scholarly journals Application and Reliability of Accelerometer-Based Arm Use Intensities in the Free-Living Environment for Manual Wheelchair Users and Able-Bodied Individuals

Sensors ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (4) ◽  
pp. 1236 ◽  
Author(s):  
Brianna M. Goodwin ◽  
Omid Jahanian ◽  
Meegan G. Van Straaten ◽  
Emma Fortune ◽  
Stefan I. Madansingh ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
High Intensity ◽  
Sedentary Lifestyle ◽  
Living Environment ◽  
Intensity Level ◽  
Free Living ◽  
Wheelchair Users ◽  
Manual Wheelchair ◽  
Reliable Representation ◽  
Living Environments ◽  
Daily Time

Arm use in manual wheelchair (MWC) users is characterized by a combination of overuse and a sedentary lifestyle. This study aimed to describe the percentage of daily time MWC users and able-bodied individuals spend in each arm use intensity level utilizing accelerometers. Arm use intensity levels of the upper arms were defined as stationary, low, mid, and high from the signal magnitude area (SMA) of the segment accelerations based on in-lab MWC activities performed by eight MWC users. Accelerometry data were collected in the free-living environments from forty MWC users and 40 sex- and age-matched able-bodied individuals. The SMA intensity levels were applied to the free-living data and the percentage of time spent in each level was calculated. The SMA intensity levels were defined as, stationary: ≤0.67 g, low: 0.671–3.27 g, mid: 3.27–5.87 g, and high: >5.871 g. The dominant arm of both MWC users and able-bodied individuals was stationary for most of the day and less than one percent of the day was spent in high intensity arm activities. Increased MWC user age correlated with increased stationary arm time (R = 0.368, p = 0.019). Five and eight days of data are needed from MWC users and able-bodied individuals, respectively, to achieve reliable representation of their daily arm use intensities.

scholarly journals Application and Reliability of Arm Use Intensities in the Free-Living Environment for Manual Wheelchair Users

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Brianna M Goodwin ◽  
Omid Jahanian ◽  
Meegan G Van Straaten ◽  
Emma Fortune ◽  
Stefan I Madansingh ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Data Collection ◽  
Living Environment ◽  
Video Data ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Intensity Level ◽  
Free Living ◽  
Wheelchair Users ◽  
Cord Injury ◽  
Measurement Units ◽  
Reliable Representation

Arm use in individuals with spinal cord injury who use manual wheelchairs (MWC) is complex, characterized by a combination of overuse and a sedentary lifestyle. This study aimed to calculate arm use intensity levels for MWC users, describe the percentage of daily wear time MWC users and able-bodied individuals spend in each arm use intensity level, and test the reliabilities of the measurements for both MWC users and ablebodied individuals. MWC users wore two inertial measurement units (IMUs) on their bilateral upper arms while performing six MWC-based activities in-lab. Video data were recorded and each second was coded as active or stationary. Acceleration-based signal magnitude area (SMA) ranges were defined for stationary, low, mid, and high arm use intensity levels. IMU data were also collected in the freeliving environments for MWC users and able-bodied individuals for four days (3 weekdays and 1 weekend day). The SMA levels were applied to the free-living data from the dominant arm and the percentage of time spent in each level was calculated. The required number of days to achieve moderate, good, and excellent reliabilities was calculated. Eight adult MWC users with SCI participated in the in-lab data collection and SMA arm use intensity levels were defined as, stationary: ≤ 0.67g, low: 0.671-3.27g, mid: 3.271-5.87, and high: > 5.871. Six MWC users and 15 able-bodied individuals completed the free-living data collection. The dominant arm of both MWC users and able-bodied individuals was stationary for the majority of the day. The reliability analysis indicated that at least five and eight days of data are needed from MWC users and ablebodied individuals, respectively, to achieve reliable representation of their overall daily arm use intensities throughout a week. Future research is needed to understand the recovery time associated with stationary arm use and if it differs between MWC users and matched able-bodied individuals. At least five days of data should be collected when utilizing these methods for MWC users. The methods presented here will contribute to understanding the mechanisms which cause increased shoulder pain and pathology for MWC users.

scholarly journals Select and resequence reveals relative fitness of bacteria in symbiotic and free-living environments

2018 ◽  
Vol 115 (10) ◽  
pp. 2425-2430 ◽  
Author(s):  
Liana T. Burghardt ◽  
Brendan Epstein ◽  
Joseph Guhlin ◽  
Matt S. Nelson ◽  
Margaret R. Taylor ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Symbiotic Bacterium ◽  
Living Environment ◽  
Genomic Variation ◽  
Relative Fitness ◽  
Free Living ◽  
Bacterial Populations ◽  
Single Strain ◽  
Plant Hosts ◽  
Forward Genetic Screens ◽  
Living Environments

