Daily Movements Research Articles

Pig Movement Estimation by Integrating Optical Flow with a Multi-Object Tracking Model

Pig husbandry constitutes a significant segment within the broader framework of livestock farming, with porcine well-being emerging as a paramount concern due to its direct implications on pig breeding and production. An easily observable proxy for assessing the health of pigs lies in their daily patterns of movement. The daily movement patterns of pigs can be used as an indicator of their health, in which more active pigs are usually healthier than those who are not active, providing farmers with knowledge of identifying pigs’ health state before they become sick or their condition becomes life-threatening. However, the conventional means of estimating pig mobility largely rely on manual observations by farmers, which is impractical in the context of contemporary centralized and extensive pig farming operations. In response to these challenges, multi-object tracking and pig behavior methods are adopted to monitor pig health and welfare closely. Regrettably, these existing methods frequently fall short of providing precise and quantified measurements of movement distance, thereby yielding a rudimentary metric for assessing pig health. This paper proposes a novel approach that integrates optical flow and a multi-object tracking algorithm to more accurately gauge pig movement based on both qualitative and quantitative analyses of the shortcomings of solely relying on tracking algorithms. The optical flow records accurate movement between two consecutive frames and the multi-object tracking algorithm offers individual tracks for each pig. By combining optical flow and the tracking algorithm, our approach can accurately estimate each pig’s movement. Moreover, the incorporation of optical flow affords the capacity to discern partial movements, such as instances where only the pig’s head is in motion while the remainder of its body remains stationary. The experimental results show that the proposed method has superiority over the method of solely using tracking results, i.e., bounding boxes. The reason is that the movement calculated based on bounding boxes is easily affected by the size fluctuation while the optical flow data can avoid these drawbacks and even provide more fine-grained motion information. The virtues inherent in the proposed method culminate in the provision of more accurate and comprehensive information, thus enhancing the efficacy of decision-making and management processes within the realm of pig farming.

Vertical Space Use and Vegetation Characteristics of Reintroduced Orangutan Activities in the Jantho Nature Reserve

Orangutans are a wild animal species that is threatened with extinction, so the IUCN has designated its conservation status as Critical Endangered and Appendix I in CITES. The Indonesian government has also designated the Sumatran orangutan as a protected animal. Jantho Nature Reserve (JNR) is one of the conservation areas that is used as a place for orangutan reintroduction. This area is also an important habitat for seven other primate animals. On the other hand, reintroduced orangutans are arboreal animals that have become accustomed to the human environment. They do not know the types of trees that source their food, and the predators that endanger them. This will be a threat to the sustainability of reintroduced orangutans in the area. This research is important to carry out because there is still very little information regarding the use of vertical space in the daily movements of reintroduced orangutans, and there is no information about the daily movements of reintroduced orangutans in the JNR area. This research aims to obtain initial data on the daily movement patterns of reintroduced orangutans in utilizing vertical space to obtain food sources. The transect route is a method used to obtain data on the movement of reintroduced orangutans. A total of 5 line transects were used to collect data by following the reintroduced orangutans and recording each canopy height used by the orangutans for activities. The data obtained was made in tabulated form and analyzed descriptively. The research results showed that reintroduced orangutans used vertical space at a height of 1 – 29 m. This height level was different for the four reintroduced orangutans observed. molikha has higher activity at a height of 1 – 10 m. Poni activity is highest at a height of 10 – 19 m. Cut keke and asokha use higher vertical space at a height of 20 -30 m. A total of 34 trees were used as reintroduced orangutans as activity sites, with tree heights of 1 – 30 m and trunk diameters of 1 – 200 cm. Vegetation connectivity is still connected between vegetation.

Self‐Generated Displacement Current of Triboelectric Nanogenerator for Cancer Therapy: Theory and Application

AbstractWearable and implantable triboelectric nanogenerators (TENGs) convert mechanical energy to electricity in the daily movements of the human body. Self‐generated dynamic electric field or displacement current of TENGs can operate from micrometers to centimeters, which offers a key technology for TENG‐based therapy systems for precision medicine on both tissues and cells. TENGs have low‐current and high‐voltage properties, which reduce damage to normal tissues, and kill rapidly dividing cancer cells. In this work, the dynamic electric field from TENG directly inhibits the cellular proliferation behavior of cancer cells. The work paves a new way for the self‐generated electric field of TENG for cancer therapy.

