Set Of Postures Research Articles

Abdominal muscle activity during breathing in different postural sets in healthy subjects

This study aims to evaluate the effect of different postural sets on abdominal muscle activity during breathing in healthy subjects. Twenty-nine higher education students (20.86±1.48 years; 9 males) breathed at the same rhythm (inspiration: 2s; expiration: 4s) in supine, standing, tripod and 4-point-kneeling positions. Surface electromyography was performed to assess the activation intensity of rectus abdominis, external oblique and transversus abdominis/internal oblique muscles during inspiration and expiration. During both breathing phases, the activation intensity of external oblique and transversus abdominis/internal oblique was significantly higher in standing when compared to supine (p≤0.001). No significant differences were found between tripod position and 4-point-kneeling positions. Transversus abdominis/internal oblique activation intensity in these positions was higher than in supine and lower than in standing. Postural load and gravitational stretch are factors that should be considered in relation to the specific recruitment of abdominal muscles for breathing mechanics.

A Three-Stage Model for the Acquisition of Anticipatory Planning Skills for Grip Selection during Object Manipulation in Young Children.

When people manipulate objects, they plan their movements in advance of the execution in order to reach a desired goal or goal state at the end of the action. This can be nicely illustrated by the end-state comfort effect (ESC; Rosenbaum et al., 1990). For example, when people reach for an inverted cup, they will anticipate the final part of the manual rotation and are willing to adopt an initial awkward thumb-down grasp to end the rotation maneuver in a comfortable thumb-up posture (overturned-glass-task, OGT; Fischman, 1997). To this end, the grasping action is planned by selecting a particular final posture out of a set of stored postures (Rosenbaum et al., 2001). According to the “concept of order of planning” by Rosenbaum et al. (2012), such an anticipatory strategy is reminiscent of second-order planning, which entails not only planning for immediate task demands (as in first-order planning), but also considers what one wants to do with the object afterwards, such as holding the cup comfortable to pour tea into it.

Are consumers sensitive to large retailers' sustainable practices? A semiotic analysis in the French context

This paper seeks to discover consumer perceptions related to the adoption of sustainable transport practices by the French large retail industry. Using 20 semi-structured interviews and the semiotic square method, this research sheds light on a set of structured postures of consumers' perceptions according to a semantic axis: conjunction vs. disjunction. The recourse to a socio-semiotic reading here favours a deeper comprehension of the question of consumers' trust in large retailers. It proposes a typology of four distinct virtual strategies responding to the diverse consumer perceptions brought to light: persuasion, rejection, suspicion, and alignment. This leads to a discussion of the strategies offered by different large retailers to meet their consumers' perceptions and expectations. Lastly, the results outline the importance of deploying targeted communication and of aligning sustainable transport practices in accordance with the identified consumer postures.

A practical computer based vision system for posture and movement sensing in occupational medicine

Back pain and upper extremities injuries due to overexertion account for over twenty percent of leave days from work in the US. This explains why a vast amount of initiatives have been, to this date, carried out aiming at reducing the occurrence of such type of injuries. However, although such type of lesions are among the most studied in occupational medicine, no automatic detection and prevention technologies are pervasively available, to this date, at workplaces. Such deficiency is ascribable to the absence of any flexible and cost-effective tectaphnology that may play such role. This work aims at filling such gap: the contribution of this paper is the design and implementation of a movement-posture computer-vision based system that, performing as a sensor, can detect overexertion movements, helping avoid the most common injuries that these cause. Such tasks are carried out with the use of a simple webcam, thus not requiring any expensive or specialized (e.g., Microsoft Kinect) hardware device. The proposed technology is, hence, easily affordable by any type of company and production plant throughout the world and easy adaptable to recognize and detect a wide set of movements and postures. The validity of such approach is demonstrated in realistic settings through a wide set of experiments.

