By virtue of the hierarchical design of the motor system, the control of coordination is distributed to the brain, spinal cord and the architectural features of the musculoskeletal system. Force feedback forms one such coordinating network in the spinal cord. Positive force feedback is mainly autogenic and increases muscular and limb stiffness and promote propulsion during locomotion. In contra...

Downhill running is associated with fiber damage, inflammation, delayed-onset muscle soreness, and various functional deficits. Curcumin, a constituent of the Indian spice turmeric has been investigated for its anti-inflammatory activity and may offset some of the damage and functional deficits associated with downhill running. This study examined the effects of curcumin on inflammation and rec...

A path π = (v1, v2, . . . , vk+1) in a graph G = (V,E) is a downhill path if for every i, 1 ≤ i ≤ k, deg(vi) ≥ deg(vi+1), where deg(vi) denotes the degree of vertex vi ∈ V. The downhill domination number equals the minimum cardinality of a set S ⊆ V having the property that every vertex v ∈ V lies on a downhill path originating from some vertex in S. We investigate downhill domination numbers o...

The ability to control balance during walking is a critical precondition for minimizing fall risk, but this ability is compromised in persons with lower-limb absence because of reduced sensory feedback mechanisms and inability to actively modulate prosthesis mechanical function. Consequently, these individuals are at increased fall risk compared with nondisabled individuals. A number of gait pa...

augmented downhill simplex method (adsm) is introduced here, that is a heuristic combination of downhill simplex method (dsm) with random search algorithm. in fact, dsm is an interpretable nonlinear local optimization method. however, it is a local exploitation algorithm; so, it can be trapped in a local minimum. in contrast, random search is a global exploration, but less efficient. here, rand...

PURPOSE Recent evidence suggests that regular exercise training plays a decisive role in maintaining homeostasis and promoting muscle and skeletal formation. However, the effect of downhill exercise training on osteogenesis-related factors is not well understood. METHODS Thus, we investigated the effect of uphill and downhill training on ovariectomy (OVX)-induced bone loss. After ovary remova...

In adults, locomotor movements are accommodated to various support surface conditions by means of specific anticipatory locomotor adjustments and changes in the intersegmental coordination. Here we studied the kinematic strategies of toddlers at the onset of independent walking when negotiating various support surface conditions: stepping over an obstacle, walking on an inclined surface, and on...

28 29 Colonies of Pheidole ambigua ants excavate soil and drop it outside the nest entrance. 30 The deposition of thousands of loads leads to the formation of regular ring-shaped piles. 31 How is this pattern generated? This study investigated soil pile formation on level and 32 sloping surfaces, both empirically and using an agent-based model. We found that ants 33 drop soil preferentially in ...