End-State Comfort Across the Lifespan: A Cross-Sectional Investigation of How Movement Context Influences Motor Planning in an Overturned Glass Task.

PubMed

Scharoun, Sara M; Gonzalez, David A; Roy, Eric A; Bryden, Pamela J

2018-04-01

Young adults plan actions in advance to minimize the cost of movement. This is exemplified by the end-state comfort (ESC) effect. A pattern of improvement in ESC in children is linked to the development of cognitive control processes, and decline in older adults is attributed to cognitive decline. This study used a cross-sectional design to examine how movement context (pantomime, demonstration with image/glass as a guide, actual grasping) influences between-hand differences in ESC planning. Children (5- to 12-year-olds), young adults, and two groups of older adults (aged 60-70, and aged 71 and older) were assessed. Findings provide evidence for adult-like patterns of ESC in 8-year-olds. Results are attributed to improvements in proprioceptive acuity and proficiency in generating and implementing internal representations of action. For older adults early in the aging process, sensitivity to ESC did not differ from young adults. However, with increasing age, differences reflect challenges in motor planning with increases in cognitive demand, similar to previous work. Findings have implications for understanding lifespan motor behavior.

Planning of visually guided reach-to-grasp movements: inference from reaction time and contingent negative variation (CNV).

PubMed

Zaepffel, Manuel; Brochier, Thomas

2012-01-01

We performed electroencephalogram (EEG) recording in a precuing task to investigate the planning processes of reach-to-grasp movements in human. In this reaction time (RT) task, subjects had to reach, grasp, and pull an object as fast as possible after a visual GO signal. We manipulated two parameters: the hand shape for grasping (precision grip or side grip) and the force required to pull the object (high or low). Three seconds before the GO onset, a cue provided advance information about force, grip, both parameters, or no information at all. EEG data show that reach-to-grasp movements generate differences in the topographic distribution of the late Contingent Negative Variation (ICNV) amplitude between the 4 precuing conditions. Along with RT data, it confirms that two distinct functional networks are involved with different time courses in the planning of grip and force. Finally, we outline the composite nature of the lCNV that might reflect both high- and low-level planning processes. Copyright © 2011 Society for Psychophysiological Research.

The Evolution of PLA's Planning Model.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Elsner, Edward J.

2002-01-01

Explores the movement toward community-centered standards in public libraries. Tracks the changes of the Public Library Association's (PLA's) planning model through four incarnations, summarizes each model, and examines trends and suggests a way to use the various models together for an easier planning process. (Author/LRW)

Rhythmic Oscillations of Visual Contrast Sensitivity Synchronized with Action

PubMed Central

Tomassini, Alice; Spinelli, Donatella; Jacono, Marco; Sandini, Giulio; Morrone, Maria Concetta

2016-01-01

It is well known that the motor and the sensory systems structure sensory data collection and cooperate to achieve an efficient integration and exchange of information. Increasing evidence suggests that both motor and sensory functions are regulated by rhythmic processes reflecting alternating states of neuronal excitability, and these may be involved in mediating sensory-motor interactions. Here we show an oscillatory fluctuation in early visual processing time locked with the execution of voluntary action, and, crucially, even for visual stimuli irrelevant to the motor task. Human participants were asked to perform a reaching movement toward a display and judge the orientation of a Gabor patch, near contrast threshold, briefly presented at random times before and during the reaching movement. When the data are temporally aligned to the onset of movement, visual contrast sensitivity oscillates with periodicity within the theta band. Importantly, the oscillations emerge during the motor planning stage, ~500 ms before movement onset. We suggest that brain oscillatory dynamics may mediate an automatic coupling between early motor planning and early visual processing, possibly instrumental in linking and closing up the visual-motor control loop. PMID:25948254

When Optimal Feedback Control Is Not Enough: Feedforward Strategies Are Required for Optimal Control with Active Sensing.

PubMed

Yeo, Sang-Hoon; Franklin, David W; Wolpert, Daniel M

2016-12-01

Movement planning is thought to be primarily determined by motor costs such as inaccuracy and effort. Solving for the optimal plan that minimizes these costs typically leads to specifying a time-varying feedback controller which both generates the movement and can optimally correct for errors that arise within a movement. However, the quality of the sensory feedback during a movement can depend substantially on the generated movement. We show that by incorporating such state-dependent sensory feedback, the optimal solution incorporates active sensing and is no longer a pure feedback process but includes a significant feedforward component. To examine whether people take into account such state-dependency in sensory feedback we asked people to make movements in which we controlled the reliability of sensory feedback. We made the visibility of the hand state-dependent, such that the visibility was proportional to the component of hand velocity in a particular direction. Subjects gradually adapted to such a sensory perturbation by making curved hand movements. In particular, they appeared to control the late visibility of the movement matching predictions of the optimal controller with state-dependent sensory noise. Our results show that trajectory planning is not only sensitive to motor costs but takes sensory costs into account and argues for optimal control of movement in which feedforward commands can play a significant role.

Developmental Planning: An Introduction for Parents

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Noland, Jim

2009-01-01

"Developmental Planning" is the thinking process of using developmental milestones as a general basis for planning and predicting needs for the child within the early years. It considers the time frames associated with normal development across all facets of the child's development. The areas include bone and joint development, movement, sensory…

Manual Asymmetries in Bimanual Reaching: The Influence of Spatial Compatibility and Visuospatial Attention

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Neely, K.; Binsted, G.; Heath, M.

2005-01-01

The goal of the present investigation was to explore the possible expression of hemispheric-specific processing during the planning and execution of a bimanual reaching task. Participants (N=9) completed 80 bimanual reaching movements (requiring simultaneous, bilateral production of arm movements) to peripherally presented targets while…

Rainfall-ground movement modelling for natural gas pipelines through landslide terrain

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

O`Neil, G.D.; Simmonds, G.R.; Grivas, D.A.

1996-12-31

Perhaps the greatest challenge to geotechnical engineers is to maintain the integrity of pipelines at river crossings where landslide terrain dominates the approach slopes. The current design process at NOVA Gas Transmission Ltd. (NGTL) has developed to the point where this impact can be reasonably estimated using in-house models of pipeline-soil interaction. To date, there has been no method to estimate ground movements within unexplored slopes at the outset of the design process. To address this problem, rainfall and slope instrumentation data have been processed to derive rainfall-ground movement relationships. Early results indicate that the ground movements exhibit two components:more » a steady, small rate of movement independent of the rainfall, and, increased rates over short periods of time following heavy amounts of rainfall. Evidence exists of a definite threshold value of rainfall which has to be exceeded before any incremental movement is induced. Additional evidence indicates a one-month lag between rainfall and ground movement. While these models are in the preliminary stage, results indicate a potential to estimate ground movements for both initial design and planned maintenance actions.« less

Subliminal display of action words interferes with motor planning: a combined EEG and kinematic study.

PubMed

Boulenger, Véronique; Silber, Beata Y; Roy, Alice C; Paulignan, Yves; Jeannerod, Marc; Nazir, Tatjana A

2008-01-01

Recent evidence has shown that processing action-related language and motor action share common neural representations to a point that the two processes can interfere when performed concurrently. To support the assumption that language-induced motor activity contributes to action word understanding, the present study aimed at ruling out that this activity results from mental imagery of the movements depicted by the words. For this purpose, we examined cross-talk between action word processing and an arm reaching movement, using words that were presented too fast to be consciously perceived (subliminally). Encephalogram (EEG) and movement kinematics were recorded. EEG recordings of the "Readiness potential" ("RP", indicator of motor preparation) revealed that subliminal displays of action verbs during movement preparation reduced the RP and affected the subsequent reaching movement. The finding that motor processes were modulated by language processes despite the fact that words were not consciously perceived, suggests that cortical structures that serve the preparation and execution of motor actions are indeed part of the (action) language processing network.

On Being a Master Planner - A Step by Step Guide. From a Nationwide Study of Environmental Education Planning.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rocchio, Richard; Lee, Eve

This guide demonstrates a new way of utilizing the planning process within a social movement context in view of developing a state master plan for environmental education. In addition the book serves as a guide to realistic planning, including models, definitions, and examples. The guide contains five parts: Part One - The background, Part Two -…

COMAP: a new computational interpretation of human movement planning level based on coordinated minimum angle jerk policies and six universal movement elements.

PubMed

Emadi Andani, Mehran; Bahrami, Fariba

2012-10-01

Flash and Hogan (1985) suggested that the CNS employs a minimum jerk strategy when planning any given movement. Later, Nakano et al. (1999) showed that minimum angle jerk predicts the actual arm trajectory curvature better than the minimum jerk model. Friedman and Flash (2009) confirmed this claim. Besides the behavioral support that we will discuss, we will show that this model allows simplicity in planning any given movement. In particular, we prove mathematically that each movement that satisfies the minimum joint angle jerk condition is reproducible by a linear combination of six functions. These functions are calculated independent of the type of the movement and are normalized in the time domain. Hence, we call these six universal functions the Movement Elements (ME). We also show that the kinematic information at the beginning and end of the movement determines the coefficients of the linear combination. On the other hand, in analyzing recorded data from sit-to-stand (STS) transfer, arm-reaching movement (ARM) and gait, we observed that minimum joint angle jerk condition is satisfied only during different successive phases of these movements and not for the entire movement. Driven by these observations, we assumed that any given ballistic movement may be decomposed into several successive phases without overlap, such that for each phase the minimum joint angle jerk condition is satisfied. At the boundaries of each phase the angular acceleration of each joint should obtain its extremum (zero third derivative). As a consequence, joint angles at each phase will be linear combinations of the introduced MEs. Coefficients of the linear combination at each phase are the values of the joint kinematics at the boundaries of that phase. Finally, we conclude that these observations may constitute the basis of a computational interpretation, put differently, of the strategy used by the Central Nervous System (CNS) for motor planning. We call this possible interpretation "Coordinated Minimum Angle jerk Policy" or COMAP. Based on this policy, the function of the CNS in generating the desired pattern of any given task (like STS, ARM or gait) can be described computationally using three factors: (1) the kinematics of the motor system at given body states, i.e., at certain movement events/instances, (2) the time length of each phase, and (3) the proposed MEs. From a computational point of view, this model significantly simplifies the processes of movement planning as well as feature abstraction for saving characterizing information of any given movement in memory. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Accuracy of planar reaching movements. I. Independence of direction and extent variability.

PubMed

Gordon, J; Ghilardi, M F; Ghez, C

1994-01-01

This study examined the variability in movement end points in a task in which human subjects reached to targets in different locations on a horizontal surface. The primary purpose was to determine whether patterns in the variable errors would reveal the nature and origin of the coordinate system in which the movements were planned. Six subjects moved a hand-held cursor on a digitizing tablet. Target and cursor positions were displayed on a computer screen, and vision of the hand and arm was blocked. The screen cursor was blanked during movement to prevent visual corrections. The paths of the movements were straight and thus directions were largely specified at the onset of movement. The velocity profiles were bell-shaped, and peak velocities and accelerations were scaled to target distance, implying that movement extent was also programmed in advance of the movement. The spatial distributions of movement end points were elliptical in shape. The major axes of these ellipses were systematically oriented in the direction of hand movement with respect to its initial position. This was true for both fast and slow movements, as well as for pointing movements involving rotations of the wrist joint. Using principal components analysis to compute the axes of these ellipses, we found that the eccentricity of the elliptical dispersions was uniformly greater for small than for large movements: variability along the axis of movement, representing extent variability, increased markedly but nonlinearly with distance. Variability perpendicular to the direction of movement, which results from directional errors, was generally smaller than extent variability, but it increased in proportion to the extent of the movement. Therefore, directional variability, in angular terms, was constant and independent of distance. Because the patterns of variability were similar for both slow and fast movements, as well as for movements involving different joints, we conclude that they result largely from errors in the planning process. We also argue that they cannot be simply explained as consequences of the inertial properties of the limb. Rather they provide evidence for an organizing mechanism that moves the limb along a straight path. We further conclude that reaching movements are planned in a hand-centered coordinate system, with direction and extent of hand movement as the planned parameters. Since the factors which influence directional variability are independent of those that influence extent errors, we propose that these two variables can be separately specified by the brain.

Implicit motor learning promotes neural efficiency during laparoscopy.

PubMed

Zhu, Frank F; Poolton, Jamie M; Wilson, Mark R; Hu, Yong; Maxwell, Jon P; Masters, Rich S W

2011-09-01

An understanding of differences in expert and novice neural behavior can inform surgical skills training. Outside the surgical domain, electroencephalographic (EEG) coherence analyses have shown that during motor performance, experts display less coactivation between the verbal-analytic and motor planning regions than their less skilled counterparts. Reduced involvement of verbal-analytic processes suggests greater neural efficiency. The authors tested the utility of an implicit motor learning intervention specifically devised to promote neural efficiency by reducing verbal-analytic involvement in laparoscopic performance. In this study, 18 novices practiced a movement pattern on a laparoscopic trainer with either conscious awareness of the movement pattern (explicit motor learning) or suppressed awareness of the movement pattern (implicit motor learning). In a retention test, movement accuracy was compared between the conditions, and coactivation (EEG coherence) was assessed between the motor planning (Fz) region and both the verbal-analytic (T3) and the visuospatial (T4) cortical regions (T3-Fz and T4-Fz, respectively). Movement accuracy in the conditions was not different in a retention test (P = 0.231). Findings showed that the EEG coherence scores for the T3-Fz regions were lower for the implicit learners than for the explicit learners (P = 0.027), but no differences were apparent for the T4-Fz regions (P = 0.882). Implicit motor learning reduced EEG coactivation between verbal-analytic and motor planning regions, suggesting that verbal-analytic processes were less involved in laparoscopic performance. The findings imply that training techniques that discourage nonessential coactivation during motor performance may provide surgeons with more neural resources with which to manage other aspects of surgery.

The effect of sensory uncertainty due to amblyopia (lazy eye) on the planning and execution of visually-guided 3D reaching movements.

PubMed

Niechwiej-Szwedo, Ewa; Goltz, Herbert C; Chandrakumar, Manokaraananthan; Wong, Agnes M F

2012-01-01

Impairment of spatiotemporal visual processing in amblyopia has been studied extensively, but its effects on visuomotor tasks have rarely been examined. Here, we investigate how visual deficits in amblyopia affect motor planning and online control of visually-guided, unconstrained reaching movements. Thirteen patients with mild amblyopia, 13 with severe amblyopia and 13 visually-normal participants were recruited. Participants reached and touched a visual target during binocular and monocular viewing. Motor planning was assessed by examining spatial variability of the trajectory at 50-100 ms after movement onset. Online control was assessed by examining the endpoint variability and by calculating the coefficient of determination (R(2)) which correlates the spatial position of the limb during the movement to endpoint position. Patients with amblyopia had reduced precision of the motor plan in all viewing conditions as evidenced by increased variability of the reach early in the trajectory. Endpoint precision was comparable between patients with mild amblyopia and control participants. Patients with severe amblyopia had reduced endpoint precision along azimuth and elevation during amblyopic eye viewing only, and along the depth axis in all viewing conditions. In addition, they had significantly higher R(2) values at 70% of movement time along the elevation and depth axes during amblyopic eye viewing. Sensory uncertainty due to amblyopia leads to reduced precision of the motor plan. The ability to implement online corrections depends on the severity of the visual deficit, viewing condition, and the axis of the reaching movement. Patients with mild amblyopia used online control effectively to compensate for the reduced precision of the motor plan. In contrast, patients with severe amblyopia were not able to use online control as effectively to amend the limb trajectory especially along the depth axis, which could be due to their abnormal stereopsis.

The Effect of Sensory Uncertainty Due to Amblyopia (Lazy Eye) on the Planning and Execution of Visually-Guided 3D Reaching Movements

PubMed Central

Niechwiej-Szwedo, Ewa; Goltz, Herbert C.; Chandrakumar, Manokaraananthan; Wong, Agnes M. F.

2012-01-01

Background Impairment of spatiotemporal visual processing in amblyopia has been studied extensively, but its effects on visuomotor tasks have rarely been examined. Here, we investigate how visual deficits in amblyopia affect motor planning and online control of visually-guided, unconstrained reaching movements. Methods Thirteen patients with mild amblyopia, 13 with severe amblyopia and 13 visually-normal participants were recruited. Participants reached and touched a visual target during binocular and monocular viewing. Motor planning was assessed by examining spatial variability of the trajectory at 50–100 ms after movement onset. Online control was assessed by examining the endpoint variability and by calculating the coefficient of determination (R2) which correlates the spatial position of the limb during the movement to endpoint position. Results Patients with amblyopia had reduced precision of the motor plan in all viewing conditions as evidenced by increased variability of the reach early in the trajectory. Endpoint precision was comparable between patients with mild amblyopia and control participants. Patients with severe amblyopia had reduced endpoint precision along azimuth and elevation during amblyopic eye viewing only, and along the depth axis in all viewing conditions. In addition, they had significantly higher R2 values at 70% of movement time along the elevation and depth axes during amblyopic eye viewing. Conclusion Sensory uncertainty due to amblyopia leads to reduced precision of the motor plan. The ability to implement online corrections depends on the severity of the visual deficit, viewing condition, and the axis of the reaching movement. Patients with mild amblyopia used online control effectively to compensate for the reduced precision of the motor plan. In contrast, patients with severe amblyopia were not able to use online control as effectively to amend the limb trajectory especially along the depth axis, which could be due to their abnormal stereopsis. PMID:22363549

Quantifying cross-border movements and migrations for guiding the strategic planning of malaria control and elimination

PubMed Central

2014-01-01

Background Identifying human and malaria parasite movements is important for control planning across all transmission intensities. Imported infections can reintroduce infections into areas previously free of infection, maintain ‘hotspots’ of transmission and import drug resistant strains, challenging national control programmes at a variety of temporal and spatial scales. Recent analyses based on mobile phone usage data have provided valuable insights into population and likely parasite movements within countries, but these data are restricted to sub-national analyses, leaving important cross-border movements neglected. Methods National census data were used to analyse and model cross-border migration and movement, using East Africa as an example. ‘Hotspots’ of origin-specific immigrants from neighbouring countries were identified for Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda. Populations of origin-specific migrants were compared to distance from origin country borders and population size at destination, and regression models were developed to quantify and compare differences in migration patterns. Migration data were then combined with existing spatially-referenced malaria data to compare the relative propensity for cross-border malaria movement in the region. Results The spatial patterns and processes for immigration were different between each origin and destination country pair. Hotspots of immigration, for example, were concentrated close to origin country borders for most immigrants to Tanzania, but for Kenya, a similar pattern was only seen for Tanzanian and Ugandan immigrants. Regression model fits also differed between specific migrant groups, with some migration patterns more dependent on population size at destination and distance travelled than others. With these differences between immigration patterns and processes, and heterogeneous transmission risk in East Africa and the surrounding region, propensities to import malaria infections also likely show substantial variations. Conclusion This was a first attempt to quantify and model cross-border movements relevant to malaria transmission and control. With national census available worldwide, this approach can be translated to construct a cross-border human and malaria movement evidence base for other malaria endemic countries. The outcomes of this study will feed into wider efforts to quantify and model human and malaria movements in endemic regions to facilitate improved intervention planning, resource allocation and collaborative policy decisions. PMID:24886389

The role of strategies in motor learning

PubMed Central

Taylor, Jordan A.; Ivry, Richard B.

2015-01-01

There has been renewed interest in the role of strategies in sensorimotor learning. The combination of new behavioral methods and computational methods has begun to unravel the interaction between processes related to strategic control and processes related to motor adaptation. These processes may operate on very different error signals. Strategy learning is sensitive to goal-based performance error. In contrast, adaptation is sensitive to prediction errors between the desired and actual consequences of a planned movement. The former guides what the desired movement should be, whereas the latter guides how to implement the desired movement. Whereas traditional approaches have favored serial models in which an initial strategy-based phase gives way to more automatized forms of control, it now seems that strategic and adaptive processes operate with considerable independence throughout learning, although the relative weight given the two processes will shift with changes in performance. As such, skill acquisition involves the synergistic engagement of strategic and adaptive processes. PMID:22329960

Age-related differences in the motor planning of a lower leg target matching task.

PubMed

Davies, Brenda L; Gehringer, James E; Kurz, Max J

2015-12-01

While the development and execution of upper extremity motor plans have been well explored, little is known about how individuals plan and execute rapid, goal-directed motor tasks with the lower extremities. Furthermore, the amount of time needed to integrate the proper amount of visual and proprioceptive feedback before being able to accurately execute a goal-directed movement is not well understood; especially in children. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to initially interrogate how the amount of motor planning time provided to a child before movement execution may influence the preparation and execution of a lower leg goal-directed movement. The results displayed that the amount of pre-movement motor planning time provided may influence the reaction time and accuracy of a goal directed leg movement. All subjects in the study had longer reaction times and less accurate movements when no pre-movement motor planning time was provided. In addition, the children had slower reaction times, slower movements, and less accurate movements than the adults for all the presented targets and motor planning times. These results highlight that children may require more time to successfully plan a goal directed movement with the lower extremity. This suggests that children may potentially have less robust internal models than adults for these types of motor skills. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Neural correlates of tactile perception during pre-, peri-, and post-movement.

PubMed

Juravle, Georgiana; Heed, Tobias; Spence, Charles; Röder, Brigitte

2016-05-01

Tactile information is differentially processed over the various phases of goal-directed movements. Here, event-related potentials (ERPs) were used to investigate the neural correlates of tactile and visual information processing during movement. Participants performed goal-directed reaches for an object placed centrally on the table in front of them. Tactile and visual stimulation (100 ms) was presented in separate trials during the different phases of the movement (i.e. preparation, execution, and post-movement). These stimuli were independently delivered to either the moving or resting hand. In a control condition, the participants only performed the movement, while omission (i.e. movement-only) ERPs were recorded. Participants were instructed to ignore the presence or absence of any sensory events and to concentrate solely on the execution of the movement. Enhanced ERPs were observed 80-200 ms after tactile stimulation, as well as 100-250 ms after visual stimulation: These modulations were greatest during the execution of the goal-directed movement, and they were effector based (i.e. significantly more negative for stimuli presented to the moving hand). Furthermore, ERPs revealed enhanced sensory processing during goal-directed movements for visual stimuli as well. Such enhanced processing of both tactile and visual information during the execution phase suggests that incoming sensory information is continuously monitored for a potential adjustment of the current motor plan. Furthermore, the results reported here also highlight a tight coupling between spatial attention and the execution of motor actions.

Movement plans for posture selection do not transfer across hands

PubMed Central

Schütz, Christoph; Schack, Thomas

2015-01-01

In a sequential task, the grasp postures people select depend on their movement history. This motor hysteresis effect results from the reuse of former movement plans and reduces the cognitive cost of movement planning. Movement plans for hand trajectories not only transfer across successive trials, but also across hands. We therefore asked whether such a transfer would also be found in movement plans for hand postures. To this end, we designed a sequential, continuous posture selection task. Participants had to open a column of drawers with cylindrical knobs in ascending and descending sequences. A hand switch was required in each sequence. Hand pro/supination was analyzed directly before and after the hand switch. Results showed that hysteresis effects were present directly before, but absent directly after the hand switch. This indicates that, in the current study, movement plans for hand postures only transfer across trials, but not across hands. PMID:26441734

Enhancing Assessments of Mental Health Programs and Program Planning

DTIC Science & Technology

2012-06-01

Eye Movement Desensitization Reprocessing ( EMDR ) 3. Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT) 4...Department of Defense Instruction EMDR Eye Movement Desensitization Reprocessing FEA Front End Assessment FM Field Manual FOB Forward Operating Base...1.26 N = 47 EMDR 1.04 N = 10 Group .46 N = 6 Other -.53-.78 N = 4 (some ns) Source: Roberts and Schnurr 2012. Slide 64. Large Number of Studies

Nonword Repetition in Children and Adults: Effects on Movement Coordination

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sasisekaran, Jayanthi; Smith, Anne; Sadagopan, Neeraja; Weber-Fox, Christine

2010-01-01

Hearing and repeating novel phonetic sequences, or novel nonwords, is a task that taps many levels of processing, including auditory decoding, phonological processing, working memory, speech motor planning and execution. Investigations of nonword repetition abilities have been framed within models of psycholinguistic processing, while the motor…

Dissociable Stages of Problem Solving (II): First Evidence for Process-Contingent Temporal Order of Activation in Dorsolateral Prefrontal Cortex

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ruh, Nina; Rahm, Benjamin; Unterrainer, Josef M.; Weiller, Cornelius; Kaller, Christoph P.

2012-01-01

In a companion study, eye-movement analyses in the Tower of London task (TOL) revealed independent indicators of functionally separable cognitive processes during problem solving, with processes of building up an internal representation of the problem preceding actual planning processes. These results imply that processes of internalization and…

Expanding the Investment Options in an Employer's Retirement Plan: A Success Story.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Forsyth, Suzanne; Barker, Paul D.

1986-01-01

The American Council on Education's 2-year process of investigation, study, and selection that resulted in the council's movement from TIAA/CREF as its only available retirement plan, to a total of 15 retirement options offered by two insured annuity companies and two mutual fund companies is described. (MLW)

Children's Visual Processing of Egocentric Cues in Action Planning for Reach

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cordova, Alberto; Gabbard, Carl

2011-01-01

In this study the authors examined children's ability to code visual information into an egocentric frame of reference for planning reach movements. Children and adults estimated reach distance via motor imagery in immediate and response-delay conditions. Actual maximum reach was compared to estimates in multiple locations in peripersonal and…

Planning of Ballistic Movement following Stroke: Insights from the Startle Reflex

PubMed Central

Honeycutt, Claire Fletcher; Perreault, Eric Jon

2012-01-01

Following stroke, reaching movements are slow, segmented, and variable. It is unclear if these deficits result from a poorly constructed movement plan or an inability to voluntarily execute an appropriate plan. The acoustic startle reflex provides a means to initiate a motor plan involuntarily. In the presence of a movement plan, startling acoustic stimulus triggers non-voluntary early execution of planned movement, a phenomenon known as the startReact response. In unimpaired individuals, the startReact response is identical to a voluntarily initiated movement, except that it is elicited 30–40 ms. As the startReact response is thought to be mediated by brainstem pathways, we hypothesized that the startReact response is intact in stroke subjects. If startReact is intact, it may be possible to elicit more task-appropriate patterns of muscle activation than can be elicited voluntarily. We found that startReact responses were intact following stroke. Responses were initiated as rapidly as those in unimpaired subjects, and with muscle coordination patterns resembling those seen during unimpaired volitional movements. Results were striking for elbow flexion movements, which demonstrated no significant differences between the startReact responses elicited in our stroke and unimpaired subject groups. The results during planned extension movements were less straightforward for stroke subjects, since the startReact response exhibited task inappropriate activity in the flexors. This inappropriate activity diminished over time. This adaptation suggests that the inappropriate activity was transient in nature and not related to the underlying movement plan. We hypothesize that the task-inappropriate flexor activity during extension results from an inability to suppress the classic startle reflex, which primarily influences flexor muscles and adapts rapidly with successive stimuli. These results indicate that stroke subjects are capable of planning ballistic elbow movements, and that when these planned movements are involuntarily executed they can be as rapid and appropriate as those in unimpaired individuals. PMID:22952634

The Generalization of Visuomotor Learning to Untrained Movements and Movement Sequences Based on Movement Vector and Goal Location Remapping

PubMed Central

Wu, Howard G.

2013-01-01

The planning of goal-directed movements is highly adaptable; however, the basic mechanisms underlying this adaptability are not well understood. Even the features of movement that drive adaptation are hotly debated, with some studies suggesting remapping of goal locations and others suggesting remapping of the movement vectors leading to goal locations. However, several previous motor learning studies and the multiplicity of the neural coding underlying visually guided reaching movements stand in contrast to this either/or debate on the modes of motor planning and adaptation. Here we hypothesize that, during visuomotor learning, the target location and movement vector of trained movements are separately remapped, and we propose a novel computational model for how motor plans based on these remappings are combined during the control of visually guided reaching in humans. To test this hypothesis, we designed a set of experimental manipulations that effectively dissociated the effects of remapping goal location and movement vector by examining the transfer of visuomotor adaptation to untrained movements and movement sequences throughout the workspace. The results reveal that (1) motor adaptation differentially remaps goal locations and movement vectors, and (2) separate motor plans based on these features are effectively averaged during motor execution. We then show that, without any free parameters, the computational model we developed for combining movement-vector-based and goal-location-based planning predicts nearly 90% of the variance in novel movement sequences, even when multiple attributes are simultaneously adapted, demonstrating for the first time the ability to predict how motor adaptation affects movement sequence planning. PMID:23804099

A Neural Dynamic Architecture for Reaching and Grasping Integrates Perception and Movement Generation and Enables On-Line Updating.

PubMed

Knips, Guido; Zibner, Stephan K U; Reimann, Hendrik; Schöner, Gregor

2017-01-01

Reaching for objects and grasping them is a fundamental skill for any autonomous robot that interacts with its environment. Although this skill seems trivial to adults, who effortlessly pick up even objects they have never seen before, it is hard for other animals, for human infants, and for most autonomous robots. Any time during movement preparation and execution, human reaching movement are updated if the visual scene changes (with a delay of about 100 ms). The capability for online updating highlights how tightly perception, movement planning, and movement generation are integrated in humans. Here, we report on an effort to reproduce this tight integration in a neural dynamic process model of reaching and grasping that covers the complete path from visual perception to movement generation within a unified modeling framework, Dynamic Field Theory. All requisite processes are realized as time-continuous dynamical systems that model the evolution in time of neural population activation. Population level neural processes bring about the attentional selection of objects, the estimation of object shape and pose, and the mapping of pose parameters to suitable movement parameters. Once a target object has been selected, its pose parameters couple into the neural dynamics of movement generation so that changes of pose are propagated through the architecture to update the performed movement online. Implementing the neural architecture on an anthropomorphic robot arm equipped with a Kinect sensor, we evaluate the model by grasping wooden objects. Their size, shape, and pose are estimated from a neural model of scene perception that is based on feature fields. The sequential organization of a reach and grasp act emerges from a sequence of dynamic instabilities within a neural dynamics of behavioral organization, that effectively switches the neural controllers from one phase of the action to the next. Trajectory formation itself is driven by a dynamical systems version of the potential field approach. We highlight the emergent capacity for online updating by showing that a shift or rotation of the object during the reaching phase leads to the online adaptation of the movement plan and successful completion of the grasp.

A Neural Dynamic Architecture for Reaching and Grasping Integrates Perception and Movement Generation and Enables On-Line Updating

PubMed Central

Knips, Guido; Zibner, Stephan K. U.; Reimann, Hendrik; Schöner, Gregor

2017-01-01

Reaching for objects and grasping them is a fundamental skill for any autonomous robot that interacts with its environment. Although this skill seems trivial to adults, who effortlessly pick up even objects they have never seen before, it is hard for other animals, for human infants, and for most autonomous robots. Any time during movement preparation and execution, human reaching movement are updated if the visual scene changes (with a delay of about 100 ms). The capability for online updating highlights how tightly perception, movement planning, and movement generation are integrated in humans. Here, we report on an effort to reproduce this tight integration in a neural dynamic process model of reaching and grasping that covers the complete path from visual perception to movement generation within a unified modeling framework, Dynamic Field Theory. All requisite processes are realized as time-continuous dynamical systems that model the evolution in time of neural population activation. Population level neural processes bring about the attentional selection of objects, the estimation of object shape and pose, and the mapping of pose parameters to suitable movement parameters. Once a target object has been selected, its pose parameters couple into the neural dynamics of movement generation so that changes of pose are propagated through the architecture to update the performed movement online. Implementing the neural architecture on an anthropomorphic robot arm equipped with a Kinect sensor, we evaluate the model by grasping wooden objects. Their size, shape, and pose are estimated from a neural model of scene perception that is based on feature fields. The sequential organization of a reach and grasp act emerges from a sequence of dynamic instabilities within a neural dynamics of behavioral organization, that effectively switches the neural controllers from one phase of the action to the next. Trajectory formation itself is driven by a dynamical systems version of the potential field approach. We highlight the emergent capacity for online updating by showing that a shift or rotation of the object during the reaching phase leads to the online adaptation of the movement plan and successful completion of the grasp. PMID:28303100

Pointing to double-step visual stimuli from a standing position: motor corrections when the speed-accuracy trade-off is unexpectedly modified in-flight. A breakdown of the perception-action coupling.

PubMed

Fautrelle, L; Barbieri, G; Ballay, Y; Bonnetblanc, F

2011-10-27

The time required to complete a fast and accurate movement is a function of its amplitude and the target size. This phenomenon refers to the well known speed-accuracy trade-off. Some interpretations have suggested that the speed-accuracy trade-off is already integrated into the movement planning phase. More specifically, pointing movements may be planned to minimize the variance of the final hand position. However, goal-directed movements can be altered at any time, if for instance, the target location is changed during execution. Thus, one possible limitation of these interpretations may be that they underestimate feedback processes. To further investigate this hypothesis we designed an experiment in which the speed-accuracy trade-off was unexpectedly varied at the hand movement onset by modifying separately the target distance or size, or by modifying both of them simultaneously. These pointing movements were executed from an upright standing position. Our main results showed that the movement time increased when there was a change to the size or location of the target. In addition, the terminal variability of finger position did not change. In other words, it showed that the movement velocity is modulated according to the target size and distance during motor programming or during the final approach, independently of the final variability of the hand position. It suggests that when the speed-accuracy trade-off is unexpectedly modified, terminal feedbacks based on intermediate representations of the endpoint velocity are used to monitor and control the hand displacement. There is clearly no obvious perception-action coupling in this case but rather intermediate processing that may be involved. Copyright © 2011 IBRO. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

There and back again: putting the vectorial movement planning hypothesis to a critical test.

PubMed

Kobak, Eva-Maria; Cardoso de Oliveira, Simone

2014-01-01

Based on psychophysical evidence about how learning of visuomotor transformation generalizes, it has been suggested that movements are planned on the basis of movement direction and magnitude, i.e., the vector connecting movement origin and targets. This notion is also known under the term "vectorial planning hypothesis". Previous psychophysical studies, however, have included separate areas of the workspace for training movements and testing the learning. This study eliminates this confounding factor by investigating the transfer of learning from forward to backward movements in a center-out-and-back task, in which the workspace for both movements is completely identical. Visual feedback allowed for learning only during movements towards the target (forward movements) and not while moving back to the origin (backward movements). When subjects learned the visuomotor rotation in forward movements, initial directional errors in backward movements also decreased to some degree. This learning effect in backward movements occurred predominantly when backward movements featured the same movement directions as the ones trained in forward movements (i.e., when opposite targets were presented). This suggests that learning was transferred in a direction specific way, supporting the notion that movement direction is the most prominent parameter used for motor planning.

Frames of reference in action plan recall: influence of hand and handedness.

PubMed

Seegelke, Christian; Hughes, Charmayne M L; Wunsch, Kathrin; van der Wel, Robrecht; Weigelt, Matthias

2015-10-01

Evidence suggests that people are more likely to recall features of previous plans and use them for subsequent movements, rather than generating action plans from scratch for each movement. The information used for plan recall during object manipulation tasks is stored in extrinsic (object-centered) rather than intrinsic (body-centered) coordinates. The present study examined whether action plan recall processes are influenced by manual asymmetries. Right-handed (Experiment 1) and left-handed (Experiment 2) participants grasped a plunger from a home position using either the dominant or the non-dominant hand and placed it at one of the three target positions located at varying heights (home-to-target moves). Subsequently, they stepped sideways down from a podium (step-down podium), onto a podium (step-up podium), or without any podium present (no podium), before returning the plunger to the home platform using the same hand (target-back-to-home moves). The data show that, regardless of hand and handedness, participants grasped the plunger at similar heights during the home-to-target and target-back-to-home moves, even if they had to adopt quite different arm postures to do so. Thus, these findings indicate that the information used for plan recall processes in sequential object manipulation tasks is stored in extrinsic coordinates and in an effector-independent manner.

Uncertainty reduction in intensity modulated proton therapy by inverse Monte Carlo treatment planning

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Morávek, Zdenek; Rickhey, Mark; Hartmann, Matthias; Bogner, Ludwig

2009-08-01

Treatment plans for intensity-modulated proton therapy may be sensitive to some sources of uncertainty. One source is correlated with approximations of the algorithms applied in the treatment planning system and another one depends on how robust the optimization is with regard to intra-fractional tissue movements. The irradiated dose distribution may substantially deteriorate from the planning when systematic errors occur in the dose algorithm. This can influence proton ranges and lead to improper modeling of the Braggpeak degradation in heterogeneous structures or particle scatter or the nuclear interaction part. Additionally, systematic errors influence the optimization process, which leads to the convergence error. Uncertainties with regard to organ movements are related to the robustness of a chosen beam setup to tissue movements on irradiation. We present the inverse Monte Carlo treatment planning system IKO for protons (IKO-P), which tries to minimize the errors described above to a large extent. Additionally, robust planning is introduced by beam angle optimization according to an objective function penalizing paths representing strongly longitudinal and transversal tissue heterogeneities. The same score function is applied to optimize spot planning by the selection of a robust choice of spots. As spots can be positioned on different energy grids or on geometric grids with different space filling factors, a variety of grids were used to investigate the influence on the spot-weight distribution as a result of optimization. A tighter distribution of spot weights was assumed to result in a more robust plan with respect to movements. IKO-P is described in detail and demonstrated on a test case and a lung cancer case as well. Different options of spot planning and grid types are evaluated, yielding a superior plan quality with dose delivery to the spots from all beam directions over optimized beam directions. This option shows a tighter spot-weight distribution and should therefore be less sensitive to movements compared to optimized directions. But accepting a slight loss in plan quality, the latter choice could potentially improve robustness even further by accepting only spots from the most proper direction. The choice of a geometric grid instead of an energy grid for spot positioning has only a minor influence on the plan quality, at least for the investigated lung case.

Proactive Risk Assessments and the Continuity of Business Principles: Perspectives on This Novel, Combined Approach to Develop Guidance for the Permitted Movement of Agricultural Products during a Foot-and-Mouth Disease Outbreak in the United States.

PubMed

Goldsmith, Timothy J; Culhane, Marie Rene; Sampedro, Fernando; Cardona, Carol J

2016-01-01

Animal diseases such as foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) have the potential to severely impact food animal production systems. Paradoxically, the collateral damage associated with the outbreak response may create a larger threat to the food supply, social stability, and economic viability of rural communities than the disease itself. When FMD occurs in domestic animals, most developed countries will implement strict movement controls in the area surrounding the infected farm(s). Historically, stopping all animal movements has been considered one of the most effective ways to control FMD and stop disease spread. However, stopping all movements in an area comes at a cost, as there are often uninfected herds and flocks within the control area. The inability to harvest uninfected animals and move their products to processing interrupts the food supply chain and has the potential to result in an enormous waste of safe, nutritious animal products, and create animal welfare situations. In addition, these adverse effects may negatively impact agriculture businesses and the related economy. Effective disease control measures and the security of the food supply thus require a balanced approach based on science and practicality. Evaluating the risks associated with the movement of live animals and products before an outbreak happens provides valuable insights for risk management plans. These plans can optimize animal and product movements while preventing disease spread. Food security benefits from emergency response plans that both control the disease and keep our food system functional. Therefore, emergency response plans must aim to minimize the unintended negative consequence to farmers, food processors, rural communities, and ultimately consumers.

Multiadaptive Plan (MAP) IMRT to Accommodate Independent Movement of the Prostate and Pelvic Lymph Nodes

DTIC Science & Technology

2013-06-01

08-1-0358 TITLE: Multiadaptive Plan (MAP) IMRT to Accommodate Independent Movement of the Prostate and Pelvic Lymph Nodes PRINCIPAL...AND SUBTITLE Multi-Adaptive Plan (MAP) IMRT to Accommodate Independent 5a. CONTRACT NUMBER W81XWH-08-1-0358 Movement of the Prostate and...multi-adaptive plan (MAP) IMRT to accommodate independent movement of the two targeted tumor volumes. In this project, we evaluated two adaptive

A switching cost for motor planning

PubMed Central

Lefèvre, Philippe

2016-01-01

Movement planning consists of choosing the intended endpoint of the movement and selecting the motor program that will bring the effector on the endpoint. It is widely accepted that movement endpoint is updated on a trial-by-trial basis with respect to the observed errors and that the motor program for a given movement follows the rules of optimal feedback control. In this article, we show clear limitations of these theories. First, participants in the current study could not tune their motor program appropriately for each individual trial. This was true even when the participants selected the width of the target that they reached toward or when they had learned the appropriate motor program previously. These data are compatible with the existence of a switching cost for motor planning, which relates to the drop in performance due to an imposed switch of motor programs. This cost of switching shares many features of costs reported in cognitive task switching experiments and, when tested in the same participants, was correlated with it. Second, we found that randomly changing the width of a target over the course of a reaching experiment prevents the motor system from updating the endpoint of movements on the basis of the performance on the previous trial if the width of the target has changed. These results provide new insights into the process of motor planning and how it relates to optimal control theory and to an action selection based on the reward consequences of the motor program rather than that based on the observed error. PMID:27655964

A switching cost for motor planning.

PubMed

Orban de Xivry, Jean-Jacques; Lefèvre, Philippe

2016-12-01

Movement planning consists of choosing the intended endpoint of the movement and selecting the motor program that will bring the effector on the endpoint. It is widely accepted that movement endpoint is updated on a trial-by-trial basis with respect to the observed errors and that the motor program for a given movement follows the rules of optimal feedback control. In this article, we show clear limitations of these theories. First, participants in the current study could not tune their motor program appropriately for each individual trial. This was true even when the participants selected the width of the target that they reached toward or when they had learned the appropriate motor program previously. These data are compatible with the existence of a switching cost for motor planning, which relates to the drop in performance due to an imposed switch of motor programs. This cost of switching shares many features of costs reported in cognitive task switching experiments and, when tested in the same participants, was correlated with it. Second, we found that randomly changing the width of a target over the course of a reaching experiment prevents the motor system from updating the endpoint of movements on the basis of the performance on the previous trial if the width of the target has changed. These results provide new insights into the process of motor planning and how it relates to optimal control theory and to an action selection based on the reward consequences of the motor program rather than that based on the observed error. Copyright © 2016 the American Physiological Society.

Planning for Materials Processing in Space

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1977-01-01

A systems design study to describe the conceptual evolution, the institutional interrelationshiphs, and the basic physical requirements to implement materials processing in space was conducted. Planning for a processing era, rather than hardware design, was emphasized. Product development in space was examined in terms of fluid phenomena, phase separation, and heat and mass transfer. The effect of materials processing on the environment was studied. A concept for modular, unmanned orbiting facilities using the modified external tank of the space shuttle is presented. Organizational and finding structures which would provide for the efficient movement of materials from user to space are discussed.

Humanitarian Assistance: Adapting the Process to Meet the Military’s Evolving Role in Non-Traditional Missions

DTIC Science & Technology

1993-12-01

action to support humanitarian relief and democratic movements " (Towell, 1992, p. 3761). The U.S. 2 led coalition, from December 1992 through May...similar to planning and executing the movement phase of wartime contingencies. Therefore, these activities in humanitarian relief missions also serve...DISASTZR _ CATUGORIZS ORIGINS ZXARPLUS NATURAL METEOROLOGICAL STORMS, DROUGHTS TOPOLOGICAL FLOODS, LANDSLIDES TELLURIC /TECTONIC EARTHQUAKES BIOLOGICAL

Reading "sun" and looking up: the influence of language on saccadic eye movements in the vertical dimension.

PubMed

Dudschig, Carolin; Souman, Jan; Lachmair, Martin; de la Vega, Irmgard; Kaup, Barbara

2013-01-01

Traditionally, language processing has been attributed to a separate system in the brain, which supposedly works in an abstract propositional manner. However, there is increasing evidence suggesting that language processing is strongly interrelated with sensorimotor processing. Evidence for such an interrelation is typically drawn from interactions between language and perception or action. In the current study, the effect of words that refer to entities in the world with a typical location (e.g., sun, worm) on the planning of saccadic eye movements was investigated. Participants had to perform a lexical decision task on visually presented words and non-words. They responded by moving their eyes to a target in an upper (lower) screen position for a word (non-word) or vice versa. Eye movements were faster to locations compatible with the word's referent in the real world. These results provide evidence for the importance of linguistic stimuli in directing eye movements, even if the words do not directly transfer directional information.

The costs of changing an intended action: movement planning, but not execution, interferes with verbal working memory.

PubMed

Spiegel, M A; Koester, D; Weigelt, M; Schack, T

2012-02-16

How much cognitive effort does it take to change a movement plan? In previous studies, it has been shown that humans plan and represent actions in advance, but it remains unclear whether or not action planning and verbal working memory share cognitive resources. Using a novel experimental paradigm, we combined in two experiments a grasp-to-place task with a verbal working memory task. Participants planned a placing movement toward one of two target positions and subsequently encoded and maintained visually presented letters. Both experiments revealed that re-planning the intended action reduced letter recall performance; execution time, however, was not influenced by action modifications. The results of Experiment 2 suggest that the action's interference with verbal working memory arose during the planning rather than the execution phase of the movement. Together, our results strongly suggest that movement planning and verbal working memory share common cognitive resources. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

The Binding of Learning to Action in Motor Adaptation

PubMed Central

Gonzalez Castro, Luis Nicolas; Monsen, Craig Bryant; Smith, Maurice A.

2011-01-01

In motor tasks, errors between planned and actual movements generally result in adaptive changes which reduce the occurrence of similar errors in the future. It has commonly been assumed that the motor adaptation arising from an error occurring on a particular movement is specifically associated with the motion that was planned. Here we show that this is not the case. Instead, we demonstrate the binding of the adaptation arising from an error on a particular trial to the motion experienced on that same trial. The formation of this association means that future movements planned to resemble the motion experienced on a given trial benefit maximally from the adaptation arising from it. This reflects the idea that actual rather than planned motions are assigned ‘credit’ for motor errors because, in a computational sense, the maximal adaptive response would be associated with the condition credited with the error. We studied this process by examining the patterns of generalization associated with motor adaptation to novel dynamic environments during reaching arm movements in humans. We found that these patterns consistently matched those predicted by adaptation associated with the actual rather than the planned motion, with maximal generalization observed where actual motions were clustered. We followed up these findings by showing that a novel training procedure designed to leverage this newfound understanding of the binding of learning to action, can improve adaptation rates by greater than 50%. Our results provide a mechanistic framework for understanding the effects of partial assistance and error augmentation during neurologic rehabilitation, and they suggest ways to optimize their use. PMID:21731476

Chapter 9: Understanding our changing public values, resource uses, and engagement processes and practices

Treesearch

Lee K. Cerveny; Emily Jane Davis; Rebecca McLain; Clare M. Ryan; Debra R. Whitall; Eric M. White

2018-01-01

The Northwest Forest Plan (NWFP, or Plan) signified a movement away from intensive focus on timber management that was common through the 1980s and toward an ecosystem management approach, which aims to conserve ecological conditions and restore natural resources while meeting the social, cultural, and economic needs of present and future generations (Brussard et al....

Programming and reprogramming sequence timing following high and low contextual interference practice.

PubMed

Wright, David L; Magnuson, Curt E; Black, Charles B

2005-09-01

Individuals practiced two unique discrete sequence production tasks that differed in their relative time profile in either a blocked or random practice schedule. Each participant was subsequently administered a "precuing" protocol to examine the cost of initially compiling or modifying the plan for an upcoming movement's relative timing. The findings indicated that, in general, random practice facilitated the programming of the required movement timing, and this was accomplished while exhibiting greater accuracy in movement production. Participants exposed to random practice exhibited the greatest motor programming benefit, when a modification to an already prepared movement timing profile was required. When movement timing was only partially constructed prior to the imperative signal, the individuals who were trained in blocked and random practice formats accrued a similar cost to complete the programming process. These data provide additional support for the recent claim of Immink & Wright (2001) that at least some of the benefit from experience in a random as opposed to blocked training context can be localized to superior development and implementation of the motor programming process before executing the movement.

Motor planning flexibly optimizes performance under uncertainty about task goals.

PubMed

Wong, Aaron L; Haith, Adrian M

2017-03-03

In an environment full of potential goals, how does the brain determine which movement to execute? Existing theories posit that the motor system prepares for all potential goals by generating several motor plans in parallel. One major line of evidence for such theories is that presenting two competing goals often results in a movement intermediate between them. These intermediate movements are thought to reflect an unintentional averaging of the competing plans. However, normative theories suggest instead that intermediate movements might actually be deliberate, generated because they improve task performance over a random guessing strategy. To test this hypothesis, we vary the benefit of making an intermediate movement by changing movement speed. We find that participants generate intermediate movements only at (slower) speeds where they measurably improve performance. Our findings support the normative view that the motor system selects only a single, flexible motor plan, optimized for uncertain goals.

A novel computational model to probe visual search deficits during motor performance

PubMed Central

Singh, Tarkeshwar; Fridriksson, Julius; Perry, Christopher M.; Tryon, Sarah C.; Ross, Angela; Fritz, Stacy

2016-01-01

Successful execution of many motor skills relies on well-organized visual search (voluntary eye movements that actively scan the environment for task-relevant information). Although impairments of visual search that result from brain injuries are linked to diminished motor performance, the neural processes that guide visual search within this context remain largely unknown. The first objective of this study was to examine how visual search in healthy adults and stroke survivors is used to guide hand movements during the Trail Making Test (TMT), a neuropsychological task that is a strong predictor of visuomotor and cognitive deficits. Our second objective was to develop a novel computational model to investigate combinatorial interactions between three underlying processes of visual search (spatial planning, working memory, and peripheral visual processing). We predicted that stroke survivors would exhibit deficits in integrating the three underlying processes, resulting in deteriorated overall task performance. We found that normal TMT performance is associated with patterns of visual search that primarily rely on spatial planning and/or working memory (but not peripheral visual processing). Our computational model suggested that abnormal TMT performance following stroke is associated with impairments of visual search that are characterized by deficits integrating spatial planning and working memory. This innovative methodology provides a novel framework for studying how the neural processes underlying visual search interact combinatorially to guide motor performance. NEW & NOTEWORTHY Visual search has traditionally been studied in cognitive and perceptual paradigms, but little is known about how it contributes to visuomotor performance. We have developed a novel computational model to examine how three underlying processes of visual search (spatial planning, working memory, and peripheral visual processing) contribute to visual search during a visuomotor task. We show that deficits integrating spatial planning and working memory underlie abnormal performance in stroke survivors with frontoparietal damage. PMID:27733596

An independent race model involving an abort and re-plan strategy explains reach redirecting movements during planning and execution.

PubMed

Venkataramani, PrasannaVenkhatesh; Gopal, Atul; Murthy, Aditya

2018-03-01

Although race models have been extensively used to study inhibitory control, the mechanisms that enable change of reach plans in the context of race models remain unexplored. We used a redirect task in which targets occasionally changed their locations to study the control of reaching movements during movement planning and execution phases. We tested nine different race model architectures that could explain the redirect behavior of reaching movements. We show that an independent GO-STOP-GO model that reflects a plan-abort-re-plan strategy involving non-interacting elements successfully explained the various behavioral measures such as the compensation function and the pattern of error response reaction times. By extending the same race model to the execution phase, we could explain the extent and the pattern of hypometric trials. Interestingly, the race model also provided evidence that redirecting a movement during planning and execution shared the same inhibitory mechanism. Taken together, this study demonstrates the applicability of an independent race model to understand the computational mechanisms underlying the control of reach movements. © 2018 Federation of European Neuroscience Societies and John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Integration of context sensitive solutions in the transportation planning process

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2007-01-01

Since the 1998 Thinking Beyond the Pavement workshop, the national movement of the use of context sensitive solutions for project development is well documented. Better understanding of the application of CSS principles in the transportation pl...

Enhanced freight sketch planning tool for assessing multimodal investment strategies.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2006-09-01

In recent years, there have been dramatic changes in the volume and movement of freight within the : US and internationally. Traditional distribution systems have been replaced by just-in-time driven : processes and freight transportation patterns ha...

Interaction in planning movement direction for articulatory gestures and manual actions.

PubMed

Vainio, Lari; Tiainen, Mikko; Tiippana, Kaisa; Komeilipoor, Naeem; Vainio, Martti

2015-10-01

Some theories concerning speech mechanisms assume that overlapping representations are involved in programming certain articulatory gestures and hand actions. The present study investigated whether planning of movement direction for articulatory gestures and manual actions could interact. The participants were presented with written vowels (Experiment 1) or syllables (Experiment 2) that were associated with forward or backward movement of tongue (e.g., [i] vs. [ɑ] or [te] vs. [ke], respectively). They were required to pronounce the speech unit and simultaneously move the joystick forward or backward according to the color of the stimulus. Manual and vocal responses were performed relatively rapidly when the articulation and the hand action required movement into the same direction. The study suggests that planning horizontal tongue movements for articulation shares overlapping neural mechanisms with planning horizontal movement direction of hand actions.

Mass Movement Susceptibility Mapping Using Satellite Optical Imagery Compared With INSAR Monitoring: Zigui County, Three Gorges Region, China

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kincal, Cem; Singleton, Andrew; Liu, Peng; Li, Zhenhong; Drummond, Jane; Hoey, Trevor; Muller, Jan-Peter; Qu, Wei; Zeng, Qiming; Zhang, Jingfa; Du, Peijun

2010-10-01

Mass movements on steep slopes are a major hazard to communities and infrastructure in the Three Gorges region, China. Developing susceptibility maps of mass movements is therefore very important in both current and future land use planning. This study employed satellite optical imagery and an ASTER GDEM (15 m) to derive various parameters (namely geology; slope gradient; proximity to drainage networks and proximity to lineaments) in order to create a GIS-based map of mass movement susceptibility. This map was then evaluated using highly accurate deformation signals processed using the Persistent Scatterer (PS) InSAR technique. Areas of high susceptibility correspond well to points of high subsidence, which provides a strong support of our susceptibility map.

Orienting Auditory Spatial Attention Engages Frontal Eye Fields and Medial Occipital Cortex in Congenitally Blind Humans

PubMed Central

Garg, Arun; Schwartz, Daniel; Stevens, Alexander A.

2007-01-01

What happens in vision related cortical areas when congenitally blind (CB) individuals orient attention to spatial locations? Previous neuroimaging of sighted individuals has found overlapping activation in a network of frontoparietal areas including frontal eye-fields (FEF), during both overt (with eye movement) and covert (without eye movement) shifts of spatial attention. Since voluntary eye movement planning seems irrelevant in CB, their FEF neurons should be recruited for alternative functions if their attentional role in sighted individuals is only due to eye movement planning. Recent neuroimaging of the blind has also reported activation in medial occipital areas, normally associated with visual processing, during a diverse set of non-visual tasks, but their response to attentional shifts remains poorly understood. Here, we used event-related fMRI to explore FEF and medial occipital areas in CB individuals and sighted controls with eyes closed (SC) performing a covert attention orienting task, using endogenous verbal cues and spatialized auditory targets. We found robust stimulus-locked FEF activation of all CB subjects, similar but stronger than in SC, suggesting that FEF plays a role in endogenous orienting of covert spatial attention even in individuals in whom voluntary eye movements are irrelevant. We also found robust activation in bilateral medial occipital cortex in CB but not in SC subjects. The response decreased below baseline following endogenous verbal cues but increased following auditory targets, suggesting that the medial occipital area in CB does not directly engage during cued orienting of attention but may be recruited for processing of spatialized auditory targets. PMID:17397882

Examining the effect of state anxiety on compensatory and strategic adjustments in the planning of goal-directed aiming.

PubMed

Roberts, James W; Wilson, Mark R; Skultety, Jessica K; Lyons, James L

2018-04-01

The anxiety-perceptual-motor performance relationship may be enriched by investigations involving discrete manual responses due to the definitive demarcation of planning and control processes, which comprise the early and late portions of movement, respectively. To further examine the explanatory power of self-focus and distraction theories, we explored the potential of anxiety causing changes to movement planning that accommodate for anticipated negative effects in online control. As a result, we posed two hypotheses where anxiety causes performers to initially undershoot the target and enable more time to use visual feedback ("play-it-safe"), or fire a ballistic reach to cover a greater distance without later undertaking online control ("go-for-it"). Participants were tasked with an upper-limb movement to a single target under counter-balanced instructions to execute fast and accurate responses (low/normal anxiety) with non-contingent negative performance feedback (high anxiety). The results indicated that the previously identified negative impact of anxiety in online control was replicated. While anxiety caused a longer displacement to reach peak velocity and greater tendency to overshoot the target, there appeared to be no shift in the attempts to utilise online visual feedback. Thus, the tendency to initially overshoot may manifest from an inefficient auxiliary procedure that manages to uphold overall movement time and response accuracy. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Test of the neurolinguistic programming hypothesis that eye-movements relate to processing imagery.

PubMed

Wertheim, E H; Habib, C; Cumming, G

1986-04-01

Bandler and Grinder's hypothesis that eye-movements reflect sensory processing was examined. 28 volunteers first memorized and then recalled visual, auditory, and kinesthetic stimuli. Changes in eye-positions during recall were videotaped and categorized by two raters into positions hypothesized by Bandler and Grinder's model to represent visual, auditory, and kinesthetic recall. Planned contrast analyses suggested that visual stimulus items, when recalled, elicited significantly more upward eye-positions and stares than auditory and kinesthetic items. Auditory and kinesthetic items, however, did not elicit more changes in eye-position hypothesized by the model to represent auditory and kinesthetic recall, respectively.

Putting It All Together.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

McNamara, Elizabeth T.; Grant, Cathy Miles; Wasser, Judith Davidson

1998-01-01

Discusses the parallel between the rapid increase in the acquisition of computer technology and electronic networks by schools and systemic reform movements. Provides some insight on building a school and the community planning process to support technology implementation, connecting content to technology, professional development, and training…

Best Practices in e-Assessment

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Buzetto-More, Nicole A.; Alade, Ayodele Julius

2006-01-01

According to Martell and Calderon (2005), assessment is an ongoing process that involves planning, discussion, consensus building, reflection, measuring, analyzing, and improving based on the data and artifacts gathered about a learning objective. Impacting education from early childhood through graduate studies, the assessment movement is based…

Sequence learning in Parkinson's disease: Focusing on action dynamics and the role of dopaminergic medication.

PubMed

Ruitenberg, Marit F L; Duthoo, Wout; Santens, Patrick; Seidler, Rachael D; Notebaert, Wim; Abrahamse, Elger L

2016-12-01

Previous studies on movement sequence learning in Parkinson's disease (PD) have produced mixed results. A possible explanation for the inconsistent findings is that some studies have taken dopaminergic medication into account while others have not. Additionally, in previous studies the response modalities did not allow for an investigation of the action dynamics of sequential movements as they unfold over time. In the current study we investigated sequence learning in PD by specifically considering the role of medication status in a sequence learning task where mouse movements were performed. The focus on mouse movements allowed us to examine the action dynamics of sequential movement in terms of initiation time, movement time, movement accuracy, and velocity. PD patients performed the sequence learning task once on their regular medication, and once after overnight withdrawal from their medication. Results showed that sequence learning as reflected in initiation times was impaired when PD patients performed the task ON medication compared to OFF medication. In contrast, sequence learning as reflected in the accuracy of movement trajectories was enhanced when performing the task ON compared to OFF medication. Our findings suggest that while medication enhances execution processes of movement sequence learning, it may at the same time impair planning processes that precede actual execution. Overall, the current study extends earlier findings on movement sequence learning in PD by differentiating between various components of performance, and further refines previous dopamine overdose effects in sequence learning. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Guidelines for Using Movement Science to Inform Biodiversity Policy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Barton, Philip S.; Lentini, Pia E.; Alacs, Erika; Bau, Sana; Buckley, Yvonne M.; Burns, Emma L.; Driscoll, Don A.; Guja, Lydia K.; Kujala, Heini; Lahoz-Monfort, José J.; Mortelliti, Alessio; Nathan, Ran; Rowe, Ross; Smith, Annabel L.

