Comparing Methods of Quantifying Tibial Acceleration Slope

Considerable variability in tibial acceleration slope (AS) values, and different interpretations of injury risk based on these values, have been reported. Acceleration slope variability may be due in part to variations in the quantification methods used. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to quantify differences in tibial AS values determined using end points at various percentage ranges between impact and peak tibial acceleration, as a function of either amplitude or time. Tibial accelerations were recorded from 20 participants (21.8 ± 2.9 years, 1.7 m ± 0.1 m, 75.1 kg ± 17.0 kg) during 24 unshod heel impacts using a human pendulum apparatus. Nine ranges were tested from 5–95% (widest range) to 45–55% (narrowest range) at 5% increments. ASAmplitude values increased consistently from the widest to narrowest ranges, whereas the ASTime values remained essentially the same. The magnitudes of ASAmplitude values were significantly higher and more sensitive to changes in percentage range than ASTime values derived from the same impact data. This study shows that tibial AS magnitudes are highly dependent on the method used to calculate them. Researchers are encouraged to carefully consider the method they use to calculate AS so that equivalent comparisons and assessments of injury risk across studies can be made

Movement Planning and the Role of End-State Comfort

Movement Planning and the Role of End-State Comfort Nicole George, Paula M. van Wyk & Adriana M. Duquette ABSTRACT The way individuals manipulate objects can provide insight into movement planning processes. It is common for individuals to adopt an initially awkward position when grasping an object in order to move with or towards a more comfortable position. This is known as the end-state comfort (ESC) effect [1]. While ESC has been considered a main influence on the process of movement selection, recent investigation has established that there are tasks which do not exhibit this effect [2]. Thus, the purpose of this study was to replicate four object manipulation tasks with a larger sample size than previous research, in an effort to provide further support for or against the traditionally accepted ESC effect of movement planning. Based on the robust support for ESC in the initial studies [3, 4, 5, 6], this effect was expected to be displayed in all tasks in the present study. Grasp selection strategies of 303 university-aged students (135 F, 168 M) were examined during two bar transport tasks (one seated, one standing), an overturned glass task and a cutlery transfer task. Hand orientations were recorded at the beginning and end of each movement, and the frequency of trials exhibiting ESC was quantified. Contrary to the initial studies [3, 4, 5, 6], ESC was not established in all of the tasks. ESC was not observed among 63.7% and 69.3% of participants for trials involving the cutlery transfer task to the left and right, respectively. Moreover, the magnitude of the effect was found to be less than what has been previously reported. Although ESC was demonstrated by all 12 participants in the seminal article [5], in the current study, only 55.4% of participants displayed the planning behaviour in all trials during the same bar transport task. The decreased display of ESC may support alternate theories of movement planning, such as recall of previous actions [7] and the influence of acquired habits [8]. REFERENCES [1] Rosenbaum, D. A., Marchak, F., Barnes, H. J., Vaughan, J., Slotta, J. D., & Jorgensen, M. J. (1990). Constraints for action selection: overhand versus underhand grips. In M. Jeannerod (Ed.), Attention and performance XIII. Motor representation and control (pp 211-265). Hillsdale, NJ: Erlbaum. [2] Hermens, F., Kral, D., & Rosenbaum, D. A. (2014). Limits of end-state planning. Acta Psychologica, 148, 148-162. [3] Fischman, M. G (1997). End-state comfort in object manipulation [Abstract]. Research Quarterly for Exercise and Sport, 68(Suppl.), A-60. [4] McCarty, M. E., Clifton, R. K., & Collard, R. R. (1999). Problem solving in infancy: The emergence of an action plan. Developmental Psychology, 35, 1091-1101. [5] Rosenbaum, D. A., & Jorgensen, M. J. (1992). Planning macroscopic aspects of manual control. Human Movement Science 11, 61-69. [6] Short, M. W., & Cauraugh, J. H. (1997). Planning macroscopic aspects of manual control: End-state comfort and point-of-change effects. Acta Psychologica 96, 133-147. [7] Cohen, R. G., & Rosenbaum, D. A. (2004). Where grasps are made reveals how grasps are planned: Generation and recall of motor plans. Experimental Brain Research, 157, 486-495. [8] Herbort, O., & Butz, M. (2011). Habitual and goal-related factors in (everyday) object handling. Experiential Brain Research, 213, 371-382

Is a first year multi-activity orientation program effective at developing relationships between students, their peers, staff and faculty?

