Head Shaking Research Articles

Evaluating probable predictors for fall related wrist fracture among the elderly population in a tertiary care hospital, Bhubaneswar

Wrist fractures are one among the common injuries of the elderly leading to reduced quality of life and impaired functionality, if not treated and restored adequately. Factors like asymmetry of vestibular function, decreased plantar sensation, unstable posture and functional disability have been more commonly associated with fall related wrist fractures among the geriatric population. Since wrist fractures are considered as an indicator for fracture incidence in the future specially for hip fractures, preventive measures like improving balance, function of the balance system in the inner ear and feeling in people’s feet can be timely adopted which in addition might be helpful in rehabilitation of patients with fractured wrist.To determine effect of multi sensory training (MST) on posture (muscle strength), vestibular function, vibration perception, tactile sensation and functional ability compared to wrist stabilization training (WT) among elderly with fall related wrist fractures.Experimental research design was adopted for the study among the 130 follow up cases of wrist fracture where 88 participants were randomized to Multi Sensory Training and 42 received Wrist stabilization Training. The training period was 12 weeks, with 4 supervised sessions by a physiotherapist and home exercises for both groups. Pre and post training measurements included Head Shake Test (HST), Semmes–Weinstein Monofilaments (SWM), Vibration perception Test, 10m Walk Test (10MWT), Five Times Sit to Stand Test (FTSTS), Activities Specific Balance Confidence (ABC) and Dizziness Handicap Inventory Scales (DHI). FTSTS, ABC, DHI were found to be statistically significant between the 2 groups. In contrast to wrist stabilization training, MST was more helpful in improving HST (p=0.001). Vestibular function among the cases of wrist fracture was better with Multi Sensory Training. It may be applied as a routine training intervention post fracture treatment. A robust sample size can be taken up to generalize its effectiveness.

Ghost on the Windshield: Employing a Virtual Human Character to Communicate Pedestrian Acknowledgement and Vehicle Intention

Pedestrians base their street-crossing decisions on vehicle-centric as well as driver-centric cues. In the future, however, drivers of autonomous vehicles will be preoccupied with non-driving related activities and will thus be unable to provide pedestrians with relevant communicative cues. External human–machine interfaces (eHMIs) hold promise for filling the expected communication gap by providing information about a vehicle’s situational awareness and intention. In this paper, we present an eHMI concept that employs a virtual human character (VHC) to communicate pedestrian acknowledgement and vehicle intention (non-yielding; cruising; yielding). Pedestrian acknowledgement is communicated via gaze direction while vehicle intention is communicated via facial expression. The effectiveness of the proposed anthropomorphic eHMI concept was evaluated in the context of a monitor-based laboratory experiment where the participants performed a crossing intention task (self-paced, two-alternative forced choice) and their accuracy in making appropriate street-crossing decisions was measured. In each trial, they were first presented with a 3D animated sequence of a VHC (male; female) that either looked directly at them or clearly to their right while producing either an emotional (smile; angry expression; surprised expression), a conversational (nod; head shake), or a neutral (neutral expression; cheek puff) facial expression. Then, the participants were asked to imagine they were pedestrians intending to cross a one-way street at a random uncontrolled location when they saw an autonomous vehicle equipped with the eHMI approaching from the right and indicate via mouse click whether they would cross the street in front of the oncoming vehicle or not. An implementation of the proposed concept where non-yielding intention is communicated via the VHC producing either an angry expression, a surprised expression, or a head shake; cruising intention is communicated via the VHC puffing its cheeks; and yielding intention is communicated via the VHC nodding, was shown to be highly effective in ensuring the safety of a single pedestrian or even two co-located pedestrians without compromising traffic flow in either case. The implications for the development of intuitive, culture-transcending eHMIs that can support multiple pedestrians in parallel are discussed.