2015-10-01

Substantial advances have been made in our understanding of the movement of species, including processes such as dispersal and migration. This knowledge has the potential to improve decisions about biodiversity policy and management, but it can be difficult for decision makers to readily access and integrate the growing body of movement science. This is, in part, due to a lack of synthesis of information that is sufficiently contextualized for a policy audience. Here, we identify key species movement concepts, including mechanisms, types, and moderators of movement, and review their relevance to (1) national biodiversity policies and strategies, (2) reserve planning and management, (3) threatened species protection and recovery, (4) impact and risk assessments, and (5) the prioritization of restoration actions. Based on the review, and considering recent developments in movement ecology, we provide a new framework that draws links between aspects of movement knowledge that are likely the most relevant to each biodiversity policy category. Our framework also shows that there is substantial opportunity for collaboration between researchers and government decision makers in the use of movement science to promote positive biodiversity outcomes.

Efficiency in Rule- vs. Plan-Based Movements Is Modulated by Action-Mode.

PubMed

Scheib, Jean P P; Stoll, Sarah; Thürmer, J Lukas; Randerath, Jennifer

2018-01-01

The rule/plan motor cognition (RPMC) paradigm elicits visually indistinguishable motor outputs, resulting from either plan- or rule-based action-selection, using a combination of essentially interchangeable stimuli. Previous implementations of the RPMC paradigm have used pantomimed movements to compare plan- vs. rule-based action-selection. In the present work we attempt to determine the generalizability of previous RPMC findings to real object interaction by use of a grasp-to-rotate task. In the plan task, participants had to use prospective planning to achieve a comfortable post-handle rotation hand posture. The rule task used implementation intentions (if-then rules) leading to the same comfortable end-state. In Experiment A, we compare RPMC performance of 16 healthy participants in pantomime and real object conditions of the experiment, within-subjects. Higher processing efficiency of rule- vs. plan-based action-selection was supported by diffusion model analysis. Results show a significant response-time increase in the pantomime condition compared to the real object condition and a greater response-time advantage of rule-based vs. plan-based actions in the pantomime compared to the real object condition. In Experiment B, 24 healthy participants performed the real object RPMC task in a task switching vs. a blocked condition. Results indicate that plan-based action-selection leads to longer response-times and less efficient information processing than rule-based action-selection in line with previous RPMC findings derived from the pantomime action-mode. Particularly in the task switching mode, responses were faster in the rule compared to the plan task suggesting a modulating influence of cognitive load. Overall, results suggest an advantage of rule-based action-selection over plan-based action-selection; whereby differential mechanisms appear to be involved depending on the action-mode. We propose that cognitive load is a factor that modulates the advantageous effect of implementation intentions in motor cognition on different levels as illustrated by the varying speed advantages and the variation in diffusion parameters per action-mode or condition, respectively.

Clinical assessment of motor function: a processes oriented instrument based on a speed-accuracy trade-off paradigm.

PubMed

Christe, Blaise; Burkhard, Pierre R; Pegna, Alan J; Mayer, Eugene; Hauert, Claude-Alain

2007-01-01

In this study, we developed a digitizing tablet-based instrument for the clinical assessment of human voluntary movements targeting motor processes of planning, programming and execution. The tool was used to investigate an adaptation of Fitts' reciprocal tapping task [10], comprising four conditions, each of them modulated by three indices of difficulty related to the amplitude of movement required. Temporal, spatial and sequential constraints underlying the various conditions allowed the intricate motor processes to be dissociated. Data obtained from a group of elderly healthy subjects (N=50) were in agreement with the literature on motor control, in the temporal and spatial domains. Speed constraints generated gains in the temporal domain and costs in the spatial one, while spatial constraints generated gain in the spatial domain and costs in the temporal one; finally, sequential constraints revealed the integrative nature of the cognitive operations involved in motor production. This versatile instrument proved capable of providing quantitative, accurate and sensitive measures of the various processes sustaining voluntary movement in healthy subjects. Altogether, analyses performed in this study generated a theoretical framework and reference data which could be used in the future for the clinical assessment of patients with various movement disorders, in particular Parkinson's disease.

Redefining and expanding quality assurance.

PubMed

Robins, J L

1992-12-01

To meet the current standards of excellence necessary for blood establishments, we have learned from industry that a movement toward organization-wide quality assurance/total quality management must be made. Everyone in the organization must accept responsibility for participating in providing the highest quality products and services. Quality must be built into processes and design systems to support these quality processes. Quality assurance has been redefined to include a quality planning function described as the most effective way of designing quality into processes. A formalized quality planning process must be part of quality assurance. Continuous quality improvement has been identified as the strategy every blood establishment must support while striving for error-free processing as the long-term objective. The auditing process has been realigned to support and facilitate this same objective. Implementing organization-wide quality assurance/total quality management is one proven plan for guaranteeing the quality of the 20 million products that are transfused into 4 million patients each year and for moving toward the new order.

Dorsal premotor cortex is involved in switching motor plans

PubMed Central

Pastor-Bernier, Alexandre; Tremblay, Elsa; Cisek, Paul

2012-01-01

Previous studies have shown that neural activity in primate dorsal premotor cortex (PMd) can simultaneously represent multiple potential movement plans, and that activity related to these movement options is modulated by their relative subjective desirability. These findings support the hypothesis that decisions about actions are made through a competition within the same circuits that guide the actions themselves. This hypothesis further predicts that the very same cells that guide initial decisions will continue to update their activities if an animal changes its mind. For example, if a previously selected movement option suddenly becomes unavailable, the correction will be performed by the same cells that selected the initial movement, as opposed to some different group of cells responsible for online guidance. We tested this prediction by recording neural activity in the PMd of a monkey performing an instructed-delay reach selection task. In the task, two targets were simultaneously presented and their border styles indicated whether each would be worth 1, 2, or 3 juice drops. In a random subset of trials (FREE), the monkey was allowed a choice while in the remaining trials (FORCED) one of the targets disappeared at the time of the GO signal. In FORCED-LOW trials the monkey was forced to move to the less valuable target and started moving either toward the new target (Direct) or toward the target that vanished and then curved to reach the remaining one (Curved). Prior to the GO signal, PMd activity clearly reflected the monkey's subjective preference, predicting his choices in FREE trials even with equally valued options. In FORCED-LOW trials, PMd activity reflected the switch of the monkey's plan as early as 100 ms after the GO signal, well before movement onset (MO). This confirms that the activity is not related to feedback from the movement itself, and suggests that PMd continues to participate in action selection even when the animal changes its mind on-line. These findings were reproduced by a computational model suggesting that switches between action plans can be explained by the same competition process responsible for initial decisions. PMID:22493577

Distinct mechanisms explain the control of reach speed planning: evidence from a race model framework.

PubMed

Venkataratamani, Prasanna Venkhatesh; Murthy, Aditya

2018-05-16

Previous studies have investigated the computational architecture underlying the voluntary control of reach movements that demands a change in position or direction of movement planning. Here we used a novel task, where subjects either had to increase or decrease the movement speed according to a change in target color that occurred randomly during a trial. The applicability of different race models to such a speed redirect task was assessed. We found that the predictions of an independent race model that instantiated an abort and re-plan strategy was consistent with all aspects of performance in the fast to slow speed condition. The results from modeling indicated a peculiar asymmetry, in that while the fast to slow speed change required inhibition, none of the standard race models were able to explain how movements changed from slow to fast speeds. Interestingly, a weighted averaging model that simulated the gradual merge of two kinematic plans explained behavior in the slow to fast speed task. In summary, our work shows how a race model framework can provide an understanding of how the brain controls of different aspects of reach movement planning and help distinguish between an abort and re-plan strategy from merging of plans.

Assembling and processing freight shipment data : developing a GIS-based origin-destination matrix for Southern California freight flows

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2001-06-30

Freight movements within large metropolitan areas are much less studied and analyzed than personal travel. This casts doubt on the results of much conventional travel demand modeling and planning. With so much traffic overlooked, how plausible are th...

Estimating intersection turning movements.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

1999-05-01

Turning movement (TM) counts are used for a variety of intersection analyses, including traffic operations analyses, : intersection design, and transportation planning applications. For many planning and design applications, especially in the case of...

Initial information prior to movement onset influences kinematics of upward arm pointing movements

PubMed Central

Pozzo, Thierry; White, Olivier

2016-01-01

To elaborate a motor plan and perform online control in the gravity field, the brain relies on priors and multisensory integration of information. In particular, afferent and efferent inputs related to the initial state are thought to convey sensorimotor information to plan the upcoming action. Yet it is still unclear to what extent these cues impact motor planning. Here we examined the role of initial information on the planning and execution of arm movements. Participants performed upward arm movements around the shoulder at three speeds and in two arm conditions. In the first condition, the arm was outstretched horizontally and required a significant muscular command to compensate for the gravitational shoulder torque before movement onset. In contrast, in the second condition the arm was passively maintained in the same position with a cushioned support and did not require any muscle contraction before movement execution. We quantified differences in motor performance by comparing shoulder velocity profiles. Previous studies showed that asymmetric velocity profiles reflect an optimal integration of the effects of gravity on upward movements. Consistent with this, we found decreased acceleration durations in both arm conditions. However, early differences in kinematic asymmetries and EMG patterns between the two conditions signaled a change of the motor plan. This different behavior carried on through trials when the arm was at rest before movement onset and may reveal a distinct motor strategy chosen in the context of uncertainty. Altogether, we suggest that the information available online must be complemented by accurate initial information. PMID:27486106

Initial information prior to movement onset influences kinematics of upward arm pointing movements.

PubMed

Rousseau, Célia; Papaxanthis, Charalambos; Gaveau, Jérémie; Pozzo, Thierry; White, Olivier

2016-10-01

To elaborate a motor plan and perform online control in the gravity field, the brain relies on priors and multisensory integration of information. In particular, afferent and efferent inputs related to the initial state are thought to convey sensorimotor information to plan the upcoming action. Yet it is still unclear to what extent these cues impact motor planning. Here we examined the role of initial information on the planning and execution of arm movements. Participants performed upward arm movements around the shoulder at three speeds and in two arm conditions. In the first condition, the arm was outstretched horizontally and required a significant muscular command to compensate for the gravitational shoulder torque before movement onset. In contrast, in the second condition the arm was passively maintained in the same position with a cushioned support and did not require any muscle contraction before movement execution. We quantified differences in motor performance by comparing shoulder velocity profiles. Previous studies showed that asymmetric velocity profiles reflect an optimal integration of the effects of gravity on upward movements. Consistent with this, we found decreased acceleration durations in both arm conditions. However, early differences in kinematic asymmetries and EMG patterns between the two conditions signaled a change of the motor plan. This different behavior carried on through trials when the arm was at rest before movement onset and may reveal a distinct motor strategy chosen in the context of uncertainty. Altogether, we suggest that the information available online must be complemented by accurate initial information. Copyright © 2016 the American Physiological Society.

Emotion, Intent and Voluntary Movement in Children with Autism. an Example: The Goal Directed Locomotion

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Longuet, Sophie; Ferrel-Chapus, Carole; Oreve, Marie-Joelle; Chamot, Jean-Marc; Vernazza-Martin, Sylvie

2012-01-01

This article focuses on the impact of intentionality on goal directed locomotion in healthy and autistic children. Closely linked with emotions and motivation, it is directly connected with movement planning. Is planning only preserved when the goal of the action appears motivating for healthy and autistic children? Is movement programming similar…

Physiological markers of motor inhibition during human behavior

PubMed Central

Duque, Julie; Greenhouse, Ian; Labruna, Ludovica; Ivry, Richard B.

2017-01-01

Transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) studies in humans have shown that many behaviors engage processes that suppress excitability within the corticospinal tract. Inhibition of the motor output pathway has been extensively studied in the context of action stopping, where a planned movement needs to be abruptly aborted. Recent TMS work has also revealed markers of motor inhibition during the preparation of movement. Here, we review the evidence for motor inhibition during action stopping and action preparation, focusing on studies that have used TMS to monitor changes in the excitability of the corticospinal pathway. We discuss how these physiological results have motivated theoretical models of how the brain selects actions, regulates movement initiation and execution, and switches from one state to another. PMID:28341235

The role of visual processing in motor learning and control: Insights from electroencephalography.

PubMed

Krigolson, Olav E; Cheng, Darian; Binsted, Gord

2015-05-01

Traditionally our understanding of goal-directed action been derived from either behavioral findings or neuroanatomically derived imaging (i.e., fMRI). While both of these approaches have proven valuable, they lack the ability to determine a direct locus of function while concurrently having the necessary temporal precision needed to understand millisecond scale neural interactions respectively. In this review we summarize some seminal behavioral findings across three broad areas (target perturbation, feed-forward control, and feedback processing) and for each discuss the application of electroencephalography (EEG) to the understanding of the temporal nature of visual cue utilization during movement planning, control, and learning using four existing scalp potentials. Specifically, we examine the appropriateness of using the N100 potential as an indicator of corrective behaviors in response to target perturbation, the N200 as an index of movement planning, the P300 potential as a metric of feed-forward processes, and the feedback-related negativity as an index of motor learning. Although these existing components have potential for insight into cognitive contributions and the timing of the neural processes that contribute to motor control further research is needed to expand the control-related potentials and to develop methods to permit their accurate characterization across a wide range of behavioral tasks. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Corrections in Grasp Posture in Response to Modifications of Action Goals

PubMed Central

Hughes, Charmayne M. L.; Seegelke, Christian; Spiegel, Marnie Ann; Oehmichen, Corinna; Hammes, Julia; Schack, Thomas

2012-01-01

There is ample evidence that people plan their movements to ensure comfortable final grasp postures at the end of a movement. The end-state comfort effect has been found to be a robust constraint during unimanual movements, and leads to the inference that goal-postures are represented and planned prior to movement initiation. The purpose of this study was to examine whether individuals make appropriate corrections to ensure comfortable final goal postures when faced with an unexpected change in action goal. Participants reached for a horizontal cylinder and placed the left or right end of the object into the target disk. As soon as the participant began to move, a secondary stimuli was triggered, which indicated whether the intended action goal had changed or not. Confirming previous research, participants selected initial grasp postures that ensured end-state comfort during non-perturbed trials. In addition, participants made appropriate on-line corrections to their reach-to-grasp movements to ensure end-state comfort during perturbed trials. Corrections in grasp posture occurred early or late in the reach-to-grasp phase. The results indicate that individuals plan their movements to afford comfort at the end of the movement, and that grasp posture planning is controlled via both feedforward and feedback mechanisms. PMID:22970119

Integration deficiencies associated with continuous limb movement sequences in Parkinson's disease.

PubMed

Park, Jin-Hoon; Stelmach, George E

2009-11-01

The present study examined the extent to which Parkinson's disease (PD) influences integration of continuous limb movement sequences. Eight patients with idiopathic PD and 8 age-matched normal subjects were instructed to perform repetitive sequential aiming movements to specified targets under three-accuracy constraints: 1) low accuracy (W = 7 cm) - minimal accuracy constraint, 2) high accuracy (W = 0.64 cm) - maximum accuracy constraint, and 3) mixed accuracy constraint - one target of high accuracy and another target of low accuracy. The characteristic of sequential movements in the low accuracy condition was mostly cyclical, whereas in the high accuracy condition it was discrete in both groups. When the accuracy constraint was mixed, the sequential movements were executed by assembling discrete and cyclical movements in both groups, suggesting that for PD patients the capability to combine discrete and cyclical movements to meet a task requirement appears to be intact. However, such functional linkage was not as pronounced as was in normal subjects. Close examination of movement from the mixed accuracy condition revealed marked movement hesitations in the vicinity of the large target in PD patients, resulting in a bias toward discrete movement. These results suggest that PD patients may have deficits in ongoing planning and organizing processes during movement execution when the tasks require to assemble various accuracy requirements into more complex movement sequences.

Which Measures of Online Control Are Least Sensitive to Offline Processes?

PubMed

de Grosbois, John; Tremblay, Luc

2018-02-28

A major challenge to the measurement of online control is the contamination by offline, planning-based processes. The current study examined the sensitivity of four measures of online control to offline changes in reaching performance induced by prism adaptation and terminal feedback. These measures included the squared Z scores (Z 2 ) of correlations of limb position at 75% movement time versus movement end, variable error, time after peak velocity, and a frequency-domain analysis (pPower). The results indicated that variable error and time after peak velocity were sensitive to the prism adaptation. Furthermore, only the Z 2 values were biased by the terminal feedback. Ultimately, the current study has demonstrated the sensitivity of limb kinematic measures to offline control processes and that pPower analyses may yield the most suitable measure of online control.

Dissociable contributions of motor-execution and action-observation to intramanual transfer.

PubMed

Hayes, Spencer J; Elliott, Digby; Andrew, Matthew; Roberts, James W; Bennett, Simon J

2012-09-01

We examined the hypothesis that different processes and representations are associated with the learning of a movement sequence through motor-execution and action-observation. Following a pre-test in which participants attempted to achieve an absolute, and relative, time goal in a sequential goal-directed aiming movement, participants received either physical or observational practice with feedback. Post-test performance indicated that motor-execution and action-observation participants learned equally well. Participants then transferred to conditions where the gain between the limb movements and their visual consequences were manipulated. Under both bigger and smaller transfer conditions, motor-execution and action-observation participants exhibited similar intramanual transfer of absolute timing. However, participants in the action-observation group exhibited superior transfer of relative timing than the motor-execution group. These findings suggest that learning via action-observation is underpinned by a visual-spatial representation, while learning via motor-execution depends more on specific force-time planning (feed forward) and afferent processing associated with sensorimotor feedback. These behavioural effects are discussed with reference to neural processes associated with striatum, cerebellum and motor cortical regions (pre-motor cortex; SMA; pre-SMA).

Evidence of early development of action planning in the human foetus: a kinematic study.

PubMed

Zoia, Stefania; Blason, Laura; D'Ottavio, Giuseppina; Bulgheroni, Maria; Pezzetta, Eva; Scabar, Aldo; Castiello, Umberto

2007-01-01

The aim of the present study was to investigate whether foetal hand movements are planned and how they are executed. We performed a kinematic analysis of hand movements directed towards the mouth and the eyes in the foetuses of eight women with normally evolving pregnancies. At 14, 18 and 22 weeks of gestation, eight foetuses underwent a 20-min four-dimensional-ultrasound session. The video recordings for these movements were then imported into in-house software developed to perform kinematic analysis. We found that spatial and temporal characteristics of foetal movements are by no means uncoordinated or unpatterned. By 22 weeks of gestation the movements seem to show the recognizable form of intentional actions, with kinematic patterns that depend on the goal of the action, suggesting a surprisingly advanced level of motor planning.

Mental representation for action in the elderly: implications for movement efficiency and injury risk.

PubMed

Gabbard, Carl

2015-04-01

Recent research findings indicate that with older adulthood, there are functional decrements in spatial cognition and more specially, in the ability to mentally represent and effectively plan motor actions. A typical finding is a significant over- or underestimation of one's actual physical abilities with movement planning-planning that has implications for movement efficiency and physical safety. A practical, daily life example is estimation of reachability--a situation that for the elderly may be linked with fall incidence. A strategy used to mentally represent action is the use of motor imagery--an ability that also declines with advancing older age. This brief review highlights research findings on mental representation and motor imagery in the elderly and addresses the implications for improving movement efficiency and lowering the risk of movement-related injury. © The Author(s) 2013.

Mechanisms of Power within a Community-Based Food Security Planning Process

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

McCullum, Christine; Pelletier, David; Barr, Donald; Wilkins, Jennifer; Habicht, Jean-Pierre

2004-01-01

A community food security movement has begun to address problems of hunger and food insecurity by utilizing a community-based approach. Although various models have been implemented, little empirical research has assessed how power operates within community-based food security initiatives. The purpose of this research was to determine how power…

Incorporating risk communication into highly pathogenic avian influenza preparedness and response efforts.

PubMed

Voss, Shauna J; Malladi, Sasidhar; Sampedro, Fernando; Snider, Tim; Goldsmith, Timothy; Hueston, William D; Lauer, Dale C; Halvorson, David A

2012-12-01

A highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) outbreak in the United States will initiate a federal emergency response effort that will consist of disease control and eradication efforts, including quarantine and movement control measures. These movement control measures will not only apply to live animals but also to animal products. However, with current egg industry "just-in-time" production practices, limited storage is available to hold eggs. As a result, stop movement orders can have significant unintended negative consequences, including severe disruptions to the food supply chain. Because stakeholders' perceptions of risk vary, waiting to initiate communication efforts until an HPAI event occurs can hinder disease control efforts, including the willingness of producers to comply with the response, and also can affect consumers' demand for the product. A public-private-academic partnership was formed to assess actual risks involved in the movement of egg industry products during an HPAI event through product specific, proactive risk assessments. The risk analysis process engaged a broad representation of stakeholders and promoted effective risk management and communication strategies before an HPAI outbreak event. This multidisciplinary team used the risk assessments in the development of the United States Department of Agriculture, Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza Secure Egg Supply Plan, a comprehensive response plan that strives to maintain continuity of business. The collaborative approach that was used demonstrates how a proactive risk communication strategy that involves many different stakeholders can be valuable in the development of a foreign animal disease response plan and build working relationships, trust, and understanding.

The Effect of the Muller-Lyer Illusion on the Planning and Control of Manual Aiming Movements

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mendoza, Jocelyn E.; Elliott, Digby; Meegan, Daniel V.; Lyons, James L.; Welsh, Timothy N.

2006-01-01

Two experiments used Muller-Lyer stimuli to test the predictions of the planning-control model (S. Glover, 2002) for aiming movements. In Experiment 1, participants aimed to stimuli that either remained the same or changed upon movement initiation. Experiment 2 was identical except that the duration of visual feedback for online control was…

The Simon effect in action: planning and/or on-line control effects?

PubMed

Scorolli, Claudia; Pellicano, Antonello; Nicoletti, Roberto; Rubichi, Sandro; Castiello, Umberto

2015-07-01

Choice reaction tasks are performed faster when stimulus location corresponds to response location (Simon effect). This spatial stimulus-response compatibility effect affects performance at the level of action planning and execution. However, when response selection is completed before movement initiation, the Simon effect arises only at the planning level. The aim of this study was to ascertain whether when a precocious response selection is requested, the Simon effect can be detected on the kinematics characterizing the online control phase of a non-ballistic movement. Participants were presented with red or green colored squares, which could appear on the right, left, above, or below a central cross. Depending on the square's color, participants had to release one of two buttons (right/left), then reach toward and press a corresponding lateral pad. We found evidence of the Simon effect on both action planning and on-line control. Moreover, the investigation of response conflict at the level of previous trials (i.e., n-1), a factor that might determine interference at the level of the current response, revealed a conflict adaptation process across trials. Results are discussed in terms of current theories concerned with the Simon effect and the distinction between action planning and control. Copyright © 2014 Cognitive Science Society, Inc.

Neurobiological foundations of neurologic music therapy: rhythmic entrainment and the motor system

PubMed Central

Thaut, Michael H.; McIntosh, Gerald C.; Hoemberg, Volker

2015-01-01

Entrainment is defined by a temporal locking process in which one system’s motion or signal frequency entrains the frequency of another system. This process is a universal phenomenon that can be observed in physical (e.g., pendulum clocks) and biological systems (e.g., fire flies). However, entrainment can also be observed between human sensory and motor systems. The function of rhythmic entrainment in rehabilitative training and learning was established for the first time by Thaut and colleagues in several research studies in the early 1990s. It was shown that the inherent periodicity of auditory rhythmic patterns could entrain movement patterns in patients with movement disorders (see for a review: Thaut et al., 1999). Physiological, kinematic, and behavioral movement analysis showed very quickly that entrainment cues not only changed the timing of movement but also improved spatial and force parameters. Mathematical models have shown that anticipatory rhythmic templates as critical time constraints can result in the complete specification of the dynamics of a movement over the entire movement cycle, thereby optimizing motor planning and execution. Furthermore, temporal rhythmic entrainment has been successfully extended into applications in cognitive rehabilitation and speech and language rehabilitation, and thus become one of the major neurological mechanisms linking music and rhythm to brain rehabilitation. These findings provided a scientific basis for the development of neurologic music therapy. PMID:25774137

Neurobiological foundations of neurologic music therapy: rhythmic entrainment and the motor system.

PubMed

Thaut, Michael H; McIntosh, Gerald C; Hoemberg, Volker

2014-01-01

Entrainment is defined by a temporal locking process in which one system's motion or signal frequency entrains the frequency of another system. This process is a universal phenomenon that can be observed in physical (e.g., pendulum clocks) and biological systems (e.g., fire flies). However, entrainment can also be observed between human sensory and motor systems. The function of rhythmic entrainment in rehabilitative training and learning was established for the first time by Thaut and colleagues in several research studies in the early 1990s. It was shown that the inherent periodicity of auditory rhythmic patterns could entrain movement patterns in patients with movement disorders (see for a review: Thaut et al., 1999). Physiological, kinematic, and behavioral movement analysis showed very quickly that entrainment cues not only changed the timing of movement but also improved spatial and force parameters. Mathematical models have shown that anticipatory rhythmic templates as critical time constraints can result in the complete specification of the dynamics of a movement over the entire movement cycle, thereby optimizing motor planning and execution. Furthermore, temporal rhythmic entrainment has been successfully extended into applications in cognitive rehabilitation and speech and language rehabilitation, and thus become one of the major neurological mechanisms linking music and rhythm to brain rehabilitation. These findings provided a scientific basis for the development of neurologic music therapy.

Movement Activation and Inhibition in Parkinson’s Disease: a Functional Imaging Study

PubMed Central

Disbrow, E. A.; Sigvardt, K. A.; Franz, E. A.; Turner, R. S.; Russo, K. A.; Hinkley, L.B.; Herron, T. J.; Ventura, M. I.; Zhang, L.; Malhado-Chang, N.

2015-01-01

Background Parkinson’s disease (PD), traditionally considered a movement disorder, has been shown to affect executive function such as the ability to adapt behavior in response to new environmental situations. Objective to identify the impact of PD on neural substrates subserving two specific components of normal movement which we refer to as activation (initiating an un-cued response) and inhibition (suppressing a cued response). Methods We used fMRI to measure pre-movement processes associated with activating an un-cued response and inhibiting a cued response plan in 13 PD (ON anti-parkinsonian medications) and 13 control subjects. Subjects were shown a visual arrow cue followed by a matched or mismatched response target that instructed them to respond with a right, left, or bilateral button press. In mismatched trials, an un-cued (new) response was initiated, or the previously cued response was suppressed. Results We were able to isolate pre-movement responses in dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, specifically in the right hemisphere. During the activation of an un-cued movement, PD subjects showed decreased activity in the putamen and increased cortical activity in bilateral DLPFC, SMA, subcentral gyrus and inferior frontal operculum. During inhibition of a previously cued movement, the PD group showed increased activation in SMA, S1/M1, premotor and superior parietal areas. Conclusion Right DLPFC plays a role in pre-movement processes, and DLPFC activity is abnormal in PD. Decreased specificity of responses was observed in multiple ROI’s. The basal ganglia are involved in circuits that coordinate activation and inhibition involved in action selection as well as execution. PMID:23938347

Motor plan differs for young and older adults during similar movements.

PubMed

Casamento-Moran, Agostina; Chen, Yen-Ting; Lodha, Neha; Yacoubi, Basma; Christou, Evangelos A

2017-04-01

Older adults exhibit altered activation of the agonist and antagonist muscles during goal-directed movements compared with young adults. However, it remains unclear whether the differential activation of the antagonistic muscles in older adults results from an impaired motor plan or an altered ability of the muscle to contract. The purpose of this study, therefore, was to determine whether the motor plan differs for young and older adults. Ten young (26.1 ± 4.3 yr, 4 women) and 16 older adults (71.9 ± 6.9 yr, 9 women) participated in the study. Participants performed 100 trials of fast goal directed movements with ankle dorsiflexion while we recorded the electromyographic activity of the primary agonist (tibialis anterior; TA) and antagonist (soleus; SOL) muscles. From those 100 trials we selected 5 trials in each of 3 movement end-point categories (fast, accurate, and slow). We investigated age-associated differences in the motor plan by quantifying the individual activity and coordination of the agonist and antagonist muscles. During similar movement end points, older adults exhibited similar activation of the agonist (TA) and antagonist (SOL) muscles compared with young adults. In addition, the coordination of the agonist and antagonist muscles (TA and SOL) was different between the two age groups. Specifically, older adults exhibited lower TA-SOL overlap ( F 1,23 = 41.2, P < 0.001) and greater TA-SOL peak EMG delay ( F 1,25 = 35.5, P < 0.001). This finding suggests that although subjects in both age groups displayed similar movement end points, they exhibited a different motor plan, as demonstrated by altered coordination between the agonist and antagonist muscles. NEW & NOTEWORTHY We aimed to determine whether the altered activation of muscles in older adults compared with young adults during fast goal-directed movements is related to an altered motor plan. For matched movements, there were differences in the coordination of antagonistic muscles but no differences in the individual activation of muscles. We provide novel evidence that the differential activation of muscles in older adults is related to an altered motor plan. Copyright © 2017 the American Physiological Society.

A kinematic analysis of visually-guided movement in Williams syndrome.

PubMed

Hocking, Darren R; Rinehart, Nicole J; McGinley, Jennifer L; Moss, Simon A; Bradshaw, John L

2011-02-15

Previous studies have reported that people with the neurodevelopmental disorder Williams syndrome exhibit difficulties with visuomotor control. In the current study, we examined the extent to which visuomotor deficits were associated with movement planning or feedback-based on-line control. We used a variant of the Fitts' reciprocal aiming task on a computerized touchscreen in adults with WS, IQ-matched individuals with Down syndrome (DS), and typically developing controls. By manipulating task difficulty both as a function of target size and amplitude, we were able to vary the requirements for accuracy to examine processes associated with dorsal visual stream and cerebellar functioning. Although a greater increase in movement time as a function of task difficulty was observed in the two clinical groups with WS and DS, greater magnitude in the late kinematic components of movement-specifically, time after peak velocity-was revealed in the WS group during increased demands for accuracy. In contrast, the DS group showed a greater speed-accuracy trade-off with significantly reduced and more variable endpoint accuracy, which may be associated with cerebellar deficits. In addition, the WS group spent more time stationary in the target when task-related features reflected a higher level of difficulty, suggestive of specific deficits in movement planning. Our results indicate that the visuomotor coordination deficits in WS may reflect known impairments of the dorsal stream, but may also indicate a role for the cerebellum in dynamic feed-forward motor control. Copyright © 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Simultaneous NIRS and kinematics study of planning and execution of motor skill task: towards cerebral palsy rehabilitation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chaudhary, Ujwal; Thompson, Bryant; Gonzalez, Jean; Jung, Young-Jin; Davis, Jennifer; Gonzalez, Patricia; Rice, Kyle; Bloyer, Martha; Elbaum, Leonard; Godavarty, Anuradha

2013-03-01

Cerebral palsy (CP) is a term that describes a group of motor impairment syndromes secondary to genetic and/or acquired disorders of the developing brain. In the current study, NIRS and motion capture were used simultaneously to correlate the brain's planning and execution activity during and with arm movement in healthy individual. The prefrontal region of the brain is non-invasively imaged using a custom built continuous-wave based near infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) system. The kinematics of the arm movement during the studies is recorded using an infrared based motion capture system, Qualisys. During the study, the subjects (over 18 years) performed 30 sec of arm movement followed by 30 sec rest for 5 times, both with their dominant and non-dominant arm. The optical signal acquired from NIRS system was processed to elucidate the activation and lateralization in the prefrontal region of participants. The preliminary results show difference, in terms of change in optical response, between task and rest in healthy adults. Currently simultaneous NIRS imaging and kinematics data are acquired in healthy individual and individual with CP in order to correlate brain activity to arm movement in real-time. The study has significant implication in elucidating the evolution in the functional activity of the brain as the physical movement of the arm evolves using NIRS. Hence the study has potential in augmenting the designing of training and hence rehabilitation regime for individuals with CP via kinematic monitoring and imaging brain activity.

Efficiency in Rule- vs. Plan-Based Movements Is Modulated by Action-Mode

PubMed Central

Scheib, Jean P. P.; Stoll, Sarah; Thürmer, J. Lukas; Randerath, Jennifer

2018-01-01

The rule/plan motor cognition (RPMC) paradigm elicits visually indistinguishable motor outputs, resulting from either plan- or rule-based action-selection, using a combination of essentially interchangeable stimuli. Previous implementations of the RPMC paradigm have used pantomimed movements to compare plan- vs. rule-based action-selection. In the present work we attempt to determine the generalizability of previous RPMC findings to real object interaction by use of a grasp-to-rotate task. In the plan task, participants had to use prospective planning to achieve a comfortable post-handle rotation hand posture. The rule task used implementation intentions (if-then rules) leading to the same comfortable end-state. In Experiment A, we compare RPMC performance of 16 healthy participants in pantomime and real object conditions of the experiment, within-subjects. Higher processing efficiency of rule- vs. plan-based action-selection was supported by diffusion model analysis. Results show a significant response-time increase in the pantomime condition compared to the real object condition and a greater response-time advantage of rule-based vs. plan-based actions in the pantomime compared to the real object condition. In Experiment B, 24 healthy participants performed the real object RPMC task in a task switching vs. a blocked condition. Results indicate that plan-based action-selection leads to longer response-times and less efficient information processing than rule-based action-selection in line with previous RPMC findings derived from the pantomime action-mode. Particularly in the task switching mode, responses were faster in the rule compared to the plan task suggesting a modulating influence of cognitive load. Overall, results suggest an advantage of rule-based action-selection over plan-based action-selection; whereby differential mechanisms appear to be involved depending on the action-mode. We propose that cognitive load is a factor that modulates the advantageous effect of implementation intentions in motor cognition on different levels as illustrated by the varying speed advantages and the variation in diffusion parameters per action-mode or condition, respectively. PMID:29593612

Physiological Markers of Motor Inhibition during Human Behavior.

PubMed

Duque, Julie; Greenhouse, Ian; Labruna, Ludovica; Ivry, Richard B

2017-04-01

Transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) studies in humans have shown that many behaviors engage processes that suppress excitability within the corticospinal tract. Inhibition of the motor output pathway has been extensively studied in the context of action stopping, where a planned movement needs to be abruptly aborted. Recent TMS work has also revealed markers of motor inhibition during the preparation of movement. Here, we review the evidence for motor inhibition during action stopping and action preparation, focusing on studies that have used TMS to monitor changes in the excitability of the corticospinal pathway. We discuss how these physiological results have motivated theoretical models of how the brain selects actions, regulates movement initiation and execution, and switches from one state to another. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

High Resolution Mapping of Soils and Landforms for the Desert Renewable Energy Conservation Plan (DRECP)

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Potter, Christopher S.; Li, Shuang

2014-01-01

The Desert Renewable Energy Conservation Plan (DRECP), a major component of California's renewable energy planning efforts, is intended to provide effective protection and conservation of desert ecosystems, while allowing for the sensible development of renewable energy projects. This NASA mapping report was developed to support the DRECP and the Bureau of Land Management (BLM). We outline in this document remote sensing image processing methods to deliver new maps of biological soils crusts, sand dune movements, desert pavements, and sub-surface water sources across the DRECP area. We focused data processing first on the largely unmapped areas most likely to be used for energy developments, such as those within Renewable Energy Study Areas (RESA) and Solar Energy Zones (SEZs). We used imagery (multispectral and radar) mainly from the years 2009-2011.

Persistence in eye movement during visual search

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Amor, Tatiana A.; Reis, Saulo D. S.; Campos, Daniel; Herrmann, Hans J.; Andrade, José S.

2016-02-01

As any cognitive task, visual search involves a number of underlying processes that cannot be directly observed and measured. In this way, the movement of the eyes certainly represents the most explicit and closest connection we can get to the inner mechanisms governing this cognitive activity. Here we show that the process of eye movement during visual search, consisting of sequences of fixations intercalated by saccades, exhibits distinctive persistent behaviors. Initially, by focusing on saccadic directions and intersaccadic angles, we disclose that the probability distributions of these measures show a clear preference of participants towards a reading-like mechanism (geometrical persistence), whose features and potential advantages for searching/foraging are discussed. We then perform a Multifractal Detrended Fluctuation Analysis (MF-DFA) over the time series of jump magnitudes in the eye trajectory and find that it exhibits a typical multifractal behavior arising from the sequential combination of saccades and fixations. By inspecting the time series composed of only fixational movements, our results reveal instead a monofractal behavior with a Hurst exponent , which indicates the presence of long-range power-law positive correlations (statistical persistence). We expect that our methodological approach can be adopted as a way to understand persistence and strategy-planning during visual search.

Case Study in the Power of Collaboration: Planning Process for the Kansas Educational Leadership Institute

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Devin, Mary

2013-01-01

This article reports on the collaborative efforts undertaken for systematic statewide support for the recruitment, development, and retention of quality leaders in schools and school districts in Kansas, USA. The author presents the case of a strong sense of "collaboration" that made the difference and stimulated movement from vision…

Grasping the Muller-Lyer Illusion: The Contributions of Vision for Perception in Action

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

van Doorn, Hemke; van der Kamp, John; Savelsbergh, Geert J. P.

2007-01-01

The present study examines the contributions of vision for perception processes in action. To this end, the influence of allocentric information on different action components (i.e., the selection of an appropriate mode of action, the pre-planning and online control of movement kinematics) is assessed. Participants (n = 10) were presented with a…

Sensorimotor adaptation of point-to-point arm movements after spaceflight: the role of internal representation of gravity force in trajectory planning.

PubMed

Gaveau, Jérémie; Paizis, Christos; Berret, Bastien; Pozzo, Thierry; Papaxanthis, Charalambos

2011-08-01

After an exposure to weightlessness, the central nervous system operates under new dynamic and sensory contexts. To find optimal solutions for rapid adaptation, cosmonauts have to decide whether parameters from the world or their body have changed and to estimate their properties. Here, we investigated sensorimotor adaptation after a spaceflight of 10 days. Five cosmonauts performed forward point-to-point arm movements in the sagittal plane 40 days before and 24 and 72 h after the spaceflight. We found that, whereas the shape of hand velocity profiles remained unaffected after the spaceflight, hand path curvature significantly increased 1 day after landing and returned to the preflight level on the third day. Control experiments, carried out by 10 subjects under normal gravity conditions, showed that loading the arm with varying loads (from 0.3 to 1.350 kg) did not affect path curvature. Therefore, changes in path curvature after spaceflight cannot be the outcome of a control process based on the subjective feeling that arm inertia was increased. By performing optimal control simulations, we found that arm kinematics after exposure to microgravity corresponded to a planning process that overestimated the gravity level and optimized movements in a hypergravity environment (∼1.4 g). With time and practice, the sensorimotor system was recalibrated to Earth's gravity conditions, and cosmonauts progressively generated accurate estimations of the body state, gravity level, and sensory consequences of the motor commands (72 h). These observations provide novel insights into how the central nervous system evaluates body (inertia) and environmental (gravity) states during sensorimotor adaptation of point-to-point arm movements after an exposure to weightlessness.

Planning-related motor processes underlie mental practice and imitation learning.

PubMed

Bach, Patric; Allami, Bassem Khalaf; Tucker, Mike; Ellis, Rob

2014-06-01

It is still controversial whether mental practice-the internal rehearsal of movements to improve later performance-relies on processes engaged during physical motor performance and, if so, which processes these are. We report data from 5 experiments, in which participants mentally practiced complex rhythms with either feet or hands while using the same or different body parts to respond to unrelated sounds. We found that responses were impaired for those body parts that were concurrently used in mental practice, suggesting a binding of body-part-specific motor processes to action plans. This result was found when participants mentally trained to memorize the rhythms, to merely improve their performance, when mental practice and execution directly followed one another and when separated by a different task. Finally, it was found irrespective of whether participants practiced on the basis of a symbolic rhythm description and when they practiced by watching somebody perform the rhythms (imitation learning). The effect was eliminated only when the requirement for mental practice was eliminated from the task while keeping visual stimulation identical. These data link mental practice not to execution but planning related motor processes and reveal that these planning processes underlie both mental practice and imitation learning. PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2014 APA, all rights reserved.

On the nature of motor planning variables during arm pointing movement: Compositeness and speed dependence.

PubMed

Vu, Van Hoan; Isableu, Brice; Berret, Bastien

2016-07-22

The purpose of this study was to investigate the nature of the variables and rules underlying the planning of unrestrained 3D arm reaching. To identify whether the brain uses kinematic, dynamic and energetic values in an isolated manner or combines them in a flexible way, we examined the effects of speed variations upon the chosen arm trajectories during free arm movements. Within the optimal control framework, we uncovered which (possibly composite) optimality criterion underlays at best the empirical data. Fifteen participants were asked to perform free-endpoint reaching movements from a specific arm configuration at slow, normal and fast speeds. Experimental results revealed that prominent features of observed motor behaviors were significantly speed-dependent, such as the chosen reach endpoint and the final arm posture. Nevertheless, participants exhibited different arm trajectories and various degrees of speed dependence of their reaching behavior. These inter-individual differences were addressed using a numerical inverse optimal control methodology. Simulation results revealed that a weighted combination of kinematic, energetic and dynamic cost functions was required to account for all the critical features of the participants' behavior. Furthermore, no evidence for the existence of a speed-dependent tuning of these weights was found, thereby suggesting subject-specific but speed-invariant weightings of kinematic, energetic and dynamic variables during the motor planning process of free arm movements. This suggested that the inter-individual difference of arm trajectories and speed dependence was not only due to anthropometric singularities but also to critical differences in the composition of the subjective cost function. Copyright © 2016 IBRO. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Using a virtual world for robot planning

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Benjamin, D. Paul; Monaco, John V.; Lin, Yixia; Funk, Christopher; Lyons, Damian

2012-06-01

We are building a robot cognitive architecture that constructs a real-time virtual copy of itself and its environment, including people, and uses the model to process perceptual information and to plan its movements. This paper describes the structure of this architecture. The software components of this architecture include PhysX for the virtual world, OpenCV and the Point Cloud Library for visual processing, and the Soar cognitive architecture that controls the perceptual processing and task planning. The RS (Robot Schemas) language is implemented in Soar, providing the ability to reason about concurrency and time. This Soar/RS component controls visual processing, deciding which objects and dynamics to render into PhysX, and the degree of detail required for the task. As the robot runs, its virtual model diverges from physical reality, and errors grow. The Match-Mediated Difference component monitors these errors by comparing the visual data with corresponding data from virtual cameras, and notifies Soar/RS of significant differences, e.g. a new object that appears, or an object that changes direction unexpectedly. Soar/RS can then run PhysX much faster than real-time and search among possible future world paths to plan the robot's actions. We report experimental results in indoor environments.

Examining Age-Related Movement Representations for Sequential (Fine-Motor) Finger Movements

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gabbard, Carl; Cacola, Priscila; Bobbio, Tatiana

2011-01-01

Theory suggests that imagined and executed movement planning relies on internal models for action. Using a chronometry paradigm to compare the movement duration of imagined and executed movements, we tested children aged 7-11 years and adults on their ability to perform sequential finger movements. Underscoring this tactic was our desire to gain a…

Gender differences in visuospatial planning: an eye movements study.

PubMed

Cazzato, Valentina; Basso, Demis; Cutini, Simone; Bisiacchi, Patrizia

2010-01-20

Gender studies report a male advantage in several visuospatial abilities. Only few studies however, have evaluated differences in visuospatial planning behaviour with regard to gender. This study was aimed at exploring whether gender may affect the choice of cognitive strategies in a visuospatial planning task and, if oculomotor measures could assist in disentangling the cognitive processes involved. A computerised task based on the travelling salesperson problem paradigm, the Maps test, was used to investigate these issues. Participants were required to optimise time and space of a path travelling among a set of sub-goals in a spatially constrained environment. Behavioural results suggest that there are no gender differences in the initial visual processing of the stimuli, but rather during the execution of the plan, with males showing a shorter execution time and a higher path length optimisation than females. Males often showed changes of heuristics during the execution while females seemed to prefer a constant strategy. Moreover, a better performance in behavioural and oculomotor measures seemed to suggest that males are more able than females in either the optimisation of spatial features or the realisation of the planned scheme. Despite inconclusive findings, the results support previous research and provide insight into the level of cognitive processing involved in navigation and planning tasks, with regard to the influence of gender.

Learning optimal eye movements to unusual faces

PubMed Central

Peterson, Matthew F.; Eckstein, Miguel P.

2014-01-01

Eye movements, which guide the fovea’s high resolution and computational power to relevant areas of the visual scene, are integral to efficient, successful completion of many visual tasks. How humans modify their eye movements through experience with their perceptual environments, and its functional role in learning new tasks, has not been fully investigated. Here, we used a face identification task where only the mouth discriminated exemplars to assess if, how, and when eye movement modulation may mediate learning. By interleaving trials of unconstrained eye movements with trials of forced fixation, we attempted to separate the contributions of eye movements and covert mechanisms to performance improvements. Without instruction, a majority of observers substantially increased accuracy and learned to direct their initial eye movements towards the optimal fixation point. The proximity of an observer’s default face identification eye movement behavior to the new optimal fixation point and the observer’s peripheral processing ability were predictive of performance gains and eye movement learning. After practice in a subsequent condition in which observers were directed to fixate different locations along the face, including the relevant mouth region, all observers learned to make eye movements to the optimal fixation point. In this fully learned state, augmented fixation strategy accounted for 43% of total efficiency improvements while covert mechanisms accounted for the remaining 57%. The findings suggest a critical role for eye movement planning to perceptual learning, and elucidate factors that can predict when and how well an observer can learn a new task with unusual exemplars. PMID:24291712

Skill-Based and Planned Active Play Versus Free-Play Effects on Fundamental Movement Skills in Preschoolers.

PubMed

Roach, Lindsay; Keats, Melanie

2018-01-01

Fundamental movement skill interventions are important for promoting physical activity, but the optimal intervention model for preschool children remains unclear. We compared two 8-week interventions, a structured skill-station and a planned active play approach, to a free-play control condition on pre- and postintervention fundamental movement skills. We also collected data regarding program attendance and perceived enjoyment. We found a significant interaction effect between intervention type and time. A Tukey honest significant difference analysis supported a positive intervention effect showing a significant difference between both interventions and the free-play control condition. There was a significant between-group difference in group attendance such that mean attendance was higher for both the free-play and planned active play groups relative to the structured skill-based approach. There were no differences in attendance between free-play and planned active play groups, and there were no differences in enjoyment ratings between the two intervention groups. In sum, while both interventions led to improved fundamental movement skills, the active play approach offered several logistical advantages. Although these findings should be replicated, they can guide feasible and sustainable fundamental movement skill programs within day care settings.

Quality Improvement on the Acute Inpatient Psychiatry Unit Using the Model for Improvement

PubMed Central

Singh, Kuldeep; Sanderson, Joshua; Galarneau, David; Keister, Thomas; Hickman, Dean

2013-01-01

Background A need exists for constant evaluation and modification of processes within healthcare systems to achieve quality improvement. One common approach is the Model for Improvement that can be used to clearly define aims, measures, and changes that are then implemented through a plan-do-study-act (PDSA) cycle. This approach is a commonly used method for improving quality in a wide range of fields. The Model for Improvement allows for a systematic process that can be revised at set time intervals to achieve a desired result. Methods We used the Model for Improvement in an acute psychiatry unit (APU) to improve the screening incidence of abnormal involuntary movements in eligible patients—those starting or continuing on standing neuroleptics—with the Abnormal Involuntary Movement Scale (AIMS). Results After 8 weeks of using the Model for Improvement, both of the participating inpatient services in the APU showed substantial overall improvement in screening for abnormal involuntary movements using the AIMS. Conclusion Crucial aspects of a successful quality improvement initiative based on the Model for Improvement are well-defined goals, process measures, and structured PDSA cycles. Success also requires communication, organization, and participation of the entire team. PMID:24052768

Quality improvement on the acute inpatient psychiatry unit using the model for improvement.

PubMed

Singh, Kuldeep; Sanderson, Joshua; Galarneau, David; Keister, Thomas; Hickman, Dean

2013-01-01

A need exists for constant evaluation and modification of processes within healthcare systems to achieve quality improvement. One common approach is the Model for Improvement that can be used to clearly define aims, measures, and changes that are then implemented through a plan-do-study-act (PDSA) cycle. This approach is a commonly used method for improving quality in a wide range of fields. The Model for Improvement allows for a systematic process that can be revised at set time intervals to achieve a desired result. We used the Model for Improvement in an acute psychiatry unit (APU) to improve the screening incidence of abnormal involuntary movements in eligible patients-those starting or continuing on standing neuroleptics-with the Abnormal Involuntary Movement Scale (AIMS). After 8 weeks of using the Model for Improvement, both of the participating inpatient services in the APU showed substantial overall improvement in screening for abnormal involuntary movements using the AIMS. Crucial aspects of a successful quality improvement initiative based on the Model for Improvement are well-defined goals, process measures, and structured PDSA cycles. Success also requires communication, organization, and participation of the entire team.

Using circuit theory to model connectivity in ecology, evolution, and conservation.

PubMed

McRae, Brad H; Dickson, Brett G; Keitt, Timothy H; Shah, Viral B

2008-10-01

Connectivity among populations and habitats is important for a wide range of ecological processes. Understanding, preserving, and restoring connectivity in complex landscapes requires connectivity models and metrics that are reliable, efficient, and process based. We introduce a new class of ecological connectivity models based in electrical circuit theory. Although they have been applied in other disciplines, circuit-theoretic connectivity models are new to ecology. They offer distinct advantages over common analytic connectivity models, including a theoretical basis in random walk theory and an ability to evaluate contributions of multiple dispersal pathways. Resistance, current, and voltage calculated across graphs or raster grids can be related to ecological processes (such as individual movement and gene flow) that occur across large population networks or landscapes. Efficient algorithms can quickly solve networks with millions of nodes, or landscapes with millions of raster cells. Here we review basic circuit theory, discuss relationships between circuit and random walk theories, and describe applications in ecology, evolution, and conservation. We provide examples of how circuit models can be used to predict movement patterns and fates of random walkers in complex landscapes and to identify important habitat patches and movement corridors for conservation planning.

Decision-Making Influences Tibial Impact Accelerations During Lateral Cutting.

PubMed

Lucas, Logan A; England, Benjamin S; Mason, Travis W; Lanning, Christopher R; Miller, Taylor M; Morgan, Alexander M; Almonroeder, Thomas G

2018-05-29

Lower extremity musculoskeletal injuries are common in sports such as basketball and soccer. Athletes competing in sports of this nature must maneuver in response to the actions of their teammates, opponents, etc. This limits their ability to pre-plan movements. The purpose of this study was to compare impact accelerations during pre-planned vs. un-planned lateral cutting. Thirty subjects (15 males, 15 females) performed pre-planned and un-planned cuts while we analyzed impact accelerations using an accelerometer secured to their tibia. For the pre-planned condition, subjects were aware of the movement to perform before initiating a trial. For the un-planned condition, subjects initiated their movement and then reacted to the illumination of one of three visual stimuli which dictated whether they would cut, land, or land-and-jump. A mixed-model ANOVA with a between factor of sex (male, female) and a within factor of condition (pre-planned, un-planned) was used to analyze the magnitude and variability of the impact accelerations for the cutting trials. Both males and females demonstrated higher impact accelerations (p = .010) and a trend toward greater inter-trial variability (p = .073) for the un-planned cutting trials (vs. pre-planned cuts). Un-planned cutting may place greater demands on the musculoskeletal system.

The control of sequential aiming movements: the influence of practice and manual asymmetries on the one-target advantage.

PubMed

Lavrysen, Ann; Helsen, Werner F; Tremblay, Luc; Elliott, Digby; Adam, Jos J; Feys, Peter; Buekers, Martinus J

2003-04-01

The present experiment was conducted to explore the effect of practice on the one-target advantage in manual aiming, as well as asymmetries in intermanual transfer of training. Reaction and movement times for the first movement were longer in the 2-target than in the 1-target task, regardless of the amount of practice, hand preference and practice hand. When two movements were required, peak velocity was lower and, proportionally, more time was spent after peak velocity. Our kinematic results suggest that the one-target advantage is related to both predefined strategies as well as movement implementation processes during execution. Therefore, an integration of advance planning and on-line explanations for the one-target advantage is suggested. Regarding manual asymmetries, right-handers showed more transfer of training from the left to the right hand than vice versa. Left-handers exhibited a reversed pattern of asymmetric transfer of training to right-handers, but they were more disadvantaged using their non-dominant hand. These latter two findings have implications for models of manual asymmetry and upper limb control.

Control over Conflict during Movement Preparation: Role of Posterior Parietal Cortex

PubMed Central

Coulthard, Elizabeth J.; Nachev, Parashkev; Husain, Masud

2008-01-01

Summary Flexible behavior in humans often requires that rapid choices be made between conflicting action plans. Although much attention has focused on prefrontal regions, little is understood about the contribution of parietal cortex under situations of response conflict. Here we show that right parietal damage associated with spatial neglect leads to paradoxical facilitation (speeding) of rightward movements in the presence of conflicting leftward response plans. These findings indicate a critical role for parietal regions in action planning when there is response competition. In contrast, patients with prefrontal damage have an augmented cost of conflict for both leftward and rightward movements. The results suggest involvement of two independent systems in situations of response conflict, with right parietal cortex being a crucial site for automatic activation of competing motor plans and prefrontal regions acting independently to inhibit action plans irrelevant to current task goals. PMID:18400170

The Planning, Implementation, and Movement of an Academic Library Collection.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kurkul, Donna Lee

1983-01-01

Discusses methodology, logistics, and time/cost study of planning, implementation, and relocation of 682,810 volume Smith College Library collection into its newly constructed and renovated facility. Call number sequence location, collection movement phasing and formulas for sequence distribution, and personnel requirements are noted. Elementary…

Response inhibition in motor conversion disorder.

PubMed

Voon, Valerie; Ekanayake, Vindhya; Wiggs, Edythe; Kranick, Sarah; Ameli, Rezvan; Harrison, Neil A; Hallett, Mark

2013-05-01

Conversion disorders (CDs) are unexplained neurological symptoms presumed to be related to a psychological issue. Studies focusing on conversion paralysis have suggested potential impairments in motor initiation or execution. Here we studied CD patients with aberrant or excessive motor movements and focused on motor response inhibition. We also assessed cognitive measures in multiple domains. We compared 30 CD patients and 30 age-, sex-, and education-matched healthy volunteers on a motor response inhibition task (go/no go), along with verbal motor response inhibition (color-word interference) and measures of attention, sustained attention, processing speed, language, memory, visuospatial processing, and executive function including planning and verbal fluency. CD patients had greater impairments in commission errors on the go/no go task (P < .001) compared with healthy volunteers, which remained significant after Bonferroni correction for multiple comparisons and after controlling for attention, sustained attention, depression, and anxiety. There were no significant differences in other cognitive measures. We highlight a specific deficit in motor response inhibition that may play a role in impaired inhibition of unwanted movement such as the excessive and aberrant movements seen in motor conversion. Patients with nonepileptic seizures, a different form of conversion disorder, are commonly reported to have lower IQ and multiple cognitive deficits. Our results point toward potential differences between conversion disorder subgroups. © 2013 Movement Disorder Society. Copyright © 2013 Movement Disorder Society.

The Impact of Re-Accreditation Processes and Institutional Environment upon a Community College's Efforts to Meet Minimum Standards for Assessing General Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mattingly, R. Scott

2012-01-01

As one result of the accountability movement in American postsecondary education, accrediting agencies have increased their emphasis on student learning outcomes assessment. Among other consequences, this change has impacted the manner in which institutions of higher education (IHEs) plan, implement, assess, and revise the general education…

From conscious thought to automatic action: A simulation account of action planning.

PubMed

Martiny-Huenger, Torsten; Martiny, Sarah E; Parks-Stamm, Elizabeth J; Pfeiffer, Elisa; Gollwitzer, Peter M

2017-10-01

We provide a theoretical framework and empirical evidence for how verbally planning an action creates direct perception-action links and behavioral automaticity. We argue that planning actions in an if (situation)-then (action) format induces sensorimotor simulations (i.e., activity patterns reenacting the event in the sensory and motor brain areas) of the anticipated situation and the intended action. Due to their temporal overlap, these activity patterns become linked. Whenever the previously simulated situation is encountered, the previously simulated action is partially reactivated through spreading activation and thus more likely to be executed. In 4 experiments (N = 363), we investigated the relation between specific if-then action plans worded to activate simulations of elbow flexion versus extension movements and actual elbow flexion versus extension movements in a subsequent, ostensibly unrelated categorization task. As expected, linking a critical stimulus to intended actions that implied elbow flexion movements (e.g., grabbing it for consumption) subsequently facilitated elbow flexion movements upon encountering the critical stimulus. However, linking a critical stimulus to actions that implied elbow extension movements (e.g., pointing at it) subsequently facilitated elbow extension movements upon encountering the critical stimulus. Thus, minor differences (i.e., exchanging the words "point at" with "grab") in verbally formulated action plans (i.e., conscious thought) had systematic consequences on subsequent actions. The question of how conscious thought can induce stimulus-triggered action is illuminated by the provided theoretical framework and the respective empirical evidence, facilitating the understanding of behavioral automaticity and human agency. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2017 APA, all rights reserved).

Goal-directed or aimless? EEG differences during the preparation of a reach-and-touch task.

PubMed

Pereira, Joana; Ofner, Patrick; Muller-Putz, Gernot R

2015-08-01

The natural control of neuroprostheses is currently a challenge in both rehabilitation engineering and brain-computer interfaces (BCIs) research. One of the recurrent problems is to know exactly when to activate such devices. For the execution of the most common activities of daily living, these devices only need to be active when in the presence of a goal. Therefore, we believe that the distinction between the planning of goal-directed and aimless movements, using non-invasive recordings, can be useful for the implementation of a simple and effective activation method for these devices. We investigated whether those differences are detectable during a reach-and-touch task, using electroencephalography (EEG). Event-related potentials and oscillatory activity changes were studied. Our results show that there are statistically significant differences between both types of movement. Combining this information with movement decoding would allow a natural control strategy for BCIs, exclusively relying on the cognitive processes behind movement preparation and execution.

Target size matters: target errors contribute to the generalization of implicit visuomotor learning.

