Temporal-spatial Parameters Research Articles

Women With and Without Self-reported Stress Urinary Incontinence Walk Differently Before and After 16-Ounce Water Consumption

Background: Women with stress urinary incontinence (SUI) use different hip biomechanics during gait than women without SUI. Objective: To compare hip angles, moments, and temporal-spatial parameters during gait between women with and without SUI from a control to full-bladder condition. Study Design: Case-control study with a repeated-measures design. Methods: Hip angles and moments (net forces) of 19 women with SUI and 23 women without SUI were analyzed during the weight acceptance phase of the gait. Mixed-model analyses of variance were used to compare between groups (SUI, without SUI), conditions (control, full bladder), and limbs (dominant [D], nondominant [ND]). Significance: P < .05. Results: Women with SUI were older (P < .001), more active (P = .022), produced more offspring (P < .001), used lesser adduction (P = .035; D-limb only), and minimum (P = .01) and peak flexion angles (P = .01), compared with women without SUI. Hip angles (internal rotation [IR]: ND > D, P < .001; external rotation [ER]: D > ND, P = .001), and moments (IR: ND < D, P = .001) differed between limbs. For ER moments, post hoc testing revealed that ND > D were found for women without SUI (P < .001, both conditions) and women with SUI during the control condition only (P = .001). From the control to full-bladder condition, ER angles decreased (P = .012), abduction moments increased (without SUI only; P = .027), extension moments increased (P = .003; D-limb only), step time increased (P = .006), and cadence decreased (P = .007). Conclusions: Women with SUI did not use different hip moments but used different hip positions during gait compared with women without SUI. Women with and without SUI altered force generation differently in response to bladder stress. A Video Abstract for this article is available athttps://links.lww.com/JWHPT/A41.

Reliability of gait parameters in male and female healthy adults during self-paced treadmill-based walking

Background/aims The purpose of this study was to examine the intra-rater reliability of the Gait Real-time Analysis Interactive Laboratory system during self-paced mode, in repeated gait analysis of healthy individuals. Methods A total of 10 healthy men (age: 35.4 ± 13.3 years; body mass index: 25.2 ± 4.3) and 10 healthy women (age: 41.1 ± 16.4 years; body mass index: 24.5 ± 2.6) were split into two groups according to sex. They walked on a split-belt, self-paced treadmill. Each participant completed two gait assessments separated by an average of 7 ± 3 days. Key gait kinematic, kinetic and spatial-temporal parameters were analysed. The interclass correlation coefficient, standard error of measurement and minimum detectable change were calculated to evaluate the reliability of these gait parameters. Results There was a high repeatability of spatial temporal and excellent repeatability of kinematic and kinetic parameters in both groups. Conclusions The findings suggest that the Gait Real-time Analysis Interactive Laboratory system in self-paced mode is a good instrument to evaluate gait parameters for women as well as men.

EFFECTS OF KINETIC MEANS IN RECOVERING PUBALGIC SYNDROME TO FOOTBALL PLAYERS

Pubalgic syndrome is a growing disease with an incidence of 10% -13% of all injuries suffered during a competitive year in 2011. Once installed, it has negative repercussions on the spatial-temporal parameters, eliminating them from the competitive activity and implicitly having a negative effect on the socio-economic situation of the athlete, but also on the capital of the club where he operates. The study was conducted on a batch of football players affected by the pubalgic syndrome (pubis osteitis). All study participants were evaluated both initially and finally. Between the two evaluations, they benefited from a kinetic treatment protocol. At the end of the initial evaluation, the data obtained were compared and processed using statistical programs. Both in comparison of the results and their processing with the help of the statistical programs showed that the treatment protocol had positive effects on the symptomatology generated by the pubalgic syndrome, but also to the socio-economic situation of the athlete.

