Investigation on vehicle occupant dummy applicability for under-foot impact loading conditions.

PURPOSE: Under-foot impact loadings can cause serious lower limb injuries in many activities, such as automobile collisions and underbody explosions to military vehicles. The present study aims to compare the biomechanical responses of the mainstream vehicle occupant dummies with the human body lower limb model and analyze their robustness and applicability for assessing lower limb injury risk in under-foot impact loading environments. METHODS: The Hybrid III model, the test device for human occupant restraint (THOR) model, and a hybrid human body model with the human active lower limb model were adopted for under-foot impact analysis regarding different impact velocities and initial lower limb postures. RESULTS: The results show that the 2 dummy models have larger peak tibial axial force and higher sensitivity to the impact velocities and initial postures than the human lower limb model. In particular, the Hybrid III dummy model presented extremely larger peak tibial axial forces than the human lower limb model. In the case of minimal difference in tibial axial force, Hybrid III's tibial axial force (7.5 KN) is still 312.5% that of human active lower limb's (2.4 KN). Even with closer peak tibial axial force values, the biomechanical response curve shapes of the THOR model show significant differences from the human lower limb model. CONCLUSION: Based on the present results, the Hybrid III dummy cannot be used to evaluate the lower limb injury risk in under-foot loading environments. In contrast, potential improvement in ankle biofidelity and related soft tissues of the THOR dummy can be implemented in the future for better applicability.

Analysis of Foot-Ankle-Leg Injuries in Various Under-Foot Impact Loading Environments With a Human Active Lower Limb Model.

Lower limb injuries caused by under-foot impacts often appear in sport landing, automobile collision, and antivehicular landmine blasts. The purpose of this study was to evaluate a foot-ankle-leg model of the human active lower limb (HALL) model, and used it to investigate lower leg injury responses in different under-foot loading environments to provide a theoretical basis for the design of physical dummies adapted to multiple loading conditions. The model was first validated in allowable rotation loading conditions, like dorsiflexion, inversion/eversion, and external rotation. Then, its sensitivity to loading rates and initial postures was further verified through experimental data concerning both biomechanical stiffness and injury locations. Finally, the model was used to investigate the biomechanical responses of the foot-ankle-leg region in different under-foot loading conditions covering the loading rate from sport landing to blast impact. The results showed that from -rovide a theoreticaln to 30 deg dorsiflexion, the neutral posture always showed the largest tolerance, and more than 1.5 times tolerance gap was achieved between neutral posture and dorsiflexion 30 deg. Under-foot impacts from 2 m/s to 14 m/s, the peak tibia force increased at least 1.9 times in all postures. Thus, we consider that it is necessary to include initial posture and loading rate factors in the definition of the foot-ankle-leg injury tolerance for under-foot impact loading.

Clinical Application of a 3D-Printed Positioning Module and Navigation Template for Percutaneous Vertebroplasty.

BACKGROUND: This study aimed to evaluate a personalized 3D-printed percutaneous vertebroplasty positioning module and navigation template based on preoperative CT scan data that was designed to treat patients with vertebral compression fractures caused by osteoporosis. METHODS: A total of 22 patients with vertebral compression fractures admitted to our hospital were included in the study. Positioning was performed with the new 3D-printed positioning module, and the navigation template was used for patients in the experimental group, and the traditional perspective method was used for patients in the control group. The experimental group consisted of 11 patients, 2 males and 9 females, with a mean age of 67.27 ± 11.86 years (range: 48 to 80 years), and the control group consisted of 11 patients, 3 males and 8 females, with a mean age of 74.27 ± 7.24 years (range: 63 to 89 years). The puncture positioning duration, number of intraoperative fluoroscopy sessions, and preoperative and postoperative visual analog scale (VAS) scores were statistically analyzed in both groups. RESULTS: The experimental group had shorter puncture positioning durations and fewer intraoperative fluoroscopy sessions than the control group, and the differences were statistically significant (P < .05). There were no significant differences in age or preoperative or postoperative VAS scores between the two groups (P > .05). CONCLUSIONS: The new 3D-printed vertebroplasty positioning module and navigation template shortened the operation time and reduced the number of intraoperative fluoroscopy sessions. It also reduced the difficulty in performing percutaneous vertebroplasty and influenced the learning curve of senior doctors learning this operation to a certain degree.

