Coordination Index Research Articles

Graded doses of grape seed methanol extract attenuated ataxic movement, cerebellocortical toxicity, and impairment following chronic carbamazepine treatment in male Wistar rats

This study investigated the effects of chronic cotreatment of carbamazepine (CBZ) with grape seed methanolic extract (GSME) on the markers of neurotoxicity and motor coordination in male rats. Thirty male Wistar rats were randomized into 5 groups (n = 6) and treated orally with propylene glycol (PG 0.1 ml/day), CBZ (25 mg/kg), CBZ (25 mg/kg) + GSME (200 mg/kg), CBZ (25 mg/kg) + GSME (100 mg/kg), or CBZ (25 mg/kg) + GSME (50 mg/kg) for 28 days. Thereafter, the animals were subjected to motor-coordination tests and, eventually, sacrificed by cervical dislocation. The cranium was opened and the brain excised. The prefrontal cortex (PFC) and cerebellum were homogenized for the biochemical assessment, while representative brain was fixed in 10% neutral-buffered formalin for the histomorphological investigation. The results were presented as mean ± SEM, analyzed using one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) and Student-Newman–Keuls post hoc analysis where appropriate, while p < 0.05 was considered statistically significant. Indices of motor coordination were significantly (p = 0.0014) impaired with a significant (p = 0.0001) increase in the concentration of malondialdehyde (MDA) in the PFC and cerebellar tissue. In addition, the activities of glutathione increased (p = 0.0001) significantly in the CBZ + GSME-treated rats. All these anomalies were attenuated in the CBZ + GSME treated rats.Coadministration of GSME with CBZ may ameliorate CBZ-induced neurotoxicity, histoarchitectural disorganization of PFC and cerebellum with resultant effect on fine motor actions.

Evaluating the Coupling Coordination Degree of Green Finance and Marine Eco-environment Based on AHP and Grey System Theory

Zhu, F., 2020. Evaluating the coupling coordination degree of green finance and marine eco-environment based on AHP and grey system theory. In: Al-Tarawneh, O. and Megahed, A. (eds.), Recent Developments of Port, Marine, and Ocean Engineering. Journal of Coastal Research, Special Issue No. 110, pp. 277–281. Coconut Creek (Florida), ISSN 0749-0208.The authors attempt to study the coupling coordination degree (CCD) between green finance and marine ecoenvironment. To this end, it constructs a composite evaluation index system of green finance and marine ecoenvironment based on the domestic and foreign literatures, and then evaluates the comprehensive development level of the two systems using the combination method of analytic hierarchy process (AHP) and grey system theory. Meanwhile, the coupling degree model, and model were introduced to measure the coupling degree, CCD and comprehensive coordination index of China's green finance and marine eco-environment. The results showed that as China gradually began to attach importance to green development, the coupling coordination between green finance and the marine eco-environment system are both slowly increasing. The research findings provide a scientific basis for the practice of green finance and marine sustainable development in China.

Front Crawl Is More Efficient and Has Smaller Active Drag Than Backstroke Swimming: Kinematic and Kinetic Comparison Between the Two Techniques at the Same Swimming Speeds.

The purpose of this study was to investigate differences in Froude efficiency (ηF) and active drag (DA) between front crawl and backstroke at the same speed. ηF was investigated by the three-dimensional (3D) motion analysis using 10 male swimmers. The swimmers performed 50 m swims at four swimming speeds in each technique, and their whole body motion during one upper-limb cycle was quantified by a 3D direct linear transformation algorithm with manually digitized video footage. Stroke length (SL), stroke frequency (SF), the index of coordination (IdC), ηF, and the underwater body volume (UWVbody) were obtained. DA was assessed by the measuring residual thrust method (MRT method) using a different group of swimmers (six males) due to a sufficient experience and familiarization required for the method. A two-way repeated-measures ANOVA (trials and techniques as the factors) and a paired t-test were used for the outcomes from the 3D motion analysis and the MRT method, respectively. Swimmers had 8.3% longer SL, 5.4% lower SF, 14.3% smaller IdC, and 30.8% higher ηF in front crawl than backstroke in the 3D motion analysis (all p < 0.01), which suggest that front crawl is more efficient than backstroke. Backstroke had 25% larger DA at 1.2 m⋅s–1 than front crawl (p < 0.01) in the MRT trial. A 4% difference in UWVbody (p < 0.001) between the two techniques in the 3D motion analysis also indirectly showed that the pressure drag and friction drag were probably larger in backstroke than in front crawl. In conclusion, front crawl is more efficient and has a smaller DA than backstroke at the same swimming speed.