ABSTRACT First year orientation activities at post-secondary institutions serve the purpose of facilitating peer-to-peer and peer-to-instructor relationships [1,2]. It has been shown that the creation of these relationships is positively correlated with increased student retention rates [2-4]. Several studies have evaluated activities pertaining to outdoor/physical education, small focus groups, program and faculty information sessions, and facility orientation to try and determine which are most effective in increasing student outcomes [1-4]. However, little research has been conducted to date regarding the evaluation and effectiveness of multi-activity programs. Therefore, the primary purpose of this study is to assess the effectiveness of first year orientation activities (e.g., peer mentoring, outdoor team building) in an Ontario university Kinesiology program for developing relationships between first year students and others within the department. It is hoped that by improving these relationships, there will be an associated long term increase in academic achievement and retention rates. Each winter semester over the next five years, first year undergraduate students will complete an online survey regarding their orientation experiences from the previous fall. The survey will ask students to reflect on their first year orientation experiences and provide feedback on how effective they thought each activity was at orienting them to the campus, developing relationships among their peers, staff and faculty, and other success criteria. Quantitative results will be summarized using descriptive statistics and stratified based on factors such as year and sex. Qualitative responses will be assessed using open and axial coding techniques using QSR Nvivo software. The results of these analyses will be used to modify orientation activities in future years, with the intent of improving relationships between students, staff, and faculty on a continual basis. The first set of analyzed data regarding Fall 2015 orientation will be available at the time of UWill Discover in March. REFERENCES [1] Bell, B. J. (2006). Wilderness orientation: Exploring the relationship between college preorientation programs and social support. Journal of Experiential Education, 29(2), 145-167. [2] Power, R. K., Miles, B., Peruzzi, A., & Voerman, A. (2011). Building bridges: A practical guide to developing and implementing a subject-specific peer-to-peer academic mentoring program for first-year higher education students. Asian Social Science, 7(11), 75-80. [3] Price, D. V., & Lee, M. (2005). Learning communities and student success in postsecondary education [PDF]. New York City: MDRC. [4] Wolfe, B. D., & Kay, G. (2001). Perceived impact of an outdoor orientation program for first-year university students. Journal of Experiential Education, 34(1), 19-34

Anthropometric Normative-Reference Standards For Canadian University-Aged Students

ANTHROPOMETRIC NORMATIVE-REFERENCE STANDARDS FOR CANADIAN UNIVERSITY-AGED STUDENTS Jordan Deneau1, Michael Mallender1, Paula van Wyk1, Adriana Duquette1, 1Department of Kinesiology, University of Windsor, Windsor, ON Structural anthropometric measurements are based on the standard fixed postures of the human body and are used by ergonomists to design products and environments that accommodate the unique physical constraints of their users [1]. As a result of variability among demographics, it is important that anthropometric normative-reference standards are current [2] and specific to the population they describe [3]. Therefore, the purpose of this investigation was to create current anthropometric normative-reference standards for a young Canadian adult population. Thirty-six structural body dimensions were manually measured on 279 Canadian university-aged participants (150 male, 129 female). All measurements were taken on the right side of the participants’ body for standardization, and two measurements were taken for each body dimension in a circuit/rotational order to reduce the potential for error. If there was a discrepancy greater than 25mm between the two measurements, a third measurement was taken; and the average of the two closest measurements was recorded. All participants consented to the collection of their anthropometric data as part of a university laboratory based course. A variety of demographic statistics were calculated. As an example, anthropometric measure percentiles were determined for Stature (M: 5th%ile 1668.65mm; 50th%ile 1782.00mm; 95th%ile 1892.58mm F: 5th%ile 1546.25mm; 50th%ile 1640.00mm; 95th%ile 1759.50mm), Sitting Height (M: 5th%ile 845.50mm; 50th%ile 931.25mm; 95th%ile 1282.75mm F: 5th%ile 793.50mm; 50th%ile 870.00mm; 95th%ile 935.24mm), and Hip Breadth (M: 5th%ile 295.50mm; 50th%ile 363.75mm; 95th%ile 440.00mm F: 5th%ile 281.75mm; 50th%ile 358.00mm; 95th%ile 456.50mm). Few studies have reported current Canadian anthropometric normative-reference standards in young adults. The authors are unaware of any Canadian studies that have measured as many as 36 body dimensions on a significant sample size. Thus, the reported anthropometric data can be used as a relevant consideration in Canadian product and environment design. References [1] Pheasant, S. (1996). Bodyspace: Anthropometry, ergonomics, and the design of work. United Kingdom: Taylor & Francis. [2] Pagano, B. T., Parkinson, M. B., & Reed, M. P. (2015). An updated estimate of the body dimensions of US children. Ergonomics, 58(6), 1045-1057. [3] Behara, D. N., & Das, B. (2010). Structural anthropometric measurements of the Canadian adult population: the fallacy of the \u27average person\u27 concept. Theoretical Issues in Ergonomics Science, 13(3), 380-392

Determining Normative Gait Patterns in a Healthy University-Aged Canadian Population Utilizing the GAITRite® System.