Human head-neck model and its application thresholds: a narrative review.

There had been many studies on human head-neck biomechanical models in the last two decades, and the associated modelling techniques were constantly evolving at the same time. Computational approaches had been widely leveraged, in parallel to conventional physical tests, to investigate biomechanics and injuries of the head-neck system in the fields like automotive industry, orthopaedic, sports medicine, etc. The purpose of this manuscript is to provide a global review of the existing knowledge related to the modelling approaches, structural and biomechanical characteristics, validation and application of the present head-neck models. This endeavor aims to support further enhancements and validations in modeling practices, particularly addressing the lack of data for model validation, as well as to prospect the future advances in terms of the topics. Seventy-four models subject to the proposed selection criteria are considered. Based on previously established and validated head-neck computational models, most of the studies performed in-depth investigations of included cases, which revolved around four specific subjects: physio-pathology, treatment evaluation, collision condition, and sports injury. Through the review of the recent 20 years research, the summarized modeling information indicated existing deficiencies and future research topics, as well as provided references for subsequent head-neck model development and application.

Pelvis and thoracolumbar spine response in simulated under-body blast impacts and protective seat cushion design.

Purpose: The aim of this study is to investigate the dynamic and biomechanical response of the pelvis and thoracolumbar spine in simulated under-body blast (UBB) impacts and design of protective seat cushion for thoracolumbar spine injuries. Methods: A whole-body FE (finite element) human body model in the anthropometry of Chinese 50th% adult male (named as C-HBM) was validated against existing PHMS (Postmortem Human Subjects) test data and employed to understand the dynamic and biomechanical response of the pelvis and thoracolumbar spine from FE simulations of UBB impacts. Then, the protective capability of different seat cushion designs for UBB pelvis and thoracolumbar injury risk was compared based on the predictions of the C-HBM. Results: The predicted spinal accelerations from the C-HUM are almost within the PHMS corridors. UBB impact combined with the effects from physiological curve of the human thoracolumbar spine and torso inertia leads to thoracolumbar spine anterior bending and axial compression, which results in stress concentration in the segments of T4-T8, T12-L1 and L4-L5. Foam seat cushion can effectively reduce the risk of thoracolumbar spine injury of armored vehicle occupants in UBB impacts, and the DO3 foam has better protective performance than ordinary foam, the 60 mm thick DO3 foam could reduce pelvic acceleration peak and DRIz value by 52.8% and 17.2%, respectively. Conclusions: UBB spinal injury risk is sensitive to the input load level, but reducing the pelvic acceleration peak only is not enough for protection of spinal UBB injury risk, control of torso inertia effect would be much helpful.

Muscle activation patterns and gait changes in unilateral knee osteoarthritis patients: a comparative study with healthy controls.

The objective of this study was to investigate the differences in muscle activation and kinematic parameters between patients with unilateral knee osteoarthritis (OA) and healthy individuals. Additionally, the study aimed to determine the correlation between muscle activation and kinematic parameters with knee OA symptoms. Participants with unilateral knee OA (n = 32) and healthy individuals (n = 32) completed the gait test. Electromyography (EMG) and motion capture were employed to collect muscle activation data and kinematic parameters. Spearman's correlation coefficient was used to analysis the correlation between BMI, symptomatic side EMG parameters, kinematic parameters, and Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Osteoarthritis Index (WOMAC) scores. Furthermore, a multiple linear regression analysis of WOMAC pain was also conducted. The peak root mean square, integrated electromyography, and co-activation index (CCI) were increased bilaterally in the unilateral knee OA group compared to the healthy group. Furthermore, these values were higher on the symptomatic side than on the asymptomatic side. Compared with the healthy group, the knee OA group had lower gait speed, decreased stride length and cadence on bilateral sides, longer total stance time and double-stance time, and shorter single stance time and swing time. The maximum knee flexion angle of the swing phase on the symptomatic side of the knee OA group was smaller than that on the asymptomatic side and healthy group. Changes in EMG and gait parameters on the symptomatic side correlated with WOMAC scores. The main factors influencing WOMAC pain were the CCI values of the lateral femoral and biceps femoris muscles and gait speed. Muscle activation and kinematic parameters in the lower limbs of patients with unilateral knee OA were altered bilaterally during walking. These alterations on the symptomatic side were associated with knee OA-related pain. ChiCTR2200064958. Date of registration: 2022-10-24. Key Points • Unilateral symptomatic knee OA leads to bilateral alterations in muscle activation and gait parameters. • Symptomatic muscle activation and gait parameter changes in knee OA patients are associated with knee OA symptoms. • Correcting abnormal muscle activation conditions and gait training may reduce knee OA-related pain.

