scholarly journals Influence of Obesity and Gender on the Postural Stability during Upright Stance

Obesity Facts ◽  
2011 ◽  
Vol 4 (3) ◽  
pp. 212-217 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nora S. Cruz-Gómez ◽  
Georgina Plascencia ◽  
Laura A. Villanueva-Padrón ◽  
Kathrine Jáuregui-Renaud
Keyword(s):  
Postural Stability ◽  
Upright Stance ◽  
And Gender

scholarly journals Time-to-Boundary Function to Study the Development of Upright Stance Control in Children

2017 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
pp. 49-58
Author(s):  
Carmen D'Anna ◽  
Maurizio Schmid ◽  
Andrea Scorza ◽  
Salvatore A. Sciuto ◽  
Luisa Lopez ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Standard Deviation ◽  
Postural Control ◽  
Postural Stability ◽  
Age Groups ◽  
Boundary Function ◽  
Mean Value ◽  
Upright Stance ◽  
Eyes Closed ◽  
The Mean ◽  
Spatio Temporal

Background: The development of postural control across the primary school time horizon is a complex process, which entails biomechanics modifications, the maturation of cognitive ability and sensorimotor organization, and the emergence of anticipatory behaviour. Postural stability in upright stance has been thus object of a multiplicity of studies to better characterize postural control in this age span, with a variety of methodological approaches. The analysis of the Time-to-Boundary function (TtB), which specifies the spatiotemporal proximity of the Centre of Pressure (CoP) to the stability boundaries in the regulation of posture in upright stance, is among the techniques used to better characterize postural stability in adults, but, as of now, it has not yet been introduced in developmental studies. The aim of this study was thus to apply this technique to evaluate the development of postural control in a sample population of primary school children. Methods: In this cross-sectional study, upright stance trials under eyes open and eyes closed were administered to 107 healthy children, divided into three age groups (41 for Seven Years' Group, Y7; 38 for Nine Years' Group, Y9; 28 for Eleven Years' Group, Y11). CoP data were recorded to calculate the Time-to-Boundary function (TtB), from which four spatio-temporal parameters were extracted: the mean value and the standard deviation of TtB minima (Mmin, Stdmin), and the mean value and the standard deviation of the temporal distance between two successive minima (Mdist, Stddist). Results: With eyes closed, Mmin and Stdmin significantly decreased and Mdist and Stddist increased for the Y7 group, at Y9 Mmin significantly decreased and Stddist increased, while no effect of vision resulted for Y11. Regarding age groups, Mmin was significantly higher for Y9 than Y7, and Stdmin for Y9 was higher than both Y7 and Y11; Mdist and Stddist resulted higher for Y11 than for Y9. Conclusion: From the combined results from the spatio-temporal TtB parameters, it is suggested that, at 9 years, children look more efficient in terms of exploring their limits of stability than at 7, and at 11 the observed TtB behaviour hints at the possibility that, at that age, they have almost completed the maturation of postural control in upright stance, also in terms of integration of the spatio-temporal information.

scholarly journals Postural Stability and Cognitive Performance of Subjects With Parkinson’s Disease During a Dual-Task in an Upright Stance

2020 ◽  
Vol 11 ◽  
Author(s):  
Luis Morenilla ◽  
Gonzalo Márquez ◽  
José Andrés Sánchez ◽  
Olalla Bello ◽  
Virginia López-Alonso ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Parkinson’S Disease ◽  
Parkinson's Disease ◽  
Cognitive Performance ◽  
Dual Task ◽  
Postural Stability ◽  
Upright Stance

scholarly journals Postural Stability during Static Upright Stance in Archers

2015 ◽  
pp. 29-35 ◽  
Author(s):  
Katerina Stambolieva ◽  
◽  
Mihail Otzetov ◽  
Dorina Petrova ◽  
Rosen Ikonomov ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Postural Stability ◽  
Upright Stance

scholarly journals Analysis of Postural Stability After Concussion Using Empirical Mode Decomposition: A Pilot Study

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Charles M. Schneider ◽  
Ajay K. Verma ◽  
Tamanna T. K. Munia ◽  
Mark Romanick ◽  
Kouhyar Tavakolian ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Postural Control ◽  
Empirical Mode Decomposition ◽  
Postural Stability ◽  
Center Of Pressure ◽  
Return To Play ◽  
Electrode Placement ◽  
Upright Stance ◽  
Post Injury ◽  
Mode Decomposition ◽  
Postural Equilibrium

