Human Movement Studies Research Articles

Guidelines for balancing the number of trials and the number of subjects to ensure the statistical power to detect variability – Implication for gait studies

Variability is one of the most crucial outcomes in human movement studies: variance and standard deviation of various parameters have been reported in numerous studies. However, in many of these studies, the numbers of trials and subjects have been intuitively determined and not justified with statistical considerations. Here, we investigated the impact of the numbers of trials and subjects on statistical power, based on the assumption that results per trial follow a normal distribution, using mathematical analysis and numerical simulation. An inverse-like relationship was observed between the number of trials and subjects required to ensure the statistical power for detecting differences in variance between subject groups or conditions. For instance, assuming a 1.2-times difference in population variance between pre-and post-training sessions as an alternative hypothesis, our simulation demonstrated that combinations of the number of subjects and trials, such as measuring 100 trials from each of 12 subjects under each condition, or measuring 20 trials from each of 60 subjects, can guarantee an 80 % of statistical power. Planning research based on such mathematical considerations will enable meaningful statistical interpretations in studies focusing on movement variability, such as gait studies.

Kinesiology’s Passport to Success: Transcending Parallel Trenches, Nurturing Active Open-Mindedness, and Learning From the Octopus

This essay is based on the premise that kinesiology has evolved into a field made up of disparate subdisciplinary areas contributing to fragmentation and lack of common goals and objectives since the publication of Franklin M. Henry’s famous 1964 essay “Physical Education: An Academic Discipline.” As it now stands, there is much evidence of significant disparity between kinesiology’s creed and its practice, with the field failing to fulfill its promise of an integrationist approach to the study of human movement. In order to rectify this situation, steps should be taken to encourage individuals in the field to cross subdisciplinary boundaries, practice what psychologist Jonathan Baron has referred to as “active open-mindedness,” and take seriously the cues provided in the books by Rafe Sagarin, Learning from the Octopus: How Secrets from Nature Can Help Us Fight Terrorist Attacks, Natural Disasters, and Diseases, and Sy Montgomery, The Soul of an Octopus: A Surprising Exploration Into the Wonders of Consciousness. One specific recommendation is for academicians in kinesiology to prepare students to become polymaths, a term describing individuals with a thorough knowledge of one subject and broad understanding of many others.

Aksi Kewargaan Membela Hak Ekologi Warga Trenggalek: Analisis Ideologis, Lingkungan, dan Teologis

The background of this research aims to publish two reasons. First, to show a new perspective of common opinion about the social movement that is based on the class struggle. In this research, the environmental movement is run by the ecological ideology, spirituality, and theology motives. Second, the protests to reject the mining exploitation agenda are not to fight the state nor hinder the development agenda. However, these are the acts of citizenship as a part of participation in a democratic country. Based on the two points above, the research adapts two concepts those are the acts of citizenship from Engin Isin and humanistic Islam from Anna Gade. The data mining process uses ethnographic or observational participatory method that has done in the field of movement as become part of them. The discussion divides the actors of movement into three categories, two of them are Islamic-based organization and the left one is Javanese spiritual group. Each of them works on their own way to defend the ecological rights, but they all have the similar objectives of movement that is ecological sustainability. To develop the study of human rights movement in Indonesia, the approach of ethnography study needs to be deepened and doubled so that the local perspective about their own construction about rights could be mapped.

Comparison of Two Contact Detection Methods for Ground Reaction Forces and Moment Estimation During Sidestep Cuts, Runs, and Walks.

Force platforms often limit the analysis of human movement to the laboratory. Promising methods for estimating ground reaction forces and moments (GRF&M) can overcome this limitation. The most effective family of methods consists of minimizing a cost, constrained by the subject's dynamic equilibrium, for distributing the force over the contact surface on the ground. The detection of contact surfaces over time is dependent on numerous parameters. This study proposes to evaluate two contact detection methods: the first based on foot kinematics and the second based on pressure sole data. Optimal parameters for these two methods were identified for walking, running, and sidestep cut tasks. The results show that a single threshold in position or velocity is sufficient to guarantee a good estimate. Using pressure sole data to detect contact improves the estimation of the position of the center of pressure (CoP). Both methods demonstrated a similar level of accuracy in estimating ground reaction forces.