A biomechanical comparison of powered robotic exoskeleton gait with normal and slow walking: An investigation with able-bodied individuals

BackgroundOverground lower-limb robotic exoskeletons are assistive devices used to facilitate ambulation and gait rehabilitation. Our understanding of how closely they resemble comfortable and slow walking is limited. This information is important to maximise the effects of gait rehabilitation. The aim was to compare the 3D gait parameters of able-bodied individuals walking with and without an exoskeleton at two speeds (self-selected comfortable vs. slow, speed-matched to the exoskeleton) to understand how the user's body moved within the device. MethodsEight healthy, able-bodied individuals walked along a 12-m walkway with and without the exoskeleton. Three-dimensional whole-body kinematics inside the device were captured. Temporal-spatial parameters and sagittal joint kinematics were determined for normal and exoskeleton walking. One-way repeated measures ANOVAs and statistical parametric mapping were used to compare the three walking conditions (P < .05). FindingsThe walking speeds of the slow (0.44[0.03] m/s) and exoskeleton (0.41[0.03] m/s) conditions were significantly slower than the comfortable walking speed (1.54[0.07] m/s). However, time in swing was significantly greater (P < .001, d = −3.64) and double support was correspondingly lower (P < .001, d = 3.72) during exoskeleton gait than slow walking, more closely resembling comfortable speed walking. Ankle and knee angles were significantly reduced in the slow and exoskeleton conditions. Angles were also significantly different for the upper body. InterpretationAlthough the slow condition was speed-matched to exoskeleton gait, the stance:swing ratio of exoskeleton stepping more closely resembled comfortable gait than slow gait. The altered upper body kinematics suggested that overground exoskeletons may provide a training environment that would also benefit balance training.

Associations Between 24-Hour Dietary Intake And Biomechanical Changes During A Long Run: An Exploratory Study

Both nutrition and biomechanics play important roles for running and athletic performance. However, to date they have usually been studied separately and there is minimal literature evaluating effects of nutritional status or interventions on biomechanical outcomes. PURPOSE: This exploratory study evaluated relationships between nutritional status prior to a long hilly run and changes in running mechanics following the run. METHODS: Eight trail runners (5 M/3 F; weekly mileage: 27.6 ± 8.5 miles) ran a 10-mile hilly run which matched the elevation profile of a popular local trail run. 3D kinematics and ground reaction forces were collected during five-minute level ground running sections prior to and following the run. Changes in spatial temporal parameters, ground reaction forces, and leg stiffness variables from pre to post run were computed for each participant's left leg using Visual3D. Pre-run 24-hour dietary recalls were analyzed for total caloric intake (Tkcal) and percent calories from carbohydrate (%CHO), protein (%PRO), and fat (%FAT). Pearson's correlations were used to asses associations between each nutritional variable and changes in biomechanical variables. RESULTS: There were significant associations between %PRO and changes in peak ground reaction force and changes in contact time such that runners with higher %PRO displayed smaller changes in biomechanics (Figure 1). Similar associations were observed between Tkcal and %FAT and changes in vertical center of mass displacement. CONCLUSIONS: This preliminary study suggests nutritional status prior to a long run may affect the changes in biomechanics a runner experiences during the run. These biomechanical effects have implications for both performance and injury, and highlight the importance of protein for long distance runners. Additional research is required to evaluate whether manipulating nutrition can be used to manage biomechanical changes associated with long duration running.

Validation of a portable system for spatial-temporal gait parameters based on a single inertial measurement unit and a mobile application.

There is a lack of commercially available low-cost technologies to assess gait clinically in non-controlled environments. As a consequence of this, there has been poor massification of motion measurement technologies that are both objective and reliable in nature. Advances about the study of gait and its interpretation in recent years using inertial sensors have allowed proposing acceptable alternatives for the development of portable and low-cost systems that contribute to people’s health in places and institutions that cannot acquire or maintain the operation of commercially available systems. A system based on a custom single Inertial Measurement Unit and a mobile application is proposed. Thus, an investigation is carried out using methodologies and algorithms found in the literature in order to get the main gait events and the spatial-temporal gait parameters. Twenty healthy Chilean subjects were assessed using a motion capture system simultaneously with the proposed tool. The results show that it is possible to estimate temporal gait parameters with slight differences respect gold--standard. We reach maximum mean differences of -2.35±5.02[step/min] for cadence, 0.03±0.04[sec] for stride time,0.02±0.03[sec] for step time, ±0.02[sec] for a single support time, 0.01±0.02[sec] for double support time and 0.01±0.03[m] for step length. As a result of experimental findings, we propose a new technological tool that can perform gait analysis. Our proposed system is user-friendly, low-cost, and portable. Therefore, we suggest that it could be an attractive technological tool that healthcare professionals could harness to objectively measure gait in environments that are either within the community or controlled. We also suggest that the tool could be used in countries where advanced clinical tools cannot be acquired. Therefore, we propose in this paper that our system is an attractive, alternative system that can be used for gait analysis by health professionals worldwide.

