scholarly journals Referent control and motor equivalence of reaching from standing

2017 ◽  
Vol 117 (1) ◽  
pp. 303-315 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yosuke Tomita ◽  
Anatol G. Feldman ◽  
Mindy F. Levin

Motor actions may result from central changes in the referent body configuration, defined as the body posture at which muscles begin to be activated or deactivated. The actual body configuration deviates from the referent configuration, particularly because of body inertia and environmental forces. Within these constraints, the system tends to minimize the difference between these configurations. For pointing movement, this strategy can be expressed as the tendency to minimize the difference between the referent trajectory (RT) and actual trajectory (QT) of the effector (hand). This process may underlie motor equivalent behavior that maintains the pointing trajectory regardless of the number of body segments involved. We tested the hypothesis that the minimization process is used to produce pointing in standing subjects. With eyes closed, 10 subjects reached from a standing position to a remembered target located beyond arm length. In randomly chosen trials, hip flexion was unexpectedly prevented, forcing subjects to take a step during pointing to prevent falling. The task was repeated when subjects were instructed to intentionally take a step during pointing. In most cases, reaching accuracy and trajectory curvature were preserved due to adaptive condition-specific changes in interjoint coordination. Results suggest that referent control and the minimization process associated with it may underlie motor equivalence in pointing.NEW & NOTEWORTHY Motor actions may result from minimization of the deflection of the actual body configuration from the centrally specified referent body configuration, in the limits of neuromuscular and environmental constraints. The minimization process may maintain reaching trajectory and accuracy regardless of the number of body segments involved (motor equivalence), as confirmed in this study of reaching from standing in young healthy individuals. Results suggest that the referent control process may underlie motor equivalence in reaching.

2007 ◽  
Vol 97 (6) ◽  
pp. 4069-4078 ◽  
Author(s):  
H. A. Raptis ◽  
E. Dannenbaum ◽  
N. Paquet ◽  
A. G. Feldman

The vestibulospinal system likely plays an essential role in motor equivalence—the ability to reach the desired motor goal despite intentional or imposed changes in the number of body segments involved in the task. To test this hypothesis, we compared the ability of healthy subjects and patients with unilateral vestibular lesions (surgical acoustic neuroma resection 0.6 to 6.7 yr before the study) to maintain either the same hand position or the same trajectory of within arm reach movements while flexing the trunk, in the absence of vision. In randomly selected trials, the trunk motion was prevented by an electromagnetic device. Healthy subjects were able to preserve the hand position or trajectory by modifying the elbow and shoulder joint rotations in a condition-dependent way, at a minimal latency of about 60 ms after the trunk movement onset. In contrast, six of seven patients showed deficits in the compensatory angular modifications at least in one of two tasks so that 30–100% of the trunk displacement was not compensated and thus influenced the hand position or trajectory. Results suggest that vestibular influences evoked by the head motion during trunk flexion play a major role in maintaining the consistency of arm motor actions in external space despite changes in the number of body segments involved. Our findings also suggest that despite long-term plasticity in the vestibular system and related neural structures, unilateral vestibular lesion may reduce the capacity of the nervous system to achieve motor equivalence.


Author(s):  
Anne Phillips

No one wants to be treated like an object, regarded as an item of property, or put up for sale. Yet many people frame personal autonomy in terms of self-ownership, representing themselves as property owners with the right to do as they wish with their bodies. Others do not use the language of property, but are similarly insistent on the rights of free individuals to decide for themselves whether to engage in commercial transactions for sex, reproduction, or organ sales. Drawing on analyses of rape, surrogacy, and markets in human organs, this book challenges notions of freedom based on ownership of our bodies and argues against the normalization of markets in bodily services and parts. The book explores the risks associated with metaphors of property and the reasons why the commodification of the body remains problematic. The book asks what is wrong with thinking of oneself as the owner of one's body? What is wrong with making our bodies available for rent or sale? What, if anything, is the difference between markets in sex, reproduction, or human body parts, and the other markets we commonly applaud? The book contends that body markets occupy the outer edges of a continuum that is, in some way, a feature of all labor markets. But it also emphasizes that we all have bodies, and considers the implications of this otherwise banal fact for equality. Bodies remind us of shared vulnerability, alerting us to the common experience of living as embodied beings in the same world. Examining the complex issue of body exceptionalism, the book demonstrates that treating the body as property makes human equality harder to comprehend.