Assays to accurately estimate relative fitness of bacteria growing in multistrain communities can advance our understanding of how selection shapes diversity within a lineage. Here, we present a variant of the “evolve and resequence” approach both to estimate relative fitness and to identify genetic variants responsible for fitness variation of symbiotic bacteria in free-living and host environments. We demonstrate the utility of this approach by characterizing selection by two plant hosts and in two free-living environments (sterilized soil and liquid media) acting on synthetic communities of the facultatively symbiotic bacteriumEnsifer meliloti. We find (i) selection that hosts exert on rhizobial communities depends on competition among strains, (ii) selection is stronger inside hosts than in either free-living environment, and (iii) a positive host-dependent relationship between relative strain fitness in multistrain communities and host benefits provided by strains in single-strain experiments. The greatest changes in allele frequencies in response to plant hosts are in genes associated with motility, regulation of nitrogen fixation, and host/rhizobia signaling. The approach we present provides a powerful complement to experimental evolution and forward genetic screens for characterizing selection in bacterial populations, identifying gene function, and surveying the functional importance of naturally occurring genomic variation.

scholarly journals Feasibility, Safety, and Preliminary Effectiveness of a Home-Based Self-Managed High-Intensity Interval Training Program Offered to Long-Term Manual Wheelchair Users

2018 ◽  
Vol 2018 ◽  
pp. 1-15 ◽  
Author(s):  
Cindy Gauthier ◽  
Rachel Brosseau ◽  
Audrey L. Hicks ◽  
Dany H. Gagnon
Keyword(s):  
Shoulder Pain ◽  
Cardiorespiratory Fitness ◽  
High Intensity ◽  
Interval Training ◽  
Moderate Intensity ◽  
High Intensity Interval Training ◽  
Wheelchair Users ◽  
Manual Wheelchair ◽  
Home Based ◽  
High Intensity Interval

Objectives. To investigate and compare the feasibility, safety, and preliminary effectiveness of home-based self-managed manual wheelchair high-intensity interval training (HIIT) and moderate-intensity continuous training (MICT) programs.Methods. Eleven manual wheelchair users were randomly assigned to the HIIT (n=6) or the MICT group (n=5). Both six-week programs consisted of three 40-minute propulsion training sessions per week. The HIIT group alternated between 30 s high-intensity intervals and 60 s low-intensity intervals, whereas the MICT group maintained a constant moderate intensity. Cardiorespiratory fitness, upper limb strength, and shoulder pain were measured before and after the programs. Participants completed a questionnaire on the programs that explored general areas of feasibility.Results. The answers to the questionnaire demonstrated that both training programs were feasible in the community. No severe adverse events occurred, although some participants experienced increased shoulder pain during HIIT. Neither program yielded a significant change in cardiorespiratory fitness or upper limb strength. However, both groups reported moderate to significant subjective improvement.Conclusion. Home-based wheelchair HIIT appears feasible and safe although potential development of shoulder pain remains a concern and should be addressed with a future preventive shoulder exercise program. Some recommendations have been proposed for a larger study aiming to strengthen evidence regarding the feasibility, safety, and effectiveness of HIIT.

scholarly journals Pain and its impact on functioning and disability in manual wheelchair users with spinal cord injury: a protocol for a mixed-methods study

BMJ Open ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
pp. e044152
Author(s):  
Mokgadi Kholofelo Mashola ◽  
Elzette Korkie ◽  
Diphale Joyce Mothabeng
Keyword(s):  
Spinal Cord ◽  
Spinal Cord Injury ◽  
South African ◽  
Phase 1 ◽  
Pain Medication ◽  
Self Management ◽  
Medication Misuse ◽  
Wheelchair Users ◽  
Manual Wheelchair ◽  
Cord Injury

IntroductionApproximately 80% of people with spinal cord injury experience clinically significant chronic pain. Pain (whether musculoskeletal or neuropathic) is consistently rated as one of the most difficult problems to manage and negatively affects the individual’s physical, psychological and social functioning and increases the risk of pain medication misuse and poor mental health. The aim of this study is to therefore determine the presence of pain and its impact on functioning and disability as well as to develop a framework for self-management of pain for South African manual wheelchair users with spinal cord injury.Methods and analysisCommunity-dwelling participants with spinal cord injury will be invited to participate in this three-phase study. Phase 1 will use a quantitative, correlational design to determine factors related to pain such as pectoralis minor length, scapular dyskinesis, wheelchair functioning, physical quality of life, community reintegration and pain medication misuse. Demographic determinants of pain such as age, gender, type of occupation, completeness of injury and neurological level of injury will also be investigated. Participants with pain identified in phase 1 will be invited to partake in a qualitative descriptive and contextually designed phase 2 to explore their lived experience of pain through in-depth interviews. The results of phases 1 and 2 will then be used with the assistance from experts to develop a framework for self-management of pain using a modified Delphi study. Data analysis will include descriptive and inferential statistics (quantitative data) and thematic content analysis (qualitative data).Ethics and disseminationApproval for this study is granted by the Faculty of Health Sciences Research Ethics Committee of the University of the Pretoria (approval number 125/2018). This study is registered with the South African National Health Research Database (reference GP201806005). This study’s findings will be shared in academic conferences and published in scientific peer-reviewed journals.