On the price dynamics of non-fungible tokens: The 'Bored Apes' case.

We analyse the pattern of daily price of a collection of artistic non-fungible tokens, namely, the "Bored Ape Yacht Club" (BAYC) collectibles, over the first year of their life, from May 2021 to May 2022. Taking a time-series analysis approach, we consider the daily average price, and other variants of daily price index, derived from hedonic regression model. Aesthetic features of the collectibles do matter. At the same time, the price series emerge to be non-stationary, integrated of order 1, with their first difference exhibiting heteroscedasticity and autoregressive variance. Models of ARCH/GARCH class are appropriate to describe the dynamics. Though the price series of BAYC collectibles and their daily movements share many characteristics with the series of financial assets, they do not appear to be related to financial variables from both the crypto- and the real (i.e., not crypto) world.

Daily movements of the Common Crane (Grus grus) during the premigration period

Daily movements of the Common Crane (Grus grus) during the premigration period

Factors affecting movement pattern of Sumatran elephant in Air Rami Production Forest, Bengkulu, Indonesia

Abstract. Laksmitha N, Santosa Y, Rahman DA. 2023. Factors affecting movement pattern of Sumatran elephant in Air Rami Production Forest, Bengkulu, Indonesia. Biodiversitas 24: 5539-5546. The decline in the quality and quantity of elephant natural habitat is a trigger factor for human-elephant conflict and results in a decrease in the elephant population. Research related to movement and habitat factors determining elephant movement is important to obtain information that can be used as a basis for conflict management and mitigation in the long term. We analyzed collared GPS data from a female adult elephant (n=1) in Air Rami Production Forest with recordings from November 2020 to August 2022. This study aims to investigate the relationship between the Sumatran elephant’s daily movement distance and movement period with habitat factors. The data obtained were analyzed using multiple regression analysis with tested variables, including secondary forest land cover, altitude, slope, distance from water sources, settlements, roads, and daily movement distance/movement period. The results showed that secondary forest land cover, slopes, movement period, distance from water sources, settlements, and roads influence the elephant's daily movement distance. Meanwhile, the relationship between the movement period is only influenced by slopes, distance from settlements and roads, and daily movement distance. Our study further provides information recognizing the preferred habitat factor of the Sumatran elephant, which gives stakeholders an essential tool for conservation.

Assessing the diet and seed dispersal ability of non-native sambar deer (Rusa unicolor) in native ecosystems of south-eastern Australia.

Understanding the influence of non-native herbivores on ecosystems by means of dietary foraging and seed dispersal is important for understanding how non-native species can alter an invaded landscape, yet requires multiple methodologies. In south-eastern Australia, introduced sambar deer (Rusa unicolor) are rapidly expanding in range and placing native ecosystems at risk through browsing and as vectors for seed dispersal. We simultaneously investigated sambar deer dietary composition and seed dispersal using DNA sequencing and germination trials, from faecal pellets collected in alpine and wet forest ecosystems. This allowed us to contrast the dietary impacts of introduced sambar deer in different environments, and to explore the potential for habitat-specific variation in diet. DNA sequencing of the trnL, ITS2 and rbcL gene regions revealed a diverse plant species dietary composition comprising 1003 operational taxonomic units (OTUs). Sambar deer exhibited intermediate feeder behaviours dominated by forbs in alpine and shrubs in wet forest ecosystems. A large proportion of plant OTUs were considered likely to be native, however, the proportion of exotic species in the diet in both ecosystems was greater than would be expected based on the proportion of exotic species in each of the two landscapes. Seed germination trials indicated that sambar deer can disperse a substantial number of native and exotic species in both alpine and wet forest ecosystems. In alpine ecosystems, an individual sambar deer was estimated to disperse on average 816 (±193) seeds per day during the study period, of which 652 (±176) were exotic. Synthesis and applications. Our results suggest that native plant species comprise the majority of sambar deer diets in Australian ecosystems and that the introduced species is dispersing both native and exotic plant species via endozoochory. However, exotic species seedling germination numbers were significantly higher in alpine ecosystems, and given the large daily movements of sambar deer, represents a significant vector for the spread of exotic plant species. Management of native plant species and vegetation communities of conservation significance, or at risk to sambar deer browsing is of high priority, through either the removal of sambar deer or implementation of exclusion-based methods.