Author(s):  
Paulina Hebisz ◽  
Rafal Hebisz ◽  
Marek Zaton

AbstractBackground: The purpose of this study was to compare body balance in road and off-road cyclists, immediately before and after the racing season.Material/Methods: Twenty individuals participated in the study and they were divided into two groups: specialists in road-cycling (n = 10) and in off-road cycling (n = 10). Immediately before and after the five-month racing season stabilographic trials were carried out (at rest and after progressive exercise). In assessing body balance the distance and velocity of the centre shifts (in the anterior-posterior and left-right direction) were analysed. The tests were performed with the cyclists’ eyes open, eyes closed, and in feedback.Results: After the racing season, in the off-road cyclists’ group, distance and velocity of the centre of pressure shifts increased after a progressive exercise.Conclusions: In the off-road cyclists’ group the balance of the body in the sagittal plane deteriorated after the racing season. Moreover, after the racing season off-road cyclists were characterized by a worse balance of the body, compared to road cyclists


Author(s):  
Titilayo Dorothy Odetola ◽  
Olusola Oluwasola ◽  
Christoph Pimmer ◽  
Oluwafemi Dipeolu ◽  
Samson Oluwayemi Akande ◽  
...  

The “disconnect” between the body of knowledge acquired in classroom settings and the application of this knowledge in clinical practice is one of the main reasons for professional fear, anxiety and feelings of incompetence among freshly graduated nurses. While the phenomenon of the theory-to-practice gap has been researched quite extensively in high-income country settings much less is known about nursing students’ experiences in a developing country context. To rectify this shortcoming, the qualitative study investigated the experiences of nursing students in their attempt to apply what they learn in classrooms in clinical learning contexts in seven sites in Nigeria. Thematic content analysis was used to analyse data gained from eight focus group discussions (n = 80) with the students. The findings reveal a multifaceted theory-practice gap which plays out along four tensions: (1) procedural, i.e. the difference between practices from education institutions and the ones enacted in clinical wards – and contradictions that emerge even within one clinical setting; (2) political, i.e. conflicts that arise between students and clinical staff, especially personnel with a lower qualification profile than the degree that students pursue; (3) material, i.e. the disconnect between contemporary instruments and equipment available in schools and the lack thereof in clinical settings; and (4) temporal, i.e. restricted opportunities for supervised practice owing to time constraints in clinical settings in which education tends to be undervalued. Many of these aspects are linked to and aggravated by infrastructural limitations, which are typical for the setting of a developing country. Nursing students need to be prepared regarding how to deal with the identified procedural, political, material and temporal tensions before and while being immersed in clinical practice, and, in so doing, they need to be supported by educationally better qualified clinical staff.