Using Remote Sensing Data to Study the Coupling Relationship between Urbanization and Eco-Environment Change: A Case Study in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area

Promoting the coordinated development of urbanization and eco-environment is essential for the development of urban agglomerations. As an emerging economic growth pole in China, the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area (GBA) has become a research hotspot in recent years. However, relevant studies in this area have been largely constrained by the incomparability of statistical data between the inland part of the GBA and the two Special Administrative Regions (Hong Kong and Macao) of the GBA. This study used nighttime light data and the normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) to evaluate the level of urbanization and eco-environment in the GBA, respectively. Then we adopted the gravity center model to analyze the overall coupling situation between urbanization and eco-environment change. We also adopted a coordination index to determine the spatial differentiation characteristics of this coupling in the GBA from 2000 to 2018. The results show that (1) the spatial pattern of urbanization and eco-environment both show an approximately circular structure, and the change rates of these two variables show significant spatiotemporal differentiation; (2) on the whole, urban development and eco-environment construction became more coupled in the GBA during 2000–2018, as indicated by the continuously decreasing distance between the gravity centers of urbanization and eco-environment; and (3) as for the spatial differentiation characteristic of this coupling, the GBA was generally dominated by slightly uncoupled units, while the spatial distribution of different coupling types transformed from a circular structure to a relatively random form.

Internet of things (IoT) based coordination system in Agri-food supply chain: development of an efficient framework using DEMATEL-ISM

Supply Chain Management (SCM) is one of the key aspects of making agriculture sector more competitive in India. India and other developing countries arefacing issues for coordination of their Agriculture Food Supply Chain Management (AFSCM) as not having technical and resources support; especially in natural disaster condition like recent COVID-19 outbreak. The purpose of this research is to develop anInternet of Things (IoT) based efficient and supportive coordinating system for enhancing the coordinating mechanism in AFSC under natural outbreaks. With the help of a literature review and experts’ inputs, seven enablers have been identified by grouping thirty sub enablers. Further, ISM methodology has been employed for developing a framework for enablers’ relationships to improve the coordination in the AFSC for taking strategic and operational decisions. After that, DEMATELtechnique is utilised to develop the causal and effectrelationships between all the identified enablers of a coordination system in IoT based AFSC. It has been noticed that‘Top Management Support (TMS)’ is the main driver by MICMAC analysis and categorised in a cause group based on (R-C) value. Further, the coordination index of the entire model is calculated based on the Cleveland theory. This paper also discussed a case study of the sugar mill industry. This paper also discussed stakeholder theory in developing IoT based coordination system of AFSC. Further, theoretical contribution may also guide the managers of the organisation in developing their strategies by using Strengths-Weaknesses-Opportunities-Threats (SWOT) analysis based on Cleveland index.

Analysis on coupling development of agricultural eco-economic system in Yan'an City under the background of gully control and land consolidation project

The gully control and land consolidation project is another major project of ecological environment management in Yan'an City following the Grain-for-Green project. Understanding the development and changes of the coupling relationship within agricultural eco-economic system in Yan'an City under the background of gully control and land consolidation project has important implications for scientific evaluation of ecological and economic benefits of the project as well as the coordination and sustainable development of agricultural eco-economy in the Loess Plateau. By constructing the coupling coordination degree model and coupling degree model of agricultural eco-economy system, we quantitatively analyzed the change of comprehensive evaluation index, state of coupling coordination, and trend of coupling degree evolution of the agricultural eco-economic system in Yan'an City from 2010 to 2018. The results showed that the comprehensive evaluation index of agricultural ecology and agricultural economy systems in Yan'an City from 2010 to 2018 both followed an S-shaped growth curve, with consistent trend. The coupling coordination index of the agricultural eco-economic system increased from 0.51 to 0.72, while the coupling coordination state developed from the primary coordination level to a good coordination level. Such a result indicated continuous improvement of the relationship between agricultural ecology and economy in the region and the coupling relationship of the system were developing with the direction of mutual coordination. During the study period, the agricultural eco-economic system coupling evolution was complicated and experienced different stages, including decline coupling, coordination coupling, repair coupling, and coordination coupling again. The coupling relationship was at the stage of coordinated development of rapid economic growth in 2018. The gully control and land consolidation project promoted the coupled and coordinated development of agricultural eco-economic system, but with a lagging effect.

