scholarly journals Evaluation of Standing-Up Motion from a Forward-Sloping Toilet Seat for Older People

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (4) ◽  
pp. 1368
Author(s):  
Manabu Chikai ◽  
Emi Ozawa ◽  
Hiroshi Endo ◽  
Shuichi Ino
Keyword(s):  
Muscle Activity ◽  
Center Of Pressure ◽  
Age Groups ◽  
Body Motion ◽  
Head Motion ◽  
Objective Data ◽  
Subjective Data ◽  
Toilet Seat ◽  
Trunk Inclination ◽  
Standing Up

(1) Background: In-home assistive systems to help people with physical disabilities stand up from toilets are necessary, and the ease of the standing-up motion should be evaluated. (2) Methods: This study investigated the ease of the standing-up motion using objective and subjective data from healthy participants to facilitate the development of a toilet-seat-tilting system. Participants were divided into younger and older age groups. Objective data concerning muscle activity (EMG), three-dimensional (3D) body motion, and center of pressure distribution (COP) were collected. The participants also provided subjective data related to standing up from a toilet tilted at three different angles. (3) Results: All participants repeated the motion 25 times for each angle and provided feedback regarding their standing-up experience under each condition. Objective EMG, COP, and 3D body motion analysis results varied across individuals and age groups. The older group exhibited a consistent pattern of head motion while standing up. Thus, older individuals prefer a forward trunk-inclination motion. (4) Conclusions: According to the collected subjective data, all participants found it easier to stand when the seat angle was 5° or 10°; objective data on the ankle dorsiflexion angle, muscle activity, and head motion may be related to the subjective ease of the standing-up motion.

Experimental Study on Physical Burden of Transfer Assistance for Excretion – Comparison Between Transfer-Type Wheelchair and Ordinary Wheelchair –

2017 ◽  
Vol 21 (2) ◽  
pp. 363-370 ◽  
Author(s):  
Emi Ozawa ◽  
◽  
Manabu Chikai ◽  
Hiroshi Kobayashi ◽  
Hiroshi Miyazawa ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Muscle Activity ◽  
Biceps Brachii ◽  
The Elderly ◽  
Quadriceps Femoris ◽  
Toilet Seat ◽  
Physical Burden ◽  
Standing Up ◽  
The Difference ◽  
Quadriceps Femoris Muscles ◽  
Transfer Apparatus

Assisting the elderly to or from a toilet for excretion is a heavy burden, and staff at nursing homes and families at home have problems such as backache and tiredness. There are several previous studies on standing up from a chair, bed, or toilet seat but almost no studies on the series of actions required for excretion (i.e., from a bed to a transfer apparatus and from the transfer apparatus to the toilet seat). The difference in the physical burden (muscular strength) for helpers when using the Norisukesan II, a transfer-type wheelchair developed in collaboration with the authors, and an ordinary wheelchair when transferring a patient to or from a toilet for excretion was studied by biometrics with surface electromyogram (EMG) patterns. We chose a total of 11 healthy adult examinees, 10 males and one female, with an average age of 47.7±9.7. Muscle activity was measured at eight positions: right and left biceps brachii muscles, right and left quadriceps femoris muscles, upper right and left trapezius muscles, and right and left waist muscles. The results showed that if the transfer-type wheelchair was used, the muscle activity of the helpers’ biceps brachii muscles decreased by 70%, that of the quadriceps femoris muscles decreased by 60%, that of the trapezius muscles decreased by 70%, and that of the waist muscles decreased by 40%, when compared to using the ordinary wheelchair. It was therefore quantitatively clarified that assisting patients with the transfer-type wheelchair could reduce the assisting burden significantly, as the helpers did not have to tightly hold or turn the patients.

scholarly journals Subjektive und objektive Daten in der Sprachwandelforschung.

2021 ◽  
Vol 110 (5) ◽  
pp. 33-49
Author(s):  
Helmut H. Spiekermann
Keyword(s):  
Language Change ◽  
Age Groups ◽  
Objective Data ◽  
Time Analysis ◽  
Subjective Data ◽  
Language System ◽  
Mutual Dependency ◽  
Comprehensive View ◽  
Language Data ◽  
Evaluative Language

