Movement Capacity Research Articles

Serum metabolomics after exercise in ambulatory individuals with cerebral palsy.

To evaluate whether serum metabolomics differ between ambulatory individuals with cerebral palsy (CP) compared with individuals with typical development and whether functional capacity is associated with metabolite abundance. Thirty-eight adolescents and young adults were enrolled (CP: n = 19; typical development: n = 19). After functional capacity testing (10-meter walk, sit-to-stand, and peak knee flexion/extension torques), blood was drawn. Targeted serum metabolomics on hydrophilic metabolites were performed by high-performance liquid chromatography coupled with high-resolution and tandem mass spectrometry. Metabolite dimensionality reduction, pathway analysis, fold change, and t-tests evaluated changes in metabolite abundance. Associations were tested between functional measures and metabolite abundance. Individuals with CP had a significant increase in the abundance of essential amino acids, catabolic products of protein metabolism, and tricarboxylic acid cycle substrates, such as valine, tryptophan, kynurenic acid, and pyruvate (p < 0.05). Importantly, the abundance of numerous metabolites was only highly associated with functional capacity in individuals with CP such that greater abundance was associated with greater capacity, but not in those with typical development. Our findings show clear increases in serum metabolites in individuals with CP, which are associated with functional capacity for movement. The altered metabolite profile measured after exercise might reflect increased energy production needed for movement. Appropriate nutritional intake during exercise might be needed given increased energy requirements.

Gamified Practice Improves Paretic Arm Motor Behavior in Individuals With Stroke.

Stroke is a heterogeneous condition, making choice of treatment, and determination of how to structure rehabilitation outcomes difficult. Individualized goal-directed and repetitive physical practice is an important determinant of motor learning. Yet, many investigations of motor learning after stroke deliver task practice without consideration of individual capability of the learner. We developed a gamified arm rehabilitation task for people with stroke that is personalized to individual capacity for paretic arm movement, provides a high dose of practice, progresses through increasingly difficulty levels that are dependent on the performance of the individual, and is practiced in an engaging environment. The objectives of the current study were to determine if 10 days of gamified, object intercept training using the paretic arm would improve arm movement speed and clinical outcome measures of impairment or function. Individuals with chronic stroke and age-matched controls engaged in 10 days of gamified, skilled motor practice of a semi-immersive virtual reality-based intercept and release task. The paretic arm was assessed using the Fugl-Meyer Assessment (motor impairment) and Wolf Motor Function Test (motor function) before and after training. Both groups showed faster arm movement speed with practice; individuals with stroke demonstrated reduced paretic arm motor impairment and increased function after the intervention. Age and sex (for both groups), and time post-stroke were not related to changes in movement speed. Findings indicate that gamified motor training positively affects paretic arm motor behavior in individuals with mild to severe chronic stroke.

Influence of Runway Capacity and Air Traffic Capacity on the Growth of Aviation Business. Evidence From Wilson Airport, Kenya

The study focused on the effects of runway capacity and air traffic control on the growth of aviation businesses. The guiding objectives of this study were: to determine the effect of runway capacity on the aviation business growth in Kenya and to evaluate the effect of air traffic control capacity on aviation business growth in Kenya. The study was guided by resource-based theory. The study employed an explanatory research design. The study targeted 117 respondents comprising 92 operational managers at Wilson Airport, 25 air traffic controls, and Kenya Airport Authority employees based at Wilson Airport. A Census survey was used in this study to collect information from all participants in the population. The study collected primary data using questionnaires. In testing for reliability, Cronbach’s alpha coefficient was applied. Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) version was used for data analysis. The study findings revealed that runway capacity positively and significantly affects aviation business growth. Air traffic control capacity has a positive and significant effect on aviation business growth). It can be concluded that runway capacity at Wilson Airport is insufficient. Night-hour flying can enhance runway capacity, and by large, aviation growth as AOC holders can fly more due to increased operating hours. The aerodrome owner and operator should ensure that it boosts the existing runway capacity either by optimizing the operations or expanding to cater to business growth. KAA and KCAA, the regulators, should consider boosting the runway capacity through increasing navigation aids to enable the introduction of night flying. The study recommends that future researcher’s study on the influence of public, and private partnerships to increase the ground movement capacity on aviation growth can also be conducted

