Maximal Force Levels Research Articles

Uptight responses between clenching and forearm raising with factors of visual feedback and maintenance effort in healthy young women: An experimental study on factorial design

BackgroundTo achieve different central preset force levels requires various fine-tuning efforts and may elicit different uptight responses. The mandibular lever system has a distinct regularity in the fine-tuning function of the upper limbs. The purpose of the present study was to detect whether the uptight responses elicited from motivating clenching differ from those induced by motivating forearm raising at different force levels.MethodsTwenty-five healthy females were enrolled in this study. The target was low, medium, and maximum force levels with or without visual feedback and/or maintenance effort. Surface electromyographic (SEMG) activity was recorded from the bilateral anterior temporalis and masseter or left biceps brachii muscle (BicL), and the T-Scan III System synchronously recorded the sensitive force values. The uptight responses and task difficulties were recorded for occlusal and left forearm lifting tasks using a unique visual analogue scale.ResultsThe highest uptight response value was achieved at a low clenching force level with visual feedback requiring no maintenance effort but at a maximum forearm-raising force level with visual feedback and maintenance effort. The SEMG activities of both jaw-closing muscles and BicL were associated with the central preset force level (P < 0.001). However, the maintenance effort only increased the jaw-closing muscles’ SEMG activity at the maximal force level (P < 0.001).ConclusionsClenching at the central preset lower force level with visual feedback is prone to elicit a higher degree of uptight response. The constant need for a low-intensity bite can have a negative effect on an individual's mood.

Unintentional force drifts across the human fingers: implications for the neural control of finger tasks.

We explored the unintentional force drift across the four fingers of the dominant hand during accurate force production in isometric conditions caused by turning the visual feedback on force off. Our hypotheses were that the Index finger would show smallest drifts and best ability to eliminate the drifts with knowledge of performance in previous trials. Young healthy subjects produced force at 20% of the maximal force level by one finger at a time. There was no significant difference among the fingers in the root mean square error of force during performance with visual feedback. Turning visual feedback off caused force drift to lower magnitudes. The magnitude of force drift was the largest during tasks performed by the Index finger. After each block of twelve trials, the subjects were given feedback on the drift magnitude in that block and used it to correct performance in future trials. There was a total of six blocks. The magnitude of drift correction between consecutive blocks correlated with the magnitude of drift in the earlier block only after the second and fourth blocks. The Index finger failed to improve its performance more than other fingers and demonstrated significant residual drifts to lower force magnitudes in the sixth block of trials. These findings falsified both our hypotheses. Taken together with earlier studies showing advantage of the Index finger across a variety of tasks that require quick and accurate changes in performance, our results suggest that effector specialization along the stability-agility continuum is not limited to the phenomenon of cortical arm/hand dominance but can also be seen across fingers of a hand controlled by the same hemisphere, possibly reflecting the differences in the finger role in prehensile tasks.

Producing a Dissimilar Joint of Copper to Austenitic Stainless Steel by Ultrasonic Welding

Abstract There are several possibilities for establishing a cohesion joint between dissimilar metals. In the case of thin sheets, the ultrasonic welding process is suitable. This process can establish a cohesion joint rapidly, with a low heat input between the thin sheets. The authors have tried to determine the optimal ultrasonic welding parameters for copper and austenite stainless steel joining by using an experimental method of joining. Suitable results were obtained by welding tests due dissimilarities in the chemical, physical and mechanical properties of the copper and stainless steel. A standard size sheet thickness and test sample was used for the welding by different parameters. The parameters were refined based on the theoretical and practical knowledge during the experiments. The experimental welding was made by a Branson L20 type welder machine. The joint made by the different parameters was inspected by shearing-tensile tests (maximal force level).

Characteristics of motor unit recruitment in boys and men at maximal and submaximal force levels.