Language change is generally regarded as change of linguistic items or of the language system. In this sense it might be described and explained by the observation of varying use and evaluation of language. Developments concerning the conditions of use and the characteristics of evaluation are rarely regarded as cases of language change itself. Recently, however, there seems to be a shift towards a wider understanding of language change, distinguishing change of structure, use and evaluation. This shift is accompanied by the distinction of subjective and objective language data. Studies that combine objective and subjective data enable a comprehensive view of the characteristics and causes of language change. The present paper uses data from speakers of two different age groups from the Grafschaft Bentheim district on the German-Dutch border to illustrate the mutual dependency of structural and evaluative language change. The investigation will be carried out in an apparent-time-analysis based on a translation tasks (as a type of objective data) and semantic differentials (subjective data). Although the attested differences between the age groups turned out to be comparatively small, there are correlations between the results regarding subjective and objective data to be stated.

scholarly journals Estimation of Determinants of Farmland Abandonment and Its Data Problems

Land ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (6) ◽  
pp. 596
Author(s):  
Shinichi Kitano
Keyword(s):  
Census Data ◽  
Evaluation Research ◽  
Developed Countries ◽  
Third Party ◽  
Objective Data ◽  
Farmland Abandonment ◽  
Subjective Data ◽  
Research Attention ◽  
Abandoned Farmland ◽  
The Impact

Abandoned farmland is particularly problematic in developed countries where agriculture has a comparative disadvantage in terms of effective use of land resources invested over time. While many studies have estimated the causes of these problems, few have discussed in detail the impact of data characteristics and accuracy on the estimation results. In this study, issues related to the underlying data and the estimation of the determinants of farmland abandonment were examined. Most previous studies on farmland abandonment in Japan have used census data as the basis of their analyses. However, census data are recorded subjectively by farmers. To address this, surveys of abandoned farmland are being conducted by a third party, and the results are compiled into a geographic information system (GIS) database. Two types of datasets (subjective census data and objective GIS data) were examined for their estimation performance. Although the two sets of data are correlated, there are considerable differences between them. Subjective variables are compatible with subjective data, and objective variables are compatible with objective data (meaning that parameters are easily identified). Original data for analysis, such as policy variables, are compatible with objective data. In policy evaluation research, attention should be paid to objective data collection.

scholarly journals Objective and Self-reported Assessment of Physical Activity of Women over 60 Years Old

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anna Ogonowska-Slodownik ◽  
Natalia Morgulec-Adamowicz ◽  
Paula Richley Geigle ◽  
Malgorzata Kalbarczyk ◽  
Andrzej Kosmol
Keyword(s):  
Physical Activity ◽  
International Physical Activity Questionnaire ◽  
Age Groups ◽  
Subjective Assessment ◽  
The Self ◽  
Short Version ◽  
Objective Data ◽  
Steps Per Day ◽  
Assessment Measures ◽  
Activity Questionnaire

AbstractThe aim of the study was to examine changes in objective and self-reported physical activity (PA) among women aged 60 years and older. The study included 200 women aged over 60 years, divided into three groups according to age (60–65 years, 66–70 years, > 70 years). The subjective assessment was provided with the International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ) – short version with self-reported PA assessment, and objective data was provided by an Actigraph GT3-BT worn for seven days. Significant differences in moderate and high intensity PA, moderate-to-vigorous PA and steps per day were found between the oldest and youngest groups; as well as in low, moderate, moderate-to-vigorous PA and steps per day between groups middle and oldest. In all three age groups, 1) significant differences were observed between subjective and objective measurements of physical activity and 2) no correlation was found between assessment measures. It was found that only direct PA measurement declined with age in women over 60 years old, and that sedentary behavior is underestimated, and moderate and vigorous PA overestimated, with the self-reported IPAQ.

The influence of dynamic visual environments on postural sway in the elderly

1999 ◽  
Vol 9 (3) ◽  
pp. 197-205
Author(s):  
L.L. Borger ◽  
S.L. Whitney ◽  
M.S. Redfern ◽  
J.M. Furman
Keyword(s):  
Visual Information ◽  
Postural Sway ◽  
Center Of Pressure ◽  
Age Groups ◽  
The Elderly ◽  
Visual Scene ◽  
Elderly Subjects ◽  
Mean Velocity ◽  
Healthy Elderly ◽  
Young Subjects