Ecological aspects of three strains of entomopathogenic nematodes from the department of Lambayeque-Peru

BackgroundEntomopathogenic nematodes (EPN) are used as a biological control agent for different insect pests in agriculture. The genera Heterorhabditis and Steinernema are the most used commercially. For an EPN species to be used as a biological controller, it is necessary to know its ecological aspects, including reproductive potential, movement capacity, and mean lethal concentration (LC50). These aspects were evaluated in three EPN strains isolated in Galleria mellonella larvae collected in the Lambayeque-Peru region, to determine if they are promising as biological controllers. The strains of EPN studied are Heterorhabditis sp. (PC9 strain), H. bacteriophora Poinar (PM10 strain), and Steinernema diaprepesi Nguyen y Duncan (SV19 strain).ResultsHeterorhabditis sp. (PC9 strain) and H. bacteriophora (PM10 strain) had high production of infective juveniles (IJs): 217.750 and 186.800, respectively, while S. diaprepesi (SV19 strain) only reached 84.150 IJs. The movement capacity of Heterorhabditis sp. (PC9 strain) and H. bacteriophora (PM10 strain) reached a depth of 15 cm to parasitize G. mellonella larvae, while S. diaprepesi (SV19 strain) only reached 10 cm. In decreasing order, the LC50 value of S. diaprepesi (SV19 strain), Heterorhabditis sp. (PC9 strain) and H. bacteriophora (PM10 strain) were: 24.03, 13.74, and 8.19 IJs/ml, respectively.ConclusionsHeterorhabditis sp. PC9 and H. bacteriophora PM10 are promising a biological control agent because they present great production of IJs, great displacement capacity, and high pathogenicity against G. mellonella. Additionally, both strains present a mixed search strategy or seeker-hunter (seeker-browser).

‘Christian notes sound sweetest suffering’: birds, books and textual circulation in Sir John Gibson’s commonplace book (BL Add 37719)

ABSTRACT A growing body of scholarship has worked to recover the vocal dimensions of early modern reading and the effects of aural reading cultures on literary composition. Where these studies have focused on the relationship between the human voice and early modern texts, this article examines how the seventeenth-century royalist prisoner Sir John Gibson deploys early modern ideas about birds and birdsong as he seeks consolation through the material and textual processes of literary composition, manuscript compilation, and epistolary exchange. These efforts are evident in his physical and imaginative construction of his miscellany (BL Add 37719) as possessing bird-like capacities for movement and communication. While Gibson’s miscellany does draw on familiar seventeenth-century ideas about music and the human voice, I argue that his invocations of birds and birdsong produce intriguing and powerful claims for the ways written texts can extend the capabilities of the human voice and body.

A rapid-response soft end effector inspired by the hummingbird beak.

Biology is a wellspring of inspiration in engineering design. This paper delves into the application of elastic instabilities-commonly used in biological systems to facilitate swift movement-as a power-amplification mechanism for soft robots. Specifically, inspired by the nonlinear mechanics of the hummingbird beak-and shedding further light on it-we design, build and test a novel, rapid-response, soft end effector. The hummingbird beak embodies the capacity for swift movement, achieving closure in less than [Formula: see text]. Previous work demonstrated that rapid movement is achieved through snap-through deformations, induced by muscular actuation of the beak's root. Using nonlinear finite element simulations coupled with continuation algorithms, we unveil a representative portion of the equilibrium manifold of the beak-inspired structure. The exploration involves the application of a sequence of rotations as exerted by the hummingbird muscles. Specific emphasis is placed on pinpointing and tailoring the position along the manifold of the saddle-node bifurcation at which the onset of elastic instability triggers dynamic snap-through. We show the critical importance of the intermediate rotation input in the sequence, as it results in the accumulation of elastic energy that is then explosively released as kinetic energy upon snap-through. Informed by our numerical studies, we conduct experimental testing on a prototype end effector fabricated using a compliant material (thermoplastic polyurethane). The experimental results support the trends observed in the numerical simulations and demonstrate the effectiveness of the bio-inspired design. Specifically, we measure the energy transferred by the soft end effector to a pendulum, varying the input levels in the sequence of prescribed rotations. Additionally, we demonstrate a potential robotic application in scenarios demanding explosive action. From a mechanics perspective, our work sheds light on how pre-stress fields can enable swift movement in soft robotic systems with the potential to facilitate high input-to-output energy efficiency.

