Background: Lateral wedge insole (LWI) aims to reduce loading on medial compartment of tibiofemoral joint in mild knee osteoarthritis (KOA). This effect may be augmented by concomitant use of SUBTALAR STRAP to fix the ankle joint. Moreover, longitudinal arch support embedded in insoles can cause foot comfort and may be beneficial for people with KOA. Therefore, this study aimed to assess the immediate effect of LWI with an arch support with and without a SUBTALAR STRAP on the kinetics and kinematics of walking in mild KOA. Methods: A convenient sample of 17 individuals with mild KOA (Kellgren and Lawrence grade II), aged ≥ 40 years were assessed in 3 conditions: without the insole; LWI; and LWI with a SUBTALAR STRAP, where an arch support was embedded in all insoles. The primary outcomes were external knee adduction moment and angular impulse. The secondary outcomes were hip flexion and adduction moments, knee flexion angle, ankle eversion moment, and walking speed. The repeated measurements ANOVA was used to compare the primary and secondary outcomes between the conditions using SPSS. Significance level was set at 0. 05. Results: LWI and a SUBTALAR STRAP can significantly increase the knee flexion angle at 0%-15% of the stance phase compared to no insole (p<0. 001). No other changes were observed (p=0. 142). Conclusion: LWI with an arch, with or without a SUBTALAR STRAP, cannot impose any immediate changes on the kinetics and kinematics of lower limb joints during walking in people with mild KOA.

Objective: The effects of lateral wedge insoles with and without SUBTALAR STRAP on vertical component of ground reaction force were compared.Methods: Twenty five patients aged over 40 years with grades I or II of medial compartment knee osteoarthritis based on Kellgrene and Lawrence grading system were participated in this study. They were tested in 3 conditions while walking in a 3-meter walkway: bare foot, lateral wedge insole and lateral wedge insole with SUBTALAR STRAP. Three successful trials were recorded in each condition. Gait analysis was performed to compare the immediate effect of lateral wedge insole with and without SUBTALAR STRAP on vertical component of ground reaction force.Results: There was significant effect of lateral wedge insole with SUBTALAR STRAP on second peak of vertical ground reaction force related to lateral wedge insole and without insole conditions. But no significant effect of lateral wedge insole with and without SUBTALAR STRAP was found on first peak of vertical ground reaction force and walking speed.Conclusion: The results of this study suggest that lateral wedge insole can reduce second peak of vertical ground reaction force. Also it was understood lateral wedge insole with SUBTALAR STRAP might be more efficacious than lateral wedge insole in mild knee osteoarthritis patients.

In the present research, inelastic behavior of cold-formed steel frames with STRAP bracing was studied under cycling loading using finite element (FE) method. All of frame members including tracks, studs, and braces were modeled using two dimensional shell elements. The screw connections of braces to studs were simulated using connector elements. The shear and axial strength of screws were determined considering the screw pull-out and hard contact of braces to studs. The failure mechanism and resultant base shear were compared with the experimental measurements. The results showed a good agreement between developed FE model and experimental data. The shear and tensile forces of screws at different stages of loading, as well as the behavior in elastic and inelastic regions, were evaluated using the developed model. It was concluded that the buckling and yielding of braces are the most effective factors on the cyclic behavior of cold-formed steel frames; and that cyclic behavior of cold-formed steel frames with STRAP bracing can be accurately determined using the proposed FE model.

SUBTALAR dislocation is the simultaneous dislocation of the distal articulations of the talus at both the talocalcaneal and talonavicular joints. It can occur in any direction and always produce significant deformity. Most common is the medial dislocation (80% of cases). Less common presentations are lateral (20% of cases), anterior and posterior dislocations. These dislocations are associated with osteochondral fractures. Closed reduction and immobilisation remains the mainstay of treatment. Proper radiographs and CT scan confirms the post reduction alignment stability of SUBTALAR joints and intraarticular fracture fragments. We report a case of medial SUBTALAR dislocation with no osteochondral fracture fragments in a 17-year-old young man.