Postural sway during stance has been found to be sensitive to moving visual scenes in young adults, children, and those with vestibular disease. The effect of visual environments on balance in elderly individuals is relatively unknown. The purpose of this study was to compare postural sway responses of healthy elderly to those of young subjects when both groups were exposed to a moving visual scene. Peak to peak, root mean squared, and mean velocity of the center of pressure were analyzed under conditions combining four moving scene amplitudes ( 2 . 5 ∘ , 5 ∘ , 7 . 5 ∘ , 10 ∘ ) and two frequencies of scene movement (0.1 Hz, 0.25 Hz). Each visual condition was tested with a fixed floor and sway referenced platform. Results showed that elderly subjects swayed more than younger subjects when experiencing a moving visual scene under all conditions. The elderly were affected more than the young by sway referencing the platform. The differences between the two age groups were greater at increased amplitudes of scene movement. These results suggest that elderly are more influenced by dynamic visual information for balance than the young, particularly when cues from the ankles are altered.

scholarly journals Voice-awareness control for a humanoid robot consistent with its body posture and movements

2010 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Takuma Otsuka ◽  
Kazuhiro Nakadai ◽  
Toru Takahashi ◽  
Kazunori Komatani ◽  
Tetsuya Ogata ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Dynamic Change ◽  
Voice Quality ◽  
Head Movements ◽  
Body Motion ◽  
Spectral Envelope ◽  
Balance Model ◽  
Head Motion ◽  
Axis Rotation ◽  
The Voice ◽  
Horizontal Head

AbstractThis paper presents voice-awareness control consistent with robot’s head movements. For a natural spoken communication between robots and humans, robots must behave and speak the way humans expect them to. The consistency between the robot’s voice quality and its body motion is one of the most especially striking factors in naturalness of robot speech. Our control is based on a new model of spectral envelope modification for vertical head motion, and left-right balance modulation for horizontal head motion. We assume that a pitch-axis rotation, or a vertical head motion, and a yaw-axis rotation, or a horizontal head motion, effect the voice quality independently. The spectral envelope modification model is constructed based on the analysis of human vocalizations. The left-right balance model is established by measuring impulse responses using a pair of microphones. Experimental results show that the voice-awareness is perceivable in a robot-to-robot dialogue when the robots stand up to 150 cm away. The dynamic change in the voice quality is also confirmed in the experiment.

scholarly journals The binge-watcher’s journey: Investigating motivations, contexts, and affective states surrounding Netflix viewing

2019 ◽  
pp. 135485651989085 ◽  
Author(s):  
Deborah Castro ◽  
Jacob M Rigby ◽  
Diogo Cabral ◽  
Valentina Nisi
Keyword(s):  
Exploratory Study ◽  
Objective Data ◽  
Affective States ◽  
Individual Activity ◽  
Subjective Data ◽  
Mixed Methods Approach ◽  
Browser Extension ◽  
Novel Approach ◽  
Before And After ◽  
Viewing Sessions

The growth of Internet-distributed TV services has transformed video consumption, enhancing the level of control that viewers have over what they watch. Along with the release of entire seasons of programming at once, this has led to the phenomenon of ‘binge-watching’, in which several episodes of a program are viewed in one sitting. This article presents the results of a novel exploratory study focused on 40 Netflix viewing sessions from 11 millennials in their homes. Methodologically, we employed a novel mixed-methods approach that combines objective data (collected through a browser extension) and subjective data (collected via questionnaires completed before and after viewing). This novel approach allowed us to describe the binge-watcher’s experience in a holistic fashion. Results suggest that binge-watching is an individual activity mainly performed at the end of the day to relax, for boredom relief purposes, or for escapism. Furthermore, a binge-watching session lasts for an average of 2 h and 10 min, and variations on binge-watchers’ affective states were identified after Netflix exposure. Participants’ levels of valence (unhappy–happy) significantly decreased after binge-watching; their positive affect values increased primarily after watching sci-fi, while their negative affect values decreased after watching comedy and slightly increased after watching drama. However, the levels of arousal (relaxed–stimulated) remained the same. This study extends our current understanding of binge-watching in terms of viewer motivations, how it affects their viewing experiences, and participants’ subjective affective states. The investigation contributes, thus, to a relatively new domain of research concerned with the understanding of binge-watching behavior of serialized TV fiction.

