A number of parameters have been identified as characteristic of the walking pattern in patients with INPH. Most of these have been identified through qualitative surveys and manually conducted test batteries. In order to obtain quantitative, standardized and objective measures, which enable studies based on larger patient populations and comparable results, there is a need for a user-friendly system that can measure specific key parameters over time in a reliable manner in everyday clinical work. Step height, width and the variability in the gait cycle are such parameters which are interesting research areas for this group of patient. Problems with balance and gait are very common in other patient groups as well, particularly in neurological diseases such as Parkinson's disease, multiple sclerosis and stroke. This is the reason that the development of this gait analyzer is performed. Giving access to a simple and objective method for estimating gait and balance ability in clinical routine investigations would increase the ability to provide the right kind of treatment, confirm treatment results, and conducting larger research studies. Therefore, this equipment can contribute to the assessment of diseases which contain impaired gait. As a first test of the usability and for the validation of accuracy and repeatability of the equipment a group of healthy volunteers was used. Results from tests on healthy subjects show god repeatability between measurements, for step width at normal gait the difference was -0,2 ±0,34 cm (mean, ±SD) and step height 0,69 ±3,34 cm. The stride time variability in the healthy group where very small 0,00048 ±0,00028 s2 with a difference between test of 0,000019 ±0,00038 s2. Three pilot patients have been tested where we have clearly seen indications of increased stride time variability and reduced step height.

Master of Science / Department of Industrial & Manufacturing Systems Engineering / Shing I. Chang / This research aims to quantify human walking patterns through depth cameras to (1) detect walking pattern changes of a person with and without a motion-restricting device or a walking aid, and to (2) identify distinct walking patterns from different persons of similar physical attributes. Microsoft Kinect™ devices, often used for video games, were used to provide and track coordinates of 25 different joints of people over time to form a human skeleton. Two main studies were conducted. The first study aims at deciding whether motion-restricted devices such as a knee brace, an ankle brace, or walking aids – walkers or canes affect a person’s walking pattern or not. This study collects gait data from ten healthy subjects consisting of five females and five males walking a 10-foot path multiple times with and without motion-restricting devices. Their walking patterns were recorded in a form of time series via two Microsoft Kinect™ devices through frontal and sagittal planes. Two types of statistics were generated for analytic purposes. The first type is gait parameters converted from Microsoft Kinect™ coordinates of six selected joints. Then Sample Entropy (SE) measures were computed from the gait parameter values over time. The second method, on the other hand, applies the SE computations directly on the raw data derived from Microsoft Kinect™ devices in terms of (X, Y, Z) coordinates of 15 selected joints over time. The SE values were then used to compare the changes in each joint with and without motion-restricting devices. The experimental results show that both types of statistics are capable of detecting differences in walking patterns with and without motion-restricting devices for all ten subjects. The second study focuses on distinguishing two healthy persons with similar physical conditions. SE values from three gait parameters were used to distinguish one person from another via their walking patterns. The experimental results show that the proposed method using a star glyph summarizing the shape produced by the gait parameters is capable of distinguishing these two persons. Then multiple machine learning (ML) models were applied to the SE datasets from ten college-age subjects - five males and five females. In particular, ML models were applied to classify subjects into two categories: normal walking and abnormal walking (i.e. with motion-restricting devices). The best ML model (K-nearest neighborhood) was able to predict 97.3% accuracy using 10-fold cross-validation. Finally, ML models were applied to classify five gait conditions: walking normally, walking while wearing the ankle brace, walking while wearing the ACL brace, walking while using a cane, and walking while using a walker. The best ML model was again the K-nearest neighborhood performing at 98.7% accuracy rate.

No description available.

