A comparison of workload demands imposed by different types of distracted walking tasks and its effect on gait

2020 ◽  
Vol 64 (1) ◽  
pp. 1713-1717
Author(s):  
Haolan Zheng ◽  
Yue Luo ◽  
Boyi Hu ◽  
Wayne C.W. Giang
Keyword(s):  
Situation Awareness ◽  
Preliminary Analysis ◽  
Safety Concern ◽  
Blink Rate ◽  
Cognitive Demands ◽  
Gait Performance ◽  
Gait Parameters ◽  
Growing Body ◽  
Different Types ◽  
Nasa Tlx

A growing body of research has found that distracted walking is a safety concern due to reduced situation awareness and the possibility of compromised gait performance. Distraction tasks, such as texting, browsing social media, and playing games, differ in terms of their physical and cognitive demands. However, few studies have examined whether there are differences in how physical and cognitive demands impact gait. The goal of this paper is to evaluate workload differences between four distraction tasks that represent common smartphone functions and may differ in terms of physical and cognitive demands: 1) No distraction, 2) Reading, 3) Tapping, 4) N-Back. We characterized the workload differences using three methods, a subjective workload assessment (NASA-TLX) and two physiological workload measures, pupil width and blink rate. Our results suggest that the chosen distraction tasks differ in their workload demands. While, a preliminary analysis of descriptive gait parameters failed to find significant differences between the distraction conditions, further analysis of more complex gait measures may be required to understand differences between physical and cognitive demands.

Deficits in Selective Attention Alter Gait in Frail Older Adults

GeroPsych ◽  
2016 ◽  
Vol 29 (1) ◽  
pp. 29-36 ◽  
Author(s):  
Véronique Cornu ◽  
Jean-Paul Steinmetz ◽  
Carine Federspiel
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Nursing Home ◽  
Selective Attention ◽  
Dual Task ◽  
Nursing Home Residents ◽  
Gait Rehabilitation ◽  
Rehabilitation Programs ◽  
Gait Parameters ◽  
Growing Body ◽  
Task Conditions

Abstract. A growing body of research demonstrates an association between gait disorders, falls, and attentional capacities in older adults. The present work empirically analyzes differences in gait parameters in frail institutionalized older adults as a function of selective attention. Gait analysis under single- and dual-task conditions as well as selective attention measures were collected from a total of 33 nursing-home residents. We found that differences in selective attention performances were related to the investigated gait parameters. Poorer selective attention performances were associated with higher stride-to-stride variabilities and a slowing of gait speed under dual-task conditions. The present findings suggest a contribution of selective attention to a safe gait. Implications for gait rehabilitation programs are discussed.

scholarly journals Severity-Mapped Vibrotactile Cues to Support Interruption Management with Weather Messaging in the General Aviation Cockpit

Atmosphere ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (3) ◽  
pp. 341
Author(s):  
Carolina Rodriguez-Paras ◽  
Johnathan T. McKenzie ◽  
Pasakorn Choterungruengkorn ◽  
Thomas K. Ferris
Keyword(s):  
Situation Awareness ◽  
Failure Modes ◽  
General Aviation ◽  
Flight Training ◽  
Mountainous Terrain ◽  
Task Management ◽  
Training Device ◽  
Cognitive Demands ◽  
Weather Information ◽  
Interruption Management

Despite the increasing availability of technologies that provide access to aviation weather information in the cockpit, weather remains a prominent contributor to general aviation (GA) accidents. Pilots fail to detect the presence of new weather information, misinterpret it, or otherwise fail to act appropriately on it. When cognitive demands imposed by concurrent flight tasks are high, the risks increase for each of these failure modes. Previous research shows how introducing vibrotactile cues can help ease or redistribute some of these demands, but there is untapped potential in exploring how vibratory cues can facilitate “interruption management”, i.e., fitting the processing of available weather information into flight task workflow. In the current study, GA pilots flew a mountainous terrain scenario in a flight training device while receiving, processing, and acting on various weather information messages that were displayed visually, in graphical and text formats, on an experimental weather display. Half of the participants additionally received vibrotactile cues via a connected smartwatch with patterns that conveyed the “severity” of the message, allowing pilots to make informed decisions about when to fully attend to and process the message. Results indicate that weather messages were acknowledged more often and faster when accompanied by the vibrotactile cues, but the time after acknowledgment to fully process the messages was not significantly affected by vibrotactile cuing, nor was overall situation awareness. These findings illustrate that severity-encoded vibrotactile cues can support pilot awareness of updated weather as well as task management in processing weather messages while managing concurrent flight demands.

scholarly journals Investigating the feasibility of cerebellar transcranial direct current stimulation to facilitate post-stroke overground gait performance in chronic stroke: a partial least-squares regression approach

2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Dhaval Solanki ◽  
Zeynab Rezaee ◽  
Anirban Dutta ◽  
Uttama Lahiri
Keyword(s):  
Field Strength ◽  
Electric Field ◽  
Electric Field Strength ◽  
Chronic Stroke ◽  
Least Squares Regression ◽  
Significance Level ◽  
Gait Performance ◽  
Wilcoxon Rank Sum Test ◽  
Gait Parameters ◽  
The Mean

