Technology in Rural and Urban Schools: A Comparison Study

This article examines the availability, use, and integration of technology in rural schools versus urban schools in Nebraska. Data were gathered through interviews with eleven schools in central and eastern Nebraska, seven rural and four urban. Representatives from schools were excited about implementing technology in the classroom but acknowledged a variety of problems ranging from insufficient funding to unwilling teachers. Though several significant differences were noted among availability and training opportunities, much of the data were similar between rural and urban schools. The key similarity found was the passion of educators, administrators, and specialists for the engagement and the individual learning that the implementation technology in the classroom creates

The effect of walking speed and magnitude of perturbation on compensatory responses

Imposing a perturbation can induce an unstable condition during gait. Measuring the compensatory responses may be an accurate indicator of the ability to control stability. Responses to a perturbation can be quantified through the perturbed walking pattern deviations from an unperturbed condition. The aim of this study was to determine the effect of perturbation magnitude or speed of walking on compensatory responses to lateral perturbations during walking. Twenty healthy young participants recruited to this study and they were perturbed with the medium magnitude of perturbation, while walking on the treadmill at three different speeds (slow, preferred, and fast). They also walked on the treadmill at their preferred speed while perturbed with three different magnitudes of perturbation (small, medium, large). All perturbations were delivered toward the walker’s right side at the right heel contact. According to the results, there was a significant effect of speed of walking on the maximum deviation from unperturbed condition, indicating less deviation in faster speeds of walking. Moreover, increasing the magnitude of perturbation led to increased deviation from the unperturbed pattern. According to these results, walking with faster speed, and increasing the body momentum could be useful for maintaining stable in a perturbed condition

Frontal joint dynamics when initiating stair ascent from a walk versus a stand

Ascending stairs is a challenging activity of daily living for many populations. Frontal plane joint dynamics are critical to understand the mechanisms involved in stair ascension as they contribute to both propulsion and medio-lateral stability. However, previous research is limited to understanding these dynamics while initiating stair ascent from a stand. We investigated if initiating stair ascent from a walk with a comfortable self-selected speed could affect the frontal plane lower-extremity joint moments and powers as compared to initiating stair ascent from a stand and if this difference would exist at consecutive ipsilateral steps on the stairs. Kinematics data using a 3-D motion capture system and kinetics data using two force platforms on the first and third stair treads were recorded simultaneously as ten healthy young adults ascended a custom-built staircase. Data were collected from two starting conditions of stair ascent, from a walk (speed: 1.42±0.21 m/s) and from a stand. Results showed that subjects generated greater peak knee abductor moment and greater peak hip abductor moment when initiating stair ascent from a walk. Greater peak joint moments and powers at all joints were also seen while ascending the second ipsilateral step. Particularly, greater peak hip abductor moment was needed to avoid contact of the contralateral limb with the intermediate step by counteracting the pelvic drop on the contralateral side. This could be important for therapists using stair climbing as a testing/training tool to evaluate hip strength in individuals with documented frontal plane abnormalities (i.e. knee and hip osteoarthritis, ACL injury)

On the choice of multiscale entropy algorithm for quantification of complexity in gait data

The present study aimed at identifying a suitable multiscale entropy (MSE) algorithm for assessment of complexity in a stride-to-stride time interval time series. Five different algorithms were included (the original MSE, refine composite multiscale entropy (RCMSE), multiscale fuzzy entropy, generalized multiscale entropy and intrinsic mode entropy) and applied to twenty iterations of white noise, pink noise, or a sine wave with added white noise. Based on their ability to differentiate the level of complexity in the three different generated signal types, and their sensitivity and parameter consistency, MSE and RCMSE were deemed most appropriate. These two algorithms were applied to stride-to-stride time interval time series recorded from fourteen healthy subjects during one hour of overground and treadmill walking. In general, acceptable sensitivity and good parameter consistency were observed for both algorithms; however, they were not able to differentiate the complexity of the stride-to-stride time interval time series between the two walking conditions. Thus, the present study recommends the use of either MSE or RCMSE for quantification of complexity in stride-to-stride time interval time series

Driving Entrainment of Locomotor and Respiratory Systems to Determine Metabolic Efficiency

