The prefrontal cortex (PFC) is involved in cognitive control of motor activities and timing of future intensions. This study investigated the cognitive control of balance recovery in response to ...unpredictable gait perturbations and the role of PFC subregions in learning by repetition. Bilateral dorsolateral (DLPFC), ventrolateral (VLPFC), frontopolar (FPFC) and orbitofrontal (OFC) cortex hemodynamic changes induced by unpredictable slips were analyzed as a function of successive trials in ten healthy young adults. Slips were induced by the acceleration of one belt as the participant walked on a split-belt treadmill. A portable functional near-infrared spectroscope monitored PFC activities quantified by oxyhemoglobin (ΔO2Hb) and deoxyhemoglobin (ΔHbR) during the consecutive trial phases: standing, walking, slip-recovery. During the first 3 trials, the average oxyhemoglobin (ΔO2Hbavg) in the DLPFC, VLPFC, FPFC, and OFC cortex was significantly higher during slip-recovery than unperturbed walking or the standing baseline. Then, ΔO2Hbavg decreased progressively from trial-to-trial in the DLPFC, VLPFC, and FPFC, but increased and then remained constant in the OFC. The average deoxyhemoglobin (ΔHbRavg) presented mirror patterns. These changes after the third trial were paralleled by the progressive improvement of recovery revealed by kinematic variables. The results corroborate our previous hypothesis that only timing of the onset of a "good enough recovery motor program" is learned with practice. They also strongly support the assumption that the PFC contributes to the recall of pre-existing motor programs whose onset timing is adjusted by the OFC. Hence, learning is clearly divided into two steps delineated by the switch in activity of the OFC. Additionally, motor processes appear to share the working memory as well as decisional and predictive resources of the cognitive system.
Celotno besedilo
Dostopno za:
DOBA, IZUM, KILJ, NUK, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, SIK, UILJ, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK
Natural bacterial transformation involves the internalization and chromosomal integration of DNA and has now been documented in ~80 species. Recent advances have established that phylogenetically ...distant species share conserved uptake and processing proteins but differ in the inducing cues and regulatory mechanisms that are involved. In this Review, we highlight divergent and common principles that govern the transformation process in different bacteria. We discuss how this cumulative knowledge enables the prediction of new transformable species and supports the idea that the main role of internalized DNA is in the generation of genetic diversity or in chromosome repair rather than in nutrition.
Celotno besedilo
Dostopno za:
DOBA, IZUM, KILJ, NUK, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, SIK, UILJ, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK
•Larger absolute error for older than younger adults.•Larger position matching errors with the left non-dominant forearm for older adults.•A disparate position sense asymmetry (absence of asymmetry) ...for older adults.•Profiles of illusory movement matching differed between younger and older adults.•No significant asymmetry in movement perception for older adults.
Age-related differences in proprioceptive asymmetries have received little attention. This study aimed to determine differences in asymmetry of the right/left upper limb proprioceptive systems between younger and older adults. Asymmetries were compared in two “eyes closed” experiments involving the same elbow joints. Position sense was tested in two matching conditions: ipsilateral remembered and contralateral concurrent. Movement sense was tested while reproducing with the opposite forearm the illusory movement elicited by distal tendon vibration applied to the reference forearm. Older adults exhibited a larger error when matching with the non-dominant than dominant forearm in the ipsilateral remembered condition and a disparate asymmetry in the contralateral condition when compared to younger adults. In addition, in older adults, the velocity of reproduced illusory movements was slower, and asymmetry in movement perception was not significant. The difference in proprioceptive asymmetry between younger and older adults might be attributed to a significant reduction of the sensory system gain affecting, more particularly, the left non-dominant arm sensory system via several physiological and neurophysiological mechanisms.
Although it is relevant to understand spine and lower body motions in healthy individuals for a variety of applications, such as clinical diagnosis, implant design, and the analysis of treatment ...outcomes, proper assessment and characterization of normative gait symmetry in healthy individuals remains unclear. The purpose of this study was to investigate the in vivo 3-dimensional (3D) spine and lower body gait symmetry kinematics during treadmill walking in healthy individuals. Sixty healthy young adults (30 males and 30 females) were evaluated during normal and fast treadmill walking using a motion capture system approach. Statistical parametric mapping and the normalized symmetry index approaches were used to determine spine, pelvis, and lower body asymmetries during treadmill walking. The spine and pelvis angular motions associated with the left and right lower limb motions, as well as the left and right lower extremity joint angles were compared for normal and fast treadmill walking. The lower lumbar left-right rotation (5.74±0.04°) and hip internal rotation (5.33±0.18°) presented the largest degrees of asymmetry during normal treadmill. Upper lumbar left-right lateral flexion (1.48±0.14°) and knee flexion (2.98±0.13°) indicated the largest asymmetries and during fast treadmill walking. Few asymmetry patterns were similar between normal and fast treadmill walking, whereas others appeared either only during normal or fast treadmill walking in this cohort of participants. These findings could provide insights into better understanding gait asymmetry in healthy individuals, and use them as reference indicators in diagnosing and evaluating abnormal gait function.