Talin-1 variants associated with spontaneous coronary artery dissection (SCAD) highlight how even subtle changes in multi-functional scaffold proteins can manifest in disease.

Variants of talin-1 (TLN1) have recently been linked with spontaneous coronary artery dissection (SCAD) a condition where a tear can form in the wall of a heart artery necessitating immediate medical care. One talin-1 variant, A2013T, has an extensive familial pedigree of SCAD, which led to the screening for, and identification of, further talin-1 variants in SCAD patients. Here we evaluated these variants with commonly used pathogenicity prediction tools and found it challenging to reliably classify SCAD-associated variants, even A2013T where the evidence of a causal role is strong. Using biochemical and cell biological methods, we show that SCAD-associated variants in talin-1, which would typically be classified as non-pathogenic, still cause a measurable impact on protein structure and cell behaviour, including cell movement and wound healing capacity. Together, this indicates that even subtle variants in central mechanosensitive adapter proteins, can give rise to significant health impacts at the individual level, suggesting the need for a possible re-evaluation of the scoring criteria for pathogenicity prediction for talin variants.

Enacting Human-Robot Encounters with Theater Professionals on a Mixed Reality Stage

In this paper, we report on methodological insights gained from a workshop in which we collaborated with theater professionals to enact situated encounters between humans and robots on a mixed reality stage combining VR with real-life interaction. We deployed the skills of theater professionals to investigate the behaviors of humans encountering robots to speculate about the kind of interactions that may result from encountering robots in supermarket settings. The mixed reality stage made it possible to adapt the robot’s morphology quickly, as well as its movement and perceptual capacities, to investigate how this together co-determines possibilities for interaction. This setup allowed us to follow the interactions simultaneously from different perspectives, including the robot’s, which provided the basis for a collective phenomenological analysis of the interactions. Our work contributes to approaches to HRI that do not work towards identifying communicative behaviors that can be universally applied but instead work towards insights that can be used to develop HRI that is emergent, and situation- and robot-specific. Furthermore, it supports a more-than-human-design approach that takes the fundamental differences between humans and robots as a starting point for the creative development of new kinds of communication and interaction.

Multicriteria Decision Model for Port Evaluation and Ranking: An Analysis of Container Terminals in Latin America and the Caribbean Using PCA-TOPSIS Methodologies

In recent years, despite a decline in international trade and disruptions in the supply chain caused by COVID-19, the main container terminals in Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) have increased their container volumes. This growth has necessitated significant adaptations by seaports and their authorities to meet new demands. Consequently, there has been a focused analysis on the performance, efficiency, and competitiveness, particularly their most relevant logistical aspects. In this paper, a multi-objective hybrid approach was employed. The Principal Component Analysis (PCA) technique was combined with the Technique for Order of Preference by Similarity to the Ideal Solution (TOPSIS) to rank LAC container terminals and identify operational criteria affecting efficiency. The analysis considered all input variables (berth/quay length, quay draught, yard area, number of quay cranes (portainer), number of yard cranes (trastainer), reachstacker, multicranes, daily montainer movement capacity, number of station reefer container type, number of terminals, and distance to the Panama Canal) and output variable (port performance expressed in TEUs from 2014 to 2023). The results revealed noteworthy findings for several terminals, particularly Colón, Santos, or Cartagena, which stands out as the main container port in LAC not only in annual TEUs throughput, but also in resource utilization.