Abstract Background Investigation of lobule-specific electric field effects of cerebellar transcranial direct current stimulation (ctDCS) on overground gait performance has not been performed, so this study aimed to investigate the feasibility of two lobule-specific bilateral ctDCS montages to facilitate overground walking in chronic stroke. Methods Ten chronic post-stroke male subjects participated in this repeated-measure single-blind crossover study, where we evaluated the single-session effects of two bilateral ctDCS montages that applied 2 mA via 3.14 cm2 disc electrodes for 15 min targeting (a) dentate nuclei (also, anterior and posterior lobes), and (b) lower-limb representations (lobules VIIb-IX). A two-sided Wilcoxon rank-sum test was performed at a 5% significance level on the percent normalized change measures in the overground gait performance. Partial least squares regression (PLSR) analysis was performed on the quantitative gait parameters as response variables to the mean lobular electric field strength as the predictors. Clinical assessments were performed with the Ten-Meter walk test (TMWT), Timed Up & Go (TUG), and the Berg Balance Scale based on minimal clinically important differences (MCID). Results The ctDCS montage specific effect was found significant using a two-sided Wilcoxon rank-sum test at a 5% significance level for 'Step Time Affected Leg' (p = 0.0257) and '%Stance Time Unaffected Leg' (p = 0.0376). The changes in the quantitative gait parameters were found to be correlated to the mean electric field strength in the lobules based on PLSR analysis (R2 statistic = 0.6574). Here, the mean electric field strength at the cerebellar lobules, Vermis VIIIb, Ipsi-lesional IX, Vermis IX, Ipsi-lesional X, had the most loading and were positively related to the 'Step Time Affected Leg' and '%Stance Time Unaffected Leg,' and negatively related to the '%Swing Time Unaffected Leg,' '%Single Support Time Affected Leg.' Clinical assessments found similar improvement in the TMWT (MCID: 0.10 m/s), TUG (MCID: 8 s), and BBS score (MCID: 12.5 points) for both the ctDCS montages. Conclusion Our feasibility study found an association between the lobular mean electric field strength and the changes in the quantitative gait parameters following a single ctDCS session in chronic stroke. Both the ctDCS montages improved the clinical outcome measures that should be investigated with a larger sample size for clinical validation. Trial registration: Being retrospectively registered.

Influence of Different Dual-Task Conditions During Straight or Curved Walking on Gait Performance of Physically Active Older Women With Cognitive Decline

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-10
Author(s):  
Luiz Fernado Biazus-Sehn ◽  
Rafael Reimann Baptista ◽  
Régis Gemerasca Mestriner ◽  
Bianca Pacheco Loss ◽  
Daniela Aldabe ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Older Women ◽  
Stride Length ◽  
Cognitive Demands ◽  
Stability Ratio ◽  
Physically Active ◽  
Secondary Tasks ◽  
Dual Tasking ◽  
Gait Parameters ◽  
Walk Ratio ◽  
Task Conditions

Real-world walking requires shifting attention from different cognitive demands to adapt gait. This study aims to evaluate the effect of dual tasking on spatiotemporal gait parameters of older adults. Participants were asked to perform a primary complex single-walking task, consisting of a fast-paced linear and a curved gait. Primary task was performed separately and simultaneously with different motor and cognitive secondary tasks. Spatiotemporal gait parameters, walk ratio, and walk stability ratio were measured. Apart from stride length, which stood relatively unchanged, gait speed and cadence were strongly affected by cognitive dual tasking. Cadence seems to be the most impacted by dual tasking during curved gait as it combines challenges of both primary and secondary tasks. Also, during curved phase, walking ratio was significantly lower and stability ratio was greater demonstrating that participants adopted a cautious gait where maintenance of stability took preference over efficiency.

scholarly journals Influence of Haptic Sensory Input through Different Kinds of Clothing on Gait Performance

2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (21) ◽  
pp. 7590
Author(s):  
Kazushige Oshita ◽  
Sumio Yano
Keyword(s):  
Sensory Input ◽  
Lower Leg ◽  
Cotton Cloth ◽  
Sensory Cues ◽  
Gait Performance ◽  
Healthy Men ◽  
Continuous Contact ◽  
Different Types ◽  
Different Types Of Clothing ◽  
Tandem Gait

This study investigated the effects of haptic sensory input by different types of clothing worn on gait performance. Twelve healthy men performed normal and tandem gait tests with blindfolds under three different clothing conditions: (1) wearing only half tights (HT); (2) wearing a skirt-like draped outfit such as a cotton cloth wrapped around the waist and extended to the lower leg (DC); and (3) wearing a trouser-like outfit such as tracksuit bottoms (TS). Although gait speed was significantly increased in DC as compared with HT, this was not observed in TS. Missteps during tandem gait were significantly reduced with DC. In addition, DC made walking easier for individuals as compared with TS. These findings suggest that wearing a skirt-like outfit such as kilts in Scotland or the hakama in Japan may provide haptic sensory cues to enhance individuals’ perceptions of their body orientation as compared with trouser-like clothing that is in continuous contact with the legs.