The effect of treatment with a non-invasive foot worn biomechanical device on subjective and objective measures in patients with knee osteoarthritis- a retrospective analysis on a UK population

BackgroundOsteoarthritis is a major cause of pain and disability worldwide, therefore ways of treating this condition are paramount to a successful health system. The purpose of the study was to investigate the changes in spatial-temporal gait parameters and clinical measurements following treatment with a non-invasive foot-worn biomechanical device on patients with knee osteoarthritis within the UK.MethodsA retrospective analysis was carried out on 455 patients with knee osteoarthritis. All patients were evaluated using a computerized gait test and two self-assessment questionnaires (WOMAC and SF-36) at baseline and after 3 and 6 months of treatment. The biomechanical device is a shoe-like device with convex pods under the sole that have the capability of changing foot centre of pressure and training neuromuscular control. The device was individually calibrated for each patient to minimise symptoms whilst walking and train neuromuscular control. Patients used the device for short periods during activities of daily living. Repeated measures statistical analyses were performed to compare differences over time.ResultsAfter 6 months of treatment significant improvements were seen in all gait parameters (p < 0.01). Specifically, gait velocity, step length and single limb support of the more symptomatic knee improved by 13, 7.8 and 3%, respectively. These were supported by significant improvements in pain, function and quality of life (48.6, 45.7 and 22% respectively; p < 0.001). A sub-group analysis revealed no baseline differences between those who were recommended joint replacement and those who were not. Both groups improved significantly over time (p < 0.05 for all).ConclusionsOur results suggest that the personalised biomechanical treatment can improve gait patterns, pain, function and quality of life. It may provide an additional solution to managing UK patients suffering from knee osteoarthritis but needs to be tested in a controlled setting first.

CLINICAL GAIT ANALYSIS OF SUBJECTS WITH TRANS-FEMORAL AMPUTATION USING POLYCENTRIC FOUR-BAR LINKAGE PROSTHETIC KNEE JOINT

Background: Adequate research is not reported so far to underline the influence of commonly used polycentric knee joints on gait performance of subjects with trans-femoral amputation. Objective: The intent of this investigation is to analyze prosthetic gait of unilateral traumatic trans-femoral amputees with polycentric four-bar linkage knee and compare it with normal subjects for evaluating any asymmetry in gait performance. Methods: Objective three-dimensional gait analysis of 15 subjects [mean (age): 36.4 (10.7) years] were performed in gait lab through force plate and optoelectronic devices to measure temporal-spatial parameters, kinematic and kinetic performances. Gait patterns of amputees were compared with those of 15 individuals with normal gait to analyze distinct functionalities of existing polycentric knee. Results: Asymmetry in gait was observed between amputees and normal subjects for all variables concerned ([Formula: see text]). Amputee gait was with significantly lesser velocity, cadence with shorter step and stride length. There was significantly less hip, knee and pelvic motions, however, pelvic obliquity and rotation did not show significant difference from the normal subjects. The vertical component of the ground reaction force differed significantly between prosthetic and intact limb [49.7 (8.5)% and 90.4 (7.4)% body weight] and also from normal subjects [107.5 (2.4)% body weight] during stance ([Formula: see text]). Interpretation and Conclusion: This difference may be attributed to nonproportionate loading of limbs and mechanical adaptations for counteracting deficiencies of prosthetic side. This study will help to explain gait asymmetry in trans-femoral amputees and to identify underlying mechanisms to enhance the quality of the existing design of prosthetic knee through optimizing design parameters and utilizing appropriate materials.

Effects of mental practice strategies associated to physiotherapy on gait and risk of falls in Parkinson’s disease: a pilot study of a randomized clinical trial

