martin mcdonagh - University of Birmingham (original) (raw)
Papers by martin mcdonagh
The journal of bone and joint surgery, May 1, 1983
Human soleus muscle H-reflex is reduced both by compression of the supine horizontal subject and by changing to stabilised standing
Journal of Physiology (Cambridge), Jun 5, 2000
Effects of load on oxygen intake in trained boys and men during treadmill running
Journal of Applied Physiology, Oct 1, 1991
This investigation examines the effects of vertical and horizontal loading on the O2 intake (VO2)... more This investigation examines the effects of vertical and horizontal loading on the O2 intake (VO2) response of children (n = 8) and adults (n = 8) to treadmill running. In unloaded running, the children required a significantly greater VO2 (P less than 0.001) than the adults [mean difference 7 ml.kg-1.min-1 (18.5%)]. There was no significant difference in the VO2 response of the children and the adults to either vertical or horizontal loading. Vertical loading with 5 and 10% of body mass did not produce a significant increase in the VO2 response of either group. In contrast, horizontal loading produced a significant increase (P less than 0.001) in both groups. The consistent response to the two forms of loading suggests that there is no difference between children and adults in the apparent efficiency of running with an external load. Stride frequency showed a significant increase with vertical loading (P less than 0.001) and a significant decrease with horizontal loading (P less than 0.001) in both groups.
Measurement of muscle and tendon stiffness in man
European journal of applied physiology and occupational physiology, 1996
Human first dorsal interosseous muscle was stimulated tetanically using several levels of percuta... more Human first dorsal interosseous muscle was stimulated tetanically using several levels of percutaneous electrical current which produced forces in the muscle-tendon complex of between 30% and 100% of maximum. During the tetanus the muscle was subjected to a small fast stretch. The ratio of the force response to the displacement of the muscle-tendon complex gave a measure of the stiffness
Control of human leg muscles prior to landing from falls
The Journal of Physiology, Dec 1, 1993
Visual and non‐visual control of landing movements in humans
The Journal of Physiology, Nov 1, 2001
1. The role of vision in controlling leg muscle activation in landing from a drop was investigate... more 1. The role of vision in controlling leg muscle activation in landing from a drop was investigated. Subjects (n = 8) performed 10 drops from four heights (0.2, 0.4, 0.6 and 0.8 m) with and without vision. Drop height was maintained constant throughout each block of trials to allow adaptation. The aim of the study was to assess the extent to which proprioceptive and vestibular information could substitute for the lack of vision in adapting landing movements to different heights. 2. At the final stages of the movement, subjects experienced similar peak centre of body mass (CM) displacements and joint rotations, regardless of the availability of vision. This implies that subjects were able to adapt the control of landing to different heights. The amplitude and timing of electromyographic signals from the leg muscles scaled to drop height in a similar fashion with and without vision. 3. However, variables measured throughout the execution of the movement indicated important differences. Without vision, landings were characterised by 10 % larger ground reaction forces, 10 % smaller knee joint rotations, different time lags between peak joint rotations, and more variable ground reaction forces and times to peak CM displacement. 4. We conclude that non-visual sensory information (a) could not fully compensate for the lack of continuous visual feedback and (b) this non-visual information was used to reorganise the motor output. These results suggest that vision is important for the very accurate timing of muscle activity onset and the kinematics of landing.
Comparative Biochemistry and Physiology Part A: Physiology, 1984
The mechanical properties of sartorii muscles from the toad Xenopus borealis were studied in orga... more The mechanical properties of sartorii muscles from the toad Xenopus borealis were studied in organ cultures lasting up to 26 days. 2. Isometric twitch and tetanic tensions diminished in force reaching half their initial values after 15 days in culture. In contrast, twitch time to peak time to half relaxation, twitch-tetanus ratio and muscle weight-body weight ratio, were unchanged. 3. Maximum isotonic shortening velocity (V,,,) declined, with a half time similar to that of the isometric force. 4. The fall in isometric tension is probably due to a breakdown of activation in some fibres. The change in V,_ could be due to a loss of functional sarcomeres in series with the tendons,
European Journal of Applied Physiology, 1984
The electrically evoked and voluntary contractile properties of the first dorsal interosseous mus... more The electrically evoked and voluntary contractile properties of the first dorsal interosseous muscle were measured on both hands in 10 healthy adults. The force of abduction of the index finger interosseous muscle was measured using a transducer resting against the lateral side of the proximal interphalangeal joint. The mean values of time to peak tension measured on the dominant hands were significantly slower than the values on the non-dominant hands (P < 0.01) in a paired t-test. Maximal tetanic tension, maximal voluntary contraction strength, and maximal twitch tension are not significantly different. Fatigue indices on the dominant hands in each subject were higher than those on the non-dominant hands. The correlation coefficient between fatigue indices on the dominant and the non-dominant hand was 0.92 (P < 0.01).
