soft floor.

When a snake robot explores a collapsed house as a rescue robot, it needs to move through various obstacles, some of which may be made of soft materials, such as mattresses. In this study, we call mattress-like environment as a soft floor, which deforms when some force is added to it. We focused on the central pattern generator (CPG) network as a control for the snake robot to propel itself on the soft floor and constructed a CPG network that feeds back contact information between the robot and the floor. A genetic algorithm was used to determine the parameters of the CPG network suitable for the soft floor. To verify the obtained parameters, comparative simulations were conducted using the parameters obtained for the soft and hard floor, and the parameters were confirmed to be appropriate for each environment. By observing the difference in snake robot's propulsion depending on the presence or absence of the tactile sensor feedback signal, we confirmed the effectiveness of the tactile sensor considered in the parameter search.

H κατοικία στην επικράτεια της Κορίνθου από την Αρχαϊκή έως και την Ελληνιστική περίοδο. Μια πρώτη κριτική προσέγγιση

H κατοικία στην επικράτεια της Κορίνθου από την Αρχαϊκή έως και την Ελληνιστική περίοδο. Μια πρώτη κριτική προσέγγιση

Effects of the direction of Kinesio taping on sensation and postural control before and after muscle fatigue in healthy athletes

In this study, Kinesio tape (KT) was applied in two different directions to the gastrocnemius muscle, the most important muscle in stance stability, to investigate the effect of different taping directions on overall balance and sensation systems before versus after muscle fatigue. The participants, comprising 45 healthy athletes, were randomly divided into three groups: the placebo taping group (PTG), the facilitation KT group (FKTG), and the inhibition KT group (IKTG). The tests involved in this study were a balance test, a superficial sensory function test, and a combined cortical sensation test. The data from these tests were collected before taping, after taping and a 10-min rest, and immediately after continuous heel raises were performed to fatigue. The results of the balance tests showed no significant group × time interaction, whether subjects stood barefoot on one foot or stood on a soft mat with eyes open or closed (p > 0.05). Only the sway distance and sway velocity of the center of pressure (COP) when subjects stood barefoot on one foot with eyes open were significantly higher in the inhibition taping group than in the placebo taping group (p < 0.05). In addition, significant differences were noted in the sway area and sway distance of the COP before taping, after taping, and after exercise to fatigue when the participants stood on the soft mat with their eyes open (p < 0.05). When the participants stood on the soft mat on one foot with their eyes closed, no significant differences were noted among the groups. When subjects stood on a soft mat on one foot with eyes open, significant improvements were noted after fatiguing exercise versus before taping for all three groups (p < 0.05). The results of the superficial sensory test showed no significant group × time interaction and no difference among the three taping conditions or before/after taping and after fatiguing exercise. Only in the two-point discrimination test was a sensory difference observed, with the facilitation taping group having a significantly shorter discrimination distance than the placebo taping and inhibition taping groups (p < 0.05). The present study showed that KT application for a simple balance task (e.g., barefoot on a hard floor with eyes open) may slightly influence postural control, especially when the inhibition method is used. However, more difficult balance tasks (e.g., barefoot on a soft mat with eyes closed) show no effect of KT application—either the facilitation method or the inhibition method—on posture control.

Quantitative analysis of knowledge, attitude and practice of workers in chicken slaughter slabs toward food safety and hygiene in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso

IntroductionIn low- and middle-income countries, chicken serves as a cheap source of protein and an income source for many households. It is particularly important in the capital, Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso, where chicken is regularly consumed. However, hygiene standards are very low, posing a significant public health risk.MethodsTo better understand the food safety situation, we conducted a cross-sectional survey of the hygienic practices of 155 randomly selected chicken slaughter outlets and carcass shops with a semi-structured questionnaire.Results and discussionOf the outlets visited, 59% are not licensed, and 63% are not regularly inspected, operating in the dominant, largely unregulated informal sector. More than 80% of the chickens are sourced from village production systems, but around 6% of the birds die during transport. The monetary loss due to chicken death during transportation is around four million USD annually. Market hygiene is poor; 86% of the holding pens have no hard floor and are not washed regularly. Almost all (92%) chickens are slaughtered on bare earth floors; bleeding, plucking, and evisceration are done on a wooden table that is rarely washed. On average, the same scalding water is used for 33 birds, seven scalded at a time. Most respondents (49%) thought that plucking and evisceration were the major cause of contamination of carcasses with foodborne pathogens. Most operators only washed their hands and knives with tap water at the beginning of the slaughtering process. Some shops use refrigerators and freezers to store carcasses before selling. However, they store carcasses with other foods like fish, beef and vegetables, facilitating further cross-contamination. There were rats (26%), cats (39%) and dogs (30%) present at outlets, roaming for food, especially roadside outlets. Training schemes on hygienic food handling practices were favoured by outlets as an approach to improve matters; however, improvements in food safety will be limited without significant upgrades in infrastructure and facilities. Slaughter slabs need a standard house with stable energy, adequate airflow, clean water, toilets, detergents and freezers. Also, they need equipment like knives, tables and dishes made of high-quality, easy-to-clean materials.