Abstract Introduction Parkinson’s Disease (PD) is a degenerative disorder that interferes with the voluntary movements due to dysfunction of the basal ganglia and presenting with motor signals, such as the reduction of gait speed. This contributes to an increased risk of falls. In rehabilitation, mental practice (MP) has been shown to promote plastic modulation of neural circuits and improve motor learning, but the results of research with MP in PD are still ambiguous due to the diversity of intervention strategies. Objectives To compare the effects of MP strategies associated to physiotherapy in gait and risk of falls in PD patients. Methodology We performed a pilot study of a clinical randomized, single blind, trial, conducted in accordance with the consort checklist. Patients with idiopathic PD were included and allocated to four groups: Control group (CG); Group with mental practice guided by images (MPI); Group with mental practice guided by audio (MPA); group with mental practice without a guide (MPWG). The subjects of the experimental groups were submitted to 15 sessions of physiotherapy and mental practice, while the CG received only physiotherapy. The sessions were held 2 times per week, 40 minutes for physiotherapy and approximately 5-10 minutes for the corresponding mental practice protocol. Spatial-temporal parameters of gait were assessed with the 10 meters Walking Test (TC10m), and the risk of falls was evaluated with the Timed Up and Go (TUG) test. Results The MPI group showed significant results for the parameters time (p = 0.027) and speed (p = 0.025) when compared with the results of the CG. No main effects for the group were observed concerning cadence and risk of falls had. Groups MPWG and MPA showed no significant results for the TC10m and TUG when compared with the CG. Conclusion The results of this pilot study suggest that MP guided by images associated to physical therapy was more effective to increase the gait speed than the alternative strategies.

An adaptive multi-domain feature joint optimization framework based on composite kernels and ant colony optimization for motor imagery EEG classification

Brain computer interface (BCI) is a novel technology that translates human intention into command to control external device. Common spatial pattern (CSP) algorithm is most frequently applied for feature engineering in motor imagery (MI) based BCI system. How to select the most suitable spatial channels, temporal & frequency parameters for different people before CSP is still a challenging issue which greatly affects the performance of MI based BCI system. In this paper, we introduce an adaptive multi-domain feature joint optimization framework. Specifically, random forest (RF) and composite kernel support vector machine (CKSVM) algorithms are used to measure the significances of different spatial channels and local temporal-frequency segments. An ant colony optimization (ACO) based scheme is proposed to search the most suitable spatial channels and temporal-frequency segments. We evaluated the effectiveness of the proposed algorithm on public BCI competition III data set IVa and two self-collected MI EEG datasets. For BCI competition III data set IVa, our method outperforms some other close related algorithms in the literature. For the two self-collected datasets, compared to the traditional manual parameter setting, the classification performance is proven to significantly improve (more than 15%) adopting our adaptive multi-domain parameters. Since our proposed method can simultaneously and automatically optimize subject-specific features in the entire spatial-temporal-frequency domains, the most discriminative CSP features can be selected and the performance of MI EEG classification is significantly improved. Thus, our research is a useful complement to the BCI field.

Swimming Stroke Phase Segmentation Based on Wearable Motion Capture Technique

Wearable motion capture technique is widely used in kinematic analysis, which contributes to understanding motion patterns and provides quantitative data on human postures. Swimming stroke phase plays an important role in spatial–temporal swimming parameters. As a sporting pattern that involves all limbs, the swimming phase is more complicated than gait phase and makes the swimming phase segmentation a new issue of pattern recognition. This article focuses on the swimming phase segmentation as pattern classification. By analyzing the human posture data given by motion capture system, swimming phase could be described qualitatively and used to obtain posture features. The swimming phase of the four competitive swimming styles is studied in this article and classified accurately. In the tenfold cross-validation, the mean values of accuracy, sensitivity, and specificity could reach 98.22%, 95.65%, and 98.67%, respectively, under the 2.5-ms timing tolerance. In terms of leave-one-subject-out cross-validation, performance metrics perform best under a relatively small timing tolerance. The results of the experiment show that the study could well-address the issue of swimming phase segmentation and provide spatial–temporal parameters for further swimming motion analysis.

Neural activity for hip-knee control in those with anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction: A task-based functional connectivity analysis