The aim of this study was to compare voluntary activation (VA) and motor units (MU) recruitment patterns between boys and men at different contraction levels of the knee extensor muscles. We hypothesized that boys and men would display similar VA and MU recruitment patterns at low submaximal force levels, but that boys would display a lower utilization of their higher-threshold MU and a lower VA at near-maximal and maximal force levels than men. 11 prepubertal boys and 13 men were tested at the optimal knee angle. Next, VA was assessed using the twitch interpolation technique during maximal (MVC) and submaximal isometric voluntary contractions. Mean firing rate (MFR), recruitment threshold (RT) and motor unit action potential size (MUAPSIZE) were extracted to characterize neural strategies. No significant difference between groups was found for VA at every contraction level. Similarly, no significant difference was found for the MFR vs. RT relationship parameters between groups. For the vastus lateralis (VL) muscle, the MUAPSIZE vs. RT relationship differed between boys and men independent of the contraction level (p < 0.05). Boys also displayed a different MFR vs. MUAPSIZE relationship on the VL muscle independent of the contraction level (p < 0.05). To conclude, no difference between boys and men was found for VA regardless of the contraction level investigated. Differences in motor unit recruitment parameters between boys and men seem to be explained by different muscle dimensions between groups.

Neuromuscular Fatigue Does Not Impair the Rate of Force Development in Ballistic Contractions of Submaximal Amplitudes.

The effect of muscle fatigue on rate of force development (RFD) is usually assessed during tasks that require participants to reach as quickly as possible maximal or near-maximal force. However, endurance sports require athletes to quickly produce force of submaximal, rather than maximal, amplitudes. Thus, this study investigated the effect of muscle fatigue induced by long-distance running on the capacity to quickly produce submaximal levels of force. Twenty-one male amateur runners were evaluated before and shortly after a half-marathon race. Knee extensors force was recorded under maximal voluntary and electrically evoked contractions. Moreover, a series of ballistic contractions at different submaximal amplitudes (from 20 to 100% of maximal voluntary force) was obtained, by asking the participants to reach submaximal forces as fast as possible. The RFD was calculated for each contraction. After the race, maximal voluntary activation, resting doublet twitch, maximal force, and RFD during maximal contraction decreased (-12, -12, -21, and -19%, respectively, all P-values < 0.0001). Nevertheless, the RFD values measured during ballistic contractions up to 60% of maximal force were unaffected (all P-values > 0.4). Long-distance running impaired the capacity to quickly produce force in ballistic contractions of maximal, but not of submaximal, amplitudes. Overall, these findings suggest that central and peripheral fatigue do not affect the quickness to which muscle contracts across a wide range of submaximal forces. This is a relevant finding for running and other daily life activities that rely on the production of rapid submaximal contractions rather than maximal force levels.

The fusimotor and reafferent origin of the sense of force and weight

Signals associated with the command the brain sends to muscles are thought to create the sensation of heaviness when we lift an object. Thus, as a muscle is weakened by fatigue or partial paralysis (neuromuscular blockade), the increase in the motor command needed to lift a weight is thought to explain the increasing subjective heaviness of the lifted object.With different fatiguing contractions we approximately halved the force output of the thumb flexor muscles, which were then used to lift an object. For two deafferented subjects the perceived heaviness of the lifted object approximately doubled, in keeping with the central-signal theory. However, for normal subjects this resulted in objects feeling the same or lighter, inconsistent with the central-signal theory but consistent with the expected effects of the conditioning contractions on the sensitivity of peripheral receptors. In separate experiments we subjected the forearm muscles to complete paralysis with a non-depolarising neuromuscular blocking agent and then allowed them to recover to approximately half-force output. This also resulted in objects feeling lighter when lifted by the semi-paralysed thumb, even though the motor command to the motoneurons must have been greater. This is readily explained by reduced lift-related reafference caused by the prolonged paralysis of muscle spindle intrafusal fibres.We conclude that peripheral signals, including a major contribution from muscle spindles, normally give rise to the sense of exerted force. In concept, however, reafference from peripheral receptors may also be considered a centrally generated signal that traverses efferent and then afferent pathways to feed perceptual centres rather than one confined entirely to the central nervous system. These results therefore challenge the distinction between central- and peripheral-based perception, and the concept that muscle spindles provide only information about limb position and movement.

