Human Gait Modeling, Prediction and Classification for Level Walking Using Harmonic Models Derived from a Single Thigh-Mounted IMU

The majority of human gait modeling is based on hip, foot or thigh acceleration. The regeneration accuracy of these modeling approaches is not very high. This paper presents a harmonic approach to modeling human gait during level walking based on gyroscopic signals for a single thigh-mounted Inertial Measurement Unit (IMU) and the flexion–extension derived from a single thigh-mounted IMU. The thigh angle can be modeled with five significant harmonics, with a regeneration accuracy of over 0.999 correlation and less than 0.5◦ RMSE per stride cycle. Comparable regeneration accuracies can be achieved with nine significant harmonics for the gyro signal. The fundamental frequency of the harmonic model can be estimated using the stride time, with an error level of 0.0479% (±0.0029%). Six commonly observed stride patterns, and harmonic models of thigh angle and gyro signal for those stride patterns, are presented in this paper. These harmonic models can be used to predict or classify the strides of walking trials, and the results are presented herein. Harmonic models may also be used for activity recognition. It has shown that human gait in level walking can be modeled with a harmonic model of thigh angle or gyro signal, using a single thigh-mounted IMU, to higher accuracies than existing techniques

Multi-Behavioral Endpoint Testing Of An 87-Chemical Compound Library In Freshwater Planarians

There is an increased recognition in the field of toxicology of the value of medium-to-high-throughput screening methods using in vitro and alternative animal models. We have previously introduced the asexual freshwater planarian Dugesia japonica as a new alternative animal model and proposed that it is particularly well-suited for the study of developmental neurotoxicology. In this paper, we discuss how we have expanded and automated our screening methodology to allow for fast screening of multiple behavioral endpoints, developmental toxicity, and mortality. Using an 87-compound library provided by the National Toxicology Program (NTP), consisting of known and suspected neurotoxicants, including drugs, flame retardants, industrial chemicals, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), pesticides and presumptive negative controls, we further evaluate the benefits and limitations of the system for medium-throughput screening, focusing on the technical aspects of the system. We show that, in the context of this library, planarians are the most sensitive to pesticides with 16/16 compounds causing toxicity and the least sensitive to PAHs, with only 5/17 causing toxicity. Furthermore, while none of the presumptive negative controls were bioactive in adult planarians, 2/5, acetaminophen and acetylsalicylic acid, were bioactive in regenerating worms. Notably, these compounds were previously reported as developmentally toxic in mammalian studies. Through parallel screening of adults and developing animals, planarians are thus a useful model to detect such developmental-specific effects, which was observed for 13 chemicals in this library. We use the data and experience gained from this screen to propose guidelines for best practices when using planarians for toxicology screens

Development of a Step Counting Algorithm Using the Ambulatory Tibia Load Analysis System for Tibia Fracture Patients

Introduction: Ambulation can be used to monitor the healing of lower extremity fractures. However, the ambulatory behavior of tibia fracture patients remains unknown due to an inability to continuously quantify ambulation outside of the clinic. The goal of this study was to design and validate an algorithm to assess ambulation in tibia fracture patients using the ambulatory tibial load analysis system during recovery, outside of the clinic. Methods Data were collected from a cyclic tester, 14 healthy volunteers performing a 2-min walk test on the treadmill, and 10 tibia fracture patients who wore the ambulatory tibial load analysis system during recovery. Results The algorithm accurately detected 2000/2000 steps from simulated ambulatory data. (see full text for full abstract

