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A sore neck and back are very common among cyclists and can be caused by a change in spinal curvature and forward head posture during cycling. In addition, elite cyclists were found to have a decreased infrared thermography measurement during incremental exercise, and increased measurements after exhaustion. This study aims to assess the benefits of corrected cycling posture, evaluated by the OpenPose evaluation system and physical therapists, on exercise performance as determined by infrared thermography. We adopt a case–control study design. Thirty participants were divided into the group riding with a natural posture (control group) and the group riding with a corrected posture (experimental group). While both groups had comparable back and neck temperatures before and 10 min after finishing the exercise, the corrected posture group had a statistically lower temperature compared to the control one after riding for 30 min (33.58 ± 0.69°C vs. 35.18 ± 0.89°C; p < 0.001). This observed decrease in skin temperature during exercise implies better heat dissipation mechanisms and hence fatigue avoidance among cyclists with corrected posture. Larger studies with various static and dynamic cycling positions are required to gain better insights about the correlation between those positions, infrared thermography measurements, enhanced athletic performance and injury prevention. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BACKGROUND: Aerobic exercise is closely associated with the vital functions of patients with scoliosis. Infrared thermography (IRT) has been increasingly applied in physiological measurements in recent years. OBJECTIVE: This observational study aimed to use IRT to examine the back body surface temperatures of patients with idiopathic scoliosis during aerobic exercise. METHODS: Forty-two participants who completed a pre-test were divided into a scoliotic group and a non-scoliotic group. Both groups completed a 30-minute cycling exercise, during which their back body temperature was measured using IRT, and the root-mean-square of the back electromyography value after 30 minutes of aerobic exercise was analyzed. RESULTS: The back body temperature decreased significantly after 30 minutes of exercise in the non-scoliotic group. In contrast, the back body temperature (at the trapezius and quadratus lumborum muscles) was asymmetric or increased after exercise in the scoliotic group. CONCLUSIONS: These findings suggest that when patients with scoliosis exercise, their back body temperature should be assessed thoroughly to prevent adverse physiological reactions potentially caused by back body temperature imbalances as well as the potential health problems caused by poor heat dissipation. In addition, such observations can be useful in the early screening of scoliosis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, we introduce a novel design of a remote edge-lit backlight structure featuring blue laser diodes (LDs). These LDs were integrated into a remote yellow phosphor layer on a light guide plate (LGP). Blue light emitted by the LDs passes through the LGP and spreads to the remote phosphor layer, generating white light output. Owing to the incorporation of a scattering layer between sequential LGPs, the remote edge-lit backlight structure facilitates the expansion of the output surface of the LGP by combining multiple individual LGPs. Two- and three-LGP remote edge-lit backlight structures demonstrated acceptable white illuminance uniformity. The proposed architecture serves as a viable solution for achieving uniform illumination in planar lighting systems using blue LDs; thus, this structure is particularly suitable for linear lighting or slender backlighting instead of display stand applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fall prevention is critical for aged adults as falling down has been cited as the number one cause of accidental death in aged adults. Static balance training is an effective method of increasing the balancing capacity in aged adults and reducing their fall risk. This article discusses a method that combines virtual reality (VR) technology with motion-capture devices for aged adults to practice static balance training in a fun and accurate environment. The aged adults wore motion-capture devices to interactively manipulate a three-dimensional (3D) human model (HM) in a virtual environment to follow a 3D posture model (PM). The proposed method was implemented using commercial, off-the-shelf 3D tools. A preliminary usability study was conducted, and the results show that the parameters of PM design will affect the aged adult's posture control performance. Our method has several advantages over the currently existing approaches. First, by adjusting the PM parameters, different posture control programs could be designed to support customized static balance training. Second, collision detections between the HM and PM could be used to accurately monitor the posture control process and to interactively provide feedback to the trainee. Third, posture control quality could be quantitatively evaluated by analyzing the collision data between the HM and PM. The proposed method could be used to develop a fun, accurate, and customized static balancing capacity training environment for aged adults. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is a common problem of middle-aged and older adults. Increased arterial stiffness is a CVD risk factor. Whole-body vibration (WBV) is a simple and convenient exercise for middle-aged and older adults; however, there have been few studies investigating the effect of WBV on arterial stiffness. This study mainly investigated the effect of WBV on arterial stiffness in middle-aged and older adults., Methods: A total of 38 (21 women and 17 men) middle-aged and elderly subjects (average age, 61.9 years) were randomly divided into the WBV group and the control group for a 3-month trial. The WBV group received an intervention of 30 Hz and 3.2 g WBV in a natural full standing posture at a sports center. The brachial-ankle pulse wave velocity (baPWV), a marker of systemic arterial stiffness, and blood pressure and heart rate were measured before and after the intervention., Results: After 3 months, there were no significant changes in blood pressure or heart rate in both groups. However, the bilateral baPWV was significantly reduced in the WBV group (decreased by 0.65 m/second [P=0.014]; 0.63 m/second [P=0.041] in either side), but not in the control group. The comparison between the two groups was not statistically significant., Conclusion: This study found that 3 months of WBV had a positive effect on arterial stiffness in middle-aged and older adults and could therefore be regarded as a supplementary exercise. Larger-scale studies are needed to confirm the effects of WBV in the future.

Background: The issue of osteoporosis-induced fractures has attracted the world's attention. Postmenopausal women are particularly at risk for this type of fracture. The nonmedicinal intervention for postmenopausal women is mainly exercise. Whole body vibration (WBV) is a simple and convenient exercise. There have been some studies investigating the effect of WBV on osteoporosis; however, the intervention models and results are different. This study mainly investigated the effect of high-frequency and high-magnitude WBV on the bone mineral density (BMD) of the lumbar spine in postmenopausal women., Methods: This study randomized 28 postmenopausal women into either the WBV group or the control group for a 6-month trial. The WBV group received an intervention of high-frequency (30 Hz) and high-magnitude (3.2 g) WBV in a natural full-standing posture for 5 minutes, three times per week, at a sports center. Dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry was used to measure the lumbar BMD of the two groups before and after the intervention., Results: Six months later, the BMD of the WBV group had significantly increased by 2.032% (P=0.047), while that of the control group had decreased by 0.046% (P=0.188). The comparison between the two groups showed that the BMD of the WBV group had increased significantly (P=0.016)., Conclusion: This study found that 6 months of high-frequency and high-magnitude WBV yielded significant benefits to the BMD of the lumbar spine in postmenopausal women, and could therefore be provided as an alternative exercise.