An evaluation of personalised insoles developed using additive manufacturing

Abstract

The aim of the study was to evaluate the short and medium term use of personalised insoles, produced by combining additive manufacturing (AM) with three-dimensional (3-D) foot scanning and computer aided design (CAD) systems. For that, 38 runners (19 pairings) were recruited. The experimental conditions were: personalised and control. The personalised condition consisted of trainers fitted with personalised glove fit insoles manufactured using AM and using foot scans to match the plantar geometry of the feet. The control condition consisted of the same trainers fitted with insoles also manufactured using AM but using scans of the original insole shape. Participants were allocated to one of the experimental conditions and wore the trainers for 3 months. Over this period they attended three laboratory sessions (at months 0, 1.5 and 3) and completed an Activity Diary after each training session. The footwear was evaluated in terms of discomfort and biomechanics. Lower discomfort ratings were found in the heel area (P ≤ 0.05) and for overall fit (P ≤ 0.05), with the personalised insole. However, discomfort was reported under the arch region for both conditions. With regard to the biomechanical data, differences between conditions were detected for ankle dorsiflexion at footstrike (P ≤ 0.05), maximum ankle eversion (P ≤ 0.05) and peak mean pressure under the heel (P ≤ 0.01): the personalised condition had lower values which may reduce injury risk. The personalisation of the geometry of insoles through advances in AM together with 3-D scanning and CAD technologies can provide benefits and has potential.     

The Impact of Model Misspecification on Parameter Estimation and Item‐Fit Assessment in Log‐Linear Diagnostic Classification Models

Using a complex simulation study we investigated parameter recovery, classification accuracy, and performance of two item‐fit statistics for correct and misspecified diagnostic classification models within a log‐linear modeling framework. The basic manipulated test design factors included the number of respondents (1,000 vs. 10,000), attributes (3 vs. 5), and items (25 vs. 50) as well as different attribute correlations (.50 vs. .80) and marginal attribute difficulties (equal vs. different). We investigated misspecifications of interaction effect parameters under correct Q‐matrix specification and two types of Q‐matrix misspecification. While the misspecification of interaction effects had little impact on classification accuracy, invalid Q‐matrix specifications led to notably decreased classification accuracy. Two proposed item‐fit indexes were more strongly sensitive to overspecification of Q‐matrix entries for items than to underspecification. Information‐based fit indexes AIC and BIC were sensitive to both over‐ and underspecification.     

The One World, One Science Argument

The one world, one science argument (so named by Rescher) isadvanced by Carl Sagan and others to support the thesis thatwe will be able to learn to converse with intelligent extraterrestrialsif and when we encounter them. The prima facie obstacle to extraterrestrialcommunication is that the aliens’ culture and geographyare bound to be so different from ours that we would find itextremely difficult, if not practically impossible, to finda common topic on which we can both converse. Sagan's rebuttalis that we will share mathematics and the laws of physics, thesebeing the same for all intelligent beings regardless of localcultural and geographical variations. I show that this argumentfails even if its contentious assumptions about science andthe world are granted—that is to say, it fails on uncontentiousgrounds.

1 OWOS

2 OWOS and Social Constructivism

3 OWOSand Conceptual Relativism

4 OWOS and the Selection Problem

5 The Fundamental Laws Solution

6 The Mathematics Solution

7 The Radio Solution

8 The Common Conditions Solution

9The Intractability of the Selection Problem

10 The Superfluityof OWOS

     

Schooling as a positional good: the Brazilian metropolitan regions in recent decades

In this article, I aim to determine whether, in view of the trend of educational expansion in recent decades in Brazil, the role played by schooling in the labor market of Brazilian major metropolitan regions has changed, becoming positional rather than absolute. To this end, I analyze the influence of schooling on people’s income and occupational status. Based on data from the National Household Sample Survey (PNAD-IBGE) for years 1995, 2005 and 2015, I compare ordinary least squares models that use absolute and positional measures of schooling. The results show that the explanatory power is greater for positional measures than for absolute ones, and that this advantage has increased over recent decades. As a result, it is argued that although educational expansion possibly makes the chances of access to a certain absolute schooling level less unequal, it also ends up undermining the opportunity structure related to it.     