The effects of predictability on inter-limb postural synchronization prior to bouts of postural instability

Anticipatory balance control optimizes balance reactions to postural perturbations. Predictive control is dependent on the ability of the central nervous system to modulate gain in accordance with specific task demands. Inter-limb synchronization is a sensitive measure of individual limb contributions to balance control and may reflect the coordination of gain modulation in preparation for instability. The purpose of the study was to determine whether gain modulation in advance of predictable bouts of instability was reflected in the extent of inter-limb synchronization. Two adjacent force plates were used to collect center of pressure (COP) data from 12 healthy young adults (27.5±3.4 years). Participants prepared for internal and external balance perturbations using a cueing paradigm with three auditory warning tones followed by an imperative tone. Perturbations were delivered in blocked and randomized conditions with two perturbation magnitudes (small and large). Inter-limb synchrony was calculated using the cross-correlation function of the COP excursions from the left and right foot for three seconds prior to perturbation onset in the anteroposterior (AP) and mediolateral (ML) direction. Inter-limb synchrony decreased in the AP and ML directions as perturbation magnitude became more unpredictable. The need to take a step or not knowing whether a step was required prior to postural instability reduced ML inter-limb synchrony. No differences were found between internal and external perturbations. Modulation of postural set was evident in the extent of inter-limb synchrony.

Impact of short-term practice of yoga on heart rate variability.

Background:Yoga is a science that facilitates homeostasis, an ancient way of life intended to improve the quality of life of an individual. Practice of yoga is proposed to alter the autonomic nervous system and affect the cardiovascular functioning. This study was intended to assess the influence of short-term practice of yoga for a month on heart rate variability (HRV).Materials and Methods:Totally, 40 healthy male volunteers in the age group of 30–60 years willing to practice yoga for a month were included in the study. HRV was assessed using HRV device (RMS Vagus, India). Preinterventional assessment of HRV was done in these subjects. Practice of yoga that included a set of physical postures (asanas), breathing techniques (pranayama), and meditation (dhyana) were performed for an hour daily for 1 month under the guidance of a certified yoga instructor. Postinterventional assessment of HRV was done. The values were expressed in median and their interquartile range, and statistical analysis was done to compare the changes using Wilcoxon Signed Rank Test.Results:Thirty-two of 40 subjects recruited for yoga practice completed the study protocol. Analysis of HRV revealed that in time domain parameters, SDNN increased from 33.60 (31.41–44.82) to 42.11 (34.43–57.51), RMSSD increased from 22.00 (16.00–33.80) to 25.6 (17.0–34.8), and PNN50 increased from 2.45 (0.80–15.38) to 7.35 (1.40–18.57) after intervention. In the frequency domain parameters, the low-frequency (LF) power spectrum reduced from 39.30 (25.1–46.25) to 30.40 (22.75–40.62) and LF/high-frequency ratio was reduced from 2.62 (1.91–4.07) to 2.28 (1.4–3.07) after 1 month practice of yoga. P < 0.05 was considered statistically significant.Conclusion:Autonomic balance tilts toward parasympathetic predominance after 1 month practice of yoga.

Neoliberal Style: Alex Haley, Hunter S. Thompson, and Countercultures

This essay charts how two important journalists, Alex Haley and Hunter S. Thompson, represent elements of the American counterculture in the 1960s and 1970s, especially in their influential writings about the Nation of Islam, Malcolm X, the Chicana/o movement, and drug culture. By analyzing The Autobiography of Malcolm X, Fear &amp; Loathing in Las Vegas, and Haley's and Thompson's other magazine writings for Playboy, Rolling Stone, and the Saturday Evening Post, the essay argues that Haley's and Thompson's nonfiction prose styles articulate a view of the social world that can now, retrospectively, be described as neoliberalism. The neoliberal style this essay explicates allows for subjects under neoliberalism to inhabit a position that limits politics to the confines of individual entrepreneurialism and consumerism, thus broadcasting politics as not a collective enterprise but instead a set of individual postures and consumer choices.

Defining Action Levels for In Vivo Dosimetry in Intraoperative Electron Radiotherapy.