Indication of social buffering in disbudded calves

Most dairy calves are housed individually in early ontogeny but social housing has positive effects on calf welfare including an advantage of social buffering, i.e., when negative effects of stress are mitigated through social support of conspecific. The effects of social buffering has not yet been examined in relation to disbudding; a painful husbandry procedure commonly performed on young dairy calves. The objective of this study was to investigate the effect of pair versus individual housing on calves’ behavioral reaction to disbudding. In total 52 female calves were randomly allocated either to individual (n = 16) or pair housing (n = 36, 18 focal). Calves were hot-iron disbudded with a local anesthetic and their spontaneous behavior in home pens was recorded for 24 h pre- and post-disbudding. Eating forage, ruminating, resting, exploration, play, self-grooming, and pain-related behaviors were quantified during eight 20 min intervals during the 24 h periods pre- as well as post-disbudding. In pair-housed (PAIR) calves social resting, active and passive allo-grooming were additionally recorded. The differences between individually housed (INDI, n = 10) and PAIR calves (n = 12) were tested by general linear models. The changes in pre- and post-disbudding behaviors in all calves as well as in social behaviors of PAIR calves were tested by paired t-test. We found that head shaking (t = − 3.46, P = 0.0024), head rubbing (t = 4.96, P < 0.0001) and self-grooming (t = 2.11, P = 0.04) increased in all calves after disbudding. Eating forage increased only in PAIR calves (t = 2.50, P = 0.030) which also resulted in a difference between treatments with PAIR calves fed more often than INDI calves (F1,18 = 12.96, P = 0.002). Differences in eating forage may be an indication of improved ability of PAIR calves to recover from disbudding. No other significant differences were detected between treatment groups which might have been caused by our limited sample. Our results provide the first evidence that housing treatment affects calves’ reactions to disbudding, with possible indication of social buffering.

Experimental investigation and reduced-order modeling of plasma jets in a turbulent boundary layer for skin-friction drag reduction

Stereo particle imaging velocimetry measurements and reduced-order modeling are combined to provide a full picture of the interaction of plasma jets with a turbulent boundary layer (TBL). Three working modes of the plasma actuator are investigated, corresponding to a unidirectional jet (mode A), a steady crashing jet (mode B), and a spanwise oscillating jet (mode C). The results show that in mode C, a periodical alteration of two opposite wall jets can only be achieved at a low modulation frequency of 20 Hz. As the frequency increases to 100 Hz, the two unsteady wall jets collide in the middle, producing a meandering vertical jet column. In the cross-flow TBL, mode A induces a single streamwise vortex, which grows in size within the plasma actuation zone and decays rapidly in strength after propagating beyond. As a comparison, modes B and C produce a counter-rotating vortex pair during the interaction. The skin-friction drag variations within the plasma actuation zone are dominated by the cross-stream momentum transportation of streamwise vortices. In the vortex upwash zone where a strong shear is present, high levels of turbulent kinetic energy are produced. Physically, the spanwise shaking and vertical jumping of plasma jet heads contribute noticeably to turbulent fluctuation. Experimental evidence supports the simplification of a streamwise momentum equation into a nonlinear transportation–diffusion equation, resulting in a reduced-order streamwise vortex transportation model. Detailed comparison with the experimental data shows that this model is able to give a reasonable prediction of the cross-stream flow patterns and streamwise velocity variations within minutes.

Inter-Observer Repeatability of Indicators of Consciousness after Waterbath Stunning in Broiler Chickens.

Simple SummaryWaterbath stunning is intended to induce unconsciousness until death occurs due to bleeding in poultry. However, it is not always effective. For this reason, in order to protect their welfare, it is mandatory in the European Union that the state of consciousness of broiler chickens is monitored at the exit of the waterbath, and that they do not regain consciousness before death. Ineffectively stunned birds can be re-stunned using back-up methods to avoid unnecessary pain, stress and suffering. One of the main challenges in monitoring the state of consciousness in broiler chickens after waterbath stunning is the selection of animal-based indicators ensuring consistency among assessments. The indicators should be valid, feasible and repeatable. However, only the validity and feasibility have been reported. Thus, the main goal of this research was to assess the repeatability of the most valid and feasible indicators of the state of consciousness after waterbath stunning in broilers both before bleeding (tonic seizure, breathing, spontaneous blinking and vocalization) and during bleeding (wing flapping, breathing, spontaneous swallowing and head shaking). This study proposes a refined list of indicators that could be used to assess the consciousness of broiler chickens in commercial slaughterhouses.This study evaluated the prevalence and tested the inter-observer repeatability of the most valid and feasible animal-based indicators of the state of consciousness after waterbath stunning in broilers before bleeding (tonic seizure, breathing, spontaneous blinking and vocalization) and during bleeding (wing flapping, breathing, spontaneous swallowing and head shaking). In addition, correlations among them were computed to better understand their relationship and offer insights into the reliability of such indicators. This was aimed at proposing a refined list of indicators that could be used in commercial slaughterhouses to ensure consistent assessments. This study compared the assessments of three observers of 5241 broilers from 19 batches in six different slaughterhouses. Inter-observer repeatability was assessed through the combination of the crude percentage of agreement and the Fleiss’ kappa coefficient and interpretation. Before bleeding, the results led us to recommend assessing breathing over spontaneous blinking and vocalizations and to neglect tonic seizure in commercial conditions. During bleeding, the recommended indicators are breathing, wing flapping and head shaking while spontaneous swallowing can be neglected.

