The use of muscle morphology and local dynamic stability in clinical assessment of treatment for non-specific chronic low back pain

This thesis investigated the use of a series of tests to examine local dynamic stability (LDS) of the trunk, morphology of lumbar multifidus muscle (LMM) and levels of pain and disability in non-specific chronic low back pain (NSCLBP) patients within a clinical setting. Study one determined the reliability of a test for LDS of the trunk using maximum Lyapunov exponents (max), calculated from 3-dimensional acceleration time series collected during a 3-minute kneeling cyclical tap-test. The test was found to be reliable (ICC=0.760) in healthy adults, thus providing evidence that the use of this testing protocol was valid for use in future studies with repeated measures design. Study two established the reliability of using ultrasound imaging (USI) to measure LMM thickness on separate occasions. USI was shown to have excellent reliability (ICC=0.988) in measuring LMM thickness, thereby providing validity for use in future studies. Study three examined the outcomes of a series of tests used in a cohort of NSCLBP patients and age matched healthy controls; aimed at assessing LDS of the trunk using a three minute cyclical tap test during single and dual task (motor + cognitive) conditions, LMM thickness, and levels of pain and disability. Differences between groups and relationships between measures were observed at baseline and at 3 months follow-up. Significant differences were found between healthy and NSCLBP groups when comparing LDS during single and dual task conditions. NSCLBP participants prioritised the motor task at greater expense of the cognitive task, whereas healthy participants showed no deficit in either task. No significant associations were found between LDS measures and pain or LMM thickness, although after 3 months and a significant reduction in pain, the NSCLBP group showed behaviour that was analogous to that of the healthy group during dual task conditions. The results of this study show that the series of tests were able to identify differences between healthy and NSCLBP populations and may provide a useful clinical tool in studies evaluating treatment efficacy and effectiveness. Study four, a case study, explored the feasibility of using the series of tests in a patient receiving spinal cord and medial nerve stimulation – an intervention directly aimed at reducing pain, rehabilitating LMM and restoring dynamic stability. The study demonstrated the practicability of using the protocol with patients and informed recommendations for a future, larger scale study. The use of an innovative tap-test to measure LDS of the trunk during single and dual task conditions, in conjunction with LMM morphology, for clinical application in the assessment of NSCLBP patients are the novel aspects of this thesis and contribute new data and interpretations to this area of research

Stochastic Resonance and Related Topics

The stochastic resonance (SR) is the phenomenon which can emerge in nonlinear dynamic systems. In general, it is related with a bistable nonlinear system of Duffing type under additive excitation combining deterministic periodic force and Gaussian white noise. It manifests as a stable quasiperiodic interwell hopping between both stable states with a small random perturbation. Classical definition and basic features of SR are regarded. The most important methods of investigation outlined are: analytical, semi-analytical, and numerical procedures of governing physical systems or relevant Fokker-Planck equation. Stochastic simulation is mentioned and experimental way of results verification is recommended. Some areas in Engineering Dynamics related with SR are presented together with a particular demonstration observed in the aeroelastic stability. Interaction of stationary and quasiperiodic parts of the response is discussed. Some nonconventional definitions are outlined concerning alternative operators and driving processes are highlighted. The chapter shows a large potential of specific basic, applied and industrial research in SR. This strategy enables to formulate new ideas for both development of nonconventional measures for vibration damping and employment of SR in branches, where it represents an operating mode of the system itself. Weaknesses and empty areas where the research effort of SR should be oriented are indicated

Proceedings of Abstracts Engineering and Computer Science Research Conference 2019

© 2019 The Author(s). This is an open-access work distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited. For further details please see https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/. Note: Keynote: Fluorescence visualisation to evaluate effectiveness of personal protective equipment for infection control is © 2019 Crown copyright and so is licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Under this licence users are permitted to copy, publish, distribute and transmit the Information; adapt the Information; exploit the Information commercially and non-commercially for example, by combining it with other Information, or by including it in your own product or application. Where you do any of the above you must acknowledge the source of the Information in your product or application by including or linking to any attribution statement specified by the Information Provider(s) and, where possible, provide a link to this licence: http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/version/3/This book is the record of abstracts submitted and accepted for presentation at the Inaugural Engineering and Computer Science Research Conference held 17th April 2019 at the University of Hertfordshire, Hatfield, UK. This conference is a local event aiming at bringing together the research students, staff and eminent external guests to celebrate Engineering and Computer Science Research at the University of Hertfordshire. The ECS Research Conference aims to showcase the broad landscape of research taking place in the School of Engineering and Computer Science. The 2019 conference was articulated around three topical cross-disciplinary themes: Make and Preserve the Future; Connect the People and Cities; and Protect and Care

Dynamic problems for metamaterials: Review of existing models and ideas for further research

Metamaterials are materials especially engineered to have a peculiar physical behaviour, to be exploited for some well-specified technological application. In this context we focus on the conception of general micro-structured continua, with particular attention to piezoelectromechanical structures, having a strong coupling between macroscopic motion and some internal degrees of freedom, which may be electric or, more generally, related to some micro-motion. An interesting class of problems in this context regards the design of wave-guides aimed to control wave propagation. The description of the state of the art is followed by some hints addressed to describe some possible research developments and in particular to design optimal design techniques for bone reconstruction or systems which may block wave propagation in some frequency ranges, in both linear and non-linear fields. (C) 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved

Fractals in the Nervous System: conceptual Implications for Theoretical Neuroscience

This essay is presented with two principal objectives in mind: first, to document the prevalence of fractals at all levels of the nervous system, giving credence to the notion of their functional relevance; and second, to draw attention to the as yet still unresolved issues of the detailed relationships among power law scaling, self-similarity, and self-organized criticality. As regards criticality, I will document that it has become a pivotal reference point in Neurodynamics. Furthermore, I will emphasize the not yet fully appreciated significance of allometric control processes. For dynamic fractals, I will assemble reasons for attributing to them the capacity to adapt task execution to contextual changes across a range of scales. The final Section consists of general reflections on the implications of the reviewed data, and identifies what appear to be issues of fundamental importance for future research in the rapidly evolving topic of this review

Spectral mapping of brain functional connectivity from diffusion imaging.

Understanding the relationship between the dynamics of neural processes and the anatomical substrate of the brain is a central question in neuroscience. On the one hand, modern neuroimaging technologies, such as diffusion tensor imaging, can be used to construct structural graphs representing the architecture of white matter streamlines linking cortical and subcortical structures. On the other hand, temporal patterns of neural activity can be used to construct functional graphs representing temporal correlations between brain regions. Although some studies provide evidence that whole-brain functional connectivity is shaped by the underlying anatomy, the observed relationship between function and structure is weak, and the rules by which anatomy constrains brain dynamics remain elusive. In this article, we introduce a methodology to map the functional connectivity of a subject at rest from his or her structural graph. Using our methodology, we are able to systematically account for the role of structural walks in the formation of functional correlations. Furthermore, in our empirical evaluations, we observe that the eigenmodes of the mapped functional connectivity are associated with activity patterns associated with different cognitive systems