Using Xbox kinect motion capture technology to improve clinical rehabilitation outcomes for balance and cardiovascular health in an individual with chronic TBI

Background Motion capture virtual reality-based rehabilitation has become more common. However, therapists face challenges to the implementation of virtual reality (VR) in clinical settings. Use of motion capture technology such as the Xbox Kinect may provide a useful rehabilitation tool for the treatment of postural instability and cardiovascular deconditioning in individuals with chronic severe traumatic brain injury (TBI). The primary purpose of this study was to evaluate the effects of a Kinect-based VR intervention using commercially available motion capture games on balance outcomes for an individual with chronic TBI. The secondary purpose was to assess the feasibility of this intervention for eliciting cardiovascular adaptations. Methods A single system experimental design (n = 1) was utilized, which included baseline, intervention, and retention phases. Repeated measures were used to evaluate the effects of an 8-week supervised exercise intervention using two Xbox One Kinect games. Balance was characterized using the dynamic gait index (DGI), functional reach test (FRT), and Limits of Stability (LOS) test on the NeuroCom Balance Master. The LOS assesses end-point excursion (EPE), maximal excursion (MXE), and directional control (DCL) during weight-shifting tasks. Cardiovascular and activity measures were characterized by heart rate at the end of exercise (HRe), total gameplay time (TAT), and time spent in a therapeutic heart rate (TTR) during the Kinect intervention. Chi-square and ANOVA testing were used to analyze the data. Results Dynamic balance, characterized by the DGI, increased during the intervention phase χ 2 (1, N = 12) = 12, p = .001. Static balance, characterized by the FRT showed no significant changes. The EPE increased during the intervention phase in the backward direction χ 2 (1, N = 12) = 5.6, p = .02, and notable improvements of DCL were demonstrated in all directions. HRe (F (2,174) = 29.65, p = \u3c .001) and time in a TTR (F (2, 12) = 4.19, p = .04) decreased over the course of the intervention phase. Conclusions Use of a supervised Kinect-based program that incorporated commercial games improved dynamic balance for an individual post severe TBI. Additionally, moderate cardiovascular activity was achieved through motion capture gaming. Further studies appear warranted to determine the potential therapeutic utility of commercial VR games in this patient population. Trial registration Clinicaltrial.gov ID - NCT0288928

Lignin-Degrading Bacteria in Paper Mill Sludge

The effluents generated in the paper industry, such as black liquor, have a high content of lignin and other toxic components; however, they represent a source of lignin-degrading bacteria with biotechnological potential. Therefore, the present study aimed to isolate and identify lignin-degrading bacteria species in paper mill sludge. A primary isolation was carried out from samples of sludge present in environments around a paper company located in the province of Ascope (Peru). Bacteria selection was made by the degradation of Lignin Kraft as the only carbon source in a solid medium. Finally, the laccase activity (Um-L−1) of each selected bacteria was determined by oxidation of 2,2′-azinobis-(3-etilbencenotiazolina-6-sulfonate) (ABTS). Bacterial species with laccase activity were identified by molecular biology techniques. Seven species of bacteria with laccase activity and the ability to degrade lignin were identified. The bacteria Agrobacterium tumefasciens (2), Klebsiella grimontii (1), and Beijeinckia fluminensis (1) were reported for first time. K. grimowntii and B. fluminensis presented the highest laccase activity, with values of 0.319 ± 0.005 UmL−1 and 0.329 ± 0.004 UmL−1, respectively. In conclusion, paper mill sludge may represent a source of lignin-degrading bacteria with laccase activity, and they could have potential biotechnological applications

