Equine hindlimb hoof biomechanics: an evaluation of the effect of routine hoof trimming on force and pressure distribution at midstance

2020 ◽  
Vol 16 (4) ◽  
pp. 333-337
Author(s):  
B. Faramarzi ◽  
M. Polniaszek ◽  
F. Dong

Proper hoof function is vital for equine health and performance. Many musculoskeletal injuries in horses originate from the foot. Most studies performed to date have focused on the forehoof while the hindhoof (HH) has received less attention. Our goal was to examine the influence of routine hoof trimming on HH medio-lateral hoof balance. The objective of this study was to examine force (F), contact pressure (CP), and contact area (CA) at the medial and lateral aspects of the HH to evaluate the impact of routine hoof trimming on HH biomechanics. Clinically sound Arabian horses (n=9) were walked across a calibrated pressure plate before and after routine hoof trimming and the F, CP, and CA at the medial and lateral aspects of the HH were recorded at midstance pre- and post-trimming. The differences between these regions were investigated using a paired T-test. P-values <0.05 were considered significant. Among measured variables, force increased by 25% (P=0.007) and contact pressure increased by 13% (P=0.032) at the medial aspect of the HH after routine hoof trimming. Analysing data from hindlimb hoof-surface interaction in sound horses will allow for a better understanding of imbalances that may lead to pathologies and hindlimb lameness in horses.

2019 ◽  
Vol 15 (3) ◽  
pp. 167-171
Author(s):  
B. Faramarzi ◽  
F. Hung ◽  
A. Nguyen ◽  
F. Dong

There is a lack of objective and quality evidence-based research on the effect of trimming on hoof loading at different regions of the hoof. Our objective was to measure and compare force (F), contact area (CA), contact pressure (CP) and peak contact pressure (PCP) of the dorsal vs palmar and medial vs lateral regions of the forehooves. Nine sound equine athletes were walked across a calibrated pressure plate before and after routine hoof trimming. The F, CA, CP and PCP in medial, lateral, dorsal and palmar regions were examined pre- and post-trimming, P≤0.05 was considered significant. Dorsal CP and PCP significantly increased post-trimming (P=0.039 and P=0.019, respectively). Medial F increased about 25% after trimming, but not significantly (P=0.129). These data confirm the impact of individual hoof trimming on certain aspects of the hoof midstance biomechanics.


Author(s):  
Tasawar Nawaz

This paper empirically examines the impact of intellectual capital (IC) and Shariah governance on economic performance of 47 Islamic banks (IBs) operating in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) region in pre- and post-financial crisis period. The analysis suggests that higher IC efficiency helps IBs to improve their odds of survival at all times i.e. before- and after-crisis. Further, higher IC efficiency helps IBs to maintain their profitability i.e. ROA and market valuation i.e. Tobin’s Q at all times. Arguably, knowledge-resources i.e. IC is the main line of defence for IBs against negative shocks. Lastly, the study reveals that Shariah governance alone may fall short in explaining the growth trends in Islamic finance industry. Keywords: Intellectual Capital; Shariah Governance; Financial Crisis; Islamic Worldview; Economic Performance.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gabriel MenezesPaes Rodrigues ◽  
Nilo Terra Arêas Neto