A content analysis of Arabic YouTube videos for cancer treatment

2019 ◽  
Vol 24 (4) ◽  
pp. 267-273
Author(s):  
Ajayeb S. Abu Daabes ◽  
Faten F. Kharbat
Keyword(s):  
Social Media ◽  
Content Analysis ◽  
Cancer Treatment ◽  
Evidence Based ◽  
Objective Data ◽  
Video Content ◽  
Subjective Data ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Search Terms ◽  
Youtube Videos

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to describe and assess Arabic videos related to cancer treatment to gain insights about the nature of health information as it is shared on YouTube. Accordingly, future strategies for different bodies are suggested to promote effective communication. Design/methodology/approach The approach is to select a representative sample of YouTube videos for certain search terms related to cancer treatment in the Arabic language. In order to identify the search terms, Google Trends is utilized. To retrieve the most relevant videos, a simple python tool is developed using YouTube API V3. For this study, the first 150 relevant videos are quantitatively and qualitatively analyzed. Objective data and subjective data are collected for each video and analyzed. Objective data include video title, URL, length, view count, like count, dislike count, comment count and the associated tags. For content analysis, coding themes are defined for the subjective data as follows: video format, video authorship and video content. Video content includes three categories: types of treatments, targeted part and evidence-based indicators. Findings The study included 150 videos, from which 30 videos were not content related; therefore, 120 videos remain in the analysis. Using rounding values, it can be observed that the average video lasted 10 min, had 184,966 views, was commented on 263 times, was liked by 2,295 users and disliked by 148 users. Non-professional individuals (46 percent) posted less than half of the videos, whereas public institutions posted only 18 percent of videos. More than half of videos (56 percent) promoted using herbal, botanical, and other natural products for cancer treatment. The majority of YouTube video formats were videos (52 percent), followed by audio with captions (30 percent). News and stories were the dominant videos, with (16 percent), and other types of videos were mostly testimonials and private centers promotions. Only 6 and 9 percent of videos targeted the genetic and immune systems, respectively. Out of the 120 analyzed videos, 86 percent did not mention any risk factor for the recommended treatment, and 73 percent did not offer the details of their usage direction. Research limitations/implications Researchers need to understand the information that is currently available on social media platforms related to the high-risk diseases in order to design initiatives, tools, and actions to allow an easy effective transfer of knowledge. Practical implications Recounting in-depth knowledge of YouTube cancer treatment contents will allow policy makers, YouTube management, medical organizations, and government agencies to understand the viewers’ behavior of YouTube and their needs to provide accurate and trustworthy information to adopt evidence-based resources. Social implications Creating the suitable content, in terms of health promotion strategies, associated with the appropriate format and understandable language that people need will be one of the major responsibilities of YouTube management, government and professional bodies. The well-designed health messages will enhance users’ engagement and attention to health issues from trusted sources. Originality/value There is very less information about Arabic messages in social media, YouTube in particular, specifically regarding cancer treatment. Thus, this study is one of the first studies to explore how Arabic messages are presented on YouTube. The aim of the assessment is to extract the current status and suggest future strategies for different bodies to have effective communication toward the Arabic communities.

scholarly journals From maturity to old age: tasks of daily life require a different muscle use in horses

2014 ◽  
Vol 10 (2) ◽  
pp. 75-88 ◽  
Author(s):  
R.R. Zsoldos ◽  
B. Krüger ◽  
T.F. Licka
Keyword(s):  
Life Expectancy ◽  
Muscle Activity ◽  
Dynamic Time Warping ◽  
Muscle Activation ◽  
Daily Life ◽  
Age Groups ◽  
Time Warping ◽  
Neck Extension ◽  
Neck Position ◽  
Dynamic Time

In vertebrates ageing is characterised by reduced viscoelasticity of the ligamentous and tendineous structures and fibre changes in muscle. Also, some vertebral joint degeneration develops with ageing. The aim of this study was to apply dynamic time warping to compare the temporal characteristics of the surface electromyography (sEMG) data and to illustrate the differences in the pattern of muscle use during tasks of daily life in old and mature horses. In vivo kinematics (24 skin markers) and sEMG measurements of neck extensors and flexors were taken in five mature horses (aged 10±2 years, half of mean life expectancy) and five old horses (aged 25±5 years, older than the mean life expectancy). All horses had the same level of activity in the 12 months prior to the measurement. Tasks measured were neck flexion and neck extension as well as neutral neck position. Muscle activation, minimum and maximum muscle activation were collected. Quartiles of muscle activity based on the maximum observed activity of each muscle were calculated to document the relative increase of activity level during the task. Kinematics as well as overall muscle activity patterns were similar across horses and age groups. However, in the neutral position old horses showed increased extensor activity compared to mature horses, indicating that old equine muscle requires more activity to counteract gravity. Dynamic time warping specified optimal temporal alignments of time series, and different temporal performances were identified. The age groups differed during the flexion task, while neck extension and neutral neck position were more similar. The results of this study show that even in the second half of life and in the absence of muscle disuse the muscular strategy employed by horses continues to be adapted.

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