Do Tangential Finger Forces Utilize Mechanical Advantage During Moment of Force production?

This study investigated the beneficial effects of the utilization of mechanical advantage (MA) of finger tangential forces during the moment production. Subjects produced the resistive moment of force against the external torque while the moment arms of the tangential forces were systematically changed. We observed a relatively large contribution to the net moment by the tangential forces with the increased moment arms, whereas the vector sum of normal and tangential forces decreased. The indices of multi-finger coordination for the stabilization of the moment of forces and force direction increased with the moment arms. The current results provide evidence that the utilization of MA is associated with both the efficiency of force production and the stabilization of performance variables.

Evaluation of the Synergy Level between Water Environment and Urban Development for the New Smart City: A Case Study of Guangzhou

Liu, Q.Y.; Xue, H.F.; Zhou, S.P., and Wang, H., 2020. Evaluation of the synergy level between water environment and urban development for the new smart city: A case study of Guangzhou. In: Bai, X. and Zhou, H. (eds.), Advances in Water Resources, Environmental Protection, and Sustainable Development. JournalofCoastalResearch,SpecialIssueNo.115,pp.543-548.CoconutCreek(Florida),ISSN0749-0208.Based on the connotations of water environment and urban development, the index system to measure the synergy level between the water environment and the urban development for the new smart cities is constructed. The combination model of entropy weight method, efficacy function, coordination index and coupling model is formed to evaluate the synergy level of the water environment and the urban development, which can provide a reliable decision support for the smart water resources module in the construction of the new smart city. Through the empirical analysis of Guangzhou City, the results and conclusions are obtained: the synergetic development process between the water environment and the development of Guangzhou City is consistent with the synergetic development law: imbalance, antagonist, grinding, synergy and the synergetic level of Guangzhou is in the higher synergy level in the synergetic stage. The combination model can be used to evaluate the synergetic level between the water environment and the urban development and the evaluation result is proved to be objective and accurate as well.

Performance Audit of Carbon Emission Intensity in Chinese Inland and Coastal Areas

Su, H.W., 2020. Performance audit of carbon emission intensity in Chinese inland and coastal areas. In: Bai, X. and Zhou, H. (eds.), Advances in Water Resources, Environmental Protection, and Sustainable Development. Journal of Coastal Research, Special Issue No. 115, pp. 451-455. Coconut Creek (Florida), ISSN 0749-0208.Energy conservation and emission reduction have gradually changed from a secondary contradiction in the process of China's economic growth to a major contradiction. This study measures the carbon emission intensity of China's provinces over the period of 2005 to 2017. This paper uses the global Moran index, local Moran index, local LISA index and nuclear density function model to analyze the spatial correlation and coordination index of carbon emission intensity in various regions of China. The results finds that: (1) Chinese carbon emission intensity continued to decline, and the intensity of carbon emission of each economic zone is in descending order of southwest, eastern coast, northern coast, middle Yangtze River, southern coast, middle Yellow River, Northeast Comprehensive, Northwest. (2) The regional gap in China's carbon emissions intensity has gradually narrowed. The regional gap contribution has continued to increase during the observation period, and the intra-region gap contribution has continued to decline. There is a phenomenon of “convergence or club convergence” within the regional gap. (3) Chinese carbon emission intensity has a strong spatial autocorrelation among different regions. The carbon emission intensity of the regionally underdeveloped regions has a positive spatial correlation. The carbon emission intensity of the developed regions has a negative spatial correlation, but the spatial effect intensity. Both are weak. (4) The carbon emission intensity of the high-value area and the median area increased first and then decreased, and the gap between regions first narrowed and then expanded.