Effect of hip flexion angle on lower limb injuries of occupants in autonomous vehicle crashes.

This study aims to determine the influence of the hip flexion angle on the injury trends of lower limbs. An impact model was established using a hybrid human body model and an accurate vehicle model. Simulations were performed in two boundary environments of 25 and 40% overlap impacts under different hip flexion angles. The analysis of the dynamic responses indicated that the hip flexion angle significantly affected the injury trends. The maximum femur index of different overlaps was all found at the minimum hip angle, except for the left femur at 25% overlap rate. Meanwhile, the maximum acetabular stress was all found at the minimum hip angle (approximately 0.09-0.20 GPa). This study provides mechanistic insights into the lower limb injuries associated with complex human postures.

Development of a finite element full spine model with active muscles for quantitatively analyzing sarcopenia effects on lumbar load.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: The musculoskeletal imbalance caused by disease is one of the most critical factors leading to spinal injuries, like sarcopenia. However, the effects of musculoskeletal imbalances on the spine are difficult to quantitatively investigate. Thus, a complete finite element spinal model was established to analyze the effects of musculoskeletal imbalance, especially concerning sarcopenia. METHODS: A finite element spinal model with active muscles surrounding the vertebrae was established and validated from anatomic verification to the whole spine model in dynamic loading at multiple levels. It was then coupled with the previously developed neuromuscular model to quantitatively analyze the effects of erector spinae (ES) and multifidus (MF) sarcopenia on spinal tissues. The severity of the sarcopenia was classified into three levels by changing the physiological cross-sectional area (PCSA) of ES and MF, which were mild (60% PCSA of ES and MF), moderate (48% PCSA of ES and MF), and severe (36% PCSA of ES and MF). RESULTS: The stress and strain levels of most lumbar tissues in the sarcopenia models were more significant than those of the normal model during spinal extension movement. The sarcopenia caused load concentration in several specific regions. The stress level of the L4-L5 intervertebral disc and L1 vertebra significantly increased with the severity of sarcopenia and showed relatively larger values than other segments. From the normal model to a severe sarcopenia model, the stress value of the L4-L5 intervertebral disc and L1 vertebra increased by 128% and 113%, respectively. The strain level of L5-S1 also inclined significantly with the severity of sarcopenia, and the relatively larger capsule strain values occurred at lower back segments from L3 to S1. CONCLUSIONS: In summary, the validated spinal coupling model can be used for spinal injury risk analysis caused by musculoskeletal imbalance. The results suggested that sarcopenia can primarily lead to high injury risk of the L4-L5 intervertebral disc, L1 vertebrae, and L3-S1 joint capsule regarding significant stress or strain variance.