Hauptziel der Arbeit war es einen Ganganalyse-Meßplatz zu entwickeln, der es ermöglicht, sowohl die Kinematik als auch die Kinetik des Ganges zu messen. Für den praktischen Einsatz ist dabei die "online" - Fähigkeit des Meßsystems von Bedeutung. Wichtige Entwicklungskriterien waren auch die Nutzerfreundlichkeit und geringe Kosten. Nicht zuletzt sollte der modulare Aufbau des Systems eine nachträgliche Integration zusätzlicher Meßkomponenten ermöglichen. Die Wahl des Meßprinzips für die Kinetik des Ganges fiel auf den Einsatz von Druckmeßsohlen. Folgende Gründe führten u.a. zu dieser Entscheidung: · Eine Messung mit Druckmeßsohlen erlaubt die Bestimmung der örtlichen Druckverteilung unter dem Fuß beim Gehen, d.h. man erkennt an welcher Stelle des Fußes der Druck auftritt, ob an der Ferse oder am Vorfuß. · Die Auswertung kann anhand einer großen Zahl aufeinanderfolgender Schritte erfolgen. · Bei Messungen mit Sohlen ist man nicht ortsgebunden. Sowohl Untersuchungen auf dem Laufband, als auch im Laufgang sind möglich. Ebenso kann die Messung im beliebigen Gelän-de (z.B. auf dem Sportplatz oder auf der Treppe) durchgeführt werden. Für die Messung der Kinematik finden Goniometer Verwendung. Ebenso wie bei den Druckmeß-sohlen, sind Goniometermessungen nicht ortsgebunden. Wichtig für die Entscheidung zugunsten der Goniometrie ist auch, daß diese preiswerter ist als die meisten anderen kinematischen Meß-verfahren. An das Meßsystem können noch weitere Sensoren angeschlossen werden. Mögliche Sensoren sind zum Beispiel aktive Oberflächenelektroden für Elektromyographie-Messungen oder Beschleu-nigungssensoren. Die Datenübertragung erfolgt über Funk. Eine wesentliche Aufgabe zum Erreichen des Hauptziels, bestand darin, aufbauend auf dem all-gemein anerkannten Erkenntnisstand, Gangparameter zu entwickeln, welche die verschiedenen Einzelaspekte des menschlichen Ganges hinreichend genau beschreiben. Wichtig für die Datenre-duktion war dabei die Berechnung eines für den zu Untersuchenden typischen mittleren Schrittes. Insbesondere aus der Sicht der Nutzerfreundlichkeit ist eine Datenbank für die Charakterisierung des unauffälligen Ganges erstellt worden. Der Nutzer erhält damit die Möglichkeit, seine gemesse-nen Daten mit den Daten einer gangunauffälligen Probandengruppe zu vergleichen. / Main goal of the thesis was the development of a gait analysis measurement system, supporting the measurement of kinetics and kinematics of the gait. For practical application were important the online-abilities of the measuring system. Criteria for development were user friendliness and low cost. The modular build of the system is meant to provide the ability for later integration of other sensors. The choice of measuring principle for the kinetics of gait were pressure measuring insoles. The following reasons led to this decision: · The measurement with insoles allows locating the pressure distribution under the foot during walking, i.e. the point of pressure can be allocated to the forefoot or heel. · The evaluation can be based on many consecutive steps. · The measurement with insoles is not bound to a place. Measurement on a tread mill as well as on a defined stretch of hall. The measurement can take place in the surrounding of choice (for example in a sporting arena or on a stairway). For the kinematic measurements were used goniometers. As with the measurements with insoles the goniometer measurements are not bound to one place. An important reason for the decision to use goniometers rather than other kinematic measurement devices was amongst others it cost effectiveness. A number of different sensors can be attached to the measurement system. Other possible sensors could be active surface electrodes for electromyographic measurements or accelerometers. The data transmission is wireless. A main task on the way to reaching the main goal, was to develop gait parameters basing on the current knowledge which describe the different aspects of human gait appropriately. An important step towards data reduction was the calculation of a typical average step for the examinee. With view towards user friendliness a data base was developed in order to facilitate the characterisation of normal gait. The user can compare his measured data to the data of a group with normal gait.