Time-weighted motion history image for human activity classification in sports

Vision-based human activity classification has remarkable potential for various applications in the sports context (e.g., motion analysis for performance enhancement, active sensing for athletes, etc.). Recently, learning-based human activity classifications have been widely researched. However, in sports scenes in which more detailed and player-specific classifications are required, this is a quite challenging task; in many cases, only a limited number of datasets are available, unlike daily movements such as walking or climbing stairs. Therefore, this paper proposes a time-weighted motion history image, an effective image sequence representation for learning-based human activity classification. Unlike conventional MHI based on the assumption that “the newer frame is more important,” our method generates importance-aware representation so that the predictor can “see” the frames that contribute to analyzing the specific human activity. Experimental results have shown the superiority of our method.

Multimorbidity is associated with lower total 24-hour movement activity among US adults

ObjectiveHaving chronic conditions may result in reduced physical and cognitive function but less is known about multimorbidity with daily movement. We examined the association of multimorbidity and device-measured total daily movement in a nationally representative sample of US adults aged ≥ 30 years from the 2011–2014 National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys. MethodsAny multimorbidity (≥2 conditions) and complex multimorbidity (≥3 conditions across ≥ 3 body systems) were quantified using 16 chronic conditions via self-report and/or clinical thresholds. Total movement over 24-hours (Monitor-Independent Movement Summary units [MIMS-units]) was measured using a wrist-worn device (ActiGraph GT3X). Multivariable linear regression examined the association of 1) each chronic condition, 2) number of conditions, 3) any multimorbidity, and 4) complex multimorbidity with total movement. Covariates included age, gender, race/ethnicity, educational attainment, and smoking status. ResultsAmong US adults (N = 7304, mean age: 53.2 ± 0.34 years, 53.2% female, 69.4% Non-Hispanic White), 62.2% had any multimorbidity with 34.2% having complex multimorbidity. After adjustment, a higher number of chronic conditions was associated with incrementally lower total movement (β MIMS-units [95% CI] compared to those with no chronic conditions; one: −419 [−772, −66], two: −605 [−933, −278], three: −1201 [−1506, −895], four: −1908 [−2351, −1465], 5+: −2972 [−3384, −2560]). Complex multimorbidity presence was associated with −1709 (95% CI: −2062, −1357) and −1269 (−1620, −918) lower total movement compared to those without multimorbidity and multimorbidity but not complex, respectively. ConclusionsMultimorbidity was associated with lower 24-h movement among US adults and may be helpful for identifying adults at risk for low movement.

Single Anastomosis Duodenal Switch versus Classic Duodenal Switch: Long-term Outcomes from a Prospective Comparative Cohort Study.