PubMed

Reichenthal, Maayan; Avraham, Guy; Karniel, Amir; Shmuelof, Lior

2016-08-01

The process of sensorimotor adaptation is considered to be driven by errors. While sensory prediction errors, defined as the difference between the planned and the actual movement of the cursor, drive implicit learning processes, target errors (e.g., the distance of the cursor from the target) are thought to drive explicit learning mechanisms. This distinction was mainly studied in the context of arm reaching tasks where the position and the size of the target were constant. We hypothesize that in a dynamic reaching environment, where subjects have to hit moving targets and the targets' dynamic characteristics affect task success, implicit processes will benefit from target errors as well. We examine the effect of target errors on learning of an unnoticed perturbation during unconstrained reaching movements. Subjects played a Pong game, in which they had to hit a moving ball by moving a paddle controlled by their hand. During the game, the movement of the paddle was gradually rotated with respect to the hand, reaching a final rotation of 25°. Subjects were assigned to one of two groups: The high-target error group played the Pong with a small ball, and the low-target error group played with a big ball. Before and after the Pong game, subjects performed open-loop reaching movements toward static targets with no visual feedback. While both groups adapted to the rotation, the postrotation reaching movements were directionally biased only in the small-ball group. This result provides evidence that implicit adaptation is sensitive to target errors. Copyright © 2016 the American Physiological Society.

A Model to Translate Evidence-Based Interventions Into Community Practice

PubMed Central

Christiansen, Ann L.; Peterson, Donna J.; Guse, Clare E.; Maurana, Cheryl A.; Brandenburg, Terry

2012-01-01

There is a tension between 2 alternative approaches to implementing community-based interventions. The evidence-based public health movement emphasizes the scientific basis of prevention by disseminating rigorously evaluated interventions from academic and governmental agencies to local communities. Models used by local health departments to incorporate community input into their planning, such as the community health improvement process (CHIP), emphasize community leadership in identifying health problems and developing and implementing health improvement strategies. Each approach has limitations. Modifying CHIP to formally include consideration of evidence-based interventions in both the planning and evaluation phases leads to an evidence-driven community health improvement process that can serve as a useful framework for uniting the different approaches while emphasizing community ownership, priorities, and wisdom. PMID:22397341

The Music, Movement, and Learning Connection.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Palmer, Hap

2001-01-01

Offers suggestions for combining music and movement in early childhood settings to enhance children's learning. Suggestions include choosing songs that encourage active involvement, incorporating children's ideas and interests in curriculum planning, using music and movement to recognize the whole child, and making music and movement sessions…

Gender and rapid alterations of hemispheric dominance during planning.

PubMed

Schuepbach, Daniel; Skotchko, Tatjana; Duschek, Stefan; Theodoridou, Anastasia; Grimm, Simone; Boeker, Heinz; Seifritz, Erich

2012-01-01

Mental planning and carrying out a plan provoke specific cerebral hemodynamic responses. Gender aspects of hemispheric laterality using rapid cerebral hemodynamics have not been reported. Here, we applied functional transcranial Doppler sonography to examine lateralization of cerebral hemodynamics of the middle cerebral arteries of 28 subjects (14 women and 14 men) performing a standard planning task. There were easy and difficult problems, and mental planning without motor activity was separated from movement execution. Difficult mental planning elicited lateralization to the right hemisphere after 2 or more seconds, a feature that was not observed during movement execution. In females, there was a dominance to the left hemisphere during movement execution. Optimized problem solving yielded an increased laterality change to the right during mental planning. Gender-related hemispheric dominance appears to be condition-dependent, and change of laterality to the right may play a role in optimized performance. Results are of relevance when considering laterality from a perspective of performance enhancement of higher cognitive functions, and also of psychiatric disorders with cognitive dysfunctions and abnormal lateralization patterns such as schizophrenia. Copyright © 2012 S. Karger AG, Basel.

Examining intention in simulated actions: are children and young adults different?

PubMed

Gabbard, Carl; Caçola, Priscila

2014-10-01

Previous work with adults provides evidence that 'intention' used in processing simulated actions is similar to that used in planning and processing overt movements. The present study compared young adults and children on their ability to estimate distance reachability using a NOGO/GO paradigm in conditions of imagery only (IO) and imagery with actual execution (IE). Our initial thoughts were that whereas intention is associated with motivation and commitment to act, age-related differences could impact planning. Results indicated no difference in overall accuracy by condition within groups, and as expected adults were more accurate. These findings support an increasing body of evidence suggesting that the neurocognitive processes (in this case, intention) driving motor imagery and overt actions are similar, and as evidenced here, functioning by age 7. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Introduction of a computer-based method for automated planning of reduction paths under consideration of simulated muscular forces.

PubMed

Buschbaum, Jan; Fremd, Rainer; Pohlemann, Tim; Kristen, Alexander

2017-08-01

Reduction is a crucial step in the surgical treatment of bone fractures. Finding an optimal path for restoring anatomical alignment is considered technically demanding because collisions as well as high forces caused by surrounding soft tissues can avoid desired reduction movements. The repetition of reduction movements leads to a trial-and-error process which causes a prolonged duration of surgery. By planning an appropriate reduction path-an optimal sequence of target-directed movements-these problems should be overcome. For this purpose, a computer-based method has been developed. Using the example of simple femoral shaft fractures, 3D models are generated out of CT images. A reposition algorithm aligns both fragments by reconstructing their broken edges. According to the criteria of a deduced planning strategy, a modified A*-algorithm searches collision-free route of minimal force from the dislocated into the computed target position. Muscular forces are considered using a musculoskeletal reduction model (OpenSim model), and bone collisions are detected by an appropriate method. Five femoral SYNBONE models were broken into different fracture classification types and were automatically reduced from ten randomly selected displaced positions. Highest mean translational and rotational error for achieving target alignment is [Formula: see text] and [Formula: see text]. Mean value and standard deviation of occurring forces are [Formula: see text] for M. tensor fasciae latae and [Formula: see text] for M. semitendinosus over all trials. These pathways are precise, collision-free, required forces are minimized, and thus regarded as optimal paths. A novel method for planning reduction paths under consideration of collisions and muscular forces is introduced. The results deliver additional knowledge for an appropriate tactical reduction procedure and can provide a basis for further navigated or robotic-assisted developments.

Individualized Margins in 3D Conformal Radiotherapy Planning for Lung Cancer: Analysis of Physiological Movements and Their Dosimetric Impacts

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Germain, Francois; Beaulieu, Luc; Fortin, Andre

2008-04-01

In conformal radiotherapy planning for lung cancer, respiratory movements are not taken into account when a single computed tomography (CT) scan is performed. This study examines tumor movements to design individualized margins to account for these movements and evaluates their dosimetric impacts on planning volume. Fifteen patients undergoing CT-based planning for radical radiotherapy for localized lung cancer formed the study cohort. A reference plan was constructed based on reference gross, clinical, and planning target volumes (rGTV, rCTV, and rPTV, respectively). The reference plans were compared with individualized plans using individualized margins obtained by using 5 serial CT scans to generatemore » individualized target volumes (iGTV, iCTV, and iPTV). Three-dimensional conformal radiation therapy was used for plan generation using 6- and 23-MV photon beams. Ten plans for each patient were generated and dose-volume histograms (DVHs) were calculated. Comparisons of volumetric and dosimetric parameters were performed using paired Student t-tests. Relative to the rGTV, the total volume occupied by the superimposed GTVs increased progressively with each additional CT scans. With the use of all 5 scans, the average increase in GTV was 52.1%. For the plans with closest dosimetric coverage, target volume was smaller (iPTV/rPTV ratio 0.808) but lung irradiation was only slightly decreased. Reduction in the proportion of lung tissue that received 20 Gy or more outside the PTV (V20) was observed both for 6-MV plans (-0.73%) and 23-MV plans (-0.65%), with p = 0.02 and p = 0.04, respectively. In conformal RT planning for the treatment of lung cancer, the use of serial CT scans to evaluate respiratory motion and to generate individualized margins to account for these motions produced only a limited lung sparing advantage.« less

FUNdamental Movement in Early Childhood.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Campbell, Linley

2001-01-01

Noting that the development of fundamental movement skills is basic to children's motor development, this booklet provides a guide for early childhood educators in planning movement experiences for children between 4 and 8 years. The booklet introduces a wide variety of appropriate practices to promote movement skill acquisition and increased…

My university. What I learned from the Productive Cooperative Movement to Promotion of Humanistic Family Planning.

PubMed

Kunii, C

1990-07-01

Based on experiences with the Productive Cooperative Movement and the Parasite Control Movement in Japan, the Japanese Family Planning Movement began in April 1954. The resultant private and nonprofit Japan Family Planning Association (JFPA) followed and it served to help Japan achieve its goal of reducing fertility by promoting family planning. It did so by publishing a monthly newsletter on family planning, hosting meetings and national conventions, spreading information via the mass media, and selling contraceptives and educational materials. JFPA earned funding from these sales with no support from the government thereby establishing self dependence and freedom to speak candidly to the government. The JFPA learned that families wanted to improve their standard of living and were willing to limit family size to 2 children. After the birth rate peaked in 1955, the birth rate and the number of illegal abortions decreased. In the 1950s, JFPA joined the International Planned Parenthood Federation and subsequently learned of the problems faced by developing countries. Based on the successful reduction of fertility in Japan and a strong economic base, JFPA and the government were in a position to organize an international cooperation program for family planning. Therefore, the leader of JFPA resigned to found the Japanese Organization for International Cooperation in Family Planning which promotes family planning in developing countries via its integrated family planning, nutrition, and parasite control program. A steering committee composed of leaders from government, universities, and private organizations sets the policies for the program in each country. It is to the Japanese government's advantage to work with private organizations instead of providing all social services because they are flexible and provide administrative stability and national expenses are minimized.

Action Planning Mediates Guidance of Visual Attention from Working Memory.

PubMed

Feldmann-Wüstefeld, Tobias; Schubö, Anna

2015-01-01

Visual search is impaired when a salient task-irrelevant stimulus is presented together with the target. Recent research has shown that this attentional capture effect is enhanced when the salient stimulus matches working memory (WM) content, arguing in favor of attention guidance from WM. Visual attention was also shown to be closely coupled with action planning. Preparing a movement renders action-relevant perceptual dimensions more salient and thus increases search efficiency for stimuli sharing that dimension. The present study aimed at revealing common underlying mechanisms for selective attention, WM, and action planning. Participants both prepared a specific movement (grasping or pointing) and memorized a color hue. Before the movement was executed towards an object of the memorized color, a visual search task (additional singleton) was performed. Results showed that distraction from target was more pronounced when the additional singleton had a memorized color. This WM-guided attention deployment was more pronounced when participants prepared a grasping movement. We argue that preparing a grasping movement mediates attention guidance from WM content by enhancing representations of memory content that matches the distractor shape (i.e., circles), thus encouraging attentional capture by circle distractors of the memorized color. We conclude that templates for visual search, action planning, and WM compete for resources and thus cause interferences.

Action Planning Mediates Guidance of Visual Attention from Working Memory

PubMed Central

Schubö, Anna

2015-01-01

Visual search is impaired when a salient task-irrelevant stimulus is presented together with the target. Recent research has shown that this attentional capture effect is enhanced when the salient stimulus matches working memory (WM) content, arguing in favor of attention guidance from WM. Visual attention was also shown to be closely coupled with action planning. Preparing a movement renders action-relevant perceptual dimensions more salient and thus increases search efficiency for stimuli sharing that dimension. The present study aimed at revealing common underlying mechanisms for selective attention, WM, and action planning. Participants both prepared a specific movement (grasping or pointing) and memorized a color hue. Before the movement was executed towards an object of the memorized color, a visual search task (additional singleton) was performed. Results showed that distraction from target was more pronounced when the additional singleton had a memorized color. This WM-guided attention deployment was more pronounced when participants prepared a grasping movement. We argue that preparing a grasping movement mediates attention guidance from WM content by enhancing representations of memory content that matches the distractor shape (i.e., circles), thus encouraging attentional capture by circle distractors of the memorized color. We conclude that templates for visual search, action planning, and WM compete for resources and thus cause interferences. PMID:26171241

The "Motor" in Implicit Motor Sequence Learning: A Foot-stepping Serial Reaction Time Task.

PubMed

Du, Yue; Clark, Jane E

2018-05-03

This protocol describes a modified serial reaction time (SRT) task used to study implicit motor sequence learning. Unlike the classic SRT task that involves finger-pressing movements while sitting, the modified SRT task requires participants to step with both feet while maintaining a standing posture. This stepping task necessitates whole body actions that impose postural challenges. The foot-stepping task complements the classic SRT task in several ways. The foot-stepping SRT task is a better proxy for the daily activities that require ongoing postural control, and thus may help us better understand sequence learning in real-life situations. In addition, response time serves as an indicator of sequence learning in the classic SRT task, but it is unclear whether response time, reaction time (RT) representing mental process, or movement time (MT) reflecting the movement itself, is a key player in motor sequence learning. The foot-stepping SRT task allows researchers to disentangle response time into RT and MT, which may clarify how motor planning and movement execution are involved in sequence learning. Lastly, postural control and cognition are interactively related, but little is known about how postural control interacts with learning motor sequences. With a motion capture system, the movement of the whole body (e.g., the center of mass (COM)) can be recorded. Such measures allow us to reveal the dynamic processes underlying discrete responses measured by RT and MT, and may aid in elucidating the relationship between postural control and the explicit and implicit processes involved in sequence learning. Details of the experimental set-up, procedure, and data processing are described. The representative data are adopted from one of our previous studies. Results are related to response time, RT, and MT, as well as the relationship between the anticipatory postural response and the explicit processes involved in implicit motor sequence learning.

Speech motor planning and execution deficits in early childhood stuttering.

PubMed

Walsh, Bridget; Mettel, Kathleen Marie; Smith, Anne

2015-01-01

Five to eight percent of preschool children develop stuttering, a speech disorder with clearly observable, hallmark symptoms: sound repetitions, prolongations, and blocks. While the speech motor processes underlying stuttering have been widely documented in adults, few studies to date have assessed the speech motor dynamics of stuttering near its onset. We assessed fundamental characteristics of speech movements in preschool children who stutter and their fluent peers to determine if atypical speech motor characteristics described for adults are early features of the disorder or arise later in the development of chronic stuttering. Orofacial movement data were recorded from 58 children who stutter and 43 children who do not stutter aged 4;0 to 5;11 (years; months) in a sentence production task. For single speech movements and multiple speech movement sequences, we computed displacement amplitude, velocity, and duration. For the phrase level movement sequence, we computed an index of articulation coordination consistency for repeated productions of the sentence. Boys who stutter, but not girls, produced speech with reduced amplitudes and velocities of articulatory movement. All children produced speech with similar durations. Boys, particularly the boys who stuttered, had more variable patterns of articulatory coordination compared to girls. This study is the first to demonstrate sex-specific differences in speech motor control processes between preschool boys and girls who are stuttering. The sex-specific lag in speech motor development in many boys who stutter likely has significant implications for the dramatically different recovery rates between male and female preschoolers who stutter. Further, our findings document that atypical speech motor development is an early feature of stuttering.

Unaddressed participants’ gaze in multi-person interaction: optimizing recipiency

PubMed Central

Holler, Judith; Kendrick, Kobin H.

2015-01-01

One of the most intriguing aspects of human communication is its turn-taking system. It requires the ability to process on-going turns at talk while planning the next, and to launch this next turn without considerable overlap or delay. Recent research has investigated the eye movements of observers of dialogs to gain insight into how we process turns at talk. More specifically, this research has focused on the extent to which we are able to anticipate the end of current and the beginning of next turns. At the same time, there has been a call for shifting experimental paradigms exploring social-cognitive processes away from passive observation toward on-line processing. Here, we present research that responds to this call by situating state-of-the-art technology for tracking interlocutors’ eye movements within spontaneous, face-to-face conversation. Each conversation involved three native speakers of English. The analysis focused on question–response sequences involving just two of those participants, thus rendering the third momentarily unaddressed. Temporal analyses of the unaddressed participants’ gaze shifts from current to next speaker revealed that unaddressed participants are able to anticipate next turns, and moreover, that they often shift their gaze toward the next speaker before the current turn ends. However, an analysis of the complex structure of turns at talk revealed that the planning of these gaze shifts virtually coincides with the points at which the turns first become recognizable as possibly complete. We argue that the timing of these eye movements is governed by an organizational principle whereby unaddressed participants shift their gaze at a point that appears interactionally most optimal: It provides unaddressed participants with access to much of the visual, bodily behavior that accompanies both the current speaker’s and the next speaker’s turn, and it allows them to display recipiency with regard to both speakers’ turns. PMID:25709592

Set as an instance of a real-world visual-cognitive task.

PubMed

Nyamsuren, Enkhbold; Taatgen, Niels A

2013-01-01

Complex problem solving is often an integration of perceptual processing and deliberate planning. But what balances these two processes, and how do novices differ from experts? We investigate the interplay between these two in the game of SET. This article investigates how people combine bottom-up visual processes and top-down planning to succeed in this game. Using combinatorial and mixed-effect regression analysis of eye-movement protocols and a cognitive model of a human player, we show that SET players deploy both bottom-up and top-down processes in parallel to accomplish the same task. The combination of competition and cooperation of both types of processes is a major factor of success in the game. Finally, we explore strategies players use during the game. Our findings suggest that within-trial strategy shifts can occur without the need of explicit meta-cognitive control, but rather implicitly as a result of evolving memory activations. Copyright © 2012 Cognitive Science Society, Inc.

Movement integration in elementary classrooms: Teacher perceptions and implications for program planning.

PubMed

Webster, Collin A; Zarrett, Nicole; Cook, Brittany S; Egan, Cate; Nesbitt, Danielle; Weaver, R Glenn

2017-04-01

Movement integration (MI), which involves infusing physical activity (PA) into regular classroom time in schools, is widely recommended to help children meet the national guideline of 60min of PA each day. Understanding the perspective of elementary classroom teachers (ECTs) toward MI is critical to program planning for interventions/professional development. This study examined the MI perceptions of ECTs in order to inform the design and implementation of a school-based pilot program that focused in part on increasing children's PA through MI. Twelve ECTs (Grades 1-3) from four schools were selected to participate based on their responses to a survey about their use of MI. Based on the idea that MI programming should be designed with particular attention to teachers who integrate relatively few movement opportunities in their classrooms, the intent was to select the teacher who reported integrating movement the least at her/his respective grade level at each school. However, not all of these teachers agreed to participate in the study. The final sample included two groups of ECTs, including eight lowest integrating teachers and four additional teachers. Each ECT participated in an interview during the semester before the pilot program was implemented. Through qualitative analysis of the interview transcripts, four themes emerged: (a) challenges and barriers (e.g., lack of time), (b) current and ideal resources (e.g., school support), (c) current implementation processes (e.g., scheduling MI into daily routines), and (e) teachers' ideas and tips for MI (e.g., stick with it and learn as you go). The themes were supported by data from both groups of teachers. This study's findings can inform future efforts to increase movement opportunities for children during regular classroom time. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Effects of underestimating the kinematics of trunk rotation on simultaneous reaching movements: predictions of a biomechanical model

PubMed Central

2013-01-01

Background Rotation of the torso while reaching produces torques (e.g., Coriolis torque) that deviate the arm from its planned trajectory. To ensure an accurate reaching movement, the brain may take these perturbing torques into account during movement planning or, alternatively, it may correct hand trajectory during movement execution. Irrespective of the process selected, it is expected that an underestimation of trunk rotation would likely induce inaccurate shoulder and elbow torques, resulting in hand deviation. Nonetheless, it is still undetermined to what extent a small error in the perception of trunk rotations, translating into an inappropriate selection of motor commands, would affect reaching accuracy. Methods To investigate, we adapted a biomechanical model (J Neurophysiol 89: 276-289, 2003) to predict the consequences of underestimating trunk rotations on right hand reaching movements performed during either clockwise or counter clockwise torso rotations. Results The results revealed that regardless of the degree to which the torso rotation was underestimated, the amplitude of hand deviation was much larger for counter clockwise rotations than for clockwise rotations. This was attributed to the fact that the Coriolis and centripetal joint torques were acting in the same direction during counter clockwise rotation yet in opposite directions during clockwise rotations, effectively cancelling each other out. Conclusions These findings suggest that in order to anticipate and compensate for the interaction torques generated during torso rotation while reaching, the brain must have an accurate prediction of torso rotation kinematics. The present study proposes that when designing upper limb prostheses controllers, adding a sensor to monitor trunk kinematics may improve prostheses control and performance. PMID:23758968

Maxillary movement in distraction osteogenesis using internal devices in cleft palate patients.

PubMed

Tomita, Daisuke; Omura, Susumu; Ozaki, Shusaku; Shimazaki, Kazuo; Fukuyama, Eiji; Tohnai, Iwai; Torikai, Katsuyuki

2011-03-01

The purpose of this cephalometric study was to compare the actual movement with the planned movement of the maxilla by using internal maxillary distraction in cleft lip and palate patients. Twelve patients, including eight with unilateral and four with bilateral cleft lip and palate, underwent maxillary advancement with internal maxillary distractors. Lateral cephalometric radiographs obtained preoperatively, predistraction, and postdistraction were used for analysis. The movement of the maxilla, angular change of the internal devices and rotation of the mandible were measured at each stage, and the planned vector of advancement predicted from the placement vector of the distractors was compared with the actual vector. Internal maxillary distractors were rotated in a clockwise direction during the distraction period. The angular change of the distractors was 7.7°. The amount of actual advancement at anterior nasal spine with distraction was 6.3 mm, which represented about 70% of the distance of activation of distraction. The actual advanced vector at anterior nasal spine was 9.7° smaller than the planned vector. The mandible underwent a clockwise rotation of 3.5°. In the internal distraction technique, the maxilla was advanced inferiorly to the planned vector and with a slight clockwise rotation. These results are useful for surgical planning when using internal distractors.

Inhibition in movement plan competition: reach trajectories curve away from remembered and task-irrelevant present but not from task-irrelevant past visual stimuli.

PubMed

Moehler, Tobias; Fiehler, Katja

2017-11-01

The current study investigated the role of automatic encoding and maintenance of remembered, past, and present visual distractors for reach movement planning. The previous research on eye movements showed that saccades curve away from locations actively kept in working memory and also from task-irrelevant perceptually present visual distractors, but not from task-irrelevant past distractors. Curvature away has been associated with an inhibitory mechanism resolving the competition between multiple active movement plans. Here, we examined whether reach movements underlie a similar inhibitory mechanism and thus show systematic modulation of reach trajectories when the location of a previously presented distractor has to be (a) maintained in working memory or (b) ignored, or (c) when the distractor is perceptually present. Participants performed vertical reach movements on a computer monitor from a home to a target location. Distractors appeared laterally and near or far from the target (equidistant from central fixation). We found that reaches curved away from the distractors located close to the target when the distractor location had to be memorized and when it was perceptually present, but not when the past distractor had to be ignored. Our findings suggest that automatically encoding present distractors and actively maintaining the location of past distractors in working memory evoke a similar response competition resolved by inhibition, as has been previously shown for saccadic eye movements.

Efficiency improvements of offline metrology job creation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zuniga, Victor J.; Carlson, Alan; Podlesny, John C.; Knutrud, Paul C.

1999-06-01

Progress of the first lot of a new design through the production line is watched very closely. All performance metrics, cycle-time, in-line measurement results and final electrical performance are critical. Rapid movement of this lot through the line has serious time-to-market implications. Having this material waiting at a metrology operation for an engineer to create a measurement job plan wastes valuable turnaround time. Further, efficient use of a metrology system is compromised by the time required to create and maintain these measurement job plans. Thus, having a method to develop metrology job plans prior to the actual running of the material through the manufacture area can significantly improve both cycle time and overall equipment efficiency. Motorola and Schlumberger have worked together to develop and test such a system. The Remote Job Generator (RJG) created job plans for new device sin a manufacturing process from an NT host or workstation, offline. This increases available system tim effort making production measurements, decreases turnaround time on job plan creation and editing, and improves consistency across job plans. Most importantly this allows job plans for new devices to be available before the first wafers of the device arrive at the tool for measurement. The software also includes a database manager which allows updates of existing job plans to incorporate measurement changes required by process changes or measurement optimization. This paper will review the result of productivity enhancements through the increased metrology utilization and decreased cycle time associated with the use of RJG. Finally, improvements in process control through better control of Job Plans across different devices and layers will be discussed.

Cinematic modeling of local morphostructures evolution

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bronguleev, Vadim

2013-04-01

With the use of a simple 3-dimensional cinematic model of slope development some characteristic features of morphostructure evolution were shown. We assume that the velocity of slope degradation along normal vector to a surface is determined by three morphological parameters: slope angle, its profile curvature and its plan curvature. This leads to the equation of parabolic type: where h=h(x,y,t) is the altitude of slope surface, Kpr(x,y,t)is the profile curvature of the slope, Kpl(x,y,t) is the plan curvature, f(x,y,t) is the velocity of tectonic deformation (or base level movement), A, B, and C are the coefficients which may depend on coordinates and time. The first term in the right part of the equation describes parallel slope retreat, typical to arid environment, the second term describes slope vertical grading due to viscous flow, typical to humid conditions, and the third term is responsible for slope plan grading due to such processes as desquamation, frost weathering, etc. This simple model describes a wide range of local morphostructures evolution: stepped slopes and piedmont benchlands, lithogenic forms - terraces and passages, flattened summits and rounded hills. Using different types of the function f (block rise, swell, tilt), we obtained interesting reformations of initial tectonic landforms during the concurrent action of denudation processes. The result of such action differs from that of the successive action of tectonic movements and denudation. The relation of rates of the endogenous and exogenous processes strongly affects the formation of local morphostructures. Preservation of initial features of slope such as steps or bends as well as their formation due to tectonics or lithology is possible if coefficients B and Care small in comparison toA.

Final Report: Contractor Readiness Assessment (CRA) for TREAT Fuel Movement and Control Rod Drives Isolation

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Rowsell, David Leon

This report documents the Contractor Readiness Assessment (CRA) for TREAT Fuel Movement and Control Rod Drives Isolation. The review followed the approved Plan of Action (POA) and Implementation Plan (IP) using the identified core requirements. The activity was limited scope focusing on the control rod drives functional isolation and fuel element movement. The purpose of this review is to ensure the facility's readiness to move fuel elements thus supporting inspection and functionally isolate the control rod drives to maintain the required shutdown margin.

Are there age-related differences in learning to optimize speed, accuracy, and energy expenditure?

PubMed

Welsh, Timothy N; Higgins, Laura; Elliott, Digby

2007-12-01

Studies of age-related differences in manual aiming have indicated that older adults take longer to complete their movements than their younger counterparts because they tend to rely on time-consuming feedback-based control processes. Many authors have suggested that the reliance on feedback is the result of a "play-it-safe" strategy that has been adopted to compensate for a deterioration in accurate and consistent force generation. That is, perhaps because older adults know that their motor systems are not as reliable as the systems were at a younger age, they plan shorter movements that conserve time and space for feedback control to correct their programmed actions. The vast majority of the previous studies that have revealed these age-related differences in aiming, however, have used computer-based tasks that involve the transformation of perceptual into motor space. In the present experiment, older and younger adults completed real aiming movements over three sessions. The results suggest that, when acting in a real environment, the main difference between older and younger adults in movement execution lies in the efficient use of response-related feedback, not in the programming of movement.

Model of head-neck joint fast movements in the frontal plane.

PubMed

Pedrocchi, A; Ferrigno, G

2004-06-01

The objective of this work is to develop a model representing the physiological systems driving fast head movements in frontal plane. All the contributions occurring mechanically in the head movement are considered: damping, stiffness, physiological limit of range of motion, gravitational field, and muscular torques due to voluntary activation as well as to stretch reflex depending on fusal afferences. Model parameters are partly derived from the literature, when possible, whereas undetermined block parameters are determined by optimising the model output, fitting to real kinematics data acquired by a motion capture system in specific experimental set-ups. The optimisation for parameter identification is performed by genetic algorithms. Results show that the model represents very well fast head movements in the whole range of inclination in the frontal plane. Such a model could be proposed as a tool for transforming kinematics data on head movements in 'neural equivalent data', especially for assessing head control disease and properly planning the rehabilitation process. In addition, the use of genetic algorithms seems to fit well the problem of parameter identification, allowing for the use of a very simple experimental set-up and granting model robustness.

Cultural safety, diversity and the servicer user and carer movement in mental health research.

PubMed

Cox, Leonie G; Simpson, Alan

2015-12-01

This study will be of interest to anyone concerned with a critical appraisal of mental health service users' and carers' participation in research collaboration and with the potential of the postcolonial paradigm of cultural safety to contribute to the service user research (SUR) movement. The history and nature of the mental health field and its relationship to colonial processes provokes a consideration of whether cultural safety could focus attention on diversity, power imbalance, cultural dominance and structural inequality, identified as barriers and tensions in SUR. We consider these issues in the context of state-driven approaches towards SUR in planning and evaluation and the concurrent rise of the SUR movement in the UK and Australia, societies with an intimate involvement in processes of colonisation. We consider the principles and motivations underlying cultural safety and SUR in the context of the policy agenda informing SUR. We conclude that while both cultural safety and SUR are underpinned by social constructionism constituting similarities in principles and intent, cultural safety has additional dimensions. Hence, we call on researchers to use the explicitly political and self-reflective process of cultural safety to think about and address issues of diversity, power and social justice in research collaboration. © 2015 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Neural correlates of learning and trajectory planning in the posterior parietal cortex

PubMed Central

Torres, Elizabeth B.; Quian Quiroga, Rodrigo; Cui, He; Buneo, Christopher A.

2013-01-01

The posterior parietal cortex (PPC) is thought to play an important role in the planning of visually-guided reaching movements. However, the relative roles of the various subdivisions of the PPC in this function are still poorly understood. For example, studies of dorsal area 5 point to a representation of reaches in both extrinsic (endpoint) and intrinsic (joint or muscle) coordinates, as evidenced by partial changes in preferred directions and positional discharge with changes in arm posture. In contrast, recent findings suggest that the adjacent medial intraparietal area (MIP) is involved in more abstract representations, e.g., encoding reach target in visual coordinates. Such a representation is suitable for planning reach trajectories involving shortest distance paths to targets straight ahead. However, it is currently unclear how MIP contributes to the planning of other types of trajectories, including those with various degrees of curvature. Such curved trajectories recruit different joint excursions and might help us address whether their representation in the PPC is purely in extrinsic coordinates or in intrinsic ones as well. Here we investigated the role of the PPC in these processes during an obstacle avoidance task for which the animals had not been explicitly trained. We found that PPC planning activity was predictive of both the spatial and temporal aspects of upcoming trajectories. The same PPC neurons predicted the upcoming trajectory in both endpoint and joint coordinates. The predictive power of these neurons remained stable and accurate despite concomitant motor learning across task conditions. These findings suggest the role of the PPC can be extended from specifying abstract movement goals to expressing these plans as corresponding trajectories in both endpoint and joint coordinates. Thus, the PPC appears to contribute to reach planning and approach-avoidance arm motions at multiple levels of representation. PMID:23730275

Examination of the gamma equilibrium point hypothesis when applied to single degree of freedom movements performed with different inertial loads.

PubMed

Bellomo, A; Inbar, G

1997-01-01

One of the theories of human motor control is the gamma Equilibrium Point Hypothesis. It is an attractive theory since it offers an easy control scheme where the planned trajectory shifts monotionically from an initial to a final equilibrium state. The feasibility of this model was tested by reconstructing the virtual trajectory and the stiffness profiles for movements performed with different inertial loads and examining them. Three types of movements were tested: passive movements, targeted movements, and repetitive movements. Each of the movements was performed with five different inertial loads. Plausible virtual trajectories and stiffness profiles were reconstructed based on the gamma Equilibrium Point Hypothesis for the three different types of movements performed with different inertial loads. However, the simple control strategy supported by the model, where the planned trajectory shifts monotonically from an initial to a final equilibrium state, could not be supported for targeted movements performed with added inertial load. To test the feasibility of the model further we must examine the probability that the human motor control system would choose a trajectory more complicated than the actual trajectory to control.

The evolutionary neuroscience of musical beat perception: the Action Simulation for Auditory Prediction (ASAP) hypothesis

PubMed Central

Patel, Aniruddh D.; Iversen, John R.

2013-01-01

Every human culture has some form of music with a beat: a perceived periodic pulse that structures the perception of musical rhythm and which serves as a framework for synchronized movement to music. What are the neural mechanisms of musical beat perception, and how did they evolve? One view, which dates back to Darwin and implicitly informs some current models of beat perception, is that the relevant neural mechanisms are relatively general and are widespread among animal species. On the basis of recent neural and cross-species data on musical beat processing, this paper argues for a different view. Here we argue that beat perception is a complex brain function involving temporally-precise communication between auditory regions and motor planning regions of the cortex (even in the absence of overt movement). More specifically, we propose that simulation of periodic movement in motor planning regions provides a neural signal that helps the auditory system predict the timing of upcoming beats. This “action simulation for auditory prediction” (ASAP) hypothesis leads to testable predictions. We further suggest that ASAP relies on dorsal auditory pathway connections between auditory regions and motor planning regions via the parietal cortex, and suggest that these connections may be stronger in humans than in non-human primates due to the evolution of vocal learning in our lineage. This suggestion motivates cross-species research to determine which species are capable of human-like beat perception, i.e., beat perception that involves accurate temporal prediction of beat times across a fairly broad range of tempi. PMID:24860439

Efficient Saccade Planning Requires Time and Clear Choices

PubMed Central

Ghahghaei, Saiedeh; Verghese, Preeti

2015-01-01

We use eye movements constantly to gather information. Saccades are efficient when they maximize the information required for the task, however there is controversy regarding the efficiency of eye movement planning. For example, saccades are efficient when searching for a single target (Nature, 434 (2005) 387–91), but are inefficient when searching for an unknown number of targets in noise, particularly under time pressure (Vision Research 74 (2012), 61–71). In this study, we used a multiple-target search paradigm and explored whether altering the noise level or increasing saccadic latency improved efficiency. Experiments used stimuli with two levels of discriminability such that saccades to the less discriminable stimuli provided more information. When these two noise levels corresponded to low and moderate visibility, most observers did not preferentially select informative locations, but looked at uncertain and probable target locations equally often. We then examined whether eye movements could be made more efficient by increasing the discriminability of the two stimulus levels and by delaying the first saccade so that there was more time for decision processes to influence the saccade choices. Some observers did indeed increase the proportion of their saccades to informative locations under these conditions. Others, however, made as many saccades as they could during the limited time and were unselective about the saccade goal. A clear trend that emerges across all experiments is that conditions with a greater proportion of efficient saccades are associated with a longer latency to initiate saccades, suggesting that the choice of informative locations requires deliberate planning. PMID:26037735

EEG signatures of arm isometric exertions in preparation, planning and execution.

PubMed

Nasseroleslami, Bahman; Lakany, Heba; Conway, Bernard A

2014-04-15

The electroencephalographic (EEG) activity patterns in humans during motor behaviour provide insight into normal motor control processes and for diagnostic and rehabilitation applications. While the patterns preceding brisk voluntary movements, and especially movement execution, are well described, there are few EEG studies that address the cortical activation patterns seen in isometric exertions and their planning. In this paper, we report on time and time-frequency EEG signatures in experiments in normal subjects (n=8), using multichannel EEG during motor preparation, planning and execution of directional centre-out arm isometric exertions performed at the wrist in the horizontal plane, in response to instruction-delay visual cues. Our observations suggest that isometric force exertions are accompanied by transient and sustained event-related potentials (ERP) and event-related (de-)synchronisations (ERD/ERS), comparable to those of a movement task. Furthermore, the ERPs and ERD/ERS are also observed during preparation and planning of the isometric task. Comparison of ear-lobe-referenced and surface Laplacian ERPs indicates the contribution of superficial sources in supplementary and pre-motor (FC(z)), parietal (CP(z)) and primary motor cortical areas (C₁ and FC₁) to ERPs (primarily negative peaks in frontal and positive peaks in parietal areas), but contribution of deep sources to sustained time-domain potentials (negativity in planning and positivity in execution). Transient and sustained ERD patterns in μ and β frequency bands of ear-lobe-referenced and surface Laplacian EEG indicate the contribution of both superficial and deep sources to ERD/ERS. As no physical displacement happens during the task, we can infer that the underlying mechanisms of motor-related ERPs and ERD/ERS patterns do not only depend on change in limb coordinate or muscle-length-dependent ascending sensory information and are primary generated by motor preparation, direction-dependent planning and execution of isometric motor tasks. The results contribute to our understanding of the functions of different brain regions during voluntary motor tasks and their activity signatures in EEG can shed light on the relationships between large-scale recordings such as EEG and other recordings such as single unit activity and fMRI in this context. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Planning and control of sequential rapid aiming in adults with Parkinson's disease.

PubMed

Smiley-Oyen, A L; Lowry, K A; Kerr, J P

2007-03-01

Eight people with Parkinson's disease (PD), 8 age-matched older adults, and 8 young adults executed 3-dimensional rapid aiming movements to 1, 3, 5, and 7 targets. Reaction time, flight time, and time after peak velocity to the 1st target indicated that both neurologically healthy groups implemented a plan on the basis of anticipation of upcoming targets, whereas the PD group did not. One suggested reason for the PD group's deficiency in anticipatory control is the greater variability in their initial force impulse. Although the PD group scaled peak velocity and time to peak velocity similarly to the other groups, their coefficients of variation were greater, making consistent prediction of the movement outcome difficult and thus making it less advantageous to plan too far in advance. A 2nd finding was that the PD group exhibited increased slowing in time after peak velocity in the final segments of the longest sequence, whereas the other 2 groups did not. The increased slowing could be the result of a different movement strategy, increased difficulty modulating the agonist and antagonist muscle groups later in the sequence, or both. The authors conclude that people with PD use more segmented planning and control strategies than do neurologically healthy older and young adults when executing movement sequences and that the locus of increased bradykinesia in longer sequences is in the deceleration phase of movement.

Neural Correlates of Fixation Duration during Real-world Scene Viewing: Evidence from Fixation-related (FIRE) fMRI.

PubMed

Henderson, John M; Choi, Wonil

2015-06-01

During active scene perception, our eyes move from one location to another via saccadic eye movements, with the eyes fixating objects and scene elements for varying amounts of time. Much of the variability in fixation duration is accounted for by attentional, perceptual, and cognitive processes associated with scene analysis and comprehension. For this reason, current theories of active scene viewing attempt to account for the influence of attention and cognition on fixation duration. Yet almost nothing is known about the neurocognitive systems associated with variation in fixation duration during scene viewing. We addressed this topic using fixation-related fMRI, which involves coregistering high-resolution eye tracking and magnetic resonance scanning to conduct event-related fMRI analysis based on characteristics of eye movements. We observed that activation in visual and prefrontal executive control areas was positively correlated with fixation duration, whereas activation in ventral areas associated with scene encoding and medial superior frontal and paracentral regions associated with changing action plans was negatively correlated with fixation duration. The results suggest that fixation duration in scene viewing is controlled by cognitive processes associated with real-time scene analysis interacting with motor planning, consistent with current computational models of active vision for scene perception.

The structure of affective action representations: temporal binding of affective response codes.

PubMed

Eder, Andreas B; Müsseler, Jochen; Hommel, Bernhard

2012-01-01

Two experiments examined the hypothesis that preparing an action with a specific affective connotation involves the binding of this action to an affective code reflecting this connotation. This integration into an action plan should lead to a temporary occupation of the affective code, which should impair the concurrent representation of affectively congruent events, such as the planning of another action with the same valence. This hypothesis was tested with a dual-task setup that required a speeded choice between approach- and avoidance-type lever movements after having planned and before having executed an evaluative button press. In line with the code-occupation hypothesis, slower lever movements were observed when the lever movement was affectively compatible with the prepared evaluative button press than when the two actions were affectively incompatible. Lever movements related to approach and avoidance and evaluative button presses thus seem to share a code that represents affective meaning. A model of affective action control that is based on the theory of event coding is discussed.

Visually based path-planning by Japanese monkeys.

PubMed

Mushiake, H; Saito, N; Sakamoto, K; Sato, Y; Tanji, J

2001-03-01

To construct an animal model of strategy formation, we designed a maze path-finding task. First, we asked monkeys to capture a goal in the maze by moving a cursor on the screen. Cursor movement was linked to movements of each wrist. When the animals learned the association between cursor movement and wrist movement, we established a start and a goal in the maze, and asked them to find a path between them. We found that the animals took the shortest pathway, rather than approaching the goal randomly. We further found that the animals adopted a strategy of selecting a fixed intermediate point in the visually presented maze to select one of the shortest pathways, suggesting a visually based path planning. To examine their capacity to use that strategy flexibly, we transformed the task by blocking pathways in the maze, providing a problem to solve. The animals then developed a strategy of solving the problem by planning a novel shortest path from the start to the goal and rerouting the path to bypass the obstacle.

A neo-strategic planning approach to enhance local tobacco control programs.

PubMed

Douglas, Malinda R; Carter, Sara Sally R; Wilson, Andrew P; Chan, Andie

2015-01-01

Research in tobacco control demonstrating best practices is widely disseminated; however, application at the local level is often difficult. Translating research into practice requires a concerted effort to develop an understanding of the evidence and how it can be applied within diverse contexts. A strategic planning infrastructure was developed to support the translation of evidence-based interventions into community practice. This paper highlights the strategic process of turning "know-what" into "know-how" to facilitate the strategic planning and implementation of tobacco control best practices at the local level. The purpose, people, process, and product strategies of knowledge management and translation provided a framework for the strategic planning infrastructure. The knowledge translation concepts of audience, motivations, and mechanisms were synergized in the neo-strategic planning component design. The participants were 20 community coalitions funded to implement local tobacco control programs. From 2004 to 2011, the strategic planners facilitated a cyclical process to translate research into practice using a trio of integrated tools, skill-building workshops on strategic planning, and grantee-driven technical assistance and consultation. In the short term, the usefulness of the strategic planning components to the programs was measured. The intermediate outcome was the successful movement of the community programs from the planning stage to the implementation stage. The achievement of community-level changes in planned tobacco control efforts was the overall outcome measure for the success of the local coalitions. Seventeen of 20 communities that began the planning process implemented strategic plans. All 17 of the programs implemented evidence-based practices, resulting in numerous tobacco-free policies, increased cessation, and increased support from the media and community. Bridging the gap between research and practice can enhance the practicality, efficiency, and effectiveness of tobacco control programs at the local level, maximizing the potential positive health impact. Copyright © 2015 American Journal of Preventive Medicine. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

A common control signal and a ballistic stage can explain the control of coordinated eye-hand movements.

PubMed

Gopal, Atul; Murthy, Aditya

2016-06-01

Voluntary control has been extensively studied in the context of eye and hand movements made in isolation, yet little is known about the nature of control during eye-hand coordination. We probed this with a redirect task. Here subjects had to make reaching/pointing movements accompanied by coordinated eye movements but had to change their plans when the target occasionally changed its position during some trials. Using a race model framework, we found that separate effector-specific mechanisms may be recruited to control eye and hand movements when executed in isolation but when the same effectors are coordinated a unitary mechanism to control coordinated eye-hand movements is employed. Specifically, we found that performance curves were distinct for the eye and hand when these movements were executed in isolation but were comparable when they were executed together. Second, the time to switch motor plans, called the target step reaction time, was different in the eye-alone and hand-alone conditions but was similar in the coordinated condition under assumption of a ballistic stage of ∼40 ms, on average. Interestingly, the existence of this ballistic stage could predict the extent of eye-hand dissociations seen in individual subjects. Finally, when subjects were explicitly instructed to control specifically a single effector (eye or hand), redirecting one effector had a strong effect on the performance of the other effector. Taken together, these results suggest that a common control signal and a ballistic stage are recruited when coordinated eye-hand movement plans require alteration. Copyright © 2016 the American Physiological Society.

A common control signal and a ballistic stage can explain the control of coordinated eye-hand movements

PubMed Central

Gopal, Atul

2016-01-01

Voluntary control has been extensively studied in the context of eye and hand movements made in isolation, yet little is known about the nature of control during eye-hand coordination. We probed this with a redirect task. Here subjects had to make reaching/pointing movements accompanied by coordinated eye movements but had to change their plans when the target occasionally changed its position during some trials. Using a race model framework, we found that separate effector-specific mechanisms may be recruited to control eye and hand movements when executed in isolation but when the same effectors are coordinated a unitary mechanism to control coordinated eye-hand movements is employed. Specifically, we found that performance curves were distinct for the eye and hand when these movements were executed in isolation but were comparable when they were executed together. Second, the time to switch motor plans, called the target step reaction time, was different in the eye-alone and hand-alone conditions but was similar in the coordinated condition under assumption of a ballistic stage of ∼40 ms, on average. Interestingly, the existence of this ballistic stage could predict the extent of eye-hand dissociations seen in individual subjects. Finally, when subjects were explicitly instructed to control specifically a single effector (eye or hand), redirecting one effector had a strong effect on the performance of the other effector. Taken together, these results suggest that a common control signal and a ballistic stage are recruited when coordinated eye-hand movement plans require alteration. PMID:26888104

Primary School Physical Education Through Movement Exploration. Practical Paper No. 26.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gober, Billy; And Others

This program was designed to develop skills of movement which not only contribute to successful participation in games and sports but which are necessary in everyday life as well. The sequence of activities was planned: (1) to involve the child in a particular segment of movement; (2) to identify types of movement; and (3) to solve problems by…

Photoelastic analysis of stress distribution in oral rehabilitation.

PubMed

Turcio, Karina Helga Leal; Goiato, Marcelo Coelho; Gennari Filho, Humberto; dos Santos, Daniela Micheline

2009-03-01

The purpose of this study was to present a literature review about photoelasticity, a laboratory method for evaluation of implants prosthesis behavior. Fixed or removable prostheses function as levers on supporting teeth, allowing forces to cause tooth movement if not carefully planned. Hence, during treatment planning, the dentist must be aware of the biomechanics involved and prevent movement of supporting teeth, decreasing lever-type forces generated by these prosthesis. Photoelastic analysis has great applicability in restorative dentistry as it allows prediction and minimization of biomechanical critical points through modifications in treatment planning.

Birth control, population control, and family planning: an overview.

PubMed

Critchlow, D T

1995-01-01

This overview of the US birth control movement reflects on the emergence of family planning policy due to the efforts of Margaret Sanger, feminists, and the civil rights movement, the eugenics motive to limit "deviant" populations, and the population control movement, which aims to solve social and economic problems through fertility control. Population control moved through three stages: from the cause of "voluntary motherhood" to advance suffrage and women's political and social status, to the concept of "birth control" promoted by socialist feminists to help empower women and the working class, to, from 1920 on, a liberal movement for civil rights and population control. Physicians such as Dr. Robert Latou Dickinson legitimized the movement in the formation of the Committee on Maternal Health in 1925, but the movement remained divided until 1939, when Sanger's group merged with the American Birth Control League, the predecessor of the present Planned Parenthood Federation of America. A key legal decision in 1939 in the United States v. One Package amended the Comstock Act and allowed for the distribution of birth control devices by mail to physicians. Sanger, after a brief retirement, formed the International Planned Parenthood Federation and supported research into the pill. Eugenicists through the Committee on Maternal Health supported Christopher Tietze and others developing the pill. Final constitutional access to contraception based on the right to privacy was granted in Griswold v. Connecticut. The ruling in Eisenstadt v. Baird in 1972 extended this right to unmarried persons. The right to privacy was further extended in the Roe v. Wade decision in 1973 on legal abortion. The argument for improving the quality of the population remained from the formation of the Population Reference Bureau in 1929 through the 1960s. Under the leadership of Rockefeller, population control was defined as justified on a scientific and humanitarian basis. US government support for national and international family planning proceeded slowly through the 1950s, 1960s, and 1970s. Congress during 1967-70 enacted strong legislation in support of national and international family planning. The Bucharest conference in 1974 highlighted the inadequacies of international population control that deemphasized economic development. Polarization and divisiveness on population policy persists.

Community Psychology in Search of a New Focus.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Vassaf, Gunduz Y. H.

1983-01-01

In the West, the community movement emphasizes grass roots control. In developing countries, however, community movements often reinforce the centralizing tendencies of the emerging nation-states. These third world movements must become independent of plans imposed by national governments, and instead, develop networks of ties with other…

Modulation of Arm Reaching Movements during Processing of Arm/Hand-Related Action Verbs with and without Emotional Connotation

PubMed Central

Spadacenta, Silvia; Gallese, Vittorio; Fragola, Michele; Mirabella, Giovanni

2014-01-01

The theory of embodied language states that language comprehension relies on an internal reenactment of the sensorimotor experience associated with the processed word or sentence. Most evidence in support of this hypothesis had been collected using linguistic material without any emotional connotation. For instance, it had been shown that processing of arm-related verbs, but not of those leg-related verbs, affects the planning and execution of reaching movements; however, at present it is unknown whether this effect is further modulated by verbs evoking an emotional experience. Showing such a modulation might shed light on a very debated issue, i.e. the way in which the emotional meaning of a word is processed. To this end, we assessed whether processing arm/hand-related verbs describing actions with negative connotations (e.g. to stab) affects reaching movements differently from arm/hand-related verbs describing actions with neutral connotation (e.g. to comb). We exploited a go/no-go paradigm in which healthy participants were required to perform arm-reaching movements toward a target when verbs expressing emotional hand actions, neutral hand actions or foot actions were shown, and to refrain from moving when no-effector-related verbs were presented. Reaction times and percentages of errors increased when the verb involved the same effector as used to give the response. However, we also found that the size of this interference decreased when the arm/hand-related verbs had a negative emotional connotation. Crucially, we show that such modulation only occurred when the verb semantics had to be retrieved. These results suggest that the comprehension of negatively valenced verbs might require the simultaneous reenactment of the neural circuitry associated with the processing of the emotion evoked by their meaning and of the neural circuitry associated with their motor features. PMID:25093410

JPRS Report, Soviet Union, Economic Affairs

DTIC Science & Technology

1988-10-05

for a more detailed and systematic approach to working up data on the GNP. We should mention that today the national income is computed within the...process of reproduction. This approach imposes a strict sequence in the develop- ment and analysis of data on the various phases of movement of the...variants for reorganization. The plans were reviewed on a competitive basis and this made it easier to select the best one. There was still one other

A bio-inspired kinematic controller for obstacle avoidance during reaching tasks with real robots.

PubMed

Srinivasa, Narayan; Bhattacharyya, Rajan; Sundareswara, Rashmi; Lee, Craig; Grossberg, Stephen

2012-11-01

This paper describes a redundant robot arm that is capable of learning to reach for targets in space in a self-organized fashion while avoiding obstacles. Self-generated movement commands that activate correlated visual, spatial and motor information are used to learn forward and inverse kinematic control models while moving in obstacle-free space using the Direction-to-Rotation Transform (DIRECT). Unlike prior DIRECT models, the learning process in this work was realized using an online Fuzzy ARTMAP learning algorithm. The DIRECT-based kinematic controller is fault tolerant and can handle a wide range of perturbations such as joint locking and the use of tools despite not having experienced them during learning. The DIRECT model was extended based on a novel reactive obstacle avoidance direction (DIRECT-ROAD) model to enable redundant robots to avoid obstacles in environments with simple obstacle configurations. However, certain configurations of obstacles in the environment prevented the robot from reaching the target with purely reactive obstacle avoidance. To address this complexity, a self-organized process of mental rehearsals of movements was modeled, inspired by human and animal experiments on reaching, to generate plans for movement execution using DIRECT-ROAD in complex environments. These mental rehearsals or plans are self-generated by using the Fuzzy ARTMAP algorithm to retrieve multiple solutions for reaching each target while accounting for all the obstacles in its environment. The key aspects of the proposed novel controller were illustrated first using simple examples. Experiments were then performed on real robot platforms to demonstrate successful obstacle avoidance during reaching tasks in real-world environments. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

VLSI neuroprocessors

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kemeny, Sabrina E.

1994-01-01

Electronic and optoelectronic hardware implementations of highly parallel computing architectures address several ill-defined and/or computation-intensive problems not easily solved by conventional computing techniques. The concurrent processing architectures developed are derived from a variety of advanced computing paradigms including neural network models, fuzzy logic, and cellular automata. Hardware implementation technologies range from state-of-the-art digital/analog custom-VLSI to advanced optoelectronic devices such as computer-generated holograms and e-beam fabricated Dammann gratings. JPL's concurrent processing devices group has developed a broad technology base in hardware implementable parallel algorithms, low-power and high-speed VLSI designs and building block VLSI chips, leading to application-specific high-performance embeddable processors. Application areas include high throughput map-data classification using feedforward neural networks, terrain based tactical movement planner using cellular automata, resource optimization (weapon-target assignment) using a multidimensional feedback network with lateral inhibition, and classification of rocks using an inner-product scheme on thematic mapper data. In addition to addressing specific functional needs of DOD and NASA, the JPL-developed concurrent processing device technology is also being customized for a variety of commercial applications (in collaboration with industrial partners), and is being transferred to U.S. industries. This viewgraph p resentation focuses on two application-specific processors which solve the computation intensive tasks of resource allocation (weapon-target assignment) and terrain based tactical movement planning using two extremely different topologies. Resource allocation is implemented as an asynchronous analog competitive assignment architecture inspired by the Hopfield network. Hardware realization leads to a two to four order of magnitude speed-up over conventional techniques and enables multiple assignments, (many to many), not achievable with standard statistical approaches. Tactical movement planning (finding the best path from A to B) is accomplished with a digital two-dimensional concurrent processor array. By exploiting the natural parallel decomposition of the problem in silicon, a four order of magnitude speed-up over optimized software approaches has been demonstrated.

Adopting hybrid pension plans: financial and communication issues.

PubMed

Clark, R L; Haley, J J; Schieber, S J

2001-01-01

This article provides a systematic framework for the evaluation of the movement toward hybrid pension plans by examining the reasons given by firms for converting their existing pension plans to hybrid plans, illustrating the impact of plan changes on expected pension benefits, and identifying winners and losers.

SU-E-T-178: Experimental Study of Acceptable Movement Conditions for SBRT Lung Treatments

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Carrasco de Fez, P; Ruiz-Martinez, A; Jornet, N

2014-06-01

Purpose: To experimentally study the acceptable movement conditions for SBRT lung treatments we quantified with film dosimetry the change in dose distributions due to periodic movements of 5 different amplitudes and 4 respiratory gating duty cycles on a SBRT treatment plan. Methods: We planned a SBRT treatment plan for the QUASAR™ (Modus Medical) phantom equipped with the respiratory motion device. We placed a 3 mm water-equivalent sphere simulating a tumour inside the lung-equivalent insert. This sphere is divided in two hemispheres that allow placing films in between. We used radiochromic EBT2™ (Ashland) films. We oriented the lung insert in suchmore » a way that sagittal dose distributions could be measured. We applied a sinusoidal movement with 3 s period for 5 different amplitudes of 0(static), 5, 7, 10, 15 and 20 mm without gating. For the 20 mm amplitude we studied the gating technique with 4 duty cycles of 20, 40, 60 and 80% of the respiratory cycle. Each situation was irradiated in a Clinac 2100 linac (Varian) equipped with the RPM™ system. FilmQA Pro™ (Ashland) software together with an Expression 10000XL scanner (EPSON) were used to analyze and compare the measured dose distributions with those planned by the Eclipse™ TPS v. 8.9 (Varian) by means of gamma analysis with 6 criteria: 5%/3mm, 5%/2mm, 5%/1mm, 3%/3mm, 3%/2mm and 2%/2mm (threshold of 10%). Results: Movements with amplitude of less than 7mm do not significantly modified the dosimetry. Gating duty cycles of less than 40% yielded also acceptable results for a 2 cm amplitude movement. Conclusion: To safely perform daily accurate SBRT treatments, movements have to be restricted to 7 mm amplitude (±3.5 mm). Otherwise, a gating strategy should be considered.« less

Assessing the Value of Moving More-The Integral Role of Qualified Health Professionals.

PubMed

Arena, Ross; McNeil, Amy; Lavie, Carl J; Ozemek, Cemal; Forman, Daniel; Myers, Jonathan; Laddu, Deepika R; Popovic, Dejana; Rouleau, Codie R; Campbell, Tavis S; Hills, Andrew P

2018-04-01

Being physically active or, in a broader sense, simply moving more throughout each day is one of the most important components of an individual's health plan. In conjunction with regular exercise training, taking more steps in a day and sitting less are also important components of one's movement portfolio. Given this priority, health care professionals must develop enhanced skills for prescribing and guiding individualized movement programs for all their patients. An important component of a health care professional's ability to prescribe movement as medicine is competency in assessing an individual's risk for untoward events if physical exertion was increased. The ability to appropriately assess one's risk before advising an individual to move more is integral to clinical decision-making related to subsequent testing if needed, exercise prescription, and level of supervision with exercise training. At present, there is a lack of clarity pertaining to how a health care professional should go about assessing an individual's readiness to move more on a daily basis in a safe manner. Therefore, this perspectives article clarifies key issues related to prescribing movement as medicine and presents a new process for clinical assessment before prescribing an individualized movement program. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Survival in patchy landscapes: the interplay between dispersal, habitat loss and fragmentation

PubMed Central

Niebuhr, Bernardo B. S.; Wosniack, Marina E.; Santos, Marcos C.; Raposo, Ernesto P.; Viswanathan, Gandhimohan M.; da Luz, Marcos G. E.; Pie, Marcio R.

2015-01-01

Habitat loss and fragmentation are important factors determining animal population dynamics and spatial distribution. Such landscape changes can lead to the deleterious impact of a significant drop in the number of species, caused by critically reduced survival rates for organisms. In order to obtain a deeper understanding of the threeway interplay between habitat loss, fragmentation and survival rates, we propose here a spatially explicit multi-scaled movement model of individuals that search for habitat. By considering basic ecological processes, such as predation, starvation (outside the habitat area), and competition, together with dispersal movement as a link among habitat areas, we show that a higher survival rate is achieved in instances with a lower number of patches of larger areas. Our results demonstrate how movement may counterbalance the effects of habitat loss and fragmentation in altered landscapes. In particular, they have important implications for conservation planning and ecosystem management, including the design of specific features of conservation areas in order to enhance landscape connectivity and population viability. PMID:26148488

Climate Change and Neotectonic History of Northwestern China

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Farr, Tom G.; Chadwick, Oliver; Evans, Diane; Gillespie, Alan; Peltzer, Gilles; Tapponnier, Paul

1996-01-01

The progress, results and future plans for the following objectives are presented: (1) To compare the types, rates, and magnitudes of surficial modification processes that have operated in Northwest China and the Southwestern U.S.; (2) To quantify and understand the basis of the remote sensing signatures of these processes to allow extrapolation from field sites to regional maps and to allow comparisons between widely separated arid regions; (3) To use the resulting chronologies to help define the temporal and spatial distribution of continental climate changes; and (4) Determine the ages of movements on some of the active faults in Northwestern China.

Planning Ahead: Object-Directed Sequential Actions Decoded from Human Frontoparietal and Occipitotemporal Networks

PubMed Central

Gallivan, Jason P.; Johnsrude, Ingrid S.; Randall Flanagan, J.