Recognizing micro actions in videos by learning multi-layer local features

Recognizing micro actions such as slight head shaking or hand clapping from videos can be challenging since they only involve small movements of local body parts. In this paper, we propose to fuse features from both higher-level and lower-level layers of convolutional neural networks for improving the accuracy of micro-action recognition. Deep features in higher-level layers have been shown to be effective in recognizing general actions, such as biking and jumping, that involve relatively large movements. Different from features in higher-level layers, features in lower-level layers are usually of higher resolution and can help capture small motions in micro actions. In this paper, we employ class-discriminative information as a guidance in lower-level layers to learn local features that are highly associated with micro-action regions. In the experiments, we evaluate the proposed method on two micro-action video datasets and achieve new state-of-the-art performance. We also test the proposed method on two general-action video datasets with promising performance.

Activation of the Nucleus Taeniae of the Amygdala by Umami Taste in Domestic Chicks (Gallus gallus).

In chickens, the sense of taste plays an important role in detecting nutrients and choosing feed. The molecular mechanisms underlying the taste-sensing system of chickens are well studied, but the neural mechanisms underlying taste reactivity have received less attention. Here we report the short-term taste behaviour of chickens towards umami and bitter (quinine) taste solutions and the associated neural activity in the nucleus taeniae of the amygdala, nucleus accumbens and lateral septum. We found that chickens had more contact with and drank greater volumes of umami than bitter or a water control, and that chicks displayed increased head shaking in response to bitter compared to the other tastes. We found that there was a higher neural activity, measured as c-Fos activation, in response to umami taste in the right hemisphere of the nucleus taeniae of the amygdala. In the left hemisphere, there was a higher c-Fos activation of the nucleus taeniae of the amygdala in response to bitter than in the right hemisphere. Our findings provide clear evidence that chickens respond differently to umami and bitter tastes, that there is a lateralised response to tastes at the neural level, and reveals a new function of the avian nucleus taeniae of the amygdala as a region processing reward information.

Effect of flunixin meglumine on pain-related behaviours following cautery disbudding in dairy goat kids.

The aim of this research was to evaluate the physiological and behavioural parameters in Saanen goat kids treated with flunixin meglumine compared with no analgesic treatment after cautery disbudding using a device fueled by propane gas. At 7days of age, 30 goat kids were randomly allocated to three groups: Sham (Sh) control, (i.e., simulating disbudding); Disbudding (Di), using thermal cauterization; Disbudding + Flunixin (DiFl), thermal cauterization + flunixin meglumine (2.2mg/kg body weight, 15min before treatment). Each kid was video-recorded for 30min before and after treatment to evaluate the frequency of head shaking, head scratching, body shaking, grooming, head rubbing, jumping, running, and bleating. Blood samples were taken 30min after disbudding to evaluate serum cortisol concentrations and white blood cell count. Heart rate (HR) and respiratory rate (RR) were measured using a stethoscope. Liveweight of goat kids was recorded at birth, -24h and 7days after treatment, and at 25days of age. The mean frequency of head shaking and head scratching was higher (p = 0.0001) after disbudding in Di (37.5 ± 47.8 and 33.32 ± 31.2) group compared to Sh (3.42 ± 3.58 and 2.2 ± 1.8) and DiFl, (4.02 ± 2.76 and 4.42 ± 3.72) groups. The frequency of jumping was higher (p = 0.022) for Di (3.74 ± 2.24) than that of DiFl (0.39 ± 0.92). The remaining behaviours did not show differences (p > 0.05). HR and RR were higher (HR: p < 0.0048; RR: p < 0.035) in group Di (HR: 156 ± 13.6; RR: 66 ± 14.8) than in Sh (HR: 138 ± 8.48; RR: 55.6 ± 5.4) and in DiFl (HR: 136 ± 6.38; RR: 52.8 ± 4.13). No differences were detected between live weight, serum cortisol and white blood cell count data (p > 0.05). Results show that flunixin meglumine was effective at reducing pain-related behaviours when given at the time of disbudding.