Anterior cruciate ligament injury may induce neurophysiological changes for sensorimotor control. Neuroimaging investigations have revealed unique brain activity patterns for knee movement following injury, indicating potential neural mechanisms underlying aberrant neuromuscular control that may contribute to heightened risk of secondary injury, altered movement patterns and poor patient outcomes. However, neuroimaging paradigms thus far have been limited to single joint, single motion knee tasks. Therefore, we sought to overcome prior limitations to understand the effects of injury on neural control of lower extremity movement by employing a multi-joint motor paradigm and determining differences in neural activity between ACL-reconstructed (ACLr) individuals relative to healthy matched controls. Fifteen patients with left anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction and fifteen matched healthy controls participated in this study. Neural activity was examined using functional magnetic resonance imaging during a block-designed knee-hip movement paradigm (similar to a supine heel-slide). Participants for each group were monitored and task performance was controlled via a metronome to ensure the same spatial-temporal parameters. We observed that those with ACL reconstruction displayed increased activation within the intracalcarine cortex, lingual gyrus, occipital fusiform gyrus, lateral occipital cortex, angular gyrus, and superior parietal lobule relative to controls. A follow-up task-based functional connectivity analyses using seed regions identified from the group analysis revealed connectivity among fronto-insular-temporal and sensorimotor regions within the ACLr participants. The results of this fMRI investigation suggest ACLr individuals require increased activity and connectivity in areas responsible for visual-spatial cognition and orientation, and attention for hip and knee motor control.

Gait Analysis with Kanri Distance Calculator following Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction

sAnterior Cruciate Ligament (ACL) injury is very prevalent in the field of orthopaedics, particularly in sports. Different parameters can be used to forecast an Anterior Cruciate Ligament (ACLR) patient’s health condition. The aim of this research is to use Mahalanobis Taguchi System (MTS) methodology to identify useful biomechanical variables from multivariate parameters through Kanri Distance Calculator (KDC). This study analyzed biomechanical variables based on the knee flexion and extension moment and peak vertical ground reaction force from kinetic parameters; phase swing / stance, step and step length and gait velocity from spatial temporal parameter; range of motion from kinetic parameters. This experiment engaged 15 healthy subjects and 10 ACL reconstructed patients. Then, by optimizing the KDC, the 9 attributes are reduced to 7, which are knee flexion and extension moment, speed, step length and stance / swing phase. Key attributes such as swing time and moment of knee flexion are identified as optimal variables of impact in the population. KDC extends our understanding to the correlation of characteristics and enables individual diagnosis to be performed. Then the suitable rehabilitation protocol can be objectively suggested for quicker recovery to specific subjects.

Механизм преобразования дискурсивного пространства вследствие речевого конфликта

The article aims to reveal the essence and functional characteristics of conflict discourse. Originality of the paper lies in the fact that conflict discourse is analysed as a modifier of discursive characteristics of institutional and person-oriented discourse: spatial-temporal parameters, communicants’ discursive roles and purposes. The research objective is as follows: to identify and describe the mechanism of discursive space transformation in the situation of conflict. The findings indicate that conflict discourse correlates with quasi-reality, which explains existence of archetypal communicative practices, conventional nature of discursive informative value and adequacy.

Whole body balance control in Lenke 1 thoracic adolescent idiopathic scoliosis during level walking

IntroductionAltered trunk shape and body alignment in Lenke 1 thoracic adolescent idiopathic scoliosis (AIS) may affect the body’s balance control during activities. The current study aimed to identify the effects of Lenke 1 thoracic AIS on the balance control during level walking in terms of the inclination angles (IA) of the center of mass (COM) relative to the center of pressure (COP), the rate of change of IA (RCIA), and the jerk index of IA. The association between the Cobb angle, IA and RCIA was also evaluated.Materials and methodsSixteen adolescents with AIS (age: 14.0±1.8 years, height: 154.8±4.7 cm, mass: 42.0±7.5 kg) and sixteen healthy controls (age: 14.4±2.0 years, height: 158.4±6.2 cm, body mass: 48.6±8.9 kg) performed level walking in a gait laboratory. The kinematic and ground reaction force data were measured for both concave-side and convex-side limb cycles, and used to calculate the IA and RCIA, the jerk index of IA, and the temporal-spatial parameters. Correlations between the Cobb angle, IA and RCIA were quantified using Pearson’s correlation coefficients (r).ResultsThe patients showed less smooth COM-COP motion with increased jerk index of IA in the sagittal plane during single limb support (SLS) of the concave-limb (p = 0.05) and in the frontal plane during double limb support (DLS) (p < 0.05). The patients also showed significantly increased posterior RCIA on both the concave and convex side during initial (p = 0.04, p = 0.03) and terminal (p = 0.04, p = 0.03) DLS when compared to healthy controls. In the frontal plane, the patients walking on the concave-side limb showed decreased IA over SLS (p = 0.01), and at contralateral toe-off (p<0.01) and contralateral heel-strike (p = 0.02), but increased mean IA magnitude over terminal DLS (p = 0.01). The frontal IA at contralateral toe-off and SLS for AIS-A showed a moderate to strong correlation with Cobb angles (r = -0.46 and -0.61), and the sagittal RCIA over the initial DLS for AIS-A also showed a significant, strong correlation with Cobb angles (r = -0.50).ConclusionsThe patients with Lenke 1 thoracic scoliosis in the current study showed altered and jerkier COM-COP control during level walking when compared to healthy controls. During DLS, the patients increased the posterior RCIA in the sagittal plane with increased IA jerk index in the frontal plane for both the concave- and the convex-side limb, indicating their difficulty in maintaining a smooth transfer of the body weight. During SLS of the concave-side limb, the patients adopted a conservative COM-COP control strategy, as indicated by a decreased IA in the frontal plane, but showed a jerky COM-COP control in the sagittal plane. The COM-COP control of the patients was associated with the severity of the spinal deformity. The current results suggest that this patient group should be monitored for signs of an increased risk of loss of balance during weight transfer on the concave-side limb.