Treated as one of the biggest challenges in the Brazilian educational system, school failure, despite being multi-causal, is closely linked to learning difficulties associated with aspects of cognition, with special attention to the Executive Control of Memory, which in this study will be represented by the variables: Working Memory (MT), Concentrated Attention (AC) and Motor Reaction Time (TRM). Under neuropsychological aspects, the executive control of memory comprises closely linked phenomena and mechanisms and learning, such as: cognitive flexibility, decision making, attention mechanisms, inhibitory control, selection and integration of current information with information already memorized, in addition to planning and monitoring their own learning and performance. This form of cognitive ability is defined by renowned researchers in the “field” as being preponderant to human learning and performance. Dysfunctions in the executive control of memory are commonly a reflection of innate or non-innate psychopathological issues, may be associated with other comorbidities, and are determinants of school failure in a significant number of Brazilian students. Thus, the main objective of this research project is to verify the impact of the practice of the fighting modality Fencing on the executive control of the memory of students from the public school system, participants of this action research, included in psychopedagogical care for issues related to learning difficulties cognitive. The Field Research technique will be used in this study, with the process of testing the variables under study in moments before and after the intervention with fencing classes. The data obtained in the testing process will be treated in a descriptive statistical perspective. For the inference of the data obtained, the Student T Test for dependent samples will be used. To verify the distribution of data, the Shapiro-Wilk test will be used. As a result, research participants are expected to obtain statistically significant results in the studied variables.


Energies ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 12 (15) ◽  
pp. 2967 ◽  
Author(s):  
João Gomes

Concentrating Photovoltaic Thermal (C-PVT) solar collectors produce both thermal and electric power from the same area while concentrating sunlight. This paper studies a C-PVT design where strings of series-connected solar cells are encapsulated with silicone in an aluminium receiver, inside of which the heat transfer fluid flows, and presents an evaluation on structural integrity and performance, after reaching stagnation temperatures. Eight test receivers were made, in which the following properties were varied: Size of the PV cells, type of silicone used to encapsulate the cells, existence of a strain relief between the cells, size of the gap between cells, and type of cell soldering (line or point). The test receivers were placed eight times in an oven for one hour at eight different monitored temperatures. The temperature of the last round was set at 220 °C, which exceeds the highest temperature the panel design reaches. Before and after each round in the oven, the following tests were conducted to the receivers: Electroluminescence (EL) test, IV-curve tracing, diode function, and visual inspection. The test results showed that the receivers made with the transparent silicone and strain relief between cells experienced less microcracks and lower power degradation. No prototype test receiver lost more than 30% of its initial power, despite some receivers displaying a large number of cell cracks. The transparent and more elastic silicone is better at protecting the solar cells from the mechanical stress of thermal expansion than the compared silicone alternative, which was stiffer. As expected, larger cells are more prone to develop microcracks after exposure to thermal stress. Additionally, existing microcracks tend to grow in size relatively fast under thermal stress. EL imaging taken during our experiment leads us to conclude that it is far more likely for existing cracks to expand than for new cracks to appear.


2018 ◽  
Vol 3 (3) ◽  
pp. 105 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lalia CHRARA ◽  
RIAD A.Raoui ◽  
Adel Belkadi ◽  
Hocine ASLI ◽  
Othman BENBERNOU

Purpose:The purpose of this study was to determine the ultimate body mass, performance, and nutritional characteristics of the Algerian judo junior athletes, and also analysing the impact of nutritional intakes on stabilising Weight loss according to special performance of judo athletes. Material:Twenty-one male university athletes (aged: 21.45 ± 1.32; height: 1.81 ± 0.45 m; and body mass: 73.9 ± 4.1 kg) participated in this study during a period of stabilising Weight loss before and after 15 days of caloric restriction. Athletes were submitted to anthropometrical measurements and performed the Special Judo Fitness Test. Values for nutrient intakes were obtained from a 15 day food record kept during a training camp period of Weight maintenance and after a 15-day caloric restriction.Results:caloric restriction resulted in significant decreases in body mass (73.73 ± 2.1) and performance. However, Special Judo Fitness Test index increased significantly (14.00 ± 1.75) during caloric restriction in comparison to stabilising Weight loss.Conclusion:Exercise and caloric restriction lead to determine the ultimate Weight and physical performance. The present study provides baseline nutritional data that can be used in the prescription of individual training programs for university  judo Athletes.