Extending SMT Solvers to Higher-Order Logic

International audienceSMT solvers have throughout the years been able to cope with increasingly expressive formulas, from ground logics to full first-order logic (FOL). In contrast, the extension of SMT solvers to higher-order logic (HOL) is mostly un-explored. We propose a pragmatic extension for SMT solvers to support HOL reasoning natively without compromising performance on FOL reasoning, thus leveraging the extensive research and implementation efforts dedicated to efficient SMT solving. We show how to generalize data structures and the ground decision procedure to support partial applications and extensionality, as well as how to reconcile quantifier instantiation techniques with higher-order variables. We also discuss a separate approach for redesigning an HOL SMT solver from the ground up via new data structures and algorithms. We apply our pragmatic extension to the CVC4 SMT solver and discuss a redesign of the veriT SMT solver. Our evaluation shows they are competitive with state-of-the-art HOL provers and often outperform the traditional encoding into FOL

Coronary-Heart-Disease-Associated Genetic Variant at the COL4A1/COL4A2 Locus Affects COL4A1/COL4A2 Expression, Vascular Cell Survival, Atherosclerotic Plaque Stability and Risk of Myocardial Infarction.

Genome-wide association studies have revealed an association between coronary heart disease (CHD) and genetic variation on chromosome 13q34, with the lead single nucleotide polymorphism rs4773144 residing in the COL4A2 gene in this genomic region. We investigated the functional effects of this genetic variant. Analyses of primary cultures of vascular smooth muscle cells (SMCs) and endothelial cells (ECs) from different individuals showed a difference between rs4773144 genotypes in COL4A2 and COL4A1 expression levels, being lowest in the G/G genotype, intermediate in A/G and highest in A/A. Chromatin immunoprecipitation followed by allelic imbalance assays of primary cultures of SMCs and ECs that were of the A/G genotype revealed that the G allele had lower transcriptional activity than the A allele. Electrophoretic mobility shift assays and luciferase reporter gene assays showed that a short DNA sequence encompassing the rs4773144 site interacted with a nuclear protein, with lower efficiency for the G allele, and that the G allele sequence had lower activity in driving reporter gene expression. Analyses of cultured SMCs from different individuals demonstrated that cells of the G/G genotype had higher apoptosis rates. Immunohistochemical and histological examinations of ex vivo atherosclerotic coronary arteries from different individuals disclosed that atherosclerotic plaques with the G/G genotype had lower collagen IV abundance and thinner fibrous cap, a hallmark of unstable, rupture-prone plaques. A study of a cohort of patients with angiographically documented coronary artery disease showed that patients of the G/G genotype had higher rates of myocardial infarction, a phenotype often caused by plaque rupture. These results indicate that the CHD-related genetic variant at the COL4A2 locus affects COL4A2/COL4A1 expression, SMC survival, and atherosclerotic plaque stability, providing a mechanistic explanation for the association between the genetic variant and CHD risk

The role of short-term changes in cognitive capacity on economic expenditure among Kenyan agro-pastoralists.

The increased exposure of pastoralist communities in East Africa to climatic shocks has focused attention on the resilience of these communities. Although many social scientists directly or indirectly infer versions of homo-economic agents, increasing evidence in development behavioral economics, indicates that such assumptions may be misplaced. Despite on-going advances in the science concerning the effects of stress on dynamic changes in short-term cognitive capacity, there remains limited understanding of the effects of changes in cognitive capacity on economic decision making. The present research empirically evaluates the drivers of short-term changes in cognitive capacity-cognitive ability and heuristic use-and its effect on crop and livestock expenditure among predominantly poor Kenyan agro-pastoralists. Three rounds of cognition and survey data from Samburu, Kenya is analysed. The primary data was collected at the end of the 2015-16 East African drought and covers an 11-month period between October 2016 and September 2017. Dynamic panel estimation, employing maximum likelihood, is used on balanced and unbalanced data. Results indicate that fluid intelligence and heuristic use, along with literacy and stressors, affect crop expenditure. Perceptions of scarcity, relative to prior expectations, are also identified as an important determinant of short-term changes in cognitive ability. These results underscore the importance of better understanding the effects of short-term changes in cognitive capacity on economic expenditure among the poor

A multi-crop production planning model for hydrophonic systems with nutrient mix reusability