Quantitative Electroencephalography: Cortical Responses under Different Postural Conditions

In this study, the alpha and beta spectral frequency bands and amplitudes of EEG signals recorded from 10 healthy volunteers using an experimental cap with neoprene jacketed electrodes were analysed. Background: One of the main limitations in the analysis of EEG signals during movement is the presence of artefacts due to cranial muscle contraction; the objectives of this study therefore focused on two main aspects: (1) validating a tool capable of decreasing movement artefacts, while developing a reliable method for the quantitative analysis of EEG data; (2) using this method to analyse the EEG signal recorded during a particular motor activity (bi- and monopodalic postural control). Methods: The EEG sampling frequency was 512 Hz; the signal was acquired on 16 channels with monopolar montage and the reference on Cz. The recorded signals were processed using a specifically written Matlab script and also by exploiting open-source software (Eeglab). Results: The procedure used showed excellent reliability, allowing for a significant decrease in movement artefacts even during motor tasks performed both with eyes open and with eyes closed. Conclusions: This preliminary study lays the foundation for correctly recording EEG signals as an additional source of information in the study of human movement.

Human motion capture, reconstruction, and musculoskeletal analysis in real time

Optical motion capture is an essential tool for the study and analysis of human movement. Currently, most manufacturers of motion-capture systems provide software applications for reconstructing the movement in real time, thus allowing for on-the-fly visualization. The captured kinematics can be later used as input data for a further musculoskeletal analysis. However, in advanced biofeedback applications, the results of said analysis, such as joint torques, ground-reaction forces, muscle efforts, and joint-reaction forces, are also required in real time.In this work, an extended Kalman filter (EKF) previously developed by the authors for real-time, whole-body motion capture and reconstruction is augmented with inverse dynamics and muscle-efforts optimization, enabling the calculation and visualization of the latter, along with joint-reaction forces, while capturing the motion.A modified version of the existing motion-capture algorithm provides the positions, velocities, and accelerations at every time step. Then, the joint torques are calculated by solving the inverse-dynamics problem, using force-plate measurements along with previously estimated body-segment parameters. Once the joint torques are obtained, an optimization problem is solved, in order to obtain the muscle forces that provide said torques while minimizing an objective function. This is achieved by a very efficient quadratic programming algorithm, thoroughly tuned for this specific problem.With this procedure, it is possible to capture and label the optical markers, reconstruct the motion of the model, solve the inverse dynamics, and estimate the individual muscle forces, all while providing real-time visualization of the results.

Movements Recognition in the Human Body Based on Deep Learning Strategies

These days, the study of human body movements for the purpose of emotion identification is an absolutely necessary component of social communication. Several different contexts call for the implementation of non-verbal communication strategies such as gestures, eye movements, facial expressions, and body language. Among them, emotion detection based on body movements. It can also identify the emotions of a person even if they are too far away from the camera. Other studies have shown that body language can express emotional states more effectively than words can. In this research study, an emotional state is determined by the human motion of the entire body. The architecture of a deep convolution neural network is used, and multiple parameter settings are considered. Both the University of York's emotion dataset, which includes 15 different kinds of emotions, and dataset of GEMEP corpus, which includes five emotions, can be used to assess the proposed system. The results of the experiments demonstrated that the proposed system has a higher degree of recognition accuracy.