2016-01-01

Object-manipulation tasks (e.g., drinking from a cup) typically involve sequencing together a series of distinct motor acts (e.g., reaching toward, grasping, lifting, and transporting the cup) in order to accomplish some overarching goal (e.g., quenching thirst). Although several studies in humans have investigated the neural mechanisms supporting the planning of visually guided movements directed toward objects (such as reaching or pointing), only a handful have examined how manipulatory sequences of actions—those that occur after an object has been grasped—are planned and represented in the brain. Here, using event-related functional MRI and pattern decoding methods, we investigated the neural basis of real-object manipulation using a delayed-movement task in which participants first prepared and then executed different object-directed action sequences that varied either in their complexity or final spatial goals. Consistent with previous reports of preparatory brain activity in non-human primates, we found that activity patterns in several frontoparietal areas reliably predicted entire action sequences in advance of movement. Notably, we found that similar sequence-related information could also be decoded from pre-movement signals in object- and body-selective occipitotemporal cortex (OTC). These findings suggest that both frontoparietal and occipitotemporal circuits are engaged in transforming object-related information into complex, goal-directed movements. PMID:25576538

Control and prediction components of movement planning in stuttering vs. nonstuttering adults

PubMed Central

Daliri, Ayoub; Prokopenko, Roman A.; Flanagan, J. Randall; Max, Ludo

2014-01-01

Purpose Stuttering individuals show speech and nonspeech sensorimotor deficiencies. To perform accurate movements, the sensorimotor system needs to generate appropriate control signals and correctly predict their sensory consequences. Using a reaching task, we examined the integrity of these control and prediction components, separately, for movements unrelated to the speech motor system. Method Nine stuttering and nine nonstuttering adults made fast reaching movements to visual targets while sliding an object under the index finger. To quantify control, we determined initial direction error and end-point error. To quantify prediction, we calculated the correlation between vertical and horizontal forces applied to the object—an index of how well vertical force (preventing slip) anticipated direction-dependent variations in horizontal force (moving the object). Results Directional and end-point error were significantly larger for the stuttering group. Both groups performed similarly in scaling vertical force with horizontal force. Conclusions The stuttering group's reduced reaching accuracy suggests limitations in generating control signals for voluntary movements, even for non-orofacial effectors. Typical scaling of vertical force with horizontal force suggests an intact ability to predict the consequences of planned control signals. Stuttering may be associated with generalized deficiencies in planning control signals rather than predicting the consequences of those signals. PMID:25203459

Manpower planning using Markov Chain model

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Saad, Syafawati Ab; Adnan, Farah Adibah; Ibrahim, Haslinda; Rahim, Rahela

2014-07-01

Manpower planning is a planning model which understands the flow of manpower based on the policies changes. For such purpose, numerous attempts have been made by researchers to develop a model to investigate the track of movements of lecturers for various universities. As huge number of lecturers in a university, it is difficult to track the movement of lecturers and also there is no quantitative way used in tracking the movement of lecturers. This research is aimed to determine the appropriate manpower model to understand the flow of lecturers in a university in Malaysia by determine the probability and mean time of lecturers remain in the same status rank. In addition, this research also intended to estimate the number of lecturers in different status rank (lecturer, senior lecturer and associate professor). From the previous studies, there are several methods applied in manpower planning model and appropriate method used in this research is Markov Chain model. Results obtained from this study indicate that the appropriate manpower planning model used is validated by compare to the actual data. The smaller margin of error gives a better result which means that the projection is closer to actual data. These results would give some suggestions for the university to plan the hiring lecturers and budgetary for university in future.

The development of upper limb movements: from fetal to post-natal life.

PubMed

Zoia, Stefania; Blason, Laura; D'Ottavio, Giuseppina; Biancotto, Marina; Bulgheroni, Maria; Castiello, Umberto

2013-01-01

The aim of this longitudinal study was to investigate how the kinematic organization of upper limb movements changes from fetal to post-natal life. By means of off-line kinematical techniques we compared the kinematics of hand-to-mouth and hand-to-eye movements, in the same individuals, during prenatal life and early postnatal life, as well as the kinematics of hand-to-mouth and reaching-toward-object movements in the later age periods. Movements recorded at the 14(th), 18(th) and 22(nd) week of gestation were compared with similar movements recorded in an ecological context at 1, 2, 3, 4, 8, and 12 months after birth. The results indicate a similar kinematic organization depending on movement type (i.e., eye, mouth) for the infants at one month and for the fetuses at 22 weeks of gestation. At two and three months such differential motor planning depending on target is lost and no statistical differences emerge. Hand to eye movements were no longer observed after the fourth month of life, therefore we compared kinematics for hand to mouth with hand to object movements. Results of these analyses revealed differences in the performance of hand to mouth and reaching to object movements in the length of the deceleration phase of the movement, depending on target. Data are discussed in terms of how the passage from intrauterine to extra-uterine environments modifies motor planning. These results provide novel evidence of how different types of upper extremity movements, those directed towards one's own face and those directed to external objects, develop.

Unified underpinning of human mobility in the real world and cyberspace

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhao, Yi-Ming; Zeng, An; Yan, Xiao-Yong; Wang, Wen-Xu; Lai, Ying-Cheng

2016-05-01

Human movements in the real world and in cyberspace affect not only dynamical processes such as epidemic spreading and information diffusion but also social and economical activities such as urban planning and personalized recommendation in online shopping. Despite recent efforts in characterizing and modeling human behaviors in both the real and cyber worlds, the fundamental dynamics underlying human mobility have not been well understood. We develop a minimal, memory-based random walk model in limited space for reproducing, with a single parameter, the key statistical behaviors characterizing human movements in both cases. The model is validated using relatively big data from mobile phone and online commerce, suggesting memory-based random walk dynamics as the unified underpinning for human mobility, regardless of whether it occurs in the real world or in cyberspace.

Ants determine their next move at rest: motor planning and causality in complex systems.

PubMed

Hunt, Edmund R; Baddeley, Roland J; Worley, Alan; Sendova-Franks, Ana B; Franks, Nigel R

2016-01-01

To find useful work to do for their colony, individual eusocial animals have to move, somehow staying attentive to relevant social information. Recent research on individual Temnothorax albipennis ants moving inside their colony's nest found a power-law relationship between a movement's duration and its average speed; and a universal speed profile for movements showing that they mostly fluctuate around a constant average speed. From this predictability it was inferred that movement durations are somehow determined before the movement itself. Here, we find similar results in lone T. albipennis ants exploring a large arena outside the nest, both when the arena is clean and when it contains chemical information left by previous nest-mates. This implies that these movement characteristics originate from the same individual neural and/or physiological mechanism(s), operating without immediate regard to social influences. However, the presence of pheromones and/or other cues was found to affect the inter-event speed correlations. Hence we suggest that ants' motor planning results in intermittent response to the social environment: movement duration is adjusted in response to social information only between movements, not during them. This environmentally flexible, intermittently responsive movement behaviour points towards a spatially allocated division of labour in this species. It also prompts more general questions on collective animal movement and the role of intermittent causation from higher to lower organizational levels in the stability of complex systems.

Predictability of orthodontic movement with orthodontic aligners: a retrospective study.

PubMed

Lombardo, Luca; Arreghini, Angela; Ramina, Fabio; Huanca Ghislanzoni, Luis T; Siciliani, Giuseppe

2017-11-13

The aim of this study was to evaluate the predictability of F22 aligners (Sweden & Martina, Due Carrare, Italy) in guiding teeth into the positions planned using digital orthodontic setup. Sixteen adult patients (6 males and 10 females, mean age 28 years 7 months) were selected, and a total of 345 teeth were analysed. Pre-treatment, ideal post-treatment-as planned on digital setup-and real post-treatment models were analysed using VAM software (Vectra, Canfield Scientific, Fairfield, NJ, USA). Prescribed and real rotation, mesiodistal tip and vestibulolingual tip were calculated for each tooth and, subsequently, analysed by tooth type (right and left upper and lower incisors, canines, premolars and molars) to identify the mean error and accuracy of each type of movement achieved with the aligner with respect to those planned using the setup. The mean predictability of movements achieved using F22 aligners was 73.6%. Mesiodistal tipping showed the most predictability, at 82.5% with respect to the ideal; this was followed by vestibulolingual tipping (72.9%) and finally rotation (66.8%). In particular, mesiodistal tip on the upper molars and lower premolars were achieved with the most predictability (93.4 and 96.7%, respectively), while rotation on the lower canines was the least efficaciously achieved (54.2%). Without the use of auxiliaries, orthodontic aligners are unable to achieve programmed movement with 100% predictability. In particular, although tipping movements were efficaciously achieved, especially at the molars and premolars, rotation of the lower canines was an extremely unpredictable movement.

Where one hand meets the other: limb-specific and action-dependent movement plans decoded from preparatory signals in single human frontoparietal brain areas.

PubMed

Gallivan, Jason P; McLean, D Adam; Flanagan, J Randall; Culham, Jody C

2013-01-30

Planning object-directed hand actions requires successful integration of the movement goal with the acting limb. Exactly where and how this sensorimotor integration occurs in the brain has been studied extensively with neurophysiological recordings in nonhuman primates, yet to date, because of limitations of non-invasive methodologies, the ability to examine the same types of planning-related signals in humans has been challenging. Here we show, using a multivoxel pattern analysis of functional MRI (fMRI) data, that the preparatory activity patterns in several frontoparietal brain regions can be used to predict both the limb used and hand action performed in an upcoming movement. Participants performed an event-related delayed movement task whereby they planned and executed grasp or reach actions with either their left or right hand toward a single target object. We found that, although the majority of frontoparietal areas represented hand actions (grasping vs reaching) for the contralateral limb, several areas additionally coded hand actions for the ipsilateral limb. Notable among these were subregions within the posterior parietal cortex (PPC), dorsal premotor cortex (PMd), ventral premotor cortex, dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, presupplementary motor area, and motor cortex, a region more traditionally implicated in contralateral movement generation. Additional analyses suggest that hand actions are represented independently of the intended limb in PPC and PMd. In addition to providing a unique mapping of limb-specific and action-dependent intention-related signals across the human cortical motor system, these findings uncover a much stronger representation of the ipsilateral limb than expected from previous fMRI findings.

Kinesthetic information facilitates saccades towards proprioceptive-tactile targets.

PubMed

Voudouris, Dimitris; Goettker, Alexander; Mueller, Stefanie; Fiehler, Katja

2016-05-01

Saccades to somatosensory targets have longer latencies and are less accurate and precise than saccades to visual targets. Here we examined how different somatosensory information influences the planning and control of saccadic eye movements. Participants fixated a central cross and initiated a saccade as fast as possible in response to a tactile stimulus that was presented to either the index or the middle fingertip of their unseen left hand. In a static condition, the hand remained at a target location for the entire block of trials and the stimulus was presented at a fixed time after an auditory tone. Therefore, the target location was derived only from proprioceptive and tactile information. In a moving condition, the hand was first actively moved to the same target location and the stimulus was then presented immediately. Thus, in the moving condition additional kinesthetic information about the target location was available. We found shorter saccade latencies in the moving compared to the static condition, but no differences in accuracy or precision of saccadic endpoints. In a second experiment, we introduced variable delays after the auditory tone (static condition) or after the end of the hand movement (moving condition) in order to reduce the predictability of the moment of the stimulation and to allow more time to process the kinesthetic information. Again, we found shorter latencies in the moving compared to the static condition but no improvement in saccade accuracy or precision. In a third experiment, we showed that the shorter saccade latencies in the moving condition cannot be explained by the temporal proximity between the relevant event (auditory tone or end of hand movement) and the moment of the stimulation. Our findings suggest that kinesthetic information facilitates planning, but not control, of saccadic eye movements to proprioceptive-tactile targets. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Multiple Motor Learning Strategies in Visuomotor Rotation

PubMed Central

Saijo, Naoki; Gomi, Hiroaki

2010-01-01

Background When exposed to a continuous directional discrepancy between movements of a visible hand cursor and the actual hand (visuomotor rotation), subjects adapt their reaching movements so that the cursor is brought to the target. Abrupt removal of the discrepancy after training induces reaching error in the direction opposite to the original discrepancy, which is called an aftereffect. Previous studies have shown that training with gradually increasing visuomotor rotation results in a larger aftereffect than with a suddenly increasing one. Although the aftereffect difference implies a difference in the learning process, it is still unclear whether the learned visuomotor transformations are qualitatively different between the training conditions. Methodology/Principal Findings We examined the qualitative changes in the visuomotor transformation after the learning of the sudden and gradual visuomotor rotations. The learning of the sudden rotation led to a significant increase of the reaction time for arm movement initiation and then the reaching error decreased, indicating that the learning is associated with an increase of computational load in motor preparation (planning). In contrast, the learning of the gradual rotation did not change the reaction time but resulted in an increase of the gain of feedback control, suggesting that the online adjustment of the reaching contributes to the learning of the gradual rotation. When the online cursor feedback was eliminated during the learning of the gradual rotation, the reaction time increased, indicating that additional computations are involved in the learning of the gradual rotation. Conclusions/Significance The results suggest that the change in the motor planning and online feedback adjustment of the movement are involved in the learning of the visuomotor rotation. The contributions of those computations to the learning are flexibly modulated according to the visual environment. Such multiple learning strategies would be required for reaching adaptation within a short training period. PMID:20195373

Action Intentions Modulate Allocation of Visual Attention: Electrophysiological Evidence

PubMed Central

Wykowska, Agnieszka; Schubö, Anna

2012-01-01

In line with the Theory of Event Coding (Hommel et al., 2001), action planning has been shown to affect perceptual processing – an effect that has been attributed to a so-called intentional weighting mechanism (Wykowska et al., 2009; Hommel, 2010). This paper investigates the electrophysiological correlates of action-related modulations of selection mechanisms in visual perception. A paradigm combining a visual search task for size and luminance targets with a movement task (grasping or pointing) was introduced, and the EEG was recorded while participants were performing the tasks. The results showed that the behavioral congruency effects, i.e., better performance in congruent (relative to incongruent) action-perception trials have been reflected by a modulation of the P1 component as well as the N2pc (an ERP marker of spatial attention). These results support the argumentation that action planning modulates already early perceptual processing and attention mechanisms. PMID:23060841

[Psychomotor re-education--movement as therapeutic method].

PubMed

Golubović, Spela; Tubić, Tatjana; Marković, Slavica

2011-01-01

Psychomotor re-education represents a multidimensional therapeutic approach in dealing with children and adults with psychomotor disorders. Therapeutic programs should be based on individual differences, abilities and capabilities, relationships, feelings and individual developmental needs as well as emotional condition of a child. BODY AND MOVEMENT AS THE Bases OF THE TREATMENT: A movement, glance, touch, voice and word, all being an integral part of a process of psychomotor re-education, are used with a purpose of helping children to discover their own body, their feelings, needs, behaviour. When moving, children discover the space of their own bodily nature, and, subsequently, gestural space and objective space. The body represents a source of pleasure and the freedom of movement, as well as one's own existence, are soon to be discovered. An adequate assessment is a precondition to design a work plan, select the best exercises for each child individually and direct the course of therapy. This is the most suitable method for treating children with slow or disharmonious development, mentally challenged children, children with speech and behaviour disorders. It is also used in the treatment of children with dyspraxic difficulties, difficulties in practognostic and gnostic development, pervasive developmental disorder and children with lateral dominance problems. Therefore, a systematic observation seems to be necessary as well as an increased number of research projects aimed at assessing results obtained by exercises in order to get a more precise insight into the process of re-education, selection of exercises, duration period and possible outcomes.

Automated Array Assembly, Phase 2. Low-cost Solar Array Project, Task 4

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lopez, M.

1978-01-01

Work was done to verify the technological readiness of a select process sequence with respect to satisfying the Low Cost Solar Array Project objectives of meeting the designated goals of $.50 per peak watt in 1986 (1975 dollars). The sequence examined consisted of: (1) 3 inches diameter as-sawn Czochralski grown 1:0:0 silicon, (2) texture etching, (3) ion implanting, (4) laser annealing, (5) screen printing of ohmic contacts and (6) sprayed anti-reflective coatings. High volume production projections were made on the selected process sequence. Automated processing and movement of hardware at high rates were conceptualized to satisfy the PROJECT's 500 MW/yr capability. A production plan was formulated with flow diagrams integrating the various processes in the cell fabrication sequence.

Surface Movement Guidance and Control System

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

1996-12-12

This Advisory Circular (AC) describes the standards and provides guidance in the : development of a Surface Movement Guidance and Control System (SMGCS) plan for : U.S. airports where scheduled Air Carriers are authorized to conduct operations : when...

Building the nation's body: The contested role of abortion and family planning in post-war South Sudan.

PubMed

Palmer, Jennifer J; Storeng, Katerini T

2016-11-01

This paper offers an ethnographic analysis of public health policies and interventions targeting unwanted pregnancy (family planning and abortion) in contemporary South Sudan as part of wider 'nation-building' after war, understood as a process of collective identity formation which projects a meaningful future by redefining existing institutions and customs as national characteristics. The paper shows how the expansion of post-conflict family planning and abortion policy and services are particularly poignant sites for the enactment of reproductive identity negotiation, policing and conflict. In addition to customary norms, these processes are shaped by two powerful institutions - ethnic movements and global humanitarian actors - who tend to take opposing stances on reproductive health. Drawing on document review, observations of the media and policy environment and interviews conducted with 54 key informants between 2013 and 2015, the paper shows that during the civil war, the Sudan People's Liberation Army and Movement mobilised customary pro-natalist ideals for military gain by entreating women to amplify reproduction to replace those lost to war and rejecting family planning and abortion. International donors and the Ministry of Health have re-conceptualised such services as among other modern developments denied by war. The tensions between these competing discourses have given rise to a range of societal responses, including disagreements that erupt in legal battles, heated debate and even violence towards women and health workers. In United Nations camps established recently as parts of South Sudan have returned to war, social groups exert a form of reproductive surveillance, policing reproductive health practices and contributing to intra-communal violence when clandestine use of contraception or abortion is discovered. In a context where modern contraceptives and abortion services are largely unfamiliar, conflict around South Sudan's nation-building project is partially manifest through tensions and violence in the domain of reproduction. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Evaluating the influence of motor control on selective attention through a stochastic model: the paradigm of motor control dysfunction in cerebellar patient.

PubMed

Veneri, Giacomo; Federico, Antonio; Rufa, Alessandra

2014-01-01

Attention allows us to selectively process the vast amount of information with which we are confronted, prioritizing some aspects of information and ignoring others by focusing on a certain location or aspect of the visual scene. Selective attention is guided by two cognitive mechanisms: saliency of the image (bottom up) and endogenous mechanisms (top down). These two mechanisms interact to direct attention and plan eye movements; then, the movement profile is sent to the motor system, which must constantly update the command needed to produce the desired eye movement. A new approach is described here to study how the eye motor control could influence this selection mechanism in clinical behavior: two groups of patients (SCA2 and late onset cerebellar ataxia LOCA) with well-known problems of motor control were studied; patients performed a cognitively demanding task; the results were compared to a stochastic model based on Monte Carlo simulations and a group of healthy subjects. The analytical procedure evaluated some energy functions for understanding the process. The implemented model suggested that patients performed an optimal visual search, reducing intrinsic noise sources. Our findings theorize a strict correlation between the "optimal motor system" and the "optimal stimulus encoders."

Image-guided endobronchial ultrasound

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Higgins, William E.; Zang, Xiaonan; Cheirsilp, Ronnarit; Byrnes, Patrick; Kuhlengel, Trevor; Bascom, Rebecca; Toth, Jennifer

2016-03-01

Endobronchial ultrasound (EBUS) is now recommended as a standard procedure for in vivo verification of extraluminal diagnostic sites during cancer-staging bronchoscopy. Yet, physicians vary considerably in their skills at using EBUS effectively. Regarding existing bronchoscopy guidance systems, studies have shown their effectiveness in the lung-cancer management process. With such a system, a patient's X-ray computed tomography (CT) scan is used to plan a procedure to regions of interest (ROIs). This plan is then used during follow-on guided bronchoscopy. Recent clinical guidelines for lung cancer, however, also dictate using positron emission tomography (PET) imaging for identifying suspicious ROIs and aiding in the cancer-staging process. While researchers have attempted to use guided bronchoscopy systems in tandem with PET imaging and EBUS, no true EBUS-centric guidance system exists. We now propose a full multimodal image-based methodology for guiding EBUS. The complete methodology involves two components: 1) a procedure planning protocol that gives bronchoscope movements appropriate for live EBUS positioning; and 2) a guidance strategy and associated system graphical user interface (GUI) designed for image-guided EBUS. We present results demonstrating the operation of the system.

Multiple levels of representation of reaching in the parieto-frontal network.

PubMed

Battaglia-Mayer, Alexandra; Caminiti, Roberto; Lacquaniti, Francesco; Zago, Myrka

2003-10-01

In daily life, hand and eye movements occur in different contexts. Hand movements can be made to a visual target shortly after its presentation, or after a longer delay; alternatively, they can be made to a memorized target location. In both instances, the hand can move in a visually structured scene under normal illumination, which allows visual monitoring of its trajectory, or in darkness. Across these conditions, movement can be directed to points in space already foveated, or to extrafoveal ones, thus requiring different forms of eye-hand coordination. The ability to adapt to these different contexts by providing successful answers to their demands probably resides in the high degree of flexibility of the operations that govern cognitive visuomotor behavior. The neurophysiological substrates of these processes include, among others, the context-dependent nature of neural activity, and a transitory, or task-dependent, affiliation of neurons to the assemblies underlying different forms of sensorimotor behavior. Moreover, the ability to make independent or combined eye and hand movements in the appropriate order and time sequence must reside in a process that encodes retinal-, eye- and hand-related inputs in a spatially congruent fashion. This process, in fact, requires exact knowledge of where the eye and the hand are at any given time, although we have no or little conscious experience of where they stay at any instant. How this information is reflected in the activity of cortical neurons remains a central question to understanding the mechanisms underlying the planning of eye-hand movement in the cerebral cortex. In the last 10 years, psychophysical analyses in humans, as well as neurophysiological studies in monkeys, have provided new insights on the mechanisms of different forms of oculo-manual actions. These studies have also offered preliminary hints as to the cortical substrates of eye-hand coordination. In this review, we will highlight some of the results obtained as well as some of the questions raised, focusing on the role of eye- and hand-tuning signals in cortical neural activity. This choice rests on the crucial role this information exerts in the specification of movement, and coordinate transformation.

Care Practice #2: Freedom of Movement Throughout Labor

PubMed Central

Shilling, Teri; Romano, Amy M.; DiFranco, Joyce T.

2007-01-01

This updated edition of Care Practice Paper #2 presents the evidence for the benefits of allowing freedom of movement in labor. Physiologic and anatomical principles that support the benefits of movement are explained. The authors review common obstacles to movement in labor, including the routine use of interventions that inhibit women's ability to walk or change position. Women are encouraged to plan to be active in labor and to select care providers and birth settings that provide the full range of options for using movement in labor. PMID:18566644

The Development of Upper Limb Movements: From Fetal to Post-Natal Life

PubMed Central

Zoia, Stefania; Blason, Laura; D’Ottavio, Giuseppina; Biancotto, Marina; Bulgheroni, Maria; Castiello, Umberto

2013-01-01

Background The aim of this longitudinal study was to investigate how the kinematic organization of upper limb movements changes from fetal to post-natal life. By means of off-line kinematical techniques we compared the kinematics of hand-to-mouth and hand-to-eye movements, in the same individuals, during prenatal life and early postnatal life, as well as the kinematics of hand-to-mouth and reaching-toward-object movements in the later age periods. Methodology/Principal Findings Movements recorded at the 14th, 18th and 22nd week of gestation were compared with similar movements recorded in an ecological context at 1, 2, 3, 4, 8, and 12 months after birth. The results indicate a similar kinematic organization depending on movement type (i.e., eye, mouth) for the infants at one month and for the fetuses at 22 weeks of gestation. At two and three months such differential motor planning depending on target is lost and no statistical differences emerge. Hand to eye movements were no longer observed after the fourth month of life, therefore we compared kinematics for hand to mouth with hand to object movements. Results of these analyses revealed differences in the performance of hand to mouth and reaching to object movements in the length of the deceleration phase of the movement, depending on target. Conclusion/Significance Data are discussed in terms of how the passage from intrauterine to extra-uterine environments modifies motor planning. These results provide novel evidence of how different types of upper extremity movements, those directed towards one’s own face and those directed to external objects, develop. PMID:24324642

Construction Foundation Report, Missouri River, Fort Peck Lake, Montana. Volume 1. Text and Photos.

DTIC Science & Technology

1983-01-01

Movement 88. Spillway, Vertical Displacement Contours, November 1968 89. Spillway, Tiltmeter Observations, Sta. 40+00 90. Spillway, Movement Record... Tiltmeter 65-IT 91. Spillway, Movement Record, Tiltmeter 65-2T 92. Spillway, Plan of Borings and Surface Movement Points 93. Spillway, Crack Survey, Slope...Spillway, Dial Indicator Gage Across "M" Bentonite, Sta. 40+70R 111. Spillway, Slope Indicator 75-12T, Accumulated Deflection 112. Spillway, Tiltmeter 63

Articulatory Control in Childhood Apraxia of Speech in a Novel Word-Learning Task.

PubMed

Case, Julie; Grigos, Maria I

2016-12-01

Articulatory control and speech production accuracy were examined in children with childhood apraxia of speech (CAS) and typically developing (TD) controls within a novel word-learning task to better understand the influence of planning and programming deficits in the production of unfamiliar words. Participants included 16 children between the ages of 5 and 6 years (8 CAS, 8 TD). Short- and long-term changes in lip and jaw movement, consonant and vowel accuracy, and token-to-token consistency were measured for 2 novel words that differed in articulatory complexity. Children with CAS displayed short- and long-term changes in consonant accuracy and consistency. Lip and jaw movements did not change over time. Jaw movement duration was longer in children with CAS than in TD controls. Movement stability differed between low- and high-complexity words in both groups. Children with CAS displayed a learning effect for consonant accuracy and consistency. Lack of change in movement stability may indicate that children with CAS require additional practice to demonstrate changes in speech motor control, even within production of novel word targets with greater consonant and vowel accuracy and consistency. The longer movement duration observed in children with CAS is believed to give children additional time to plan and program movements within a novel skill.

How Many Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons Does It Take to Perform Virtual Orthognathic Surgical Planning?

PubMed

Borba, Alexandre Meireles; Haupt, Dustin; de Almeida Romualdo, Leiliane Teresinha; da Silva, André Luis Fernandes; da Graça Naclério-Homem, Maria; Miloro, Michael

2016-09-01

Virtual surgical planning (VSP) has become routine practice in orthognathic treatment planning; however, most surgeons do not perform the planning without technical assistance, nor do they routinely evaluate the accuracy of the postoperative outcomes. The purpose of the present study was to propose a reproducible method that would allow surgeons to have an improved understanding of VSP orthognathic planning and to compare the planned surgical movements with the results obtained. A retrospective cohort of bimaxillary orthognathic surgery cases was used to evaluate the variability between the predicted and obtained movements using craniofacial landmarks and McNamara 3-dimensional cephalometric analysis from computed tomography scans. The demographic data (age, gender, and skeletal deformity type) were gathered from the medical records. The data analysis included the level of variability from the predicted to obtained surgical movements as assessed by the mean and standard deviation. For the overall sample, statistical analysis was performed using the 1-sample t test. The statistical analysis between the Class II and III patient groups used an unpaired t test. The study sample consisted of 50 patients who had undergone bimaxillary orthognathic surgery. The overall evaluation of the mean values revealed a discrepancy between the predicted and obtained values of less than 2.0 ± 2.0 mm for all maxillary landmarks, although some mandibular landmarks were greater than this value. An evaluation of the influence of gender and deformity type on the accuracy of surgical movements did not demonstrate statistical significance for most landmarks (P > .05). The method provides a reproducible tool for surgeons who use orthognathic VSP to perform routine evaluation of the postoperative outcomes, permitting the identification of specific variables that could assist in improving the accuracy of surgical planning and execution. Copyright © 2016 American Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Behavioural and computational varieties of response inhibition in eye movements.

PubMed

Cutsuridis, Vassilis

2017-04-19

Response inhibition is the ability to override a planned or an already initiated response. It is the hallmark of executive control as its deficits favour impulsive behaviours, which may be detrimental to an individual's life. This article reviews behavioural and computational guises of response inhibition. It focuses only on inhibition of oculomotor responses. It first reviews behavioural paradigms of response inhibition in eye movement research, namely the countermanding and antisaccade paradigms, both proven to be useful tools for the study of response inhibition in cognitive neuroscience and psychopathology. Then, it briefly reviews the neural mechanisms of response inhibition in these two behavioural paradigms. Computational models that embody a hypothesis and/or a theory of mechanisms underlying performance in both behavioural paradigms as well as provide a critical analysis of strengths and weaknesses of these models are discussed. All models assume the race of decision processes. The decision process in each paradigm that wins the race depends on different mechanisms. It has been shown that response latency is a stochastic process and has been proven to be an important measure of the cognitive control processes involved in response stopping in healthy and patient groups. Then, the inhibitory deficits in different brain diseases are reviewed, including schizophrenia and obsessive-compulsive disorder. Finally, new directions are suggested to improve the performance of models of response inhibition by drawing inspiration from successes of models in other domains.This article is part of the themed issue 'Movement suppression: brain mechanisms for stopping and stillness'. © 2017 The Author(s).

Phase dependence of transport-aperture coordination variability reveals control strategy of reach-to-grasp movements.

PubMed

Rand, Miya K; Shimansky, Y P; Hossain, Abul B M I; Stelmach, George E

2010-11-01

Based on an assumption of movement control optimality in reach-to-grasp movements, we have recently developed a mathematical model of transport-aperture coordination (TAC), according to which the hand-target distance is a function of hand velocity and acceleration, aperture magnitude, and aperture velocity and acceleration (Rand et al. in Exp Brain Res 188:263-274, 2008). Reach-to-grasp movements were performed by young adults under four different reaching speeds and two different transport distances. The residual error magnitude of fitting the above model to data across different trials and subjects was minimal for the aperture-closure phase, but relatively much greater for the aperture-opening phase, indicating considerable difference in TAC variability between those phases. This study's goal is to identify the main reasons for that difference and obtain insights into the control strategy of reach-to-grasp movements. TAC variability within the aperture-opening phase of a single trial was found minimal, indicating that TAC variability between trials was not due to execution noise, but rather a result of inter-trial and inter-subject variability of motor plan. At the same time, the dependence of the extent of trial-to-trial variability of TAC in that phase on the speed of hand transport was sharply inconsistent with the concept of speed-accuracy trade-off: the lower the speed, the larger the variability. Conversely, the dependence of the extent of TAC variability in the aperture-closure phase on hand transport speed was consistent with that concept. Taking into account recent evidence that the cost of neural information processing is substantial for movement planning, the dependence of TAC variability in the aperture-opening phase on task performance conditions suggests that it is not the movement time that the CNS saves in that phase, but the cost of neuro-computational resources and metabolic energy required for TAC regulation in that phase. Thus, the CNS performs a trade-off between that cost and TAC regulation accuracy. It is further discussed that such trade-off is possible because, due to a special control law that governs optimal switching from aperture opening to aperture closure, the inter-trial variability of the end of aperture opening does not affect the high accuracy of TAC regulation in the subsequent aperture-closure phase.

The Contemporary Women's Movement and Women's Education in India

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Patel, Ila

1998-03-01

The contemporary women's movement in India (1975-present) has played an important role in bringing gender issues to the forefront of development planning and defining feminist politics. This paper examines how this movement has addressed the issue of women's education. The first section highlights contributions of the social reformist movement in the 19th century and the nationalist movement in promoting women's education. The role of the contemporary women's movement in changing school curricula is examined in the second section, followed by discussion on how women's studies has contributed to redefining knowledge. The fourth section discusses women's empowerment and education from the perspective of the women's movement. The article concludes by highlighting challenges facing the women's movement in promoting women's education for equality and empowerment.

EEG Theta Dynamics within Frontal and Parietal Cortices for Error Processing during Reaching Movements in a Prism Adaptation Study Altering Visuo-Motor Predictive Planning

PubMed Central

Bonfiglio, Luca; Minichilli, Fabrizio; Cantore, Nicoletta; Carboncini, Maria Chiara; Piccotti, Emily; Rossi, Bruno

2016-01-01

Modulation of frontal midline theta (fmθ) is observed during error commission, but little is known about the role of theta oscillations in correcting motor behaviours. We investigate EEG activity of healthy partipants executing a reaching task under variable degrees of prism-induced visuo-motor distortion and visual occlusion of the initial arm trajectory. This task introduces directional errors of different magnitudes. The discrepancy between predicted and actual movement directions (i.e. the error), at the time when visual feedback (hand appearance) became available, elicits a signal that triggers on-line movement correction. Analysis were performed on 25 EEG channels. For each participant, the median value of the angular error of all reaching trials was used to partition the EEG epochs into high- and low-error conditions. We computed event-related spectral perturbations (ERSP) time-locked either to visual feedback or to the onset of movement correction. ERSP time-locked to the onset of visual feedback showed that fmθ increased in the high- but not in the low-error condition with an approximate time lag of 200 ms. Moreover, when single epochs were sorted by the degree of motor error, fmθ started to increase when a certain level of error was exceeded and, then, scaled with error magnitude. When ERSP were time-locked to the onset of movement correction, the fmθ increase anticipated this event with an approximate time lead of 50 ms. During successive trials, an error reduction was observed which was associated with indices of adaptations (i.e., aftereffects) suggesting the need to explore if theta oscillations may facilitate learning. To our knowledge this is the first study where the EEG signal recorded during reaching movements was time-locked to the onset of the error visual feedback. This allowed us to conclude that theta oscillations putatively generated by anterior cingulate cortex activation are implicated in error processing in semi-naturalistic motor behaviours. PMID:26963919

EEG Theta Dynamics within Frontal and Parietal Cortices for Error Processing during Reaching Movements in a Prism Adaptation Study Altering Visuo-Motor Predictive Planning.

PubMed

Arrighi, Pieranna; Bonfiglio, Luca; Minichilli, Fabrizio; Cantore, Nicoletta; Carboncini, Maria Chiara; Piccotti, Emily; Rossi, Bruno; Andre, Paolo

2016-01-01

Modulation of frontal midline theta (fmθ) is observed during error commission, but little is known about the role of theta oscillations in correcting motor behaviours. We investigate EEG activity of healthy partipants executing a reaching task under variable degrees of prism-induced visuo-motor distortion and visual occlusion of the initial arm trajectory. This task introduces directional errors of different magnitudes. The discrepancy between predicted and actual movement directions (i.e. the error), at the time when visual feedback (hand appearance) became available, elicits a signal that triggers on-line movement correction. Analysis were performed on 25 EEG channels. For each participant, the median value of the angular error of all reaching trials was used to partition the EEG epochs into high- and low-error conditions. We computed event-related spectral perturbations (ERSP) time-locked either to visual feedback or to the onset of movement correction. ERSP time-locked to the onset of visual feedback showed that fmθ increased in the high- but not in the low-error condition with an approximate time lag of 200 ms. Moreover, when single epochs were sorted by the degree of motor error, fmθ started to increase when a certain level of error was exceeded and, then, scaled with error magnitude. When ERSP were time-locked to the onset of movement correction, the fmθ increase anticipated this event with an approximate time lead of 50 ms. During successive trials, an error reduction was observed which was associated with indices of adaptations (i.e., aftereffects) suggesting the need to explore if theta oscillations may facilitate learning. To our knowledge this is the first study where the EEG signal recorded during reaching movements was time-locked to the onset of the error visual feedback. This allowed us to conclude that theta oscillations putatively generated by anterior cingulate cortex activation are implicated in error processing in semi-naturalistic motor behaviours.

Human movement data for malaria control and elimination strategic planning.

PubMed

Pindolia, Deepa K; Garcia, Andres J; Wesolowski, Amy; Smith, David L; Buckee, Caroline O; Noor, Abdisalan M; Snow, Robert W; Tatem, Andrew J

2012-06-18

Recent increases in funding for malaria control have led to the reduction in transmission in many malaria endemic countries, prompting the national control programmes of 36 malaria endemic countries to set elimination targets. Accounting for human population movement (HPM) in planning for control, elimination and post-elimination surveillance is important, as evidenced by previous elimination attempts that were undermined by the reintroduction of malaria through HPM. Strategic control and elimination planning, therefore, requires quantitative information on HPM patterns and the translation of these into parasite dispersion. HPM patterns and the risk of malaria vary substantially across spatial and temporal scales, demographic and socioeconomic sub-groups, and motivation for travel, so multiple data sets are likely required for quantification of movement. While existing studies based on mobile phone call record data combined with malaria transmission maps have begun to address within-country HPM patterns, other aspects remain poorly quantified despite their importance in accurately gauging malaria movement patterns and building control and detection strategies, such as cross-border HPM, demographic and socioeconomic stratification of HPM patterns, forms of transport, personal malaria protection and other factors that modify malaria risk. A wealth of data exist to aid filling these gaps, which, when combined with spatial data on transport infrastructure, traffic and malaria transmission, can answer relevant questions to guide strategic planning. This review aims to (i) discuss relevant types of HPM across spatial and temporal scales, (ii) document where datasets exist to quantify HPM, (iii) highlight where data gaps remain and (iv) briefly put forward methods for integrating these datasets in a Geographic Information System (GIS) framework for analysing and modelling human population and Plasmodium falciparum malaria infection movements.

Human movement data for malaria control and elimination strategic planning

PubMed Central

2012-01-01

Recent increases in funding for malaria control have led to the reduction in transmission in many malaria endemic countries, prompting the national control programmes of 36 malaria endemic countries to set elimination targets. Accounting for human population movement (HPM) in planning for control, elimination and post-elimination surveillance is important, as evidenced by previous elimination attempts that were undermined by the reintroduction of malaria through HPM. Strategic control and elimination planning, therefore, requires quantitative information on HPM patterns and the translation of these into parasite dispersion. HPM patterns and the risk of malaria vary substantially across spatial and temporal scales, demographic and socioeconomic sub-groups, and motivation for travel, so multiple data sets are likely required for quantification of movement. While existing studies based on mobile phone call record data combined with malaria transmission maps have begun to address within-country HPM patterns, other aspects remain poorly quantified despite their importance in accurately gauging malaria movement patterns and building control and detection strategies, such as cross-border HPM, demographic and socioeconomic stratification of HPM patterns, forms of transport, personal malaria protection and other factors that modify malaria risk. A wealth of data exist to aid filling these gaps, which, when combined with spatial data on transport infrastructure, traffic and malaria transmission, can answer relevant questions to guide strategic planning. This review aims to (i) discuss relevant types of HPM across spatial and temporal scales, (ii) document where datasets exist to quantify HPM, (iii) highlight where data gaps remain and (iv) briefly put forward methods for integrating these datasets in a Geographic Information System (GIS) framework for analysing and modelling human population and Plasmodium falciparum malaria infection movements. PMID:22703541

Wireless communication devices and movement monitoring methods

DOEpatents

Skorpik, James R.

2006-10-31

Wireless communication devices and movement monitoring methods are described. In one aspect, a wireless communication device includes a housing, wireless communication circuitry coupled with the housing and configured to communicate wireless signals, movement circuitry coupled with the housing and configured to provide movement data regarding movement sensed by the movement circuitry, and event processing circuitry coupled with the housing and the movement circuitry, wherein the event processing circuitry is configured to process the movement data, and wherein at least a portion of the event processing circuitry is configured to operate in a first operational state having a different power consumption rate compared with a second operational state.

The oil pressure test of the hydraulic impeller blade

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ye, Wen-bo; Jia, Li-tao

2017-12-01

This article introduced the structure of the Kaplan runner in hydropower station and the operating process of the oil pressure test has been described. What’s more, the whole process, including filling oil to the runner hub, the movement of the runner blade, the oil circuit, have been presented in detail.Since the manipulation of the oil circuit which controlled by three Valve groups consisting of six valves was complicated, the author is planning to replace them with 3-position 3-way electromagnetic valves, so we can simplify the operation procedure.The author hopes this article can provide technical reference for the oil pressure test.

Motor Effort Alters Changes of Mind in Sensorimotor Decision Making

PubMed Central

Burk, Diana; Ingram, James N.; Franklin, David W.; Shadlen, Michael N.; Wolpert, Daniel M.

2014-01-01

After committing to an action, a decision-maker can change their mind to revise the action. Such changes of mind can even occur when the stream of information that led to the action is curtailed at movement onset. This is explained by the time delays in sensory processing and motor planning which lead to a component at the end of the sensory stream that can only be processed after initiation. Such post-initiation processing can explain the pattern of changes of mind by asserting an accumulation of additional evidence to a criterion level, termed change-of-mind bound. Here we test the hypothesis that physical effort associated with the movement required to change one's mind affects the level of the change-of-mind bound and the time for post-initiation deliberation. We varied the effort required to change from one choice target to another in a reaching movement by varying the geometry of the choice targets or by applying a force field between the targets. We show that there is a reduction in the frequency of change of mind when the separation of the choice targets would require a larger excursion of the hand from the initial to the opposite choice. The reduction is best explained by an increase in the evidence required for changes of mind and a reduced time period of integration after the initial decision. Thus the criteria to revise an initial choice is sensitive to energetic costs. PMID:24651615

Transition Planning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Statfeld, Jenna L.

2011-01-01

Post-school transition is the movement of a child with disabilities from school to activities that occur after the completion of school. This paper provides information about: (1) post-school transition; (2) transition plan; (3) transition services; (4) transition planning; (5) vocational rehabilitation services; (6) services that are available…

Characterizing the width of amphibian movements during postbreeding migration.

PubMed

Coster, Stephanie S; Veysey Powell, Jessica S; Babbitt, Kimberly J

2014-06-01

Habitat linkages can help maintain connectivity of animal populations in developed landscapes. However, the lack of empirical data on the width of lateral movements (i.e., the zigzagging of individuals as they move from one point to point another) makes determining the width of such linkages challenging. We used radiotracking data from wood frogs (Lithobates sylvaticus) and spotted salamanders (Ambystoma maculatum) in a managed forest in Maine (U.S.A.) to characterize movement patterns of populations and thus inform planning for the width of wildlife corridors. For each individual, we calculated the polar coordinates of all locations, estimated the vector sum of the polar coordinates, and measured the distance from each location to the vector sum. By fitting a Gaussian distribution over a histogram of these distances, we created a population-level probability density function and estimated the 50th and 95th percentiles to determine the width of lateral movement as individuals progressed from the pond to upland habitat. For spotted salamanders 50% of lateral movements were ≤13 m wide and 95% of movements were ≤39 m wide. For wood frogs, 50% of lateral movements were ≤17 m wide and 95% of movements were ≤ 51 m wide. For both species, those individuals that traveled the farthest from the pond also displayed the greatest lateral movement. Our results serve as a foundation for spatially explicit conservation planning for pond-breeding amphibians in areas undergoing development. Our technique can also be applied to movement data from other taxa to aid in designing habitat linkages. © 2014 Society for Conservation Biology.

Planning and Coordination of a Reach-Grasp-Eat Task in Children with Hemiplegia

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hung, Ya-Ching; Henderson, Eugene R.; Akbasheva, Frida; Valte, Leslie; Ke, Wei Shan; Gordon, Andrew M.

2012-01-01

Children with hemiplegia have deficits in motor planning in addition to their impairments in movement of their more-affected upper extremity (UE). However, little is known about the relationship between motor planning and multi-segment coordination during functional activities in this population. In the present study, motor planning strategies and…

Mapping behavioral landscapes for animal movement: a finite mixture modeling approach

USGS Publications Warehouse

Tracey, Jeff A.; Zhu, Jun; Boydston, Erin E.; Lyren, Lisa M.; Fisher, Robert N.; Crooks, Kevin R.

2013-01-01

Because of its role in many ecological processes, movement of animals in response to landscape features is an important subject in ecology and conservation biology. In this paper, we develop models of animal movement in relation to objects or fields in a landscape. We take a finite mixture modeling approach in which the component densities are conceptually related to different choices for movement in response to a landscape feature, and the mixing proportions are related to the probability of selecting each response as a function of one or more covariates. We combine particle swarm optimization and an Expectation-Maximization (EM) algorithm to obtain maximum likelihood estimates of the model parameters. We use this approach to analyze data for movement of three bobcats in relation to urban areas in southern California, USA. A behavioral interpretation of the models revealed similarities and differences in bobcat movement response to urbanization. All three bobcats avoided urbanization by moving either parallel to urban boundaries or toward less urban areas as the proportion of urban land cover in the surrounding area increased. However, one bobcat, a male with a dispersal-like large-scale movement pattern, avoided urbanization at lower densities and responded strictly by moving parallel to the urban edge. The other two bobcats, which were both residents and occupied similar geographic areas, avoided urban areas using a combination of movements parallel to the urban edge and movement toward areas of less urbanization. However, the resident female appeared to exhibit greater repulsion at lower levels of urbanization than the resident male, consistent with empirical observations of bobcats in southern California. Using the parameterized finite mixture models, we mapped behavioral states to geographic space, creating a representation of a behavioral landscape. This approach can provide guidance for conservation planning based on analysis of animal movement data using statistical models, thereby linking connectivity evaluations to empirical data.

State Dementia Plans and the Alzheimer's Disease Movement: Framing Diagnosis, Prognosis, and Motivation.

PubMed

Arbogast, Charlotte E; Welleford, E Ayn; Netting, F Ellen

2017-07-01

An interpretive analysis of 38 state dementia plans compares similarities and differences in diagnostic framing (problem identification/trends/issues), prognosis framing (addressing the problem), and motivational framing (calls for action) across plans. In framing diagnosis, only 6 plans used dementia alone in their titles. In framing prognosis and the subsequent call to action, state plans were consistent in their dire prognostications about the progressive and fatal consequences of the disease with a primary focus on the cost. Motivational language mirrored that of the Alzheimer's Disease (AD) Movement, from raising awareness to using inflammatory words to incite action. The language used set up the frame for clinical interventions that may not distinguish between types of dementia and could undercut the provision of person-centered care, shifts the victimization focus from persons with AD to caregivers and ultimately the state, and may subintentionally reflect cultural biases.

Target switching in curved human arm movements is predicted by changing a single control parameter.

PubMed

Hoffmann, Heiko

2011-01-01

Straight-line movements have been studied extensively in the human motor-control literature, but little is known about how to generate curved movements and how to adjust them in a dynamic environment. The present work studied, for the first time to my knowledge, how humans adjust curved hand movements to a target that switches location. Subjects (n = 8) sat in front of a drawing tablet and looked at a screen. They moved a cursor on a curved trajectory (spiral or oval shaped) toward a goal point. In half of the trials, this goal switched 200 ms after movement onset to either one of two alternative positions, and subjects smoothly adjusted their movements to the new goal. To explain this adjustment, we compared three computational models: a superposition of curved and minimum-jerk movements (Flash and Henis in J Cogn Neurosci 3(3):220-230, 1991), Vector Planning (Gordon et al. in Exp Brain Res 99(1):97-111, 1994) adapted to curved movements (Rescale), and a nonlinear dynamical system, which could generate arbitrarily curved smooth movements and had a point attractor at the goal. For each model, we predicted the trajectory adjustment to the target switch by changing only the goal position in the model. As result, the dynamical model could explain the observed switch behavior significantly better than the two alternative models (spiral: P = 0.0002 vs. Flash, P = 0.002 vs. Rescale; oval: P = 0.04 vs. Flash; P values obtained from Wilcoxon test on R (2) values). We conclude that generalizing arbitrary hand trajectories to new targets may be explained by switching a single control command, without the need to re-plan or re-optimize the whole movement or superimpose movements.

Monitoring of manufacturing processes in the automotive industry using indoor location system

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ionescu, LM; Belu, N.; Rachieru, N.; Mazăre, AG; Anghel, D.-C.

2016-08-01

This paper presents a method for locating the operators, equipment and parts using radio communications systems. Specifically there will be radio transceiver arranged in a network of active and passive radio receivers placed on personnel, equipment or parts. Based on a radio triangulation method, it is determined the location of the all resources and parts involved in manufacturing process. The transceivers communicate with each other via “routers” - also components of the network. Such a structure may extend over large distances even in indoor spaces where there are obstacles (walls between rooms). The location is done by determining the power of transmission signal for at least three end points. The receiver position is then transmitted over the network through routers, to a central server where all positions of the resources are centralized. Our solution is a non-invasive and low cost method for determining resource position in the factory. The system can be used for both resource planning production for current process more efficient and for further analysis of the movement of resources during previous processes with possible adjustments to the workspace and re-planning of resources for future processes.

Whole body pointing movements in transient microgravity: preliminary results.

PubMed

Tagliabue, Michele; Pedrocchi, Alessandra; Gower, Valerio; Ferrigno, Giancarlo; Pozzo, Thierry

2004-07-01

The aim of the present study is a better comprehension of strategies of motor coordination during complex movements. In this field of research microgravity represent a unique experimental condition for the investigation of the role of equilibrium control in movement planning. Namely, here we focus on two important issues: the centre of mass control and the endpoint trajectory. Preliminary results of the center of mass position and the finger path curvature during pointing movements performed under normal and transient microgravity conditions are presented.

A mathematical tool to generate complex whole body motor tasks and test hypotheses on underlying motor planning.

PubMed

Tagliabue, Michele; Pedrocchi, Alessandra; Pozzo, Thierry; Ferrigno, Giancarlo

2008-01-01

In spite of the complexity of human motor behavior, difficulties in mathematical modeling have restricted to rather simple movements attempts to identify the motor planning criterion used by the central nervous system. This paper presents a novel-simulation technique able to predict the "desired trajectory" corresponding to a wide range of kinematic and kinetic optimality criteria for tasks involving many degrees of freedom and the coordination between goal achievement and balance maintenance. Employment of proper time discretization, inverse dynamic methods and constrained optimization technique are combined. The application of this simulator to a planar whole body pointing movement shows its effectiveness in managing system nonlinearities and instability as well as in ensuring the anatomo-physiological feasibility of predicted motor plans. In addition, the simulator's capability to simultaneously optimize competing movement aspects represents an interesting opportunity for the motor control community, in which the coexistence of several controlled variables has been hypothesized.

Freight Data Fusion From Multiple Data Sources For Freight Planning Applications In Florida

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2018-05-01

A major hurdle in freight demand modeling has always been a lack of adequate data on freight movements for different industry sectors for planning applications. Several data sources are available for freight planning purposes in the United States. Of...

Intermodal Freight Plan: The Goods Movement Element of the DVRPC Year 2020 Plan

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

1995-06-01

The focus of this plan is the twenty-three significant intermodal facilities in the Delaware Valley region where freight is exchanged between modes of transport en route to its final destination. A catalogue of these facilities and their supporting n...

Disruption of State Estimation in the Human Lateral Cerebellum

PubMed Central

Miall, R. Chris; Christensen, Lars O. D; Cain, Owen; Stanley, James

2007-01-01

The cerebellum has been proposed to be a crucial component in the state estimation process that combines information from motor efferent and sensory afferent signals to produce a representation of the current state of the motor system. Such a state estimate of the moving human arm would be expected to be used when the arm is rapidly and skillfully reaching to a target. We now report the effects of transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) over the ipsilateral cerebellum as healthy humans were made to interrupt a slow voluntary movement to rapidly reach towards a visually defined target. Errors in the initial direction and in the final finger position of this reach-to-target movement were significantly higher for cerebellar stimulation than they were in control conditions. The average directional errors in the cerebellar TMS condition were consistent with the reaching movements being planned and initiated from an estimated hand position that was 138 ms out of date. We suggest that these results demonstrate that the cerebellum is responsible for estimating the hand position over this time interval and that TMS disrupts this state estimate. PMID:18044990

Do Planning and Visual Integration Difficulties Underpin Motor Dysfunction in Autism? A Kinematic Study of Young Children with Autism

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dowd, Ariane M.; McGinley, Jennifer L.; Taffe, John R.; Rinehart, Nicole J.

2012-01-01

This paper examines the upper-limb movement kinematics of young children (3-7 years) with high-functioning autism using a point-to-point movement paradigm. Consistent with prior findings in older children, a difference in movement preparation was found in the autism group (n = 11) relative to typically developing children. In contrast to typically…

Eye-movements and ongoing task processing.

PubMed

Burke, David T; Meleger, Alec; Schneider, Jeffrey C; Snyder, Jim; Dorvlo, Atsu S S; Al-Adawi, Samir

2003-06-01

This study tests the relation between eye-movements and thought processing. Subjects were given specific modality tasks (visual, gustatory, kinesthetic) and assessed on whether they responded with distinct eye-movements. Some subjects' eye-movements reflected ongoing thought processing. Instead of a universal pattern, as suggested by the neurolinguistic programming hypothesis, this study yielded subject-specific idiosyncratic eye-movements across all modalities. Included is a discussion of the neurolinguistic programming hypothesis regarding eye-movements and its implications for the eye-movement desensitization and reprocessing theory.

Opportunities and challenges in developing a whole-of-government national food and nutrition policy: lessons from Australia's National Food Plan.

PubMed

Carey, Rachel; Caraher, Martin; Lawrence, Mark; Friel, Sharon

2016-01-01

The present article tracks the development of the Australian National Food Plan as a 'whole of government' food policy that aimed to integrate elements of nutrition and sustainability alongside economic objectives. The article uses policy analysis to explore the processes of consultation and stakeholder involvement in the development of the National Food Plan, focusing on actors from the sectors of industry, civil society and government. Existing documentation and submissions to the Plan were used as data sources. Models of health policy analysis and policy streams were employed to analyse policy development processes. Australia. Australian food policy stakeholders. The development of the Plan was influenced by powerful industry groups and stakeholder engagement by the lead ministry favoured the involvement of actors representing the food and agriculture industries. Public health nutrition and civil society relied on traditional methods of policy influence, and the public health nutrition movement failed to develop a unified cross-sector alliance, while the private sector engaged in different ways and presented a united front. The National Food Plan failed to deliver an integrated food policy for Australia. Nutrition and sustainability were effectively sidelined due to the focus on global food production and positioning Australia as a food 'superpower' that could take advantage of the anticipated 'dining boom' as incomes rose in the Asia-Pacific region. New forms of industry influence are emerging in the food policy arena and public health nutrition will need to adopt new approaches to influencing public policy.

Decoding a wide range of hand configurations from macaque motor, premotor, and parietal cortices.

PubMed

Schaffelhofer, Stefan; Agudelo-Toro, Andres; Scherberger, Hansjörg

2015-01-21

Despite recent advances in decoding cortical activity for motor control, the development of hand prosthetics remains a major challenge. To reduce the complexity of such applications, higher cortical areas that also represent motor plans rather than just the individual movements might be advantageous. We investigated the decoding of many grip types using spiking activity from the anterior intraparietal (AIP), ventral premotor (F5), and primary motor (M1) cortices. Two rhesus monkeys were trained to grasp 50 objects in a delayed task while hand kinematics and spiking activity from six implanted electrode arrays (total of 192 electrodes) were recorded. Offline, we determined 20 grip types from the kinematic data and decoded these hand configurations and the grasped objects with a simple Bayesian classifier. When decoding from AIP, F5, and M1 combined, the mean accuracy was 50% (using planning activity) and 62% (during motor execution) for predicting the 50 objects (chance level, 2%) and substantially larger when predicting the 20 grip types (planning, 74%; execution, 86%; chance level, 5%). When decoding from individual arrays, objects and grip types could be predicted well during movement planning from AIP (medial array) and F5 (lateral array), whereas M1 predictions were poor. In contrast, predictions during movement execution were best from M1, whereas F5 performed only slightly worse. These results demonstrate for the first time that a large number of grip types can be decoded from higher cortical areas during movement preparation and execution, which could be relevant for future neuroprosthetic devices that decode motor plans. Copyright © 2015 the authors 0270-6474/15/351068-14$15.00/0.

Getting a handle on virtual tools: An examination of the neuronal activity associated with virtual tool use.

PubMed

Rallis, Austin; Fercho, Kelene A; Bosch, Taylor J; Baugh, Lee A

2018-01-31

Tool use is associated with three visual streams-dorso-dorsal, ventro-dorsal, and ventral visual streams. These streams are involved in processing online motor planning, action semantics, and tool semantics features, respectively. Little is known about the way in which the brain represents virtual tools. To directly assess this question, a virtual tool paradigm was created that provided the ability to manipulate tool components in isolation of one another. During functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), adult participants performed a series of virtual tool manipulation tasks in which vision and movement kinematics of the tool were manipulated. Reaction time and hand movement direction were monitored while the tasks were performed. Functional imaging revealed that activity within all three visual streams was present, in a similar pattern to what would be expected with physical tool use. However, a previously unreported network of right-hemisphere activity was found including right inferior parietal lobule, middle and superior temporal gyri and supramarginal gyrus - regions well known to be associated with tool processing within the left hemisphere. These results provide evidence that both virtual and physical tools are processed within the same brain regions, though virtual tools recruit bilateral tool processing regions to a greater extent than physical tools. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Dynamic Sensorimotor Planning during Long-Term Sequence Learning: The Role of Variability, Response Chunking and Planning Errors

PubMed Central

Verstynen, Timothy; Phillips, Jeff; Braun, Emily; Workman, Brett; Schunn, Christian; Schneider, Walter

2012-01-01

Many everyday skills are learned by binding otherwise independent actions into a unified sequence of responses across days or weeks of practice. Here we looked at how the dynamics of action planning and response binding change across such long timescales. Subjects (N = 23) were trained on a bimanual version of the serial reaction time task (32-item sequence) for two weeks (10 days total). Response times and accuracy both showed improvement with time, but appeared to be learned at different rates. Changes in response speed across training were associated with dynamic changes in response time variability, with faster learners expanding their variability during the early training days and then contracting response variability late in training. Using a novel measure of response chunking, we found that individual responses became temporally correlated across trials and asymptoted to set sizes of approximately 7 bound responses at the end of the first week of training. Finally, we used a state-space model of the response planning process to look at how predictive (i.e., response anticipation) and error-corrective (i.e., post-error slowing) processes correlated with learning rates for speed, accuracy and chunking. This analysis yielded non-monotonic association patterns between the state-space model parameters and learning rates, suggesting that different parts of the response planning process are relevant at different stages of long-term learning. These findings highlight the dynamic modulation of response speed, variability, accuracy and chunking as multiple movements become bound together into a larger set of responses during sequence learning. PMID:23056630

An operational analysis of the Hampton Roads hurricane evacuation traffic control plan.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2006-01-01

The Hampton Roads region of Virginia has developed a hurricane evacuation plan to facilitate the movement of large numbers of vehicles as they attempt to leave the region in advance of a storm. Although the plan considers many aspects of hurricane ev...

33 CFR 161.19 - Sailing Plan (SP).

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... 33 Navigation and Navigable Waters 2 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false Sailing Plan (SP). 161.19 Section 161.19 Navigation and Navigable Waters COAST GUARD, DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY (CONTINUED) PORTS AND WATERWAYS SAFETY VESSEL TRAFFIC MANAGEMENT Vessel Movement Reporting System § 161.19 Sailing Plan...