scholarly journals Effect of service dogs on manual wheelchair users with spinal cord injury: A pilot study

2013 ◽  
Vol 50 (3) ◽  
pp. 341 ◽  
Author(s):  
Geoffroy Hubert ◽  
Michel Tousignant ◽  
Fran�ois Routhier ◽  
H�l�ne Corriveau ◽  
No�l Champagne
Keyword(s):  
Spinal Cord ◽  
Spinal Cord Injury ◽  
Pilot Study ◽  
Service Dogs ◽  
Wheelchair Users ◽  
Manual Wheelchair ◽  
Cord Injury

Towards Early Detection and Burden Estimation of Atrial Fibrillation in an Ambulatory Free-living Environment

2021 ◽  
Vol 5 (2) ◽  
pp. 1-19
Author(s):  
Hanbin Zhang ◽  
Li Zhu ◽  
Viswam Nathan ◽  
Jilong Kuang ◽  
Jacob Kim ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Neural Network ◽  
Atrial Fibrillation ◽  
Early Detection ◽  
Daily Living ◽  
Research Study ◽  
Heart Rhythm ◽  
Living Environment ◽  
User Engagement ◽  
Free Living ◽  
Time Frequency

Early detection and accurate burden estimation of atrial fibrillation (AFib) can provide the foundation for effective physician treatment. New approaches to accomplish this have attracted tremendous attention in recent years. In this paper, we develop a novel passive smartwatch-based system to detect AFib episodes and estimate the AFib burden in an ambulatory free-living environment without user engagement. Our system leverages a built-in PPG sensor to collect heart rhythm without user engagement. Then, a data preprocessor module includes time-frequency (TF) analysis to augment features in both the time and frequency domain. Finally, a lightweight multi-view convolutional neural network consisting of 19 layers achieves the AFib detection. To validate our system, we carry out a research study that enrolls 53 participants across three months, where we collect and annotate more than 27,622 hours of data. Our system achieves an average of 91.6% accuracy, 93.0% specificity, and 90.8% sensitivity without dropping any data. Moreover, our system takes 0.51 million parameters and costs 5.18 ms per inference. These results reveal that our proposed system can provide a clinical assessment of AFib in daily living.

Evaluating the Functionality and Usability of Two Novel Wheelchair Anti-Rollback Devices for Ramp Ascent in Manual Wheelchair Users With Spinal Cord Injury

PM&R ◽  
2016 ◽  
Vol 9 (5) ◽  
pp. 483-493 ◽  
Author(s):  
Susan L. Deems-Dluhy ◽  
Chandrasekaran Jayaraman ◽  
Steve Green ◽  
Mark V. Albert ◽  
Arun Jayaraman
Keyword(s):  
Spinal Cord ◽  
Spinal Cord Injury ◽  
Wheelchair Users ◽  
Manual Wheelchair ◽  
Cord Injury

scholarly journals Objective measurement of physical activity in Macaca fascicularis

1982 ◽  
Vol 16 (3) ◽  
pp. 240-243
Author(s):  
Wayne T. Corbett ◽  
Harry M. Schey ◽  
A. W. Green
Keyword(s):  
Physical Activity ◽  
Standard Deviation ◽  
Macaca Fascicularis ◽  
Living Environment ◽  
Activity Levels ◽  
Free Living ◽  
Activity Measurements ◽  
Active Intermediate ◽  
The Mean ◽  
The Relationship

The mean and standard deviation over 24 h for 3 groups of animals - active, intermediate and inactive - in physical activity units were 10948 ± 3360, 2611 ± 1973 and 484 ± 316 respectively. The differences were significant ( P = 0·004), demonstrating the ability of the method to distinguish between groups that can be visibly differentiated. The small within-animal physical activity standard deviation (18·85 PAU) obtained in another group, suggests that it also yields reliable physical activity measurements for non-human primates. The monitoring device used can discriminate between individual nonhuman primate physical activity levels in a free-living environment and does not alter daily behaviour. This makes possible the study of the relationship between physical activity and atherosclerosis in nonhuman primates.

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