The biomechanical study of human limbs movement using inertial and electromyographic sensors

The biomechanical study of human limbs movement using inertial and electromyographic sensors

HaniMob 2022 Workshop Report: The 2nd ACM SIGSPATIAL Workshop on Animal Movement Ecology and Human Mobility

The study of animal and human movement has experienced a remarkable boom over the last decades, mainly due to the continuous development of location-aware sensors (e.g. bio-logging devices for animals; GPS trackers for humans) capable of capturing individual locations at a constantly increasing spatio-temporal resolution [7, 2]. Anthropogenic pressure plays a critical role in shaping animal movement and behavior. Similarly, human movement behavior can largely be influenced by disruptive environmental events causing people to shift their mobility patterns, which eventually may impact wildlife activity patterns in areas where wildlife intersects with human presence.

Lost in Sport Pedagogy Research?: Navigating and Finding Possible Way Outs in Western Sport Pedagogy 3.0 Labyrinth

PURPOSE Sport pedagogy (SP) has established itself as a subdiscipline in Human Movement Studies since the 1970s. It has become an academic labyrinth as a result of its rapid flourishing. Most researchers are extremely confused about this disorderly research complex. This study aimed to evaluate the characteristics of SP in stages in the western (mostly English speaking) countries. METHODS Analysis of literature published in English from 1990 to 2022. RESULTS The developmental versions were divided as follows: SP1.0 is positivistic in nature, SP2.0 is multi-paradigmatic as it includes all paradigms, and SP3.0 (current version). Many academic journals have been launched, and a variety of books on divergent topics are being published. Currently, research has exploded. In SP3.0, research performed by British scholars are notable in terms of number and quality, overpowering those by scholars in the USA and other countries. Youth sport and sport coaching are regarded as new legitimate areas. Additionally, signs for SP4.0 have been indicated. CONCLUSIONS In order to find way outs in the SP labyrinth, it is necessary to recognize the current research trends in international SP.

Design of an experimental platform of gait analysis with ActiSense and StereoPi

Abstract Gait analysis is a systematic study of human movement. Combining wearable foot pressure sensors and machine learning (ML) solutions for a high-fidelity body pose tracking from RGB video frames could reveal more insights into gait abnormalities. However, accurate detection of heel strike (HS) and toe-off (TO) events is crucial to compute interpretable gait parameters. In this work, we present an experimental platform to study the timing of gait events using a new wearable foot pressure sensor (ActiSense System, IEE S.A., Luxembourg), and Google’s open-source ML solution MediaPipe Pose. For this purpose, two StereoPi systems were built to capture stereoscopic videos and images in real time. MediaPipe Pose was applied to the synchronized StereoPi cameras, and two algorithms (ALs) were developed to detect HS and TO events for gait and analysis. Preliminary results from a healthy subject walking on a treadmill show a mean relative deviation across all time spans of less than 4% for the ActiSense device and less than 16% for AL2 (33% for AL1) employing MediaPipe Pose on StereoPi videos. Finally, this work offers a platform for the development of sensor- and video-based ALs to automatically identify the timing of gait events in healthy individuals and those with gait disorders.

Using Simultaneous Confidence Bands to Calculate the Margin of Error in Estimating Typical Biomechanical Waveforms.

Studies of human movement usually collect data from multiple repetitions of a task and use the average of all movement trials to approximate the typical kinematics or kinetics pattern for each individual. Few studies report the expected accuracy of these estimated mean kinematics or kinetics waveforms for each individual. The purpose of this study is to demonstrate how simultaneous confidence bands, which is an approach to quantify uncertainty across an entire waveform based on limited data, can be used to calculate margin of error (MOE) for waveforms. Bilateral plantar pressure data were collected from 70 participants as they walked over 4 surfaces for an average of at least 300 steps per surface. The relationship between MOE and the number of steps included in the analysis was calculated using simultaneous confidence bands, and 3 methods commonly used for pointwise estimates: intraclass correlation, sequential averaging, and T-based MOE. The conventional pointwise approaches underestimated the number of trials required to estimate biomechanical waveforms within a desired MOE. Simultaneous confidence bands are an objective approach to more accurately estimate the relationship between the number of trials collected and the MOE in estimating typical biomechanical waveforms.