Three-axis-magnetometers (TAMs) are widely utilized as a key component of attitude determination subsystems and as such are considered the corner stone of navigation for low Earth orbiting (LEO) space systems. Precise geomagnetic-based navigation demands accurate calibration of the magnetometers. In this regard, a complete online calibration process of TAM is developed in the current research that considers the combined effects of environmental and instrumental errors including biases, non-orthogonally parameters, and the scale factors, without the need for clean room facilities. The sensor characteristics are estimated utilizing Kalman filter for a micro electro-mechanical sensor(MEMS)-based TAM standing on the experimental measured outputs in a noisy laboratory environment. Moreover, the stochastic TAM behavior is identified using the method of Allan variance analysis (AVA) through a six-hour static test. Subsequently, the nonlinear/non-Gaussian problem of attitude estimation, using a set of calibrated STRAP-down magnetometers is addressed utilizing the unscented particle filter (UPF), developed for the removal of colored-noise. Comparison of the estimated attitude, represented by quaternion parameters, with the true orientations demonstrates an acceptable level of accuracy of the developed calibration technique for small LEO space systems. Analysis of the root mean square error of the estimated attitude illustrates an accuracy of less than one degree for all axes. This is an ideal result, given the fact that MEMS-based magnetometers have been utilized.

Background: osteotomy around the knee is one of the most common corrective surgeries for lower limb deformities. The exact relationship between the effects of these surgeries on the ankle joint is unclear. This study aimed to investigate the effect of HTO on the SUBTALAR joint in patients with genu varum. Methods: In the case series study33 patients including 27. 2% men and 72. 7% womenwith an average age of 41. 9, with genu varum who underwent corrective surgery of open wedge high tibial osteotomy were studied. the heel alignment angle was determined before and after surgery in 10-months follow-up based on Saltzman view in conventional radiography. The data were then compared. Results: Average genu varum correction angle was 11. 9± 1. 3 ° . Heel alignment degree was 5. 9± 1. 3 ° before HTO surgery, and after the surgery, in final follow-up, it was to 3. 4± 1. 2 ° valgus, this value was statisticallysignificant(p=0. 04). Moreover, there was a significant statistical relationship between average correction of Varus deformity and heel alignment anglechanges (P=0. 02, r=0. 3). Conclusion: Correcting Varus knee deformity can be effectiveon heel alignment angle in patients undergoing HTO surgery with genu varum. The angle of the SUBTALAR valgus decreases as a result.

Diagonal STRAP bracing is one of the most applicable lateral bracing systems in light steel framing (LSF). In practice, one or more panels of Gypsum Wall Boards (GWBs) is used for the cladding of STRAP braced frames. Usually, the effect of these GWBs in modelling and design is neglected by designers, but this effect can affect the seismic performance of the system. In this paper, firstly, a simple numerical method is developed to model the monotonic and cyclic behavior of cold-formed STRAP braced shear walls together with GWBs. Then, the effects of GWB on the lateral characteristics and seismic performance levels of shear walls are evaluated. It is found that neglecting GWB in the lateral design or modeling of LSF is not rational and GWB can increase the dissipation of earthquake energy, lateral strength and stiffness of the walls. Also, the shear wall composed of STRAP bracing and SWBs reaches a certain performance level in a less drift ratio in comparison to to only STRAP braced system.

In this paper, a new method based on optimal combination of inertial sensors; in process of initial alignment for STRAP down navigation system; is proposed. The equations of initial alignment are usually based on accelerometer outputs and/or gyroscope outputs, depending on sensor’s accuracy. Our initial alignment algorithm leads to linear combination of output vectors. Although the error of this method is independent of sensor’s biases, unfortunately the coefficient of this combination is unknown. Knowledge of designer or sensor’s accuracy is a normal solution, but that obviously will not lead to the best estimation. The proposed idea is utilizing genetic algorithm to achieve optimal combination of sensors. In this regard, the optimal transformation matrix must be estimated, and the performance index is a function of alignment error. Final result of optimization problem is the best coefficient to combine outputs. The simulation results show excellent performance of proposed algorithm.

In a STRAP down magnetic compass, heading angle is estimated using the Earth's magnetic field measured by Three-Axis Magnetometers (TAM). However, due to several inevitable errors in the magnetic system, such as sensitivity errors, non-orthogonal and misalignment errors, hard iron and soft iron errors, measurement noises and local magnetic fields, there are large error between the magnetometers' outputs and actual geomagnetic field vector. This is the necessity of magnetic calibration of TAM, especially in navigation application to achieve the true heading angle. In this paper, two methodologies, including clustering swinging method and clustering velocity vector method are presented for magnetic compass calibration. Several factors for clustering process have been introduced and analyzed. The algorithms can be applied in both low-cost MEMS magnetometer and high-accuracy magnetic sensors. The proposed calibration algorithms have been evaluated using in-ground and in-flight tests. It can be concluded from the experimental results that, applying the clustering calibration algorithms bring about a considerable enhancement in the accuracy of magnetic heading angle.