Digital ITEMS Module 1: Reliability in Classical Test Theory

In this ITEMS module, we provide a two‐part introduction to the topic of reliability from the perspective of classical test theory (CTT). In the first part, which is directed primarily at beginning learners, we review and build on the content presented in the original didactic ITEMS article by Traub and Rowley (1991). Specifically, we discuss the notion of reliability as an intuitive everyday concept to lay the foundation for its formalization as a reliability coefficient via the basic CTT model. We then walk through the step‐by‐step computation of key reliability indices and discuss the data collection conditions under which each is most suitable. In the second part, which is directed primarily at intermediary learners, we present a distribution‐centered perspective on the same content. We discuss the associated assumptions of various CTT models ranging from parallel to congeneric, and review how these affect the choice of reliability statistics. Throughout the module, we use a customized Excel workbook with sample data and basic data manipulation functionalities to illustrate the computation of individual statistics and to allow for structured independent exploration. In addition, we provide quiz questions with diagnostic feedback as well as short videos that walk through sample exercises within the workbook.     

THE EIGHTEEN‐MONTH EXPERIENCE OF THE NATIONAL EVALUATION COMMITTEE IN FRANCE

This article describes the origins of and the rationale for the creation of the French National Evaluation Committee, the niche which it fills within the context of French higher education, its make‐up, details of its first year of activity, its typical procedures for the evaluation of. a given institution and, in general terms, its evaluation criteria. An annex lists the current members of the Committee, the President of which is Laurent Schwartz, a member of the French Academy of Sciences.

     

Cost‐effective teaching of radiology with preclinical anatomy

Graduating physicians in all subspecialties have an increased need for competency in radiology, particularly since the use of diagnostic imaging continues to grow. To integrate the teaching of radiology with anatomy during the first year of medical school at Howard University, a novel approach was developed to overcome the limitations of resources including funding, faculty, and curricular time. The resulting program relies on self‐study and peer‐to‐peer interactions to develop proficiency at manipulating free versions of medical image viewer software (using the DICOM standard), identifying normal anatomy in medical images, and applying critical thinking skills to understand common clinical conditions. An effective collaborative relationship between a radiologist and anatomist was necessary to develop and implement the program of anatomic–radiographic instruction which consists of five tiers: (1) initial exposure to anatomy through dissection which provides a foundation of knowledge; (2) study of annotated radiographs from atlases; (3) a radiology quiz open to group discussions; (4) small group study of clinical cases with diagnostic images; and (5) radiographic tests. Students took all quizzes and tests by working from image datasets preloaded on their personal computers, mimicking the approach by which radiologists analyze medical images. In addition to stimulating student support of a new teaching initiative, the strengths of Howard's program are that it can be introduced into an existing preclinical curriculum in almost any medical school with minimal disruption, it requires few additional resources to implement and run, and its design is consistent with the principles of modern education theory. Anat Sci Educ 11: 196–206. © 2017 American Association of Anatomists.     

Pavlovian appetitive discriminative conditioning inAplysia californica

Three experiments demonstrated Pavlovian appetitive discrimination learning in the marine mollusc,Aplysia californica. In each experiment, subjects were exposed to two conditioned stimuli; one stimulus (CS+) was paired with food presentations and the other stimulus (CS?) was never followed by food. In Experiments 1 and 3 different chemosensory stimuli were used, and in Experiment 2 different tactile stimuli were used. For both types of conditioned stimuli, bite responses occurred significantly more often to the CS+ than to the CS?. Experiment 2 also showed thatAplysia could learn a reversal of this discrimination. Experiment 3 showed that nonreinforced presentations of CS+ resulted in a decline in the frequency of conditioned biting. The implications of these results for neurobiological analyses of learning are discussed.