Mediator Effect of Cardiorespiratory Fitness on the Association between Physical Activity and Lung Function in Adults: Cross-Sectional Results from the Epimov Study.

We investigated whether cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF) mediates the association between moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) and lung function in asymptomatic adults. We examined the cross-sectional results of 1362 adults aged 18–80 years from the Epidemiology and Human Movement Study. Participants were submitted to spirometry to obtain forced vital capacity (FVC) and forced expiratory volume in 1s (FEV1). Additionally, we used cardiopulmonary exercise testing to obtain peak oxygen uptake (O2) as a measure of CRF. Participants used a triaxial accelerometer for 4–7 days to obtain MVPA. Mediation analyses were performed considering the CRF as a mediator, MVPA as an independent variable, and FVC and FEV1 as dependent variables with adjustment for age, sex, and cardiovascular risk score. We aimed to investigate the total (path c) and direct (paths a, b, c’) effects through the regression coefficients. We also examined the indirect effect, which was obtained from the product of the coefficients (path ab). Our sample was composed mainly of overweight and middle-aged women. MVPA was positively related to CRF (path a), as well as CRF and lung function (path b). MVPA also presented a significant positive total effect (path c) in the lung function. However, this relationship became non-significant when CRF was included in the model for both FVC and FEV1 (path c’). We did not observe a direct effect of MVPA on the lung function. In contrast, the indirect effect was significant (path ab). Lastly, CRF mediated 60% of the total effect of MVPA on FVC and 61.9% on FEV1. CRF mediates the relationship between lung function and MVPA in asymptomatic adults. Therefore, our results reinforce the need to include CRF assessment in practice clinical routine and suggest that strategies focusing on CRF might be more promising to prevent respiratory diseases in adults.

Processing Structures for Computer Simulation of Human Movement

Based on the dynamics, structure and properties of imbedded multi-stack systems, certain functions of the central nervous system (CNS) can be modeled and computer programmed. These models imitate the natural system at some level and can be integrated in future more comprehensive models of the CNS in studies of human movement. Several CNS functions are discussed here. The involvement of the reticular formation (RF) in identifying objects and their properties by touch is addressed. The vision system is discussed in sensing and storage of planar images. The creation of periodic motions for dance or sport is modeled. Mental processing in is the writing or drawing of images is formulated.
 
 The touch problem addressed here is the mechanisms to explore, probe, grope and identify an object that is not visible. The object of enquiry may be part of another object, lie under another object or be part of a bigger thing. It may also be involved in the early dynamics of touch in the new-born where the vision dynamics have not yet fully developed.
 
 How the central nervous system (CNS) may pursue these tasks is one objective. One elementary attempt is to develop larger structures that can handle CNS functions, how thoughts are formulated, expanded, summarized or abandoned. Multiple Stack System seem to be convenient for handling information flowing from the sensory channels to the cerebrum and the cerebellum. By considering specific tasks, the paper focuses on several functions, connections, and structures that are involved in movement.

HIGH-INTENSITY EXERCISE IMPROVES THE CLINICAL RESPONSE OF ORGAN FUNCTION

ABSTRACT Introduction: Physical activity is accomplished by the coordination of various organ systems of the human body, and physical exercise can positively impact the activities of many of these systems. Because the impact of high-intensity sports on human organs is different according to the environmental temperature and exercise intensity, we must make more detailed observations and discussions. Objective: To analyze the changes in the body shape, function, and organ function of middle school students before and after high-intensity physical exercise through the study of human movement. Methods: Through the experimental research on the characteristics of metabolic gas exchanges in high-intensity incremental load exercise of college students. Results: There were statistically significant differences in the incidence of physiological reactions shown by the students who underwent high-intensity incremental load exercise, such as abdominal pain, dyspnea, tachycardia, nausea, dizziness, and muscle aches (P<0.05). Hypothermia was accompanied by a decrease in heart rate during exercise. Conclusion: Carrying out overload training can effectively mediate physiological functions. It is an important, in improving sports performance, to carry out warm-up activities in a low-temperature environment to increase body temperature. Level of evidence II; Therapeutic studies - investigation of treatment results.