<p>Animal behavior observation is a widely used method of detecting when animals are ill or injured, but there are limitations to using behavioral observations. Behavioral observations can be labor-intensive, subjective and unreliable. The development of technologies such as accelerometers, which record acceleration and activity-based data in 3D space, enables faster, more accurate and quantitative methods of detecting changes in animal behavior. Previous research has demonstrated the utility of using accelerometers to detect changes in animals’ health and well-being. However, limited information is available on the use of accelerometers to detect changes in behavior due to heat stress, which is a major poultry welfare concern, or to detect changes in activity levels of turkeys. The overall objective of this study was to determine whether micro-acceleration data loggers (accelerometers) can be used to detect changes in turkeys’ activity levels and to identify changes in turkey behavior that are indicative of changes in turkey well-being. Two trials were conducted. Specific objectives for Trial 1 were to: 1) determine the effects of accelerometers and habituation to accelerometers on turkey gait and welfare, 2) determine age-related changes in gait and welfare, and 3) evaluate the validity of the accelerometers. Thirty-six male commercial turkeys were randomly assigned to one of five groups: accelerometer and habituation period (AH), accelerometer and no habituation (AN), VetRap bandage (no accelerometer) and habituation (VH), bandage (no accelerometer) and no habituation (VN), and nothing on either leg (C). Welfare was assessed prior to video-recording birds as they walked across a Tekscan® pressure pad at 8, 12 and 16 wk to determine effects of treatment on number of steps, cadence, gait time, gait distance, gait velocity, impulse, gait cycle time, maximum force, peak vertical pressure, single support time, contact time, step length, step time, step velocity, stride length, total double support time, and duty factor. Accelerometer validity and reliability were determined by comparing the number of steps detected with the accelerometer to the number of steps determined from video recordings. Several age-related changes in turkey gait were found regardless of habituation, including a slower cadence at 16 wk, shorter gait distance at 8 wk, and slower gait velocity at 16wk. Habituation to the accelerometer and bandage had limited effects on turkey gait: non-habituated turkeys (VN and AN) spent more time standing on two feet (total double support time) compared to C birds, but did not differ from habituated (VH and AH) birds. Accelerometer validity and reliability were affected by both age and treatment. Validity and reliability were lowest for non-habituated birds (AN). Precision and sensitivity of accelerometers decreased with age but were unaffected by treatment. False discovery rate increased, and accuracy and specificity decreased with age. Results demonstrated that micro-data loggers do not adversely affect turkey welfare, but habituation to wearing accelerometers affects accelerometer reliability and validity. Accelerometer validity and turkey gait are also greatly affected by the age of the turkeys. </p> <p> </p> <p>The second experiment used the validated accelerometers to assess changes in walking activity when turkeys were under an immune challenge or mild heat stress. Another objective of Experiment 2 was to identify changes in welfare and behavior associated with mild heat stress and a mild immune challenge. A total of 92 tom turkeys (trial 1: 51 turkeys; trial 2: 41 turkeys) were assigned to 3 different treatments in a crossover design: control (C; no heat stress or immune challenge), heat stress (HS), and immune challenge (IC). HS treatment was induced by slowly heating rooms to a peak temperature before slowly returning the rooms to normal temperatures. IC treatment was induced by a live-virus hemorrhagic enteritis vaccine which was added to the drinking water. Video (walking, sitting, standing, eating, drinking, preening, feather pecking, aggression and heat-stress related behavior) and accelerometer (steps/hr) data were recorded for 5 days at 10, 12, and 14 wk of age in order to gather behavior and walking activity data pre and post treatment, which occurred on day 3 of the 5 day period. Steps/hr decreased with age, treatments HS and IC had lower step counts compared to control groups, and each day proved to have a different step count regardless of whether a treatment was imposed. On the day of the imposed treatments, steps/hr were lower for both HS and IC turkeys. Welfare analysis indicated that tail and wing feather condition was worse at 14 wk compared to 10 and 12 wk. Behaviorally, the amount of time spent sitting increased as birds aged. Treatment also affected behavior: HS and IC turkeys performed less standing and walking compared to C birds on the day of the imposed treatment. Turkeys under a heat stress treatment performed more aggressive interactions and were observed performing heat-stress related behavior, including panting and sitting with their wings spread apart. </p> <p> </p> <p>Results from both trials indicated that accelerometers can be useful tools to assess walking activity of turkeys and that accelerometers have the potential to detect changes in behavior that may be associated with conditions that negatively impact turkey welfare. The process of wearing an accelerometer on the leg did not adversely affect turkey welfare, but habituation is