The literature on long-term outcomes of duodenal switch (DS) compared to single anastomosis duodenal switch (SADI-S) procedures is lacking. We evaluated the long-term outcomes of SADI-S compared to those after the classic DS procedure. This is a follow-up report from a single-institution prospective cohort study comparing long-term outcomes of SADI-S versus DS both as one- and two-stage procedures (ClinicalTrials.gov: NCT02792166). Data is depicted as count (percentage) or median (interquartile range). Forty-two patients underwent SADI-S, of whom 11 had it as a second-stage procedure (26%). Of 20 patients who underwent DS, twelve had it as a second-stage procedure (60%). Both groups were similar at baseline. Median follow-up times for one-stage SADI-S and DS were 57 (24) and 57 (9) months, respectively (p = 0.93). Similar BMI reductions were observed after one-stage SADI-S (16.5kg/m2 [8.5]) and DS (18.9kg/m2 [7.2]; p = 0.42). At median follow-up of 51 (21) and 60 (15) months after second-stage SADI-S and DS, respectively (p = 0.60), surgical procedures yielded reductions in BMI of 20.5kg/m2 (14.0) and 24.0kg/m2 (13.9), respectively (p = 0.52). Follow-up rates were similar for one-stage (≥ 88%; p = 0.29) and second-stage procedures (≥ 83%; p = 0.16). Similar diabetes and hypertension remissions were found (p = 0.77; P = 0.54, respectively). Despite fat-soluble vitamin deficiencies at baseline, after supplementation, they were either eliminated or less prevalent long-term after SADI-S. Daily bowel movements were also less frequent. Long-term weight and comorbidity outcomes after SADI-S are similar to those of DS both as one- and two-stage surgeries. SADI-S procedure may allow for similar beneficial outcomes with less burden from gastrointestinal symptoms and fat-soluble vitamin deficiencies.

A Study on the Interrelationship between the Stock Markets and the Foreign Exchange Market in India

This study aims at examining the short-run and long-run dynamic linkages among exchange rates and stock market index in India through a structured cointegration and Granger causality tests. Daily exchange rates of USD, EUR, JPY, and GBP to INR along with the daily movement of NSE NIFTY and BSE SENSEX for a period spanning 20 years from 1 January 2003 to 23 November 2022 were used for the analysis. The results reveal that there is no evidence for a stable long-run relationship between stock market index and the exchange rates under study. However, the VAR-based Granger causality test shows that USD and EURO have short-run causal relationship with NSE NIFTY and BSE SENSEX. The NSE NIFTY and BSE SENSEX also seemed to have an influence on USD and JPY expressed in terms of Indian rupee.

An adaptive and enhanced framework for daily stock market prediction using feature selection and ensemble learning algorithms

ABSTRACT Even a slight increase in accuracy when predicting the direction of stock movements can have a significant impact on the rate of returns. However, determining the most suitable variables, methods, and parameters to predict price changes is extremely challenging due to the multitude of variables influencing these changes. This paper presents an innovative prediction framework that combines ensemble learning and feature selection algorithms to effectively capture daily stock movements. The study focuses on predicting the change between the opening and closing prices of the subsequent day and employs a daily sliding window cross-validation methodology. The framework comprises fourteen variable groups encompassing a range of financial and operational indicators. Experimental findings indicate that a competitive performance was achieved for stocks within the Borsa Istanbul 30 index. Light Gradient Boosting Machines and Shapley Additive Explanations emerges as the optimal model combination and exhibits superior performance compared to a buy-and-hold strategy.

Covid-19 pandemic and mobility strategies of Chadian roadside vendors in Kousseri, Cameroon

The movement of people between N’Djamena (Chad) and Kousseri (Cameroon) has drastically increased since the construction of the Nguéli Bridge linking the two cities in 1985. This massive movement of people came to a sudden halt in 2020 when the Chadian authorities put measures in place to limit the spread of the Covid-19 pandemic. From then on, movement from one bank of the Logone River to the other was conditioned by the presentation of an official document authorising traders to cross the border. The bridge became a locale for border users to develop “winning strategies” to maintain their daily movement between the two cities. This article analyses the strategies that Chadian roadside vendors used to move between the two borders, despite the muzzling of movement across the Nguéli Bridge during the Covid-19 period. The data collected in the field through interviews and direct observation show that Chadian vendors used relational networks to ensure their daily activities in the two towns, some of them opting for a shorter migratory movement and others for a long-term migration to the town of Maroua.

Patterns of physical activity and sedentary behavior in child and adolescent cancer survivors assessed using wrist accelerometry: A cluster analysis approach.