Influence of stroke rate on coordination and sprint performance in elite male and female swimmers.

This study investigated the effects of gender and the manipulation of the preferred stroke rate on swimming performance and arm coordination in elite front crawl swimmers. Nineteen swimmers performed a dual task, that is, imposed stroke rate and maximal speed. They swam nine 25-m trials at maximal speed twice: one trial at the preferential stroke rate, one trial at maximal stroke rate and seven trials at stroke rates between 41 and 59 cycles/min imposed by an Aquapacer. Stroke rate, arm stroke phases, and arm coordination were computed from an inertial measurement unit on each forearm and one on the sacrum. Time on the 25-m was recorded to assess swimming speed. Results indicated that the error between the imposed and performed stroke rates was lowest at the preferred stroke rate for women. An increase in stroke rate led to an increase in swimming speed and the index of coordination, but these changes could be influenced by the preferred stroke rate. Individual analysis revealed that some swimmers exhibited higher flexibility (larger range of stroke rate) around their preferred stroke rate. This stroke rate flexibility appeared more functional in swimmers who reached higher speeds when swimming at the maximal stroke rate than at the preferred stroke rate.

A temporal analysis of bilateral gait coordination in people with multiple sclerosis

Background: Gait performance often dictates an individual's ability to navigate the dynamic environments of everyday living. With each stride, the lower extremities move through phases of stance, swing, and double support. Coordinating these motions with high accuracy and consistency is imperative to constraining the center of mass within the base of support, thereby maintaining balance. Gait abnormalities accompany neurodegeneration, impeding stride to stride cohesion and increasing the likelihood of a fall. This study sought to identify the temporal actions underlying bilateral coordination in people with multiple sclerosis (PwMS) and furthermore, how bilateral coordination is affected by gait speed augmentation in these individuals. Methods: The Phase Coordination Index (PCI), a temporal analysis of left-right step pattern generations throughout the gait cycle was used to quantify bilateral coordination in twenty-nine neurotypical (21 females and 8 males) and twenty-seven PwMS (20 females and 7 males). PCI was acquired with inertial monitoring units while performing two-minute over ground gait trials while walking at a self-selected pace and at a fast pace. Results: PwMS displayed significantly worse bilateral coordination compared to neurotypical adults regardless of gait speed. The poorer left-right stepping patterns generated by PwMS were derived from significant decreases in both phase (step) generation accuracy and consistency. In addition to demonstrating poorer bilateral coordination, PwMS walked more slowly than their neurotypical peers during each walking condition. Conclusion: PwMS exhibited poorer left-right coordinated stepping patterns during gait compared to neurotypical peers across walking conditions. Beyond the novelty of this examination, this assessment highlights PCI as a potential target for future rehabilitative interventions for PwMS and individualized rehabilitation strategies aimed at improving the health span and overall quality of life for PwMS.

Gait asymmetry, and bilateral coordination of gait during a six-minute walk test in persons with multiple sclerosis

Gait impairments in persons with multiple sclerosis (pwMS) leading to decreased ambulation and reduced walking endurance remain poorly understood. Our objective was to assess gait asymmetry (GA) and bilateral coordination of gait (BCG), among pwMS during the six-minute walk test (6MWT), and determine their association with disease severity. We recruited 92 pwMS (age: 46.6 ± 7.9; 83% females) with a range of clinical disability, who completed the 6MWT wearing gait analysis system. GA was assessed by comparing left and right swing times, and BCG was assessed by the phase coordination index (PCI). Several functional and subjective gait assessments were performed. Results show that gait is more asymmetric and less coordinated as the disease progresses (p < 0.0001). Participants with mild MS showed significantly better BCG as reflected by lower PCI values in comparison to the other two MS severity groups (severe: p = 0.001, moderate: p = 0.02). GA and PCI also deteriorated significantly each minute during the 6MWT (p < 0.0001). GA and PCI (i.e., BCG) show weaker associations with clinical MS status than associations observed between functional and subjective gait assessments and MS status. Similar to other neurological cohorts, GA and PCI may be important parameters to assess and target in interventions among pwMS.