2020 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
pp. 8 ◽  
Author(s):  
Daniel M. Blumberg ◽  
Luciano Giromini ◽  
Konstantinos Papazoglou ◽  
A. Renee Thornton

First responders experience a myriad of stressors (e.g., operational, organizational, personal) over the course of their career. An abundance of empirical evidence shows that the impact of those stressors on first responders’ health, well-being, and performance can be detrimental. Nevertheless, previous research has mainly focused on the role of a specific technique (e.g., mindfulness, breathing exercises, psychoeducation) towards the promotion of well-being among first responders. This allows us to explore the role of a single technique in supporting first responders. However, given the complexity of stressors experienced by this population, it appears that a synergistic role of multileveled intervention is imperative to promote lasting improvement in first responders’ well-being. To this end, The HEROES Project, an eight-week online training program, was developed to address the aforementioned gap in the literature. The HEROES Project incorporates lessons that aim to build a cluster of skills that together promote first responders’ wellbeing. In the present study, a sample of first responders (n = 124) from the US Midwest were recruited and completed The HEROES Project. They were assessed before and after completion of the program, and then follow-up measurements were obtained for two years following the baseline assessment. Results showed that participants with higher distress and lower psychological resources before the training benefited most from The HEROES Project, but that the training significantly improved psychological capital and reduced stress, depression, anxiety, and trauma symptoms for all participants. Clinical and training implications as well as future research directions are discussed.


Author(s):  
Rindah Febriana Suryawati ◽  
Duhita Paramaramya Putri Nurdana

The problem faced by most micro-entrepreneurs in Indonesia is financing business. Peer-to-peer (P2P) lending is a non-bank financial institution that can be an alternative source of financing because of the requirements and easy application usage. This study aims to analyze the impact of peer-to-peer lending on business expenses, business turnover, total employment, total sales of products, and profits before and after obtaining a peer-to-peer lending loan and analyze factors affecting the increase in business turnover after getting a loan through peer-to-peer lending. The methods used in this study include the descriptive analysis method, paired t-test, and ordinary least square (OLS). The paired t-test results indicate that there is a significant difference between business expenses, business turnover, the amount of labor, the number of product sales, and profit before and after obtaining a peer-to-peer lending loan. The result of analysis with the OLS method shows that the length of business and expenditure of the business has a significant effect on the development of respondents' business turnover.


2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hannah S Wauchope ◽  
Julia P G Jones ◽  
Tatsuya Amano ◽  
Jonas Geldmann ◽  
Daniel Blanco ◽  
...  

There is increasing interest in the effectiveness of protected areas (PAs) for supporting populations of wildlife. While there are a number of association studies showing a relationship between protected areas and abundance or trends in wild species, studies with an appropriate counterfactual (what would have happened in the absence of protection) are rare. We use the world’s largest database on waterbird counts (covering 587 species at 21,989 sites globally) to answer three questions: 1) Do PAs have a positive impact on waterbird population trends relative to a counterfactual (this includes cases where a PA has lessened, but not halted, a population decline)?; 2) are PAs performing successfully by maintaining or increasing populations? and 3) what factors contribute to PA impact and performance? We selected 15,703 waterbird populations (here defined as a site species combination), consisting of 311 species at 870 protected sites, where PA designation occurred at least 5 years after the first survey date, and 5 years before the last. We will use this to compare trends before PA designation to those afterwards. We then matched these sites to unprotected sites with similar covariates in the years before PA designation, resulting in a matching dataset of 6,451 populations pairs consisting of 39 species at 769 pairs of protected and unprotected sites. We will use this to compare trends both before and after PA designation and inside and outside of PAs. Our results will shed light on the impact of PA on hundreds of waterbird species, providing much needed evidence regarding PA effectiveness. As PA performance is a sensitive subject and it is important to develop hypotheses before knowing the results (especially for the relatively complex data analysis used in matching protected and unprotected sites), we present a pre-analysis plan. This will ensure that the final paper’s analyses are hypotheses testing, rather than generating, and avoids the risk of, or perception of, data dredging.