In vivo dosimetry is recommended in intraoperative electron radiotherapy (IOERT). To perform real-time treatment monitoring, action levels (ALs) have to be calculated. Empirical approaches based on observation of samples have been reported previously, however, our aim is to present a predictive model for calculating ALs and to verify their validity with our experimental data. We considered the range of absorbed doses delivered to our detector by means of the percentage depth dose for the electron beams used. Then, we calculated the absorbed dose histograms and convoluted them with detector responses to obtain probability density functions in order to find ALs as certain probability levels. Our in vivo dosimeters were reinforced TN-502RDM-H mobile metal-oxide-semiconductor field-effect transistors (MOSFETs). Our experimental data came from 30 measurements carried out in patients undergoing IOERT for rectal, breast, sarcoma, and pancreas cancers, among others. The prescribed dose to the tumor bed was 90%, and the maximum absorbed dose was 100%. The theoretical mean absorbed dose was 90.3% and the measured mean was 93.9%. Associated confidence intervals at P = .05 were 89.2% and 91.4% and 91.6% and 96.4%, respectively. With regard to individual comparisons between the model and the experiment, 37% of MOSFET measurements lay outside particular ranges defined by the derived ALs. Calculated confidence intervals at P = .05 ranged from 8.6% to 14.7%. The model can describe global results successfully but cannot match all the experimental data reported. In terms of accuracy, this suggests an eventual underestimation of tumor bed bleeding or detector alignment. In terms of precision, it will be necessary to reduce positioning uncertainties for a wide set of location and treatment postures, and more precise detectors will be required. Planning and imaging tools currently under development will play a fundamental role.

The development and validation of an activity monitoring system for use in measurement of posture of childbearing women during first stage of labor.

There is limited understanding of the type and extent of maternal postures that midwives should encourage or support during labor. The aims of this study were to identify a set of postures and movements commonly seen during labor, to develop an activity monitoring system for use during labor, and to validate this system design. Volunteer student midwives simulated maternal activity during labor in a laboratory setting. Participants (N = 15) wore monitors adhered to the left thigh and left shank, and adopted 13 common postures of laboring women for 3 minutes each. Simulated activities were recorded using a video camera. Postures and movements were coded from the video, and statistical analysis conducted of agreement between coded video data and outputs of the activity monitoring system. Excellent agreement between the 2 raters of the video recordings was found (Cohen's κ = 0.95). Both sensitivity and specificity of the activity monitoring system were greater than 80% for standing, lying, kneeling, and sitting (legs dangling). This validated system can be used to measure elected activity of laboring women and report on effects of postures on length of first stage, pain experience, birth satisfaction, and neonatal condition. This validated maternal posture-monitoring system is available as a reference-and for use by researchers who wish to develop research in this area.

Use of the Meta-postureTM Program in the Construction Industry

This pilot study was conducted to test the effectiveness of Blankenheim Services’ Meta-PostureTM Program for keeping construction workers safe. The Meta-PostureTM Program is a proprietary set of whole-body postures meant to promote strength and flexibility as well as joint and nerve health. This program was crafted to decrease the time needed for an exercise routine compared to typical stretch programs. Additionally, modified postures specified by symptoms have been pre-determined as a rehabilitation tool. The study consisted of a tested and control group with a total of 21 participants. All of the participants were asked to complete an assessment which included a series of surveys and two functional tests. Two postures were then taught each day over a series of four days to the tested group. Following the completion of the Meta-PostureTM Program, all participants were asked to retake the preliminary assessment. A follow-up survey was distributed three weeks later. It was hypothesized that the tested participants would improve their lifting mechanics and productivity, report a greater sense of well-being, and increase their perceived safety within the working environment. The results showed that 78% of the tested subjects improved their lifting mechanics. Results also indicate the tested participants raised productivity in completing a floor level light assembly simulation task by 7.7%. Survey responses suggested that tested participants reported decreased discomfort and feeling more energized. Other evidence regarding the Meta-PostureTM Program affecting perceptions of safety and affinity toward their employer was not substantial. Desired future research includes testing the Meta-PostureTM Program in a more controlled study and creating an objective scoring system for lifting mechanics.

PVDF 필름 기반 센서를 이용한 무구속적인 누운 자세 추정

Abstract: As body postures on bed affects various sleep related diseases, it is considered as important informationwhen monitoring sleeping in daily life. Though there have already been a few approaches to monitor body postureson bed conventionally, the development for simple and unconstrained methods is still needed to realize the long-termdaily monitoring. Focusing on the fact that ballistocardiogram changes depending on the body postures on bed, wedeveloped a novel method to estimate body posturesusing extremely simple, film-type ballistocardiogram sensorwhich is based on polyvinylidene fluoride(PVDF) film. With 10 subjects, we performed two experiments. One wasfor an estimation test to show that body postures on bed can be estimated by ballistocardiogram, and the other wasfor a reproducibility test to present the feasibility of ballistocardiogram based body postures monitoring. To estimatebody postures on bed, we made an individual template set of body postures by designating one ballistocardiogram(BCG) sample as a template in each postures. Then, we calculated Pearson’s correlation coefficients between a sam-ple and each templates and estimated the body posture of the sample by choosing a posture which corresponds tothe most significant correlation coefficients. As a result, we estimated body postures on bed with 99.2% accuracyin average and found that the estimation using ballistocardiogram is reproducible. Key words: Ballistocardiogram, sleeping position, PVDF film sensor