2018 ◽  
Vol 1 (2) ◽  
pp. 114
Author(s):  
Wahdaniah Wahdaniah ◽  
Sri Tumpuk

Abstract: Routine blood examination is the earliest blood test or screening test to determine the diagnosis of an abnormality. Blood easily froze if it is outside the body and can be prevented by the addition of anticoagulants, one of which Ethylene Diamine Tetra Acetate (EDTA). Currently available vacuum tubes containing EDTA anticoagulants in the form of K2EDTA and K3EDTA. K3EDTA is usually a salt that has better stability than other EDTA salts because it shows a pH approaching a blood pH of about 6.4. The purpose of this research is to know the difference of erythrocyte index results include MCH, MCV and MCHC using K3EDTA anticoagulant with K2EDTA. This research is a cross sectional design. This study used venous blood samples mixed with K2EDTA anticoagulant and venous blood mixed with K3EDTA anticoagulants, each of 30 samples. Data were collected and analyzed using paired different test. Based on data analysis that has been done on MCH examination, p value <0,05 then there is a significant difference between samples with K3EDTA anticoagulant with K2EDTA to erythrocyte index value. Then on the examination of MCV and MCHC obtained p value <0.05 then there is no significant difference between samples with K3EDTA anticoagulant with K2EDTA to erythrocyte index value.Abstrak: Pemeriksaan darah rutin merupakan pemeriksaan darah yang paling awal atau screening test untuk mengetahui diagnosis suatu kelainan. Darah mudah membeku jika berada diluar tubuh dan bisa dicegah dengan penambahan antikoagulan, salah satunya Ethylene Diamine Tetra Acetate (EDTA). Dewasa ini telah tersedia tabung vakum yang sudah berisi antikoagulan EDTA dalam bentuk  K2EDTA dan  K3EDTA. K3EDTA  biasanya berupa garam yang mempunyai stabilitas yang lebih baik dari garam EDTA yang lain karena menunjukkan pH yang mendekati pH darah yaitu sekitar 6,4. Tujuan dari penelitian ini adalah untuk mengetahui perbedaan hasil indeks eritrosit meliputi MCH, MCV dan MCHC menggunakan antikoagulan K3EDTA dengan K2EDTA. Penelitian ini merupakan penelitian dengan desain cross sectional. Penelitian ini menggunakan sampel darah vena yang dicampur dengan antikoagulan K2EDTA dan darah vena yang dicampur dengan antikoagulan K3EDTA, masing-masing sebanyak 30 sampel. Data dikumpulkan dan dianalisis menggunakan uji beda berpasangan. Berdasarkan analisis data yang telah dilakukan pada pemeriksaan MCH didapatkan nilai p < 0,05 maka ada perbedaan yang signifikan antara sampel dengan antikoagulan K3EDTA dengan K2EDTA terhadap nilai indeks eritrosit. Kemudian pada pemeriksaan MCV dan MCHC didapatkan nilai p < 0,05 maka tidak ada perbedaan yang signifikan antara sampel dengan antikoagulan K3EDTA dengan K2EDTA terhadap nilai indeks eritrosit.


1992 ◽  
Vol 27 (4) ◽  
pp. 833-844 ◽  
Author(s):  
Micheline Hanna

Abstract In order to quantitatively assess the effect of sample storage conditions on the body burden analysis of organic contaminants, a comparative analysis was carried out on the unionid mussel Elliptic complanata. The mussels were divided into two groups, each with distinct storage conditions, while Group A was kept in the freezer at −20°C, Group B was kept in the refrigerator for five days at 5°C. All the compounds present in the control were also present in Group B samples. Analysis of the organic contaminants in each of these two groups showed that for total PCB concentrations, the two treatments were not significantly different; however when compared individually 6 of the 13 PCB congeners showed significant differences. The observed differences were relatively small for individual PCB congeners (7.1 to 15.3%), higher for chlorobenzenes (10.5 to 36.4%), and yet higher for HCE (44.1%); the difference for HCE, although large is nevertheless not significant, even if only marginally so.


2020 ◽  
Vol 2020 ◽  
pp. 1-7
Author(s):  
Zhendong Song ◽  
Wei Chen ◽  
Wenbing Wang ◽  
Guoqing Zhang

This paper proposes a body weight support (BWS) system with a series elastic actuator (SEA) to facilitate walking assistance and motor relearning during gait rehabilitation. This system comprises the following: a mobile platform that ensures movement of the system on the ground, a BWS mechanism with an SEA that is capable of providing the desired unloading force, and a pelvic brace to smooth the pelvis motions. The control of the body weight support is realized by an active weight-offload method, and a dynamic model of the BWS system with offload mass of a human is conducted to simulate the control process and optimize the parameters. Preliminary results demonstrate that the BWS system can provide the desired support force and vertical motion of the pelvis.