Screening for balance in children and adults in a community science education setting: Normative data, influence of age, sex, and body mass index, and feasibility.

BackgroundScreening standing and walking balance is useful for people suspected of having vestibular disorders, a variety of neurologic and musculoskeletal disorders, and for screening astronauts returning after exposure to microgravity. Visitors to a community science education center children and adults, aged 4 to 85, were tested on tandem walking with eyes closed and the modified Romberg test on compliant foam. They were then asked about their experience participating in research, many people for the first time.MethodsSubjects performed 10 steps of tandem walking with eyes closed, and three trials of the modified Romberg, or Clinical Test of Sensory Integration and Balance, with eyes closed, standing on compliant memory foam, with a) head still, b) head shaking in yaw, and c) head nodding in pitch. Afterward, staff queried subjects about the experience of participating in science.ResultsAge-related changes across the life span occurred in both sets of tests. Therefore, look-up tables by age are provided. Body mass index significantly affected tandem walking. Some sex differences were found. The tests were easy to administer in a community setting. Most participants enjoyed the experience and reported that they learned about the process of scientific research.DiscussionThese data support and extend the evidence for age-related changes in balance performance across the lifespan and for an influence of body mass index on some balance skills. Clinicians and sports educators should be cognizant of these differences when they use these tests for screening. The community science education environment provided a useful laboratory in which to collect valid and reliable data, while simultaneously educating participants about the process of science.

The Relationship Between Measures of Postural Control in Concussion Assessment.

To determine the relationship between postural sway performance during commonly utilized postural control assessments following a concussion, including the modified Balance Error Scoring System (mBESS), concussion balance test (COBALT), and sensory organization test (SOT) in healthy young adults. Twenty participants completed all balance testing. The mBESS conditions included double limb stance, single limb stance, and tandem stance. The COBALT was comprised of yaw plane head shake (HS) and vestibular ocular reflex cancellation conditions performed on firm and foam surfaces. Subjects performed 6 conditions of the SOT (C1-C6), which systematically perturbed sensory inputs. Postural sway performance was measured using a single force plate and quantified as a sway score for the mBESS and COBALT, and an equilibrium score for the SOT. Spearman rank correlations were used to examine the relationship between postural sway performance for each test. There was a moderate positive correlation between mBESS-tandem stance and the HS on foam COBALT condition (r = .643, P = .002). There was a moderate negative correlation between mBESS-double limb stance and SOT-C6 (r = -.512, P = .021), and between mBESS-single limb stance and SOT-C6 (r = -.523, P = .018). The COBALT and SOT demonstrated numerous moderate to good negative correlations (r = -.448 to -.708, P ≤ .05), including a good negative correlation between HS on foam and SOT-C1 (r = -.725, P = .0003). Performance on the mBESS had minimal relationship to performance on the COBALT and SOT, suggesting that the clinical standard may not challenge sensory integration at the same capacity as other tests. All COBALT conditions had fair to good associations to at least 2 SOT conditions, suggesting both assessments are representative of sensory integration. Further investigation of the current clinical approach is warranted as the COBALT may be a clinically feasible test of sensory integration.

Immediate repeated testing (IRT) for BPPV: A cost-effective examination.