Force responses to controlled stretches of electrically stimulated human muscle-tendon complex
Experimental Physiology, May 1, 1995
Human first dorsal interosseus muscle was tetanized using percutaneous electrical stimulation. Du... more Human first dorsal interosseus muscle was tetanized using percutaneous electrical stimulation. During the tetanus the muscle was subjected to constant velocity stretches. The stretch produced an enhancement of muscular force of up to 80% during the stretch. The size of the enhancement was dependent on both the amplitude and the velocity of the stretch. During an isometric hold phase after the stretch, the force decayed quickly for the first 100 ms and thereafter much more slowly, reaching a level 30% higher than the isometric force without pre-stretch. The force during this hold phase was dependent on amplitude of stretch but was independent of stretch velocity. The interaction of tendon elasticity and muscle fibre mechanics in producing these responses is discussed. Implications for normal human movements are also explored.
Adaptation of mechanical properties of muscle to high force training in man
The Journal of Physiology, Aug 1, 1985
The first dorsal interosseus muscle of the hand was trained for 8 weeks using eighty maximal 10 s... more The first dorsal interosseus muscle of the hand was trained for 8 weeks using eighty maximal 10 s voluntary isometric contractions per day. As a result of this training the maximal voluntary force increased by 33%, but electrically evoked tetanic tension increased by only 11%. In other subjects the muscle was trained using electrical stimulation at 60 Hz to evoke eighty maximal 10 s tetani per day for 8 weeks. This training produced no increase in maximum voluntary force. Our results show that the increase in maximal voluntary force under these conditions may be due to a change in the voluntary neural drive to the muscle.
European Journal of Applied Physiology, 1984
Study of Age Changes in the Motor Units of the First Dorsal Interosseous Muscle in Man
Gerontology, 1988
The effect of ageing on the threshold firing rate of motor units from the first dorsal interosseo... more The effect of ageing on the threshold firing rate of motor units from the first dorsal interosseous muscle was investigated. Two groups of 9 healthy male subjects between the ages of 20-29 and 60-69 years took part in the study. The threshold firing rate of motor units in young subjects showed close agreement with previous observations. However, a significant decrease was found in the older age group and, in addition, these units showed a prolongation of their contraction times, confirming our previous findings from this muscle. These results are discussed in relation to changes previously reported in human skeletal muscle and may indicate a functional change of the muscle with age.
The strength of postural aftercontractions varies with the inclination of the body in the gravitational field
Control of human leg muscles prior to landing from falls
Thomas Poole's friendship with Sir Humphry Davy
Samuel Taylor Coleridge's friendship with Thomas Poole is well known, less well known is ... more Samuel Taylor Coleridge's friendship with Thomas Poole is well known, less well known is the close friendship between Poole and Sir Humphry Davy
The physiology of Casino Royale: proteins to parkour
Physiology News
The physiology of ‘ooh’ and ‘aagh’
Physiology News
Thomas Poole a Somerset magistrate and close friend of the poet Samuel Taylor Coleridge wrote a r... more Thomas Poole a Somerset magistrate and close friend of the poet Samuel Taylor Coleridge wrote a report on the state of the poor in his parish of Nether Stowey in the year 1832. This report provides an unique glimpse into the lives of the eighteenth century poor at the level of an individual parish. It was written at a time when the numbers and costs of the poor were rising very fast and becoming of great concern both to parliament and to the government.
Drafts by martin mcdonagh
This is a popular article explaining how British artisans were crucial to the development of the ... more This is a popular article explaining how British artisans were crucial to the development of the Industrial Revolution in France.
Charles Hall was one of a number of early nineteenth century writers called the Early English Soc... more Charles Hall was one of a number of early nineteenth century writers called the Early English Socialists. Modern critics have hailed Hall’s work as being ahead of his time in his analysis of the causes of poverty in England. He understood that the hierarchy of power and privilege in the long eighteenth century, coupled to the economic system then operating, would inevitably produce poverty for the masses. Modern critics have singled him out for praise calling him “the first of the early socialists”, and the one who “combined so fully an uncompromisingly radical critique of the political structure with an equally radical critique of the social and economic system”. Despite this interest, the details of his life have been obscure and it had been thought that little evidence remained. This paper uses newly discovered evidence to reconstruct his life as a gentleman, farmer, physician and inmate of the Fleet Prison. The paper also provides a new context for past and future discussions of Hall’s social criticism.