Author(s):  
D. T. Gauld ◽  
J. E. G. Raymont

The respiratory rates of three species of planktonic copepods, Acartia clausi, Centropages hamatus and Temora longicornis, were measured at four different temperatures.The relationship between respiratory rate and temperature was found to be similar to that previously found for Calanus, although the slope of the curves differed in the different species.The observations on Centropages at 13 and 170 C. can be divided into two groups and it is suggested that the differences are due to the use of copepods from two different generations.The relationship between the respiratory rates and lengths of Acartia and Centropages agreed very well with that previously found for other species. That for Temora was rather different: the difference is probably due to the distinct difference in the shape of the body of Temora from those of the other species.The application of these measurements to estimates of the food requirements of the copepods is discussed.


Children ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 8 (4) ◽  
pp. 288
Author(s):  
Wojciech Rusek ◽  
Joanna Baran ◽  
Justyna Leszczak ◽  
Marzena Adamczyk ◽  
Rafał Baran ◽  
...  

The main goal of our study was to determine how the age of children, puberty and anthropometric parameters affect the formation of body composition and faulty body posture development in children. The secondary goal was to determine in which body segments abnormalities most often occur and how gender differentiates the occurrence of adverse changes in children’s body posture and body composition during puberty. The study group consisted of 464 schoolchildren aged from 6–16. Body posture was assessed with the Zebris system. The composition of the body mass was tested with Tanita MC 780 MA body mass analyzer and the body height was measured using a portable stadiometer PORTSTAND 210. The participants were further divided due to the age of puberty. Tanner division was adopted. The cut-off age for girls is ≥10 years and for boys it is ≥12 years. The analyses applied descriptive statistics, the Pearson correlation, stepwise regression analysis and the t-test. The accepted level of significance was p < 0.05. The pelvic obliquity was lower in older children (beta = −0.15). We also see that age played a significant role in the difference in the height of the right pelvis (beta = −0.28), and the difference in the height of the right shoulder (beta = 0.23). Regression analysis showed that the content of adipose tissue (FAT%) increased with body mass index (BMI) and decreased with increasing weight, age, and height. Moreover, the FAT% was lower in boys than in girls (beta negative equal to −0.39). It turned out that older children (puberty), had greater asymmetry in the right shoulder blade (p < 0.001) and right shoulder (p = 0.003). On the other hand, younger children (who were still before puberty) had greater anomalies in the left trunk inclination (p = 0.048) as well as in the pelvic obliquity (p = 0.008). Girls in puberty were characterized by greater asymmetry on the right side, including the shoulders (p = 0.001), the scapula (p = 0.001) and the pelvis (p < 0.001). In boys, the problem related only to the asymmetry of the shoulder blades (p < 0.001). Girls were characterized by a greater increase in adipose tissue and boys by muscle tissue. Significant differences also appeared in the body posture of the examined children. Greater asymmetry within scapulas and shoulders were seen in children during puberty. Therefore, a growing child should be closely monitored to protect them from the adverse consequences of poor posture or excessive accumulation of adipose tissue in the body.


1985 ◽  
Vol 1 (2) ◽  
pp. 163-173 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ralph Mann ◽  
John Herman

Selected kinematic variables in the performance of the Gold and Silver medalists and the eighth-place finisher in the women's 100-meter hurdles final at the 1984 Summer Olympic Games were investigated. Cinematographic records were obtained for all track hurdling events at the Games, with the 100-meter hurdle performers singled out for initial analysis. In this race, sagittal view filming records (100 fps) were collected at the 9th hurdle of the performance. Computer generated analysis variables included both direct performance variables (body velocity, support time, etc.) and body kinematics (upper leg position, lower leg velocity, etc.) that have previously been utilized in the analysis of elite athlete hurdlers. The difference in place finish was related to the performance variables body horizontal velocity (direct), vertical velocity (indirect), and support time (indirect). The critical body kinematics variables related to success included upper and lower leg velocity during support into and off the hurdle (direct), relative horizontal foot position (to the body) at touchdown into and off the hurdle (indirect), and relative horizontal foot velocity (to the body) at touchdown into the hurdle.


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