ObjectiveTo show that a negative Dix‐Hallpike test or Pagnini‐McClure test may convert into positive after head shaking in cases of semicircular canalith jam.MethodsThis is a retrospective study, where 768 cases of BPPV were studied of which 36 were found to have canalith jam.ResultsThirty‐six patients (4.7%) presented with canalith jam; 4.8% of posterior canal BPPV and 3.7% of lateral canal BPPV were attributed to canalith jam.ConclusionImmediate repeated testing for BPPV allows us to identify undiagnosed cases of BPPV where canalith jam has occurred. It is a cost‐effective technique that provides benefits for clinicians, patients, and the healthcare system.

Stationary auditory white noise improves postural control in healthy adults: A novel study on head-shaking.

Auditory cues might play a role in postural control. The primary aim of this study was to investigate the association between white noise and head-shake (HS) related changes in postural sway. Fifty healthy adults underwent Synapsys Posturography System (SPS) evaluation. The posturography (PG) evaluation consisted of two protocols: sensory organization test (SOT) and SOT with head-shake (HS) (HS-SOT). The standard SOT protocol of SPS involves a battery of six postural conditions. In the current study, participants underwent only four SOT conditions. The participants were asked to stand barefoot on the SPS platform (static platform and foam). The SOT standing conditions were as follow: (1) firm surface (force platform only) with eyes open (SOT1); (2) firm surface with eyes closed (SOT2); (3) foam surface (which was positioned on the force platform) with eyes open (SOT4); and (4) foam surface with eyes closed (SOT5). For the HS-SOT protocol, we asked the participants to move their heads left and right (i.e., yaw head rotation) in the mentioned SOT conditions. Each postural condition was 10 seconds long. Both SOT and HS-SOT postural conditions were conducted across the two hearing modes of silence and noise. To achieve our aims, comparison of sway parameters between SOT and HS-SOT, and between hearing modes were considered. White noise was associated with a reduction in postural sway. The reduction observed in sway area, sway amplitude, and sway frequency. Moreover, HS significantly increased postural sway in all HS-SOT conditions compared to their SOT equivalents (i.e., HS-SOT1 compared to SOT1, etc.). The presence of white noise was associated with a decrease in the HS-related increase in postural sway. Considering the results, this study adds to the body of literature suggesting that white noise contributes to postural control, and the implications of this for rehabilitation need to be further investigated.

Migraine susceptibility is modulated by food triggers and analgesic overuse via sulfotransferase inhibition

Background/aimCertain constituents in migraine food triggers and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) inhibit sulfotransferases (SULTs) that detoxify drugs/chemicals and play role in the metabolism of neurotransmitters. We aimed to dissect SULT1A1 modulation of CSD susceptibility and behavior in an in vivo experimental model using hesperidin, a SULT1A1 inhibitor found in citrus fruits (known migraine triggers) and mefenamic acid (SULT1A1 inhibitor), an NSAID to simulate medication overuse.MethodsHesperidin was used as SULT1A1 inhibitor found in citrus fruits, known migraine triggers and mefenamic acid (NSAID), another SULT1A1 inhibitor, was used to induce MO in rats. The groups were; 1) Hesperidin (ip) or its vehicle-DMSO (ip) 2) Chronic (4 weeks) mefenamic acid (ip) or its vehicle (ip) 3) Chronic mefenamic acid+hesperidin (ip) or DMSO (ip). CSD susceptibility was evaluated and behavioral testing was performed. SULT1A1 enzyme activity was measured in brain samples.ResultsSingle-dose of hesperidin neither changed CSD susceptibility nor resulted in any behavioral change. Chronic mefenamic acid exposure resulted in increased CSD susceptibility, mechanical-thermal hypersensitivity, increased head shake, grooming and freezing and decreased locomotion. Single dose hesperidin administration after chronic mefenamic acid exposure resulted in increased CSD susceptibility and mechanical-thermal hypersensitivity, increased freezing and decreased locomotion. SULT1A1 enzyme activity was lower in mefenamic acid and mefenamic acid+hesperidin groups compared to their vehicles.ConclusionMefenamic acid and hesperidin have synergistic effect in modulating CSD susceptibility and pain behavior. Sulfotransferase inhibition may be the common mechanism by which food triggers and NSAIDs modulate migraine susceptibility. Further investigations regarding human provocation studies using hesperidin in migraine patients with medication overuse are needed.