Celotno besedilo
Dostopno za:
DOBA, IZUM, KILJ, NUK, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, SIK, UILJ, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK
The goal of this study was to compare erector spinae muscle fatigue, upper limb muscle activity, body areas discomfort, and heart rate during a 10-min carrying task with and without a passive ...upper-body exoskeleton (CarrySuitⓇ) while considering sex influences.
Passive exoskeletons are commercially available to assist lifting or carrying task. However, evidence of their impact on muscle activity, fatigue, heart rate and discomfort are scarce and/or do not concur during carrying tasks.
Thirty participants (16 females and 14 male) performed a 10-min, 15kg load-carrying task with and without the exoskeleton in two non-consecutive days. Heart rate, and erector spinae, deltoid, biceps and brachioradialis muscle activity were recorded during the carrying tasks. In addition, erector spinae electromyography during an isometric hold test and discomfort ratings were measured before and after the task.
While without the exoskeleton upper limb muscle activity increased or remained constant during the carrying task and showing high peak activation for both males and females, a significant activity reduction was observed with the exoskeleton. Low back peak activation, heart rate and discomfort were lower with than without the exoskeleton. In males muscle activation was significantly asymmetric without the exoskeleton and more symmetric with the exoskeleton.
The tested passive exoskeleton appears to alleviate the physical workload and impact of carrying heavy loads on the upper limbs and lower back for both males and females.
Celotno besedilo
Dostopno za:
DOBA, IZUM, KILJ, NUK, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, SIK, UILJ, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK
Although controversial, muscular effort perception is frequently attributed to the efferent copy of the associated motor command. While peripheral/sensory information is thought to be necessary for ...force modulation/control, it is not involved in initial force production. We recently showed in right-handers, that perception of effort was asymmetric for grasp-force tasks. This asymmetry was related to individual differences in right and left hand strength and an intrinsic component. A difference in gain (input/output magnitude relationship) for each limb/hemisphere system was proposed as the mechanism explaining intrinsic asymmetries. To further investigate the relative contributions of efferent copy and sensory feedback to the sense of effort, vibration was used to distort sensory information from the muscles providing the reference force. Visual feedback (vision) of the reference hand force was also manipulated. The absolute error (AE) was generally larger in the vision than no-vision condition and the influence of reference hand vibration was significant for left hand matching of the right hand reference force. However, this effect was negligible when matching in the reverse condition. These two results may reflect an interaction between two phenomena: (1) visual feedback, which represents the total output force may not be congruent with the internal representation of effort associated with the efferent copy and eventually the proprioceptive feedback; and (2) a vibration-induced larger AE for left than right hand contralateral matching indicates that the contribution of proprioceptive feedback to force matching is significant for the left but not the right hand/hemisphere system. Overall, it may be suggested that in right-handers, the sense of effort associated with the right hand may be primarily based on the efferent copy while the left hand/hemisphere system may use a combination of efferent copy and proprioceptive feedback. However, the weight of each type of information may depend on the association between motor command and representation of the execution of the motor command (visual vs. internal).
Critical scholars have argued that mathematics education is in danger of becoming increasingly influenced by and aligned with neoliberal and neoconservative market-focused projects. Although this ...larger argument is powerful, there are often 2 peculiar responses to issues of race and racism within these analyses. These responses are characterized by what the author sees as an unfortunate backgrounding of these issues in some analyses or a conceptually flawed foregrounding in others. These responses obscure the evidence that, beyond being aligned with the market-oriented goals of these projects, mathematics education has also been aligned with their prevailing racial agendas.
Introduction
Recent advancements in functional near-infrared spectroscopy technology have offered a portable, wireless, wearable solution to measure the activity of the prefrontal cortex (PFC) in the ...human neuroscience field. This study is the first to validate the different contributions made by the PFC's eight subregions in healthy young adults to the reactive recovery responses following treadmill-induced unpredictable slip perturbations and vibrotactile cueing (i.e., precues).