Effects of contraction intensity on muscle fascicle and stretch reflex behavior in the human triceps surae

The aims of this study were to examine changes in the distribution of a stretch to the muscle fascicles with changes in contraction intensity in the human triceps surae and to relate fascicle stretch responses to short-latency stretch reflex behavior. Thirteen healthy subjects were seated in an ankle ergometer, and dorsiflexion stretches (8 degrees ; 250 degrees /s) were applied to the triceps surae at different moment levels (0-100% of maximal voluntary contraction). Surface EMG was recorded in the medial gastrocnemius, soleus, and tibialis anterior muscles, and ultrasound was used to measure medial gastrocnemius and soleus fascicle lengths. At low forces, reflex amplitudes increased despite a lack of change or even a decrease in fascicle stretch velocities. At high forces, lower fascicle stretch velocities coincided with smaller stretch reflexes. The results revealed a decline in fascicle stretch velocity of over 50% between passive conditions and maximal force levels in the major muscles of the triceps surae. This is likely to be an important factor related to the decline in stretch reflex amplitudes at high forces. Because short-latency stretch reflexes contribute to force production and stiffness regulation of human muscle fibers, a reduction in afferent feedback from muscle spindles could decrease the efficacy of human movements involving the triceps surae, particularly where high force production is required.

Rank-ordered regulation of motor units

Myoelectric signals were detected from the tibialis anterior muscle of 5 subjects with a quadrifilar needle electrode while the subjects generated isometric forces that increased linearly with time (10% of maximal voluntary contraction/s) up to maximal voluntary level. Motor unit firing rates were studied as a function of force throughout the full range of muscle force output. The relationship between force and firing rate was found to contain three distinct regions. At recruitment and near maximal force levels, firing rates increased more rapidly with force than in the intermediate region. Furthermore, in the regions with rapid increases, the rate of change of firing rate was correlated to the recruitment threshold, with higher recruitment threshold motor units displaying greater rates of change. In the intermediate region, all motor units had similar rates of change of firing rate. A weak positive correlation was found between initial firing rate and recruitment threshold. Firing rates of motor units at any instant were found to be ordered according to the recruitment order: at any given time in the contraction motor units with lower recruitment thresholds had higher firing rates than units with higher recruitment thresholds. Firing rates of all motor units were observed to converge to the same value at maximal forces. Mechanisms underlying motor unit recruitment and firing rate modulation are discussed in the context of a conceptual model.

Force system developed from closed coil springs

The present paper provides data on load-deflection rate and maximal force generated for 19 coil springs. The force level at activation and deactivation was registered at intervals of 5 mm between 0 and 100 per cent extension. Ten springs of each type were analysed. The following questions were answered. How many of the springs exhibited the behaviour of a superelastic spring and how many types of springs differed significantly from each other with respect to force deflection rate and maximal force level at 100 per cent extension? Of the products tested only the springs from GAC exhibited the behaviour characteristic of the superelastic wire. The 19 products could, from a clinical point of view, be classified into four different groups with regard to force deflection rate and five groups with regard to maximal force. The variation within each product also differed between the products with the lowest intra-product variation seen in the TP springs. In light of the present findings it is obvious that manufacturers' information was not satisfactory. The need for more thorough user information is stressed.

Biochemical organization of single motor units in two multi-tendoned muscles of the cat distal forelimb.