A robot-based hybrid lower limb system for Assist-As-Needed rehabilitation of stroke patients: Technical evaluation and clinical feasibility

Background:Although early rehabilitation is important following a stroke, severely affected patients have limited options for intensive rehabilitation as they are often bedridden. To create a system for early rehabilitation of lower extremities in these patients, we combined the robotic manipulator ROBERT® with electromyography (EMG)-triggered functional electrical stimulation (FES) and developed a novel user-driven Assist-As-Needed (AAN) control. The method is based on a state machine able to detect user movement capability, assessed by the presence of an EMG-trigger and the movement velocity, and provide different levels of assistance as required by the patient (no support, FES only, and simultaneous FES and mechanical assistance). Methods:To technically validate the system, we tested 10 able-bodied participants who were instructed to perform specific behaviors to test the system states while conducting knee extension and ankle dorsal flexion exercises. The system was also tested on two stroke patients to establish its clinical feasibility. Results:The technical validation showed that the state machine correctly detected the participants’ behavior and activated the target AAN state in more than 96% of the exercise repetitions. The clinical feasibility test showed that the system successfully recognized the patients’ movement capacity and activated assistive states according to their needs providing the minimal level of support required to exercise successfully. Conclusions:The system was technically validated and preliminarily proved clinically feasible. The present study shows that the novel system can be used to deliver exercises with a high number of repetitions while engaging the participants’ residual capabilities through the AAN strategy.

Predicting functional movement capacity in adults: the effect of range of motion and isometric strength

The aim of the study was to determine the role of isometric strength and range of motion in predicting Functional Movement Screen (FMS) scores of adults. A total of 120 participants (age = 34.62 ± 11.82 years; height = 170.56 ± 9.63 cm; weight = 73.62 ± 15.39 kg) volunteered to participate in the study. Anthropometric measurements were performed, including height, body weight, muscle mass, and body fat. Following this, the ranges of motion of the shoulder, hip, knee, and ankle joints were measured sequentially. Isometric strength and FMS tests were then performed. Hip extension isometric strength explained 23% of the variation in FMStotal. The common effect of knee flexion, shoulder flexion, and dorsiflexion joint range of motion explained 34% of the change in FMStotal (F (3−116) = 20.375, p < 0.001). A significant relationship (R = 0.658, R2 = 0.413) was found between hip extension isometric strength, knee flexion, shoulder flexion, and dorsiflexion range of motion and FMStotal (F (4−115) = 21.952, p < 0.001). The common effect of all these variables explains 43% of the change in FMStotal. The results indicate that the FMS test scores, which are utilized to evaluate the risk of injury in sedentary adults, can be significantly predicted by the effect of hip extension isometric strength and parameters related to knee flexion, shoulder flexion, and dorsiflexion joint range of motion. At this time, it is advised that range of motion and isometric strength be taken into account when determining a person’s functional movement capacity.

Daphnoretin inhibited SCI-induced inflammation and activation of NF-κB pathway in spinal dorsal horn.

Spinal cord injury (SCI) is a devastating disease for which there is no safe and effective treatment at present. Daphnoretin is a natural discoumarin compound isolated from Wikstroemia indica with various pharmacological activities. Our study aimed to investigate the role of Daphnoretin in NF-κB pathway activation and inflammatory response after SCI. A mouse SCI model was constructed, and the Basso Mouse Scale Score and subscore were used to evaluate the effect of Daphnoretin on the movement capacity of mice. The effect of Daphnoretin on the activation of glial cells in the mouse model and BV2 cells was observed by immunofluorescence. PCR and ELISA were used to detect the expression of inflammatory factors, and Western blot was performed to detect the protein expression associated with NF-κB pathway. Daphnoretin inhibited the loss of movement ability and the activation of glial cells in mice after SCI, and it also inhibited the activation of NF-κB pathway and the expression of inflammatory factors TNF-α and IL-1β in vivo and in vitro. Daphnoretin can inhibit the activation of NF-κB pathway and the inflammatory response induced by SCI. Our study demonstrates the potential of Daphnoretin on clinical application for the treatment of SCI.

A Performance Analysis of a Two Way Stop Control (TWSC) Intersection under Mixed Traffic Conditions

Intersections are road traffic infrastructure on highways installed to help settle directional movement that could result in conflict while vehicular trips are made. Evaluation of the challenges faced by different automobile users at the Araromi junction (A three Leg at-grade Intersection) located in Akure is the main objective of this paper. To achieve this objective, traffic flow data were collected on the spot by video recording and then the data were manually counted. While, the highway Capacity manual 2010 methodology was adopted to analyse The entry flow rates, Potential Capacities, Movement Capacities, Movement Control Delay, Approach Intersection Control and 95th Percentile Quene Length of the intersection. Findings shows that an average entry flow rate of 357 pc/h occurs for all the legs of the intersection, the North bound left turning movement of the intersection was not within the allowable limit, the average potential capacity by lane for the intersection is 445 pc/h, and the average movement capacity by lane 473 Pc/h, the various legs of the intersection has a level of service of ‘A’ and ‘C’ except the left turning minor street movement that has an ‘F’ LOS. Due to the influence of high traffic flow around the intersection, the analysis of the real-time traffic flow results reveals the need to diverge the high right turning movement into other route to cater for low left turning movement causing delay and poor LOS and a need to introduce Signal on the intersection in other to improve on her functionality.