Pain communication through body posture: The development and validation of a stimulus set

Pain can be communicated nonverbally through facial expressions, vocalisations, and bodily movements. Most studies have focussed on the facial display of pain, whereas there is little research on postural display. Stimulus sets for facial and vocal expressions of pain have been developed, but there is no equivalent for body-based expressions. Reported here is the development of a new stimulus set of dynamic body postures that communicate pain and basic emotions. This stimulus set is designed to facilitate research into the bodily communication of pain. We report a 3-phase development and validation study. First 16 actors performed affective body postures for pain, as well as happiness, sadness, fear, disgust, surprise, anger, and neutral expressions. Second, 20 observers independently selected the best image stimuli based on the accuracy of emotion identification and valence/arousal ratings. Third, to establish reliability, this accuracy and valence rating procedure was repeated with a second independent group of 40 participants. A final set of 144 images with good reliability was established and is made available. Results demonstrate that pain, along with basic emotions, can be communicated through body posture. Cluster analysis demonstrates that pain and emotion are recognised with a high degree of specificity. In addition, pain was rated as the most unpleasant (negative valence) of the expressions, and was associated with a high level of arousal. For the first time, specific postures communicating pain are described. The stimulus set is provided as a tool to facilitate the study of nonverbal pain communication, and its possible uses are discussed.

Effects and after-effects of voluntary intermittent light finger touch on body sway

Effects of light touch on body sway have usually been investigated with some form of constant contact. Only two studies investigated transient sway dynamics following the addition or withdrawal of light touch. This study adopted a paradigm of intermittent touch and assessed body sway during as well as following short periods of touch of varying durations to investigate whether effects and after-effects of touch differ as a function of touch duration. In a modified heel-to-toe posture, 15 blindfolded participants alternated their index finger position between no-touching and touching on a strain gauge in response to low- and high-pitched auditory cues. Five trials of 46s duration were segmented into 11 sections: a 6-s no-touching period was followed by five pseudo-randomly ordered touching periods of 0.5-, 1-, 1.5-, 2-, and 5-s duration, each of which was followed by another 6-s no-touching interval. Consistent with previous research, compared to no-touching intervals sway was reduced during touch periods with touch durations greater than 2s. Progressive reductions in sway were evident after touch onset. After touch withdrawal in the 2-s touch condition, postural sway increased and returned to baseline level nearly immediately. Interestingly, in the 5-s touch condition, reductions in sway persisted even after touch withdrawal in the medio-lateral and antero-posterior plane for around 2.5s and 5.5s, respectively. Our intermittent touch paradigm resulted in duration-dependent touch effects and after-effects; the latter is a novel finding and may result from a more persistent postural set involved in proactive sway control.

Characterization of a benchmark database for myoelectric movement classification.

In this paper, we characterize the Ninapro database and its use as a benchmark for hand prosthesis evaluation. The database is a publicly available resource that aims to support research on advanced myoelectric hand prostheses. The database is obtained by jointly recording surface electromyography signals from the forearm and kinematics of the hand and wrist while subjects perform a predefined set of actions and postures. Besides describing the acquisition protocol, overall features of the datasets and the processing procedures in detail, we present benchmark classification results using a variety of feature representations and classifiers. Our comparison shows that simple feature representations such as mean absolute value and waveform length can achieve similar performance to the computationally more demanding marginal discrete wavelet transform. With respect to classification methods, the nonlinear support vector machine was found to be the only method consistently achieving high performance regardless of the type of feature representation. Furthermore, statistical analysis of these results shows that classification accuracy is negatively correlated with the subject's Body Mass Index. The analysis and the results described in this paper aim to be a strong baseline for the Ninapro database. Thanks to the Ninapro database (and the characterization described in this paper), the scientific community has the opportunity to converge to a common position on hand movement recognition by surface electromyography, a field capable to strongly affect hand prosthesis capabilities.