Efficient Scheduling for the Massive Random Access Gaussian Channel

This paper investigates the massive random access Gaussian channel with a focus on small payloads. For this problem, grant-based schemes have been regarded as inefficient due to the necessity of large feedbacks and the use of inefficient scheduling request methods. This papers attempts to answer whether grant-based schemes can be competitive against state-ot-art grantless schemes and worthy of further investigation. In order to compare these schemes fairly, a novel model is proposed, and, under this model, a novel grant-based scheme is proposed. The scheme uses Ordentlich and Polyanskiy's grantless method to transmit small coordination indices in order to perform the scheduling request, which allows both the request from the users to be efficient and the feedback to be small. We also present improvements to the Ordentlich and Polyanskiy's scheme, allowing it to transmit information through the choice of sub-block, as well as to handle collisions of the same message, significantly improving the method for very small messages. Simulation results show that, if a small feedback is allowed, the proposed scheme performs closely to the state-of-art while using simpler coding schemes, suggesting that novel grant-based schemes should not be dismissed as a potential solution to the massive random access problem.

A Longitudinal Study for the Relationship between Motor Coordination and Body Mass Index in Primary School Children

A Longitudinal Study for the Relationship between Motor Coordination and Body Mass Index in Primary School Children

체질량지수(BMI) 차이에 따른 보행요인과 하지관절 각도, 국면협응지수(PCI) 비교분석

체질량지수(BMI) 차이에 따른 보행요인과 하지관절 각도, 국면협응지수(PCI) 비교분석

Gait characteristics in individuals with Parkinson's disease during 1-minute treadmill walking.

BackgroundNo previous study has examined the age-dependent characteristics of gait in individuals between 50 and 79 years simultaneously in healthy individuals and individuals with Parkinson’s disease (PD) over continuous gait cycles. This study aimed to investigate age-related differences in gait characteristics on individuals age ranged 50–79 years, including individuals with PD, during a 1-minute treadmill walking session. Additionally, we aimed to investigate the differences associated with spatiotemporal gait parameters and PD compared in age-matched individuals.MethodsThis study included 26 individuals with PD and 90 participants age ranged 50–79 years. The treadmill walking test at a self-preferred speed was performed for 1 min. The embedded inertial measurement unit sensor in the left and right outsoles-based system was used to collect gait characteristics based on tri-axial acceleration and tri-axial angular velocities.ResultsParticipants aged >60 years had a decreased gait speed and shortened stride and step, which may demonstrate a distinct shift in aging (all p < 0.005). Individuals with PD showed more of a decrease in variables with a loss of consistency, including gait asymmetry (GA), phase coordination index (PCI) and coefficient of variation (CV) of all variables, than age-matched individuals (all p < 0.001). Gait speed, stride and step length, stance phase, variability, GA and PCI were the variables that highly depended on age and PD.DiscussionOlder adults could be considered those older than 60 years of age when gait alterations begin, such as a decreased gait speed as well as shortened stride and step length. On the other hand, a loss of consistency in spatiotemporal parameters and a higher GA and PCI could be used to identify individuals with PD. Thus, the CV of all spatiotemporal parameters, GA and PCI during walking could play an important role and be useful in identifying individuals with PD.ConclusionThis study provided the notable aging pattern characteristics of gait in individuals >50 years, including individuals with PD. Increasing age after 60 years is associated with deterioration in spatiotemporal parameters of gait during continuous 1-minute treadmill walking. Additionally, GA, PCI and the CV of all variables could be used to identify PD which would be placed after 70 years of age. It may be useful to determine the decline of gait performance in general and among individuals with PD.