2021 ◽  
Vol 15 (5) ◽  
pp. 1779-1782
Author(s):  
Roghaye Ershad Sarabi ◽  
Rafigh Dehvari Mohammadi ◽  
Aziollah Arbabisarjou

Introduction and Objective: Malaria is considered one of the most important parasitic diseases in Iran. With regard to malaria, Sistan and Baluchestan province ranks first among the country's provinces. This study set out in 2017 to investigate the impact of education on malaria knowledge, attitude and behavior among health workers working in Saravan city health center. Materials and Methods: The present study is a semi-experimental study of before and after clinical trial type that was performed on 73 health workers in Saravan city. A researcher-made questionnaire was used to collect the required data. It consisted of two parts: the first part was dedicated to demographic data and the second part was about the knowledge, attitude and performance of health workers regarding malaria. The face and content validity of the questionnaire was confirmed by an expert panel. The reliability of the questionnaire was calculated using Cronbach's alpha coefficient (α=0.85). Before the start of the training, the questionnaires were given to the health workers. The trainings were presented in 49 one-hour sessions by the experts of the headquarters of Saravan Health Center in Behvarzi Center using lectures and pamphlets. One month after the training, the same questionnaires were filled in by health workers. The difference between the variables of knowledge, attitude and performance in the two groups before and after the intervention was performed using a one-sample and paired sample t-test or their non-parametric equivalent i.e. Binominal and Wilcoxon tests in the SPSS software (version 18). A significance level of 0.5 was taken into consideration. Results: The results showed that the mean scores of health workers in the areas of knowledge, attitude and performance increased significantly after the workshop (p=0.001) so that the participants' knowledge score increased from 26.06 to 56.7. In terms of attitude, their score increased from 7.2 to 17.7, and in terms of performance, participants' score increased from 13 to 32. Discussion and Conclusions: The findings revealed that the implementation of educational programs in the field of malaria can increase the level of knowledge, attitude and performance of the community regarding the preventive behaviors of malaria. Therefore, health system officials are recommended to work toward the amelioration of the knowledge, attitude and performance of the health workers. Keywords: knowledge, attitude, performance, health workers, malaria, retrainin


2021 ◽  
Vol 15 (6) ◽  
pp. 1598-1601
Author(s):  
Roghaye Ershad Sarabi ◽  
Rafigh Dehvari Mohammadi ◽  
Aziollah Arbabisarjou

Background: Malaria is considered one of the most important parasitic diseases in Iran. With regard to malaria, Sistan and Baluchestan province ranks first among the country's provinces. Aim: To investigate the impact of education on malaria knowledge, attitude and behavior among health workers working in Saravan city health center. Methods: The present study is a semi-experimental study of before and after clinical trial type that was performed on 73 health workers in Saravan city. A researcher-made questionnaire was used to collect the required data. It consisted of two parts: the first part was dedicated to demographic data and the second part was about the knowledge, attitude and performance of health workers regarding malaria. The face and content validity of the questionnaire was confirmed by an expert panel. The reliability of the questionnaire was calculated using Cronbach's alpha coefficient (α=0.85). Before the start of the training, the questionnaires were given to the health workers. The trainings were presented in 49 one-hour sessions by the experts of the headquarters of Saravan Health Center in Behvarzi Center using lectures and pamphlets. One month after the training, the same questionnaires were filled in by health workers. Results: The results showed that the mean scores of health workers in the areas of knowledge, attitude and performance increased significantly after the workshop (p=0.001) so that the participants' knowledge score increased from 26.06 to 56.7. In terms of attitude, their score increased from 7.2 to 17.7, and in terms of performance, participants' score increased from 13 to 32. Conclusions: The findings revealed that the implementation of educational programs in the field of malaria can increase the level of knowledge, attitude and performance of the community regarding the preventive behaviors of malaria. Therefore, health system officials are recommended to work toward the amelioration of the knowledge, attitude and performance of the health workers. Keywords: knowledge, attitude, performance, health workers, malaria, retrainin


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