Improving activity recognition using a wearable barometric pressure sensor in mobility-impaired stroke patients.

© 2015 Massé et al.Background: Stroke survivors often suffer from mobility deficits. Current clinical evaluation methods, including questionnaires and motor function tests, cannot provide an objective measure of the patients mobility in daily life. Physical activity performance in daily-life can be assessed using unobtrusive monitoring, for example with a single sensor module fixed on the trunk. Existing approaches based on inertial sensors have limited performance, particularly in detecting transitions between different activities and postures, due to the inherent inter-patient variability of kinematic patterns. To overcome these limitations, one possibility is to use additional information from a barometric pressure (BP) sensor. Methods: Our study aims at integrating BP and inertial sensor data into an activity classifier in order to improve the activity (sitting, standing, walking, lying) recognition and the corresponding body elevation (during climbing stairs or when taking an elevator). Taking into account the trunk elevation changes during postural transitions (sit-to-stand, stand-to-sit), we devised an event-driven activity classifier based on fuzzy-logic. Data were acquired from 12 stroke patients with impaired mobility, using a trunk-worn inertial and BP sensor. Events, including walking and lying periods and potential postural transitions, were first extracted. These events were then fed into a double-stage hierarchical Fuzzy Inference System (H-FIS). The first stage processed the events to infer activities and the second stage improved activity recognition by applying behavioral constraints. Finally, the body elevation was estimated using a pattern-enhancing algorithm applied on BP. The patients were videotaped for reference. The performance of the algorithm was estimated using the Correct Classification Rate (CCR) and F-score. The BP-based classification approach was benchmarked against a previously-published fuzzy-logic classifier (FIS-IMU) and a conventional epoch-based classifier (EPOCH). Results: The algorithm performance for posture/activity detection, in terms of CCR was 90.4 %, with 3.3 % and 5.6 % improvements against FIS-IMU and EPOCH, respectively. The proposed classifier essentially benefits from a better recognition of standing activity (70.3 % versus 61.5 % [FIS-IMU] and 42.5 % [EPOCH]) with 98.2 % CCR for body elevation estimation. Conclusion: The monitoring and recognition of daily activities in mobility-impaired stoke patients can be significantly improved using a trunk-fixed sensor that integrates BP, inertial sensors, and an event-based activity classifier

Balance strategy in hoverboard control.

This study examines how people learn to perform lower limb control in a novel task with a hoverboard requiring to maintain dynamic balance. We designed an experiment to investigate the learning of hoverboard balance and two control strategies: A hip strategy, which mainly uses hip movements to change the angle of the foot, and an ankle strategy relying more on ankle motion to control the orientation of hoverboard plates controlling the motion. Motor learning was indicated by a significant [Formula: see text]% decrease in the trial completion time (p < 0.001) and a significant 24 ± 11% decrease in total muscle activation (p < 0.001). Furthermore, the participants, who had no prior experience riding a hoverboard, learned an ankle strategy to maintain their balance and control the hoverboard. This is supported by significantly stronger cross-correlation, phase synchrony, lower dynamic time warping distance between the hoverboard plate orientation controlling hoverboard motion, and the ankle angle when compared to the hip angle. The adopted ankle strategy was found to be robust to the foot orientation despite salient changes in muscle group activation patterns. Comparison with results of an experienced hoverboard rider confirmed that the first-time riders adopted an ankle strategy

Cable-driven robotic interface for lower limb neuromechanics identification.

This paper presents a versatile cable-driven robotic interface to investigate the single-joint joint neuromechanics of the hip, knee and ankle in the sagittal plane. This endpoint-based interface offers highly dynamic interaction and accurate position control (as is typically required for neuromechanics identification), and provides measurements of position, interaction force and EMG of leg muscles. It can be used with the subject upright, corresponding to a natural posture during walking or standing, and does not impose kinematic constraints on a joint, in contrast to existing interfaces. Mechanical evaluations demonstrated that the interface yields a rigidity above 500 N/m with low viscosity. Tests with a rigid dummy leg and linear springs show that it can identify the mechanical impedance of a limb accurately. A smooth perturbation is developed and tested with a human subject, which can be used to estimate the hip neuromechanics

The Influence of Posture, Applied Force and Perturbation Direction on Hip Joint Viscoelasticity.

Limb viscoelasticity is a critical neuromechanical factor used to regulate the interaction with the environment. It plays a key role in modelling human sensorimotor control, and can be used to assess the condition of healthy and neurologically affected individuals. This paper reports the estimation of hip joint viscoelasticity during voluntary force control using a novel device that applies a leg displacement without constraining the hip joint. The influence of hip angle, applied limb force and perturbation direction on the stiffness and viscosity values was studied in ten subjects. No difference was detected in the hip joint stiffness between the dominant and non-dominant legs, but a small dependency was observed on the perturbation direction. Both hip stiffness and viscosity increased monotonically with the applied force magnitude, with posture being observed to have a slight influence. These results are in line with previous measurements carried out on upper limbs, and can be used as a baseline for lower limb movement simulation and further neuromechanical investigations

A simple tool to measure spasticity in spinal cord injury subjects.