The world population is growing. At a least count of 6.8 billion people, it is bound to balloon to approximately 10 billion people by the year 2050. This is not only entails higher rate of food production to feed this vast amount of people, but in conjunction to that, an equally large amount of land is required to be able to accommodate growing all the food using the current methods of farming. However, even though we can produce more food, we cannot produce more land. Eighty per cent of the earths land area is already utilized. There is a need to find a better way to produce food without having to take up horizontal space or damaging the environment, which agriculture poses as the main culprit. Being one of the fastest growing sectors of urban agriculture, hydroponics promises to provide a solution to agricultures food and land shortage and is beginning to replace traditional agriculture to feed the increasing population. Research literature review of over 200 articles in urban agriculture, hydroponics, and production planning revealed two main gaps of the research: 1) that commercial hydroponics does not integrate nutrient reusability, incurring unnecessary costs while lacking in engineering support and 2) agriculturists do not delve into the scheduling of its intercrop production plan with regards to the orders that they receive. Therefore, there is a need for an optimization model for the design of multi-crop hydroponic system operations that considers the details of the key processes and factors in a hydroponic system which includes nutrients use optimization given a deterministic demand with the goal of minimizing cost due to different operational costs. The need was obtained from the significance of water and nutrients as a key factor in hydroponics, giving the bulk of the cost of the entire operational cost. The mathematical model formulated is a mixed integer nonlinear programming problem. In order to obtain an optimal solution for the model, the GAMS language with the DICOPT solver as used to input and run the model. Validation of the model consisted of three runs. The first run provided a means to validate the system in simple scenarios having demands for a single crop type whereas the second run provided a scenario wherein there were demands for both crop types. Multiple time period demands both for the crop types were also introduced by the third run. These validation runs were done in order to check whether the logic of the system coherent and consistent. For the sensitivity analysis, 2k Factorial Design is used as a preparation phase for the Response Surface Methodology. Factorial results returned growth days, starting weight, nutrient expiration and table capacity as the significant factors, and were input as the factors for the RSM analysis. RSM was done in order to check for the optimal settings of the model since there are still other parameters that the model can consider. The main results of the research include an algorithm that can be integrated into the management of commercial hydroponic systems, reducing resource costs of up to thirty per cent and making the technology feasible for developing countries. This algorithm can be easily used by existing farmers in cooperation with engineers

Forecasting value-at-risk during crises in select ASEAN stock market indices through GARCH-EVT models

This study compared the EVT and GARCH-EVT models to determine the most reliable model with regard to forecasting VaR during a crisis, specifically the Global Financial Crisis and the COVID-19 Pandemic. Hence, the paper analyzed the selected ASEAN indices’ daily closing prices during the said crises for 16 years, which consisted of Vietnam, Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, and the Philippines. The study also determined the crisis that yielded the most extreme values and the index that was the most volatile during the crises. Backtestings, such as Kupiec test and Christoffersen test, as well as descriptive statistics, normality test, and Kruskal Wallis test were used for the research. The findings showed that the EVT-BM and GARCH-EVT-BM models were the most reliable VaR model for all time periods due to its conservative estimations. On the other hand, it was determined that the GFC had the most extreme values with losses as much as -12%. The paper also discerned that Indonesia’s Jakarta Stock Exchange Composite Index (JKSE) was the most volatile during the GFC, while Thailand’s Bangkok SET50 Index (SET50) displayed the most volatility during the COVID-19 pandemic. These findings can assist investors and financial institutions on the most reliable risk models they can use pre-crises and during crises that can severely impact their investments; thereby providing them guidance as part of portfolio risk management tool. Keywords: GARCH-EVT models, EVT models, Value-at-Risk forecasting, ASEAN stock indices, Global Financial Crisis, COVID-19 Pandemic, Kupiec test, Christoffersen tes

Eccentric Exercise Program Design: A Periodization Model for Rehabilitation Applications