HIGHLY PATHOGENIC AVIAN INFLUENZA VIRUS (H5N8) OUTBREAK IN A WILD BIRD RESCUE CENTER, THE NETHERLANDS: CONSEQUENCES AND RECOMMENDATIONS.

Since the emergence of the Goose/Guangdong H5 lineage in 1996 and spillover of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) from poultry to wild birds, outbreaks have become increasingly frequent in wild birds. The latest outbreak in the Netherlands occurred in the fall-winter of 2020-2021 and was linked to incursions of HPAI H5N8 virus. During the larger national outbreak, wild birds in rehabilitation center "Vogelklas Karel Schot (VKS)" in Rotterdam presented with clinical signs compatible with HPAI, including head shaking, torticollis, and abnormal gait. During an epidemiologic investigation at VKS, water samples from the pools in the enclosures and oropharyngeal and cloacal swabs from 128 birds of different species were analyzed for the presence of H5N8 virus. Forty-five birds and the pool water tested positive for the virus. The outbreak at VKS was likely introduced by one or more infected geese (Anser anser, Anser anser domesticus, Branta leucopsis), after which the virus spread via pool water and with the relocation of infected birds within the center. In principle, such outbreaks are preventable. Recent updates about HPAI to provide guidance to help avoid future incursions of HPAI into wildlife rescue centers are reported.

Vitamin D and homocysteine in benign paroxysmal positional vertigo

Introduction. Benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (BPPV) is one of the most common causes of vertigo. Among the possible pathophysiological concepts, the largest evidence to date has been collected on the relationship of BPPV with a lack of vitamin D. Few studies have also been published on the assessment of factors of endothelial dysfunction (and, as a result, disturbances in the microcirculation of the inner ear) and BPPV. The problems of metabolic disorders in BPPV were still poorly highlighted in Russian sources.Objective. To investigate the levels of 25-OH-vitamin D and homocysteine among patients with BPPV and compare these factors depending on recurrence.Materials and methods. The study included 53 patients with BPPV, age 60 ± 12.6 (Me 62 [55; 68]), men accounted for 24.5%, women – 75.5%. All patients underwent a study of the neurological status and neurovestibularexamination, which included the Halmagi test, the head shake test, the Fukuda test, the Dix – Hallpike and McClure – Pagnini tests. Plasma 25-OH-vitamin D and homocysteine levels were assessed using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. The severity of vertigo was assessed using the dizziness handicap inventory (DHI).Results. The level of 25-OH vitamin D in with BPPV varied from 5.2 to 40 ng/ml, the average value was 19.53 ± 9.07 ng/ml, which corresponds to the deficit according to international recommendations (Me 17 [13; 24.8]). The level of 25-OH vitamin D in the group with recurrent BPPV was (Me 15 [12 and 22]), which was significantly lower than in the group with a single BPPV episode. The DHI score was significantly lower in the group with recurrent BPPV. There was a negative relationship between 25-OH-vitamin D levels and age, and a negative relationship between 25-OH-vitamin D and homocysteine in the DPPV group.Conclusion. There was a decrease in the level of 25-OH-vitamin D among patients with BPPV; in the group with recurrent BPPV, the level of 25-OH-vitamin D was significantly lower than in the group with a single dose of BPPV. The presence of an inverse correlation between the level of homocysteine and 25-OH-vitamin D indicates the advisability of more detailed studies of the potential contribution of endothelial dysfunction to the development of peripheral vestibular disorders due to impaired microcirculation of the otoconial apparatus.

Test-Retest Reliability of Postural Control Assessment on Biodex BioSway™.