Maintaining upright stance is a complex process, it requires appropriate functioning of a postural control system which consists of inputs from somatosensory, vestibular, musculoskeletal, and proprioceptive systems as well as from several brain regions [1–4]. A concussion is defined as a brain injury caused due to unexpected acceleration/deceleration of the head causing temporary alteration of brain function and it is a prevalent source of injury to football athletes [1]. With the altered function of the brain, the ability to maintain postural equilibrium becomes challenging due to the inability of individuals to respond promptly to stressors, thus, making maintenance of postural equilibrium rather difficult for individuals with a concussion. Effects of concussion on postural ability are shown to last up to three days post injury [5]. Postural stability test, therefore, can be performed to make a valid return to play (RTP) decision, pre-mature RTP is shown to have been catastrophic due to its potential to permanently impair previously affected region/functioning [1,5]. Postural sway data (center of pressure, COP) is traditionally analyzed to study the postural control. Therefore, COP can provide critical information regarding individual’s ability to maintain upright stance post injury. A more sensitive concussion assessment tool based on electroencephalogram (EEG) is used to accurately track effects of concussion [6]. However, sophisticated electrode placement requirement inhibits its immediate applicability. In current preliminary research, we attempt to differentiate athletes with a history of concussion (experimental) from healthy (control) using postural data. In order to do so, a concept of empirical mode decomposition (EMD) was adopted. EMD has shown evidence in the literature to infer vital information pertaining to the complex underlying physiological phenomenon [4, 7–8]. In the current research, the resultant COP (COPr) was decomposed into its finite set of band-limited signals termed as intrinsic mode functions (IMFs) [8], a set of linear and nonlinear features were extracted from COPr and its IMfs. Lastly, a test of significance was conducted to infer the potential of postural data for differentiating concussed from healthy athletes.

scholarly journals Effects of Back Support Exoskeleton Use on Postural Stability

2019 ◽  
Vol 63 (1) ◽  
pp. 1088-1089
Author(s):  
Jang-Ho Park ◽  
Sunwook Kim ◽  
Maury A. Nussbaum ◽  
Divya Srinivasan
Keyword(s):  
Repeated Measures ◽  
Postural Balance ◽  
Postural Stability ◽  
Center Of Pressure ◽  
Median Frequency ◽  
Upright Stance ◽  
Eyes Closed ◽  
Unipedal Standing ◽  
Eyes Open ◽  
Interactive Dynamics

While occupational back support exoskeletons (BSEs) are being considered as a potential intervention to reduce physical demands in tasks such as repetitive lifting (e.g., Frost, Abdoli-E, & Stevenson, 2009; Koopman, Kingma, Faber, de Looze, & van Dieën, 2019), BSE use in practice may introduce some unexpected or unintended safety challenges (Baltrusch, van Dieën, van Bennekom, & Houdijk, 2018; de Looze, Bosch, Krause, Stadler, & O’Sullivan, 2016). One potential adverse effect is a decrease in postural balance and stability due to the extra weight and the rigid structure of a BSE. However, there is limited empirical evidence on how the use of a BSE affects postural balance and stability. In this study, we investigated the effects of using different BSEs on postural balance and stability during quiet upright stance. A total of 20, gender-balanced, healthy participants were included [males = 25.2 (3.8) years, 176.4 (7.4) cm, and 76.6 (8.8) kg; females = 27.5 (2.7) years, 166.5 (5.4) cm, and 61.2 (8.6) kg]. Each completed multiple trials of quiet upright stance at different levels of difficulty (i.e., bipedal and unipedal stance; each with eyes open and closed), while wearing two different BSEs (SuitX™ AC version, Laevo™ V2) and in a control (no-exoskeleton) condition. Respective masses of the SuitX™ and Laevo™ were 4.5 and 2.8 kg, and both devices were designed to provide external torque parallel to that created by the torso extensor muscles via three body contact points (i.e., thighs, pelvis, and chest). Center-of-pressure (COP) time series were measured using a force-plate during each trial, and traditional COP-based postural sway parameters were used as outcome measures: median frequency (MF), mean velocity (MV), root-mean-square distance (RMSD), and sway area. MF, MV, and RMSD values were obtained in both the anteroposterior (AP) and mediolateral (ML) directions. As MV, RMSD, and SwayAREA were significantly correlated with participant height, these measures were normalized using respective linear regression models to prevent undesired bias. Results from repeated measures analyses of variance indicated that wearing BSEs may adversely affect postural stability during bipedal stance. Compared to the control condition, wearing the Laevo™ increased MFAP by 50% ( p=0.015) with eyes open, and wearing the SuitX™ increased MVAP by 7% ( p=0.029) with eyes closed. However, specific to the unipedal standing with eyes closed, wearing the Laevo™ appeared to positively affect postural stability among males, whereas wearing the SuitX™ appeared to negatively affect postural stability among females. Specifically, males had a 24% decrease in RMSDAP ( p=0.003) and a 31% decrease in SwayAREA ( p=0.012) when wearing Laevo™, while females had a 15% increase in RMSDAP ( p=0.038) when wearing the SuitX™. In conclusion, we found evidence that wearing a BSE can affect postural balance and stability during quiet upright stance. More importantly, such effects appeared dependent on task conditions (i.e., bipedal and unipedal, and with eyes open/closed), and to be BSE-design and gender-dependent. Our findings may suggest complex interactive dynamics between a user and a BSE, potentially due to a change in total center of mass (i.e., body + BSE), restricted motion, and external supportive torques of the BSE. Furthermore, males and females may be differentially affected by such interactive dynamics, depending on the BSE, particularly in more challenging tasks. Future studies need to investigate the specificity of BSE effects on postural control while considering different demographic and individual factors, and also the effects of wearing BSEs on postural stability in dynamic conditions (e.g., walking, negotiating an obstacle, or recovering from an external perturbation).