This work presents a wearable device and the algorithms for quantitative modelling of joint spasticity and its application in a pilot group of subjects with different levels of spinal cord injury. The device comprises light-weight instrumented handles to measure the interaction force between the subject and the physical therapist performing the tests, EMG sensors and inertial measurement units to measure muscle activity and joint kinematics. Experimental tests included the passive movement of different body segments, where the spasticity was expected, at different velocities. Tonic stretch reflex thresholds and their velocity modulation factor are computed, as a quantitative index of spasticity, by using the kinematics data at the onset of spasm detected through thresholding the EMG data. This technique was applied to two spinal cord injury subjects. The proposed method allowed the analysis of spasticity at muscle and joint levels. The obtained results are in line with the expert diagnosis and qualitative spasticity characterisation on each individual

Contribution of nucleus raphe magnus to thermoregulation

Thermoregulation is the maintenance of the core body temperature. The regulation of body temperature is one of the most important functions of the nervous system. Nucleus raphe magnus, as a central circuit coordinates the homeostatic response and maintains body temperature during environmental temperature challenges and adjusts body temperature during the inflammatory response and behavioral states and in response to decreasing energy homeostasis. Our aim in this review is the understanding of thermoregulation by raphe magnus in mammals. This review summarizes the basic concepts of thermoregulation and subsequently assesses the physiological responses to cold stress, including skin blood flow control, sweating, sympathetic-derived cutaneous vasoconstriction and peripheral thermoregulatory control in brown adipose tissue. © 2020, Iranian Society of Physiology and Pharmacology. All rights reserved

Nitric oxide in the nucleus raphe magnus modulates cutaneous blood flow in rats during hypothermia

Objective(s): Nucleus Raphe Magnus (NRM) that is involved in the regulation of body temperature contains nitric oxide (NO) synthase. Considering the effect of NO on skin blood flow control, in this study, we assessed its thermoregulatory role within the raphe magnus. Materials and Methods: To this end, tail blood flow of male Wistar rats was measured by laser doppler following the induction of hypothermia. Results: Intra�NRM injection of SNP (exogenous NO donor, 0.1� 0.2 μl, 0.2 nM) increased the blood flow. Similarly, unilateral microinjection of glutamate (0.1� 0.2 μl, 2.3 nM) into the nucleus increased the blood flow. This effect of L�glutamate was reduced by prior intra NRM administration of NO synthase inhibitor NG�methyl�L�arginine or NG�nitro�L�arginine methyl ester (L�NAME, 0.1 μl, 100 nM). Conclusion: It is concluded that NO modulates the thermoregulatory response of NRM to hypothermia and may interact with excitatory amino acids in central skin blood flow regulation. © 2015, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences. All rights reserved

The Comparison of Motivational Beliefs, Metacognitive Skills and Self-Regulation Learning between Gifted & Ordinary Students of the City of Isfahan

The present study aimed to compare the motivational beliefs, metacognitive skills and self-regulation learning between gifted and ordinary female students in third grade of the middle school in the city of Isfahan. Research method is causal-comparative. The population of the study was included all gifted and ordinary female students in third grade of Farzanegan Amin middle school in the city of Isfahan. The sample was included 60 gifted students who were randomly selected from a special school for gifted children and 60 ordinary students who were selected using multi-stage sampling from normal schools. Research’s instruments were the Demographic and the Motivational Strategies for Learning Questionnaire (MSLQ). Data were analyzed by ANOVA. The results showed that there is a significant difference between the two groups in terms of motivational beliefs (

Cryogenic Solid Solubility Measurements for HFC-32 + CO2 Binary Mixtures at Temperatures Between (132 and 217) K

Accurate phase equilibrium data for mixtures of eco-friendly but mildly-flammable refrigerants with inert components like CO2 will help the refrigeration industry safely employ working fluids with 80 % less global warming potential than those of many widely-used refrigerants. In this work, a visual high-pressure measurement setup was used to measure solid–fluid equilibrium (SFE) of HFC-32 + CO2 binary systems at temperatures between (132 and 217) K. The experimental data show a eutectic composition of around 11 mol % CO2 with a eutectic temperature of 131.9 K at solid–liquid–vapour (SLVE) condition. Measured SLVE and solid–liquid equilibrium data were used to tune a thermodynamic model implemented in the ThermoFAST software package by adjusting the binary interaction parameter (BIP) in the Peng–Robinson equation of state. The tuned model represents the measured melting points for binary mixtures with a root mean square deviation (RMSD) of 3.2 K, which is 60 % less than achieved with the default BIP. An RMSD of 0.5 K was obtained using the tuned model for the mixtures with CO2 fractions over 28 mol % relative to an RMSD of 3.4 K obtained with the default model. The new property data and improved model presented in this work will help avoid solid deposition risk in cryogenic applications of the HFC-32 + CO2 binary system and promote wider applications of more environmentally-friendly refrigerant mixtures

Relative contribution of central and peripheral factors in superficial blood flow regulation following cold exposure

The aim of the present study was to evaluate the extent of contribution of thermal regulators in cold stress. Hypothermia is described as a diminution in core body temperature below 35°C. Thermoregulation is the equilibrium between heat generation (thermogenesis) and heat loss (thermolysis). Thermoregulatory control of skin blood flow (SBF) is critical to preserve body temperature homeostasis during thermal changes. The obtained results from different studies revealed that following cold exposure, some areas of the brain like preoptic/anterior hypothalamus, known as body thermostat, involve in thermoregulation by affecting on SBF. Furthermore, some peripheral factors participate in the thermal control through alteration of skin blood flow. Sympathetic neural control of SBF includes the noradrenergic vasoconstrictor system and a sympathetic active vasodilator system. Overall, further future studies are required to elucidate the imbalance of these regulators in some disorders. © 2020, Iranian Society of Physiology and Pharmacology. All rights reserved