A neuromuscular human body model for lumbar injury risk analysis in a vibration loading environment.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: Long-term intensive exposure to whole-body vibration substantially increases the risk of low back pain and degenerative diseases in special occupational groups, like motor vehicle drivers, military vehicle occupants, aircraft pilots, etc. This study aims to establish and validate a neuromuscular human body model focusing on improvement of the detailed description of anatomic structures and neural reflex control, for lumbar injury analysis in vibration loading environments. METHODS: A whole-body musculoskeletal in Opensim codes was first improved by including a detailed anatomic description of spinal ligaments, non-linear intervertebral disc, and lumbar facet joints, and coupling a proprioceptive feedback closed-loop control strategy with GTOs and muscle spindles modeling in Python codes. Then, the established neuromuscular model was multi-levelly validated from sub-segments to the whole model, from regular movements to dynamic responses to vibration loadings. Finally, the neuromuscular model was combined with a dynamic model of an armored vehicle to analyze occupant lumbar injury risk in vibration loadings due to different road conditions and traveling velocities. RESULT: Based on a series of biomechanical indexes, including lumbar joint rotation angles, the lumbar intervertebral pressures, the displacement of the lumbar segments, and the lumbar muscle activities, the validation results show that the present neuromuscular model is available and feasible in predicting lumbar biomechanical responses in normal daily movement and vibration loading environments. Furthermore, the combined analysis with the armored vehicle model predicted similar lumbar injury risk to the experimental or epidemiologic studies. The preliminary analysis results also showed that road types and travelling velocities have substantial combined effects on lumbar muscle activities, and indicated that intervertebral joint pressure and muscle activity indexes can need to be jointly considered for lumbar injury risk evaluation. CONCLUSION: In conclusion, the established neuromuscular model is an effective tool to evaluate vibration loading effects on injury risk of the human body and assist vehicle design vibration comfort by directly concerning the human body injury itself.

Oxidative Stress Amplifiers as Immunogenic Cell Death Nanoinducers Disrupting Mitochondrial Redox Homeostasis for Cancer Immunotherapy.

Reactive oxygen species (ROS)-induced oxidative stress in the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) is generally believed to be an important prerequisite for immunogenic cell death (ICD) which can trigger antitumor immune responses for cancer immunotherapy. However, thus far, little is known between the oxidative stress in a certain organelle other than ER and ICD. Herein, polymers for preparing ROS-responsive nanoparticles (NP-I-CA-TPP) with mitochondrial targeting performance as ICD nanoinducers are designed. It is believed that NP-I-CA-TPP can target mitochondria which are extremely important organelles intimately involved in cellular stress signaling to play an important role in the induction of ICD. NP-I-CA-TPP can amplify cinnamaldehyde (CA)-induced ROS damage by iodo-thiol click chemistry-mediated glutathione depletion in cancer cells. Finally, NP-I-CA-TPP is shown to disrupt mitochondrial redox homeostasis, amplify mitochondrial oxidative stress, promote cancer cell apoptosis via inducing ICD, and triggering the body's antitumor immune response for cancer immunotherapy.

Quantitative cervical spine injury responses in whiplash loading with a numerical method of natural neural reflex consideration.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: Neural reflex is hypothesized as a regulating step in spine stabilizing system. However, neural reflex control is still in its infancy to consider in the previous finite element analysis of head-neck system for various applications. The purpose of this study is to investigate the influences of neural reflex control on neck biomechanical responses, then provide a new way to achieve an accurate biomechanical analysis for head-neck system with a finite element model. METHODS: A new FE head-neck model with detailed active muscles and spinal cord modeling was established and globally validated at multi-levels. Then, it was coupled with our previously developed neuromuscular head-neck model to analyze the effects of vestibular and proprioceptive reflexes on biomechanical responses of head-neck system in a typical spinal injury loading condition (whiplash). The obtained effects were further analyzed by comparing a review of epidemiologic data on cervical spine injury situations. RESULT: The results showed that the active model (AM) with neural reflex control obviously presented both rational head-neck kinematics and tissue injury risk referring to the previous experimental and epidemiologic studies, when compared with the passive model (PM) without it. Tissue load concentration locations as well as stress/strain levels were both changed due to the muscle activation forces caused by neural reflex control during the whole loading process. For the bony structures, the AM showed a peak stress level accounting for only about 25% of the PM. For the discs, the stress concentrated location was transferred from C2-C6 in the PM to C4-C6 in the AM. For the spinal cord, the strain concentrated locations were transferred from C1 segment to around C4 segment when the effects of neural reflex control were implemented, while the gray matter and white matter peak strains were reduced to 1/3 and 1/2 of the PM, respectively. All these were well correlated with epidemiological studies on clinical cervical spine injuries. CONCLUSION: In summary, the present work demonstrated necessity of considering neural reflex in FE analysis of a head-neck system as well as our model biofidelity. Overall results also verified the previous hypothesis and further quantitatively indicated that the muscle activation caused by neural reflex is providing a protection for the neck in impact loading by decreasing the strain level and changing the possible injury to lower spinal cord level to reduce injury severity.