Physical Activity Monitoring in Patients with Peripheral Arterial Disease: Validation of an Activity Monitor

The daily life physical activity (PA) of patients with peripheral arterial disease (PAD) may be severely hampered by intermittent claudication (IC). From a therapeutic, as well as research, point of view, it may be more relevant to determine improvement in PA as an outcome measure in IC. The aim of this study was to validate daily activities using a novel type of tri-axial accelerometer (Dynaport MoveMonitor) in patients with IC. Patients with IC were studied during a hospital visit. Standard activities (locomotion, lying, sitting, standing, shuffling, number of steps and "not worn" detection) were video recorded and compared with activities scored by the MoveMonitor. Inter-rater reliability (expressed in intraclass correlation coefficients [ICC]), sensitivity, specificity, and positive predictive values (PPV) were calculated for each activity. Twenty-eight hours of video observation were analysed (n = 21). Our video annotation method (the gold standard method) appeared to be accurate for most postures (ICC > 0.97), except for shuffling (ICC = 0.38). The MoveMonitor showed a high sensitivity (>86%), specificity (>91%), and PPV (>88%) for locomotion, lying, sitting, and "not worn" detection. Moderate accuracy was found for standing (46%), while shuffling appeared to be undetectable (18%). A strong correlation was found between video recordings and the MoveMonitor with regard to the calculation of the "number of steps" (ICC = 0.90). The MoveMonitor provides accurate information on a diverse set of postures, daily activities, and number of steps in IC patients. However, the detection of low amplitude movements, such as shuffling and "sitting to standing" transfers, is a matter of concern. This tool is useful in assessing the role of PA as a novel, clinically relevant outcome parameter in IC.

Ashtanga Yoga for Individual and Societal Wellbeing

Are happiness and well-being are not synonymous? Some say yes. There are others who say well-being = happiness + meaning. Subjective wellbeing (SWB) is the aspect of happiness that can be empirically measured. It is a combination of positive affect and general life satisfaction. This study explores Ashtanga Yoga as a tool for individual and societal wellbeing. Yoga is not a set of contorted postures and breathing exercises as it is being popularised today. The yogic way of life is not other-worldly. It offers a holistic life style full of bliss, peace and tranquillity. A person who is tranquil and has peace within himself will spread it around, and in the process peace, tranquillity, happiness and wellbeing will prevail in such a society.Keywords: Asthanga yoga, Well - being

Postural synergies of the UB Hand IV for human-like grasping

In this paper, the postural synergy configuration subspace given by the fundamental eigengrasps of the UB Hand IV is derived from experiments, and a simplified synergy-based strategy for planning grasps is proposed. The objectives of this work are, on one side, the simplification of grasp synthesis in a configuration space of reduced dimensions and, on the other side, the attainment of a human-like behavior for anthropomorphic hands. A reference set of 36 hand postures, chosen with the goal of covering the entire grasp variety referring to a recently proposed taxonomy, has been considered for the evaluation of the hand synergies. With the aim of defining general properties of the three predominant synergies, the reference set of hand postures has been applied to other two anthropomorphic robot hands, and the obtained synergies have been compared with the ones computed considering the UB Hand IV kinematics. Moreover, the synthesis of new grasps, not contained in the reference set of hand postures, has also been achieved by means of the synergy subspace. The experiments carried out demonstrate that the adopted synergy-based planning method works efficiently for all the considered grasps even if not contained in the reference set used for the evaluation of the postural synergies.

Safety and usefulness of Laghu shankha prakshalana in patients with essential hypertension: A self controlled clinical study.

