Foot and ankle movements are essential in various activities like walking, running, and balance, where the mechanics of these movements are affected by the muscles around the ankle joint [1,2]. In this study, the correlations between isometric ankle torque and muscle activity of the tibialis anterior (TA) and gastrocnemius (GAS) in the course of dorsiflexion and plantarflexion was investigated. Eight healthy participants were enrolled for the study, where the ankle torque and surface Electromyography (sEMG) of the main flexors were measured and analyzed. The results showed that ankle torque is higher in plantarflexion than dorsiflexion. In addition, the TA has greater muscle activity during dorsiflexion, while the GAS presents higher activity through plantarflexion. Additional investigation using power spectrum density analysis of the recorded sEMG was conducted and it shows the influence of fast twitching muscles on the isometric ankle torque. The outcomes of this work have the potential for developing and assessing new rehabilitation strategies.
This paper develops a nonlinear transient three-dimensional heat transfer finite element model and a rate independent three-dimensional deformation model, developed for the CO2 laser welding simulations in Al-6061-T6 alloy. Simulations are performed using an indirect coupled thermal-structural method for the process of welding. Temperature-dependent thermal properties of Al-6061-T6, effect of latent heat of fusion, and the convective and radiative boundary conditions are included in the model. The heat input to the model is assumed to be a Gaussian heat source. The finite element code ANSYS12, along with a few FORTRAN subroutines, are employed to obtain the numerical results. The benefit of the proposed methodology is that it
... Show MoreIt is well known that petroleum refineries are considered the largest generator of oily sludge which may cause serious threats to the environment if disposed of without treatment. Throughout the present research, it can be said that a hybrid process including ultrasonic treatment coupled with froth floatation has been shown as a green efficient treatment of oily sludge waste from the bottom of crude oil tanks in Al-Daura refinery and able to get high yield of base oil recovery which is 65% at the optimum operating conditions (treatment time = 30 min, ultrasonic wave amplitude = 60 micron, and (solvent: oily sludge) ratio = 4). Experimental results showed that 83% of the solvent used was recovered meanwhile the main water
... Show MoreSingle phase capacitor-run induction motors (IMs) are used in various applications such as home appliances and machine tools; they are affected by the sags or swells and any fault that can lead to disturb the supply and make it produce rms voltage below or above the rated motor voltage, which is 220V. A control system is designed to regulate the output voltage of the converter irrespective to the variation of the load and within a specific range of supply voltage variation. The steady-state equivalent circuit of the Buck-Boost chopper type AC voltage regulator, as well as the analysis of this circuit are presented in this paper. Switching device for the regulator is an IGBT Module. The proposed chopper uses pulse width modulation (PWM) c
... Show MoreThis study is a numerical investigation of the performance of reinforced concrete (RC) columns after fire exposure. This study aims to investigate the effect of introducing lateral ties and using the RC jacket on improving post-fire behavior of these columns, the effect of the duration of the fire on ultimate load of columns. The analysis was performed through ABAQUS, a 3D – non-linear finite element program. 4 m tall lengthening square RC column with a cross- section of 0.4 m × 0.4 m was used as a test specimen. The RC column was reinforced by 4Ø28 mm longitudinal bars bonded by steel tie bars of Ø10 mm spaced at 400 mm. The firing temperature was increased to 60
The most hazardous class of pharmaceuticals for soil and aquatic ecosystems are antibiotics, which include prescription medications and cancer treatments. Hospital effluents are usually produced by all parts of medical facilities, including hospitals. This study's specific goal was to provide a quick, affordable, and accurate analytical technique for determining the levels of amoxicillin, azithromycin, and penicillin in wastewater from Medical City, Al-Mahmudiya, and Al-Yarmouk hospitals (Iraq, Baghdad). An HPLC with a receptive ODS C18 column was used. It was equipped with UV and pulsed amperometric detectors with wavelengths of 230 nm and 210-240 nm, respectively. The correlation coefficients for each drug are greater than 0.9999,
... Show MoreIn this work, a local sunflower husk (SFH) was used as a natural surface for removing Basic Green-4 (BG4) dye, as a watersoluble pollutant. The effect of initial concentration, contact time, the mass of surface of the dye with the SFH as well as the medium temperature was studied. The application of Langmuir, Freundlich isotherms on the collected data of the adsorption process found to harmonize to Freundlich equation more than that of Langmuir. However, the adsorbed mass of BG4 dye showed a direct increase with the increase of SFH mass and equilibrium was achieved within a 60min window. The interaction of BG4 with SFH surface was spontaneous and exothermic. The empirical kinetic outcomes at ambient temperatures were applied to pseudo 1st a
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