A Call for Social Justice Researchers: Intersectionality as a Framework for the Study of Human Movement and Education

This paper advances a socio-educational and critical orientation for the study of human movement to valorize and recenter voicelessness. Representing the subjugation of marginalized people can open up possibilities for transformative research projects invested in the reimagining of equitable and inclusive studies of human movement and education. First, the authors suggest that ongoing intellectual tensions in the field are unproductive; instead, the authors advance a social justice agenda, advocating for an educational, sociocultural, and critical orientation toward human movement. Second, the authors argue for moving beyond the “exercise is medicine” mantra as a dominant, normative framing of kinesiology. Third, drawing from a socio-educational perspective, the authors propose intersectionality as a crucial component of critical race theory to explore and center the significance of health, physical activity, and movement in the lives of Black, Latinx, Native, LGBQ, and transgender groups, people with disabilities, and those who face body weight stigma, from their own viewpoints.

Recent Trends and Practices Toward Assessment and Rehabilitation of Neurodegenerative Disorders: Insights From Human Gait.

The study of human movement and biomechanics forms an integral part of various clinical assessments and provides valuable information toward diagnosing neurodegenerative disorders where the motor symptoms predominate. Conventional gait and postural balance analysis techniques like force platforms, motion cameras, etc., are complex, expensive equipment requiring specialist operators, thereby posing a significant challenge toward translation to the clinics. The current manuscript presents an overview and relevant literature summarizing the umbrella of factors associated with neurodegenerative disorder management: from the pathogenesis and motor symptoms of commonly occurring disorders to current alternate practices toward its quantification and mitigation. This article reviews recent advances in technologies and methodologies for managing important neurodegenerative gait and balance disorders, emphasizing assessment and rehabilitation/assistance. The review predominantly focuses on the application of inertial sensors toward various facets of gait analysis, including event detection, spatiotemporal gait parameter measurement, estimation of joint kinematics, and postural balance analysis. In addition, the use of other sensing principles such as foot-force interaction measurement, electromyography techniques, electrogoniometers, force-myography, ultrasonic, piezoelectric, and microphone sensors has also been explored. The review also examined the commercially available wearable gait analysis systems. Additionally, a summary of recent progress in therapeutic approaches, viz., wearables, virtual reality (VR), and phytochemical compounds, has also been presented, explicitly targeting the neuro-motor and functional impairments associated with these disorders. Efforts toward therapeutic and functional rehabilitation through VR, wearables, and different phytochemical compounds are presented using recent examples of research across the commonly occurring neurodegenerative conditions [viz., Parkinson’s disease (PD), Alzheimer’s disease (AD), multiple sclerosis, Huntington’s disease (HD), and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS)]. Studies exploring the potential role of Phyto compounds in mitigating commonly associated neurodegenerative pathologies such as mitochondrial dysfunction, α-synuclein accumulation, imbalance of free radicals, etc., are also discussed in breadth. Parameters such as joint angles, plantar pressure, and muscle force can be measured using portable and wearable sensors like accelerometers, gyroscopes, footswitches, force sensors, etc. Kinetic foot insoles and inertial measurement tools are widely explored for studying kinematic and kinetic parameters associated with gait. With advanced correlation algorithms and extensive RCTs, such measurement techniques can be an effective clinical and home-based monitoring and rehabilitation tool for neuro-impaired gait. As evident from the present literature, although the vast majority of works reported are not clinically and extensively validated to derive a firm conclusion about the effectiveness of such techniques, wearable sensors present a promising impact toward dealing with neurodegenerative motor disorders.