33 CFR 161.19 - Sailing Plan (SP).

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

... 33 Navigation and Navigable Waters 2 2011-07-01 2011-07-01 false Sailing Plan (SP). 161.19 Section 161.19 Navigation and Navigable Waters COAST GUARD, DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY (CONTINUED) PORTS AND WATERWAYS SAFETY VESSEL TRAFFIC MANAGEMENT Vessel Movement Reporting System § 161.19 Sailing Plan...

Electrophysiological evidence of functional integration between the language and motor systems in the brain: a study of the speech Bereitschaftspotential.

PubMed

McArdle, J J; Mari, Z; Pursley, R H; Schulz, G M; Braun, A R

2009-02-01

We investigated whether the Bereitschaftspotential (BP), an event related potential believed to reflect motor planning, would be modulated by language-related parameters prior to speech. We anticipated that articulatory complexity would produce effects on the BP distribution similar to those demonstrated for complex limb movements. We also hypothesized that lexical semantic operations would independently impact the BP. Eighteen participants performed 3 speech tasks designed to differentiate lexical semantic and articulatory contributions to the BP. EEG epochs were time-locked to the earliest source of speech movement per trial. Lip movements were assessed using EMG recordings. Doppler imaging was used to determine the onset of tongue movement during speech, providing a means of identification and elimination of potential artifact. Compared to simple repetition, complex articulations produced an anterior shift in the maximum midline BP. Tasks requiring lexical search and selection augmented these effects and independently elicited a left lateralized asymmetry in the frontal distribution. The findings indicate that the BP is significantly modulated by linguistic processing, suggesting that the premotor system might play a role in lexical access. These novel findings support the notion that the motor systems may play a significant role in the formulation of language.

Learning stochastic reward distributions in a speeded pointing task.

PubMed

Seydell, Anna; McCann, Brian C; Trommershäuser, Julia; Knill, David C

2008-04-23

Recent studies have shown that humans effectively take into account task variance caused by intrinsic motor noise when planning fast hand movements. However, previous evidence suggests that humans have greater difficulty accounting for arbitrary forms of stochasticity in their environment, both in economic decision making and sensorimotor tasks. We hypothesized that humans can learn to optimize movement strategies when environmental randomness can be experienced and thus implicitly learned over several trials, especially if it mimics the kinds of randomness for which subjects might have generative models. We tested the hypothesis using a task in which subjects had to rapidly point at a target region partly covered by three stochastic penalty regions introduced as "defenders." At movement completion, each defender jumped to a new position drawn randomly from fixed probability distributions. Subjects earned points when they hit the target, unblocked by a defender, and lost points otherwise. Results indicate that after approximately 600 trials, subjects approached optimal behavior. We further tested whether subjects simply learned a set of stimulus-contingent motor plans or the statistics of defenders' movements by training subjects with one penalty distribution and then testing them on a new penalty distribution. Subjects immediately changed their strategy to achieve the same average reward as subjects who had trained with the second penalty distribution. These results indicate that subjects learned the parameters of the defenders' jump distributions and used this knowledge to optimally plan their hand movements under conditions involving stochastic rewards and penalties.

Mount St. Helens, Washington Feasibility Report & Environmental Impact Statement. Volume 1: Main Report

DTIC Science & Technology

1984-12-01

Base Condition WITH-PROJECT CONDITION Single Retention Structure Identification of NED Plan Benefits - NED Plan SENSITIVITY OF NED PLAN TO...Downstream Actions COSTS OF THE PREFERRED PLAN BENEFITS OF THE PREFERRED PLAN Economic and Social Effects Prevention of Erosion Maintenance of...continued) TABLES Residual Damages Summary of Costs Preferred Alternative Sediment MOvement Net Average Annual NED Benefits Total Flood Damages Average

The feminist position on family planning in Spain.

PubMed

Navarro, M V

1984-04-01

The Spanish feminist movement had its origins in the early 1970; in 1975 the first offical feminist conference made the following demands on the public authorities; 1) to abolish all sections of the Criminal Code which restrict women's freedom to control of their own bodies through making illegal information on and the purchase of contraceptives, 2) to decriminalize abortion, 3) to create family planning centers and to legalize contraceptives and provide them through the social security system, and 4) to include sex information in study courses. The distribution and sale of contraceptives was not legalized until 1978 and induced abortion is still a criminal offense. Nevertheless, after the 1975 meetins, a Coordinating Organization was established for the family planning committees that were functioning in the different feminist organizations. The problem of where to obtain contraceptives was solved by a group of feminist women which opened the 1st family planning center in Spain in 19779 This center was managed directly by members of the group. This and similar efforts culminated in the origin of the Movement for Movement for Family Planning that demanded in 1978; 1) the provision of sex information confronting the dominant sexual ideology and which is made a ccompulsory subject from school age, for both sexes; 2) free access to contraception for everyone; 3) the legalization of abortion, 4) the development of extensive information campaign on the problems of conception and contraception; and 5) the creation of independent, self-managed, family planning centers. There is now a Coordinating Organization of Family Planning Centers that was established in 1982. The socialist government is determined to create a public network of family planning centers.

Developing a Deep Brain Stimulation Neuromodulation Network for Parkinson Disease, Essential Tremor, and Dystonia: Report of a Quality Improvement Project

PubMed Central

O’Suilleabhain, Padraig E.; Sanghera, Manjit; Patel, Neepa; Khemani, Pravin; Lacritz, Laura H.; Chitnis, Shilpa; Whitworth, Louis A.; Dewey, Richard B.

2016-01-01

Objective To develop a process to improve patient outcomes from deep brain stimulation (DBS) surgery for Parkinson disease (PD), essential tremor (ET), and dystonia. Methods We employed standard quality improvement methodology using the Plan-Do-Study-Act process to improve patient selection, surgical DBS lead implantation, postoperative programming, and ongoing assessment of patient outcomes. Results The result of this quality improvement process was the development of a neuromodulation network. The key aspect of this program is rigorous patient assessment of both motor and non-motor outcomes tracked longitudinally using a REDCap database. We describe how this information is used to identify problems and to initiate Plan-Do-Study-Act cycles to address them. Preliminary outcomes data is presented for the cohort of PD and ET patients who have received surgery since the creation of the neuromodulation network. Conclusions Careful outcomes tracking is essential to ensure quality in a complex therapeutic endeavor like DBS surgery for movement disorders. The REDCap database system is well suited to store outcomes data for the purpose of ongoing quality assurance monitoring. PMID:27711133

Developing a Deep Brain Stimulation Neuromodulation Network for Parkinson Disease, Essential Tremor, and Dystonia: Report of a Quality Improvement Project.

PubMed

Dewey, Richard B; O'Suilleabhain, Padraig E; Sanghera, Manjit; Patel, Neepa; Khemani, Pravin; Lacritz, Laura H; Chitnis, Shilpa; Whitworth, Louis A; Dewey, Richard B

2016-01-01

To develop a process to improve patient outcomes from deep brain stimulation (DBS) surgery for Parkinson disease (PD), essential tremor (ET), and dystonia. We employed standard quality improvement methodology using the Plan-Do-Study-Act process to improve patient selection, surgical DBS lead implantation, postoperative programming, and ongoing assessment of patient outcomes. The result of this quality improvement process was the development of a neuromodulation network. The key aspect of this program is rigorous patient assessment of both motor and non-motor outcomes tracked longitudinally using a REDCap database. We describe how this information is used to identify problems and to initiate Plan-Do-Study-Act cycles to address them. Preliminary outcomes data is presented for the cohort of PD and ET patients who have received surgery since the creation of the neuromodulation network. Careful outcomes tracking is essential to ensure quality in a complex therapeutic endeavor like DBS surgery for movement disorders. The REDCap database system is well suited to store outcomes data for the purpose of ongoing quality assurance monitoring.

Canadian 24-Hour Movement Guidelines for Children and Youth: An Integration of Physical Activity, Sedentary Behaviour, and Sleep.

PubMed

Tremblay, Mark S; Carson, Valerie; Chaput, Jean-Philippe; Connor Gorber, Sarah; Dinh, Thy; Duggan, Mary; Faulkner, Guy; Gray, Casey E; Gruber, Reut; Janson, Katherine; Janssen, Ian; Katzmarzyk, Peter T; Kho, Michelle E; Latimer-Cheung, Amy E; LeBlanc, Claire; Okely, Anthony D; Olds, Timothy; Pate, Russell R; Phillips, Andrea; Poitras, Veronica J; Rodenburg, Sophie; Sampson, Margaret; Saunders, Travis J; Stone, James A; Stratton, Gareth; Weiss, Shelly K; Zehr, Lori

2016-06-01

Leaders from the Canadian Society for Exercise Physiology convened representatives of national organizations, content experts, methodologists, stakeholders, and end-users who followed rigorous and transparent guideline development procedures to create the Canadian 24-Hour Movement Guidelines for Children and Youth: An Integration of Physical Activity, Sedentary Behaviour, and Sleep. These novel guidelines for children and youth aged 5-17 years respect the natural and intuitive integration of movement behaviours across the whole day (24-h period). The development process was guided by the Appraisal of Guidelines for Research Evaluation (AGREE) II instrument and systematic reviews of evidence informing the guidelines were assessed using the Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development, and Evaluation (GRADE) approach. Four systematic reviews (physical activity, sedentary behaviour, sleep, integrated behaviours) examining the relationships between and among movement behaviours and several health indicators were completed and interpreted by expert consensus. Complementary compositional analyses were performed using Canadian Health Measures Survey data to examine the relationships between movement behaviours and health indicators. A stakeholder survey was employed (n = 590) and 28 focus groups/stakeholder interviews (n = 104) were completed to gather feedback on draft guidelines. Following an introductory preamble, the guidelines provide evidence-informed recommendations for a healthy day (24 h), comprising a combination of sleep, sedentary behaviours, light-, moderate-, and vigorous-intensity physical activity. Proactive dissemination, promotion, implementation, and evaluation plans have been prepared in an effort to optimize uptake and activation of the new guidelines. Future research should consider the integrated relationships among movement behaviours, and similar integrated guidelines for other age groups should be developed.

Muscle fatigue effects can be anticipated to reproduce a movement kinematics learned without fatigue.

PubMed

Monjo, Florian; Forestier, Nicolas

2016-12-17

Muscle fatigue modifies the gain between motor command magnitude and the mechanical muscular response. In other words, post-fatigue, central drives to the muscles must increase to maintain a particular submaximum mechanical output. In this study, we tested the hypothesis that this modified gain can be predicted by the central nervous system (CNS) during discrete ballistic movements. In two separate experiments, subjects were required to perform shoulder flexions in standing and sitting positions at submaximum target peak accelerations. They were assisted with visual feedback informing them on their performance after each trial. Shoulder flexions were performed before and after fatiguing protocols of the focal muscles. Acceleration signals, focal and postural muscle electromyograms (EMGs) were recorded. The results demonstrated that participants were able to reach with precision the target acceleration during the first movements post-fatigue at the cost of significant increase in focal motor command magnitude. Decreased variance of peak accelerations associated with increased focal command variability was observed post-fatigue. During the standing experiment, postural muscle EMGs revealed that anticipatory postural adjustments (APAs) scaled to focal movement acceleration post-fatigue. All these results support that fatigue effects are taken into account during movement planning. Indeed, given that no feedback could enable participants to adjust acceleration during movement, this capacity to anticipate fatigue effects is the exclusive result of feedforward processes. To account for this prediction capacity, we discuss the role of fatigue-related modifications in sensory inputs from the working muscles. Copyright © 2016 IBRO. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

49 CFR 172.802 - Components of a security plan.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

... from origin to destination, including shipments stored incidental to movement. (b) The security plan must also include the following: (1) Identification by job title of the senior management official... business and must make the security plan available upon request, at a reasonable time and location, to an...

Autonomous Lawnmower using FPGA implementation.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ahmad, Nabihah; Lokman, Nabill bin; Helmy Abd Wahab, Mohd

2016-11-01

Nowadays, there are various types of robot have been invented for multiple purposes. The robots have the special characteristic that surpass the human ability and could operate in extreme environment which human cannot endure. In this paper, an autonomous robot is built to imitate the characteristic of a human cutting grass. A Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGA) is used to control the movements where all data and information would be processed. Very High Speed Integrated Circuit (VHSIC) Hardware Description Language (VHDL) is used to describe the hardware using Quartus II software. This robot has the ability of avoiding obstacle using ultrasonic sensor. This robot used two DC motors for its movement. It could include moving forward, backward, and turning left and right. The movement or the path of the automatic lawn mower is based on a path planning technique. Four Global Positioning System (GPS) plot are set to create a boundary. This to ensure that the lawn mower operates within the area given by user. Every action of the lawn mower is controlled by the FPGA DE' Board Cyclone II with the help of the sensor. Furthermore, Sketch Up software was used to design the structure of the lawn mower. The autonomous lawn mower was able to operate efficiently and smoothly return to coordinated paths after passing the obstacle. It uses 25% of total pins available on the board and 31% of total Digital Signal Processing (DSP) blocks.

Brain-Behavior Mechanisms for the Transfer of Neuromuscular Training Adaptions to Simulated Sport: Initial Findings from the Train the Brain Project.

PubMed

Grooms, Dustin R; Kiefer, Adam W; Riley, Michael A; Ellis, Jonathan D; Thomas, Staci; Kitchen, Katie; DiCesare, Christopher; Bonnette, Scott; Gadd, Brooke; Barber Foss, Kim D; Yuan, Weihong; Silva, Paula; Galloway, Ryan; Diekfuss, Jed; Leach, James; Berz, Kate; Myer, Gregory D

2018-03-27

A limiting factor for reducing anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury risk is ensuring that the movement adaptions made during the prevention program transfer to sport-specific activity. Virtual reality provides a mechanism to assess transferability and neuroimaging provides a means to assay the neural processes allowing for such skill transfer. To determine the neural mechanisms for injury risk reducing biomechanics transfer to sport after ACL injury prevention training. Cohort study Setting: Research laboratory Participants: Four healthy high school soccer athletes. Participants completed augmented neuromuscular training utilizing real-time visual feedback. An unloaded knee extension task and a loaded leg-press task was completed with neuroimaging before and after training. A virtual reality soccer specific landing task was also competed following training to assess transfer of movement mechanics. Landing mechanics during the virtual reality soccer task and blood oxygen level dependent signal change during neuroimaging. Increased motor planning, sensory and visual region activity during unloaded knee extension and decreased motor cortex activity during loaded leg-press were highly correlated with improvements in landing mechanics (decreased hip adduction and knee rotation). Changes in brain activity may underlie adaptation and transfer of injury risk reducing movement mechanics to sport activity. Clinicians may be able to target these specific brain processes with adjunctive therapy to facilitate intervention improvements transferring to sport.

Power and Vision: Group-Process Models Evolving from Social-Change Movements.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Morrow, Susan L.; Hawxhurst, Donna M.

1988-01-01

Explores evolution of group process in social change movements, including the evolution of the new left, the cooperative movement,and the women's liberation movement. Proposes a group-process model that encourages people to share power and live their visions. (Author/NB)

A Case History of Tracking Water Movement Through Fracture Systems in the Barnett Shale, March 10-11, 2011

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

Technical Presentation Session 6: Monitoring slides to presentation by Denbury on tracking water movement through fracture systems in the Barnett shale. This includes information on micro-seismic well evaluation, well plans, and a fracture map.

Multi-level, multi-scale resource selection functions and resistance surfaces for conservation planning: Pumas as a case study

PubMed Central

Vickers, T. Winston; Ernest, Holly B.; Boyce, Walter M.

2017-01-01

The importance of examining multiple hierarchical levels when modeling resource use for wildlife has been acknowledged for decades. Multi-level resource selection functions have recently been promoted as a method to synthesize resource use across nested organizational levels into a single predictive surface. Analyzing multiple scales of selection within each hierarchical level further strengthens multi-level resource selection functions. We extend this multi-level, multi-scale framework to modeling resistance for wildlife by combining multi-scale resistance surfaces from two data types, genetic and movement. Resistance estimation has typically been conducted with one of these data types, or compared between the two. However, we contend it is not an either/or issue and that resistance may be better-modeled using a combination of resistance surfaces that represent processes at different hierarchical levels. Resistance surfaces estimated from genetic data characterize temporally broad-scale dispersal and successful breeding over generations, whereas resistance surfaces estimated from movement data represent fine-scale travel and contextualized movement decisions. We used telemetry and genetic data from a long-term study on pumas (Puma concolor) in a highly developed landscape in southern California to develop a multi-level, multi-scale resource selection function and a multi-level, multi-scale resistance surface. We used these multi-level, multi-scale surfaces to identify resource use patches and resistant kernel corridors. Across levels, we found puma avoided urban, agricultural areas, and roads and preferred riparian areas and more rugged terrain. For other landscape features, selection differed among levels, as did the scales of selection for each feature. With these results, we developed a conservation plan for one of the most isolated puma populations in the U.S. Our approach captured a wide spectrum of ecological relationships for a population, resulted in effective conservation planning, and can be readily applied to other wildlife species. PMID:28609466

Multi-level, multi-scale resource selection functions and resistance surfaces for conservation planning: Pumas as a case study.

PubMed

Zeller, Katherine A; Vickers, T Winston; Ernest, Holly B; Boyce, Walter M

2017-01-01

The importance of examining multiple hierarchical levels when modeling resource use for wildlife has been acknowledged for decades. Multi-level resource selection functions have recently been promoted as a method to synthesize resource use across nested organizational levels into a single predictive surface. Analyzing multiple scales of selection within each hierarchical level further strengthens multi-level resource selection functions. We extend this multi-level, multi-scale framework to modeling resistance for wildlife by combining multi-scale resistance surfaces from two data types, genetic and movement. Resistance estimation has typically been conducted with one of these data types, or compared between the two. However, we contend it is not an either/or issue and that resistance may be better-modeled using a combination of resistance surfaces that represent processes at different hierarchical levels. Resistance surfaces estimated from genetic data characterize temporally broad-scale dispersal and successful breeding over generations, whereas resistance surfaces estimated from movement data represent fine-scale travel and contextualized movement decisions. We used telemetry and genetic data from a long-term study on pumas (Puma concolor) in a highly developed landscape in southern California to develop a multi-level, multi-scale resource selection function and a multi-level, multi-scale resistance surface. We used these multi-level, multi-scale surfaces to identify resource use patches and resistant kernel corridors. Across levels, we found puma avoided urban, agricultural areas, and roads and preferred riparian areas and more rugged terrain. For other landscape features, selection differed among levels, as did the scales of selection for each feature. With these results, we developed a conservation plan for one of the most isolated puma populations in the U.S. Our approach captured a wide spectrum of ecological relationships for a population, resulted in effective conservation planning, and can be readily applied to other wildlife species.

A two-stage approach for estimating a statewide truck trip table.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2014-05-01

Statewide models, including passenger and freight movements, are frequently used for : supporting numerous statewide planning activities. Many states use them for traffic impact : studies, air quality conformity analysis, freight planning, economic d...

Human cortical activity related to unilateral movements. A high resolution EEG study.

PubMed

Urbano, A; Babiloni, C; Onorati, P; Babiloni, F

1996-12-20

In the present study a modern high resolution electroencephalography (EEG) technique was used to investigate the dynamic functional topography of human cortical activity related to simple unilateral internally triggered finger movements. The sensorimotor area (M1-S1) contralateral to the movement as well as the supplementary motor area (SMA) and to a lesser extent the ipsilateral M1-S1 were active during the preparation and execution of these movements. These findings suggest that both hemispheres may cooperate in both planning and production of simple unilateral volitional acts.

Integrating wireless sensor network for monitoring subsidence phenomena

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Marturià, Jordi; Lopez, Ferran; Gigli, Giovanni; Intrieri, Emanuele; Mucchi, Lorenzo; Fornaciai, Alessandro

2016-04-01

An innovative wireless sensor network (WSN) for the 3D superficial monitoring of deformations (such as landslides and subsidence) is being developed in the frame of the Wi-GIM project (Wireless sensor network for Ground Instability Monitoring - LIFE12 ENV/IT/001033). The surface movement is detected acquiring the position (x, y and z) by integrating large bandwidth technology able to detect the 3D coordinates of the sensor with a sub-meter error, with continuous wave radar, which allows decreasing the error down to sub-cm. The Estació neighborhood in Sallent is located over the old potassium mine Enrique. This zone has been affected by a subsidence process over more than twenty years. The implementation of a wide network for ground auscultation has allowed monitoring the process of subsidence since 1997. This network consists of: i) a high-precision topographic leveling network to control the subsidence in surface; ii) a rod extensometers network to monitor subsurface deformation; iii) an automatic Leica TCA Total Station to monitor building movements; iv) an inclinometers network to measure the horizontal displacements on subsurface and v) a piezometer to measure the water level. Those networks were implemented within an alert system for an organized an efficient response of the civil protection authorities in case of an emergency. On 23rd December 2008, an acceleration of subsoil movements (of approx. 12-18 cm/year) provoked the activation of the emergency plan by the Catalan Civil Protection. This implied the preventive and scheduled evacuation of the neighbours (January 2009) located in the area with a higher risk of collapse: around 120 residents of 43 homes. As a consequence, the administration implemented a compensation plan for the evacuation of the whole neighbourhood residents and the demolition of 405 properties. In this work, the adaptation and integration process of Wi-GIM system with those conventional monitoring network are presented for its testing and evaluation. The knowledge gained in the subsidence process, complemented by the huge availability of data from existing networks constitutes a solid foundation for achieving those objectives. New monitoring points have been identified, constructed, prepared to integrate the conventional monitoring system with Wi-GIM system to build a robust system compatible with WI-GIM requirements.

An evaluation of end-point trajectory planning during skilled kicking.

PubMed

Ford, Paul; Hodges, Nicola J; Mark Williams, A

2009-01-01

There is evidence that actions are planned by anticipation of their external effects, with the strength of this effect being dependent on the amount of prior practice. In Experiment 1, skilled soccer players performed a kicking task under four conditions: planning in terms of an external action effect (i.e., ball trajectory) or in terms of body movements, either with or without visual error feedback. When feedback was withheld, a ball focus resulted in more accurate outcomes than a body focus. When visual feedback was allowed, there was no difference between these two conditions. In Experiment 2, both skilled and novice soccer players were tested with the addition of a control condition and in the absence of visual feedback. For both groups there was evidence that a ball focus was more beneficial for performance than a body focus, particularly in terms of movement kinematics where correlations across the joints were generally higher for body rather than ball planning. Most skilled participants reported that ball planning felt more normal than body planning. These experiments provide some evidence that actions are planned in terms of their external action effects, supporting the common-coding hypothesis of action planning.

Generating human-like movements on an anthropomorphic robot using an interior point method

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Costa e Silva, E.; Araújo, J. P.; Machado, D.; Costa, M. F.; Erlhagen, W.; Bicho, E.

2013-10-01

In previous work we have presented a model for generating human-like arm and hand movements on an anthropomorphic robot involved in human-robot collaboration tasks. This model was inspired by the Posture-Based Motion-Planning Model of human movements. Numerical results and simulations for reach-to-grasp movements with two different grip types have been presented previously. In this paper we extend our model in order to address the generation of more complex movement sequences which are challenged by scenarios cluttered with obstacles. The numerical results were obtained using the IPOPT solver, which was integrated in our MATLAB simulator of an anthropomorphic robot.

Landslide early warning system prototype with GIS analysis indicates by soil movement and rainfall

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Artha, Y.; Julian, E. S.

2018-01-01

The aim of this paper is developing and testing of landslide early warning system. The early warning system uses accelerometersas ground movement and tilt-sensing device and a water flow sensor. A microcentroller is used to process the input signal and activate the alarm. An LCD is used to display the acceleration in x,y and z axis. When the soil moved or shifted and rainfall reached 100 mm/day, the alarm rang and signal were sentto the monitoring center via a telemetry system.Data logging information and GIS spatial data can be monitored remotely as tables and graphics as well as in the form of geographical map with the help of web-GIS interface. The system were tested at Kampung Gerendong, Desa Putat Nutug, Kecamatan Ciseeng, Kabupaten Bogor. This area has 3.15 cumulative score, which mean vulnerable to landslide. The results show that the early warning system worked as planned.

Prefrontal neural correlates of memory for sequences.

PubMed

Averbeck, Bruno B; Lee, Daeyeol

2007-02-28

The sequence of actions appropriate to solve a problem often needs to be discovered by trial and error and recalled in the future when faced with the same problem. Here, we show that when monkeys had to discover and then remember a sequence of decisions across trials, ensembles of prefrontal cortex neurons reflected the sequence of decisions the animal would make throughout the interval between trials. This signal could reflect either an explicit memory process or a sequence-planning process that begins far in advance of the actual sequence execution. This finding extended to error trials such that, when the neural activity during the intertrial interval specified the wrong sequence, the animal also attempted to execute an incorrect sequence. More specifically, we used a decoding analysis to predict the sequence the monkey was planning to execute at the end of the fore-period, just before sequence execution. When this analysis was applied to error trials, we were able to predict where in the sequence the error would occur, up to three movements into the future. This suggests that prefrontal neural activity can retain information about sequences between trials, and that regardless of whether information is remembered correctly or incorrectly, the prefrontal activity veridically reflects the animal's action plan.

Conscious motor processing and movement self-consciousness: two dimensions of personality that influence laparoscopic training.

PubMed

Malhotra, Neha; Poolton, Jamie M; Wilson, Mark R; Fan, Joe K M; Masters, Rich S W

2014-01-01

Identifying personality factors that account for individual differences in surgical training and performance has practical implications for surgical education. Movement-specific reinvestment is a potentially relevant personality factor that has a moderating effect on laparoscopic performance under time pressure. Movement-specific reinvestment has 2 dimensions, which represent an individual's propensity to consciously control movements (conscious motor processing) or to consciously monitor their 'style' of movement (movement self-consciousness). This study aimed at investigating the moderating effects of the 2 dimensions of movement-specific reinvestment in the learning and updating (cross-handed technique) of laparoscopic skills. Medical students completed the Movement-Specific Reinvestment Scale, a psychometric assessment tool that evaluates the conscious motor processing and movement self-consciousness dimensions of movement-specific reinvestment. They were then trained to a criterion level of proficiency on a fundamental laparoscopic skills task and were tested on a novel cross-handed technique. Completion times were recorded for early-learning, late-learning, and cross-handed trials. Propensity for movement self-consciousness but not conscious motor processing was a significant predictor of task completion times both early (p = 0.036) and late (p = 0.002) in learning, but completion times during the cross-handed trials were predicted by the propensity for conscious motor processing (p = 0.04) rather than movement self-consciousness (p = 0.21). Higher propensity for movement self-consciousness is associated with slower performance times on novel and well-practiced laparoscopic tasks. For complex surgical techniques, however, conscious motor processing plays a more influential role in performance than movement self-consciousness. The findings imply that these 2 dimensions of movement-specific reinvestment have a differential influence in the learning and updating of laparoscopic skills. Copyright © 2014 Association of Program Directors in Surgery. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

SU-E-J-17: Intra-Fractional Prostate Movement Correction During Treatment Delivery Period for Prostate Cancer Using the Intra-Fractional Orthogonal KV-MV Image Pairs

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Zhang, J; Azawi, S; Cho-Lim, J

Purpose: To evaluate the intra-fractional prostate movement range during the beam delivery and implement new IGRT method to correct the prostate movement during the hypofractionated prostate treatment delivery. Methods: To evaluate the prostate internal motion range during the beam delivery, 11 conventional treatments were utilized. Two-arc RapidArc plans were used for the treatment delivery. Orthogonal KV imaging is performed in the middle of the treatment to correct intra-fractional prostate movement. However, it takes gantry-mounted on-board imaging system relative long time to finish the orthogonal KV imaging because of gantry rotation. To avoid gantry movement and accelerate the IGRT processing time,more » orthogonal KV-MV image pair is tested using the OBI daily QA Cube phantom. Results: The average prostate movement between two orthogonal KV image pairs was 0.38cm (0.20cm ∼ 0.85cm). And the interval time between them was 6.71 min (4.64min ∼ 9.22 min). 2-arc beam delivery time is within 3 minutes for conventional RapidArc treatment delivery. Hypofractionated treatment or SBRT need 4 partial arc and possible non-coplanar technology, which need much longer beam delivery time. Therefore prostate movement might be larger. New orthogonal KV-MV image pair is a new method to correct the prostate movement in the middle of the beam delivery if real time tracking method is not available. Orthogonal KV-MV image pair doesn’t need gantry rotation. Images were acquired quickly which minimized possible new prostate movement. Therefore orthogonal KV-MV image pair is feasible for IGRT. Conclusion: Hypofractionated prostate treatment with less PTV margin always needs longer beam delivery time. Therefore prostate movement correction during the treatment delivery is critical. Orthogonal KV-MV imaging pair is efficient and accurate to correct the prostate movement during treatment beam delivery. Due to limited fraction number and high dose per fraction, the MV imaging dose is negligible.« less

Water resources planning for rivers draining into Mobile Bay

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

April, G. C.

1976-01-01

The application of remote sensing, automatic data processing, modeling and other aerospace related technologies to hydrological engineering and water resource management are discussed for the entire river drainage system which feeds the Mobile Bay estuary. The adaptation and implementation of existing mathematical modeling methods are investigated for the purpose of describing the behavior of Mobile Bay. Of particular importance are the interactions that system variables such as river flow rate, wind direction and speed, and tidal state have on the water movement and quality within the bay system.

Redundancy, Self-Motion, and Motor Control

PubMed Central

Martin, V.; Scholz, J. P.; Schöner, G.

2011-01-01

Outside the laboratory, human movement typically involves redundant effector systems. How the nervous system selects among the task-equivalent solutions may provide insights into how movement is controlled. We propose a process model of movement generation that accounts for the kinematics of goal-directed pointing movements performed with a redundant arm. The key element is a neuronal dynamics that generates a virtual joint trajectory. This dynamics receives input from a neuronal timer that paces end-effector motion along its path. Within this dynamics, virtual joint velocity vectors that move the end effector are dynamically decoupled from velocity vectors that do not. Moreover, the sensed real joint configuration is coupled back into this neuronal dynamics, updating the virtual trajectory so that it yields to task-equivalent deviations from the dynamic movement plan. Experimental data from participants who perform in the same task setting as the model are compared in detail to the model predictions. We discover that joint velocities contain a substantial amount of self-motion that does not move the end effector. This is caused by the low impedance of muscle joint systems and by coupling among muscle joint systems due to multiarticulatory muscles. Back-coupling amplifies the induced control errors. We establish a link between the amount of self-motion and how curved the end-effector path is. We show that models in which an inverse dynamics cancels interaction torques predict too little self-motion and too straight end-effector paths. PMID:19718817

Brain mechanisms controlling decision making and motor planning.

PubMed

Ramakrishnan, Arjun; Murthy, Aditya

2013-01-01

Accumulator models of decision making provide a unified framework to understand decision making and motor planning. In these models, the evolution of a decision is reflected in the accumulation of sensory information into a motor plan that reaches a threshold, leading to choice behavior. While these models provide an elegant framework to understand performance and reaction times, their ability to explain complex behaviors such as decision making and motor control of sequential movements in dynamic environments is unclear. To examine and probe the limits of online modification of decision making and motor planning, an oculomotor "redirect" task was used. Here, subjects were expected to change their eye movement plan when a new saccade target appeared. Based on task performance, saccade reaction time distributions, computational models of behavior, and intracortical microstimulation of monkey frontal eye fields, we show how accumulator models can be tested and extended to study dynamic aspects of decision making and motor control. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Gazing into Thin Air: The Dual-Task Costs of Movement Planning and Execution during Adaptive Gait

PubMed Central

Ellmers, Toby J.; Cocks, Adam J.; Doumas, Michail; Williams, A. Mark; Young, William R.

2016-01-01

We examined the effect of increased cognitive load on visual search behavior and measures of gait performance during locomotion. Also, we investigated how personality traits, specifically the propensity to consciously control or monitor movements (trait movement ‘reinvestment’), impacted the ability to maintain effective gaze under conditions of cognitive load. Healthy young adults traversed a novel adaptive walking path while performing a secondary serial subtraction task. Performance was assessed using correct responses to the cognitive task, gaze behavior, stepping accuracy, and time to complete the walking task. When walking while simultaneously carrying out the secondary serial subtraction task, participants visually fixated on task-irrelevant areas ‘outside’ the walking path more often and for longer durations of time, and fixated on task-relevant areas ‘inside’ the walkway for shorter durations. These changes were most pronounced in high-trait-reinvesters. We speculate that reinvestment-related processes placed an additional cognitive demand upon working memory. These increased task-irrelevant ‘outside’ fixations were accompanied by slower completion rates on the walking task and greater gross stepping errors. Findings suggest that attention is important for the maintenance of effective gaze behaviors, supporting previous claims that the maladaptive changes in visual search observed in high-risk older adults may be a consequence of inefficiencies in attentional processing. Identifying the underlying attentional processes that disrupt effective gaze behaviour during locomotion is an essential step in the development of rehabilitation, with this information allowing for the emergence of interventions that reduce the risk of falling. PMID:27824937

Death of the (traveling) salesman: primates do not show clear evidence of multi-step route planning.

PubMed

Janson, Charles

2014-05-01

Several comparative studies have linked larger brain size to a fruit-eating diet in primates and other animals. The general explanation for this correlation is that fruit is a complex resource base, consisting of many discrete patches of many species, each with distinct nutritional traits, the production of which changes predictably both within and between seasons. Using this information to devise optimal spatial foraging strategies is among the most difficult problems to solve in all of mathematics, a version of the famous Traveling Salesman Problem. Several authors have suggested that primates might use their large brains and complex cognition to plan foraging strategies that approximate optimal solutions to this problem. Three empirical studies have examined how captive primates move when confronted with the simplest version of the problem: a spatial array of equally valuable goals. These studies have all concluded that the subjects remember many food source locations and show very efficient travel paths; some authors also inferred that the subjects may plan their movements based on considering combinations of three or more future goals at a time. This analysis re-examines critically the claims of planned movement sequences from the evidence presented. The efficiency of observed travel paths is largely consistent with use of the simplest of foraging rules, such as visiting the nearest unused "known" resource. Detailed movement sequences by test subjects are most consistent with a rule that mentally sums spatial information from all unused resources in a given trial into a single "gravity" measure that guides movements to one destination at a time. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Patterns and Limitations of Urban Human Mobility Resilience under the Influence of Multiple Types of Natural Disaster

PubMed Central

Wang, Qi; Taylor, John E.

2016-01-01

Natural disasters pose serious threats to large urban areas, therefore understanding and predicting human movements is critical for evaluating a population’s vulnerability and resilience and developing plans for disaster evacuation, response and relief. However, only limited research has been conducted into the effect of natural disasters on human mobility. This study examines how natural disasters influence human mobility patterns in urban populations using individuals’ movement data collected from Twitter. We selected fifteen destructive cases across five types of natural disaster and analyzed the human movement data before, during, and after each event, comparing the perturbed and steady state movement data. The results suggest that the power-law can describe human mobility in most cases and that human mobility patterns observed in steady states are often correlated with those in perturbed states, highlighting their inherent resilience. However, the quantitative analysis shows that this resilience has its limits and can fail in more powerful natural disasters. The findings from this study will deepen our understanding of the interaction between urban dwellers and civil infrastructure, improve our ability to predict human movement patterns during natural disasters, and facilitate contingency planning by policymakers. PMID:26820404

Can orchards help connect Mediterranean ecosystems? Animal movement data alter conservation priorities

USGS Publications Warehouse

Nogeire, Theresa M.; Davis, Frank W.; Crooks, Kevin R.; McRae, Brad H.; Lyren, Lisa M.; Boydston, Erin E.

2015-01-01

As natural habitats become fragmented by human activities, animals must increasingly move through human-dominated systems, particularly agricultural landscapes. Mapping areas important for animal movement has therefore become a key part of conservation planning. Models of landscape connectivity are often parameterized using expert opinion and seldom distinguish between the risks and barriers presented by different crop types. Recent research, however, suggests different crop types, such as row crops and orchards, differ in the degree to which they facilitate or impede species movements. Like many mammalian carnivores, bobcats (Lynx rufus) are sensitive to fragmentation and loss of connectivity between habitat patches. We investigated how distinguishing between different agricultural land covers might change conclusions about the relative conservation importance of different land uses in a Mediterranean ecosystem. Bobcats moved relatively quickly in row crops but relatively slowly in orchards, at rates similar to those in natural habitats of woodlands and scrub. We found that parameterizing a connectivity model using empirical data on bobcat movements in agricultural lands and other land covers, instead of parameterizing the model using habitat suitability indices based on expert opinion, altered locations of predicted animal movement routes. These results emphasize that differentiating between types of agriculture can alter conservation planning outcomes.

Patterns and Limitations of Urban Human Mobility Resilience under the Influence of Multiple Types of Natural Disaster.

PubMed

Wang, Qi; Taylor, John E

2016-01-01

Natural disasters pose serious threats to large urban areas, therefore understanding and predicting human movements is critical for evaluating a population's vulnerability and resilience and developing plans for disaster evacuation, response and relief. However, only limited research has been conducted into the effect of natural disasters on human mobility. This study examines how natural disasters influence human mobility patterns in urban populations using individuals' movement data collected from Twitter. We selected fifteen destructive cases across five types of natural disaster and analyzed the human movement data before, during, and after each event, comparing the perturbed and steady state movement data. The results suggest that the power-law can describe human mobility in most cases and that human mobility patterns observed in steady states are often correlated with those in perturbed states, highlighting their inherent resilience. However, the quantitative analysis shows that this resilience has its limits and can fail in more powerful natural disasters. The findings from this study will deepen our understanding of the interaction between urban dwellers and civil infrastructure, improve our ability to predict human movement patterns during natural disasters, and facilitate contingency planning by policymakers.

Tennessee long-range transportation plan : goals, objectives, and policies

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2005-12-01

The mission of the Tennessee Department of Transportation (TDOT) is to plan, implement, maintain, and manage an integrated transportation system for the movement of people and products, with emphasis on quality, safety, efficiency, and the environmen...

Eye-hand coupling during closed-loop drawing: evidence of shared motor planning?

PubMed

Reina, G Anthony; Schwartz, Andrew B

2003-04-01

Previous paradigms have used reaching movements to study coupling of eye-hand kinematics. In the present study, we investigated eye-hand kinematics as curved trajectories were drawn at normal speeds. Eye and hand movements were tracked as a monkey traced ellipses and circles with the hand in free space while viewing the hand's position on a computer monitor. The results demonstrate that the movement of the hand was smooth and obeyed the 2/3 power law. Eye position, however, was restricted to 2-3 clusters along the hand's trajectory and fixed approximately 80% of the time in one of these clusters. The eye remained stationary as the hand moved away from the fixation for up to 200 ms and saccaded ahead of the hand position to the next fixation along the trajectory. The movement from one fixation cluster to another consistently occurred just after the tangential hand velocity had reached a local minimum, but before the next segment of the hand's trajectory began. The next fixation point was close to an area of high curvature along the hand's trajectory even though the hand had not reached that point along the path. A visuo-motor illusion of hand movement demonstrated that the eye movement was influenced by hand movement and not simply by visual input. During the task, neural activity of pre-motor cortex (area F4) was recorded using extracellular electrodes and used to construct a population vector of the hand's trajectory. The results suggest that the saccade onset is correlated in time with maximum curvature in the population vector trajectory for the hand movement. We hypothesize that eye and arm movements may have common, or shared, information in forming their motor plans.

Facilities Planning Guide for Special Education Programs: Planning Accessibility for the Handicapped in Public Schools.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Brooks, Kenneth W.

The guide details characteristics to provide architecturally accessible special education programs for handicapped students. Impetus for the accessibility movement is traced to legislation, including the Architectural Barriers Act and Sections 503 and 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973. Planning features considered are the development of a…

Velocity-based planning of rapid elbow movements expands the control scheme of the equilibrium point hypothesis.

PubMed

Suzuki, Masataka; Yamazaki, Yoshihiko

2005-01-01

According to the equilibrium point hypothesis of voluntary motor control, control action of muscles is not explicitly computed, but rather arises as a consequence of interaction between moving equilibrium position, current kinematics and stiffness of the joint. This approach is attractive as it obviates the need to explicitly specify the forces controlling limb movements. However, many debatable aspects of this hypothesis remain in the manner of specification of the equilibrium point trajectory and muscle activation (or its stiffness), which elicits a restoring force toward the planned equilibrium trajectory. In this study, we expanded the framework of this hypothesis by assuming that the control system uses the velocity measure as the origin of subordinate variables scaling descending commands. The velocity command is translated into muscle control inputs by second order pattern generators, which yield reciprocal command and coactivation commands, and create alternating activation of the antagonistic muscles during movement and coactivation in the post-movement phase, respectively. The velocity command is also integrated to give a position command specifying a moving equilibrium point. This model is purely kinematics-dependent, since the descending commands needed to modulate the visco-elasticity of muscles are implicitly given by simple parametric specifications of the velocity command alone. The simulated movements of fast elbow single-joint movements corresponded well with measured data performed over a wide range of movement distances, in terms of both muscle excitations and kinematics. Our proposal on a synthesis for the equilibrium point approach and velocity command, may offer some insights into the control scheme of the single-joint arm movements.

Eye movement sequence generation in humans: Motor or goal updating?

PubMed Central

Quaia, Christian; Joiner, Wilsaan M.; FitzGibbon, Edmond J.; Optican, Lance M.; Smith, Maurice A.

2011-01-01

Saccadic eye movements are often grouped in pre-programmed sequences. The mechanism underlying the generation of each saccade in a sequence is currently poorly understood. Broadly speaking, two alternative schemes are possible: first, after each saccade the retinotopic location of the next target could be estimated, and an appropriate saccade could be generated. We call this the goal updating hypothesis. Alternatively, multiple motor plans could be pre-computed, and they could then be updated after each movement. We call this the motor updating hypothesis. We used McLaughlin’s intra-saccadic step paradigm to artificially create a condition under which these two hypotheses make discriminable predictions. We found that in human subjects, when sequences of two saccades are planned, the motor updating hypothesis predicts the landing position of the second saccade in two-saccade sequences much better than the goal updating hypothesis. This finding suggests that the human saccadic system is capable of executing sequences of saccades to multiple targets by planning multiple motor commands, which are then updated by serial subtraction of ongoing motor output. PMID:21191134

A tool to automatically analyze electromagnetic tracking data from high dose rate brachytherapy of breast cancer patients.

PubMed

Götz, Th I; Lahmer, G; Strnad, V; Bert, Ch; Hensel, B; Tomé, A M; Lang, E W

2017-01-01

During High Dose Rate Brachytherapy (HDR-BT) the spatial position of the radiation source inside catheters implanted into a female breast is determined via electromagnetic tracking (EMT). Dwell positions and dwell times of the radiation source are established, relative to the patient's anatomy, from an initial X-ray-CT-image. During the irradiation treatment, catheter displacements can occur due to patient movements. The current study develops an automatic analysis tool of EMT data sets recorded with a solenoid sensor to assure concordance of the source movement with the treatment plan. The tool combines machine learning techniques such as multi-dimensional scaling (MDS), ensemble empirical mode decomposition (EEMD), singular spectrum analysis (SSA) and particle filter (PF) to precisely detect and quantify any mismatch between the treatment plan and actual EMT measurements. We demonstrate that movement artifacts as well as technical signal distortions can be removed automatically and reliably, resulting in artifact-free reconstructed signals. This is a prerequisite for a highly accurate determination of any deviations of dwell positions from the treatment plan.

A tool to automatically analyze electromagnetic tracking data from high dose rate brachytherapy of breast cancer patients

PubMed Central

Lahmer, G.; Strnad, V.; Bert, Ch.; Hensel, B.; Tomé, A. M.; Lang, E. W.

2017-01-01

During High Dose Rate Brachytherapy (HDR-BT) the spatial position of the radiation source inside catheters implanted into a female breast is determined via electromagnetic tracking (EMT). Dwell positions and dwell times of the radiation source are established, relative to the patient’s anatomy, from an initial X-ray-CT-image. During the irradiation treatment, catheter displacements can occur due to patient movements. The current study develops an automatic analysis tool of EMT data sets recorded with a solenoid sensor to assure concordance of the source movement with the treatment plan. The tool combines machine learning techniques such as multi-dimensional scaling (MDS), ensemble empirical mode decomposition (EEMD), singular spectrum analysis (SSA) and particle filter (PF) to precisely detect and quantify any mismatch between the treatment plan and actual EMT measurements. We demonstrate that movement artifacts as well as technical signal distortions can be removed automatically and reliably, resulting in artifact-free reconstructed signals. This is a prerequisite for a highly accurate determination of any deviations of dwell positions from the treatment plan. PMID:28934238

Temporal expectation in focal hand dystonia.

PubMed

Avanzino, Laura; Martino, Davide; Martino, Isadora; Pelosin, Elisa; Vicario, Carmelo M; Bove, Marco; Defazio, Gianni; Abbruzzese, Giovanni

2013-02-01

Patients with writer's cramp present sensory and representational abnormalities relevant to motor control, such as impairment in the temporal discrimination between tactile stimuli and in pure motor imagery tasks, like the mental rotation of corporeal and inanimate objects. However, only limited information is available on the ability of patients with dystonia to process the time-dependent features (e.g. speed) of movement in real time. The processing of time-dependent features of movement has a crucial role in predicting whether the outcome of a complex motor sequence, such as handwriting or playing a musical passage, will be consistent with its ultimate goal, or results instead in an execution error. In this study, we sought to evaluate the implicit ability to perceive the temporal outcome of different movements in a group of patients with writer's cramp. Fourteen patients affected by writer's cramp in the right hand and 17 age- and gender-matched healthy subjects were recruited for the study. Subjects were asked to perform a temporal expectation task by predicting the end of visually perceived human body motion (handwriting, i.e. the action performed by the human body segment specifically affected by writer's cramp) or inanimate object motion (a moving circle reaching a spatial target). Videos representing movements were shown in full before experimental trials; the actual tasks consisted of watching the same videos, but interrupted after a variable interval ('pre-dark') from its onset by a dark interval of variable duration. During the 'dark' interval, subjects were asked to indicate when the movement represented in the video reached its end by clicking on the space bar of the keyboard. We also included a visual working memory task. Performance on the timing task was analysed measuring the absolute value of timing error, the coefficient of variability and the percentage of anticipation responses. Patients with writer's cramp exhibited greater absolute timing error compared with control subjects in the human body motion task (whereas no difference was observed in the inanimate object motion task). No effect of group was documented on the visual working memory tasks. Absolute timing error on the human body motion task did not significantly correlate with symptom severity, disease duration or writing speed. Our findings suggest an alteration of the writing movement representation at a central level and are consistent with the view that dystonia is not a purely motor disorder, but it also involves non-motor (sensory, cognitive) aspects related to movement processing and planning.

Motor Development and Skill Analysis. Connections to Elementary Physical Education.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mielke, Dan; Morrison, Craig

1985-01-01

Drawing upon stages of motor development and elements of biomechanics, the authors used anatomical planes as a frame of reference to determine movement patterns and assess readiness to perform movement skills. The combination of determining readiness and analyzing skill enables the teacher to plan proper motor skill activities. (MT)

Freight Mobility Issues and Recommendation for the 1997 Baltimore Regional Transportation Plan: Report of the Transportation Steering Committee's Freight Movement Task Force

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

1997-09-01

This report provides an overview of the freight movement system within the Baltimore region, with an emphasis on intermodal facilities, identifies key long-range issues, and proposes investments and actions for inclusion in the 1997 Baltimore Regiona...

Tracing Attention and the Activation Flow of Spoken Word Planning Using Eye Movements

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Roelofs, Ardi

2008-01-01

The flow of activation from concepts to phonological forms within the word production system was examined in 3 experiments. In Experiment 1, participants named pictures while ignoring superimposed distractor pictures that were semantically related, phonologically related, or unrelated. Eye movements and naming latencies were recorded. The…

Teaching Gymnastics and Body Control.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mauldon, E.; Layson, J.

This book contains fifteen chapters. Chapters concerned with specific themes or movement ideas are divided into (a) material, (b) teaching, and (c) apparatus. Chapter 1 deals with lesson planning and organization. Chapter 2 is entitled "Movement Observation" and stresses the importance for both children and teachers of trying to see and understand…

A system-level mathematical model of Basal Ganglia motor-circuit for kinematic planning of arm movements.

PubMed

Salimi-Badr, Armin; Ebadzadeh, Mohammad Mehdi; Darlot, Christian

2018-01-01

In this paper, a novel system-level mathematical model of the Basal Ganglia (BG) for kinematic planning, is proposed. An arm composed of several segments presents a geometric redundancy. Thus, selecting one trajectory among an infinite number of possible ones requires overcoming redundancy, according to some kinds of optimization. Solving this optimization is assumed to be the function of BG in planning. In the proposed model, first, a mathematical solution of kinematic planning is proposed for movements of a redundant arm in a plane, based on minimizing energy consumption. Next, the function of each part in the model is interpreted as a possible role of a nucleus of BG. Since the kinematic variables are considered as vectors, the proposed model is presented based on the vector calculus. This vector model predicts different neuronal populations in BG which is in accordance with some recent experimental studies. According to the proposed model, the function of the direct pathway is to calculate the necessary rotation of each joint, and the function of the indirect pathway is to control each joint rotation considering the movement of the other joints. In the proposed model, the local feedback loop between Subthalamic Nucleus and Globus Pallidus externus is interpreted as a local memory to store the previous amounts of movements of the other joints, which are utilized by the indirect pathway. In this model, activities of dopaminergic neurons would encode, at short-term, the error between the desired and actual positions of the end-effector. The short-term modulating effect of dopamine on Striatum is also modeled as cross product. The model is simulated to generate the commands of a redundant manipulator. The performance of the model is studied for different reaching movements between 8 points in a plane. Finally, some symptoms of Parkinson's disease such as bradykinesia and akinesia are simulated by modifying the model parameters, inspired by the dopamine depletion. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Task-Relevant Information Modulates Primary Motor Cortex Activity Before Movement Onset.

PubMed

Calderon, Cristian B; Van Opstal, Filip; Peigneux, Philippe; Verguts, Tom; Gevers, Wim

2018-01-01

Monkey neurophysiology research supports the affordance competition hypothesis (ACH) proposing that cognitive information useful for action selection is integrated in sensorimotor areas. In this view, action selection would emerge from the simultaneous representation of competing action plans, in parallel biased by relevant task factors. This biased competition would take place up to primary motor cortex (M1). Although ACH is plausible in environments affording choices between actions, its relevance for human decision making is less clear. To address this issue, we designed an functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) experiment modeled after monkey neurophysiology studies in which human participants processed cues conveying predictive information about upcoming button presses. Our results demonstrate that, as predicted by the ACH, predictive information (i.e., the relevant task factor) biases activity of primary motor regions. Specifically, first, activity before movement onset in contralateral M1 increases as the competition is biased in favor of a specific button press relative to activity in ipsilateral M1. Second, motor regions were more tightly coupled with fronto-parietal regions when competition between potential actions was high, again suggesting that motor regions are also part of the biased competition network. Our findings support the idea that action planning dynamics as proposed in the ACH are valid both in human and non-human primates.

Dissociable contribution of the parietal and frontal cortex to coding movement direction and amplitude

PubMed Central

Davare, Marco; Zénon, Alexandre; Desmurget, Michel; Olivier, Etienne

2015-01-01

To reach for an object, we must convert its spatial location into an appropriate motor command, merging movement direction and amplitude. In humans, it has been suggested that this visuo-motor transformation occurs in a dorsomedial parieto-frontal pathway, although the causal contribution of the areas constituting the “reaching circuit” remains unknown. Here we used transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) in healthy volunteers to disrupt the function of either the medial intraparietal area (mIPS) or dorsal premotor cortex (PMd), in each hemisphere. The task consisted in performing step-tracking movements with the right wrist towards targets located in different directions and eccentricities; targets were either visible for the whole trial (Target-ON) or flashed for 200 ms (Target-OFF). Left and right mIPS disruption led to errors in the initial direction of movements performed towards contralateral targets. These errors were corrected online in the Target-ON condition but when the target was flashed for 200 ms, mIPS TMS manifested as a larger endpoint spreading. In contrast, left PMd virtual lesions led to higher acceleration and velocity peaks—two parameters typically used to probe the planned movement amplitude—irrespective of the target position, hemifield and presentation condition; in the Target-OFF condition, left PMd TMS induced overshooting and increased the endpoint dispersion along the axis of the target direction. These results indicate that left PMd intervenes in coding amplitude during movement preparation. The critical TMS timings leading to errors in direction and amplitude were different, namely 160–100 ms before movement onset for mIPS and 100–40 ms for left PMd. TMS applied over right PMd had no significant effect. These results demonstrate that, during motor preparation, direction and amplitude of goal-directed movements are processed by different cortical areas, at distinct timings, and according to a specific hemispheric organization. PMID:25999837

Anticipatory coarticulation in non-speeded arm movements can be motor-equivalent, carry-over coarticulation always is.

PubMed

Hansen, Eva; Grimme, Britta; Reimann, Hendrik; Schöner, Gregor

2018-05-01

In a sequence of arm movements, any given segment could be influenced by its predecessors (carry-over coarticulation) and by its successor (anticipatory coarticulation). To study the interdependence of movement segments, we asked participants to move an object from an initial position to a first and then on to a second target location. The task involved ten joint angles controlling the three-dimensional spatial path of the object and hand. We applied the principle of the uncontrolled manifold (UCM) to analyze the difference between joint trajectories that either affect (non-motor equivalent) or do not affect (motor equivalent) the hand's trajectory in space. We found evidence for anticipatory coarticulation that was distributed equally in the two directions in joint space. We also found strong carry-over coarticulation, which showed clear structure in joint space: More of the difference between joint configurations observed for different preceding movements lies in directions in joint space that leaves the hand's path in space invariant than in orthogonal directions in joint space that varies the hand's path in space. We argue that the findings are consistent with anticipatory coarticulation reflecting processes of movement planning that lie at the level of the hand's trajectory in space. Carry-over coarticulation may reflect primarily processes of motor control that are governed by the principle of the UCM, according to which changes that do not affect the hand's trajectory in space are not actively delimited. Two follow-up experiments zoomed in on anticipatory coarticulation. These experiments strengthened evidence for anticipatory coarticulation. Anticipatory coarticulation was motor-equivalent when visual information supported the steering of the object to its first target, but was not motor equivalent when that information was removed. The experiments showed that visual updating of the hand's path in space when the object approaches the first target only affected the component of the joint difference vector orthogonal to the UCM, consistent with the UCM principle.

NASA plan for international crustal dynamics studies

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1979-01-01

The international activities being planned as part of the NASA geodynamics program are described. Methods of studying the Earth's crustal movements and deformation characteristics are discussed. The significance of the eventual formalations of earthquake predictions methods is also discussed.

Speech recovery and language plasticity can be facilitated by Sensori-Motor Fusion training in chronic non-fluent aphasia. A case report study.

PubMed

Haldin, Célise; Acher, Audrey; Kauffmann, Louise; Hueber, Thomas; Cousin, Emilie; Badin, Pierre; Perrier, Pascal; Fabre, Diandra; Perennou, Dominic; Detante, Olivier; Jaillard, Assia; Lœvenbruck, Hélène; Baciu, Monica

2017-11-17

The rehabilitation of speech disorders benefits from providing visual information which may improve speech motor plans in patients. We tested the proof of concept of a rehabilitation method (Sensori-Motor Fusion, SMF; Ultraspeech player) in one post-stroke patient presenting chronic non-fluent aphasia. SMF allows visualisation by the patient of target tongue and lips movements using high-speed ultrasound and video imaging. This can improve the patient's awareness of his/her own lingual and labial movements, which can, in turn, improve the representation of articulatory movements and increase the ability to coordinate and combine articulatory gestures. The auditory and oro-sensory feedback received by the patient as a result of his/her own pronunciation can be integrated with the target articulatory movements they watch. Thus, this method is founded on sensorimotor integration during speech. The SMF effect on this patient was assessed through qualitative comparison of language scores and quantitative analysis of acoustic parameters measured in a speech production task, before and after rehabilitation. We also investigated cerebral patterns of language reorganisation for rhyme detection and syllable repetition, to evaluate the influence of SMF on phonological-phonetic processes. Our results showed that SMF had a beneficial effect on this patient who qualitatively improved in naming, reading, word repetition and rhyme judgment tasks. Quantitative measurements of acoustic parameters indicate that the patient's production of vowels and syllables also improved. Compared with pre-SMF, the fMRI data in the post-SMF session revealed the activation of cerebral regions related to articulatory, auditory and somatosensory processes, which were expected to be recruited by SMF. We discuss neurocognitive and linguistic mechanisms which may explain speech improvement after SMF, as well as the advantages of using this speech rehabilitation method.

Rotec Theory: planning tool to position hospitals on the technology curve.

PubMed

Roberts, R

1990-06-01

The mission statement of a prominent California hospital has been revised as part of a strategic planning process less than two years before the hospital began experiencing substantial financial difficulties. When the "red numbers" began to appear, management was quick to blame changing demographic patterns and the competitive environment. Those were not the only problems. A major contributing factor that management failed to recognize was a delay in how quickly the hospital moved to adopt high technology or new medical procedures. In a few short years, it had changed from being the first community hospital to implement state-of-the-art programs to one that was slow to introduce technology. In retrospect, the hospital's mission statement did not address the role of technology and therefore it could not detect the movement away from one of its critical success factors. The Rotec Theory was developed to assist this hospital to understand the economics of technology on its current and planned operations.

The evolution of hospice in America: nursing's role in the movement.

PubMed

Hoffmann, Rosemary L

2005-07-01

In the current society, many individuals fear death and the feelings of suffering and loneliness that often accompany death. Two visionaries in the United States, Florence Wald and Dr. Elisabeth Kubler-Ross, recognized these fears and planned the nation's first hospice movement in the 1970s. The hospice philosophy continues to prosper in the new millennium. In this article, the founding American hospice's philosophy, types of facilities, standards, health team composition, patient demographics, organizations, reimbursement, and research are compared and contrasted with those of the current hospice movement. Existing issues with the modern movement are also discussed.

Writer's cramp: increased dorsal premotor activity during intended writing.