Railing through reality: Trains and mobility in Victorian ghost stories

This paper explores the multifaceted cultural history of ghost trains in Victorian fiction by situating three little-known ghost stories in the publishing and social history of the second half of the nineteenth century. The figure of the ghost train offers a route into the entangled history of publishing and railways by contextualising the anxieties presented in railway ghost stories with the real-world experiences of passengers. Taking ideas of mobility as a focal point, this paper brings together discussions of virtual travel and the supernatural to demonstrate some of the impact railways had on reading and writing about train travel. More so than tales of other haunted transport technologies, it is the ghost train's unnatural capacity for movement that disturbs both passengers and readers. By both enhancing and warping reality, railways are ripe source material for Victorian ghost stories to entertain and demand questions of spatio-temporal experience from their reading passengers.

Why do birds have wings? A biosemiotic argument for the primacy of naturogenic sporting sites

ABSTRACT Where sporting games may be said to epitomize our species’ unique agential capacity for playful movement, sports played in nature differ from their equivalent played indoors in that they envelop the human agent within the living physical environment from which our agency originates. In this paper, we draw attention to how sporting sites differ according to origin by pursuing a biosemiotic line of reasoning. Here, the story of a meaningful human life begins with the eukaryotic cell, even though the human subject itself arises much later. As such, the story of nature in relation to our agency, here, in sports, changes too. We present key concepts from biosemiotics, including its continuum life-as-semiotic-agency view, Umwelt, metasemiosis, and semiotic scaffolding to advance our argument that naturogenic sporting sites provide continuity to the macro processes that have generated our semiotic ability to play. Meanwhile, secluded anthropogenic environments constitute yet another discontinuity for the modern sportsperson where the moving body steps into an anthroposemiotic loop and its restricted signscapes from centralized agency. We conclude on the primacy of naturogenic sporting sites as they preserve the quality and complexity of animal ludens’ constitutive relations and therefrom semiotic freedom, on which current and future gameplaying depends.

Catalysts of change: Unveiling the nexus between protest movements and party politics in the Mediterranean

ABSTRACT The recent surges of protest have emerged as a striking global phenomenon. Several diverse countries, including Egypt, the United States, Spain, Hong Kong, Indonesia, and the United Kingdom, have witnessed massive protest movements over the past decade. Numerous recent studies have underscored the pivotal role of the interaction between protest movements and party politics. However, our understanding of why certain movements profoundly impact the political landscape, sometimes triggering the collapse of existing party systems, while others barely alter conventional politics, remains limited. Drawing from case studies of Greece, Spain, Portugal, and Turkey, we conduct a systematic comparative analysis of the impact of protest movements during the 2010s. We aim to elucidate why and how some protests have proven more effective in reshaping party politics, while others have faltered. Our contention is that the dynamics of the party system play a pivotal role in determining the capacity of social movements to instigate transformative changes in party politics.

Installation Disturbance of Helical Anchor in Dense Sand and the Effect on Uplift Capacity Based on Discrete Element Method

Helical anchors have been extensively employed as foundation systems for carrying tension loads due to their installation efficiency and large uplift capacity. However, the installation influences of helical anchors are still not well understood, especially for multi-helical anchors. The matrix discrete element method was used to model the process of helical anchor penetration and pull-out in dense sand to investigate the effects of the anchor geometry and advancement ratio (AR, the relative vertical movement per rotation) on soil disturbance, the particle flow mechanism, and the uplift capacity. For shallow helical anchors, the overall disturbance zone is the shape of an inverted cone after installation, while for deep helical anchors, it is funnel-shaped. The advancement ratio has significant effects on the soil particle movement and uplift capacity of helical anchors. The soil particle flow mechanism around helical plates has been identified for single-helix anchors at various advancement ratios, and for double-helix anchors, the influence of the top plate on particle movement during installation was investigated. The uplift capacities of both single- and double-helix anchors increase with the decrease in the AR (AR = 0.5~1), and the influence decreases with the anchor embedment ratio. The efficiency of double-helix anchors induced by installation is close to 1 at pitch-matched installation (AR = 1), indicating that the impact of the top plate during installation is minimal in this case.