Many biological rhythms, including breathing and locomotor rhythms, are interconnected through a phenomenon known as coupling. Locomotor respiratory coupling (LRC) is quantified using a ratio of stride cycles to breaths. For example, an entrained LRC ratio of two strides to one breathing cycle, is a typical ratio humans use while walking. While various ratios have been recorded, previous research has suggested that not deviating from a particular ratio is associated with low energy expenditure. However, recent research challenges the assumption that stronger LRC correlates with lower energy expenditure, but rather, LRC variability is associated with lower energy expenditure. In addition, preferred stride frequency is associated with low energy expenditure. Both LRC variability and stride frequency may play pivotal roles. PURPOSE: This study investigates the intricate relationship between LRC variability, stride frequency variability, and energy expenditure during human walking, offering potential insights into the significance of variability within biological rhythms, movements, and processes as an indicator of a healthy statistic. METHODS: 10 college-aged females (age: 21 ± 1.2; height: 170 ± 4.1 cm; mass: 66 ± 10.8 kg) underwent a 1-minute walking trial to determine their self-selected walking speed. After motion capture marker placement, the subjects underwent a 5-minute walking bout to assess their preferred LRC. Following that, they were provided with a portable VO2 measurement device and participated in a 7-minute treadmill trial that included seven conditions that manipulated visual cues for timing the breathing and/or walking rates based on preferred LRC. The seven conditions were: (1) familiarization, (2) no cue, (3) walking cue, (4) no cue, (5) breathing cue, (6) no cue, and (7) walking + breathing cue. Energy expenditure and LRC variability were recorded and subjected to ANOVA analysis. RESULTS: Findings indicate that the impact of breath, walking, or breathing + walking cues on energy expenditure during walking was not significantly different from the non-cued condition (p= 0.43). The difference in coupling variability between cued conditions and the non-cued conditions were also not significant (p=0.21). CONCLUSION: The present findings indicate that manipulation of breath or step timing did not impact energy expenditure nor variability of LRC. Future data analyses could include the confirmation of LRC ratios, number of ratios, and percent of time spent in different ratios to determine how often subjects changed LRC ratios throughout the cuing conditions. Upon visual inspection of the data, it did appear that there were two different strategies. A sample of subjects had higher energy expenditure in the cued conditions, indicating that when variability was restricted, energy expenditure was affected. The other strategy was that no difference in energy expenditure was seen between any of the cue conditions versus the non-cued conditions. Future work is needed to determine if personal characteristics contribute to different strategies. Increasing the sample size may yield more substantial outcomes as standard deviations were quite high

Postural control strategy during standing is altered in patients with multiple sclerosis

Disturbances in balance are one of the first reported symptoms of Multiple Sclerosis (MS), yet limited research has been performed to classify the postural control deficits in this population. This study investigated the variability present in the sway patterns during quiet standing in patients with MS (PwMS) and healthy controls. Subjects were assessed (eyes open, closed) standing on a force platform. Variability of the sway patterns was quantified using a measure of amount of variability (root mean square; RMS) and two measures of temporal structure of variability (Lyapunov Exponent – LyE; Approximate Entropy – ApEn). RMS results revealed significantly higher amount of variability in the sway patterns of PwMS. PwMS also exhibit increased regularity (decreased ApEn) and decreased divergence (decreased LyE) during standing compared to healthy controls. Removing vision resulted in significantly decreased divergence (decreased LyE) in the MS subject group. These changes in the temporal structure correspond well with the theoretical model of the optimal movement variability hypothesis and the results support using variability measures to understand the mechanisms that underline postural control in PwMS and possibly other neurodegenerative disease pathologies

Lower extremity injury in female basketball players is related to a large difference in peak eversion torque between barefoot and shod conditions