Impact of Body Mass Index on Biomechanics of Recreational Runners.

Some recreational runners with obesity successfully train or compete without musculoskeletal injury. Insight into the key kinetic strategies of injury-free heavier runners is necessary to appropriately guide development of safe training programs for this population. To determine key biomechanical strategies of running in individuals with body mass index (BMI) values above and equal to and higher than 30 kg/m2 . This was a case-control study. Runners with obesity (n =18; 42.7 years, 38.9% women) who were matched by sex, age, footstrike type, footwear characteristics, and running speed with healthy runners (n = 36; 41.7 years, 32.5% women). Research laboratory affiliated with an academic medical center. A seven-camera optical motion analysis system was used to capture running kinematics and an instrumented treadmill captured kinetic data. Main outcomes were temporal spatial parameters, joint excursions, peak ground reaction forces (GRFs), joint moments, vertical average loading rate (VALR), impulses, and vertical stiffness (Kvert ). Runners with obesity demonstrated 15% less vertical excursion of the center of mass, 18% wider strides, and 3% longer stance times than nonobese runners (P < .05). Normalized peak GRFs and VALRs were higher in the nonobese group. GRF impulse was higher in the group with obesity compared to the nonobese group (means ± SD; 339.6 ± 55.2 Ns vs. 255.0 ± 45.8 Ns; P = .0001). Kvert was higher in the obese group compared to the nonobese group (238.6 ± 50.3 N/cm vs. 183.1 ± 29.4 N/cm; P = .0001). Peak hip moments were higher in runners with obesity in the sagittal and frontal planes (P < .05). Runners with obesity dampened impact forces and controlled loading rate more than nonobese runners by increasing lower body stiffness and constraining vertical displacement.

A Canine Gait Analysis Protocol for Back Movement Assessment in German Shepherd Dogs.

Objective—To design and test a motion analysis protocol for the gait analysis of adult German Shepherd (GS) dogs with a focus in the analyses of their back movements. Animals—Eight clinically healthy adult large-sized GS dogs (age, 4 ± 1.3 years; weight, 38.8 ± 4.2 kg). Procedures—A six-camera stereo-photogrammetric system and two force platforms were used for data acquisition. Experimental acquisition sessions consisted of static and gait trials. During gait trials, each dog walked along a 6 m long walkway at self-selected speed and a total of six gait cycles were recorded. Results—Grand mean and standard deviation of ground reaction forces of fore and hind limbs are reported. Spatial-temporal parameters averaged over gait cycles and subjects, their mean, standard deviation and coefficient of variance are analyzed. Joint kinematics for the hip, stifle and tarsal joints and their average range of motion (ROM) values, and their 95% Confidence Interval (CI) values of kinematics curves are reported. Conclusions and Clinical Relevance—This study provides normative data of healthy GS dogs to form a preliminary basis in the analysis of the spatial-temporal parameters, kinematics and kinetics during quadrupedal stance posture and gait. Also, a new back movement protocol enabling a multi-segment back model is provided. Results show that the proposed gait analysis protocol may become a useful and objective tool for the evaluation of canine treatment with special focus on the back movement.