Human gait can consist of both the walking and running aspects of the human locomotion pattern and may be analyzed from a kinetic and/or kinematic focus (Hamil & Knutzen, 2009). Abnormal gait patterns often arise in part due to physical declines resulting from an injury, the aging process (Owings & Grabiner, 2004), or due to neurological disorders such as Parkinson’s and Huntington’s disease (Hausdorff et al, 1998). In order to compare gait throughout the lifespan, or throughout a rehabilitation process, it is important to determine the standards of a healthy population. The aim of this investigation was to establish the normative standards of specific temporal and spatial characteristics of gait in a healthy university-aged Canadian population. Twenty temporal measures and eleven spatial measures of gait were collected using the GAITRite® system (CIR Systems, Inc., New York, USA). Using a standardized protocol, participants (n=225; 127 male, 98 female) were instructed to begin walking approximately two meters behind where the GAITRite® system pressure sensor embedded mat was located on the floor, and to walk across the mat using their normal gait pattern at their preferred pace. All participants were Canadian university-aged adults and consented to the data collection and analysis as part of a kinesiology laboratory based course. Descriptive statistics, reported by sex, were analyzed on twenty temporal measures [e.g. Mean Step Time Left (M= 0.56s, F= 0.52s), Mean Cycle Time Left (M= 1.11s, F= 1.02s)] and eleven spatial measures [e.g. Mean Step Length Left (M= 82.55 cm, F= 77.26 cm), Mean Heel to Heel base of support Left (M= 10.74 cm, F= 9.16 cm)]. The literature lacks an extensive analysis of temporal and spatial gait characteristics for a young, healthy Canadian population during unaltered conditions; which the results of this study can now provide. Future research and rehabilitation programs can apply these results when comparing to data collected in clinical and laboratory settings. References Hamill J, & Knutzen KM. Biomechanical Basis of Human Movement. 3rd. Philadelphia: Lippincott, Williams & Wilkins; 2009. Hausdorff J, Cudkowicz M, Firton R, Wei J, & Goldberger A. (1998). Gait variability and basal ganglia disorders: Stride to Stride Variations of gait cycle timing in Parkinson’s disease and Huntington’s disease. Movement Disorders, 13(3), 428-437. Owings T, & Grabiner M. (2004). Variability of step kinematics in young and older adults. Gait & Posture, 20(1), 26-35

Deep Intronic FGF14 GAA Repeat Expansion in Late-Onset Cerebellar Ataxia

BACKGROUND: The late-onset cerebellar ataxias (LOCAs) have largely resisted molecular diagnosis. METHODS: We sequenced the genomes of six persons with autosomal dominant LOCA who were members of three French Canadian families and identified a candidate pathogenic repeat expansion. We then tested for association between the repeat expansion and disease in two independent case-control series - one French Canadian (66 patients and 209 controls) and the other German (228 patients and 199 controls). We also genotyped the repeat in 20 Australian and 31 Indian index patients. We assayed gene and protein expression in two postmortem cerebellum specimens and two induced pluripotent stem-cell (iPSC)-derived motor-neuron cell lines. RESULTS: In the six French Canadian patients, we identified a GAA repeat expansion deep in the first intron of FGF14, which encodes fibroblast growth factor 14. Cosegregation of the repeat expansion with disease in the families supported a pathogenic threshold of at least 250 GAA repeats ([GAA]≥250). There was significant association between FGF14 (GAA)≥250 expansions and LOCA in the French Canadian series (odds ratio, 105.60; 95% confidence interval [CI], 31.09 to 334.20; P<0.001) and in the German series (odds ratio, 8.76; 95% CI, 3.45 to 20.84; P<0.001). The repeat expansion was present in 61%, 18%, 15%, and 10% of French Canadian, German, Australian, and Indian index patients, respectively. In total, we identified 128 patients with LOCA who carried an FGF14 (GAA)≥250 expansion. Postmortem cerebellum specimens and iPSC-derived motor neurons from patients showed reduced expression of FGF14 RNA and protein. CONCLUSIONS: A dominantly inherited deep intronic GAA repeat expansion in FGF14 was found to be associated with LOCA. (Funded by Fondation Groupe Monaco and others.)