Enhanced Video-Oculography System

A previously developed video-oculography system has been enhanced for use in measuring vestibulo-ocular reflexes of a human subject in a centrifuge, motor vehicle, or other setting. The system as previously developed included a lightweight digital video camera mounted on goggles. The left eye was illuminated by an infrared light-emitting diode via a dichroic mirror, and the camera captured images of the left eye in infrared light. To extract eye-movement data, the digitized video images were processed by software running in a laptop computer. Eye movements were calibrated by having the subject view a target pattern, fixed with respect to the subject s head, generated by a goggle-mounted laser with a diffraction grating. The system as enhanced includes a second camera for imaging the scene from the subject s perspective, and two inertial measurement units (IMUs) for measuring linear accelerations and rates of rotation for computing head movements. One IMU is mounted on the goggles, the other on the centrifuge or vehicle frame. All eye-movement and head-motion data are time-stamped. In addition, the subject s point of regard is superimposed on each scene image to enable analysis of patterns of gaze in real time

Validation of 24-hour ambulatory gait assessment in Parkinson's disease with simultaneous video observation

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Parkinson's disease (PD) is a neurodegenerative disorder resulting in motor disturbances that can impact normal gait. Although PD initially responds well to pharmacological treatment, as the disease progresses efficacy often fluctuates over the course of the day, and clinical management would benefit from long-term objective measures of gait. We have previously described a small device worn on the shank that uses acceleration and angular velocity sensors to calculate stride length and identify freezing of gait in PD patients. In this study we extend validation of the gait monitor to 24-h using simultaneous video observation of PD patients.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>A sleep laboratory was adapted to perform 24-hr video monitoring of patients while wearing the device. Continuous video monitoring of a sleep lab, hallway, kitchen and conference room was performed using a 4-camera security system and recorded to hard disk. Subjects (3) wore the gait monitor on the left shank (just above the ankle) for a 24-h period beginning around 5 pm in the evening. Accuracy of stride length measures were assessed at the beginning and end of the 24-h epoch. Two independent observers rated the video logs to identify when subjects were walking or lying down.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>The mean error in stride length at the start of recording was 0.05 m (SD 0) and at the conclusion of the 24 h epoch was 0.06 m (SD 0.026). There was full agreement between observer coding of the video logs and the output from the gait monitor software; that is, for every video observation of the subject walking there was a corresponding pulse in the monitor data that indicated gait.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>The accuracy of ambulatory stride length measurement was maintained over the 24-h period, and there was 100% agreement between the autonomous detection of locomotion by the gait monitor and video observation.</p

Static and Dynamic Magnetism in Underdoped Superconductor BaFe1.92_{1.92}Co0.08_{0.08}As2_2

We report neutron scattering measurements on single crystals of BaFe$_{1.92}$Co$_{0.08}$As$_2$. The magnetic Bragg peak intensity is reduced by 6 % upon cooling through T$_C$. The spin dynamics exhibit a gap of 8 meV with anisotropic three-dimensional (3d) interactions. Below T$_C$ additional intensity appears at an energy of $\sim$4.5(0.5) meV similar to previous observations of a spin resonance in other Fe-based superconductors. No further gapping of the spin excitations is observed below T$_C$ for energies down to 2 meV. These observations suggest the redistribution of spectral weight from the magnetic Bragg position to a spin resonance demonstrating the direct competition between static magnetic order and superconductivity.Comment: 4 pages, 4 figure