Physical activity levels among childhood cancer survivors are typically quantified as a total amount using time spent in various intensities. Yet, most analyses do not consider the transitory nature of children's behaviors and a more detailed approach could provide complimentary information. We aimed to explore various behavior profiles of survivors' daily and hourly physical activity patterns. We measured 8-18-year-old survivors' activity levels over 7days using wrist accelerometry and cluster analysis. Of the 37 participant datasets, survivors engaged in mean (SD) 36.3 (19.0) min/day of MVPA and 4.1 (1.9) hrs/day of sedentary activity. The cluster analysis revealed five daily movement patterns: 'most active' (prevalence 11%), 'active' (22%), 'moderately active + moderately sedentary' (35%), 'moderately active + high sedentary' (5%) and 'least active' (27%). Younger survivors and those with less time since treatment completion were more likely to be in the active clusters. Hourly behaviors were characterized by short bursts of MVPA and moderate bouts of sedentary activity. Our approach provides an insightful analysis into the nature and timing of childhood cancer survivors' movement behaviours. Our findings may assist in the development of targeted interventions to improve physical activity levels.

Hybrid Recruitment Scheme Based on Deep Learning in Vehicular Crowdsensing

Vehicular Crowdsensing (VCS) aims to collect sensing data over a range of areas using a large number of on-board sensors and resources in intelligent vehicles. The mobility of vehicles allows for large-scale mobile sensing data, but it remains a challenging problem to recruit the right participating vehicles and to actively maximize the sensing benefits. In this paper, we formulate the vehicle recruitment problem as the maximizing completion rate with limited budget problem (MCRLB) and prove that it is NP-complete. A hybrid recruitment scheme based on deep learning in vehicular crowdsensing (HR-DLVCS) is proposed in this paper, which consists of two phases: an opportunistic vehicle recruitment phase and a participatory vehicle recruitment phase. In the first phase, a deep learning-based opportunistic vehicle recruitment algorithm (DL-OVR) is proposed to maximize the sensing task completion rate within a limited budget. It aims to recruit the most suitable vehicles to collect sensing data according to their daily movement patterns. In the second phase, a sensing task density-based participatory vehicle recruitment algorithm (STD-PVR) is proposed to reduce the computational complexity of matching vehicles with uncompleted sensing tasks. It is designed to recruit vehicles to arrive at designated locations to complete the sensing tasks within a given budget. Extensive evaluations based on a real-world dataset show that HR-DLVCS achieves higher sensing task completion rate than other baseline approaches in a variety of settings.

PB1303 A Study of Support for Hemophilia Patients Using the “ Questionnaire for Daily Movement and Sensory of PwH”

PB1303 A Study of Support for Hemophilia Patients Using the “ Questionnaire for Daily Movement and Sensory of PwH”

The Goldilocks Day for healthy adiposity measures among children and adolescents.

The optimal balance of time spent on daily movement behaviors ("The Goldilocks Day") associated with childhood obesity remains unknown. To estimate the optimal durations of sleep, sedentary behavior (SB), light physical activity (LPA), and moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MPVA) associated with excess adiposity in a paediatric population. Accelerometer-measured 24-h movement behaviors were obtained from 659 Czech children and adolescents (8-18-year-olds). Adiposity indicators were body mass index z-score, fat mass percentage, fat-free mass index, and visceral adipose tissue. Excess adiposity was defined as exceeding the 85th percentile for an adiposity indicator. Compositional regression analyses were used investigate the associations between movement behaviors and adiposity indicators and estimating "The Goldilocks Day." The movement behavior composition was associated with visceral adipose tissue (Fdf1 = 3,df2 = 317 = 3.672, p = 0.013) and fat mass percentage (Fdf1 = 3,df2 = 289 = 2.733, p = 0.044) among children and adolescents. The Goldilocks Day consisted of 8.5 h of sleep, 10.8 h of SB, 3.9 h of LPA, and 0.8 h of MVPA among children and 7.5 h of sleep, 12.4 h of SB, 3.6 h of LPA, and 0.5 h of MVPA among adolescents. Optimizing the time spent sleeping, and in sedentary and physical activities appears to be important in the prevention of excess adiposity.