Keywords: Eighteenth century, early socialists, socialism, social criticism, social history, economic reform, economic thinkers,
The journal of bone and joint surgery, May 1, 1983
Human soleus muscle H-reflex is reduced both by compression of the supine horizontal subject and by changing to stabilised standing
Journal of Physiology (Cambridge), Jun 5, 2000
Effects of load on oxygen intake in trained boys and men during treadmill running
Journal of Applied Physiology, Oct 1, 1991
This investigation examines the effects of vertical and horizontal loading on the O2 intake (VO2)... more This investigation examines the effects of vertical and horizontal loading on the O2 intake (VO2) response of children (n = 8) and adults (n = 8) to treadmill running. In unloaded running, the children required a significantly greater VO2 (P less than 0.001) than the adults [mean difference 7 ml.kg-1.min-1 (18.5%)]. There was no significant difference in the VO2 response of the children and the adults to either vertical or horizontal loading. Vertical loading with 5 and 10% of body mass did not produce a significant increase in the VO2 response of either group. In contrast, horizontal loading produced a significant increase (P less than 0.001) in both groups. The consistent response to the two forms of loading suggests that there is no difference between children and adults in the apparent efficiency of running with an external load. Stride frequency showed a significant increase with vertical loading (P less than 0.001) and a significant decrease with horizontal loading (P less than 0.001) in both groups.
Measurement of muscle and tendon stiffness in man
European journal of applied physiology and occupational physiology, 1996
Human first dorsal interosseous muscle was stimulated tetanically using several levels of percuta... more Human first dorsal interosseous muscle was stimulated tetanically using several levels of percutaneous electrical current which produced forces in the muscle-tendon complex of between 30% and 100% of maximum. During the tetanus the muscle was subjected to a small fast stretch. The ratio of the force response to the displacement of the muscle-tendon complex gave a measure of the stiffness
Control of human leg muscles prior to landing from falls
The Journal of Physiology, Dec 1, 1993
Visual and non‐visual control of landing movements in humans
The Journal of Physiology, Nov 1, 2001
1. The role of vision in controlling leg muscle activation in landing from a drop was investigate... more 1. The role of vision in controlling leg muscle activation in landing from a drop was investigated. Subjects (n = 8) performed 10 drops from four heights (0.2, 0.4, 0.6 and 0.8 m) with and without vision. Drop height was maintained constant throughout each block of trials to allow adaptation. The aim of the study was to assess the extent to which proprioceptive and vestibular information could substitute for the lack of vision in adapting landing movements to different heights. 2. At the final stages of the movement, subjects experienced similar peak centre of body mass (CM) displacements and joint rotations, regardless of the availability of vision. This implies that subjects were able to adapt the control of landing to different heights. The amplitude and timing of electromyographic signals from the leg muscles scaled to drop height in a similar fashion with and without vision. 3. However, variables measured throughout the execution of the movement indicated important differences. Without vision, landings were characterised by 10 % larger ground reaction forces, 10 % smaller knee joint rotations, different time lags between peak joint rotations, and more variable ground reaction forces and times to peak CM displacement. 4. We conclude that non-visual sensory information (a) could not fully compensate for the lack of continuous visual feedback and (b) this non-visual information was used to reorganise the motor output. These results suggest that vision is important for the very accurate timing of muscle activity onset and the kinematics of landing.
Comparative Biochemistry and Physiology Part A: Physiology, 1984
The mechanical properties of sartorii muscles from the toad Xenopus borealis were studied in orga... more The mechanical properties of sartorii muscles from the toad Xenopus borealis were studied in organ cultures lasting up to 26 days. 2. Isometric twitch and tetanic tensions diminished in force reaching half their initial values after 15 days in culture. In contrast, twitch time to peak time to half relaxation, twitch-tetanus ratio and muscle weight-body weight ratio, were unchanged. 3. Maximum isotonic shortening velocity (V,,,) declined, with a half time similar to that of the isometric force. 4. The fall in isometric tension is probably due to a breakdown of activation in some fibres. The change in V,_ could be due to a loss of functional sarcomeres in series with the tendons,
European Journal of Applied Physiology, 1984
The electrically evoked and voluntary contractile properties of the first dorsal interosseous mus... more The electrically evoked and voluntary contractile properties of the first dorsal interosseous muscle were measured on both hands in 10 healthy adults. The force of abduction of the index finger interosseous muscle was measured using a transducer resting against the lateral side of the proximal interphalangeal joint. The mean values of time to peak tension measured on the dominant hands were significantly slower than the values on the non-dominant hands (P < 0.01) in a paired t-test. Maximal tetanic tension, maximal voluntary contraction strength, and maximal twitch tension are not significantly different. Fatigue indices on the dominant hands in each subject were higher than those on the non-dominant hands. The correlation coefficient between fatigue indices on the dominant and the non-dominant hand was 0.92 (P < 0.01).