Background Recent protocols for posturographic assessment of postural control and balance have included head shake test conditions to challenge the vestibular contributions of postural control in an effort to increase the diagnostic accuracy of identifying individuals with impaired balance. However, evidence is limited regarding the test-retest reliability of such assessment protocols. Purpose The purpose of this study was twofold: to determine the test-retest reliability of postural control assessment on the Biodex Biosway™, an accessible and field expedient tool for posturographic assessment, and to determine the test-retest reliability of the Head Shake Sensory Interaction and Balance Test (HS-SIB), an adaptation of the modified Clinical Test of Sensory Interaction and Balance (mCTSIB) which adds two head shake conditions to challenge the vestibular contributions to postural control. Study Design. This was a correlational time series cohort study completed in a biomechanics laboratory. Methods The sample consisted of nineteen healthy adults (10 females, 9 males). Sway Index, Equilibrium Score, and the area of the ellipse enclosing 95% of the anterior-posterior (AP) and medial-lateral (ML) center of gravity (COG) displacement (AREA95) are the 3 summary variables. Standard Error of Measurement (SEM) and Minimum Detectable Change (MDC) are also reported. Results Test-retest reliability was generally poor with limited exceptions. Moderate to good reliability was observed for the more challenging stance conditions (ICC range 0.58-0.81), including those with head shake. Conclusions Field-expedient systems, such as the Biodex BioSway™, may offer reliable posturographic testing where gold-standard methods are not available. Clinicians should be aware that less demanding test conditions have limited reliability; however, test-retest reliability of this assessment tool is improved with more challenged stance conditions and the inclusion of a head shake task.

Behavioral and Physiological Response to Routine Thermal Disbudding in Dairy Calves Treated with Transdermal Flunixin Meglumine.

Simple SummaryThe practice of disbudding calves is common in the dairy industry, and the desire to mitigate pain caused by the procedure has resulted in questions as to whether all treatments are equally effective. The goal of this study was to investigate the effectiveness of a new product, transdermal flunixin meglumine, as part of a multimodal pain management protocol as compared to routinely used protocols. We determined that a pain management protocol utilizing transdermal flunixin meglumine and lidocaine was not significantly different than a protocol using meloxicam and lidocaine, or lidocaine alone, when comparing targeted calf behaviors and measuring salivary cortisol. This information can be used by veterinarians and producers to help guide them in choosing the appropriate pain management strategy for calves on their farms.Transdermal flunixin meglumine was approved in 2018 to treat pain related to foot-rot in cattle, leading to the question of whether it would be effective as part of a comprehensive pain management strategy for disbudding. To investigate, calves were assigned to three treatment groups: 2% lidocaine cornual nerve block only (L), lidocaine nerve block +0.45 mg/lb (1 mg/kg) oral meloxicam (M), or lidocaine nerve block +1.5 mg/lb (3.3 mg/kg) transdermal flunixin meglumine (F) (n = 61). Ear flicking (p = 0.001), head shaking (p < 0.001), tail flicking (p < 0.001), interaction with the environment (p < 0.001), grooming (p < 0.01), posture changes (p < 0.05), and standing (p < 0.001) were impacted by the time relative to the procedure. Cortisol levels rose post procedure (p < 0.001). There was no difference in rates of behaviors or cortisol between treatments. These results indicate that calves showed alterations in behavior and cortisol in response to disbudding but not between treatments. We conclude that the pain management protocol for disbudding, which included transdermal flunixin meglumine with a lidocaine cornual nerve block, did not show significant differences from protocols using meloxicam with a lidocaine block, or a lidocaine block alone.

Potential of Accelerometers and GPS Tracking to Remotely Detect Perennial Ryegrass Staggers in Sheep

Perennial ryegrass staggers (staggers) is a neurotoxic condition in livestock that is caused by consumption of ryegrass (Lolium perenne) infected with specific strains of Epichloë fungal endophytes. These grass-endophyte associations produce toxins that can adversely affect animals and can in some cases lead to death. In sheep, symptoms typically include head shaking, changes in gait, stiffness and falling. Affected sheep can recover after removing them from pastures containing toxic strains of endophyte. A pilot case study was conducted in Lincoln, New Zealand to determine if ryegrass staggers could be identified with data collected through GPS tracking and accelerometers. Fourteen sheep per treatment grazed in either a toxic endophyte-infected ryegrass paddock or an endophyte-free control paddock for 17 days in late March and early April 2017. Randomly selected sheep were fitted with collars containing a 3-axis accelerometer recording movements at 12 Hz (10 collars in endophyte infected paddock and 6 in the control paddock). Three sheep per treatment were also tracked at 3-minute intervals with GPS receivers. Sheep were scored by an experienced observer for symptoms of staggers weekly and at the end of the study using a 0 to 5 scale. Control sheep did not display any symptoms of staggers and 10 sheep in the infected pasture displayed little or no symptoms (0 or 1 score). The other 4 sheep in infected pasture had scores from 2 to 4 at the end of the study. Sheep grazing in the infected pasture (2.91 m/min ± 0.04 SE) moved slower (P=0.04) than sheep in the control pasture (3.12 m/min ± 0.05 SE). Distance travelled varied among days, but there did not appear to be any temporal trends. Machine learning analyses of accelerometer data showed that the behavior of affected sheep changed during the study. Activity of sheep displaying symptoms (scores ≥ 2) increased more in the morning and midday during the latter part of the study than control sheep and sheep with few or no symptoms (score < 2). However, behavior of individual sheep at night remained relatively consistent during the study. Accelerometers may be useful for remotely detecting perennial ryegrass staggers.

