Background: More women than men experience genu recurvatum, which can lead to knee pain and arthritis if left unattended. Pilates combined with taping is a suitable rehabilitation method for women with genu recurvatum. Objectives: To aimed the effect of taping and Pilates stabilization exercise on physical alignment and improvement of genu recurvatum in women with genu recurvatum. Design: A Randomized controlled trial. Methods: Twenty-one women were divided into three groups: taping group (back of knee taping and quadriceps femoris taping, n=7), Pilates exercise group (hip, knee and abdominal muscles exercise, n=7), and combined group (taping with pilates exercise, n=7). The measured variables were sagittal plane alignment and back and abdominal muscle, knee flexor and extensor strength. Results: After the intervention, all sagittal plane alignments were significantly improved in both the Pilates and combined groups. Sagittal plane alignment was significantly improved in the combined group compared with the taping group. Back and abdominal muscle strength were significantly improved in the Pilates and combined groups compared with the taping group. Knee flexor and extensor were significantly improved in the combined group compared with the Pilates group and in the Pilates group compared with the taping group. Conclusion: Pilates exercise with taping or Pilates exercise alone was effective intervention methods to improve physical alignment and strength in women with genu recurvatum.

Using lanthanum zinc oxide (LZO) film with the ion-beam irradiation, uniform and homogeneous liquid crystal (LC) alignment was achieved. To fabricate the LZO thin film on glass substrate, solution process was conducted as a deposition method. Cross-polarized optical microscopy (POM) and the crystal rotation method reveal the state of LC alignment on the ion-beam irradiated LZO film. Between orthogonally placed polarizers, POM image showed constant black color with regular transmittance. Furthermore, collected incidence angle versus transmittance curve from the crystal rotation method revealed that the LC molecules on the ion-beam irradiated LZO film were aligned homogeneously. Atomic force microscopy (AFM) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) were conducted to reveal the relationship between the ion-beam irradiation and the LC alignment. The ion-beam irradiation changed the LZO film surface to rougher than before by etching effect. Numerical roughness values from AFM analysis supported this phenomenon specifically. XPS analysis showed the chemical composition change due to the ion-beam irradiation by investigation of O 1s, La 3d and Zn 2p spectra. The ion-beam irradiation induced the breakage of chemical bonds in the LZO film surface and this occurred surface chemical anisotropic characteristics for uniform LC alignment.