Background:Yoga and Ayurveda texts emphasize the role of cleansing the bowel as an important component of management of hypertension (HTN). Observations during our clinical experience and pilot studies on Laghu shankha prakshalana kriya (LSP), a yogic bowel cleansing technique, appeared to be safe and complimentary.Objective:To test the safety and effectiveness of LSP in patients with essential hypertension.Materials and Methods:This self control study recruited 32 patients with mild to moderate essential HTN admitted for a week long residential integrated yoga therapy program at the integrative health home in Bengaluru. Patients had a daily routine of 6 hours of integrated approach of yoga therapy (IAYT) module for HTN that included physical postures, relaxation sessions, pranayama and meditations. LSP, an additional practice, that involved drinking of luke-warm water (with or without a herbal combination, triphala) followed by a set of specific yoga postures that activates defecation reflex, was administered on 2nd (LSP without triphala) and 5th day (LSP with triphala). Assessments (sitting blood pressure and pulse rate) were done just before and after both the sessions of LSP. Secondary outcome measures such as body mass index (BMI), symptom scores, medication scores, fatigue, state and trait anxiety, general health and quality of life were assessed on 1st and 6th day of IAYT intervention.Results:There was significant (P < 0.001, paired t test) reduction in blood pressure (systolic and diastolic) and pulse rate immediately after both the sessions (LSP with and without triphala). There were no adverse effects reported during or after LSP. There was no significant difference between the two techniques (P < 0.505, independent samples t test), although the percentage change appeared to be higher after triphala LSP session. The number of visits to clear the bowel during the procedure was significantly (P < 0.001, independent samples t test) higher after LSP with triphala than LSP without triphalā. After weeklong IAYT, there were significant reductions in blood pressure (P < 0.001), BMI (P < 0.004), medication score (P < 0.001), symptoms score (P < 0.001), fatigue (P < 0.001), state and trait anxiety (STAI, P < 0.001), scores of general ill health (GHQ, P < 0.001), and increase in comfort level (P < 0.001) and quality of sleep (P < 0.001).Conclusion:LSP (a part of IAYT) is a safe and useful procedure for patients with essential hypertension. LSP with triphala is more useful.

Hand posture recognition using jointly optical flow and dimensionality reduction

Abstract Hand posture recognition is generally addressed by using either YC b C r (luminance and chrominance components) or HSV (hue, saturation, value) mappings which assume that a hand can be distinguished from the background from some colorfulness and luminance properties. This can hardly be used when a dark hand, or a hand of any color, is under study. In addition, existing recognition processes rely on descriptors or geometric shapes which can be reliable; this comes at the expense of an increased computational complexity. To cope with these drawbacks, this paper proposes a four-step method recognition technique consisting of (i) a pyramidal optical flow for the detection of large movements and hence determine the region of interest containing the expected hand, (ii) a preprocessing step to compute the hand contour while ensuring geometric and illumination invariance, (iii) an image scanning method providing a signature which characterizes non-star-shaped contours with a one-pixel precision, and (iv) a posture classification method where a sphericity criterion preselects a set of candidate postures, principal component analysis reduces the dimensionality of the data, and Mahalanobis distance is used as a criterion to identify the hand posture in any test image. The proposed technique has been assessed in terms of its performances including the computational complexity using both visual and statistical results.

Postural inflexibility in PD: Does it affect compensatory stepping?

Parkinson's disease (PD) impairs the ability to shape postural responses to contextual factors. It is unknown whether such inflexibility pertains to compensatory steps to overcome balance perturbations. Participants were instructed to recover balance in response to a platform translation. A step was necessary to recover balance when the translation was large, whereas a feet-in-place (FiP) response was sufficient when the translation was small (i.e. no step). We compared step trials that required a switch away from the current postural set (switch trials: step trials that were preceded by FiP trials) with non-switch trials (i.e. step trials were preceded by identical step trials). 51 PD patients (59±7 years) were compared with 22 healthy controls (60±6 years). In a second analysis, we compared a subgroup of 14 freezers (PD-FOG) with a subgroup of 14 non-freezers (PD-noFOG; matched for age, gender and disease severity). Compared to non-switch trials, switch trials resulted in poorer step execution and more steps needed to recover balance. These switching effects were similar in PD patients and controls, and in PD-FOG and PD-noFOG patients. Overall, PD patients demonstrated poorer stepping performance than controls. PD-FOG had a worse performance than PD-noFOG. Moreover, PD patients, and particularly PD-FOG patients, were less able to improve step performance with repetitive step trials, in contrast to controls. Thus, there was no PD-related deficit to switch to an alternative response strategy, neither in patients with FOG nor in patients without FOG. Difficulty to adapt the step trial-by-trial might have contributed to the absence of switch deficits in PD.