The influence of an 11-week resisted swim training program on the inter-arm coordination in front crawl swimmers

ABSTRACT The purpose was to assess the effect of an 11-week resisted swim training program using a water parachute on the inter-arm coordination in front crawl swimming. Fourteen female swimmers were divided into a control and an experimental group, and followed the same training program, except for the use of a water parachute by the experimental group in specific sprint sets. Before and after the intervention, the underwater motion of the swimmers was recorded using four camcorders and the digitisation process was undertaken manually. The two-way repeated measures analyses of variance revealed a significant increase of the swimming velocity, due to a significant increased stroke rate, because of the significant reduction of the total stroke duration, only in the experimental group. Moreover, their absolute and relative duration of the propulsive pull and push phases increased significantly, while the absolute and relative duration of their non-propulsive entry & catch and recovery phases decreased significantly. These modifications caused a significant increase in the index of coordination. Thus, this 11-week sprint resisted intervention program seems to improve the propulsion continuity and could be considered as an effective form of training, increasing the stroke rate and consequently the swimming velocity.

Coordinated planning effort as multilevel climate governance: Insights from coastal resilience and climate adaptation

Using flood risks and potential impacts of sea level change within the U.S. Great Lakes region over the past 20 years, we explore the association between coordinated planning effort as a form of multilevel climate governance and community resilience attributes under climate risk. Content analysis and coastal adaptation principles allowed us to evaluate coordinated planning effort at county and state levels to derive a horizontal or vertical coordination index which was then used to evaluate if synergies generated among plans were correlated with climate risk mitigation and enhanced adaptation to climate change. Further, we incorporated evaluation results of varied community resilience characteristics and coordinated planning effort metrics in the context of climate change. Empirical results suggest that the extent of coordinated planning effort at the county and state levels is closely associated with coastal community resilience and climate change adaptation.

Attentional coordination in demonstrator-observer dyads facilitates learning and predicts performance in a novel manual task

Observational learning is a form of social learning in which a demonstrator performs a target task in the company of an observer, who may as a consequence learn something about it. In this study, we approach social learning in terms of the dynamics of coordination rather than the more common perspective of transmission of information. We hypothesised that observers must continuously adjust their visual attention relative to the demonstrator's time-evolving behaviour to benefit from it. We eye-tracked observers repeatedly watching videos showing a demonstrator solving one of three manipulative puzzles before attempting at the task. The presence of the demonstrator's face and the availability of his verbal instruction in the videos were manipulated. We then used recurrence quantification analysis to measure the dynamics of coordination between the overt attention of the observers and the demonstrator's manipulative actions. Bayesian hierarchical logistic regression was applied to examine (1) whether the observers' performance was predicted by such indexes of coordination, (2) how performance changed as they accumulated experience, and (3) if the availability of speech and intentional gaze of the demonstrator mediated it. Results showed that learners better able to coordinate their eye movements with the manipulative actions of the demonstrator had an increasingly higher probability of success in solving the task. The availability of speech was beneficial to learning, whereas the presence of the demonstrator's face was not. We argue that focusing on the dynamics of coordination between individuals may greatly improve understanding of the cognitive processes underlying social learning.

Walking Speed Affects Gait Coordination and Variability Among Older Adults With and Without Mobility Limitations

ObjectiveTo determine if poorer gait variability and gait coordination among mobility-limited older adults is related to their slower walking speed. DesignCross-sectional analysis. SettingUniversity research laboratory. ParticipantsCommunity-dwelling adults (N=69) 68 years or older with (Short Physical Performance Battery score ≤9; n=37) and without (n=32) mobility limitations. InterventionsNot applicable. Main Outcome MeasuresThe variability of step length, swing time percent, and step width. Gait coordination was assessed along with the Phase Coordination Index. ResultsThe usual pace gait speed of those without mobility limitations was faster (1.22±0.14m/s vs 0.71±0.14m/s; P<.001) and less variable in all gait characteristics (all P<.001), with the exception of step width (P=.185), than those with limitations. When those without limitations slowed their walking pace (0.71m/s±0.14), their gait coordination became poorer (P<.001), and the variability of all gait characteristics increased (all P<.001) except for step width, which decreased (P=.002). When those without mobility limitations walked at a slow pace, they had better gait coordination (P=.008) and less variable step length (P=.014) and swing time percent (P=.036). The variability of stride time (P=.260) and step width (P=.385) were not significantly different than that of their peers with limitations. ConclusionsIncreased variability in some gait characteristics of mobility-limited older adults appears to be related to their slower walking speed. Gait coordination and the variability of step length and swing time percent may reflect intrinsic differences in mobility-limited older adults that are independent of walking speed.