Targeting Bone Tumor and Subcellular Endoplasmic Reticulum via Near Infrared II Fluorescent Polymer for Photodynamic-Immunotherapy to Break the Step-Reduction Delivery Dilemma.

Specific localization of photosensitizers (PSs) to a certain organelle could result in targeted attack to cause greater trauma to cancer cells, eventually maximizing photodynamic therapy (PDT). However, currently, efficient and precise transportation of PSs via drug delivery to tumor cells and subcellular organelles is still challenging, due to a so-called step-reduction delivery dilemma (SRDD) which also threatens anticancer drug delivery to exert their efficacy. Herein, a cascade targeting near infrared II (NIR II) fluorescent nanoparticles (NPER/BO-PDT ) is designed that can target bone tumor first and then target the subcellular organelle of endoplasmic reticulum (ER). It is found that NPER/BO-PDT achieves the targeted accumulation of the bone tumor and then ER. NPER/BO-PDT generates reactive oxygen species (ROS) in the subcellular organelles of ER under near infrared light irradiation. The continuous ER stress by ROS promotes the release of more damage-associated molecular patterns, induces immunogenic cell death, stimulates the adaptive immune response, and further synergistically inhibits tumor growth, achieving the so-called photodynamic-immunotherapy. Overall, this study exemplifies a safe and efficient nano-drug delivery system for a bone and ER cascade targeting via delivery of PSs to break the SRDD and highlights potential clinical translation.

A Novel Neuromuscular Head-Neck Model and Its Application on Impact Analysis.

OBJECTIVE: Neck muscle activation plays an important role in maintaining posture and preventing trauma injuries of the head-neck system, levels of which are primarily controlled by the neural system. Thus, the present study aims to establish and validate a neuromuscular head-neck model as well as to investigate the effects of realistic neural reflex control on head-neck behaviors during impact loading. METHODS: The neuromuscular head-neck model was first established based on a musculoskeletal model by including neural reflex control of the vestibular system and proprioceptors. Then, a series of human posture control experiments was implemented and used to validate the model concerning both joint kinematics of the cervical spine and neck muscle activations. Finally, frontal impact experiments of varying loading severities were simulated with the newly established model and compared with an original model to investigate the influences of the implanted neural reflex controllers on head-neck kinematic responses. RESULTS: The simulation results using the present neuromuscular model showed good correlations with in-vivo experimental data while the original model even cannot reach a correct balance status. Furthermore, the vestibular reflex is noted to dominate the muscle activation in less severe impact loadings while both vestibular and proprioceptive controllers have a lot of effect in higher impact loading severity cases. CONCLUSIONS: In summary, a novel neuromuscular head-model was established and its application demonstrated the significance of the neural reflex control in predicting in vivo head-neck responses and preventing related injury risk due to impact loading.

A simulation-based framework with a proprioceptive musculoskeletal model for evaluating the rehabilitation exoskeleton system.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: Various rehabilitation exoskeletons have been designed to help people regain normal gait from stroke effects. However, the evaluation and further optimization of these exoskeletons are not convenient and usually need complicated experimental works. The present study aims to establish a simulation-based method with a proprioceptive musculoskeletal model to conveniently evaluate the efficiency of a self-developed exoskeleton for further optimization. METHODS: Three volunteers who suffer from dyskinesia due to stroke were recruited for gait experiments with and without the self-develop exoskeleton. The corresponding simulations were implemented based on the proprioceptive model, the exoskeleton model, and the input kinematic data obtained from the experiments. The joint angles, muscle activations, and metabolic costs as well as the proprioceptor feedback stimulation were extracted for comparative analysis. RESULT: Several positive effects of the exoskeleton were noted based on the simulation results when using it to aid the patients' rehabilitation during the gait training. The CORA scores of the patients' joint angle to the normal data increased by 11.6~37.8% with the assistance of the exoskeleton. The wave frequency of proprioceptive feedback stimulation that can be directly correlated to the neural rehabilitation obviously inclined during a gait cycle. The muscle activations were also rearranged to better support the patient's walk when using the exoskeleton, while the metabolic costs were reduced for all the patients. CONCLUSION: In summary, the present simulation-based method can be practical for pre-evaluation and optimization of various exoskeleton design in the future.