The applied use of eccentric muscle actions for physical rehabilitation may utilize the framework of periodization. This approach may facilitate the safe introduction of eccentric exercise and appropriate management of the workload progression. The purpose of this data-driven Hypothesis and Theory paper is to present a periodization model for isokinetic eccentric strengthening of older adults in an outpatient rehabilitation setting. Exemplar and group data are used to describe the initial eccentric exercise prescription, structured familiarization procedures, workload progression algorithm, and feasibility of the exercise regimen. Twenty-four men (61.8 ±6.3 years of age) completed a 12-week isokinetic eccentric strengthening regimen involving the knee extensors. Feasibility and safety of the regimen was evaluated using serial visual analog scale (VAS, 0-10) values for self-reported pain, and examining changes in the magnitude of mean eccentric power as a function of movement velocity. Motor learning associated with the familiarization sessions was characterized through torque-time curve analysis. Total work was analyzed to identify relative training plateaus or diminished exercise capacity during the progressive phase of the macrocycle. Variability in the mean repetition interval decreased from 68% to 12% during the familiarization phase of the macrocycle. The mean VAS values were 2.9 ±2.7 at the start of the regimen and 2.6 ±2.9 following 12 weeks of eccentric strength training. During the progressive phase of the macrocycle, exercise workload increased from 70% of the estimated eccentric peak torque to 141% and total work increased by 185% during this training phase. The slope of the total work performed across the progressive phase of the macrocycle ranged from -5.5 to 29.6, with the lowest slope values occurring during microcycles 8 and 11. Also, mean power generation increased by 25% when eccentric isokinetic velocity increased from 60 deg s-1 to 90 deg s-1 while maintaining the same workload target. The periodization model used in this study for eccentric exercise familiarization and workload progression was feasible and safe to implement within an outpatient rehabilitation setting. Cyclic use of higher eccentric movement velocities, and the addition of active recovery periods, are featured in the proposed theoretical periodization model for isokinetic eccentric strengthening

The Association of Lower Extremity Strength with Step Ascent and Descent Performance in Men with Knee Osteoarthritis

Background: Knee osteoarthritis (OA) is a chronic disease characterized by articular cartilage damage, pain, and muscle weakness. Ambulating stairs is a leading source of pain in people with OA, and disease progression may be marked by asymmetrical gait abnormalities. The primary objective of this study was to determine the relationship between knee peak torque and Step-Up-and-Over (SUO) test performance in individuals with knee OA. The secondary objective was to assess asymmetries in the study participants based on knee peak torque and OA severity. Methods: Twenty-one male Veterans with knee OA (age = 59.8 yrs. ±4.5) from the Washington DC VA Medical Center enrolled in the study. The severity of knee OA was determined by a radiologist using the Kellgren–Lawrence (K-L) grading system during the assessment of participant x-rays. Functional performance was assessed via the SUO test, which involves ascending/descending an 8-inch box on a force plate. The SUO test outcomes included movement time and force-time parameters representing step-up force (concentric muscle control), step-down force (eccentric muscle control), and force-time curve smoothness (lower-limb motor coordination). Peak torque of the knee extensors and flexors were measured using isokinetic dynamometry (180º/s). Correlation analysis was used to determine the association between strength and SUO test outcomes. Paired t-tests were used to assess bilateral differences in peak torque and the K-L grades. Results: The mean within-participant difference in the K-L score was 0.7 ±0.6. Normalized knee peak torque was not significantly greater in the less involved leg (mean = .32 ±.14) compared to the more involved leg (mean = .27 ±.11; p \u3e .05), but was greater in the dominant leg (mean = .34 ±.13) versus the nondominant leg (mean = .25 ±.11; p = .001). Movement time during the SUO test was associated with knee extensor strength (r = -.41, p = 0.009), but not flexor strength (r = -.30, p = .056). Movement time was the only parameter measured during the SUO test that was associated with peak torque. Conclusions: Preliminary findings suggest that strength and OA severity asymmetries were minimal within the sample. Gross measures of knee extensor strength are associated with the movement time of the step ascent/descent task. However, the SUO force-time parameters may be associated with motor coordination rather than peak torque generation. Future work is needed to determine whether motor coordination improves independently of changes in knee strength over the course of OA treatment