Spatial prey availability and pulsed reproductive tactics: Encounter risk in a canid-ungulate system.

Predation risk is a function of spatiotemporal overlap between predator and prey, as well as behavioural responses during encounters. Dynamic factors (e.g. group size, prey availability and animal movement or state) affect risk, but rarely are integrated in risk assessments. Our work targets a system where predation risk is fundamentally linked to temporal patterns in prey abundance and behaviour. For neonatal ungulate prey, risk is defined within a short temporal window during which the pulse in parturition, increasing movement capacity with age and antipredation tactics have the potential to mediate risk. In our coyote-mule deer (Canis latrans-Odocoileus hemionus) system, leveraging GPS data collected from both predator and prey, we tested expectations of shared enemy and reproductive risk hypotheses. We asked two questions regarding risk: (A) How does primary and alternative prey habitat, predator and prey activity, and reproductive tactics (e.g. birth synchrony and maternal defence) influence the vulnerability of a neonate encountering a predator? (B) How do the same factors affect behaviour by predators relative to the time before and after an encounter? Despite increased selection for mule deer and intensified search behaviour by coyotes during the peak in mule deer parturition, mule deer were afforded protection from predation via predator swamping, experiencing reduced per-capita encounter risk when most neonates were born. Mule deer occupying rabbit habitat (Sylvilagus spp.; coyote's primary prey) experienced the greatest risk of encounter but the availability of rabbit habitat did not affect predator behaviour during encounters. Encounter risk increased in areas with greater availability of mule deer habitat: coyotes shifted their behaviour relative to deer habitat, and the pulse in mule deer parturition and movement of neonatal deer during encounters elicited increased speed and tortuosity by coyotes. In addition to the spatial distribution of prey, temporal patterns in prey availability and animal behavioural state were fundamental in defining risk. Our work reveals the nuanced consequences of pulsed availability on predation risk for alternative prey, whereby responses by predators to sudden resource availability, the lasting effects of diversionary prey and inherent antipredation tactics ultimately dictate risk.

Physiotherapy in Postoperative Recovery through Total Arthroplasty of Secondary Coxarthrosis

Total hip arthroplasty is a surgical intervention that replaces the affected joint with an artificial implant. This is recommended in case of damage to the targeted joint and the installation of acute pain. Currently, the procedure is most commonly performed in orthopedics, although results and patient satisfaction in the short or long term vary widely The purpose of the research is to restore the movement capacity of the lower limb following the operation through good documentation of the condition and the postoperative effects on the functioning mechanism at the articular level and by finding the kinetotherapeutic methods and means that correspond to an effective recovery.

The Integral Role of Magnesium in Muscle Integrity and Aging: A Comprehensive Review.

Aging is characterized by significant physiological changes, with the degree of decline varying significantly among individuals. The preservation of intrinsic capacity over the course of an individual's lifespan is fundamental for healthy aging. Locomotion, which entails the capacity for independent movement, is intricately connected with various dimensions of human life, including cognition, vitality, sensory perception, and psychological well-being. Notably, skeletal muscle functions as a pivotal nexus within this intricate framework. Any perturbation in its functionality can manifest as compromised physical performance and an elevated susceptibility to frailty. Magnesium is an essential mineral that plays a central role in approximately 800 biochemical reactions within the human body. Its distinctive physical and chemical attributes render it an indispensable stabilizing factor in the orchestration of diverse cellular reactions and organelle functions, thereby rendering it irreplaceable in processes directly impacting muscle health. This narrative review offers a comprehensive exploration of the pivotal role played by magnesium in maintaining skeletal muscle integrity, emphasizing the critical importance of maintaining optimal magnesium levels for promoting healthy aging.