Predicting pedestrian lower limb fractures in real world vehicle crashes using a detailed human body leg model.

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the capability of a detailed FE human body lower limb mode, called HALL (Human Active Lower Limb) model, in predicting real world pedestrian injuries and to investigate injury mechanism of pedestrian lower limb in vehicle collisions. METHODS: Two real world vehicle-to-pedestrian crashes with detailed information were selected. Then, a pedestrian model combining the HALL model and the upper body of the 50th% Chinese dummy model and vehicle front models were developed to reconstruct the selected real world crashes, and the predictions of the simulations were analyzed together with observations from the accident data. RESULTS: The results show that the predictions of the HALL model for pedestrian lower limb long bone fractures match well with the observation from hospital data of the real world accidents, and the predicted thresholds of bending moment for tibia and femur fracture are close to the average values calculated from cadaver test data. Analysis of injury mechanism of pedestrian lower limb in collisions indicates that the relatively sharper bumper of minivan type vehicles can produce concentrated loading to the lower leg and a high risk of tibia/fibula fracture, while the relatively sharper and lower bonnet leading edge may cause concentrate loading to the thigh and high femur fracture risk. CONCLUSIONS: The findings imply that the HALL model could be used as an effective tool for predicting pedestrian lower limb injuries in vehicle collisions and improvements to the minivan bumper and sedan bonnet leading edge should be concerned further in vehicle design.

Could an isolated human body lower limb model predict leg biomechanical response of Chinese pedestrians in vehicle collisions?

PURPOSE: The purpose of the current study was to investigate whether an isolated human body lower limb FE model could predict leg kinematics and biomechanical response of a full body Chinese pedestrian model in vehicle collisions. METHODS: A human body lower limb FE model representing midsize Chinese adult male anthropometry was employed with different upper body weight attachments being evaluated by comparing the predictions to those of a full body pedestrian model in vehicle-to-pedestrian collisions considering different front-end shapes. RESULTS: The results indicate that upper body mass has a significant influence on pedestrian lower limb injury risk, the effect varies from vehicle front-end shape and is more remarkable to the femur and knee ligaments than to the tibia. In particular, the upper body mass can generally increase femur and knee ligaments injury risk, but has no obvious effect on the injury risk of tibia. The results also show that a higher attached buttock mass is needed for isolated pedestrian lower limb model for impacts with vehicles of higher bonnet leading edge. CONCLUSIONS: The findings of this study may suggest that it is necessary to consider vehicle shape variation in assessment of vehicle pedestrian protection performance and leg-form impactors with adaptive upper body mass should be used for vehicles with different front-end shapes, and the use of regional leg-form impactor modeling the local anthropometry to evaluate the actual lower limb injury of pedestrians in different countries and regions.

Influences of impact scenarios and vehicle front-end design on head injury risk of motorcyclist.

Motorcycle to vehicle collision is one of the most common accidents in the world and usually leads to serious or fatal head injuries to motorcyclists. This study aims to investigate the influences of impact scenarios and vehicle front-end design parameters on head injury risk of the motorcyclist. Five general vehicle types and different impact scenarios were selected for a parametric analysis. Impact scenarios were set according to ISO, 13232 regulation considering impact angles and impact speeds. Five vehicle types of Sedan, MPV (Multi-Purpose Vehicle), SUV (Sport Utility Vehicle), EV (Electric Vehicle) and 1-Box vehicle were included. HIC15 (Head Injury Criterion), head angular acceleration and CSDM (Cumulative Strain Damage Measure) were calculated to evaluate head injury risk of the motorcyclist. The results show that the critical impact speed for HIC15 and head angular acceleration was around 15 m/s, while the critical speed for CSDM was approximately 10 m/s. Impact angle of 45° show extremely high injury risk to the motorcyclist head. Bonnet leading edge height and its combination with other parameter present high influences on motorcyclist head injuries, and the increasing the bonnet leading edge height can potentially reduce head injury risk of motorcyclists. In summary, the present research results provide some theoretic bases for determining the test speed in motorcycle-vehicle crash regulation and design consideration for typical vehicle front end shape.