PubMed

Delnooz, Cathérine C S; Helmich, Rick C; Medendorp, W P; Van de Warrenburg, Bart P C; Toni, Ivan

2013-03-01

Simple writer's cramp (WC) is a task-specific form of dystonia, characterized by abnormal movements and postures of the hand during writing. It is extremely task-specific, since dystonic symptoms can occur when a patient uses a pencil for writing, but not when it is used for sharpening. Maladaptive plasticity, loss of inhibition, and abnormal sensory processing are important pathophysiological elements of WC. However, it remains unclear how those elements can account for its task-specificity. We used fMRI to isolate cerebral alterations associated with the task-specificity of simple WC. Subjects (13 simple WC patients, 20 matched controls) imagined grasping a pencil to either write with it or sharpen it. On each trial, we manipulated the pencil's position and the number of imagined movements, while monitoring variations in motor output with electromyography. We show that simple WC is characterized by abnormally increased activity in the dorsal premotor cortex (PMd) when imagined actions are specifically related to writing. This cerebral effect was independent from the known deficits in dystonia in generating focal motor output and in processing somatosensory feedback. This abnormal activity of the PMd suggests that the task-specific element of simple WC is primarily due to alterations at the planning level, in the computations that transform a desired action outcome into the motor commands leading to that action. These findings open the way for testing the therapeutic value of interventions that take into account the computational substrate of task-specificity in simple WC, e.g. modulations of PMd activity during the planning phase of writing. Copyright © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Movement planning reflects skill level and age changes in toddlers

PubMed Central

Chen, Yu-ping; Keen, Rachel; Rosander, Kerstin; von Hofsten, Claes

2010-01-01

Kinematic measures of children’s reaching were found to reflect stable differences in skill level for planning for future actions. Thirty-five toddlers (18–21 months) were engaged in building block towers (precise task) and in placing blocks into an open container (imprecise task). Sixteen children were re-tested on the same tasks a year later. Longer deceleration as the hand approached the block for pickup was found in the tower task compared to the imprecise task, indicating planning for the second movement. More skillful toddlers who could build high towers had a longer deceleration phase when placing blocks on the tower than toddlers who built low towers. Kinematic differences between the groups remained a year later when all children could build high towers. PMID:21077868

Integration of Gravitational Torques in Cerebellar Pathways Allows for the Dynamic Inverse Computation of Vertical Pointing Movements of a Robot Arm

PubMed Central

Gentili, Rodolphe J.; Papaxanthis, Charalambos; Ebadzadeh, Mehdi; Eskiizmirliler, Selim; Ouanezar, Sofiane; Darlot, Christian

2009-01-01

Background Several authors suggested that gravitational forces are centrally represented in the brain for planning, control and sensorimotor predictions of movements. Furthermore, some studies proposed that the cerebellum computes the inverse dynamics (internal inverse model) whereas others suggested that it computes sensorimotor predictions (internal forward model). Methodology/Principal Findings This study proposes a model of cerebellar pathways deduced from both biological and physical constraints. The model learns the dynamic inverse computation of the effect of gravitational torques from its sensorimotor predictions without calculating an explicit inverse computation. By using supervised learning, this model learns to control an anthropomorphic robot arm actuated by two antagonists McKibben artificial muscles. This was achieved by using internal parallel feedback loops containing neural networks which anticipate the sensorimotor consequences of the neural commands. The artificial neural networks architecture was similar to the large-scale connectivity of the cerebellar cortex. Movements in the sagittal plane were performed during three sessions combining different initial positions, amplitudes and directions of movements to vary the effects of the gravitational torques applied to the robotic arm. The results show that this model acquired an internal representation of the gravitational effects during vertical arm pointing movements. Conclusions/Significance This is consistent with the proposal that the cerebellar cortex contains an internal representation of gravitational torques which is encoded through a learning process. Furthermore, this model suggests that the cerebellum performs the inverse dynamics computation based on sensorimotor predictions. This highlights the importance of sensorimotor predictions of gravitational torques acting on upper limb movements performed in the gravitational field. PMID:19384420

Effects of parallel planning on agreement production.

PubMed

Veenstra, Alma; Meyer, Antje S; Acheson, Daniel J

2015-11-01

An important issue in current psycholinguistics is how the time course of utterance planning affects the generation of grammatical structures. The current study investigated the influence of parallel activation of the components of complex noun phrases on the generation of subject-verb agreement. Specifically, the lexical interference account (Gillespie & Pearlmutter, 2011b; Solomon & Pearlmutter, 2004) predicts more agreement errors (i.e., attraction) for subject phrases in which the head and local noun mismatch in number (e.g., the apple next to the pears) when nouns are planned in parallel than when they are planned in sequence. We used a speeded picture description task that yielded sentences such as the apple next to the pears is red. The objects mentioned in the noun phrase were either semantically related or unrelated. To induce agreement errors, pictures sometimes mismatched in number. In order to manipulate the likelihood of parallel processing of the objects and to test the hypothesized relationship between parallel processing and the rate of agreement errors, the pictures were either placed close together or far apart. Analyses of the participants' eye movements and speech onset latencies indicated slower processing of the first object and stronger interference from the related (compared to the unrelated) second object in the close than in the far condition. Analyses of the agreement errors yielded an attraction effect, with more errors in mismatching than in matching conditions. However, the magnitude of the attraction effect did not differ across the close and far conditions. Thus, spatial proximity encouraged parallel processing of the pictures, which led to interference of the associated conceptual and/or lexical representation, but, contrary to the prediction, it did not lead to more attraction errors. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Planning Student Flow with Linear Programming: A Tunisian Case Study.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bezeau, Lawrence

A student flow model in linear programming format, designed to plan the movement of students into secondary and university programs in Tunisia, is described. The purpose of the plan is to determine a sufficient number of graduating students that would flow back into the system as teachers or move into the labor market to meet fixed manpower…

A novel adaptive mixed reality system for stroke rehabilitation: principles, proof of concept, and preliminary application in 2 patients.

PubMed

Chen, Yinpeng; Duff, Margaret; Lehrer, Nicole; Liu, Sheng-Min; Blake, Paul; Wolf, Steven L; Sundaram, Hari; Rikakis, Thanassis

2011-01-01

This article presents the principles of an adaptive mixed reality rehabilitation (AMRR) system, as well as the training process and results from 2 stroke survivors who received AMRR therapy, to illustrate how the system can be used in the clinic. The AMRR system integrates traditional rehabilitation practices with state-of-the-art computational and motion capture technologies to create an engaging environment to train reaching movements. The system provides real-time, intuitive, and integrated audio and visual feedback (based on detailed kinematic data) representative of goal accomplishment, activity performance, and body function during a reaching task. The AMRR system also provides a quantitative kinematic evaluation that measures the deviation of the stroke survivor's movement from an idealized, unimpaired movement. The therapist, using the quantitative measure and knowledge and observations, can adapt the feedback and physical environment of the AMRR system throughout therapy to address each participant's individual impairments and progress. Individualized training plans, kinematic improvements measured over the entire therapy period, and the changes in relevant clinical scales and kinematic movement attributes before and after the month-long therapy are presented for 2 participants. The substantial improvements made by both participants after AMRR therapy demonstrate that this system has the potential to considerably enhance the recovery of stroke survivors with varying impairments for both kinematic improvements and functional ability.

Functional anatomy of nonvisual feedback loops during reaching: a positron emission tomography study.

PubMed

Desmurget, M; Gréa, H; Grethe, J S; Prablanc, C; Alexander, G E; Grafton, S T

2001-04-15

Reaching movements performed without vision of the moving limb are continuously monitored, during their execution, by feedback loops (designated nonvisual). In this study, we investigated the functional anatomy of these nonvisual loops using positron emission tomography (PET). Seven subjects had to "look at" (eye) or "look and point to" (eye-arm) visual targets whose location either remained stationary or changed undetectably during the ocular saccade (when vision is suppressed). Slightly changing the target location during gaze shift causes an increase in the amount of correction to be generated. Functional anatomy of nonvisual feedback loops was identified by comparing the reaching condition involving large corrections (jump) with the reaching condition involving small corrections (stationary), after subtracting the activations associated with saccadic movements and hand movement planning [(eye-arm-jumping minus eye-jumping) minus (eye-arm-stationary minus eye-stationary)]. Behavioral data confirmed that the subjects were both accurate at reaching to the stationary targets and able to update their movement smoothly and early in response to the target jump. PET difference images showed that these corrections were mediated by a restricted network involving the left posterior parietal cortex, the right anterior intermediate cerebellum, and the left primary motor cortex. These results are consistent with our knowledge of the functional properties of these areas and more generally with models emphasizing parietal-cerebellar circuits for processing a dynamic motor error signal.

Public Libraries in Bangladesh.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Khan, M. H.

1984-01-01

Overview of library movement in Bangladesh highlights British (1851-1947) and Pakistan periods (1947-1971), separation of Bangladesh from Pakistan, libraries in development plans (1951-1970), three important public libraries, development of national library, book resources, a library network plan, legislation, finance, leadership, library…

Examining age-related movement representations for sequential (fine-motor) finger movements.

PubMed

Gabbard, Carl; Caçola, Priscila; Bobbio, Tatiana

2011-12-01

Theory suggests that imagined and executed movement planning relies on internal models for action. Using a chronometry paradigm to compare the movement duration of imagined and executed movements, we tested children aged 7-11 years and adults on their ability to perform sequential finger movements. Underscoring this tactic was our desire to gain a better understanding of the age-related ability to create internal models for action requiring fine-motor movements. The task required number recognition and ordering and was presented in three levels of complexity. Results for movement duration indicated that 7-year-olds and adults were different from the other groups with no statistical distinction between 9- and 11-year-olds. Correlation analysis indicated a significant relationship between imagined and executed actions. These results are the first to document the increasing convergence between imagined and executed movements in the context of fine-motor behavior; a finding that adds to our understanding of action representation in children. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Using Constraints to Design Developmentally Appropriate Movement Activities for Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Pope, Michelle; Breslin, Casey M.; Getchell, Nancy; Liu, Ting

2012-01-01

Some of the characteristics and behaviors of children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), such as difficulty with social interactions and sensory integration, make physical education instruction difficult. Children with ASD also encounter movement difficulties, such as motor-planning and anticipatory deficits. One way to enhance the ability of…

Physical Education. A Movement Approach. Grades K-6.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

New York City Board of Education, Brooklyn, NY. Div. of Curriculum and Instruction.

This teacher guide for elementary level physical education programs is based on the theories of movement education. It is divided into nine sections: (1) planning the program, its philosophy and objectives; (2) spatial awareness; (3) the body and its parts; (4) how the body moves; (5) development of locomotor, nonlocomotor, and manipulative…

THE INTERNATIONAL WALDORF SCHOOL MOVEMENT.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

VON BARAVALLE, HERMANN

AN HISTORICAL REVIEW OF THE WALDORF SCHOOL PLAN TRACES THE MOVEMENT FROM ITS FOUNDING IN STUTTGART, GERMANY IN 1919, BY THE WALDORF ASTORIA COMPANY AND UNDER THE DIRECTION OF RUDOLF STEINER, TO ITS INTRODUCTION INTO SWITZERLAND, OTHER EUROPEAN COUNTRIES, THE AMERICAS, AUSTRALIA, NEW ZEALAND, AND SOUTH AFRICA, A TOTAL OF 175 SCHOOLS AS OF 1963. THE…

Computation of mean and variance of the radiotherapy dose for PCA-modeled random shape and position variations of the target.

PubMed

Budiarto, E; Keijzer, M; Storchi, P R M; Heemink, A W; Breedveld, S; Heijmen, B J M

2014-01-20

Radiotherapy dose delivery in the tumor and surrounding healthy tissues is affected by movements and deformations of the corresponding organs between fractions. The random variations may be characterized by non-rigid, anisotropic principal component analysis (PCA) modes. In this article new dynamic dose deposition matrices, based on established PCA modes, are introduced as a tool to evaluate the mean and the variance of the dose at each target point resulting from any given set of fluence profiles. The method is tested for a simple cubic geometry and for a prostate case. The movements spread out the distributions of the mean dose and cause the variance of the dose to be highest near the edges of the beams. The non-rigidity and anisotropy of the movements are reflected in both quantities. The dynamic dose deposition matrices facilitate the inclusion of the mean and the variance of the dose in the existing fluence-profile optimizer for radiotherapy planning, to ensure robust plans with respect to the movements.

Young children with autism spectrum disorder use predictive eye movements in action observation.

PubMed

Falck-Ytter, Terje

2010-06-23

Does a dysfunction in the mirror neuron system (MNS) underlie the social symptoms defining autism spectrum disorder (ASD)? Research suggests that the MNS matches observed actions to motor plans for similar actions, and that these motor plans include directions for predictive eye movements when observing goal-directed actions. Thus, one important question is whether children with ASD use predictive eye movements in action observation. Young children with ASD as well as typically developing children and adults were shown videos in which an actor performed object-directed actions (human agent condition). Children with ASD were also shown control videos showing objects moving by themselves (self-propelled condition). Gaze was measured using a corneal reflection technique. Children with ASD and typically developing individuals used strikingly similar goal-directed eye movements when observing others' actions in the human agent condition. Gaze was reactive in the self-propelled condition, suggesting that prediction is linked to seeing a hand-object interaction. This study does not support the view that ASD is characterized by a global dysfunction in the MNS.

The sensory side of post-stroke motor rehabilitation.

PubMed

Bolognini, Nadia; Russo, Cristina; Edwards, Dylan J

2016-04-11

Contemporary strategies to promote motor recovery following stroke focus on repetitive voluntary movements. Although successful movement relies on efficient sensorimotor integration, functional outcomes often bias motor therapy toward motor-related impairments such as weakness, spasticity and synergies; sensory therapy and reintegration is implied, but seldom targeted. However, the planning and execution of voluntary movement requires that the brain extracts sensory information regarding body position and predicts future positions, by integrating a variety of sensory inputs with ongoing and planned motor activity. Neurological patients who have lost one or more of their senses may show profoundly affected motor functions, even if muscle strength remains unaffected. Following stroke, motor recovery can be dictated by the degree of sensory disruption. Consequently, a thorough account of sensory function might be both prognostic and prescriptive in neurorehabilitation. This review outlines the key sensory components of human voluntary movement, describes how sensory disruption can influence prognosis and expected outcomes in stroke patients, reports on current sensory-based approaches in post-stroke motor rehabilitation, and makes recommendations for optimizing rehabilitation programs based on sensory stimulation.

The sensory side of post-stroke motor rehabilitation

PubMed Central

Bolognini, Nadia; Russo, Cristina; Edwards, Dylan J.

2017-01-01

Contemporary strategies to promote motor recovery following stroke focus on repetitive voluntary movements. Although successful movement relies on efficient sensorimotor integration, functional outcomes often bias motor therapy toward motor-related impairments such as weakness, spasticity and synergies; sensory therapy and reintegration is implied, but seldom targeted. However, the planning and execution of voluntary movement requires that the brain extracts sensory information regarding body position and predicts future positions, by integrating a variety of sensory inputs with ongoing and planned motor activity. Neurological patients who have lost one or more of their senses may show profoundly affected motor functions, even if muscle strength remains unaffected. Following stroke, motor recovery can be dictated by the degree of sensory disruption. Consequently, a thorough account of sensory function might be both prognostic and prescriptive in neurorehabilitation. This review outlines the key sensory components of human voluntary movement, describes how sensory disruption can influence prognosis and expected outcomes in stroke patients, reports on current sensory-based approaches in post-stroke motor rehabilitation, and makes recommendations for optimizing rehabilitation programs based on sensory stimulation. PMID:27080070

Assessing the impact of marine wind farms on birds through movement modelling.

PubMed

Masden, Elizabeth A; Reeve, Richard; Desholm, Mark; Fox, Anthony D; Furness, Robert W; Haydon, Daniel T

2012-09-07

Advances in technology and engineering, along with European Union renewable energy targets, have stimulated a rapid growth of the wind power sector. Wind farms contribute to carbon emission reductions, but there is a need to ensure that these structures do not adversely impact the populations that interact with them, particularly birds. We developed movement models based on observed avoidance responses of common eider Somateria mollissima to wind farms to predict, and identify potential measures to reduce, impacts. Flight trajectory data that were collected post-construction of the Danish Nysted offshore wind farm were used to parameterize competing models of bird movements around turbines. The model most closely fitting the observed data incorporated individual variation in the minimum distance at which birds responded to the turbines. We show how such models can contribute to the spatial planning of wind farms by assessing their extent, turbine spacing and configurations on the probability of birds passing between the turbines. Avian movement models can make new contributions to environmental assessments of wind farm developments, and provide insights into how to reduce impacts that can be identified at the planning stage.

Integration of planar cell polarity and ECM signaling in elongation of the vertebrate body plan.

PubMed

Skoglund, Paul; Keller, Ray

2010-10-01

The shaping of the vertebrate embryonic body plan depends heavily on the narrowing and lengthening (convergence and extension) of embryonic tissues by cell intercalation, a process by which cells actively crawl between one another along the axis of convergence to produce a narrower, longer array. We discuss recent evidence that the vertebrate non-canonical Wnt/Planar Cell Polarity (PCP) pathway, known to directly function in polarizing the movements of intercalating cells, is also involved in the localized assembly of extracellular matrix (ECM). These cell-ECM interactions, in turn, are necessary for expression of the oriented, polarized cell intercalation. The mechanism of PCP/ECM interactions, their molecular signaling, and their mechanical consequences for morphogenesis are discussed with the goal of identifying important unsolved issues. Copyright © 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Improving Vertical Jump Profiles Through Prescribed Movement Plans.

PubMed

Mayberry, John K; Patterson, Bryce; Wagner, Phil

2018-06-01

Mayberry, JK, Patterson, B, and Wagner, P. Improving vertical jump profiles through prescribed movement plans. J Strength Cond Res 32(6): 1619-1626, 2018-Developing practical, reliable, and valid methods for monitoring athlete wellness and injury risk is an important goal for trainers, athletes, and coaches. Previous studies have shown that the countermovement vertical jump (CMJ) test is both a reliable and valid metric for evaluating an athlete's condition. This study examines the effectiveness of prescribed workouts on improving the quality of movement during CMJ. The data set consists of 2,425 pairs of CMJ scans for high school, college, and professional athletes training at a privately owned facility. During each scan, a force plate recorded 3 ground reaction force (GRF) measurements known to impact CMJ performance: eccentric rate of force development (ERFD), average vertical concentric force (AVCF), and concentric vertical impulse (CVI). After an initial scan, coaches either assigned the athlete a specific 1- or 2-strength movement plan (treatment group) or instructed the athlete to choose their own workouts (control group) before returning for a follow-up scan. A multivariate analysis of covariance (MANCOVA) revealed significant differences in changes to GRF measurements between athletes in the 2 groups after adjusting for the covariates sex, sport, time between scans, and rounds of workout completed. A principal component analysis of GRF measurements further identified 4 primary groups of athlete needs and the results provide recommendations for effective workout plans targeting each group. In particular, split squats increase CVI and decrease ERFD/AVCF; deadlifts increase AVCF and decrease CVI; alternating squats/split squats increase ERFD/CVI and decrease AVCF; and alternating squats/deadlifts increase ERFD/AVCF and decrease CVI.

Timing of continuous motor imagery: the two-thirds power law originates in trajectory planning.

PubMed

Karklinsky, Matan; Flash, Tamar

2015-04-01

The two-thirds power law, v = γκ(-1/3), expresses a robust local relationship between the geometrical and temporal aspects of human movement, represented by curvature κ and speed v, with a piecewise constant γ. This law is equivalent to moving at a constant equi-affine speed and thus constitutes an important example of motor invariance. Whether this kinematic regularity reflects central planning or peripheral biomechanical effects has been strongly debated. Motor imagery, i.e., forming mental images of a motor action, allows unique access to the temporal structure of motor planning. Earlier studies have shown that imagined discrete movements obey Fitts's law and their durations are well correlated with those of actual movements. Hence, it is natural to examine whether the temporal properties of continuous imagined movements comply with the two-thirds power law. A novel experimental paradigm for recording sparse imagery data from a continuous cyclic tracing task was developed. Using the likelihood ratio test, we concluded that for most subjects the distributions of the marked positions describing the imagined trajectory were significantly better explained by the two-thirds power law than by a constant Euclidean speed or by two other power law models. With nonlinear regression, the β parameter values in a generalized power law, v = γκ(-β), were inferred from the marked position records. This resulted in highly variable yet mostly positive β values. Our results imply that imagined trajectories do follow the two-thirds power law. Our findings therefore support the conclusion that the coupling between velocity and curvature originates in centrally represented motion planning. Copyright © 2015 the American Physiological Society.

Covert representation of second-next movement in the pre-supplementary motor area of monkeys.

PubMed

Nakajima, Toshi; Hosaka, Ryosuke; Mushiake, Hajime; Tanji, Jun

2009-04-01

We attempted to analyze the nature of premovement activity of neurons in medial motor areas [supplementary motor area (SMA) and pre-SMA] from a perspective of coding multiple movements. Monkeys were trained to perform a series of two movements with an intervening delay: supination or pronation with either forearm. Movements were initially instructed with visual signals but had to be remembered thereafter. Although a well-known type of premovement activity representing the forthcoming movements was found in the two areas, we found an unexpected type of activity that represented a second-next movement before initiating the first of the two movements. Typically in the pre-SMA, such activity selective for the second-next movement peaked before the initiation of the first movement, decayed thereafter, and remained low in magnitude while initiating the second movement. This type of activity may tentatively hold information for the second movement while initiating the first. That information may be fed into another group of neurons that themselves build a preparatory activity required to plan the second movements. Alternatively, the activity could serve as a signal to inhibit a premature exertion of the motor command for the second movement.

Mindful movement and skilled attention

PubMed Central

Clark, Dav; Schumann, Frank; Mostofsky, Stewart H.

2015-01-01

Bodily movement has long been employed as a foundation for cultivating mental skills such as attention, self-control or mindfulness, with recent studies documenting the positive impacts of mindful movement training, such as yoga and tai chi. A parallel “mind-body connection” has also been observed in many developmental disorders. We elaborate a spectrum of mindfulness by considering ADHD, in which deficient motor control correlates with impaired (disinhibited) behavioral control contributing to defining features of excessive distractibility and impulsivity. These data provide evidence for an important axis of variation for wellbeing, in which skillful cognitive control covaries with a capacity for skillful movement. We review empirical and theoretical literature on attention, cognitive control, mind wandering, mindfulness and skill learning, endorsing a model of skilled attention in which motor plans, attention, and executive goals are seen as mutually co-defining aspects of skilled behavior that are linked by reciprocal inhibitory and excitatory connections. Thus, any movement training should engage “higher-order” inhibition and selection and develop a repertoire of rehearsed procedures that coordinate goals, attention and motor plans. However, we propose that mindful movement practice may improve the functional quality of rehearsed procedures, cultivating a transferrable skill of attention. We adopt Langer’s spectrum of mindful learning that spans from “mindlessness” to engagement with the details of the present task and contrast this with the mental attitudes cultivated in standard mindfulness meditation. We particularly follow Feldenkrais’ suggestion that mindful learning of skills for organizing the body in movement might transfer to other forms of mental activity. The results of mindful movement training should be observed in multiple complementary measures, and may have tremendous potential benefit for individuals with ADHD and other populations. PMID:26190986

Combined visual illusion effects on the perceived index of difficulty and movement outcomes in discrete and continuous fitts' tapping.

PubMed

Alphonsa, Sushma; Dai, Boyi; Benham-Deal, Tami; Zhu, Qin

2016-01-01

The speed-accuracy trade-off is a fundamental movement problem that has been extensively investigated. It has been established that the speed at which one can move to tap targets depends on how large the targets are and how far they are apart. These spatial properties of the targets can be quantified by the index of difficulty (ID). Two visual illusions are known to affect the perception of target size and movement amplitude: the Ebbinghaus illusion and Muller-Lyer illusion. We created visual images that combined these two visual illusions to manipulate the perceived ID, and then examined people's visual perception of the targets in illusory context as well as their performance in tapping those targets in both discrete and continuous manners. The findings revealed that the combined visual illusions affected the perceived ID similarly in both discrete and continuous judgment conditions. However, the movement outcomes were affected by the combined visual illusions according to the tapping mode. In discrete tapping, the combined visual illusions affected both movement accuracy and movement amplitude such that the effective ID resembled the perceived ID. In continuous tapping, none of the movement outcomes were affected by the combined visual illusions. Participants tapped the targets with higher speed and accuracy in all visual conditions. Based on these findings, we concluded that distinct visual-motor control mechanisms were responsible for execution of discrete and continuous Fitts' tapping. Although discrete tapping relies on allocentric information (object-centered) to plan for action, continuous tapping relies on egocentric information (self-centered) to control for action. The planning-control model for rapid aiming movements is supported.

Simulating large-scale pedestrian movement using CA and event driven model: Methodology and case study

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Li, Jun; Fu, Siyao; He, Haibo; Jia, Hongfei; Li, Yanzhong; Guo, Yi

2015-11-01

Large-scale regional evacuation is an important part of national security emergency response plan. Large commercial shopping area, as the typical service system, its emergency evacuation is one of the hot research topics. A systematic methodology based on Cellular Automata with the Dynamic Floor Field and event driven model has been proposed, and the methodology has been examined within context of a case study involving the evacuation within a commercial shopping mall. Pedestrians walking is based on Cellular Automata and event driven model. In this paper, the event driven model is adopted to simulate the pedestrian movement patterns, the simulation process is divided into normal situation and emergency evacuation. The model is composed of four layers: environment layer, customer layer, clerk layer and trajectory layer. For the simulation of movement route of pedestrians, the model takes into account purchase intention of customers and density of pedestrians. Based on evacuation model of Cellular Automata with Dynamic Floor Field and event driven model, we can reflect behavior characteristics of customers and clerks at the situations of normal and emergency evacuation. The distribution of individual evacuation time as a function of initial positions and the dynamics of the evacuation process is studied. Our results indicate that the evacuation model using the combination of Cellular Automata with Dynamic Floor Field and event driven scheduling can be used to simulate the evacuation of pedestrian flows in indoor areas with complicated surroundings and to investigate the layout of shopping mall.

Long Island Transportation Plan to Manage Congestion: Framework for Developing and Evaluating Improvement Strategies

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2002-04-20

The Long Island Transportation Plan to Manage Congestion (LITP 2000) will establish an integrated, multi-modal transportation program of cost-effective strategies to manage congestion and improve the movement of people and goods in Nassau and Suffolk...

Empirical Support for 'Hastening-Through-Re-Automatization' by Contrasting Two Motor-Cognitive Dual Tasks.

PubMed

Langhanns, Christine; Müller, Hermann

2018-01-01

Motor-cognitive dual tasks have been intensely studied and it has been demonstrated that even well practiced movements like walking show signs of interference when performed concurrently with a challenging cognitive task. Typically walking speed is reduced, at least in elderly persons. In contrast to these findings, some authors report an increased movement frequency under dual-task conditions, which they call hastening . A tentative explanation has been proposed, assuming that the respective movements are governed by an automatic control regime. Though, under single-task conditions, these automatic processes are supervised by "higher-order" cognitive control processes. However, when a concurrent cognitive task binds all cognitive resources, the automatic process is freed from the detrimental effect of cognitive surveillance, allowing higher movement frequencies. Fast rhythmic movements (>1 Hz) should more likely be governed by such an automatic process than low frequency discrete repetitive movements. Fifteen subjects performed two repetitive movements under single and dual-task condition, that is, in combination with a mental calculation task. According to the expectations derived from the explanatory concept, we found an increased movement frequency under dual-task conditions only for the fast rhythmic movement (paddleball task) but not for the slower discrete repetitive task (pegboard task). fNIRS measurements of prefrontal cortical load confirmed the idea of an automatic processing in the paddleball task, whereas the pegboard task seems to be more controlled by processes interfering with the calculation related processing.

Empirical Support for ‘Hastening-Through-Re-Automatization’ by Contrasting Two Motor-Cognitive Dual Tasks

PubMed Central

Langhanns, Christine; Müller, Hermann

2018-01-01

Motor-cognitive dual tasks have been intensely studied and it has been demonstrated that even well practiced movements like walking show signs of interference when performed concurrently with a challenging cognitive task. Typically walking speed is reduced, at least in elderly persons. In contrast to these findings, some authors report an increased movement frequency under dual-task conditions, which they call hastening. A tentative explanation has been proposed, assuming that the respective movements are governed by an automatic control regime. Though, under single-task conditions, these automatic processes are supervised by “higher-order” cognitive control processes. However, when a concurrent cognitive task binds all cognitive resources, the automatic process is freed from the detrimental effect of cognitive surveillance, allowing higher movement frequencies. Fast rhythmic movements (>1 Hz) should more likely be governed by such an automatic process than low frequency discrete repetitive movements. Fifteen subjects performed two repetitive movements under single and dual-task condition, that is, in combination with a mental calculation task. According to the expectations derived from the explanatory concept, we found an increased movement frequency under dual-task conditions only for the fast rhythmic movement (paddleball task) but not for the slower discrete repetitive task (pegboard task). fNIRS measurements of prefrontal cortical load confirmed the idea of an automatic processing in the paddleball task, whereas the pegboard task seems to be more controlled by processes interfering with the calculation related processing. PMID:29887815

Online adaptation and over-trial learning in macaque visuomotor control.

PubMed

Braun, Daniel A; Aertsen, Ad; Paz, Rony; Vaadia, Eilon; Rotter, Stefan; Mehring, Carsten

2011-01-01

When faced with unpredictable environments, the human motor system has been shown to develop optimized adaptation strategies that allow for online adaptation during the control process. Such online adaptation is to be contrasted to slower over-trial learning that corresponds to a trial-by-trial update of the movement plan. Here we investigate the interplay of both processes, i.e., online adaptation and over-trial learning, in a visuomotor experiment performed by macaques. We show that simple non-adaptive control schemes fail to perform in this task, but that a previously suggested adaptive optimal feedback control model can explain the observed behavior. We also show that over-trial learning as seen in learning and aftereffect curves can be explained by learning in a radial basis function network. Our results suggest that both the process of over-trial learning and the process of online adaptation are crucial to understand visuomotor learning.

Online Adaptation and Over-Trial Learning in Macaque Visuomotor Control

PubMed Central

Braun, Daniel A.; Aertsen, Ad; Paz, Rony; Vaadia, Eilon; Rotter, Stefan; Mehring, Carsten

2011-01-01

When faced with unpredictable environments, the human motor system has been shown to develop optimized adaptation strategies that allow for online adaptation during the control process. Such online adaptation is to be contrasted to slower over-trial learning that corresponds to a trial-by-trial update of the movement plan. Here we investigate the interplay of both processes, i.e., online adaptation and over-trial learning, in a visuomotor experiment performed by macaques. We show that simple non-adaptive control schemes fail to perform in this task, but that a previously suggested adaptive optimal feedback control model can explain the observed behavior. We also show that over-trial learning as seen in learning and aftereffect curves can be explained by learning in a radial basis function network. Our results suggest that both the process of over-trial learning and the process of online adaptation are crucial to understand visuomotor learning. PMID:21720526

Active versus Passive Training of a Complex Bimanual Task: Is Prescriptive Proprioceptive Information Sufficient for Inducing Motor Learning?

PubMed Central

Beets, Iseult A. M.; Macé, Marc; Meesen, Raf L. J.; Cuypers, Koen; Levin, Oron; Swinnen, Stephan P.

2012-01-01

Perceptual processes play an important role in motor learning. While it is evident that visual information greatly contributes to learning new movements, much less is known about provision of prescriptive proprioceptive information. Here, we investigated whether passive (proprioceptively-based) movement training was comparable to active training for learning a new bimanual task. Three groups practiced a bimanual coordination pattern with a 1∶2 frequency ratio and a 90° phase offset between both wrists with Lissajous feedback over the course of four days: 1) passive training; 2) active training; 3) no training (control). Retention findings revealed that passive as compared to active training resulted in equally successful acquisition of the frequency ratio but active training was more effective for acquisition of the new relative phasing between the limbs in the presence of augmented visual feedback. However, when this feedback was removed, performance of the new relative phase deteriorated in both groups whereas the frequency ratio was better preserved. The superiority of active over passive training in the presence of augmented feedback is hypothesized to result from active involvement in processes of error detection/correction and planning. PMID:22666379

Action Planning in Typically and Atypically Developing Children (Unilateral Cerebral Palsy)

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Craje, Celine; Aarts, Pauline; Nijhuis-van der Sanden, Maria; Steenbergen, Bert

2010-01-01

In the present study, we investigated the development of action planning in children with unilateral Cerebral Palsy (CP, aged 3-6 years, n = 24) and an age matched control group. To investigate action planning, participants performed a sequential movement task. They had to grasp an object (a wooden play sword) and place the sword in a hole in a…

Motor expertise modulates the unconscious processing of human body postures.

PubMed

Güldenpenning, Iris; Koester, Dirk; Kunde, Wilfried; Weigelt, Matthias; Schack, Thomas

2011-09-01

Little is known about the cognitive background of unconscious visuomotor control of complex sports movements. Therefore, we investigated the extent to which novices and skilled high-jump athletes are able to identify visually presented body postures of the high jump unconsciously. We also asked whether or not the manner of processing differs (qualitatively or quantitatively) between these groups as a function of their motor expertise. A priming experiment with not consciously perceivable stimuli was designed to determine whether subliminal priming of movement phases (same vs. different movement phases) or temporal order (i.e. natural vs. reversed movement order) affects target processing. Participants had to decide which phase of the high jump (approach vs. flight phase) a target photograph was taken from. We found a main effect of temporal order for skilled athletes, that is, faster reaction times for prime-target pairs that reflected the natural movement order as opposed to the reversed movement order. This result indicates that temporal-order information pertaining to the domain of expertise plays a critical role in athletes' perceptual capacities. For novices, data analyses revealed an interaction between temporal order and movement phases. That is, only the reversed movement order of flight-approach pictures increased processing time. Taken together, the results suggest that the structure of cognitive movement representation modulates unconscious processing of movement pictures and points to a functional role of motor representations in visual perception.

Prefrontal-hippocampal interactions for spatial navigation.

PubMed

Ito, Hiroshi T

2018-04-01

Animals have the ability to navigate to a desired location by making use of information about environmental landmarks and their own movements. While decades of neuroscience research have identified neurons in the hippocampus and parahippocampal structures that represent an animal's position in space, it is still largely unclear how an animal can choose the next movement direction to reach a desired goal. As the goal destination is typically located somewhere outside of the range of sensory perception, the animal is required to rely on the internal metric of space to estimate the direction and distance of the destination to plan a next action. Therefore, the hippocampal spatial map should interact with action-planning systems in other cortical regions. In accordance with this idea, several recent studies have indicated the importance of functional interactions between the hippocampus and the prefrontal cortex for goal-directed navigation. In this paper, I will review these studies and discuss how an animal can estimate its future positions correspond to a next movement. Investigation of the navigation problem may further provide general insights into internal models of the brain for action planning. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ireland Ltd and Japan Neuroscience Society. All rights reserved.

Individual movement behavior, matrix heterogeneity, and the dynamics of spatially structured populations.

PubMed

Revilla, Eloy; Wiegand, Thorsten

2008-12-09

The dynamics of spatially structured populations is characterized by within- and between-patch processes. The available theory describes the latter with simple distance-dependent functions that depend on landscape properties such as interpatch distance or patch size. Despite its potential role, we lack a good mechanistic understanding of how the movement of individuals between patches affects the dynamics of these populations. We used the theoretical framework provided by movement ecology to make a direct representation of the processes determining how individuals connect local populations in a spatially structured population of Iberian lynx. Interpatch processes depended on the heterogeneity of the matrix where patches are embedded and the parameters defining individual movement behavior. They were also very sensitive to the dynamic demographic variables limiting the time moving, the within-patch dynamics of available settlement sites (both spatiotemporally heterogeneous) and the response of individuals to the perceived risk while moving. These context-dependent dynamic factors are an inherent part of the movement process, producing connectivities and dispersal kernels whose variability is affected by other demographic processes. Mechanistic representations of interpatch movements, such as the one provided by the movement-ecology framework, permit the dynamic interaction of birth-death processes and individual movement behavior, thus improving our understanding of stochastic spatially structured populations.

Challenges of the Transition from Pediatric Care to Care of Adults: "Say Goodbye, Say Hello".

PubMed

Touraine, Philippe; Polak, Michel

2018-01-01

Transition has been defined as "the purposeful, planned movement of adolescents and young adults with chronic physical and medical conditions from child-centered to adult-oriented health care systems." We will here describe the challenges of such a process: challenges coming from the pediatrician, from the adolescent, linked to the disease itself, and those from the parents. We will outline how to overcome those fears and challenges to provide a successful transition process. A key factor to underline that process is that a relationship based on confidence should be established between the pediatrician and the physician for adults, in order for that relationship, based on trust, to be the basis for the transfer of the adolescent from the pediatric system of care to the adult one. © 2018 S. Karger AG, Basel.

[The Strategic Organization of Skill

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Roberts, Ralph

1996-01-01

Eye-movement software was developed in addition to several studies that focused on expert-novice differences in the acquisition and organization of skill. These studies focused on how increasingly complex strategies utilize and incorporate visual look-ahead to calibrate action. Software for collecting, calibrating, and scoring eye-movements was refined and updated. Some new algorithms were developed for analyzing corneal-reflection eye movement data that detect the location of saccadic eye movements in space and time. Two full-scale studies were carried out which examined how experts use foveal and peripheral vision to acquire information about upcoming environmental circumstances in order to plan future action(s) accordingly.

Movement characteristics of persons with prader-willi syndrome rising from supine.

PubMed

Belt, A B; Hertel, T A; Mante, J R; Marks, T; Rockett, V L; Wade, C; Clayton-Krasinski, D

2001-01-01

The purposes of this study were to: 1) determine if previously published descriptors of the supine to stand rising task in healthy individuals could be applied to the movements of persons with Prader-Willi Syndrome (PWS); and 2) assess upper extremity (UE), axial region (AX), and lower extremity (LE) movements among subjects with PWS compared with controls. Nine subjects with PWS (seven-36 years of age) and matched controls were videotaped performing 10 rising trials. The UE, AX, and LE movements were classified using published descriptors. Occurrence frequencies of movement patterns, duration of movement, and the relationships among body region movement score, BMI, and age were determined. Subjects with PWS utilized developmentally less advanced asymmetrical rising patterns, took longer to rise, and demonstrated less within subject variability than controls. Categorical descriptors, with minor modifications, can be used to describe rising movements in persons with PWS. Knowledge of successful rising patterns may assist PTs when examining or planning intervention strategies for teaching the rising task.

Language in the Ecumenical Movement. Language Planning Newsletter, Vol. 4., No. 2.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lewis, David

Despite the fact that the twentieth-century ecumenical movement was coeval with the beginning of a "language revolution" and the "theology of crisis," it was only at the beginning of the present decade that the problem of unity in verbal formulations reached the agenda of the World Council of Churches (WCC). At that time the…

Ordinary People, Ordinary Places: The Civil Rights Movement. [Lesson Plan].

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

2002

Martin Luther King, Jr. framed the goals and strategies of the Civil Rights Movement for a national audience, and with his message of nonviolent protest, he inspired ordinary African Americans to demand equal rights as American citizens. This lesson focuses on the individual men and women who embraced King's message and advanced the Civil Rights…

Saccade Preparation Is Required for Exogenous Attention but Not Endogenous Attention or IOR

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Smith, Daniel T.; Schenk, Thomas; Rorden, Chris

2012-01-01

Covert attention is tightly coupled with the control of eye movements, but there is controversy about how tight this coupling is. The premotor theory of attention proposes that activation of the eye movement system is necessary to produce shifts of attention. In this study, we experimentally prevented healthy participants from planning or…

Target Selection by the Frontal Cortex during Coordinated Saccadic and Smooth Pursuit Eye Movements

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Srihasam, Krishna; Bullock, Daniel; Grossberg, Stephen

2009-01-01

Oculomotor tracking of moving objects is an important component of visually based cognition and planning. Such tracking is achieved by a combination of saccades and smooth-pursuit eye movements. In particular, the saccadic and smooth-pursuit systems interact to often choose the same target, and to maximize its visibility through time. How do…

Making It to the Major Leagues: Career Movement between Library and Archival Professions and from Small College to Large University Libraries.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Johnson, Timothy J.

2002-01-01

Examines issues of career movement and change between library and archival fields and from small colleges to large universities. Topics include professional education and training; initial career planning and placement; continuing education; scouting and mentoring; job market conditions; work experience and personal skills; professional…

Acquisition and generalization of visuomotor transformations by nonhuman primates.

PubMed

Paz, Rony; Nathan, Chen; Boraud, Thomas; Bergman, Hagai; Vaadia, Eilon

2005-02-01

The kinematics of straight reaching movements can be specified vectorially by the direction of the movement and its extent. To explore the representation in the brain of these two properties, psychophysical studies have examined learning of visuomotor transformations of either rotation or gain and their generalization. However, the neuronal substrates of such complex learning are only beginning to be addressed. As an initial step in ensuring the validity of such investigations, it must be shown that monkeys indeed learn and generalize visuomotor transformations in the same manner as humans. Here, we analyze trajectories and velocities of movements as monkeys adapt to either rotational or gain transformations. We used rotations with different signs and magnitudes, and gains with different signs, and analyzed transfer of learning to untrained movements. The results show that monkeys can adapt to both types of transformation with a time course that resembles human learning. Analysis of the aftereffects reveals that rotation is learned locally and generalizes poorly to untrained directions, whereas gain is learned more globally and can be transferred to other amplitudes. The results lend additional support to the hypothesis that reaching movements are learned locally but can be easily rescaled to other magnitudes by scaling the peak velocity. The findings also indicate that reaching movements in monkeys are planned and executed very similarly to those in humans. This validates the underlying presumption that neuronal recordings in primates can help elucidate the mechanisms of motor learning in particular and motor planning in general.

The facts of life on video for young Mexicans.

PubMed

Lopez Juarez, A

1988-01-01

Mexico,s family planning programs have been directed towards women of childbearing age. However, Mexico's family planning movement is now mature enough to set more ambitious goals. This paper deals exclusively with the programs for young people. MEXFAM's basic strategy has been to create, not a separate structure, but rather a movement that infiltrates all the other youth organizations. In general terms, the objectives of MEXFAM's young people's movement are to promote knowledgeable participants among those who do not have sexual relations yet, obtain active users of birth control among those who already have sexual relations, and retard the 1st pregnancy until after the woman is 20 years old. For a better chance to reach these goals, the young people's movement is using a series of untraditional methods so as to avoid the authoritarian options dictated by adult criteria. One of these educational mediums that awaken the consciousness and sense of responsibility in the youth is the video. MEXFAM's youth films are directed to different aspects of sexuality. "Dream of Reality" and "With Hands in the Pockets," deal with adolescent pregnancy; "Like Buddies" with parent-child relationships; "Escape," with drug addiction and sexual responsibility, and "The Last Train" with myths and taboos that go with 1st sexual relations. 4 of these films were produced with the help of JOICFP. 5 films planned for this year are on: the adolescent mother and communication with her own mother, communication in the adolescent couple, prostitution, the media and sexuality, and contagious sexual illness.

Discrete element modeling of the mass movement and loose material supplying the gully process of a debris avalanche in the Bayi Gully, Southwest China

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhou, Jia-wen; Huang, Kang-xin; Shi, Chong; Hao, Ming-hui; Guo, Chao-xu

2015-03-01

The dynamic process of a debris avalanche in mountainous areas is influenced by the landslide volume, topographical conditions, mass-material composition, mechanical properties and other factors. A good understanding of the mass movement and loose material supplying the gully process is very important for understanding the dynamic properties of debris avalanches. Three-dimensional particle flow code (PFC3D) was used to simulate a debris avalanche in Quaternary deposits at the Bayi Gully, Southwest China. FORTRAN and AutoCAD were used for the secondary development to display the mass movement process and to quantitatively describe the mass movement and loose material supplying the gully process. The simulated results show that after the landslide is initiated, the gravitational potential energy is converted into kinetic energy with a variation velocity for the sliding masses. Two stages exist for the average-movement velocity: the acceleration stage and the slowdown stage, which are influenced by the topographical conditions. For the loose materials supplying the gully process, the cumulative volume of the sliding masses into the gully gradually increases over the time. When the landslide volume is not large enough, the increasing landslide volume does not obviously influence the movement process of the sliding masses. The travel distance and movement velocity increase with the decreasing numerical parameters, and the mass-movement process is finished more quickly using low-value parameters. The deposition area of the sliding masses decreases with the increasing numerical parameters and the corresponding deposition thickness increases. The mass movement of the debris avalanche is not only influenced by the mechanical parameters but is also controlled by the topographical conditions.

Electronic intermodal supply chain manifest ITS field operational test evaluation plan

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2000-09-25

This document is an evaluation plan for a field operational test (FOT) that is based at O'Hare International Airport in Chicago and which will focus on the air cargo component of intermodal freight movements. The objectives of the FOT are to develop,...

75 FR 29786 - Notice of Meeting

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-05-27

... plans for managing spent nuclear fuel and high-level radioactive waste. Pursuant to its authority under... of Energy (DOE) plans for managing spent nuclear fuel (SNF) and high-level radioactive waste (HLW... the packaging and movement of the waste, how the recent decision to terminate the Yucca Mountain...

Attentional Modulation of Somatosensory Processing During the Anticipation of Movements Accompanying Pain: An Event-Related Potential Study.

PubMed

Clauwaert, Amanda; Torta, Diana M; Danneels, Lieven; Van Damme, Stefaan

2018-02-01

Attending to pain-relevant information is crucial to protect us from physical harm. Behavioral studies have already suggested that during anticipation of pain somatosensory input at the body location under threat is prioritized. However, research using daily life cues for pain, especially movements, is lacking. Furthermore, to our knowledge, no studies have investigated cortical processing associated with somatosensory processing during threatened movements. The current study aims to investigate whether movements accompanying pain automatically steer attention toward somatosensory input at the threatened location, affecting somatosensory evoked potentials (SEPs). Healthy volunteers were cued to perform movements with the left or the right hand, and one of these movements could be accompanied by pain on the moving hand. During movement anticipation, a task-irrelevant tactile stimulus was presented to the threatened or pain-free hand to evoke SEPs. During anticipation of movements accompanying pain, the N120 component was increased for tactile stimuli at the threatened relative to the hand without pain. Moreover, the P200 SEP was enhanced during anticipation of movements accompanying pain relative to movements without pain, irrespective of which hand was stimulated. These findings show that the anticipation of pain-accompanying movements may affect the processing of somatosensory input, and that this is likely to be driven by attentional processes. This study shows that the anticipation of pain-related movements automatically biases attention toward stimuli at a pain-related location, measured according to SEPs. The present study provides important new insights in the interplay between pain and attention, and its consequences at the cortical level. Copyright © 2017 The American Pain Society. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

On the facilitative effects of face motion on face recognition and its development

PubMed Central

Xiao, Naiqi G.; Perrotta, Steve; Quinn, Paul C.; Wang, Zhe; Sun, Yu-Hao P.; Lee, Kang

2014-01-01

For the past century, researchers have extensively studied human face processing and its development. These studies have advanced our understanding of not only face processing, but also visual processing in general. However, most of what we know about face processing was investigated using static face images as stimuli. Therefore, an important question arises: to what extent does our understanding of static face processing generalize to face processing in real-life contexts in which faces are mostly moving? The present article addresses this question by examining recent studies on moving face processing to uncover the influence of facial movements on face processing and its development. First, we describe evidence on the facilitative effects of facial movements on face recognition and two related theoretical hypotheses: the supplementary information hypothesis and the representation enhancement hypothesis. We then highlight several recent studies suggesting that facial movements optimize face processing by activating specific face processing strategies that accommodate to task requirements. Lastly, we review the influence of facial movements on the development of face processing in the first year of life. We focus on infants' sensitivity to facial movements and explore the facilitative effects of facial movements on infants' face recognition performance. We conclude by outlining several future directions to investigate moving face processing and emphasize the importance of including dynamic aspects of facial information to further understand face processing in real-life contexts. PMID:25009517

ACHP | News | ACHP Issue Spotlight: Transmission Lines in the West

Science.gov Websites

Search skip specific nav links Home arrow News arrow Start Planning for the 50th Anniversary Today Start Planning for the 50th Anniversary Today! May 2015 is the perfect time to start planning for 2016 -- the movement. Start thinking about your own community and what you can do to celebrate preservation. Here are a

The challenges associated with developing science-based landscape scale management plans

USGS Publications Warehouse

Szaro, Robert C.; Boyce, D.A.; Puchlerz, T.

2005-01-01

Planning activities over large landscapes poses a complex of challenges when trying to balance the implementation of a conservation strategy while still allowing for a variety of consumptive and nonconsumptive uses. We examine a case in southeast Alaska to illustrate the breadth of these challenges and an approach to developing a science-based resource plan. Not only was the planning area, the Tongass National Forest, USA, exceptionally large (approximately 17 million acres or 6.9 million ha), but it also is primarily an island archipelago environment. The water system surrounding and going through much of the forest provides access to facilitate the movement of people, animals, and plants but at the same time functions as a barrier to others. This largest temperate rainforest in the world is an exceptional example of the complexity of managing at such a scale but also illustrates the role of science in the planning process. As we enter the 21st century, the list of questions needing scientific investigation has not only changed dramatically, but the character of the questions also has changed. Questions are contentious, cover broad scales in space and time, and are highly complex and interdependent. The provision of unbiased and objective information to all stakeholders is an important step in informed decision-making.

[Model Foundation S. Maugeri-IRCCS].

PubMed

Bazzini, G

2010-01-01

A multidisciplinary (physiatrist, occupational physician, neurophysiologist, radiologist, etc.) and multiprofessional (occupational therapist, physiotherapist, ergonomist) strategy for rehabilitation and re-introduction of people with work-related injuries was tested at the "Fondazione Maugeri" Scientific Institue (Pavia, Italy). This process of re-introduction to work has several stages including increasing strength and resistance, specific occupational therapy activities to recover working functions and movements, aerobic training, prescription and allocation of any auxiliaries necessary, and inspections of the home and workplace. One particular feature is the final functional evaluation, whose aims are: to study the subject's "residual capacities" and "sustainable capacities", to supply useful information to the occupational physician in view of the verifying the patient's suitability for work, to contribute to "targeted" re-introduction, and to offer parameters useful for prevention and ergonomic planning. The main features of the disabled person which are studied are: degree of disability, motor capacity (joint movements, strength, resistance), cognitive-verbal functions, sensitivity and sensory functions, psychological and emotional components, need for auxiliaries, educational-professional aspects, possibility of autonomous transport, and motivation.

The ventilated patient undergoing hydrotherapy: a case study.

PubMed

Taylor, Susan

2003-08-01

The ascending peripheral neuropathy and paralysis that result from Guillain-Barre Syndrome's (GBS) demyelination of peripheral nerves is a challenge to health professionals; the patient requires support during the acute disease process and during the remyelination recovery period, often lasting months to years. The staff of a major metropolitan teaching hospital's critical care unit (CCU) and physiotherapy departments developed a hydrotherapy treatment programme for a ventilated patient with GBS. Through careful planning and appropriate preparation, it was found that hydrotherapy could successfully and safely be incorporated into a patient's treatment regimen. The benefits included improved range of movement due to the supportive nature of water, anecdotal increased strength, size and movement of remyelinating muscles and a psychological improvement. Although this patient has not recovered from GBS to be independent, hydrotherapy was a valuable part of the treatment regimen and it could be suggested the increase muscle strength lead to improved respiratory function and enabled weaning from ventilation, reducing intensive care length of stay and cost.

Adaptive Management Approach to Oil and Gas Activities in Areas Occupied by Pacific Walrus

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ireland, D.; Broker, K.; San Filippo, V.; Brzuzy, L.; Morse, L.

2016-12-01

During Shell's 2015 exploration drilling program in the Chukchi Sea, activities were conducted in accordance with a Letter of Authorization issued by the United States Fish and Wildlife Service that allowed the incidental harassment of Pacific Walrus and Polar Bears under the Marine Mammal Protection Act. As a part of the request for authorization, Shell proposed a process to monitor and assess the potential for activities to interact with walruses on ice, especially if ice posed a potential threat to the drill site. The process assimilated near real-time information from multiple data sources including vessel-based observations, aerial surveys, satellite-linked GPS tags on walrus, and satellite imagery of ice conditions and movements. These data were reviewed daily and assessed in the context of planned activities to assign a risk level (low, medium, or high). The risk level was communicated to all assets in the field and decision makers during morning briefings. A low risk level meant that planned activities could occur without further review. A medium risk level meant that some operations had a greater potential of interacting with walrus on ice and that additional discussions of those activities were required to determine the relative risk of potential impacts compare to the importance of the planned activity. A high risk level meant that the planned activities were necessary and walrus on ice were likely to be encountered. Assignment of a high risk level triggered contact with agency personnel and directly incorporated them into the assessment and decision making process. This process made effective use of relevant available information to provide meaningful assessments at temporal and spatial scales that allowed approved activities to proceed while minimizing potential impacts. More so, this process provides a valuable alternative to large-scale restriction areas with coarse temporal resolution without reducing protection to target species.

Adaptive Management Approach to Oil and Gas Activities in Areas Occupied by Pacific Walrus

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ireland, D.; Broker, K.; San Filippo, V.; Brzuzy, L.; Morse, L.

2016-02-01

During Shell's 2015 exploration drilling program in the Chukchi Sea, activities were conducted in accordance with a Letter of Authorization issued by the United States Fish and Wildlife Service that allowed the incidental harassment of Pacific Walrus and Polar Bears under the Marine Mammal Protection Act. As a part of the request for authorization, Shell proposed a process to monitor and assess the potential for activities to interact with walruses on ice, especially if ice posed a potential threat to the drill site. The process assimilated near real-time information from multiple data sources including vessel-based observations, aerial surveys, satellite-linked GPS tags on walrus, and satellite imagery of ice conditions and movements. These data were reviewed daily and assessed in the context of planned activities to assign a risk level (low, medium, or high). The risk level was communicated to all assets in the field and decision makers during morning briefings. A low risk level meant that planned activities could occur without further review. A medium risk level meant that some operations had a greater potential of interacting with walrus on ice and that additional discussions of those activities were required to determine the relative risk of potential impacts compare to the importance of the planned activity. A high risk level meant that the planned activities were necessary and walrus on ice were likely to be encountered. Assignment of a high risk level triggered contact with agency personnel and directly incorporated them into the assessment and decision making process. This process made effective use of relevant available information to provide meaningful assessments at temporal and spatial scales that allowed approved activities to proceed while minimizing potential impacts. More so, this process provides a valuable alternative to large-scale restriction areas with coarse temporal resolution without reducing protection to target species.

Multivariate information-theoretic measures reveal directed information structure and task relevant changes in fMRI connectivity.

PubMed

Lizier, Joseph T; Heinzle, Jakob; Horstmann, Annette; Haynes, John-Dylan; Prokopenko, Mikhail

2011-02-01

The human brain undertakes highly sophisticated information processing facilitated by the interaction between its sub-regions. We present a novel method for interregional connectivity analysis, using multivariate extensions to the mutual information and transfer entropy. The method allows us to identify the underlying directed information structure between brain regions, and how that structure changes according to behavioral conditions. This method is distinguished in using asymmetric, multivariate, information-theoretical analysis, which captures not only directional and non-linear relationships, but also collective interactions. Importantly, the method is able to estimate multivariate information measures with only relatively little data. We demonstrate the method to analyze functional magnetic resonance imaging time series to establish the directed information structure between brain regions involved in a visuo-motor tracking task. Importantly, this results in a tiered structure, with known movement planning regions driving visual and motor control regions. Also, we examine the changes in this structure as the difficulty of the tracking task is increased. We find that task difficulty modulates the coupling strength between regions of a cortical network involved in movement planning and between motor cortex and the cerebellum which is involved in the fine-tuning of motor control. It is likely these methods will find utility in identifying interregional structure (and experimentally induced changes in this structure) in other cognitive tasks and data modalities.

Effects of evacuation assistant’s leading behavior on the evacuation efficiency: Information transmission approach

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Xiao-Lu; Guo, Wei; Zheng, Xiao-Ping

2015-07-01

Evacuation assistants are expected to spread the escape route information and lead evacuees toward the exit as quickly as possible. Their leading behavior influences the evacuees’ movement directly, which is confirmed to be a decisive factor of the evacuation efficiency. The transmission process of escape information and its function on the evacuees’ movement are accurately presented by the proposed extended dynamic communication field model. For evacuation assistants and evacuees, their sensitivity parameter of static floor field (SFF), , and , are fully discussed. The simulation results indicate that the appropriate is associated with the maximum of evacuees. The optimal combinations of and were found to reach the highest evacuation efficiency. There also exists an optimal value for evacuation assistants’ information transmission radius. Project supported by the National Basic Research Program of China (Grant No. 2011CB706900), the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant Nos. 71225007 and 71203006), the National Key Technology Research and Development Program of the Ministry of Science and Technology of China (Grant No. 2012BAK13B06), the Humanities and Social Sciences Project of the Ministry of Education of China (Grant Nos. 10YJA630221 and 12YJCZH023), and the Beijing Philosophy and Social Sciences Planning Project of the Twelfth Five-Year Plan, China (Grant Nos. 12JGC090 and 12JGC098).

A single aerobic exercise session accelerates movement execution but not central processing.

PubMed

Beyer, Kit B; Sage, Michael D; Staines, W Richard; Middleton, Laura E; McIlroy, William E

2017-03-27

Previous research has demonstrated that aerobic exercise has disparate effects on speed of processing and movement execution. In simple and choice reaction tasks, aerobic exercise appears to increase speed of movement execution while speed of processing is unaffected. In the flanker task, aerobic exercise has been shown to reduce response time on incongruent trials more than congruent trials, purportedly reflecting a selective influence on speed of processing related to cognitive control. However, it is unclear how changes in speed of processing and movement execution contribute to these exercise-induced changes in response time during the flanker task. This study examined how a single session of aerobic exercise influences speed of processing and movement execution during a flanker task using electromyography to partition response time into reaction time and movement time, respectively. Movement time decreased during aerobic exercise regardless of flanker congruence but returned to pre-exercise levels immediately after exercise. Reaction time during incongruent flanker trials decreased over time in both an aerobic exercise and non-exercise control condition indicating it was not specifically influenced by exercise. This disparate influence of aerobic exercise on movement time and reaction time indicates the importance of partitioning response time when examining the influence of aerobic exercise on speed of processing. The decrease in reaction time over time independent of aerobic exercise indicates that interpreting pre-to-post exercise changes in behavior requires caution. Copyright © 2017 IBRO. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Attention, Intention, and Priority in the Parietal Lobe

PubMed Central

Bisley, James W.; Goldberg, Michael E.

2013-01-01

For many years there has been a debate about the role of the parietal lobe in the generation of behavior. Does it generate movement plans (intention) or choose objects in the environment for further processing? To answer this, we focus on the lateral intraparietal area (LIP), an area that has been shown to play independent roles in target selection for saccades and the generation of visual attention. Based on results from a variety of tasks, we propose that LIP acts as a priority map in which objects are represented by activity proportional to their behavioral priority. We present evidence to show that the priority map combines bottom-up inputs like a rapid visual response with an array of top-down signals like a saccade plan. The spatial location representing the peak of the map is used by the oculomotor system to target saccades and by the visual system to guide visual attention. PMID:20192813

Prediction of Path Deviation in Robot Based Incremental Sheet Metal Forming by Means of a New Solid-Shell Finite Element Technology and a Finite Elastoplastic Model with Combined Hardening

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kiliclar, Yalin; Laurischkat, Roman; Vladimirov, Ivaylo N.; Reese, Stefanie

2011-08-01

The presented project deals with a robot based incremental sheet metal forming process, which is called roboforming and has been developed at the Chair of Production Systems. It is characterized by flexible shaping using a freely programmable path-synchronous movement of two industrial robots. The final shape is produced by the incremental infeed of the forming tool in depth direction and its movement along the part contour in lateral direction. However, the resulting geometries formed in roboforming deviate several millimeters from the reference geometry. This results from the compliance of the involved machine structures and the springback effects of the workpiece. The project aims to predict these deviations caused by resiliences and to carry out a compensative path planning based on this prediction. Therefore a planning tool is implemented which compensates the robots's compliance and the springback effects of the sheet metal. The forming process is simulated by means of a finite element analysis using a material model developed at the Institute of Applied Mechanics (IFAM). It is based on the multiplicative split of the deformation gradient in the context of hyperelasticity and combines nonlinear kinematic and isotropic hardening. Low-order finite elements used to simulate thin sheet structures, such as used for the experiments, have the major problem of locking, a nonphysical stiffening effect. For an efficient finite element analysis a special solid-shell finite element formulation based on reduced integration with hourglass stabilization has been developed. To circumvent different locking effects, the enhanced assumed strain (EAS) and the assumed natural strain (ANS) concepts are included in this formulation. Having such powerful tools available we obtain more accurate geometries.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Bradley, E.C.; Killough, S.M.; Rowe, J.C.