Fasudil attenuates aggregation of α-synuclein in models of Parkinson’s disease

Parkinson's disease (PD) is the most common neurodegenerative movement disorder, yet disease-modifying treatments do not currently exist. Rho-associated protein kinase (ROCK) was recently described as a novel neuroprotective target in PD. Since alpha-synuclein (alpha-Syn) aggregation is a major hallmark in the pathogenesis of PD, we aimed to evaluate the anti-aggregative potential of pharmacological ROCK inhibition using the isoquinoline derivative Fasudil, a small molecule inhibitor already approved for clinical use in humans. Fasudil treatment significantly reduced alpha-Syn aggregation in vitro in a H4 cell culture model as well as in a cell-free assay. Nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy analysis revealed a direct binding of Fasudil to tyrosine residues Y133 and Y136 in the C-terminal region of alpha-Syn. Importantly, this binding was shown to be biologically relevant using site-directed mutagenesis of these residues in the cell culture model. Furthermore, we evaluated the impact of long-term Fasudil treatment on alpha-Syn pathology in vivo in a transgenic mouse model overexpressing human alpha-Syn bearing the A53T mutation (alpha-Syn(A53T) mice). Fasudil treatment improved motor and cognitive functions in alpha-Syn(A53T) mice as determined by Catwalk (TM) gait analysis and novel object recognition (NOR), without apparent side effects. Finally, immunohistochemical analysis revealed a significant reduction of alpha-Syn pathology in the midbrain of alpha-Syn(A53T) mice after Fasudil treatment. Our results demonstrate that Fasudil, next to its effects mediated by ROCK-inhibition, directly interacts with alpha-Syn and attenuates alpha-Syn pathology. This underscores the translational potential of Fasudil as a disease-modifying drug for the treatment of PD and other synucleinopathies

Daily activities and survival at older ages

This study tested the hypothesis that time spent on regenerative (e.g., resting), productive (e.g., housework), and consumptive activities (e.g., meeting friends) is associated with survival in persons aged 70 and older. An observational study with semi-annual mortality follow-ups was carried out in the former West Berlin, Germany. The sample was stratified by age and sex and consisted of 473 persons aged 70 to 103 years. Study participants lived in the community as well as in institutions. Activity measures were assessed in 1990-1993 by structured interviews in the participants´ homes. Cox regression was used to model survival from time of interview. The main outcome measure was survival on 3 February 2000. Consumptive activities were related to survival (relative risk = 0.76, 95% confidence interval 0.58 to 1.00) after several confounding factors were controlled for. There were indications that the greatest survival benefit is achieved with a medium amount of time devoted to consumptive activities. Our results support the idea that daily activities are linked to survival via a psychosocial pathway, which might involve perceived quality of life. Consumptive activities (e.g., meeting friends, reading a novel) may contribute considerably to maintaining health and achieving longevity, because they are performed on a daily basis and their effects may accumulate over the life course.

The Haunting of L.S. Lowry: Class, Mass Spectatorship and the Image at The Lowry, Salford, UK

In a series of momentary encounters with the surface details of The Lowry Centre, a cultural venue located in Salford, Greater Manchester, UK, this article considers the fate of the image evoked by the centre’s production and staging of cultural experience. Benjamin’s notion of ‘aura’ as inimical to transformations of art and cultural spectatorship is explored, alongside its fatal incarnation in Baudrillard’s concept of ‘simulation’. L.S. Lowry, I argue, occupies the space as a medium: both as a central figure of transmission of the centre’s narrative of inclusivity through cultural regeneration, and as one who communes with phantoms: remainders of the working-class life and culture that once occupied this locale. Through an exploration of various installations there in his name, Lowry is configured as a ‘destructive character’, who, by making possible an alternative route through its spaces, refuses to allow The Lowry Centre to insulate itself from its locale and the debt it owes to its past

Functional trajectories during innate spinal cord repair

Adult zebrafish are capable of anatomical and functional recovery following severe spinal cord injury. Axon growth, glial bridging and adult neurogenesis are hallmarks of cellular regeneration during spinal cord repair. However, the correlation between these cellular regenerative processes and functional recovery remains to be elucidated. Whereas the majority of established functional regeneration metrics measure swim capacity, we hypothesize that gait quality is more directly related to neurological health. Here, we performed a longitudinal swim tracking study for 60 individual zebrafish spanning 8 weeks of spinal cord regeneration. Multiple swim parameters as well as axonal and glial bridging were integrated. We established rostral compensation as a new gait quality metric that highly correlates with functional recovery. Tensor component analysis of longitudinal data supports a correspondence between functional recovery trajectories and neurological outcomes. Moreover, our studies predicted and validated that a subset of functional regeneration parameters measured 1 to 2 weeks post-injury is sufficient to predict the regenerative outcomes of individual animals at 8 weeks post-injury. Our findings established new functional regeneration parameters and generated a comprehensive correlative database between various functional and cellular regeneration outputs