AbstractBackgroundThe majority of injuries reported in female basketball players are ankle sprains and mechanisms leading to injury have been debated. Investigations into muscular imbalances in barefoot versus shod conditions and their relationship with injury severity have not been performed. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of wearing athletic shoes on muscular strength and its relationship to lower extremity injuries, specifically female basketball players due to the high incidence of ankle injuries in this population.MethodsDuring pre-season, 11 female collegiate basketball players underwent inversion and eversion muscle strength testing using an isokinetic dynamometer in both a barefoot and shod conditions. The difference between conditions was calculated for inversion and eversion peak torque, time to peak torque as well as eversion-to-inversion peak torque percent strength ratio for both conditions. Lower extremity injuries were documented and ranked in severity. The ranked difference between barefoot and shod conditions for peak torque and time to peak torque as well as percent strength ratio was correlated with injury ranking using a Spearman rho correlation (ρ) with an α level of 0.05.ResultsThe ranked differences in barefoot and shod for peak eversion and inversion torque at 120°/s were correlated with their injury ranking. Ranking of the athletes based on the severity of injuries that were sustained during the season was found to have a strong, positive relationship with the difference in peak eversion torque between barefoot and shod (ρ = 0.78; p = 0.02).ConclusionIt is possible that a large discrepancy between strength in barefoot and shod conditions can predispose an athlete to injury. Narrowing the difference in peak eversion torque between barefoot and shod could decrease propensity to injury. Future work should investigate the effect of restoration of muscular strength during barefoot and shod exercise on injury rates

Chancellors and Change: Conversations About the Campus Climate

UNO’s Chancellor’s Commission for the Status of Women (CCSW) has been at the forefront of inclusion of all genders since the 1970’s. Recently, CCSW has extensively re-evaluated UNO’s campus climate and has submitted an action plan to the Chancellor to improve the status of women students, faculty, and staff. This presentation will focus on CCSW’s renewed and energetic efforts in the last several years to make UNO more gender-inclusive in our physical spaces, work environments, leadership roles, and campus policies

The Effect of a Short Duration, High Intensity Exercise Intervention on Gait Biomechanics in Patients With COPD: Findings From a Pilot Study

Previous work has shown that patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) demonstrate changes in their gait biomechanics as compared to controls. This pilot study was designed to explore the possibility that biomechanical alterations present in COPD patients might be amenable to treatment by exercise training of skeletal muscle. This study investigated the effect of a 6-week exercise intervention on gait biomechanics in patients with COPD under both a rest and a non-rested condition. Seven patients with COPD underwent a supervised cardio-respiratory and strength training protocol 2-3 times per week for 6-weeks for a total of 16-sessions. Spatiotemporal, kinematic and kinetic gait variables were collected prior to and post intervention. All patients demonstrated significant improvements in strength following the intervention. The knee joint biomechanics demonstrated a significant main effect for intervention and for condition. Step width demonstrated a significant interaction as it decreased from pre- to post-intervention under the rest condition and increased under the non-rested condition. It does appear that being pushed (non-rested) has a strong influence at the knee joint. The quadriceps muscles, the primary knee extensors, have been shown to demonstrate muscular abnormalities in patients with COPD and the intervention may have influenced gait patterns through an effect on this skeletal muscle structure and function. Additionally, the intervention influenced step width closer to a more healthy value. Patients with COPD are more likely to fall and step width is a risk factor for falling suggesting the intervention may address fall risk. Whether a longer duration intervention would have more profound effects remains to be tested

On the Calculation of Sample Entropy Using Continuous and Discrete Human Gait Data

Sample entropy (SE) has relative consistency using biologically-derived, discrete data \u3e500 data points. For certain populations, collecting this quantity is not feasible and continuous data has been used. The effect of using continuous versus discrete data on SE is unknown, nor are the relative effects of sampling rate and input parameters m (comparison vector length) and r(tolerance). Eleven subjects walked for 10-minutes and continuous joint angles (480 Hz) were calculated for each lower-extremity joint. Data were downsampled (240, 120, 60 Hz) and discrete range-of-motion was calculated. SE was quantified for angles and range-of-motion at all sampling rates and multiple combinations of parameters. A differential relationship between joints was observed between range-of-motion and joint angles. Range-of-motion SE showed no difference; whereas, joint angle SE significantly decreased from ankle to knee to hip. To confirm findings from biological data, continuous signals with manipulations to frequency, amplitude, and both were generated and underwent similar analysis to the biological data. In general, changes to m, r, and sampling rate had a greater effect on continuous compared to discrete data. Discrete data was robust to sampling rate and m. It is recommended that different data types not be compared and discrete data be used for SE