High‐Sensitivity, Long‐Durability, and Wearable Pressure Sensor Based on the Polypyrrole/Reduced Graphene Oxide/(Fabric–Sponge–Fabric) for Human Motion Monitoring

AbstractFabrics are among the best ideal materials for fabricating low‐cost flexible pressure sensors due to their outstanding air permeability, flexibility, and micro/nanorough structure. However, most of the fabric‐based pressure sensors suffer from poor stability, which severely limits their applications in the real life. In the previous work, the pressure sensor assembled from polyester fabric and polyurethane sponge in an integrated design shows good stability. Herein, a novel type of wearable pressure sensors with high sensitivity and long durability is prepared by the unique combination of a dense integrated material consisting of nylon fabric–latex sponge–nylon fabric (FSF), reduced graphene oxide (rGO), and in‐situ‐formed polypyrrole (PPy). Benefiting from the excellent electrical conductivity, compression performance, and piezoresistive property, the obtained PPy/rGO/FSF pressure sensor exhibits low operating voltage (1.0 V), high sensitivity (0.51 kPa−1), long durability (over 7500 cycles), as well as short response time (243 ms). As a result, the pressure sensor demonstrates high performance in monitoring human activities such as wrist pulses, exhalation/inhalation, head shaking, knee bending, and finger bending, indicating its great potential in human health monitoring and human–computer interaction.

Metonymy to Describe Concept DOUBT in English Artistic Discourse

The article explores the concept of DOUBT from the perspective of an idealized cognitive model of the world and focuses on the conceptual metonymy used to describe the concept. DOUBT has a dual nature and refers to the realm of thinking and the realm of feelings. DOUBT is considered as an emotional concept, since doubt is experienced according to the scheme "cause -&gt; existence of emotion -&gt; expression". Doubt is a mixed state and often includes other emotions such as irritation, restlessness, discomfort, indignation, anger, fear, interest, surprise, fear, regret, guilt, shame, joy, hope. The conceptual metaphor method helps address DOUBT through the basic conceptual metonymy EMOTION EFFECT FOR EMOTION, categorized into expressive, physiological, and behavioral response types. A number of conceptual metonymies highlighted by Z. Kyovechesh are common to emotional concepts and DOUBT, they include FACIAL EXPRESSION MEANS EMOTION, INABILITY TO SPEAK MEANS EMOTION, PHYSICAL EXCITEMENT MEANS EMOTION, INABILITY TO MOVE MEANS FEAR. Expressive metonymies include INTENT AND FIXED LOOK, BULGING EYES, NARROWING OF EYES, EYE BLINK, EYEBROWS MOVEMENT, LIPS MOVEMENT, MOUTH OPEN, MOCKERY, FACIAL EXPRESSION CHANGE for DOUBT. Physiological metonymies include DECREASED HEART-BEAT and INABILITY TO ACT for DOUBT. Behavioral metonyms include SHOULDER SHUG, HEAD SHAKING, BODY TILTING, DISTANCE CHANGE, HOLDING OBJECTS for DOUBT. Behavioral language metonyms include PAUSE, UNINTELLIGIBLE SPEECH, WHISPER and STAMMERING for doubt. It is promising to study other emotional concepts and distinguish their prototypical universal correlates and those specific to a particular linguistic culture.