Falling towards academia: a memoir about the changing nature of PETE

ABSTRACT Physical Education Teacher Education (PETE) has changed considerably over the past 40 years. This paper uses a personal memoir to trace the influences on PETE over the years. In particular, the memoir describes the early criticisms of PE as a university study and how such criticism spawned the development of what we now know as human movement studies or exercise and sport science degrees. The subject matter of these degree programs has become the de facto subject matter content knowledge for most PETE programs, and the author questions whether it is the most appropriate knowledge for HPE teachers working in contemporary school contexts. The paper also provides an ‘insider’ perspective on the major contextual influences that have led to changes in PETE and the staff who work in universities as HPE teacher educators.

MODELING FORM OF THE INSOLES AS A RESULT OF THE STUDY ABOUT LOAD DISTRIBUTION DURING HUMAN MOVEMENT

The article discusses one of the directions of the joint Japanese-Ukrainian cooperation project of Toyo University in Tokyo and the National Aviation University in Kyiv. As a result of cooperation, NAU student from the Department of Interior Design took part in the project of the Department of Design in Human Life and Environment from Toyo University dedicated to the development of insole design. The impact of shoes on the health of the feet and the entire human body was analyzed, the criteria for creating insoles and manufacturing a real product were considered. Headache, pain in the neck, spine and lower back, discomfort in the joints – these and many other problems can be the result of wearing uncomfortable shoes. The foot is a person's support, on which the main load falls during walking, running and even in a quiet position, when the weight of our body falls entirely on the lower limbs. Not only the health of the feet, but also the joints, spine, blood vessels and even internal organs depends on the condition of the foot. Comfortable shoes allow a modern person to move freely in the right direction. An important element of comfortable shoes is the insole. There is a great variety of them. In order to choose the most practical type of insoles, it is necessary to understand the difference between them, their features. The purpose of this study is to determine the impact of insoles on human health, experimental studies of the distribution of load on human feet, selection of the appropriate form and material, and, most importantly, practical manufacture of insoles taking into account the results of research and analytical activities. A perfect analysis of the manufacturing materials, the shape of the insoles was conducted and a number of practical advantages were revealed, which play an important role in choosing the most optimal option. It was found that special shoe inserts, which support our feet in the correct position, perform an additional cushioning function and contribute to the even distribution of the load over the entire leg. By appointment, they are curative and prophylactic. The first ones, as a rule, are selected by an orthopedic doctor and are used to correct certain pathologies of the feet. As for preventive ortho insoles, they are recommended to be worn even by those who have not yet had time to face any diseases of the musculoskeletal system, but have a tendency to them or feel heavy loads on the lower limbs. Depending on the purpose, such inserts in shoes will differ in design, degree of rigidity, material of manufacture and other specific features.The insoles, modeled according to individual parameters directly on the leg, will repeat the relief of the foot as accurately as possible, and therefore will help to achieve a positive effect much faster and better. Thus, Japanese specialists from the Department of Design in Human Life and Environment from Toyo University include in the training program of their students: 1) ergonomic studies of human movement and load distribution; 2) on the basis of the conducted research, development of the optimal form of the product; 3) production of the designed product using innovative technologies, in this particular case using a 3D printer; 4) checking the effectiveness of the developed product; 5) creation of an advertising prospectus for the developed product.

A baboon walking on a treadmill: the use of positive reinforcement techniques to study bipedal walking in non-human primates

To date, the use of positive reinforcement techniques to study locomotion in non-human primates remains poorly developed. However, using cooperative animals that can freely move in experimental setup allows us to collect valuable and relevant data and makes these repeatable and comparable between species. Based on the current knowledge and our experience, we present an experimental approach that aims at reaching the standards of the study of human movement in a non-human primate, the olive baboon, Papio anubis, thanks to the use of positive reinforcement techniques. This report documents the training protocol that we set up at the Primatology station of the CNRS (France). We further elaborate on the importance of conducting such experiments for a better and finer understanding of the bipedal behaviour in non-human primates. Experimental studies including cooperative animals that can freely move are likely to represent valuable experimental tools to fill important gaps of knowledge in the study of locomotion in general, and in the study of the acquisition of habitual bipedal walking in hominins.