On the effectiveness of foreign exchange reserves during the 2021-22 U.S. monetary tightening cycle

This paper examines whether the size of foreign exchange (FX) reserves explains cross-country differences in foreign currency depreciation realized over the 2021-22 Federal Reserve monetary policy tightening that led to a sharp appreciation of the US dollar. Across a broad sample of countries, we document that an additional 10 percentage points of FX reserves/GDP held ex-ante were associated with 1.5 to 2 percent less exchange rate depreciation against the US dollar and this buffer effect was larger among less financially developed economies. Effects were more pronounced for large-reserve countries that sold reserves to intervene than for large-reserve countries that did not intervene, supporting the presence of both balance sheet and intervention channels. Higher ex-ante policy rates were also associated with less depreciation especially among financially open economies. An analysis of daily currency movements following the June 2021 FOMC meeting corroborates the main results. These findings suggest that FX reserves may promote monetary policy independence in the presence of global spillovers.

Effect of virtual reality combined with repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation on musculoskeletal pain and motor development in children with spastic cerebral palsy: a protocol for a randomized controlled clinical trial

PurposeThis trial aims to investigate the efficacy and safety of virtual reality (VR) combined with repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) for improving musculoskeletal pain and motor development in children with unilateral spastic cerebral palsy (CP).MethodsThis study protocol is for a randomized controlled trial consisting of 2 treatment sessions (3 days/week for 4 weeks in each session, with a 1-week interval between sessions). We will recruit children aged 3–10 years with unilateral spastic CP (Gross Motor Function Classification System level I or II). Participants will be randomly divided into 3 groups: the VR + rTMS group (immersive VR intervention, rTMS and routine rehabilitation therapy), rTMS group (rTMS and routine rehabilitation therapy), and control group (sham rTMS and routine rehabilitation therapy). VR therapy will involve a daily 40-minute movement training session in a fully immersive environment. rTMS will be applied at 1 Hz over the primary motor cortex for 20 min on the contralateral side. The stimulation intensity will be set at 90% of the resting motor threshold, with 1200 pulses applied. A daily 60-minute routine rehabilitation therapy session including motor training and training in activities of daily living will be administered to all participants. The primary outcome will be pain intensity, assessed by the Revised Face, Legs, Activity, Cry, and Consolability Scale (R-FLACC). The secondary outcomes will include motor development, evaluated by the 66-item version of the Gross Motor Function Measure (GMFM-66) and Fine Motor Function Measure (FMFM); balance capacity, measured by the interactive balance system; activities of daily living; and quality of life, measured by the Barthel index and the Chinese version of the Cerebral Palsy Quality of Life scale for Children (C-CP QOL-Child). Safety will be monitored, and adverse events will be recorded during and after treatment.DiscussionCombined application of VR therapy and rTMS may reveal additive effects on pain management and motor development in children with spastic CP, but further high-quality research is needed. The results of this trial may indicate whether VR therapy combined with rTMS achieves a better analgesic effect and improves the motor development of children with spastic CP.Trial registrationRegistration number: ChiCTR230069853. Trial registration date: 28 March 2023. Prospectively registered.

An Unpowered Knee Exoskeleton for Walking Assistance and Energy Capture.

In order to reduce the energy consumption of human daily movement without providing additional power, we considered the biomechanical behavior of the knee during external impedance interactions. Based on the theory of human sports biomechanics, combined with the requirements of human-machine coupling motion consistency and coordination, an unpowered exoskeleton-assisted device for the knee joint is proposed in this paper. The effectiveness of this assisted device was verified using gait experiments and distributed plantar pressure tests with three modes: "not wearing exoskeleton" (No exo.), "wearing exoskeleton with assistance " (Exo. On), and "wearing exoskeleton without assistance" (Exo. Off). The experimental results indicate that (1) This device can effectively enhance the function of the knee, increasing the range of knee movement by 3.72% (p < 0.001). (2) In the early stages of the lower limb swing, this device reduces the activity of muscles in relation to the knee flexion, such as the rectus femoris, vastus lateralis, and soleus muscles. (3) For the first time, it was found that the movement length of the plantar pressure center was reduced by 6.57% (p = 0.027). This basic principle can be applied to assist the in-depth development of wearable devices.