Joint 2D DOA and Doppler frequency estimation for L-shaped array using compressive sensing

A joint two-dimensional (2D) direction-of-arrival (DOA) and radial Doppler frequency estimation method for the L-shaped array is proposed in this paper based on the compressive sensing (CS) framework. Revised from the conventional CS-based methods where the joint spatial-temporal parameters are characterized in one large scale matrix, three smaller scale matrices with independent azimuth, elevation and Doppler frequency are introduced adopting a separable observation model. Afterwards, the estimation is achieved by L 1 -norm minimization and the Bayesian CS algorithm. In addition, under the L-shaped array topology, the azimuth and elevation are separated yet coupled to the same radial Doppler frequency. Hence, the pair matching problem is solved with the aid of the radial Doppler frequency. Finally, numerical simulations corroborate the feasibility and validity of the proposed algorithm.

Successful prosthetic rehabilitation and gait analysis of individual with bilateral transtibial amputation: A case study with comparison to able-bodied gait

Background: Intensive rehabilitation of individuals with bilateral lower limb loss poses a great challenge to both rehabilitation team and amputees themselves due to unavailability of a sound leg to provide stability in standing and gait. Although gait characteristics of individuals with unilateral transtibial amputations are well documented in the literature, very less is known about those with bilateral limb loss. Aim: To examine the gait characteristics of an individual with bilateral transtibial amputation (BTA) and its comparison with an able-bodied (AB). This study also provides a real-life presentation of successful prosthetic rehabilitation. Case content and methodology: Temporal–spatial, kinematic and kinetic gait parameters were analysed for a 45-year-old male individual with traumatic BTA using prosthesis in a motion analysis laboratory setting with force platform (BTS P-6000) and cameras with reflective markers (BTS SMART-DX6000). Findings and conclusion: Variances in many temporal–spatial, kinematic and kinetic parameters were observed. The findings of temporal–spatial parameters revealed that the individual with BTA walked with slower speed, lower cadence, shorter step lengths and wider step width compared to that of AB. Ankle dorsiflexion, stance knee flexion and swing hip hiking were reduced in an individual with BTA compared to AB. In kinetics, he demonstrated low peak ankle muscle power, increased muscle power amplitudes and phase duration at the hip and knee joints compared to AB individual. The combination of an intensive prosthetic rehabilitation led to completely independent and remarkable degree of functional ambulation.

Spatiotemporal EEG microstate analysis in drug-free patients with Parkinson's disease.

The clinical diagnosis of Parkinson's disease (PD) is very difficult, especially in the early stage of the disease, because there is no physiological indicator that can be referenced. Drug-free patients with early PD are characterized by clinical symptoms such as impaired motor function and cognitive decline, which was caused by the dysfunction of brain's dynamic activities. The indicators of brain dysfunction in patients with PD at an early unmedicated condition may provide a valuable basis for the diagnosis of early PD and later treatment. In order to find the spatiotemporal characteristic markers of brain dysfunction in PD, the resting-state EEG microstate analysis is used to explore the transient state of the whole brain of 23 drug-free patients with PD on the sub-second timescale compared to 23 healthy controls. EEG microstates reflect a transiently stable brain topologicalstructure with spatiotemporal characteristics, and the spatial characteristic microstate classes and temporal parameters provide insight into the brain's functional activities in PD patients. The further exploration was to explore the relation between temporal microstate parameters and significant clinical symptoms to determine whether these parameters could be used as a basis for clinically assisted diagnosis. Therefore, we used a general linear model (GLM) to explore the relevance of microstate parameters to clinical scales and multiple patient attributes, and the Wilcoxonrank sumtest was used to quantify the linear relation between influencing factors and microstate parameters. Results of microstate analysis revealed that there was an unique spatial microstate different from healthy controls in PD, and several other typical microstates had significant differences compared with the normal control group, and these differences were reflected in the microstate parameters, such as longer durations and more occurrences of one class of microstates in PD compared with healthy controls. Furthermore, correlation analysis showed that there was a significant correlation between multiple microstate classes' parameters and significant clinical symptoms, including impaired motor function and cognitive decline. These results indicate that we have found multiple quantifiable feature tags that reflect brain dysfunction in the early stage of PD. Importantly, such temporal dynamics in microstates are correlated with clinical scales which represent the motor function and recognize level. The obtained results may deepen our understanding of the brain dysfunction caused by PD, and obtain some quantifiable signatures to provide an auxiliary reference for the early diagnosis of PD.