In anesthetized cats single motor units (MUs) of the extensor carpi ulnaris (ECU) and extensor digitorum communis (EDC) muscles were selectively activated by stimulation of cervical ventral root filaments. The distribution of force developed by single MUs at the four distal tendons of the EDC muscle and at three portions of the distal tendon of the ECU muscle was analysed. In general, single MUs of both muscles distributed force over all tendons in a unimodal pattern, with the maximal force levels generated at one specific tendon which was termed the best-tendon. Distributions of force were quantitatively described by a parameter representing the mean direction of force output (output-index) and a further one representing the dispersion of force over the distal tendons (divergence). Generally, these parameters and the best-tendon remained stable when a MU was stimulated at different frequencies, but varied from MU to MU. Despite the general stability of the force distribution, slight systematic changes were regularly found in EDC MUs, when they developed a higher amount of force due to a higher frequency of stimulation: the relative amount of force at the best-tendon increased; e.g. the MUs got more selective for the best-tendon. These changes were partly due to overcoming mechanical cross-coupling between neighbouring compartments of the EDC muscle. Such changes of force distribution were only found in a part of the ECU MUs; other ECU MUs did not change their force distribution at all or became less selective for the best-tendon. The phenomenon that MUs of multi-tendoned muscles distribute their force output to the distal tendons in specific patterns is probably due to mechanical partitioning of the parent muscles: the localization of spatial territories of MUs within different anatomical muscle compartments should correspond to the best-tendon. Complex mechanisms allowing passive transmission of force from limited territories along the transverse axis of both muscles must be assumed in order to explain why most MUs act on all tendons and why force distributions change with increasing stimulus frequency. In addition, specific relations between unit type and force distributions were found within both muscles. Fatigue-resistant EDC MUs have broader force distributions than fatigue-sensitive EDC MUs and slow ECU MUs were found to act predominantly on the most ulnar part of the distal tendon. These biomechanical properties of MUs are discussed as supporting the specific functions of the respective muscles.

Bite force after temporomandibular joint surgery

Bitings were recorded bilaterally on 5 different submaximal and maximal force levels on 12 patients (7 women and 5 men) who had earlier been subjected to TMJ surgery (10 diskectomies and 2 condylectomies). The maximal bite force was relatively low for the recorded sample with mean values of 7.8 Kp and 8.3 Kp for operated and non-operated sides, respectively. The strongest forces were recorded after condylectomy. There was a wide range between the individual recordings on all levels and the differences increased with the force and were largest at maximal bite force level. No significant differences in bite force between operated and non-operated sides could be found for any of the force levels. The ability to discriminate between different force levels was better on the higher levels. The almost comparable results of the recordings of bite force on the operated and the non-operated sides may be an effect of functional interaction within the masticatory system and be an expression of the essentially improved function after the surgical treatment.

Effects of fatigue and recovery on electromyographic and isometric force- and relaxation-time characteristics of human skeletal muscle.

Effects of fatigue produced by a maintained 60% isometric loading on electromyographic and isometric force-time and relaxation-time characteristics of human skeletal muscle were studied in 21 males accustomed to strength training. Fatigue loading resulted in a slight but not significant change in the maximal integrated EMG of a maximal isometric contraction, and a large decrease (20.4 +/- 6.3%, p less than 0.001) in maximal force. Fatigue loading increased (p less than 0.05-0.01) neural activation of the muscles during rapidly produced submaximal isometric forces, but had a considerable adverse effect (p less than 0.001) on the corresponding force-time characteristics. Correlations between the relative changes after fatigue in the IEMG/force ratio at the maximal force level, and in the IEMG/force ratios of the early phases of the force-time curve were not significant, but gradually became significant (p less than 0.01) at higher force levels. The average IEMG of the muscles in the relaxation phase of contraction remained unaltered by fatigue, while a marked deleterious change in the relaxation-time variables (p less than 0.001) occurred concomitantly. During the subsequent 3 min rest period considerable (12.1 +/- 7.0%, p less than 0.001) recovery was noted in the maximal force, with smaller (insignificant or p less than 0.05-0.01) changes in the force-time and relaxation-time variables, while the average IEMG of force production decreased (p less than 0.01-0.001). The present findings suggest that fatigue leading to a worsening in force-time, in maximal force and in the relaxation-time parts of a maximal isometric contraction might take place primarily in the contractile processes.