scholarly journals Performance in Noise: The Relationship Between Workload And Situation Awareness in Navy Tactical Teams

2019 ◽  
Vol 63 (1) ◽  
pp. 1585-1589 ◽  
Author(s):  
Brittany E. Holthausen ◽  
Zoe M. Becerra ◽  
M. David Keller ◽  
John M. Ziriax ◽  
Bruce N. Walker
Keyword(s):  
Situation Awareness ◽  
Speech Intelligibility ◽  
Complex Relationship ◽  
Us Navy ◽  
Nasa Tlx ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Tactical Teams

The relationship between workload and situation awareness (SA) has been researched generally; however, the relationship between measures of SA and workload, SPAM and NASA TLX respectively, has not been established. This study was completed using a tactical military scenario in which two participants acted as they would standing watch on a US Navy ship. One participant, the Tactical Action Officer (TAO) had reduced speech intelligibility in some trials. The results showed that the relationship between workload and SA differed by role (TAO or CICWO) and by the speech intelligibility level. This work shows the complex relationship between workload and SA and shows the need further investigation in this area, especially in teams.

Comparison of International Source-Term Codes

1993 ◽  
Vol 333 ◽  
Author(s):  
W. Zhou ◽  
M. J. Apted ◽  
P. Robinson
Keyword(s):  
Nuclear Waste ◽  
Preliminary Analysis ◽  
Source Term ◽  
Near Field ◽  
Different Types ◽  
Solution Methods ◽  
Initial Comparison ◽  
Models Comparison ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Transport Factors

ABSTRACTSource-term codes to predict the release of radionuclides from nuclear waste packages have been developed and implemented worldwide. A survey and initial comparison of the attributes and capabilities of 13 international source-term codes was recently completed. This preliminary analysis focused on comparison of transport factors/processes and solution methods. This initial comparison is a necessary first step in a properly-conceived, systematic benchmarking of source-term codes. Advantages of such a comparison include assurance of the mathematical correctness of implemented models, comparison and quantification of variances introduced by different types of simplifications, and identification and quantification of the impact of near-field processes.

scholarly journals Optimal Obfuscation: Democracy and Trade Policy Transparency

2006 ◽  
Vol 100 (3) ◽  
pp. 369-384 ◽  
Author(s):  
DANIEL Y. KONO
Keyword(s):  
Trade Policy ◽  
Electoral Competition ◽  
Consumer Welfare ◽  
Trade Policies ◽  
Trade Barriers ◽  
Nontariff Barriers ◽  
Growing Body ◽  
Different Types ◽  
Liberal Trade ◽  
The Impact

A growing body of research shows that democracies have more liberal trade policies than do autocracies. I argue, in contrast, that democracy has contradictory effects on different types of trade policies because electoral competition generates more information about some than about others. It generates considerable information about policies whose effects on consumer welfare are easy to explain to voters, but less information about policies whose effects are more complex. By increasing the transparency of some policies relative to others, democracy induces politicians to reduce transparent trade barriers but also to replace them with less transparent ones. I test this hypothesis by examining the impact of democracy on tariffs, “core” nontariff barriers (NTBs) such as quotas, and “quality” NTBs such as product standards in 75 countries in the 1990s. I find that democracy leads to lower tariffs, higher core NTBs, and even higher quality NTBs. I conclude that democracy promotes “optimal obfuscation” that allows politicians to protect their markets while maintaining a veneer of liberalization.

scholarly journals Effects of a Multicomponent Exercise Program on Spatiotemporal Gait Parameters, Risk of Falling and Physical Activity in Dementia Patients

2015 ◽  
Vol 5 (3) ◽  
pp. 350-360 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anaïck Perrochon ◽  
Achille E. Tchalla ◽  
Joelle Bonis ◽  
Florian Perucaud ◽  
Stéphane Mandigout
Keyword(s):  
Physical Activity ◽  
Gait Speed ◽  
Exercise Program ◽  
Gait Disorders ◽  
Risk Of Falling ◽  
Gait Performance ◽  
Specific Effects ◽  
Dementia Patients ◽  
Gait Parameters ◽  
Before And After

Background: Exercise programs are presumed to rehabilitate gait disorders and to reduce the risk of falling in dementia patients. This study aimed to analyze the specific effects of multicomponent exercise on gait disorders and to determine the association between gait impairments and the risk of falling in dementia patients before and after intervention. Methods: We conducted an 8-week multicomponent exercise program in 16 dementia patients (age 86.7 ± 5.4 years). All participants were assessed several times for gait analysis (Locométrix®), Tinetti score and physical activity (Body Media SenseWear® Pro armband). Results: After 8 weeks of the exercise program, the mean gait speed was 0.12 m/s faster than before the intervention (0.55 ± 0.17 vs. 0.67 ± 0.14 m/s). The multicomponent exercise program improved gait performance and Tinetti score (p < 0.05). Gait performance (gait speed, stride length) was correlated with the Tinetti score (p < 0.05). Conclusion: Analysis of spatiotemporal gait parameters using an accelerometer method provided a quick and easy tool to estimate the benefits of an exercise program and the risk of falling.

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