• Journal of International Academy of Physical Therapy Research
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• v.9 no.2
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• pp.1486-1489
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• 2018

This study aimed to investigate the influence of walking on crural muscle tone and stiffness in individuals with bilateral pronated foot. This study consisted of 16 healthy male. Subjects were divided into a pronated foot group (n = 8) and a normal foot group (n = 8). The navicular drop test on both foot and muscle tone and stiffness in tibialis anterior muscle, medial gastrocnemius muscle, and peroneus longus muscle of both lower extremities were measured before and after 30 min of walking. In this study, the measured navicular drop test before walking was significantly different between pronated foot group and a normal group(p < .05). After 30 min of walking, significantly, increased medial gastrocnemius muscle stiffness of the non-dominant leg was found in the pronated foot group (p < .05). However, there was no significant difference in medial gastrocnemius muscle stiffness between the two groups (p > .05). Based on this study, pronated foot needs to be managed to prevent the abnormally increased medial gastrocnemius muscle stiffness.

• Journal of Korean Foot and Ankle Society
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• v.16 no.1
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• pp.58-61
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• 2012

Motion of the metatarsophalangeal joints is essential for the normal gait. Therefore it is important to recover the motion of normal joint in the treatment of stiffness of the metatarsophalangeal joints. However, there have been no report about the treatment of stiffness of the four lateral lesser metatarsophalangeal joints yet. We report an experience that good clinical and radiographic results were obtained after resection arthroplasty for the post-traumatic stiffness of the four lateral lesser metatarsophalangeal joints.

• Tunnel and Underground Space
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• v.15 no.5 s.58
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• pp.330-337
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• 2005

Apart from the geometric features of the rock joints, the shear characteristics of rock mass subject to shear force are also significantly affected by the boundary conditions in the neighborhood of the rock mass. The boundary conditions of the rock mass can be classified into 4 categories according to the stress state of the rock joint, of which the constant normal load (CNL) is the most used for shear test and produces the lowest shear strength and different behavior. In this study, the shear behavior under constant normal stiffness condition was able to replicated by the graphic method normalized by the test results under constant normal stress condition.

• Journal of Korean Neurosurgical Society
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• v.52 no.5
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• pp.435-440
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• 2012

Objective : The purpose of this study is to find the optimal stiffness and volume of bone cement and their biomechanical effects on the adjacent vertebrae to determine a better strategy for conducting vertebroplasty. Methods : A three-dimensional finite-element model of a functional spinal unit was developed using computed tomography scans of a normal motion segment, comprising the T11, T12 and L1 vertebrae. Volumes of bone cement, with appropriate mechanical properties, were inserted into the trabecular core of the T12 vertebra. Parametric studies were done by varying the volume and stiffness of the bone cement. Results : When the bone cement filling volume reached 30% of the volume of a vertebral body, the level of stiffness was restored to that of normal bone, and when higher bone cement exceeded 30% of the volume, the result was stiffness in excess of that of normal bone. When the bone cement volume was varied, local stress in the bony structures (cortical shell, trabecular bone and endplate) of each vertebra monotonically increased. Low-modulus bone cement has the effect of reducing strain in the augmented body, but only in cases of relatively high volumes of bone cement (>50%). Furthermore, varying the stiffness of bone cement has a negligible effect on the stress distribution of vertebral bodies. Conclusion : The volume of cement was considered to be the most important determinant in endplate fracture. Changing the stiffness of bone cement has a negligible effect on the stress distribution of vertebral bodies.

• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
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• v.83 no.2
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• pp.207-227
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• 2022

In general, the interaction conditions between the discrete stones are not taken into account by structural engineers during the modeling and analyzing of historical stone bridges. However, many structural damages in the stone bridges occur due to ignoring the interaction conditions between discrete stones. In this study, it is aimed to examine the seismic behavior of a historical stone bridge by considering the interaction stiffness parameters between stone elements. For this purpose, Tokatli historical stone arch bridge was built in 1179 in Karabük-Turkey, is chosen for three-dimensional (3D) seismic analyses. Firstly, the 3D finite-difference model of the Tokatli stone bridge is created using the FLAC3D software. During the modeling processes, the Burger-Creep material model which was not used to examine the seismic behavior of historical stone bridges in the past is utilized. Furthermore, the free-field and quiet non-reflecting boundary conditions are defined to the lateral and bottom boundaries of the bridge. Thanks to these boundary conditions, earthquake waves do not reflect in the 3D model. After each stone element is modeled separately, stiffness elements are defined between the stone elements. Three situations of the stiffness elements are considered in the seismic analyses; a) for only normal direction b) for only shear direction c) for both normal and shear directions. The earthquake analyses of the bridge are performed for these three different situations of the bridge. The far-fault and near-fault conditions of 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake are taken into account during the earthquake analyses. According to the seismic analysis results, the directions of the stiffness parameters seriously changed the earthquake behavior of the Tokatli bridge. Moreover, the most critical stiffness parameter is determined for seismic analyses of historical stone arch bridges.