Methods
Our fall-inducing technology platform equipped with a split-belt treadmill provided unpredictable slip perturbations to healthy young adults while walking at their self-selected walking speed. A portable, wireless, wearable, and multi-channel (48 channels) functional near-infrared spectroscopy system evaluated the activity of PFC's eight subregions i.e., right and left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC), ventrolateral prefrontal cortex (VLPFC), frontopolar prefrontal cortex (FPFC), and orbitofrontal cortex (OFC) as quantified by oxyhemoglobin and deoxyhemoglobin concentrations. A motion capture system and two force plates beneath the split-belt treadmill were used to quantify participants' kinematic and kinetic behavior. All participants completed 6 trials: 2 consecutive trials without vibrotactile cueing and with a slip perturbation (control trials); 3 trials with vibrotactile cueing 2 trials with the slip perturbation (cueing trial) and 1 trial without the slip perturbation (catch trial), and 1 trial without vibrotactile cueing and with a slip perturbation (post-control trial). The PFC subregions' activity and kinematic behavior were assessed during the three periods (i.e., standing, walking, and recovery periods).
Results
Compared to the walkers' standing and walking periods, recovery periods showed significantly higher and lower levels of oxyhemoglobin and deoxyhemoglobin concentrations, respectively, in the right and left DLPFC, VLPFC, and FPFC, regardless of the presence of vibrotactile cueing. However, there was no significant difference in the right and left OFC between the three periods. Kinematic analyses confirmed that vibrotactile cueing significantly improved reactive recovery responses without requiring more involvement by the PFC subregions, which suggests that the sum of attentional resources is similar in cued and non-cued motor responses.
Discussion
The results could inform the design of wearable technologies that alert their users to the risks of falling and assist with the development of new gait perturbation paradigms that prompt reactive responses.
Objective
The goal of this study was to evaluate and compare lower-leg muscle fatigue, edema, and discomfort induced by the prolonged standing of security guards wearing regular socks and those ...wearing 15–20 or 20–30 mmHg compression stockings as intervention.
Background
Compression stockings are sometimes used by individuals standing all day at work. However, quantitative evidence showing their potential benefits for lower-leg health issues in healthy individuals during real working conditions is lacking.
Method
Forty male security employees participated in the study. All were randomly assigned to the control or one of the two intervention groups (I15–20 or I20–30). Lower-leg muscle twitch force, volume, and discomfort ratings were measured before and after their regular 12-hr standing work shift.
Results
Significant evidence of lower-leg long-lasting muscle fatigue, edema, and discomfort was observed after standing work for guards wearing regular socks. However, no significant changes were found for guards wearing either compression stockings.
Conclusion
In healthy individuals, compression stockings seem to attenuate efficiently the tested outcomes in the lower leg resulting from prolonged standing.
Application
Occupational activities requiring prolonged standing may benefit from 15–20 or 20–30 mmHg compression stockings. As similar benefits were observed for both levels of compression, the lower level may be sufficient.
Surface electromyography (sEMG) may not be a simple 1,2,3 (muscle, electrodes, signal)-step operation. Lists of sEMG characteristics and applications have been extensively published. All point out ...the noise mimicking perniciousness of the sEMG signal. This has resulted in ever more complex manipulations to interpret muscle functioning and sometimes gobbledygook. Hence, as for all delicate but powerful tools, sEMG presents challenges in terms of precision, knowledge, and training. The theory is usually reviewed in courses concerning sensorimotor systems, motor control, biomechanics, ergonomics, etc., but application requires creativity, training, and practice. Software has been developed to navigate the essence extraction (step 4); however, each software requires some parametrization, which returns back to the theory of sEMG and signal processing. Students majoring in Ergonomics or Biomedical Engineering briefly learn about the sEMG method but may not necessarily receive extensive training in the laboratory. Ergonomics applications range from a simple estimation of the muscle load to understanding the sense of effort and sensorimotor asymmetries. In other words, it requires time and the basics of multiple disciplines to acquire the necessary knowledge and skills to perform these studies. As an example, sEMG measurements of left/right limb asymmetries in muscle responses to vibration-induced activity of proprioceptive receptors, which vary with gender, provide insight into the functioning of sensorimotor systems. Beyond its potential clinical benefits, this example also shows that lack of testing time and lack of practitioner's sufficient knowledge are barriers to the utilization of sEMG as a clinical tool.
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