Can the F-Scan in-shoe pressure system be combined with the GAITRite® temporal and spatial parameter-recording walkway as a cost-effective alternative in clinical gait analysis? A validation study

BackgroundClinical gait analysis is widely used to aid the assessment and diagnosis of symptomatic pathologies. Foot function pressure systems such as F-scan and analysis of the spatial–temporal parameters of gait using GAITRite® can provide clinicians with a more comprehensive assessment. There are systems however, such as Strideway™ that can measure these parameters simultaneously but can be expensive. F-Scan in-shoe pressure data is normally collected whilst the person is walking on a hard floor surface. The effects of the softer Gaitrite® mat upon the F-Scan in-shoe sensor pressure data is unknown. This study therefore aimed to assess the agreement between F-Scan pressure measurements taken from a standard walkway (normal hard floor), and those from a GAITRite® walkway to establish whether these two pieces of equipment (in-shoe F-Scan and GAITRite®) can be used simultaneously, as a cost-effective alternative.MethodTwenty-three participants first walked on a standard floor and then on a GAITRite® walkway wearing F-Scan pressure sensor insoles with same footwear. They repeated these walks three times on each surface. Mid gait protocols were utilised by analysing the contact pressure of the first and second metatarsophalangeal joint of the third, fifth and seventh step from each walk. For both joints, 95% Bland–Altman Limits of Agreement was used to determine a level of agreement between the two surfaces, using mean values from pressure data collected from participants who successfully completed all required walks. The intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) and Lin’s concordance correlation coefficient were calculated as indices of reliability.FindingsICC results for the hard surface and the GAITRrite® walkway at the first and second metatarsophalangeal joints were 0.806 and 0.991 respectively. Lin’s concordance correlation coefficient for the first and second metatarsophalangeal joints were calculated to be 0.899 and 0.956 respectively. Both sets of statistics indicate very good reproducibility. Bland–Altman plots revealed good repeatability of data at both joints.ConclusionThe level of agreement in F-Scan plantar pressures observed between walking on a normal hard floor and on a GAITRite® walkway was very high, suggesting that it is feasible to use F-Scan with GAITRite® together in a clinical setting, as an alternative to other less cost-effective standalone systems. Although it is assumed combining F-Scan with GAITRite® does not affect spatiotemporal analysis, this was not validated in this study.

Occurrence of claw asymmetries in fattening pigs and potential impact on the development of sole ulcerations

BackgroundClaw abnormalities, particularly claw asymmetries, are associated with lameness in pigs and can be a welfare issue. However, the prevalence and development of claw asymmetries in pigs of different age is unknown. Therefore, the aim of this study was to analyze the claw symmetry over the pig lifetime from birth to slaughter as well as the occurrence of sole ulcerations in fattening pigs possibly caused by such asymmetric claws.ResultsFrom third day of life until slaughtering, asymmetric growth of the claws was detected more frequently and more severely with increasing age as determined by three-step scoring. Sole ulcerations were detected in slaughtered pigs only with a prevalence of 64.2% (197/307 examined animals). The risk for a sole ulceration was 3.6-fold higher for pigs with strongly asymmetric claws (≥ 30% size difference of the claw footing area) compared to slightly asymmetric claws (≥ 5–15% size difference of the claw footing area) (odds ratio (OR) = 3.6). It was even higher for pigs showing intermediately asymmetric claws (≥ 15–30% size difference of the claw footing area) (OR = 2.7).ConclusionsThe study showed a significant increase in the prevalence of claw asymmetries over the pigs’ lifetime, which can lead to serious pathologic findings with increasing age such as sole ulcerations. Most likely, the unbalanced weight load on single claws in combination with hard flooring can result in claw damages. Moreover, a genetic component cannot be excluded because claw asymmetries were already detected in suckling piglets.

Investigation of an alternative force input method for impact sound rating

Impact testing has been in use since 1927 for acoustic testing of floor ceiling assemblies. The process used in the United States is defined in the ASTM E1007 standard. This testing method produces an Impact Sound Rating (ISR) which is a measure of the impact sound isolation between an upper and lower room and is used in industry for assessment and comparison of constructions. A standard tapping machine is used to generate an input force. The intent is to deliver a consistent input across all floors; however, the actual input force is dependent on the impedance of the impact device and floor. A soft floor may have a significantly different force than a hard floor. This variance is not accounted for when computing the ISR, resulting in less meaningful test results. This paper investigates an alternative method of impact force generation though the creation of a machine purpose built to measure the input force on any type of floor ceiling assembly. Measurement of the input force would allow for FRF calculations which may be a more informative method of sound isolation evaluation.

Sideways crab-walking is faster and more efficient than forward walking for a hexapod robot

Articulated legs enable the selection of robot gaits, including walking in different directions such as forward or sideways. For longer distances, the best gaits might maximize velocity or minimize the cost of transport (COT). While animals often have morphology suited to walking either forward (like insects) or sideways (like crabs), hexapod robots often default to forward walking. In this paper, we compare forward walking with crab-like sideways walking. To do this, a simple gait design method is introduced for determining forward and sideways gaits with equivalent body heights and step heights. Specifically, the frequency and stride lengths are tuned within reasonable constraints to find gaits that represent a robot’s performance potential in terms of speed and energy cost. Experiments are performed in both dynamic simulation in Webots and a laboratory environment with our 18 degree-of-freedom hexapod robot, Sebastian. With the common three joint leg design, the results show that sideways walking is overall better (75% greater walking speed and 40% lower COT). The performance of sideways walking was better on both hard floors and granular media (dry play sand). This supports development of future crab-like walking robots for future applications. In future work, this approach may be used to develop nominal gaits without extensive optimization, and to explore whether the advantages of sideways walking persist for other hexapod designs.