The purpose of the Smart Crane Ammunition Transfer System (SCATS) project is to demonstrate robotic/telerobotic controls technology for a mobile articulated crane for missile/ munitions handling, delivery, and reload. Missile resupply and reload have been manually intensive operations up to this time. Currently, reload missiles are delivered by truck to the site of the launcher. A crew of four to five personnel reloads the missiles from the truck to the launcher using a hydraulic-powered crane. The missiles are handled carefully for the safety of the missiles and personnel. Numerous steps are required in the reload process and the entire reloadmore » operation can take over 1 h for some missile systems. Recent U.S. Army directives require the entire operation to be accomplished in a fraction of that time. Current requirements for the development of SCATS are being based primarily on reloading Patriot missiles. The planned development approach will integrate robotic control and sensor technology with a commercially available hydraulic articulated crane. SCATS is being developed with commercially available hardware as much as possible. Development plans include adding a 3-D.F. end effector with a grapple to the articulating crane; closed-loop position control for the crane and end effector; digital microprocessor control of crane functions; simplified operator interface; and operating modes which include rectilinear movement, obstacle avoidance, and partial automated operation. The planned development will include progressive technology demonstrations. Ultimate plans are for this technology to be transferred and utilized in the military fielding process.« less

The quick and the dead: when reaction beats intention.

PubMed

Welchman, Andrew E; Stanley, James; Schomers, Malte R; Miall, R Chris; Bülthoff, Heinrich H

2010-06-07

Everyday behaviour involves a trade-off between planned actions and reaction to environmental events. Evidence from neurophysiology, neurology and functional brain imaging suggests different neural bases for the control of different movement types. Here we develop a behavioural paradigm to test movement dynamics for intentional versus reaction movements and provide evidence for a 'reactive advantage' in movement execution, whereby the same action is executed faster in reaction to an opponent. We placed pairs of participants in competition with each other to make a series of button presses. Within-subject analysis of movement times revealed a 10 per cent benefit for reactive actions. This was maintained when opponents performed dissimilar actions, and when participants competed against a computer, suggesting that the effect is not related to facilitation produced by action observation. Rather, faster ballistic movements may be a general property of reactive motor control, potentially providing a useful means of promoting survival.

Design of a Digital Library for Human Movement.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ben-Arie, Jezekiel; Pandit, Purvin; Rajaram, ShyamSundar

This paper is focused on a central aspect in the design of a planned digital library for human movement, i.e. on the aspect of representation and recognition of human activity from video data. The method of representation is important since it has a major impact on the design of all the other building blocks of the system such as the user…

Assessing the impact of marine wind farms on birds through movement modelling

PubMed Central

Masden, Elizabeth A.; Reeve, Richard; Desholm, Mark; Fox, Anthony D.; Furness, Robert W.; Haydon, Daniel T.

2012-01-01

Advances in technology and engineering, along with European Union renewable energy targets, have stimulated a rapid growth of the wind power sector. Wind farms contribute to carbon emission reductions, but there is a need to ensure that these structures do not adversely impact the populations that interact with them, particularly birds. We developed movement models based on observed avoidance responses of common eider Somateria mollissima to wind farms to predict, and identify potential measures to reduce, impacts. Flight trajectory data that were  collected post-construction of the Danish Nysted offshore wind farm were used to parameterize competing models of bird movements around turbines. The model most closely fitting the observed data incorporated individual variation in the minimum distance at which birds responded to the turbines. We show how such models can contribute to the spatial planning of wind farms by assessing their extent, turbine spacing and configurations on the probability of birds passing between the turbines. Avian movement models can make new contributions to environmental assessments of wind farm developments, and provide insights into how to reduce impacts that can be identified at the planning stage. PMID:22552921

75 FR 56928 - Approval and Promulgation of State Implementation Plan Revisions; State of North Dakota...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-09-17

... typical movement of weather systems. Thus, geography, topography and meteorology of the region that... obstacles to ozone transport from North Dakota to California. Thus, geography and topography reduce the... proposing partial approval of the State Implementation Plan (SIP) revisions called ``Interstate Transport of...

Language-Planning in the Creole-Speaking Caribbean.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Devonish, Hubert

1984-01-01

As a result of anticolonial movements in the Caribbean, Creole languages are becoming major languages of communication. Language planning has begun to focus on them. These languages must be taught to non-native speakers who want to participate fully in Caribbean culture. This is clearly demonstrated in the area of cinema. (VM)

75 FR 47461 - Drawbridge Operation Regulation; Elizabeth River, Eastern Branch, Norfolk, VA

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-08-06

... public comments. The test period was in effect during the entire Notice of Proposed Rulemaking comment... NPRM. Many responses stated that planned openings would permit motorists to better plan their commutes... vessel movements is affected by a number of uncontrollable and external factors. The effects of winds...

Vocal effort modulates the motor planning of short speech structures

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Taitz, Alan; Shalom, Diego E.; Trevisan, Marcos A.

2018-05-01

Speech requires programming the sequence of vocal gestures that produce the sounds of words. Here we explored the timing of this program by asking our participants to pronounce, as quickly as possible, a sequence of consonant-consonant-vowel (CCV) structures appearing on screen. We measured the delay between visual presentation and voice onset. In the case of plosive consonants, produced by sharp and well defined movements of the vocal tract, we found that delays are positively correlated with the duration of the transition between consonants. We then used a battery of statistical tests and mathematical vocal models to show that delays reflect the motor planning of CCVs and transitions are proxy indicators of the vocal effort needed to produce them. These results support that the effort required to produce the sequence of movements of a vocal gesture modulates the onset of the motor plan.

On storm movement and its applications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Niemczynowicz, Janusz

Rainfall-runoff models applicable for design and analysis of sewage systems in urban areas are further developed in order to represent better different physical processes going on on an urban catchment. However, one important part of the modelling procedure, the generation of the rainfall input is still a weak point. The main problem is lack of adequate rainfall data which represent temporal and spatial variations of the natural rainfall process. Storm movement is a natural phenomenon which influences urban runoff. However, the rainfall movement and its influence on runoff generation process is not represented in presently available urban runoff simulation models. Physical description of the rainfall movement and its parameters is given based on detailed measurements performed on twelve gauges in Lund, Sweden. The paper discusses the significance of the rainfall movement on the runoff generation process and gives suggestions how the rainfall movement parameters may be used in runoff modelling.

Applicability of interferometric SAR technology to ground movement and pipeline monitoring

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Grivas, Dimitri A.; Bhagvati, Chakravarthy; Schultz, B. C.; Trigg, Alan; Rizkalla, Moness

1998-03-01

This paper summarizes the findings of a cooperative effort between NOVA Gas Transmission Ltd. (NGTL), the Italian Natural Gas Transmission Company (SNAM), and Arista International, Inc., to determine whether current remote sensing technologies can be utilized to monitor small-scale ground movements over vast geographical areas. This topic is of interest due to the potential for small ground movements to cause strain accumulation in buried pipeline facilities. Ground movements are difficult to monitor continuously, but their cumulative effect over time can have a significant impact on the safety of buried pipelines. Interferometric synthetic aperture radar (InSAR or SARI) is identified as the most promising technique of those considered. InSAR analysis involves combining multiple images from consecutive passes of a radar imaging platform. The resulting composite image can detect changes as small as 2.5 to 5.0 centimeters (based on current analysis methods and radar satellite data of 5 centimeter wavelength). Research currently in progress shows potential for measuring ground movements as small as a few millimeters. Data needed for InSAR analysis is currently commercially available from four satellites, and additional satellites are planned for launch in the near future. A major conclusion of the present study is that InSAR technology is potentially useful for pipeline integrity monitoring. A pilot project is planned to test operational issues.

Prediction of movement intention using connectivity within motor-related network: An electrocorticography study.

PubMed

Kang, Byeong Keun; Kim, June Sic; Ryun, Seokyun; Chung, Chun Kee

2018-01-01

Most brain-machine interface (BMI) studies have focused only on the active state of which a BMI user performs specific movement tasks. Therefore, models developed for predicting movements were optimized only for the active state. The models may not be suitable in the idle state during resting. This potential maladaptation could lead to a sudden accident or unintended movement resulting from prediction error. Prediction of movement intention is important to develop a more efficient and reasonable BMI system which could be selectively operated depending on the user's intention. Physical movement is performed through the serial change of brain states: idle, planning, execution, and recovery. The motor networks in the primary motor cortex and the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex are involved in these movement states. Neuronal communication differs between the states. Therefore, connectivity may change depending on the states. In this study, we investigated the temporal dynamics of connectivity in dorsolateral prefrontal cortex and primary motor cortex to predict movement intention. Movement intention was successfully predicted by connectivity dynamics which may reflect changes in movement states. Furthermore, dorsolateral prefrontal cortex is crucial in predicting movement intention to which primary motor cortex contributes. These results suggest that brain connectivity is an excellent approach in predicting movement intention.

Spatial interactions during bimanual coordination patterns: the effect of directional compatibility.

PubMed

Bogaerts, H; Swinnen, S P

2001-04-01

Whereas previous bimanual coordination research has predominantly focused on the constraining role of timing, the present study addressed the role of spatial (i.e., directional) constraints during the simultaneous production of equilateral triangles with both upper limbs. In addition to coordination modes in which mirror-image and isodirectional movements were performed (compatible patterns), new modes were tested in which the left limb lagged with respect to the right by one triangle side (non-compatible patterns). This resulted in the experimental manipulation of directional compatibility between the limbs. In addition, triangles with either horizontal or vertical orientations were to be drawn in order to assess the role of static images on movement production. Results supported the important role of directional constraints in bimanual coordination. Furthermore, triangles in vertical orientations (with a vertical symmetry axis, i.e., one apex pointing up) were drawn more successfully than those in horizontal orientations (with a horizontal symmetry axis, i.e., one apex pointing left or right), suggesting that the static aspects of a geometric form may affect movement dynamics. Finally, evidence suggested that cognitive processes related to integration of the submovements into a unified plan mediate the performance of new coordination patterns. The implications of the present finding for clinical populations are discussed

Visuomotor control, eye movements, and steering: A unified approach for incorporating feedback, feedforward, and internal models.

PubMed

Lappi, Otto; Mole, Callum

2018-06-11

The authors present an approach to the coordination of eye movements and locomotion in naturalistic steering tasks. It is based on recent empirical research, in particular, on driver eye movements, that poses challenges for existing accounts of how we visually steer a course. They first analyze how the ideas of feedback and feedforward processes and internal models are treated in control theoretical steering models within vision science and engineering, which share an underlying architecture but have historically developed in very separate ways. The authors then show how these traditions can be naturally (re)integrated with each other and with contemporary neuroscience, to better understand the skill and gaze strategies involved. They then propose a conceptual model that (a) gives a unified account to the coordination of gaze and steering control, (b) incorporates higher-level path planning, and (c) draws on the literature on paired forward and inverse models in predictive control. Although each of these (a-c) has been considered before (also in the context of driving), integrating them into a single framework and the authors' multiple waypoint identification hypothesis within that framework are novel. The proposed hypothesis is relevant to all forms of visually guided locomotion. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2018 APA, all rights reserved).

Numbers can move our hands: a spatial representation effect in digits handwriting.

PubMed

Perrone, Gelsomina; de Hevia, Maria Dolores; Bricolo, Emanuela; Girelli, Luisa

2010-09-01

The interaction between numbers and action-related processes is currently one of the most investigated topics in numerical cognition. The present study contributes to this line of research by investigating, for the first time, the effects of number on an overlearned complex motor plan that does not require explicit lateralised movements or strict spatial constrains: spontaneous handwriting. In particular, we investigated whether the spatial mapping of numbers interferes with the motor planning involved in writing. To this aim, participants' spontaneous handwriting of single digits (Exp. 1) and letters (Exp. 2) was recorded with a digitising tablet. We show that the writing of numbers is characterised by a spatial dislocation of the digits as a function of their magnitude, i.e., small numbers were written leftwards relative to large numbers. In contrast, the writing of letters showed a null or marginal effect with respect to their dislocation on the writing area. These findings show that the automatic mapping of numbers into space interacts with action planning by modulating specific motor parameters in spontaneous handwriting.

Integrated Budget Office Toolbox

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Rushing, Douglas A.; Blakeley, Chris; Chapman, Gerry; Robertson, Bill; Horton, Allison; Besser, Thomas; McCarthy, Debbie

2010-01-01

The Integrated Budget Office Toolbox (IBOT) combines budgeting, resource allocation, organizational funding, and reporting features in an automated, integrated tool that provides data from a single source for Johnson Space Center (JSC) personnel. Using a common interface, concurrent users can utilize the data without compromising its integrity. IBOT tracks planning changes and updates throughout the year using both phasing and POP-related (program-operating-plan-related) budget information for the current year, and up to six years out. Separating lump-sum funds received from HQ (Headquarters) into separate labor, travel, procurement, Center G&A (general & administrative), and servicepool categories, IBOT creates a script that significantly reduces manual input time. IBOT also manages the movement of travel and procurement funds down to the organizational level and, using its integrated funds management feature, helps better track funding at lower levels. Third-party software is used to create integrated reports in IBOT that can be generated for plans, actuals, funds received, and other combinations of data that are currently maintained in the centralized format. Based on Microsoft SQL, IBOT incorporates generic budget processes, is transportable, and is economical to deploy and support.

Preschool children adapt grasping movements to upcoming object manipulations: Evidence from a dial rotation task.

PubMed

Herbort, Oliver; Büschelberger, Juliane; Janczyk, Markus

2018-03-01

In adults, the motor plans for object-directed grasping movements reflects the anticipated requirements of intended future object manipulations. This prospective mode of planning has been termed second-order planning. Surprisingly, second-order planning is thought to be fully developed only by 10 years of age, when children master seemingly more complex motor skills. In this study, we tested the hypothesis that already 5- and 6-year-old children consistently use second-order planning but that this ability does not become apparent in tasks that are traditionally used to probe it. We asked 5- and 6-year-olds and adults to grasp and rotate a circular dial in a clockwise or counterclockwise direction. Although children's grasp selections were less consistent on an intra- and inter-individual level than adults' grasp selections, all children adjusted their grasps to the upcoming dial rotations. By contrast, in an also administered bar rotation task, only a subset of children adjusted their grasps to different bar rotations, thereby replicating previous results. The results indicate that 5- and 6-year-olds consistently use second-order planning in a dial rotation task, although this ability does not become apparent in bar rotation tasks. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Optical eye tracking system for real-time noninvasive tumor localization in external beam radiotherapy

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Via, Riccardo, E-mail: riccardo.via@polimi.it; Fassi, Aurora; Fattori, Giovanni

Purpose: External beam radiotherapy currently represents an important therapeutic strategy for the treatment of intraocular tumors. Accurate target localization and efficient compensation of involuntary eye movements are crucial to avoid deviations in dose distribution with respect to the treatment plan. This paper describes an eye tracking system (ETS) based on noninvasive infrared video imaging. The system was designed for capturing the tridimensional (3D) ocular motion and provides an on-line estimation of intraocular lesions position based on a priori knowledge coming from volumetric imaging. Methods: Eye tracking is performed by localizing cornea and pupil centers on stereo images captured by twomore » calibrated video cameras, exploiting eye reflections produced by infrared illumination. Additionally, torsional eye movements are detected by template matching in the iris region of eye images. This information allows estimating the 3D position and orientation of the eye by means of an eye local reference system. By combining ETS measurements with volumetric imaging for treatment planning [computed tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance (MR)], one is able to map the position of the lesion to be treated in local eye coordinates, thus enabling real-time tumor referencing during treatment setup and irradiation. Experimental tests on an eye phantom and seven healthy subjects were performed to assess ETS tracking accuracy. Results: Measurements on phantom showed an overall median accuracy within 0.16 mm and 0.40° for translations and rotations, respectively. Torsional movements were affected by 0.28° median uncertainty. On healthy subjects, the gaze direction error ranged between 0.19° and 0.82° at a median working distance of 29 cm. The median processing time of the eye tracking algorithm was 18.60 ms, thus allowing eye monitoring up to 50 Hz. Conclusions: A noninvasive ETS prototype was designed to perform real-time target localization and eye movement monitoring during ocular radiotherapy treatments. The device aims at improving state-of-the-art invasive procedures based on surgical implantation of radiopaque clips and repeated acquisition of X-ray images, with expected positive effects on treatment quality and patient outcome.« less

Optical eye tracking system for real-time noninvasive tumor localization in external beam radiotherapy.

PubMed

Via, Riccardo; Fassi, Aurora; Fattori, Giovanni; Fontana, Giulia; Pella, Andrea; Tagaste, Barbara; Riboldi, Marco; Ciocca, Mario; Orecchia, Roberto; Baroni, Guido

2015-05-01

External beam radiotherapy currently represents an important therapeutic strategy for the treatment of intraocular tumors. Accurate target localization and efficient compensation of involuntary eye movements are crucial to avoid deviations in dose distribution with respect to the treatment plan. This paper describes an eye tracking system (ETS) based on noninvasive infrared video imaging. The system was designed for capturing the tridimensional (3D) ocular motion and provides an on-line estimation of intraocular lesions position based on a priori knowledge coming from volumetric imaging. Eye tracking is performed by localizing cornea and pupil centers on stereo images captured by two calibrated video cameras, exploiting eye reflections produced by infrared illumination. Additionally, torsional eye movements are detected by template matching in the iris region of eye images. This information allows estimating the 3D position and orientation of the eye by means of an eye local reference system. By combining ETS measurements with volumetric imaging for treatment planning [computed tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance (MR)], one is able to map the position of the lesion to be treated in local eye coordinates, thus enabling real-time tumor referencing during treatment setup and irradiation. Experimental tests on an eye phantom and seven healthy subjects were performed to assess ETS tracking accuracy. Measurements on phantom showed an overall median accuracy within 0.16 mm and 0.40° for translations and rotations, respectively. Torsional movements were affected by 0.28° median uncertainty. On healthy subjects, the gaze direction error ranged between 0.19° and 0.82° at a median working distance of 29 cm. The median processing time of the eye tracking algorithm was 18.60 ms, thus allowing eye monitoring up to 50 Hz. A noninvasive ETS prototype was designed to perform real-time target localization and eye movement monitoring during ocular radiotherapy treatments. The device aims at improving state-of-the-art invasive procedures based on surgical implantation of radiopaque clips and repeated acquisition of X-ray images, with expected positive effects on treatment quality and patient outcome.

Influence of Eye Movements, Auditory Perception, and Phonemic Awareness in the Reading Process

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Megino-Elvira, Laura; Martín-Lobo, Pilar; Vergara-Moragues, Esperanza

2016-01-01

The authors' aim was to analyze the relationship of eye movements, auditory perception, and phonemic awareness with the reading process. The instruments used were the King-Devick Test (saccade eye movements), the PAF test (auditory perception), the PFC (phonemic awareness), the PROLEC-R (lexical process), the Canals reading speed test, and the…

Using Eye Movements to Model the Sequence of Text-Picture Processing for Multimedia Comprehension

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mason, L.; Scheiter, K.; Tornatora, M. C.

2017-01-01

This study used eye movement modeling examples (EMME) to support students' integrative processing of verbal and graphical information during the reading of an illustrated text. EMME consists of a replay of eye movements of a model superimposed onto the materials that are processed for accomplishing the task. Specifically, the study investigated…

Chromosomes on the move: The educational and neurological advantages of using body movement to teach cellular division

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Baumwoll, Alma Aron

As education and neuroscience begin to merge, creating the new field of brain-based education, teachers are working to integrate scientific research into the classroom. While working to improve my own teaching, I developed a lesson plan to teach mitosis and meiosis through movement. My thesis reviews education theory and neuroscience to support using movement as a teaching tool in high-level, subject-based classrooms. I then outline my lesson plan and present my investigations of its effectiveness as demonstrated through short-term memory, long-term memory, and students' personal responses to the class. Two experiments were completed with biology lab sections at Northeastern University between 2009 and 2012; I taught my lesson to experimental groups while control groups learned through video-based lessons. The short-term study showed significant improvement in both the grades and enjoyment of the experimental groups. The long-term, retroactive study yielded no significant data, possibly due to weaknesses in the experimental design.

Reduced Motor Cortex Activity during Movement Preparation following a Period of Motor Skill Practice

PubMed Central

Wright, David J.; Holmes, Paul; Di Russo, Francesco; Loporto, Michela; Smith, Dave

2012-01-01

Experts in a skill produce movement-related cortical potentials (MRCPs) of smaller amplitude and later onset than novices. This may indicate that, following long-term training, experts require less effort to plan motor skill performance. However, no longitudinal evidence exists to support this claim. To address this, EEG was used to study the effect of motor skill training on cortical activity related to motor planning. Ten non-musicians took part in a 5-week training study learning to play guitar. At week 1, the MRCP was recorded from motor areas whilst participants played the G Major scale. Following a period of practice of the scale, the MRCP was recorded again at week 5. Results showed that the amplitude of the later pre-movement components were smaller at week 5 compared to week 1. This may indicate that, following training, less activity at motor cortex sites is involved in motor skill preparation. This supports claims for a more efficient motor preparation following motor skill training. PMID:23251647

Infections on the move: how transient phases of host movement influence disease spread

PubMed Central

Fenton, A.; Dell, A. I.

2017-01-01

Animal movement impacts the spread of human and wildlife diseases, and there is significant interest in understanding the role of migrations, biological invasions and other wildlife movements in spatial infection dynamics. However, the influence of processes acting on infections during transient phases of host movement is poorly understood. We propose a conceptual framework that explicitly considers infection dynamics during transient phases of host movement to better predict infection spread through spatial host networks. Accounting for host transient movement captures key processes that occur while hosts move between locations, which together determine the rate at which hosts spread infections through networks. We review theoretical and empirical studies of host movement and infection spread, highlighting the multiple factors that impact the infection status of hosts. We then outline characteristics of hosts, parasites and the environment that influence these dynamics. Recent technological advances provide disease ecologists unprecedented ability to track the fine-scale movement of organisms. These, in conjunction with experimental testing of the factors driving infection dynamics during host movement, can inform models of infection spread based on constituent biological processes. PMID:29263283

Achieving built-environment and active living goals through Music City Moves.

PubMed

Omishakin, Adetokunbo A; Carlat, Jennifer L; Hornsby, Shannon; Buck, Tracy

2009-12-01

Nashville, Tennessee, formed Music City Moves (MCM), an interdisciplinary, countywide partnership to implement its vision for the community: a metropolitan region where routine physical activity is a fundamental part of daily life for all residents. Music City Moves' main focus was the pursuit of changes in community planning policies to help shape Nashville's built environment and facilitate walking and bicycling. To complement this focus, MCM developed a suite of health programs to support physical activity in high-risk populations and a countywide promotional campaign designed to increase awareness and get people active through event participation. Nashville made considerable strides in improving policies and regulations related to building and site design to improve the built environment for pedestrians and cyclists, including passage of (1) specific plan zoning; (2) revised subdivision regulations that introduced a "walkable subdivision" option for developers; and (3) a community-character manual that will guide future land-use planning. Programs and promotions have increased awareness and participation, and the Tour de Nash bike/walk event showcases yearly changes in the built environment. Political leadership has been critical to MCM's success. Leadership of the partnership by the planning department facilitated regulatory changes in planning policies. Music City Moves has accelerated Nashville's movement to improve the built environment and encourage active living. The beneficial impact of policy changes will continue to be manifested in coming years; however, ongoing political support and education of stakeholders in the planning process will be necessary to ensure that planning policies are fully implemented.

Mechanical energy expenditures and movement efficiency in full body reaching movements.

PubMed

Sha, Daohang; France, Christopher R; Thomas, James S

2010-02-01

The effect of target location, speed, and handedness on the average total mechanical energy and movement efficiency is studied in 15 healthy subjects (7 males and 8 females with age 22.9 +/- 1.79 years old) performing full body reaching movements. The average total mechanical energy is measured as the time average of integration of joint power, potential energy, and kinetic energy respectively. Movement efficiency is calculated as the ratio of total kinetic energy to the total joint power and potential energy. Results show that speed and target location have significant effects on total mechanical energy and movement efficiency, but reaching hand only effects kinetic energy. From our findings we conclude that (1) efficiency in whole body reaching is dependent on whether the height of the body center of mass is raised or lowered during the task; (2) efficiency is increased as movement speed is increased, in part because of greater changes in potential energy; and (3) the CNS does not appear to use movement efficiency as a primary planning variable in full body reaching. It may be dependent on a combination of other factors or constraints.

SU-F-T-295: MLCs Performance and Patient-Specific IMRT QA Using Log File Analysis

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Osman, A; American University of Biuret Medical Center, Biuret; Maalej, N

2016-06-15

Purpose: To analyze the performance of the multi-leaf collimators (MLCs) from the log files recorded during the intensity modulated radiotherapy (IMRT) treatment and to construct the relative fluence maps and do the gamma analysis to compare the planned and executed MLCs movement. Methods: We developed a program to extract and analyze the data from dynamic log files (dynalog files) generated from sliding window IMRT delivery treatments. The program extracts the planned and executed (actual or delivered) MLCs movement, calculates and compares the relative planned and executed fluences. The fluence maps were used to perform the gamma analysis (with 3% dosemore » difference and 3 mm distance to agreement) for 3 IMR patients. We compared our gamma analysis results with those obtained from portal dose image prediction (PDIP) algorithm performed using the EPID. Results: For 3 different IMRT patient treatments, the maximum difference between the planned and the executed MCLs positions was 1.2 mm. The gamma analysis results of the planned and delivered fluences were in good agreement with the gamma analysis from portal dosimetry. The maximum difference for number of pixels passing the gamma criteria (3%/3mm) was 0.19% with respect to portal dosimetry results. Conclusion: MLC log files can be used to verify the performance of the MLCs. Patientspecific IMRT QA based on MLC movement log files gives similar results to EPID dosimetry results. This promising method for patient-specific IMRT QA is fast, does not require dose measurements in a phantom, can be done before the treatment and for every fraction, and significantly reduces the IMRT workload. The author would like to thank King Fahd University of petroleum and Minerals for the support.« less

Bulgarian Seismological and GPS/GNSS networks-current status and practical implementation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Solakov, Dimcho; Simeonova, Stela; Georgiev, Ivan; Dimitrova, Lilia; Slavcheva, Krasimira; Raykova, Plamena

2016-04-01

The scientific information is the latest and one of the best bedrock on which effective policy to combat and cope with natural disasters have to be built. Understanding, monitoring and information for future natural disasters are the way to assist the government and society. Different types of networks provide reliable information on various natural disasters. For example, one of the main priorities of the networks are directed to study seismicity of the Earth, its physical phenomena and fields - with an emphasis on tectonic movements and related risk processes, global changes, rotation and position of the Earth in space. Therefore seismological network using advanced electronic systems and digital seismographs transmission of signals from seismic stations to the centres and the registration, processing and archiving of information is carried out by a specialized computer system. Thus improve the monitoring and analysis of seismicity in the whole plan. Another type networks as permanent GPS/GNSS networks are associated with processing and data analysis, as well as monitoring of recent movements of the earth crust. In this study we focus on Seismological and GPS/GNSS networks on the territory in Bulgaria. At present NIGGG-BAS runs both Bulgarian seismological and GPS/GNSS networks. The Bulgarian seismological network - NOTSSI (National Operative Telemetric System for Seismological Information) was founded at the end of 1980. The network comprises today 15 permanent seismic stations spanning the entire territory of the country and two local net works that are deployed around the town of Provadia and Kozloduy Nuclear Power Plant in Bulgaria. Since 2005-2006, real-time data exchange between Bulgaria and Greece, Romania, Serbia, Macedonia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Austria and other regional and national seismological data centers was implemented. NIGGG, respectively NOTSSI, is responsible for rapid earthquake determination, public information trough media, and information of responsible governmental authorities if necessary urgent activities to be undertaken. The available infrastructure - permanent GNSS stations, spread all over the country allow performing permanent monitoring of the Earth's crust movements on the basis of the obtained velocities of the permanent stations and the time series with their coordinates. Additional information for the current movements is obtained by the processing and analysis of the regular GNSS measurements of geodynamic network. In the GNSS Analysis Center are acquired, processed and analyzed data from more than 70 permanent stations on Bulgarian territory. In the analysis are included also data from permanent stations on the Balkan Peninsula and from the European Permanent Network. Along with the seismological and geological information, the quantitative assessment of the movements of the Earth's crust is of the substantial importance for monitoring of the active tectonic structures and is the base for the seismic hazard assessment.

Dosimetric comparison of three intensity-modulated radiation therapies for left breast cancer after breast-conserving surgery.

PubMed

Zhang, Huai-Wen; Hu, Bo; Xie, Chen; Wang, Yun-Lai

2018-05-01

This study aimed to evaluate dosimetric differences of intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) in target and normal tissues after breast-conserving surgery. IMRT five-field plan I, IMRT six-field plan II, and field-in-field-direct machine parameter optimization-IMRT plan III were designed for each of the 50 patients. One-way analysis of variance was performed to compare differences, and P < 0.05 was considered statistically significant. Homogeneity index of plan III is lower than those of plans I and II. No difference was identified in conformity index of targets. Plan I exhibited difference in mean dose (D mean ) for the heart (P < 0.05). Plan I featured smaller irradiation dose volumes in V 5 , V 20 (P < 0.05) of the left lung than II. Plan I exhibited significantly higher V 5 in the right lung than plans II and III (P < 0.05). Under plan I, irradiation dose at V 5 in the right breast is higher than that in plans II and III. Patients in plan III presented less total monitor unit and total treatment time than those in plans I and II (P < 0.05). IMRT six-field plans II, and field-in-field-direct machine parameter optimization-IMRT plans III can reduce doses and volumes to the lungs and heart better while maintaining satisfying conformity index and homogeneity index of target. Nevertheless, plan II neglects target movements caused by respiration. In the same manner, plan III can substantially reduce MU and shorten patient treatment time. Therefore, plan III, which considers target movement caused by respiration, is a more practical radiation mode. © 2018 The Authors. Journal of Applied Clinical Medical Physics published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. on behalf of American Association of Physicists in Medicine.

49 CFR Appendix A to Part 238 - Schedule of Civil Penalties 1

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-10-01

....15Movement of power brake defects: (b) Improper movement from Class I or IA brake test 5,000 7,500 (c... required design features 5,000 7,500 (e) Failure to comply with hardware and software safety program 5,000... test previously used equipment 7,500 11,000 (b)(1) Failure to develop plan 7,500 11,000 (b)(2) Failure...

49 CFR Appendix A to Part 238 - Schedule of Civil Penalties 1

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

....15Movement of power brake defects: (b) Improper movement from Class I or IA brake test 5,000 7,500 (c... required design features 5,000 7,500 (e) Failure to comply with hardware and software safety program 5,000... test previously used equipment 7,500 11,000 (b)(1) Failure to develop plan 7,500 11,000 (b)(2) Failure...

49 CFR Appendix A to Part 238 - Schedule of Civil Penalties 1

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-10-01

... movement from Class I or IA brake test 5,000 7,500 (c) Improper movement of en route defect 2,500 5,000 (2...) Failure to include required design features 5,000 7,500 (e) Failure to comply with hardware and software... properly test previously used equipment 7,500 11,000 (b)(1) Failure to develop plan 7,500 11,000 (b)(2...

Postbreeding movements of the dark gopher frog, Rana sevosa goin and netting: Implications for conservation and management

Treesearch

Stephen C. Richter; Jeanne E. Young; Richard A. Seigal; Glen N. Johnson

2001-01-01

Conservation plans for amphibians often focus on activities at the breeding site, but for species that use temstrial habitats for much of the year, an understanding of nonbreeding habitat use is also essential. We used radio telemetry to study the postbreeding movements of individuals of the only known population of dark gopher frogs, Rana sevosa,...

The Douglas-fir seed-source movement trial yields early results

Treesearch

Constance A. Harrington; Brad St. Clair

2017-01-01

Climate change in the 21st century is likely to dramatically alter the growing conditions that Pacific Northwest tree species experience. It has been suggested that foresters plan for these changes by moving seed sources to locations where the seed-source environment and the future climate will be similar. Some people have called this type of seed-source movement “...

Kinematic decomposition and classification of octopus arm movements.

PubMed

Zelman, Ido; Titon, Myriam; Yekutieli, Yoram; Hanassy, Shlomi; Hochner, Binyamin; Flash, Tamar

2013-01-01

The octopus arm is a muscular hydrostat and due to its deformable and highly flexible structure it is capable of a rich repertoire of motor behaviors. Its motor control system uses planning principles and control strategies unique to muscular hydrostats. We previously reconstructed a data set of octopus arm movements from records of natural movements using a sequence of 3D curves describing the virtual backbone of arm configurations. Here we describe a novel representation of octopus arm movements in which a movement is characterized by a pair of surfaces that represent the curvature and torsion values of points along the arm as a function of time. This representation allowed us to explore whether the movements are built up of elementary kinematic units by decomposing each surface into a weighted combination of 2D Gaussian functions. The resulting Gaussian functions can be considered as motion primitives at the kinematic level of octopus arm movements. These can be used to examine underlying principles of movement generation. Here we used combination of such kinematic primitives to decompose different octopus arm movements and characterize several movement prototypes according to their composition. The representation and methodology can be applied to the movement of any organ which can be modeled by means of a continuous 3D curve.

Kinematic decomposition and classification of octopus arm movements

PubMed Central

Zelman, Ido; Titon, Myriam; Yekutieli, Yoram; Hanassy, Shlomi; Hochner, Binyamin; Flash, Tamar

2013-01-01

The octopus arm is a muscular hydrostat and due to its deformable and highly flexible structure it is capable of a rich repertoire of motor behaviors. Its motor control system uses planning principles and control strategies unique to muscular hydrostats. We previously reconstructed a data set of octopus arm movements from records of natural movements using a sequence of 3D curves describing the virtual backbone of arm configurations. Here we describe a novel representation of octopus arm movements in which a movement is characterized by a pair of surfaces that represent the curvature and torsion values of points along the arm as a function of time. This representation allowed us to explore whether the movements are built up of elementary kinematic units by decomposing each surface into a weighted combination of 2D Gaussian functions. The resulting Gaussian functions can be considered as motion primitives at the kinematic level of octopus arm movements. These can be used to examine underlying principles of movement generation. Here we used combination of such kinematic primitives to decompose different octopus arm movements and characterize several movement prototypes according to their composition. The representation and methodology can be applied to the movement of any organ which can be modeled by means of a continuous 3D curve. PMID:23745113

Environmental exposures and health impacts of PFAS ...

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

Environmental exposures and health impacts of PFAS The National Exposure Research Laboratory (NERL) Human Exposure and Atmospheric Sciences Division (HEASD) conducts research in support of EPA mission to protect human health and the environment. HEASD research program supports Goal 1 (Clean Air) and Goal 4 (Healthy People) of EPA strategic plan. More specifically, our division conducts research to characterize the movement of pollutants from the source to contact with humans. Our multidisciplinary research program produces Methods, Measurements, and Models to identify relationships between and characterize processes that link source emissions, environmental concentrations, human exposures, and target-tissue dose. The impact of these tools is improved regulatory programs and policies for EPA.

Movement-related cortical magnetic fields associated with self-paced tongue protrusion in humans.

PubMed

Maezawa, Hitoshi; Oguma, Hidetoshi; Hirai, Yoshiyuki; Hisadome, Kazunari; Shiraishi, Hideaki; Funahashi, Makoto

2017-04-01

Sophisticated tongue movements are coordinated finely via cortical control. We elucidated the cortical processes associated with voluntary tongue movement. Movement-related cortical fields were investigated during self-paced repetitive tongue protrusion. Surface tongue electromyograms were recorded to determine movement onset. To identify the location of the primary somatosensory cortex (S1), tongue somatosensory evoked fields were measured. The readiness fields (RFs) over both hemispheres began prior to movement onset and culminated in the motor fields (MFs) around movement onset. These signals were followed by transient movement evoked fields (MEFs) after movement onset. The MF and MEF peak latencies and magnitudes were not different between the hemispheres. The MF current sources were located in the precentral gyrus, suggesting they were located in the primary motor cortex (M1); this was contrary to the MEF sources, which were located in S1. We conclude that the RFs and MFs mainly reflect the cortical processes for the preparation and execution of tongue movement in the bilateral M1, without hemispheric dominance. Moreover, the MEFs may represent proprioceptive feedback from the tongue to bilateral S1. Such cortical processing related to the efferent and afferent information may aid in the coordination of sophisticated tongue movements. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ireland Ltd and Japan Neuroscience Society. All rights reserved.

Getting a grip on reality: Grasping movements directed to real objects and images rely on dissociable neural representations.

PubMed

Freud, Erez; Macdonald, Scott N; Chen, Juan; Quinlan, Derek J; Goodale, Melvyn A; Culham, Jody C

2018-01-01

In the current era of touchscreen technology, humans commonly execute visually guided actions directed to two-dimensional (2D) images of objects. Although real, three-dimensional (3D), objects and images of the same objects share high degree of visual similarity, they differ fundamentally in the actions that can be performed on them. Indeed, previous behavioral studies have suggested that simulated grasping of images relies on different representations than actual grasping of real 3D objects. Yet the neural underpinnings of this phenomena have not been investigated. Here we used functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to investigate how brain activation patterns differed for grasping and reaching actions directed toward real 3D objects compared to images. Multivoxel Pattern Analysis (MVPA) revealed that the left anterior intraparietal sulcus (aIPS), a key region for visually guided grasping, discriminates between both the format in which objects were presented (real/image) and the motor task performed on them (grasping/reaching). Interestingly, during action planning, the representations of real 3D objects versus images differed more for grasping movements than reaching movements, likely because grasping real 3D objects involves fine-grained planning and anticipation of the consequences of a real interaction. Importantly, this dissociation was evident in the planning phase, before movement initiation, and was not found in any other regions, including motor and somatosensory cortices. This suggests that the dissociable representations in the left aIPS were not based on haptic, motor or proprioceptive feedback. Together, these findings provide novel evidence that actions, particularly grasping, are affected by the realness of the target objects during planning, perhaps because real targets require a more elaborate forward model based on visual cues to predict the consequences of real manipulation. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

You Should be Dancin:! The Role of Performing Arts in the Lives of the Severely and Profoundly Handicapped.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Barringer, Mary Dean

The manual presents a program planning framework and teaching units for teaching dance and movement to severely and profoundly handicapped individuals. The planning framework contains four components: (1) aesthetic perception/multisensory integration; (2) creative expression; (3) dance heritage/historical and cultural; and (4) aesthetic…

Strategy: A Case Study of a Community College and the Dynamic Forces at Work in Its Environment

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

McDonald, Frances A.

2010-01-01

Past research on strategic planning has been confined largely to for-profit organizations; there is limited research on the strategic planning of nonprofit, public organizations such as institutions of higher education (IHEs), particularly nonprofit, public community colleges. Seminal scholars on strategy have associated social movements,…

Long-Range Planning--Finances. Higher Education.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ward, Robert C.

This paper presents views on long-range financial planning for public and private higher education. Emphasis is placed on a mix of revenue sources for future support and on key budgetary considerations such as faculty and non-academic wages, the rising cost of graduate education, and the community and junior college movement. A triple crisis is…

Linguistic Flexibility Modulates Speech Planning for Causative Motion Events: A Cross-Linguistic Study of Mandarin and English

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Zheng, Chun

2017-01-01

Producing a sensible utterance requires speakers to select conceptual content, lexical items, and syntactic structures almost instantaneously during speech planning. Each language offers its speakers flexibility in the selection of lexical and syntactic options to talk about the same scenarios involving movement. Languages also vary typologically…

Self Study Course for Adult 4-H Leaders.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Colorado State Univ., Ft. Collins. Human Factors Research Lab.

This self study programed text for training Four H Club leaders covers the value and the objectives of the Four H movement; basic principles of program planning; useful club meeting formats and guidelines for delegating authority; types of learning and examples of planned learning experiences; teaching methods and their objectives; growth and…

New social movements and political process: The politics of hydroelectric power in Switzerland

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lehmann, Luzia M.

This dissertation analyzes the mobilization and impact of the ecology movement mobilizing against and challenging hydroelectric power plants in the Alps. It argues that the political process model is the most fruitful framework for such a study, linking a political system's structural constraints and opportunities to movement action via organizational resources. The mobilization process resulting in movement impact is conceived as an interactive process among social movements, authorities, other opponents, and potential counter movements. The case study method is then used to analyze three action campaigns launched against hydro power plants in Graubunden since the 1970s: Ilanz I and II, Greina, and Curciusa. In terms of the movement's narrow goal of preventing a plant, Ilanz I and II is a failure, Greina a success, and Curciusa ambiguous. Yet the author defines movement impact more broadly, including procedural, reactive and proactive substantive impact, and structural impact, changes in the alliance/conflict system, and social learning. Based on the evidence from the case studies, these factors affect movement outcome positively: visibility in the media and framing the debate, adjusting the target level and movement repertoire to the opportunity structure and the spatial concentration of the issue, proactivity, and organizational resources with a well developed division of labor, internal communication, and a non-partisan alliance system at all levels. There are two main conceptual contributions. First, the author analyzes the political opportunity structure at all levels of the federal polity--the national, cantonal, and communal--as well as the interplay among the levels. The fact that the cantonal and communal levels exhibit more elements of closure than the national level helps explain differences in movements' organizational resources, movement repertoire, targeting of movement action, and thus movement impact. Second, the author develops the spatial concentration of the issue, a variable posited and confirmed to have an impact on mobilization and impact via organizational resources: characteristics of the geographical and political space pertaining to the contentious issue may add constraints to mobilization. The variable turns out to be a crucial part of the political process model in explaining the three action campaigns and their outcome.

The right look for the job: decoding cognitive processes involved in the task from spatial eye-movement patterns.

PubMed

Król, Magdalena Ewa; Król, Michał

2018-02-20

The aim of the study was not only to demonstrate whether eye-movement-based task decoding was possible but also to investigate whether eye-movement patterns can be used to identify cognitive processes behind the tasks. We compared eye-movement patterns elicited under different task conditions, with tasks differing systematically with regard to the types of cognitive processes involved in solving them. We used four tasks, differing along two dimensions: spatial (global vs. local) processing (Navon, Cognit Psychol, 9(3):353-383 1977) and semantic (deep vs. shallow) processing (Craik and Lockhart, J Verbal Learn Verbal Behav, 11(6):671-684 1972). We used eye-movement patterns obtained from two time periods: fixation cross preceding the target stimulus and the target stimulus. We found significant effects of both spatial and semantic processing, but in case of the latter, the effect might be an artefact of insufficient task control. We found above chance task classification accuracy for both time periods: 51.4% for the period of stimulus presentation and 34.8% for the period of fixation cross presentation. Therefore, we show that task can be to some extent decoded from the preparatory eye-movements before the stimulus is displayed. This suggests that anticipatory eye-movements reflect the visual scanning strategy employed for the task at hand. Finally, this study also demonstrates that decoding is possible even from very scant eye-movement data similar to Coco and Keller, J Vis 14(3):11-11 (2014). This means that task decoding is not limited to tasks that naturally take longer to perform and yield multi-second eye-movement recordings.

Model for the prediction of subsurface strata movement due to underground mining

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cheng, Jianwei; Liu, Fangyuan; Li, Siyuan

2017-12-01

The problem of ground control stability due to large underground mining operations is often associated with large movements and deformations of strata. It is a complicated problem, and can induce severe safety or environmental hazards either at the surface or in strata. Hence, knowing the subsurface strata movement characteristics, and making any subsidence predictions in advance, are desirable for mining engineers to estimate any damage likely to affect the ground surface or subsurface strata. Based on previous research findings, this paper broadly applies a surface subsidence prediction model based on the influence function method to subsurface strata, in order to predict subsurface stratum movement. A step-wise prediction model is proposed, to investigate the movement of underground strata. The model involves a dynamic iteration calculation process to derive the movements and deformations for each stratum layer; modifications to the influence method function are also made for more precise calculations. The critical subsidence parameters, incorporating stratum mechanical properties and the spatial relationship of interest at the mining level, are thoroughly considered, with the purpose of improving the reliability of input parameters. Such research efforts can be very helpful to mining engineers’ understanding of the moving behavior of all strata over underground excavations, and assist in making any damage mitigation plan. In order to check the reliability of the model, two methods are carried out and cross-validation applied. One is to use a borehole TV monitor recording to identify the progress of subsurface stratum bedding and caving in a coal mine, the other is to conduct physical modelling of the subsidence in underground strata. The results of these two methods are used to compare with theoretical results calculated by the proposed mathematical model. The testing results agree well with each other, and the acceptable accuracy and reliability of the proposed prediction model are thus validated.

Automatically Characterizing Sensory-Motor Patterns Underlying Reach-to-Grasp Movements on a Physical Depth Inversion Illusion.

PubMed

Nguyen, Jillian; Majmudar, Ushma V; Ravaliya, Jay H; Papathomas, Thomas V; Torres, Elizabeth B

2015-01-01

Recently, movement variability has been of great interest to motor control physiologists as it constitutes a physical, quantifiable form of sensory feedback to aid in planning, updating, and executing complex actions. In marked contrast, the psychological and psychiatric arenas mainly rely on verbal descriptions and interpretations of behavior via observation. Consequently, a large gap exists between the body's manifestations of mental states and their descriptions, creating a disembodied approach in the psychological and neural sciences: contributions of the peripheral nervous system to central control, executive functions, and decision-making processes are poorly understood. How do we shift from a psychological, theorizing approach to characterize complex behaviors more objectively? We introduce a novel, objective, statistical framework, and visuomotor control paradigm to help characterize the stochastic signatures of minute fluctuations in overt movements during a visuomotor task. We also quantify a new class of covert movements that spontaneously occur without instruction. These are largely beneath awareness, but inevitably present in all behaviors. The inclusion of these motions in our analyses introduces a new paradigm in sensory-motor integration. As it turns out, these movements, often overlooked as motor noise, contain valuable information that contributes to the emergence of different kinesthetic percepts. We apply these new methods to help better understand perception-action loops. To investigate how perceptual inputs affect reach behavior, we use a depth inversion illusion (DII): the same physical stimulus produces two distinct depth percepts that are nearly orthogonal, enabling a robust comparison of competing percepts. We find that the moment-by-moment empirically estimated motor output variability can inform us of the participants' perceptual states, detecting physiologically relevant signals from the peripheral nervous system that reveal internal mental states evoked by the bi-stable illusion. Our work proposes a new statistical platform to objectively separate changes in visual perception by quantifying the unfolding of movement, emphasizing the importance of including in the motion analyses all overt and covert aspects of motor behavior.

Bicycling and Walking are Associated with Different Cortical Oscillatory Dynamics

PubMed Central

Storzer, Lena; Butz, Markus; Hirschmann, Jan; Abbasi, Omid; Gratkowski, Maciej; Saupe, Dietmar; Schnitzler, Alfons; Dalal, Sarang S.

2016-01-01

Although bicycling and walking involve similar complex coordinated movements, surprisingly Parkinson’s patients with freezing of gait typically remain able to bicycle despite severe difficulties in walking. This observation suggests functional differences in the motor networks subserving bicycling and walking. However, a direct comparison of brain activity related to bicycling and walking has never been performed, neither in healthy participants nor in patients. Such a comparison could potentially help elucidating the cortical involvement in motor control and the mechanisms through which bicycling ability may be preserved in patients with freezing of gait. The aim of this study was to contrast the cortical oscillatory dynamics involved in bicycling and walking in healthy participants. To this end, EEG and EMG data of 14 healthy participants were analyzed, who cycled on a stationary bicycle at a slow cadence of 40 revolutions per minute (rpm) and walked at 40 strides per minute (spm), respectively. Relative to walking, bicycling was associated with a stronger power decrease in the high beta band (23–35 Hz) during movement initiation and execution, followed by a stronger beta power increase after movement termination. Walking, on the other hand, was characterized by a stronger and persisting alpha power (8–12 Hz) decrease. Both bicycling and walking exhibited movement cycle-dependent power modulation in the 24–40 Hz range that was correlated with EMG activity. This modulation was significantly stronger in walking. The present findings reveal differential cortical oscillatory dynamics in motor control for two types of complex coordinated motor behavior, i.e., bicycling and walking. Bicycling was associated with a stronger sustained cortical activation as indicated by the stronger high beta power decrease during movement execution and less cortical motor control within the movement cycle. We speculate this to be due to the more continuous nature of bicycling demanding less phase-dependent sensory processing and motor planning, as opposed to walking. PMID:26924977

Methods and computer executable instructions for rapidly calculating simulated particle transport through geometrically modeled treatment volumes having uniform volume elements for use in radiotherapy

DOEpatents

Frandsen, Michael W.; Wessol, Daniel E.; Wheeler, Floyd J.

2001-01-16

Methods and computer executable instructions are disclosed for ultimately developing a dosimetry plan for a treatment volume targeted for irradiation during cancer therapy. The dosimetry plan is available in "real-time" which especially enhances clinical use for in vivo applications. The real-time is achieved because of the novel geometric model constructed for the planned treatment volume which, in turn, allows for rapid calculations to be performed for simulated movements of particles along particle tracks there through. The particles are exemplary representations of neutrons emanating from a neutron source during BNCT. In a preferred embodiment, a medical image having a plurality of pixels of information representative of a treatment volume is obtained. The pixels are: (i) converted into a plurality of substantially uniform volume elements having substantially the same shape and volume of the pixels; and (ii) arranged into a geometric model of the treatment volume. An anatomical material associated with each uniform volume element is defined and stored. Thereafter, a movement of a particle along a particle track is defined through the geometric model along a primary direction of movement that begins in a starting element of the uniform volume elements and traverses to a next element of the uniform volume elements. The particle movement along the particle track is effectuated in integer based increments along the primary direction of movement until a position of intersection occurs that represents a condition where the anatomical material of the next element is substantially different from the anatomical material of the starting element. This position of intersection is then useful for indicating whether a neutron has been captured, scattered or exited from the geometric model. From this intersection, a distribution of radiation doses can be computed for use in the cancer therapy. The foregoing represents an advance in computational times by multiple factors of time magnitudes.

Quantifying drivers of wild pig movement across multiple spatial and temporal scales

USGS Publications Warehouse

Kay, Shannon L.; Fischer, Justin W.; Monaghan, Andrew J.; Beasley, James C; Boughton, Raoul; Campbell, Tyler A; Cooper, Susan M; Ditchkoff, Stephen S.; Hartley, Stephen B.; Kilgo, John C; Wisely, Samantha M; Wyckoff, A Christy; Vercauteren, Kurt C.; Pipen, Kim M

2017-01-01

The analytical framework we present can be used to assess movement patterns arising from multiple data sources for a range of species while accounting for spatio-temporal correlations. Our analyses show the magnitude by which reaction norms can change based on the temporal scale of response data, illustrating the importance of appropriately defining temporal scales of both the movement response and covariates depending on the intended implications of research (e.g., predicting effects of movement due to climate change versus planning local-scale management). We argue that consideration of multiple spatial scales within the same framework (rather than comparing across separate studies post-hoc) gives a more accurate quantification of cross-scale spatial effects by appropriately accounting for error correlation.

Neural network connectivity differences in children who stutter

PubMed Central

Zhu, David C.

2013-01-01

Affecting 1% of the general population, stuttering impairs the normally effortless process of speech production, which requires precise coordination of sequential movement occurring among the articulatory, respiratory, and resonance systems, all within millisecond time scales. Those afflicted experience frequent disfluencies during ongoing speech, often leading to negative psychosocial consequences. The aetiology of stuttering remains unclear; compared to other neurodevelopmental disorders, few studies to date have examined the neural bases of childhood stuttering. Here we report, for the first time, results from functional (resting state functional magnetic resonance imaging) and structural connectivity analyses (probabilistic tractography) of multimodal neuroimaging data examining neural networks in children who stutter. We examined how synchronized brain activity occurring among brain areas associated with speech production, and white matter tracts that interconnect them, differ in young children who stutter (aged 3–9 years) compared with age-matched peers. Results showed that children who stutter have attenuated connectivity in neural networks that support timing of self-paced movement control. The results suggest that auditory-motor and basal ganglia-thalamocortical networks develop differently in stuttering children, which may in turn affect speech planning and execution processes needed to achieve fluent speech motor control. These results provide important initial evidence of neurological differences in the early phases of symptom onset in children who stutter. PMID:24131593

Development of the joint munitions planning system - a planning tool for the ammunition community.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Hummel, J. R.; Winiecki, A. L.; Fowler, R. S.

2004-10-01

The United States Army Joint Munitions Command (JMC) is the executive agent for the Single Manager for Conventional Ammunition (SMCA). As such the JMC is responsible for the storage and transportation of all Service's SMCA as well as non-SMCA munitions. Part of the JMC mission requires that complex depot capacity studies, transportation capabilities analyses, peacetime re-allocations/ redistribution plans and time-phased deployment distribution plans be developed. Beginning in 1999 the Joint Munitions Planning System (JMPS) was developed to provide sourcing and movement solutions of ammunition for military planners.

Assessment selection in human-automation interaction studies: The Failure-GAM2E and review of assessment methods for highly automated driving.

PubMed

Grane, Camilla

2018-01-01

Highly automated driving will change driver's behavioural patterns. Traditional methods used for assessing manual driving will only be applicable for the parts of human-automation interaction where the driver intervenes such as in hand-over and take-over situations. Therefore, driver behaviour assessment will need to adapt to the new driving scenarios. This paper aims at simplifying the process of selecting appropriate assessment methods. Thirty-five papers were reviewed to examine potential and relevant methods. The review showed that many studies still relies on traditional driving assessment methods. A new method, the Failure-GAM 2 E model, with purpose to aid assessment selection when planning a study, is proposed and exemplified in the paper. Failure-GAM 2 E includes a systematic step-by-step procedure defining the situation, failures (Failure), goals (G), actions (A), subjective methods (M), objective methods (M) and equipment (E). The use of Failure-GAM 2 E in a study example resulted in a well-reasoned assessment plan, a new way of measuring trust through feet movements and a proposed Optimal Risk Management Model. Failure-GAM 2 E and the Optimal Risk Management Model are believed to support the planning process for research studies in the field of human-automation interaction. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Moving objects with clumsy fingers: how predictive is grip force control in patients with impaired manual sensibility?

PubMed

Nowak, Dennis A; Hermsdörfer, Joachim; Marquardt, Christian; Topka, Helge

2003-03-01

Anticipatory grip force adjustments to movement-induced load fluctuations of a hand-held object suggest that motion planning is based on an internal forward model of both the external object properties and the dynamics of the own motor apparatus. However, the central nervous system also refers to real time sensory feedback from the grasping digits in order to achieve a highly economical coupling between grip force and the actual loading requirements. We analyzed grip force control during vertical point-to-point arm movements with a hand-held instrumented object in 9 patients with moderately impaired tactile sensibility of the grasping digits due to chronic median nerve compression (n = 3), axonal (n = 3) and demyelinating sensory polyneuropathy (n = 3) in comparison to 9 healthy age- and sex-matched control subjects. Point-to-point arm movements started and ended with the object being held stationary at rest. Load force changes arose from inertial loads related to the movement. A maximum of load force occurred early in upward and near the end of downward movements. Compared to healthy controls, patients with impaired manual sensibility generated similar static grip forces during stationary holding of the object and similar force ratios between maximum grip and load force. These findings reflect effective grip force scaling in relation to the movement-induced loads despite reduced afferent feedback from the grasping digits. For both groups the maxima of grip and load force coincided very closely in time, indicating that the temporal regulation of the grip force profile with the load profile was processed with a similar high precision. In addition, linear regression analyses between grip and load forces during movement-related load increase and load decrease phases revealed a similar precise temporo-spatial coupling between grip and load forces for patients and controls. Our results suggest that the precise and anticipatory adjustment of the grip force profile to the load force profile arising from voluntary arm movements with a hand-held object is centrally mediated and less under sensory feedback control. As suggested by previous investigations, the efficient scaling of the grip force magnitude in relation to the movement-induced loads may be intact when deficits of tactile sensibility from the grasping fingers are moderate.

From intentions to actions: Neural oscillations encode motor processes through phase, amplitude and phase-amplitude coupling.

PubMed

Combrisson, Etienne; Perrone-Bertolotti, Marcela; Soto, Juan Lp; Alamian, Golnoush; Kahane, Philippe; Lachaux, Jean-Philippe; Guillot, Aymeric; Jerbi, Karim

2017-02-15

Goal-directed motor behavior is associated with changes in patterns of rhythmic neuronal activity across widely distributed brain areas. In particular, movement initiation and execution are mediated by patterns of synchronization and desynchronization that occur concurrently across distinct frequency bands and across multiple motor cortical areas. To date, motor-related local oscillatory modulations have been predominantly examined by quantifying increases or suppressions in spectral power. However, beyond signal power, spectral properties such as phase and phase-amplitude coupling (PAC) have also been shown to carry information with regards to the oscillatory dynamics underlying motor processes. Yet, the distinct functional roles of phase, amplitude and PAC across the planning and execution of goal-directed motor behavior remain largely elusive. Here, we address this question with unprecedented resolution thanks to multi-site intracerebral EEG recordings in human subjects while they performed a delayed motor task. To compare the roles of phase, amplitude and PAC, we monitored intracranial brain signals from 748 sites across six medically intractable epilepsy patients at movement execution, and during the delay period where motor intention is present but execution is withheld. In particular, we used a machine-learning framework to identify the key contributions of various neuronal responses. We found a high degree of overlap between brain network patterns observed during planning and those present during execution. Prominent amplitude increases in the delta (2-4Hz) and high gamma (60-200Hz) bands were observed during both planning and execution. In contrast, motor alpha (8-13Hz) and beta (13-30Hz) power were suppressed during execution, but enhanced during the delay period. Interestingly, single-trial classification revealed that low-frequency phase information, rather than spectral power change, was the most discriminant feature in dissociating action from intention. Additionally, despite providing weaker decoding, PAC features led to statistically significant classification of motor states, particularly in anterior cingulate cortex and premotor brain areas. These results advance our understanding of the distinct and partly overlapping involvement of phase, amplitude and the coupling between them, in the neuronal mechanisms underlying motor intentions and executions. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Controlling Rapid Change Through Systems Engineering the Organization

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hihn, Jairus; Wheeler, Rebecca; Zak, Haya

2000-01-01

A new approach to change management has been developed and applied at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL). It's main focus is on aligning the organization with the strategic plan; and understanding the internal organizational relationships that impact change, which ultimately determine an organizations ability to be transformed and renewed The new approach regards the strategic plan of a company as the standard by which progress and achievement are measured. Purposeful interventions should generate a company movement along a strategic course, and tracking that movement is essential for managing change. This paper presents an overview of DYNOMO, or the DYNamic Organizational MOdel which was developed to assist in the measurement and analysis of organizational state. The paper concludes with summaries of two applications.