• Journal of the Korean Geotechnical Society
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• v.19 no.2
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• pp.147-157
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• 2003

The characteristics of a rock joint which influence the stability of rock mass structures such as cut slopes and tunnels are largely controlled by the conditions of the rock joint as well as its boundary conditions. The conditions of rock joints comprise asperity strength, roughness, and filling materials. Boundary conditions can be represented by assuming that the deformability(or stiffness) of the rock mass surrounding the joints is modelled by a spring with stiffness. A new direct shear apparatus was developed in this study, which adapts a servo control system using PID algorithm. This apparatus can be used to investigate the various aspects of shear characteristics of the rock joints at conditions of constant normal stress and constant normal stiffness and so on. The test results for saw-cut teeth joints show that shear strength should be evaluated by considering its specific boundary conditions far the design of tunnels and cut slopes.

• Tunnel and Underground Space
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• v.17 no.3 s.68
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• pp.203-215
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• 2007

Stability and mechanical deformation behavior of rock masses are highly dependent on the mechanical characteristics of contained discontinuities. Therefore, mechanical characteristics of the discontinuities should be considered in the design of tunnel and underground structures. In this study, direct shear tests for rough granite joints were carried out under constant normal stiffness conditions. Effects of initial normal stress, shear velocity, and surface roughness on the characteristics of shear strength and deformation behaviors were examined. Results of shear testing under constant normal stiffness conditions reveal that shear behaviors could be classified into two categories, based on the amount of decrease in shear stress at the Int peak shear stress. With initial normal stiffness increasing, it turned out that shear displacement at peak stress and the first peak shear stress increased, however friction angle and friction coefficient showed decrease. In case of shear stiffness and average friction coefficient, it turned out that they are not dependent on the initial normal stress. Minor effects of shear velocity on rough joints were observed in several shear quantities. However, the effects of shear velocity were insignificant regardless of the normal stress increase. Change of shear strength and deformation characteristics on joint roughness were examined, however, it turned out that the variations were attributed to deviation of shear test specimens.

• Journal of International Academy of Physical Therapy Research
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• v.10 no.2
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• pp.1763-1767
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• 2019

Background: Although previous researches have developed interventions for neck problems, headache, and temporomandibular disorder in patients with forward head posture (FHP), changes in masticatory muscle tone or stiffness as FHP worsening have not been investigated. Objective: To examine changes in masticatory muscle tone and stiffness through craniovertebral angle (CVA). Design: Cross sectional study Methods: The subjects were 21 healthy males with normal head posture. Three CVA were established for posture measurement in which the bilateral anterior temporal and masseter muscles were measured during the subjects maintained a series of postures. Results: The Right masseter muscle significantly increased in stiffness with advancing FHP (p < 0.05). No significant changes were observed in the muscle tone or stiffness of any other masticatory muscles, and no significant differences were found in bilateral masticatory muscle tone or stiffness in each measurement posture. Conclusions: This study suggests that the increased stiffness of the right masseter muscle as the FHP worsened requires consideration in physical therapy assessment and intervention.

• Transactions of the Korean Society of Automotive Engineers
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• v.12 no.2
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• pp.160-167
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• 2004

A two degree-of-freedom mathematical model is presented to investigate the friction mechanism of a disc brake system. A contact parameter is introduced to describe the coupling between the in-plane and the out-of-plane motions. The model with the contact parameter is considered under the assumption that the out-of-plane motion depends on the friction force along the in-plane motion. In order to describe the relationship between the friction force and the out-of plane motion, the dynamic friction coefficient is considered as a function of both relative velocity and normal farce. Using this friction law, a contact stiffness matrix along the normal direction can be obtained. The out-of-plane motion is then investigated by both the stability analysis and the numerical analysis for various parametric conditions. The results show that the stiffness parameters of the pad and the disc must be controlled at the same time. Also, the numerical analysis shows the existence of limit cycle caused by the effect of intermittent contact stiffness.

• Tribology and Lubricants
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• v.28 no.6
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• pp.289-296
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• 2012

Atomic force microscopy (AFM) has been used for imaging surfaces and measuring surface forces at the nano-scale. Force calibration is important for the quantitative measurement of forces at the nano-scale using AFM. Normal force calibration is relatively straightforward, whereas the lateral force calibration is more complicated since the lateral stiffness of the cantilever is often comparable to the contact stiffness. In this work, the lateral force calibrations of the rectangular cantilever were performed using torsional Sader's method, thermal noise method, and wedge calibration method. The lateral optical lever sensitivity for the thermal noise method was determined from the friction loop under various normal forces as well. Experimental results showed that the discrepancies among the results of the different methods were as large as 30% due to the effect of the contact stiffness on the lateral force calibration of the cantilever used in this work. After correction for the effect of contact stiffness, all the calibration results agreed with each other, within experimental uncertainties.