ABSTRACT
INTRODUCTION: Combat boots are essential protective gear for military personnel. The purposes of the present study were to examine (1) the influence of combat boot type on ground reaction force (GRF) variables and perceived comfort during unloaded and loaded walking and (2) the relationship between comfort and biomechanical measurements. METHODS: Four types of combat boots with different physical features (eg, mass, thickness) and mechanical properties (eg, cushioning, rigidity) were compared across 61 male participants with experience in military marching while carrying heavy loads. In each boot type, participants completed a 10-m walk under an unloaded and a 20-kg loaded conditions at their preferred speeds. Peak force and loading rate during walking were measured using the loadsol wireless in-shoe sensor system. Comfort level was assessed using a 7-point Likert scale. Difference between loaded and unloaded walking, and across boot types were statistically compared. Correlation analyses were performed between comfort and GRF variables. RESULTS: On average across all boot types, participants walked 2.1% slower when carrying 20-kg loads while experiencing 24.3% higher peak force and 20.8% higher loading rate. Boot D was perceived as most comfortable, followed by boots C, B and A (χ2(2)=115.4, p<0.001). Participants walked slightly faster (p=0.022, ηp 2 = 0.052) and displayed higher loading rates (p<0.001, ηp 2=0.194) in the two more comfortable boots (C and D) than the less comfortable boots (A and B). No significant correlations were found between perceived comfort and any GRF variables. CONCLUSIONS: Combat boot features can influence perceived comfort ratings substantially during walking, whereas biomechanical differences among boot types are more subtle regardless of load conditions. The lack of relationship between comfort and force variables suggests that both subjective and objective measurements should be considered for comprehensive evaluation of combat boots.
ABSTRACT
Parasol cells are one of the major types of primate retinal ganglion cells. The goal of this study was to describe the synaptic inputs that shape the light responses of the ON type of parasol cells, which are excited by increments in light intensity. A connectome from central macaque retina was generated by serial blockface scanning electron microscopy. Six neighboring ON parasol cells were reconstructed, and their synaptic inputs were analyzed. On average, they received 21% of their input from bipolar cells, excitatory local circuit neurons receiving input from cones. The majority of their input was from amacrine cells, local circuit neurons of the inner retina that are typically inhibitory. Their contributions to the neural circuit providing input to parasol cells are not well-understood, and the focus of this study was on the presynaptic wide-field amacrine cells, which provided 17% of the input to ON parasol cells. These are GABAergic amacrine cells with long, relatively straight dendrites, and sometimes also axons, that run in a single, narrow stratum of the inner plexiform layer. The presynaptic wide-field amacrine cells were reconstructed, and two types were identified based on their characteristic morphology. One presynaptic amacrine cell was identified as semilunar type 2, a polyaxonal cell that is electrically coupled to ON parasol cells. A second amacrine was identified as wiry type 2, a type known to be sensitive to motion. These inputs likely make ON parasol cells more sensitive to stimuli that are rapidly changing outside their classical receptive fields.