In vitro compressive properties of skeletal muscles and inverse finite element analysis: Comparison of human versus animals.

Virtual finite element human body models have been widely used in biomedical engineering, traffic safety injury analysis, etc. Soft tissue modeling like skeletal muscle accounts for a large portion of a human body model establishment, and its modeling method is not enough explored. The present study aims to investigate the compressive properties of skeletal muscles due to different species, loading rates and fiber orientations, in order to obtain available parameters of specific material laws as references for building or improving the human body model concerning both modeling accuracy and computational cost. A series of compressive experiments of skeletal muscles were implemented for human gastrocnemius muscle, bovine and porcine hind leg muscle. To avoid long-time preservation effects, all experimental tests were carried out in 24 h after that the samples were harvested. Considering computational cost and generally used in the previous human body models, one-order hyperelastic Ogden model and three-term simplified viscoelastic quasi-linear viscoelastic (QLV) were selected for numerical analysis. Inverse finite element analysis was employed to obtain corresponding material parameters. With good fitting records, the simulation results presented available material parameters for human body model establishment, and also indicated significant differences of muscle compressive properties due to species, loading rates and fiber orientations. When considering one-order Ogden law, it is worthy of noting that the inversed material parameters of the porcine muscles are similar to those of the human gastrocnemius regardless of fiber orientations. In conclusion, the obtained material parameters in the present study can be references for global human body and body segment modeling.

A Framework of a Lower Limb Musculoskeletal Model With Implemented Natural Proprioceptive Feedback and Its Progressive Evaluation.

OBJECTIVE: Proprioceptive senses play an important role in human body reflex and movement, so far implementing physiological mathematical models of proprioceptors in the musculoskeletal model and investigating their effects have not been sufficiently investigated. The purpose of the present study was to establish a compact framework for a lower limb musculoskeletal model by considering both ascending signals from central nervous system and descending feedback neural signal from physiologically realistic proprioceptors and evaluate it with progressive experimental data as well as investigating the effects of the proprioceptive feedback on the human movement. METHODS: The simulation framework was established by combining a lower limb musculoskeletal model, the forward dynamic tool from OpenSim codes, and an executive program based on Python codes. The physiological mathematical models of the muscle spindle and Golgi tendon organs were included in the feedback control loop for the model. The model was evaluated through both previous literature data and currently implemented volunteer reflex experiments from the neural organ level to the monosynaptic reflex loop, and finally the complicated movement, such as the firing rate of the proprioceptors, the knee-jerk reflex, and the normal gait. Simultaneously, the effects of the proprioceptors on human normal gait were initially investigated. RESULTS: The reliability of the framework was properly evaluated by comparing the experimental data of neural firing rate, electromyography signals, and joint kinematics. The gait analysis indicated that the introduction of the proprioceptors in the motor control loop can substantially resist the external disturbance. CONCLUSION: The established framework has been evaluated at different levels, and it can be extended and applied to different musculoskeletal models for human movement analysis and evaluate the effects of the proprioceptors on them.

Influence of the scale reduction in designing sockets for trans-tibial amputees.

The development of artificial prosthetic lower limbs aims to improve patient's mobility while avoiding secondary problems resulting from the use of the prostheses themselves. The residual limb is a pressure-sensitive area where skin injuries and pain are more likely to develop. Requirements for adequate prosthetic limbs have now become urgent to improve amputee's quality of life. This study aims to understand how socket design parameters related to geometry can influence pressure distribution in the residual limb. A finite element model was developed to simulate the mechanical loading applied on the residual limb of a below-knee amputee while walking. A sensitivity analysis to socket initial geometry, scaling the socket downward in the horizontal plane, was performed. Recordings include stress levels on the skin and in the residual limb deep soft tissues. Peak stress was reduced by up to 51% with a limited reduction of the socket size. More important scale reduction of the residual limb would lead to possible negative effects, such as stress concentrations in sensitive areas. This result confirms the interest of the prosthetist to develop a well-fitting socket, possibly a little smaller than the residual limb itself, in order to avoid residual limb mobility in the socket that could cause friction and stress concentrations. Non-homogeneous geometrical reductions of the socket should be further investigated.