Force responses to controlled stretches of electrically stimulated human muscle-tendon complex
Experimental Physiology, May 1, 1995
Human first dorsal interosseus muscle was tetanized using percutaneous electrical stimulation. Du... more Human first dorsal interosseus muscle was tetanized using percutaneous electrical stimulation. During the tetanus the muscle was subjected to constant velocity stretches. The stretch produced an enhancement of muscular force of up to 80% during the stretch. The size of the enhancement was dependent on both the amplitude and the velocity of the stretch. During an isometric hold phase after the stretch, the force decayed quickly for the first 100 ms and thereafter much more slowly, reaching a level 30% higher than the isometric force without pre-stretch. The force during this hold phase was dependent on amplitude of stretch but was independent of stretch velocity. The interaction of tendon elasticity and muscle fibre mechanics in producing these responses is discussed. Implications for normal human movements are also explored.
Adaptation of mechanical properties of muscle to high force training in man
The Journal of Physiology, Aug 1, 1985
The first dorsal interosseus muscle of the hand was trained for 8 weeks using eighty maximal 10 s... more The first dorsal interosseus muscle of the hand was trained for 8 weeks using eighty maximal 10 s voluntary isometric contractions per day. As a result of this training the maximal voluntary force increased by 33%, but electrically evoked tetanic tension increased by only 11%. In other subjects the muscle was trained using electrical stimulation at 60 Hz to evoke eighty maximal 10 s tetani per day for 8 weeks. This training produced no increase in maximum voluntary force. Our results show that the increase in maximal voluntary force under these conditions may be due to a change in the voluntary neural drive to the muscle.
European Journal of Applied Physiology, 1984
Study of Age Changes in the Motor Units of the First Dorsal Interosseous Muscle in Man
Gerontology, 1988
The effect of ageing on the threshold firing rate of motor units from the first dorsal interosseo... more The effect of ageing on the threshold firing rate of motor units from the first dorsal interosseous muscle was investigated. Two groups of 9 healthy male subjects between the ages of 20-29 and 60-69 years took part in the study. The threshold firing rate of motor units in young subjects showed close agreement with previous observations. However, a significant decrease was found in the older age group and, in addition, these units showed a prolongation of their contraction times, confirming our previous findings from this muscle. These results are discussed in relation to changes previously reported in human skeletal muscle and may indicate a functional change of the muscle with age.
The strength of postural aftercontractions varies with the inclination of the body in the gravitational field
Control of human leg muscles prior to landing from falls
Thomas Poole's friendship with Sir Humphry Davy
Samuel Taylor Coleridge's friendship with Thomas Poole is well known, less well known is ... more Samuel Taylor Coleridge's friendship with Thomas Poole is well known, less well known is the close friendship between Poole and Sir Humphry Davy
The physiology of Casino Royale: proteins to parkour
Physiology News
The physiology of ‘ooh’ and ‘aagh’
Physiology News
Thomas Poole a Somerset magistrate and close friend of the poet Samuel Taylor Coleridge wrote a r... more Thomas Poole a Somerset magistrate and close friend of the poet Samuel Taylor Coleridge wrote a report on the state of the poor in his parish of Nether Stowey in the year 1832. This report provides an unique glimpse into the lives of the eighteenth century poor at the level of an individual parish. It was written at a time when the numbers and costs of the poor were rising very fast and becoming of great concern both to parliament and to the government.
This is a popular article explaining how British artisans were crucial to the development of the ... more This is a popular article explaining how British artisans were crucial to the development of the Industrial Revolution in France.
Charles Hall was one of a number of early nineteenth century writers called the Early English Soc... more Charles Hall was one of a number of early nineteenth century writers called the Early English Socialists. Modern critics have hailed Hall’s work as being ahead of his time in his analysis of the causes of poverty in England. He understood that the hierarchy of power and privilege in the long eighteenth century, coupled to the economic system then operating, would inevitably produce poverty for the masses. Modern critics have singled him out for praise calling him “the first of the early socialists”, and the one who “combined so fully an uncompromisingly radical critique of the political structure with an equally radical critique of the social and economic system”. Despite this interest, the details of his life have been obscure and it had been thought that little evidence remained. This paper uses newly discovered evidence to reconstruct his life as a gentleman, farmer, physician and inmate of the Fleet Prison. The paper also provides a new context for past and future discussions of Hall’s social criticism.
Keywords: Eighteenth century, early socialists, socialism, social criticism, social history, economic reform, economic thinkers,
Samuel Taylor Coleridge's friendship with Thomas Poole is well known, less well known is the clos... more Samuel Taylor Coleridge's friendship with Thomas Poole is well known, less well known is the close friendship between Poole and Sir Humphry Davy