important to ensure that accelerometers are accurately and reliably recording turkeys’ steps. In addition, it was determined that changes in behavior, such as decreased walking and standing, can be indicative of potential welfare issues, such as heat stress and an immune challenge in turkeys. Further research is needed to explore the best step threshold for particular turkey ages in order to get the most accurate data in future analysis of walking activity. Furthermore, sex differences were not a factor in these studies as only male turkeys were used which may differ from females in terms of gait and behavior under heat stress and an immune challenge. It may also be beneficial to further explore turkey gait as there were discrepancies in the literature and this study concerning age related differences in gait (duty factor). Future research should focus on the early detection potential accelerometers can provide to the turkey industry for welfare concerns. As shown by our results, walking activity decreases under both a mild heat stress and immune challenge, so future studies should now determine if this decrease in activity level is detectable before overt visual behavioral signs. If accelerometers can detect signs of stress more objectively, accurately, and quicker than visual inspection, then both farmers and researchers could benefit from utilizing these devices to improve animal welfare in the future.</p>

A growing body of literature suggests that aging causes restrictions in mobility, gaze, and cognitive functions, increasing the risk of falls and adverse health events. A novel Dual-Task Treadmill walking (DT-TW) program was designed to train balance, gaze, cognition, and gait simultaneously. Eleven healthy community-dwelling older adults (age 70-80 yrs) were recruited to play a variety of computer games while standing on a sponge surface and walking on a treadmill. Data on centre of pressure (COP) excursion for core balance, spatio-temporal gait variability parameters, head tracking performances, and neuropsychological tests were collected pre and post intervention. A significant improvement in balance, gaze, cognition, and gait performance was observed under dual-task conditions. The study thus concludes that DT-TW is a novel intervention program which combines interactive games with exercises to train dual-task abilities in community dwelling older adults. / October 2015

Objectifs : La prévalence de chute chez les femmes âgées incontinentes est plus élevée que celle des femmes continentes. Une des hypothèses est qu'une envie pressante (EP) d’uriner pourrait altérer la marche. Les objectifs ont été d’étudier l’effet de l’EP sur la marche chez les femmes âgées continentes/incontinentes et de déterminer la relation entre la sévérité de l’incontinence et les paramètres de marche chez les participantes incontinentes. Méthode : Une étude pilote quasi-expérimentale a été menée auprès de deux groupes de femmes âgées en bonne santé vivant dans la communauté : continentes (n=17; âge: 74,1 ± 4,3) et incontinentes (incontinence urinaire (IU) d’urgence/IU mixte) (n=15; âge : 73,5 ± 5,9), ayant fait au minimum une chute au cours de la dernière année. Nous avons comparé et analysé les paramètres de marche pour chaque groupe et condition (EP/sans l’envie d’uriner). Résultats : Nous avons observé chez les deux groupes lors de l’EP une diminution de vitesse (p=0,05) et de largeur de pas (p=0,02). Lors de l’EP, l’incontinence plus sévère a été corrélée avec une diminution de vitesse (rs=-0,56, p=0,03) et une augmentation de la variabilité de la longueur de cycle de marche (rs=0,54, p=0,04). Sans l’envie d’uriner, l’incontinence plus sévère a été corrélée avec une diminution de vitesse (rs=-0,63, p=0,01), une augmentation du temps d’appui unipodal (rs=0,65, p=0.01) et de sa variabilité (rs=0,65, p=0,01). Conclusions : L’EP affecte la marche peu importe la présence ou non d’incontinence. La sévérité de l’IU est corrélée à des paramètres de marche qui constituent des risques de chute. / Aims: The fall rate in urinary incontinent (UI) older women is higher when compared that with continent women. One hypothesis is that a strong desire to void (SDV) could alter gait parameters and therefore increase the risk of falls. The aim of this study was to investigate and compare the effect of SDV on gait parameters in incontinent and continent older women who experienced falls. The secondary aim was to determine the relationship between UI severity and gait parameters in incontinent women. Methods: A quasi-experimental pilot study was conducted with two groups of healthy community-dwelling women who experienced at least one fall in the last year: continent (n=17; age: 74.1 ± 4.3) and urgency UI and mixed UI women (n=15; age: 73.5 ± 5.9). We recorded, analyzed and compared spatiotemporal gait parameters for participants in each group with both SDV and no desire to void condition. Results: Reduced velocity (p=0.05) and stride width (p=0.02) were observed in both groups with SDV. An increased incontinence severity was correlated with reduced velocity (rs=-0.56, p=0.03) and increased stride length variability (rs=0.54, p=0.04) in SDV condition. An increased incontinence severity was correlated with reduced velocity (rs=-0.63, p=0.01), increased stance time (rs=0.65, p=0.01) and stance time variability (rs=0.65, p=0.01) in no desire to void condition. Conclusions: SDV alter gait parameters regardless of continence status. Further, UI severity was correlated to gait parameters that constitute a risk of falling.