Self-Compassion and Quality of Life in Adults Who Stutter

2020 ◽  
Vol 29 (4) ◽  
pp. 2097-2108
Author(s):  
Robyn L. Croft ◽  
Courtney T. Byrd
Keyword(s):  
Quality Of Life ◽  
Social Connectedness ◽  
The Self ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Self Compassion ◽  
Adults Who Stutter ◽  
And Gender ◽  
Relationship Of ◽  
The Impact

Purpose The purpose of this study was to identify levels of self-compassion in adults who do and do not stutter and to determine whether self-compassion predicts the impact of stuttering on quality of life in adults who stutter. Method Participants included 140 adults who do and do not stutter matched for age and gender. All participants completed the Self-Compassion Scale. Adults who stutter also completed the Overall Assessment of the Speaker's Experience of Stuttering. Data were analyzed for self-compassion differences between and within adults who do and do not stutter and to predict self-compassion on quality of life in adults who stutter. Results Adults who do and do not stutter exhibited no significant differences in total self-compassion, regardless of participant gender. A simple linear regression of the total self-compassion score and total Overall Assessment of the Speaker's Experience of Stuttering score showed a significant, negative linear relationship of self-compassion predicting the impact of stuttering on quality of life. Conclusions Data suggest that higher levels of self-kindness, mindfulness, and social connectedness (i.e., self-compassion) are related to reduced negative reactions to stuttering, an increased participation in daily communication situations, and an improved overall quality of life. Future research should replicate current findings and identify moderators of the self-compassion–quality of life relationship.

Effects of Gender, Parental Role, and Time on Infant- and Adult-Directed Read and Spontaneous Speech

2019 ◽  
Vol 62 (11) ◽  
pp. 4001-4014
Author(s):  
Melanie Weirich ◽  
Adrian Simpson
Keyword(s):  
Parental Involvement ◽  
Gender Identity ◽  
Spontaneous Speech ◽  
First Year ◽  
Space Size ◽  
Vowel Space ◽  
Potential Impact ◽  
Phonetic Features ◽  
And Gender ◽  
Description Task

Purpose The study sets out to investigate inter- and intraspeaker variation in German infant-directed speech (IDS) and considers the potential impact that the factors gender, parental involvement, and speech material (read vs. spontaneous speech) may have. In addition, we analyze data from 3 time points prior to and after the birth of the child to examine potential changes in the features of IDS and, particularly also, of adult-directed speech (ADS). Here, the gender identity of a speaker is considered as an additional factor. Method IDS and ADS data from 34 participants (15 mothers, 19 fathers) is gathered by means of a reading and a picture description task. For IDS, 2 recordings were made when the baby was approximately 6 and 9 months old, respectively. For ADS, an additional recording was made before the baby was born. Phonetic analyses comprise mean fundamental frequency (f0), variation in f0, the 1st 2 formants measured in /i: ɛ a u:/, and the vowel space size. Moreover, social and behavioral data were gathered regarding parental involvement and gender identity. Results German IDS is characterized by an increase in mean f0, a larger variation in f0, vowel- and formant-specific differences, and a larger acoustic vowel space. No effect of gender or parental involvement was found. Also, the phonetic features of IDS were found in both spontaneous and read speech. Regarding ADS, changes in vowel space size in some of the fathers and in mean f0 in mothers were found. Conclusion Phonetic features of German IDS are robust with respect to the factors gender, parental involvement, speech material (read vs. spontaneous speech), and time. Some phonetic features of ADS changed within the child's first year depending on gender and parental involvement/gender identity. Thus, further research on IDS needs to address also potential changes in ADS.

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