Rhythmic neural activity indicates the contribution of attention and memory to the processing of occluded movements in 10-month-old infants.

PubMed

Bache, Cathleen; Kopp, Franziska; Springer, Anne; Stadler, Waltraud; Lindenberger, Ulman; Werkle-Bergner, Markus

2015-11-01

Infants possess the remarkable capacity to perceive occluded movements as ongoing and coherent. Little is known about the neural mechanisms that enable internal representation of conspecifics' and inanimate objects' movements during visual occlusion. In this study, 10-month-old infants watched briefly occluded human and object movements. Prior to occlusion, continuous and distorted versions of the movement were shown. EEG recordings were used to assess neural activity assumed to relate to processes of attention (occipital alpha), memory (frontal theta), and sensorimotor simulation (central alpha) before, during, and after occlusion. Oscillatory activity was analyzed using an individualized data approach taking idiosyncrasies into account. Results for occipital alpha were consistent with infants' preference for attending to social stimuli. Furthermore, frontal theta activity was more pronounced when tracking distorted as opposed to continuous movement, and when maintaining object as opposed to human movement. Central alpha did not discriminate between experimental conditions. In sum, we conclude that observing occluded movements recruits processes of attention and memory which are modulated by stimulus and movement properties. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

The effect of respiratory motion on pulmonary nodule location during electromagnetic navigation bronchoscopy.

PubMed

Chen, Alexander; Pastis, Nicholas; Furukawa, Brian; Silvestri, Gerard A

2015-05-01

Electromagnetic navigation has improved the diagnostic yield of peripheral bronchoscopy for pulmonary nodules. For these procedures, a thin-slice chest CT scan is performed prior to bronchoscopy at full inspiration and is used to create virtual airway reconstructions that are used as a map during bronchoscopy. Movement of the lung occurs with respiratory variation during bronchoscopy, and the location of pulmonary nodules during procedures may differ significantly from their location on the initial planning full-inspiratory chest CT scan. This study was performed to quantify pulmonary nodule movement from full inspiration to end-exhalation during tidal volume breathing in patients undergoing electromagnetic navigation procedures. A retrospective review of electromagnetic navigation procedures was performed for which two preprocedure CT scans were performed prior to bronchoscopy. One CT scan was performed at full inspiration, and a second CT scan was performed at end-exhalation during tidal volume breathing. Pulmonary lesions were identified on both CT scans, and distances between positions were recorded. Eighty-five pulmonary lesions were identified in 46 patients. Average motion of all pulmonary lesions was 17.6 mm. Pulmonary lesions located in the lower lobes moved significantly more than upper lobe nodules. Size and distance from the pleura did not significantly impact movement. Significant movement of pulmonary lesions occurs between full inspiration and end-exhalation during tidal volume breathing. This movement from full inspiration on planning chest CT scan to tidal volume breathing during bronchoscopy may significantly affect the diagnostic yield of electromagnetic navigation bronchoscopy procedures.

Mortality, movement and behaviour of native mussels during a planned water-level drawdown in the Upper Mississippi River

USGS Publications Warehouse

Newton, Teresa J.; Zigler, Steven J.; Gray, Brian R.

2015-01-01

Collectively, these data suggest that drawdowns can influence the mortality, movement and behaviour of mussels in the UMR. However, more information on spatial and temporal distributions of mussels is needed to better understand the magnitude of these effects. Results from this study are being used by resource managers to better evaluate the effects of this management tool on native mussel assemblages.

SPATIAL AND TEMPORAL PATTERNS OF THE MOVEMENT OF SEASONAL AGRICULTURAL MIGRANT CHILDREN INTO WISCONSIN, EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMS FOR CHILDREN OF MIGRATORY AGRICULTURAL WORKERS IN WISCONSIN, REPORT 2.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

LINDSEY, HERBERT H.; AND OTHERS

USEFUL MEANS OF ANTICIPATING THE MOVEMENTS OF MIGRANT CHILDREN INCLUDE ANALYSIS OF CROPS, THE HARVESTING OF WHICH REQUIRES OUT-OF-STATE WORKERS, DISTRIBUTIONAL MAPS OF CROP ACREAGE, NORMAL TIME SCHEDULES FOR CROPS, AND INFORMATION ON AGRICULTURAL DEVELOPMENTS. SUCH INFORMATION ASSISTS IN THE PLANNING OF SCHOOL PROGRAMS. IN WISCONSIN, MOST MIGRANT…

Evidence for Healthy Cities: reflections on practice, method and theory.

PubMed

de Leeuw, Evelyne

2009-11-01

The European Healthy Cities project can be characterized as a social movement that employs an extremely wide range of political, social and behavioural interventions for the development and sustenance of urban population health. At all of these levels, the movement is inspired by ideological, theoretical and evidence-based perspectives. The result of this stance is a dynamic, complex and diverse landscape of initiatives, plans, programmes and actions. In quantitative terms (the number of WHO designated cities and associated cities and communities through national networks), 'Healthy Cities' can be regarded as an extraordinary accomplishment and a credit for both WHO and cities in the movement. In qualitative terms, however, critics of the movement have maintained that little evidence on its success and effectiveness has been generated. This critique finds its foundations in the mere perceptions of evidence, the politics of science and urban governance, and perspectives on the preferred or professed utilities of evidence-based health notions. The article reviews the nature of evidence and its interface with politics and governance. Applying a conceptual framework combining insights from knowledge utilization theory, theoretical perspectives on (health) policy development, theory-based evaluations and planned intervention approaches, it demonstrates that, although the evidence is overwhelming, there are barriers to the implementation of such evidence that should be further addressed by 'Healthy Cities'.

Surface Movement Incidents Reported to the NASA Aviation Safety Reporting System

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Connell, Linda J.; Hubener, Simone

1997-01-01

Increasing numbers of aircraft are operating on the surface of airports throughout the world. Airport operations are forecast to grow by more that 50%, by the year 2005. Airport surface movement traffic would therefore be expected to become increasingly congested. Safety of these surface operations will become a focus as airport capacity planning efforts proceed toward the future. Several past events highlight the prevailing risks experienced while moving aircraft during ground operations on runways, taxiways, and other areas at terminal, gates, and ramps. The 1994 St. Louis accident between a taxiing Cessna crossing an active runway and colliding with a landing MD-80 emphasizes the importance of a fail-safe system for airport operations. The following study explores reports of incidents occurring on an airport surface that did not escalate to an accident event. The Aviation Safety Reporting System has collected data on surface movement incidents since 1976. This study sampled the reporting data from June, 1993 through June, 1994. The coding of the data was accomplished in several categories. The categories include location of airport, phase of ground operation, weather /lighting conditions, ground conflicts, flight crew characteristics, human factor considerations, and airport environment. These comparisons and distributions of variables contributing to surface movement incidents can be invaluable to future airport planning, accident prevention efforts, and system-wide improvements.

Motor planning of goal-directed action is tuned by the emotional valence of the stimulus: a kinematic study.

PubMed

Esteves, P O; Oliveira, L A S; Nogueira-Campos, A A; Saunier, G; Pozzo, T; Oliveira, J M; Rodrigues, E C; Volchan, E; Vargas, C D

2016-07-01

The basic underpinnings of homeostatic behavior include interacting with positive items and avoiding negative ones. As the planning aspects of goal-directed actions can be inferred from their movement features, we investigated the kinematics of interacting with emotion-laden stimuli. Participants were instructed to grasp emotion-laden stimuli and bring them toward their bodies while the kinematics of their wrist movement was measured. The results showed that the time to peak velocity increased for bringing pleasant stimuli towards the body compared to unpleasant and neutral ones, suggesting higher easiness in undertaking the task with pleasant stimuli. Furthermore, bringing unpleasant stimuli towards the body increased movement time in comparison with both pleasant and neutral ones while the time to peak velocity for unpleasant stimuli was the same as for that of neutral stimuli. There was no change in the trajectory length among emotional categories. We conclude that during the "reach-to-grasp" and "bring-to-the-body" movements, the valence of the stimuli affects the temporal but not the spatial kinematic features of motion. To the best of our knowledge, we show for the first time that the kinematic features of a goal-directed action are tuned by the emotional valence of the stimuli.

Moving the eye of the beholder. Motor components in vision determine aesthetic preference.

PubMed

Topolinski, Sascha

2010-09-01

Perception entails not only sensory input (e.g., merely seeing), but also subsidiary motor processes (e.g., moving the eyes); such processes have been neglected in research on aesthetic preferences. To fill this gap, the present research manipulated the fluency of perceptual motor processes independently from sensory input and predicted that this increased fluency would result in increased aesthetic preference for stimulus movements that elicited the same motor movements as had been previously trained. Specifically, addressing the muscles that move the eyes, I trained participants to follow a stimulus movement without actually seeing it. Experiment 1 demonstrated that ocular-muscle training resulted in the predicted increase in preference for trained stimulus movements compared with untrained stimulus movements, although participants had not previously seen any of the movements. Experiments 2 and 3 showed that actual motor matching and not perceptual similarity drove this effect. Thus, beauty may be not only in the eye of the beholder, but also in the eyes' movements.

Capture and culture: organizational identity in New York Blue Cross.

PubMed

Brown, L D

1991-01-01

This article explores the changing corporate culture of New York's Blue Cross and Blue Shield plan in its first fifty years. As the plan grew, corporate culture evolved over four sequential phases: the plan first had the character of an experiment, then that of a movement, a business, and, most recently, a corporate agglomerate. Accompanying this evolution has been an identity crisis, as the need to adapt to a turbulent environment has challenged the plan's settled understanding of its core values, namely, voluntarism, community, and cooperation.

OpenSim: open-source software to create and analyze dynamic simulations of movement.

PubMed

Delp, Scott L; Anderson, Frank C; Arnold, Allison S; Loan, Peter; Habib, Ayman; John, Chand T; Guendelman, Eran; Thelen, Darryl G

2007-11-01

Dynamic simulations of movement allow one to study neuromuscular coordination, analyze athletic performance, and estimate internal loading of the musculoskeletal system. Simulations can also be used to identify the sources of pathological movement and establish a scientific basis for treatment planning. We have developed a freely available, open-source software system (OpenSim) that lets users develop models of musculoskeletal structures and create dynamic simulations of a wide variety of movements. We are using this system to simulate the dynamics of individuals with pathological gait and to explore the biomechanical effects of treatments. OpenSim provides a platform on which the biomechanics community can build a library of simulations that can be exchanged, tested, analyzed, and improved through a multi-institutional collaboration. Developing software that enables a concerted effort from many investigators poses technical and sociological challenges. Meeting those challenges will accelerate the discovery of principles that govern movement control and improve treatments for individuals with movement pathologies.

Can we identify others' intentions from seeing their movements? Comment on "Seeing mental states: An experimental strategy for measuring the observability of other minds" by Cristina Becchio et al.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Curioni, Arianna; Sebanz, Natalie; Knoblich, Günther

2018-03-01

In their review, Becchio and colleagues describe the 'unobservability principle' and the 'direct social perception thesis' as two competing accounts of how people identify others' intentions [4]. The former treats intentions as private information that is hidden within individual minds. The latter treats intentions as public information that can be directly perceived from observed movements. The authors propose a new method for quantifying cues to intention from human movement, providing support for the 'direct social perception thesis' in the domain of instrumental actions. Without doubt this new approach is valuable in establishing whether there is a dissociation between the presence of movement cues in the perceptual input and people's ability to make use of these cues for identifying intentions. It is also valuable in identifying movement parameters that could be crucial for improving the planning of instrumental actions in robotic agents so that their movements become better identifiable for human observers.

Perspectives on classical controversies about the motor cortex.

PubMed

Omrani, Mohsen; Kaufman, Matthew T; Hatsopoulos, Nicholas G; Cheney, Paul D

2017-09-01

Primary motor cortex has been studied for more than a century, yet a consensus on its functional contribution to movement control is still out of reach. In particular, there remains controversy as to the level of control produced by motor cortex ("low-level" movement dynamics vs. "high-level" movement kinematics) and the role of sensory feedback. In this review, we present different perspectives on the two following questions: What does activity in motor cortex reflect? and How do planned motor commands interact with incoming sensory feedback during movement? The four authors each present their independent views on how they think the primary motor cortex (M1) controls movement. At the end, we present a dialogue in which the authors synthesize their views and suggest possibilities for moving the field forward. While there is not yet a consensus on the role of M1 or sensory feedback in the control of upper limb movements, such dialogues are essential to take us closer to one. Copyright © 2017 the American Physiological Society.

Perception of object trajectory: parsing retinal motion into self and object movement components.

PubMed

Warren, Paul A; Rushton, Simon K

2007-08-16

A moving observer needs to be able to estimate the trajectory of other objects moving in the scene. Without the ability to do so, it would be difficult to avoid obstacles or catch a ball. We hypothesized that neural mechanisms sensitive to the patterns of motion generated on the retina during self-movement (optic flow) play a key role in this process, "parsing" motion due to self-movement from that due to object movement. We investigated this "flow parsing" hypothesis by measuring the perceived trajectory of a moving probe placed within a flow field that was consistent with movement of the observer. In the first experiment, the flow field was consistent with an eye rotation; in the second experiment, it was consistent with a lateral translation of the eyes. We manipulated the distance of the probe in both experiments and assessed the consequences. As predicted by the flow parsing hypothesis, manipulating the distance of the probe had differing effects on the perceived trajectory of the probe in the two experiments. The results were consistent with the scene geometry and the type of simulated self-movement. In a third experiment, we explored the contribution of local and global motion processing to the results of the first two experiments. The data suggest that the parsing process involves global motion processing, not just local motion contrast. The findings of this study support a role for optic flow processing in the perception of object movement during self-movement.

Pollen Processing Behavior of Heliconius Butterflies: A Derived Grooming Behavior

PubMed Central

Hikl, Anna-Laetitia; Krenn, Harald W.

2011-01-01

Pollen feeding behaviors Heliconius and Laparus (Lepidoptera: Nymphalidae) represent a key innovation that has shaped other life history traits of these neotropical butterflies. Although all flower visiting Lepidoptera regularly come in contact with pollen, only Heliconius and Laparus butterflies actively collect pollen with the proboscis and subsequently take up nutrients from the pollen grains. This study focused on the behavior of pollen processing and compared the movement patterns with proboscis grooming behavior in various nymphalid butterflies using video analysis. The proboscis movements of pollen processing behavior consisted of a lengthy series of repeated coiling and uncoiling movements in a loosely coiled proboscis position combined with up and down movements and the release of saliva. The proboscis-grooming behavior was triggered by contamination of the proboscis in both pollen feeding and non-pollen feeding nymphalid butterflies. Proboscis grooming movements included interrupted series of coiling and uncoiling movements, characteristic sideways movements, proboscis lifting, and occasionally full extension of the proboscis. Discharge of saliva was more pronounced in pollen feeding species than in non-pollen feeding butterfly species. We conclude that the pollen processing behavior of Heliconius and Laparus is a modified proboscis grooming behavior that originally served to clean the proboscis after contamination with particles. PMID:22208893

The role of beat gesture and pitch accent in semantic processing: an ERP study.

PubMed

Wang, Lin; Chu, Mingyuan

2013-11-01

The present study investigated whether and how beat gesture (small baton-like hand movements used to emphasize information in speech) influences semantic processing as well as its interaction with pitch accent during speech comprehension. Event-related potentials were recorded as participants watched videos of a person gesturing and speaking simultaneously. The critical words in the spoken sentences were accompanied by a beat gesture, a control hand movement, or no hand movement, and were expressed either with or without pitch accent. We found that both beat gesture and control hand movement induced smaller negativities in the N400 time window than when no hand movement was presented. The reduced N400s indicate that both beat gesture and control movement facilitated the semantic integration of the critical word into the sentence context. In addition, the words accompanied by beat gesture elicited smaller negativities in the N400 time window than those accompanied by control hand movement over right posterior electrodes, suggesting that beat gesture has a unique role for enhancing semantic processing during speech comprehension. Finally, no interaction was observed between beat gesture and pitch accent, indicating that they affect semantic processing independently. © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Movement ecology: size-specific behavioral response of an invasive snail to food availability.

PubMed

Snider, Sunny B; Gilliam, James F

2008-07-01

Immigration, emigration, migration, and redistribution describe processes that involve movement of individuals. These movements are an essential part of contemporary ecological models, and understanding how movement is affected by biotic and abiotic factors is important for effectively modeling ecological processes that depend on movement. We asked how phenotypic heterogeneity (body size) and environmental heterogeneity (food resource level) affect the movement behavior of an aquatic snail (Tarebia granifera), and whether including these phenotypic and environmental effects improves advection-diffusion models of movement. We postulated various elaborations of the basic advection diffusion model as a priori working hypotheses. To test our hypotheses we measured individual snail movements in experimental streams at high- and low-food resource treatments. Using these experimental movement data, we examined the dependency of model selection on resource level and body size using Akaike's Information Criterion (AIC). At low resources, large individuals moved faster than small individuals, producing a platykurtic movement distribution; including size dependency in the model improved model performance. In stark contrast, at high resources, individuals moved upstream together as a wave, and body size differences largely disappeared. The model selection exercise indicated that population heterogeneity is best described by the advection component of movement for this species, because the top-ranked model included size dependency in advection, but not diffusion. Also, all probable models included resource dependency. Thus population and environmental heterogeneities both influence individual movement behaviors and the population-level distribution kernels, and their interaction may drive variation in movement behaviors in terms of both advection rates and diffusion rates. A behaviorally informed modeling framework will integrate the sentient response of individuals in terms of movement and enhance our ability to accurately model ecological processes that depend on animal movement.

Modelling the Architecture of Phonetic Plans: Evidence from Apraxia of Speech

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ziegler, Wolfram

2009-01-01

In theories of spoken language production, the gestural code prescribing the movements of the speech organs is usually viewed as a linear string of holistic, encapsulated, hard-wired, phonetic plans, e.g., of the size of phonemes or syllables. Interactions between phonetic units on the surface of overt speech are commonly attributed to either the…

Demography: a tool for understanding the wildland-urban interface fire problems

Treesearch

James B. Davis

1989-01-01

Fire managers across the nation are confronting the rapidly developing problem created by movement of people into wildland areas, increasing what has been termed the wildland-urban interface. The problem is very complex from the standpoint of fire planning and management. To plan and manage more effectively, fire managers should identify three types of interface areas...

Movement Planning Reflects Skill Level and Age Changes in Toddlers

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Chen, Yu-ping; Keen, Rachel; Rosander, Kerstin; Von Hofsten, Claes

2010-01-01

Kinematic measures of children's reaching were found to reflect stable differences in skill level for planning for future actions. Thirty-five toddlers (18-21 months) were engaged in building block towers (precise task) and in placing blocks into an open container (imprecise task). Sixteen children were retested on the same tasks a year later.…

Grasping Motor Impairments in Autism: Not Action Planning but Movement Execution Is Deficient

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Stoit, Astrid M. B.; van Schie, Hein T.; Slaats-Willemse, Dorine I. E.; Buitelaar, Jan K.

2013-01-01

Different views on the origin of deficits in action chaining in autism spectrum disorders (ASD) have been posited, ranging from functional impairments in action planning to internal models supporting motor control. Thirty-one children and adolescents with ASD and twenty-nine matched controls participated in a two-choice reach-to-grasp paradigm…

Advances in graphonomics: studies on fine motor control, its development and disorders.

PubMed

Van Gemmert, Arend W A; Teulings, Hans-Leo

2006-10-01

During the past 20 years graphonomic research has become a major contributor to the understanding of human movement science. Graphonomic research investigates the relationship between the planning and generation of fine motor tasks, in particular, handwriting and drawing. Scientists in this field are at the forefront of using new paradigms to investigate human movement. The 16 articles in this special issue of Human Movement Science show that the field of graphonomics makes an important contribution to the understanding of fine motor control, motor development, and movement disorders. Topics discussed include writer's cramp, multiple sclerosis, Parkinson's disease, schizophrenia, drug-induced parkinsonism, dopamine depletion, dysgraphia, motor development, developmental coordination disorder, caffeine, alertness, arousal, sleep deprivation, visual feedback transformation and suppression, eye-hand coordination, pen grip, pen pressure, movement fluency, bimanual interference, dominant versus non-dominant hand, tracing, freehand drawing, spiral drawing, reading, typewriting, and automatic segmentation.

Anticipatory activity in primary motor cortex codes memorized movement sequences.

PubMed

Lu, Xiaofeng; Ashe, James

2005-03-24

Movement sequences, defined both by the component movements and by the serial order in which they are produced, are fundamental building blocks of motor behavior. The serial order of sequence production is strongly encoded in medial motor areas. It is not known to what extent sequences are further elaborated or encoded in primary motor cortex. Here, we describe cells in the primary motor cortex of the monkey that show anticipatory activity exclusively related to a specific memorized sequence of upcoming movements. In addition, the injection of muscimol, a GABA agonist, into motor cortex resulted in an increase in the error rate during sequence production, without concomitant effects on nonsequenced motor performance. Our results challenge the role of medial motor areas in the control of well-practiced movement sequences and suggest that motor cortex contains a complete apparatus for the planning and production of this complex behavior.

Remotely measuring populations during a crisis by overlaying two data sources

PubMed Central

Bharti, Nita; Lu, Xin; Bengtsson, Linus; Wetter, Erik; Tatem, Andrew J.

2015-01-01

Background Societal instability and crises can cause rapid, large-scale movements. These movements are poorly understood and difficult to measure but strongly impact health. Data on these movements are important for planning response efforts. We retrospectively analyzed movement patterns surrounding a 2010 humanitarian crisis caused by internal political conflict in Côte d'Ivoire using two different methods. Methods We used two remote measures, nighttime lights satellite imagery and anonymized mobile phone call detail records, to assess average population sizes as well as dynamic population changes. These data sources detect movements across different spatial and temporal scales. Results The two data sources showed strong agreement in average measures of population sizes. Because the spatiotemporal resolution of the data sources differed, we were able to obtain measurements on long- and short-term dynamic elements of populations at different points throughout the crisis. Conclusions Using complementary, remote data sources to measure movement shows promise for future use in humanitarian crises. We conclude with challenges of remotely measuring movement and provide suggestions for future research and methodological developments. PMID:25733558

Animal movement: Statistical models for telemetry data

USGS Publications Warehouse

Hooten, Mevin B.; Johnson, Devin S.; McClintock, Brett T.; Morales, Juan M.

2017-01-01

The study of animal movement has always been a key element in ecological science, because it is inherently linked to critical processes that scale from individuals to populations and communities to ecosystems. Rapid improvements in biotelemetry data collection and processing technology have given rise to a variety of statistical methods for characterizing animal movement. The book serves as a comprehensive reference for the types of statistical models used to study individual-based animal movement. 

A Surrogate Technique for Investigating Deterministic Dynamics in Discrete Human Movement.

PubMed

Taylor, Paul G; Small, Michael; Lee, Kwee-Yum; Landeo, Raul; O'Meara, Damien M; Millett, Emma L

2016-10-01

Entropy is an effective tool for investigation of human movement variability. However, before applying entropy, it can be beneficial to employ analyses to confirm that observed data are not solely the result of stochastic processes. This can be achieved by contrasting observed data with that produced using surrogate methods. Unlike continuous movement, no appropriate method has been applied to discrete human movement. This article proposes a novel surrogate method for discrete movement data, outlining the processes for determining its critical values. The proposed technique reliably generated surrogates for discrete joint angle time series, destroying fine-scale dynamics of the observed signal, while maintaining macro structural characteristics. Comparison of entropy estimates indicated observed signals had greater regularity than surrogates and were not only the result of stochastic but also deterministic processes. The proposed surrogate method is both a valid and reliable technique to investigate determinism in other discrete human movement time series.

Canadian 24-Hour Movement Guidelines for the Early Years (0-4 years): An Integration of Physical Activity, Sedentary Behaviour, and Sleep.

PubMed

Tremblay, Mark S; Chaput, Jean-Philippe; Adamo, Kristi B; Aubert, Salomé; Barnes, Joel D; Choquette, Louise; Duggan, Mary; Faulkner, Guy; Goldfield, Gary S; Gray, Casey E; Gruber, Reut; Janson, Katherine; Janssen, Ian; Janssen, Xanne; Jaramillo Garcia, Alejandra; Kuzik, Nicholas; LeBlanc, Claire; MacLean, Joanna; Okely, Anthony D; Poitras, Veronica J; Rayner, Mary-Ellen; Reilly, John J; Sampson, Margaret; Spence, John C; Timmons, Brian W; Carson, Valerie

2017-11-20

The Canadian Society for Exercise Physiology convened representatives of national organizations, research experts, methodologists, stakeholders, and end-users who followed rigorous and transparent guideline development procedures to create the Canadian 24-Hour Movement Guidelines for the Early Years (0-4 years): An Integration of Physical Activity, Sedentary Behaviour, and Sleep. These novel guidelines for children of the early years embrace the natural and intuitive integration of movement behaviours across the whole day (24-h period). The development process was guided by the Appraisal of Guidelines for Research and Evaluation (AGREE) II instrument. Four systematic reviews (physical activity, sedentary behaviour, sleep, combined behaviours) examining the relationships within and among movement behaviours and several health indicators were completed and interpreted by a Guideline Development Panel. The systematic reviews that were conducted to inform the development of the guidelines, and the framework that was applied to develop the recommendations, followed the Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development, and Evaluation (GRADE) methodology. Complementary compositional analyses were performed using data from the Canadian Health Measures Survey to examine the relationships between movement behaviours and indicators of adiposity. A review of the evidence on the cost effectiveness and resource use associated with the implementation of the proposed guidelines was also undertaken. A stakeholder survey (n = 546), 10 key informant interviews, and 14 focus groups (n = 92 participants) were completed to gather feedback on draft guidelines and their dissemination. The guidelines provide evidence-informed recommendations as to the combinations of light-, moderate- and vigorous-intensity physical activity, sedentary behaviours, and sleep that infants (<1 year), toddlers (1-2 years) and preschoolers (3-4 years) should achieve for a healthy day (24 h). Proactive dissemination, promotion, implementation, and evaluation plans were prepared to optimize uptake and activation of the new guidelines. These guidelines represent a sensible evolution of public health guidelines whereby optimal health is framed within the balance of movement behaviours across the whole day, while respecting preferences of end-users. Future research should consider the integrated relationships among movement behaviours, and similar integrated guidelines for other age groups should be developed.

Health plans keeping drug cost increases in check with programs that promote generics.

PubMed

2002-07-01

To counter the massive amount of drug company detailing and marketing that is partly responsible for driving up pharmaceutical costs, health plans and some independent practice associations are promoting the use of generics to physicians in their networks. While most physicians in capitated contracts don't directly benefit from the movement to encourage generics unless they have pharmacy risk, some health plans are paying physicians financial incentives to increase generic prescribing.

Characteristics of lesser prairie-chicken (Tympanuchus pallidicinctus) long-distance movements across their distribution

USGS Publications Warehouse

Earl, Julia E.; Fuhlendorf, Samuel D.; Haukos, David A.; Tanner, Ashley M.; Elmore, Dwayne; Carleton, Scott A.

2016-01-01

Long-distance movements are important adaptive behaviors that contribute to population, community, and ecosystem connectivity. However, researchers have a poor understanding of the characteristics of long-distance movements for most species. Here, we examined long-distance movements for the lesser prairie-chicken (Tympanuchus pallidicinctus), a species of conservation concern. We addressed the following questions: (1) At what distances could populations be connected? (2) What are the characteristics and probability of dispersal movements? (3) Do lesser prairie-chickens display exploratory and round-trip movements? (4) Do the characteristics of long-distance movements vary by site? Movements were examined from populations using satellite GPS transmitters across the entire distribution of the species in New Mexico, Oklahoma, Kansas, and Colorado. Dispersal movements were recorded up to 71 km net displacement, much farther than hitherto recorded. These distances suggest that there may be greater potential connectivity among populations than previously thought. Dispersal movements were displayed primarily by females and had a northerly directional bias. Dispersal probabilities ranged from 0.08 to 0.43 movements per year for both sexes combined, although these movements averaged only 16 km net displacement. Lesser prairie-chickens displayed both exploratory foray loops and round-trip movements. Half of round-trip movements appeared seasonal, suggesting a partial migration in some populations. None of the long-distance movements varied by study site. Data presented here will be important in parameterizing models assessing population viability and informing conservation planning, although further work is needed to identify landscape features that may reduce connectivity among populations.

Euromir 95 T4 experiment 'Human Posture in microgravity': global results and future perspectives.

PubMed

Pedrocchi, A; Baroni, G; Ferrigno, G; Massion, J; Pedotti, A

2002-07-01

After 7 years of studies on Euromir 95 T4 experiment 'Human Posture in microgravity' dataset, some important remarks can be proposed for best exploiting future experimental campaigns as well as for neurophysiological investigations on-ground. The main focus of such experiments was to monitor the process of learning and adapting to the new environment in performing complex voluntary movements. Euromir 95 was the first quantitative investigation with high technology instrumentation (ELITE-S) involving two subjects starting from 15 days after the launch until 5 months of mission. Results confirm the excellent capability of mutation of motor planning by the central nervous system (CNS) in order to best exploit environmental constraints and advantages. Under this view, the results offer a unique cue for improving the design of rehabilitation processes in motor pathologies.

Dynamic interactions between visual working memory and saccade target selection

PubMed Central

Schneegans, Sebastian; Spencer, John P.; Schöner, Gregor; Hwang, Seongmin; Hollingworth, Andrew

2014-01-01

Recent psychophysical experiments have shown that working memory for visual surface features interacts with saccadic motor planning, even in tasks where the saccade target is unambiguously specified by spatial cues. Specifically, a match between a memorized color and the color of either the designated target or a distractor stimulus influences saccade target selection, saccade amplitudes, and latencies in a systematic fashion. To elucidate these effects, we present a dynamic neural field model in combination with new experimental data. The model captures the neural processes underlying visual perception, working memory, and saccade planning relevant to the psychophysical experiment. It consists of a low-level visual sensory representation that interacts with two separate pathways: a spatial pathway implementing spatial attention and saccade generation, and a surface feature pathway implementing color working memory and feature attention. Due to bidirectional coupling between visual working memory and feature attention in the model, the working memory content can indirectly exert an effect on perceptual processing in the low-level sensory representation. This in turn biases saccadic movement planning in the spatial pathway, allowing the model to quantitatively reproduce the observed interaction effects. The continuous coupling between representations in the model also implies that modulation should be bidirectional, and model simulations provide specific predictions for complementary effects of saccade target selection on visual working memory. These predictions were empirically confirmed in a new experiment: Memory for a sample color was biased toward the color of a task-irrelevant saccade target object, demonstrating the bidirectional coupling between visual working memory and perceptual processing. PMID:25228628

Influence of Objective Three-Dimensional Measures and Movement Images on Surgeon Treatment Planning for Lip Revision Surgery

PubMed Central

Trotman, Carroll-Ann; Phillips, Ceib; Faraway, Julian J.; Hartman, Terry; van Aalst, John A.

2013-01-01

Objective To determine whether a systematic evaluation of facial soft tissues of patients with cleft lip and palate, using facial video images and objective three-dimensional measurements of movement, change surgeons’ treatment plans for lip revision surgery. Design Prospective longitudinal study. Setting The University of North Carolina School of Dentistry. Patients, Participants A group of patients with repaired cleft lip and palate (n = 21), a noncleft control group (n = 37), and surgeons experienced in cleft care. Interventions Lip revision. Main Outcome Measures (1) facial photographic images; (2) facial video images during animations; (3) objective three-dimensional measurements of upper lip movement based on z scores; and (4) objective dynamic and visual three-dimensional measurement of facial soft tissue movement. Results With the use of the video images plus objective three-dimensional measures, changes were made to the problem list of the surgical treatment plan for 86% of the patients (95% confidence interval, 0.64 to 0.97) and the surgical goals for 71% of the patients (95% confidence interval, 0.48 to 0.89). The surgeon group varied in the percentage of patients for whom the problem list was modified, ranging from 24% (95% confidence interval, 8% to 47%) to 48% (95% confidence interval, 26% to 70%) of patients, and the percentage for whom the surgical goals were modified, ranging from 14% (94% confidence interval, 3% to 36%) to 48% (95% confidence interval, 26% to 70%) of patients. Conclusions For all surgeons, the additional assessment components of the systematic valuation resulted in a change in clinical decision making for some patients. PMID:23855676

It's how you get there: walking down a virtual alley activates premotor and parietal areas.

PubMed

Wagner, Johanna; Solis-Escalante, Teodoro; Scherer, Reinhold; Neuper, Christa; Müller-Putz, Gernot

2014-01-01

Voluntary drive is crucial for motor learning, therefore we are interested in the role that motor planning plays in gait movements. In this study we examined the impact of an interactive Virtual Environment (VE) feedback task on the EEG patterns during robot assisted walking. We compared walking in the VE modality to two control conditions: walking with a visual attention paradigm, in which visual stimuli were unrelated to the motor task; and walking with mirror feedback, in which participants observed their own movements. Eleven healthy participants were considered. Application of independent component analysis to the EEG revealed three independent component clusters in premotor and parietal areas showing increased activity during walking with the adaptive VE training paradigm compared to the control conditions. During the interactive VE walking task spectral power in frequency ranges 8-12, 15-20, and 23-40 Hz was significantly (p ≤ 0.05) decreased. This power decrease is interpreted as a correlate of an active cortical area. Furthermore activity in the premotor cortex revealed gait cycle related modulations significantly different (p ≤ 0.05) from baseline in the frequency range 23-40 Hz during walking. These modulations were significantly (p ≤ 0.05) reduced depending on gait cycle phases in the interactive VE walking task compared to the control conditions. We demonstrate that premotor and parietal areas show increased activity during walking with the adaptive VE training paradigm, when compared to walking with mirror- and movement unrelated feedback. Previous research has related a premotor-parietal network to motor planning and motor intention. We argue that movement related interactive feedback enhances motor planning and motor intention. We hypothesize that this might improve gait recovery during rehabilitation.

Planning Tripoli Metro Network by the Use of Remote Sensing Imagery

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Alhusain, O.; Engedy, Gy.; Milady, A.; Paulini, L.; Soos, G.

2012-08-01

Tripoli, the capital city of Libya is going through significant and integrated development process, this development is expected to continue in the next few decades. The Libyan authorities have put it as their goal to develop Tripoli to an important metropolis in North Africa. To achieve this goal, they identified goals for the city's future development in all human, economic, cultural, touristic, and nonetheless infrastructure levels. On the infrastructure development level, among other things, they have identified the development of public transportation as one of the important development priorities. At present, public transportation in Tripoli is carried out by a limited capacity bus network alongside of individual transportation. However, movement in the city is characterized mainly by individual transportation with all its disadvantages such as traffic jams, significant air pollution with both carbon monoxide and dust, and lack of parking space. The Libyan authorities wisely opted for an efficient, modern, and environment friendly solution for public transportation, this was to plan a complex Metro Network as the backbone of public transportation in the city, and to develop and integrate the bus network and other means of transportation to be in harmony with the planned Metro network. The Metro network is planned to provide convenient connections to Tripoli International Airport and to the planned Railway station. They plan to build a system of Park and Ride (P+R) facilities at suitable locations along the Metro lines. This paper will present in details the planned Metro Network, some of the applied technological solutions, the importance of applying remote sensing and GIS technologies in different planning phases, and problems and benefits associated with the use of multi-temporal-, multi-format spatial data in the whole network planning phase.

Contralateral radiculopathy after transforaminal lumbar interbody fusion in the treatment of lumbar degenerative diseases: A Case Series.

PubMed

Hu, Hong-Tao; Ren, Liang; Sun, Xian-Ze; Liu, Feng-Yu; Yu, Jin-He; Gu, Zhen-Fang

2018-04-01

Transforaminal lumbar interbody fusion (TLIF) is an effective treatment for patients with degenerative lumbar disc disorder. Contralateral radiculopathy, as a complication of TLIF, has been recognized in this institution, but is rarely reported in the literature. In this article, we report 2 cases of contralateral radiculopathy after TLIF in our institution and its associated complications. In the 2 cases, the postoperative computed tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance image (MRI) showed obvious upward movement of the superior articular process, leading to contralateral foraminal stenosis. Revision surgery was done at once to partially resect the opposite superior facet and to relieve nerve root compression. After revision surgery, the contralateral radiculopathy disappeared. Contralateral radiculopathy is an avoidable potential complication. It is very important to create careful preoperative plans and to conscientiously plan the use of intraoperative techniques. In case of postoperative contralateral leg pain, the patients should be examined by CT and MRI. If CT and MRI show that the superior articular process significantly migrated upwards, which leads to contralateral foraminal stenosis, revision surgery should be done at once to partially resect the contralateral superior facet so as to relieve nerve root compression and avoid possible long-term impairment.

Sentence processing selectivity in Broca's area: evident for structure but not syntactic movement.

PubMed

Rogalsky, Corianne; Almeida, Diogo; Sprouse, Jon; Hickok, Gregory

The role of Broca's area in sentence processing is hotly debated. Prominent hypotheses include that Broca's area supports sentence comprehension via syntax-specific processes ("syntactic movement" in particular), hierarchical structure building or working memory. In the present fMRI study we adopt a within subject, across task approach using targeted sentence-level contrasts and non-sentential comparison tasks to address these hypotheses regarding the role of Broca's area in sentence processing. For clarity, we have presented findings as three experiments: (i) Experiment 1 examines selectivity for a particular type of sentence construction, namely those containing syntactic movement. Standard syntactic movement distance effects in Broca's area were replicated but no difference was found between movement and non-movement sentences in Broca's area at the group level or consistently in individual subjects. (ii) Experiment 2 examines selectivity for sentences versus non-sentences, to assess claims regarding the role of Broca's area in hierarchical structure building. Group and individual results differ, but both identify subregions of Broca's area that are selective for sentence structure. (iii) Experiment 3 assesses whether activations in Broca's area are selective for sentences when contrasted with simple subvocal articulation. Group results suggest shared resources for sentence processing and articulation in Broca's area, but individual subject analyses contradict this finding. We conclude that Broca's area is not selectively involved in processing syntactic movement, but that subregions are selectively responsive to sentence structure. Our findings also reinforce Fedorenko & Kanwishser's call for the use of more individual subject analyses in functional imaging studies of sentence processing in Broca's area, as group findings can obscure selective response patterns.

Effect of palatal form on movement of teeth during processing of complete denture prosthesis: An in-vitro study.

PubMed

Babu, Sumanth; Manjunath, Shaurya; Vajawat, Mayuri

2016-01-01

The aim of this in-vitro study was to assess the influence of shallow and deep palatal forms on the movement of teeth during the processing of complete denture prosthesis. Maxillary casts with shallow and deep palatal forms were selected and duplicated to make 10 casts of each palatal form. Base plates were constructed and teeth were arranged in their anatomic positions. Metal pins with true apex were placed on the central groove of the right and left first molars and one on the incisive papilla area as a reference point. Casts were scanned using i-CAT Vision Q 1.9 (i-CAT cone beam 3D dental imaging system by Imaging Sciences International, PA, USA), which has 360° rotational tomography. The distances between the apices of metallic pin inserts on the teeth and fitted point of reference were recorded in buccopalatal axes at waxed up stage, after deflasking, and after finishing and polishing. Results showed a statistically significant movement of teeth in shallow and deep palatal forms during all stages of complete denture processing. In shallow palatal form dentures, there was a significant tooth movement in palatal direction between Stages 1 and 2 (P ≤ 0.05) and buccal movement between Stages 2 and 3. In deep palatal form dentures, teeth showed a statistically significant (P ≤ 0.05) movement in buccal direction during all stages of denture processing. Teeth showed significant movement during processing of acrylic resin dentures. Overall, the movement of teeth in shallow palatal form dentures was in palatal direction, whereas in deep palatal form dentures, the movement of teeth was in buccal direction.

Nurturing Cultural Change in Care for Older People: Seeing the Cherry Tree Blossom.

PubMed

Snoeren, Miranda M W C; Janssen, Bienke M; Niessen, Theo J H; Abma, Tineke A

2016-12-01

There is a need for person-centred approaches and empowerment of staff within the residential care for older people; a movement called 'culture change'. There is however no single path for achieving culture change. With the aim of increasing understandings about cultural change processes and the promotion of cultural values and norms associated with person-centred practices, this article presents an action research project set on a unit in the Netherlands providing care for older people with dementia. The project is presented as a case study. This study examines what has contributed to the improvement of participation of older people with dementia in daily occupational and leisure activities according to practitioners. Data was collected by participant observation, interviews and focus groups. The results show that simultaneous to the improvement of the older people's involvement in daily activities a cultural transformation took place and that the care became more person-centred. Spontaneous interactions and responses rather than planned interventions, analysis and reflection contributed to this. Furthermore, it proved to be beneficial that the process of change and the facilitation of that process reflected the same values as those underlying the cultural change. It is concluded that changes arise from dynamic, interactive and non-linear processes which are complex in nature and difficult to predict and to control. Nevertheless, managers and facilitators can facilitate such change by generating movement through the introduction of small focused projects that meet the stakeholders' needs, by creating conditions for interaction and sense making, and by promoting the new desired cultural values.

Manually controlled human balancing using visual, vestibular and proprioceptive senses involves a common, low frequency neural process

PubMed Central

Lakie, Martin; Loram, Ian D

2006-01-01

Ten subjects balanced their own body or a mechanically equivalent unstable inverted pendulum by hand, through a compliant spring linkage. Their balancing process was always characterized by repeated small reciprocating hand movements. These bias adjustments were an observable sign of intermittent alterations in neural output. On average, the adjustments occurred at intervals of ∼400 ms. To generate appropriate stabilizing bias adjustments, sensory information about body or load movement is needed. Subjects used visual, vestibular or proprioceptive sensation alone and in combination to perform the tasks. We first ask, is the time between adjustments (bias duration) sensory specific? Vision is associated with slow responses. Other senses involved with balance are known to be faster. Our second question is; does bias duration depend on sensory abundance? An appropriate bias adjustment cannot occur until unplanned motion is unambiguously perceived (a sensory threshold). The addition of more sensory data should therefore expedite action, decreasing the mean bias adjustment duration. Statistical analysis showed that (1) the mean bias adjustment duration was remarkably independent of the sensory modality and (2) the addition of one or two sensory modalities made a small, but significant, decrease in the mean bias adjustment duration. Thus, a threshold effect can alter only a very minor part of the bias duration. The bias adjustment duration in manual balancing must reflect something more than visual sensation and perceptual thresholds; our suggestion is that it is a common central motor planning process. We predict that similar processes may be identified in the control of standing. PMID:16959857

Hazard analysis in active landslide areas in the State of Veracruz, Mexico

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wilde, Martina; Morales Barrera, Wendy V.; Rodriguez Elizarrarás, Sergio R.; Solleiro Rebolledo, Elizabeth; Sedov, Sergey; Terhorst, Birgit

2016-04-01

The year 2013 was characterized by strong storms and hurricanes like the Hurricanes Barbara and Ingrid and the tropical storms Barry and Fernand, which occurred between June and November affecting especially the coastal regions of Mexico. First of all, the State of Veracruz experienced a series of intense rainfalls and as consequences of these events over 780 landslides were registered. More than 45000 people suffered from evacuations. Located on the coast of the Gulf of Mexico, Veracruz has a wide range of altitude differences. The area with the highest elevations reaches from 5675 m.a.s.l. (Pico de Orizaba, the highest mountain of Mexico) to approximately 3000 m.a.s.l. and is characterized by steep slopes and V-shaped valleys. The mountains are part of the Sierra Madre Oriental and the Trans-Mexican Volcanic Belt. Plateaus and rounded hills are typical for the intermediate zones (3000 - 500 m.a.s.l.). The lowest zone (from 500 m.a.s.l. to sea level) is defined by moderate slopes, large rivers and coastal plain areas. The geology shows a variety and complexity of sedimentary and volcanic rocks. The sedimentary formations comprise claystones, siltstones, sandstones and calcareous rocks. Plateaus of basalts and andesites and deposits of ignimbrites are representative for this area. Even though Veracruz is a region highly endangered by landslides, currently there are no susceptibility maps or any other relevant information with high spatial resolution. Because of the lack of high definite information about the landslide hazards in this area, detailed investigations about the conditions (geology, geomorphology, thresholds, etc.) are indispensable. A doctoral grant from the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) allowed to carry out investigations in areas affected by large landslides in the year 2013. The selected study sites comprise damaged infrastructures and settlements. With a multi-methodological and interdisciplinary approach different processes and types of mass movements are analyzed in order to reconstruct complex interrelations of the causes and effects of landslide events. One of the major objectives of this research is to evaluate the potential hazard of active landslide areas. Detailed field analyzes were performed to investigate the situations and dynamics of the slope movements. Therefore, geomorphological mapping, sediment characterization as well as geophysical methods are applied. On the one hand, a detailed sediment characterization aims to identify the type of material (e.g. geotechnical attributes), on the other sediments can provide information on different activity phases, respectively movement processes in slide masses. Furthermore, the focus is placed on the determination of landslide relevant parameters and thresholds. Digital elevation models, which were generated before the onset of slope movements, are integrated in the geomorphological analysis. The poster presents the specific study sites in Veracruz and the situation of endangered slopes before and after the landslide events. It is planned to use this knowledge to model susceptibility maps for the region in the future. Moreover, field data will be used as basic information for further monitoring plans. Resulting susceptibility maps will be provided to the responsible authorities in order to support sustainable planning of settlements and infrastructure in hazardous regions.

Task-space separation principle: a force-field approach to motion planning for redundant manipulators.

PubMed

Tommasino, Paolo; Campolo, Domenico

2017-02-03

In this work, we address human-like motor planning in redundant manipulators. Specifically, we want to capture postural synergies such as Donders' law, experimentally observed in humans during kinematically redundant tasks, and infer a minimal set of parameters to implement similar postural synergies in a kinematic model. For the model itself, although the focus of this paper is to solve redundancy by implementing postural strategies derived from experimental data, we also want to ensure that such postural control strategies do not interfere with other possible forms of motion control (in the task-space), i.e. solving the posture/movement problem. The redundancy problem is framed as a constrained optimization problem, traditionally solved via the method of Lagrange multipliers. The posture/movement problem can be tackled via the separation principle which, derived from experimental evidence, posits that the brain processes static torques (i.e. posture-dependent, such as gravitational torques) separately from dynamic torques (i.e. velocity-dependent). The separation principle has traditionally been applied at a joint torque level. Our main contribution is to apply the separation principle to Lagrange multipliers, which act as task-space force fields, leading to a task-space separation principle. In this way, we can separate postural control (implementing Donders' law) from various types of tasks-space movement planners. As an example, the proposed framework is applied to the (redundant) task of pointing with the human wrist. Nonlinear inverse optimization (NIO) is used to fit the model parameters and to capture motor strategies displayed by six human subjects during pointing tasks. The novelty of our NIO approach is that (i) the fitted motor strategy, rather than raw data, is used to filter and down-sample human behaviours; (ii) our framework is used to efficiently simulate model behaviour iteratively, until it converges towards the experimental human strategies.

The influence of action possibility and end-state comfort on motor imagery of manual action sequences.

PubMed

Seegelke, Christian; Hughes, Charmayne M L

2015-12-01

It has been proposed that the preparation of goal-direct actions involves internal movement simulation, or motor imagery. Evidence suggests that motor imagery is critically involved in the prediction of action consequences and contributes heavily to movement planning processes. The present study examined whether the sensitivity towards end-state comfort and the possibility/impossibility to perform an action sequence are considered during motor imagery. Participants performed a mental rotation task in which two images were simultaneously presented. The image on the left depicted the start posture of a right hand when grasping a bar, while the right image depicted the hand posture at the end of the action sequence. The right image displayed the bar in a vertical orientation with the hand in a comfortable (thumb-up) or in an uncomfortable (thumb-down) posture, while the bar in the left image was rotated in picture plane in steps of 45°. Crucially, the two images formed either a physically possible or physically impossible to perform action sequence. Results revealed strikingly different response time patterns for the two action sequence conditions. In general, response times increased almost monotonically with increasing angular disparity for the possible to perform action sequences. However, slight deviations from this monotonicity were apparent when the sequences contained an uncomfortable as opposed to a comfortable final posture. In contrast, for the impossible sequences, response times did not follow a typical mental rotation function, but instead were uniformly very slow. These findings suggest that both biomechanical constraints (i.e., end-state comfort) and the awareness of the possibility/impossibility to perform an action sequence are considered during motor imagery. We conclude that motor representations contain information about the spatiotemporal movement organization and the possibility of performing an action, which are crucially involved in anticipation and planning of action sequences. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Corrective response times in a coordinated eye-head-arm countermanding task.

PubMed

Tao, Gordon; Khan, Aarlenne Z; Blohm, Gunnar

2018-06-01

Inhibition of motor responses has been described as a race between two competing decision processes of motor initiation and inhibition, which manifest as the reaction time (RT) and the stop signal reaction time (SSRT); in the case where motor initiation wins out over inhibition, an erroneous movement occurs that usually needs to be corrected, leading to corrective response times (CRTs). Here we used a combined eye-head-arm movement countermanding task to investigate the mechanisms governing multiple effector coordination and the timing of corrective responses. We found a high degree of correlation between effector response times for RT, SSRT, and CRT, suggesting that decision processes are strongly dependent across effectors. To gain further insight into the mechanisms underlying CRTs, we tested multiple models to describe the distribution of RTs, SSRTs, and CRTs. The best-ranked model (according to 3 information criteria) extends the LATER race model governing RTs and SSRTs, whereby a second motor initiation process triggers the corrective response (CRT) only after the inhibition process completes in an expedited fashion. Our model suggests that the neural processing underpinning a failed decision has a residual effect on subsequent actions. NEW & NOTEWORTHY Failure to inhibit erroneous movements typically results in corrective movements. For coordinated eye-head-hand movements we show that corrective movements are only initiated after the erroneous movement cancellation signal has reached a decision threshold in an accelerated fashion.

Direction-dependent arm kinematics reveal optimal integration of gravity cues.

PubMed

Gaveau, Jeremie; Berret, Bastien; Angelaki, Dora E; Papaxanthis, Charalambos

2016-11-02

The brain has evolved an internal model of gravity to cope with life in the Earth's gravitational environment. How this internal model benefits the implementation of skilled movement has remained unsolved. One prevailing theory has assumed that this internal model is used to compensate for gravity's mechanical effects on the body, such as to maintain invariant motor trajectories. Alternatively, gravity force could be used purposely and efficiently for the planning and execution of voluntary movements, thereby resulting in direction-depending kinematics. Here we experimentally interrogate these two hypotheses by measuring arm kinematics while varying movement direction in normal and zero-G gravity conditions. By comparing experimental results with model predictions, we show that the brain uses the internal model to implement control policies that take advantage of gravity to minimize movement effort.

Action preparation modulates sensory perception in unseen personal space: An electrophysiological investigation.

PubMed

Job, Xavier E; de Fockert, Jan W; van Velzen, José

2016-08-01

Behavioural and electrophysiological evidence has demonstrated that preparation of goal-directed actions modulates sensory perception at the goal location before the action is executed. However, previous studies have focused on sensory perception in areas of peripersonal space. The present study investigated visual and tactile sensory processing at the goal location of upcoming movements towards the body, much of which is not visible, as well as visible peripersonal space. A motor task cued participants to prepare a reaching movement towards goals either in peripersonal space in front of them or personal space on the upper chest. In order to assess modulations of sensory perception during movement preparation, event-related potentials (ERPs) were recorded in response to task-irrelevant visual and tactile probe stimuli delivered randomly at one of the goal locations of the movements. In line with previous neurophysiological findings, movement preparation modulated visual processing at the goal of a movement in peripersonal space. Movement preparation also modulated somatosensory processing at the movement goal in personal space. The findings demonstrate that tactile perception in personal space is subject to similar top-down sensory modulation by motor preparation as observed for visual stimuli presented in peripersonal space. These findings show for the first time that the principles and mechanisms underlying adaptive modulation of sensory processing in the context of action extend to tactile perception in unseen personal space. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Social medicine, feminism and the politics of population: From transnational knowledge networks to national social movements in Brazil and Mexico.

PubMed

de la Dehesa, Rafael

2018-02-28

This article examines the role of national actors articulated with an explicitly counter-hegemonic transnational knowledge network (TKN) mobilising around social medicine in policy debates on population control and family planning. It focuses primarily on Brazil, using Mexico as a shadow case to highlight salient points of contrast. In doing so, it makes two contributions to larger debates about TKNs. First, it highlights the plural and contested nature of the knowledge production they enact, underscoring contestation around a global reproductive regime that consolidated around family planning. Second, it underscores how the position and relative influence of actors articulated with TKNs is shaped by political and institutional contexts at the national level, producing variable opportunities for the mobilisation of applied knowledge. Reflecting its advocates' embeddedness in larger opposition movements to authoritarian states, social medicine had a greater influence on these debates in Brazil, where synergies with a resurgent feminist movement reinforced a shared insistence on comprehensive women's healthcare and increased the salience of sterilisation abuse on the political agenda.

Advanced system for 3D dental anatomy reconstruction and 3D tooth movement simulation during orthodontic treatment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Monserrat, Carlos; Alcaniz-Raya, Mariano L.; Juan, M. Carmen; Grau Colomer, Vincente; Albalat, Salvador E.

1997-05-01

This paper describes a new method for 3D orthodontics treatment simulation developed for an orthodontics planning system (MAGALLANES). We develop an original system for 3D capturing and reconstruction of dental anatomy that avoid use of dental casts in orthodontic treatments. Two original techniques are presented, one direct in which data are acquired directly form patient's mouth by mean of low cost 3D digitizers, and one mixed in which data are obtained by 3D digitizing of hydrocollids molds. FOr this purpose we have designed and manufactured an optimized optical measuring system based on laser structured light. We apply these 3D dental models to simulate 3D movement of teeth, including rotations, during orthodontic treatment. The proposed algorithms enable to quantify the effect of orthodontic appliance on tooth movement. The developed techniques has been integrated in a system named MAGALLANES. This original system present several tools for 3D simulation and planning of orthodontic treatments. The prototype system has been tested in several orthodontic clinic with very good results.

Head Rotation Movement Times.

PubMed

Hoffmann, Errol R; Chan, Alan H S; Heung, P T

2017-09-01

The aim of this study was to measure head rotation movement times in a Fitts' paradigm and to investigate the transition region from ballistic movements to visually controlled movements as the task index of difficulty (ID) increases. For head rotation, there are gaps in the knowledge of the effects of movement amplitude and task difficulty around the critical transition region from ballistic movements to visually controlled movements. Under the conditions of 11 ID values (from 1.0 to 6.0) and five movement amplitudes (20° to 60°), participants performed a head rotation task, and movement times were measured. Both the movement amplitude and task difficulty have effects on movement times at low IDs, but movement times are dependent only on ID at higher ID values. Movement times of participants are higher than for arm/hand movements, for both ballistic and visually controlled movements. The information-processing rate of head rotational movements, at high ID values, is about half that of arm movements. As an input mode, head rotations are not as efficient as the arm system either in ability to use rapid ballistic movements or in the rate at which information may be processed. The data of this study add to those in the review of Hoffmann for the critical IDs of different body motions. The data also allow design for the best arrangement of display that is under the design constraints of limited display area and difficulty of head-controlled movements in a data-inputting task.

Does Oxidative Stress Induced by Alcohol Consumption Affect Orthodontic Treatment Outcome?

PubMed Central

Barcia, Jorge M.; Portolés, Sandra; Portolés, Laura; Urdaneta, Alba C.; Ausina, Verónica; Pérez-Pastor, Gema M. A.; Romero, Francisco J.; Villar, Vincent M.

2017-01-01

HIGHLIGHTS Ethanol, Periodontal ligament, Extracellular matrix, Orthodontic movement. Alcohol is a legal drug present in several drinks commonly used worldwide (chemically known as ethyl alcohol or ethanol). Alcohol consumption is associated with several disease conditions, ranging from mental disorders to organic alterations. One of the most deleterious effects of ethanol metabolism is related to oxidative stress. This promotes cellular alterations associated with inflammatory processes that eventually lead to cell death or cell cycle arrest, among others. Alcohol intake leads to bone destruction and modifies the expression of interleukins, metalloproteinases and other pro-inflammatory signals involving GSKβ, Rho, and ERK pathways. Orthodontic treatment implicates mechanical forces on teeth. Interestingly, the extra- and intra-cellular responses of periodontal cells to mechanical movement show a suggestive similarity with the effects induced by ethanol metabolism on bone and other cell types. Several clinical traits such as age, presence of systemic diseases or pharmacological treatments, are taken into account when planning orthodontic treatments. However, little is known about the potential role of the oxidative conditions induced by ethanol intake as a possible setback for orthodontic treatment in adults. PMID:28179886

Does Oxidative Stress Induced by Alcohol Consumption Affect Orthodontic Treatment Outcome?

PubMed

Barcia, Jorge M; Portolés, Sandra; Portolés, Laura; Urdaneta, Alba C; Ausina, Verónica; Pérez-Pastor, Gema M A; Romero, Francisco J; Villar, Vincent M

2017-01-01

HIGHLIGHTS Ethanol, Periodontal ligament, Extracellular matrix, Orthodontic movement. Alcohol is a legal drug present in several drinks commonly used worldwide (chemically known as ethyl alcohol or ethanol). Alcohol consumption is associated with several disease conditions, ranging from mental disorders to organic alterations. One of the most deleterious effects of ethanol metabolism is related to oxidative stress. This promotes cellular alterations associated with inflammatory processes that eventually lead to cell death or cell cycle arrest, among others. Alcohol intake leads to bone destruction and modifies the expression of interleukins, metalloproteinases and other pro-inflammatory signals involving GSKβ, Rho, and ERK pathways. Orthodontic treatment implicates mechanical forces on teeth. Interestingly, the extra- and intra-cellular responses of periodontal cells to mechanical movement show a suggestive similarity with the effects induced by ethanol metabolism on bone and other cell types. Several clinical traits such as age, presence of systemic diseases or pharmacological treatments, are taken into account when planning orthodontic treatments. However, little is known about the potential role of the oxidative conditions induced by ethanol intake as a possible setback for orthodontic treatment in adults.

MyShake - A smartphone app to detect earthquake

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kong, Q.; Allen, R. M.; Schreier, L.; Kwon, Y. W.

2015-12-01

We designed an android app that harnesses the accelerometers in personal smartphones to record earthquake-shaking data for research, hazard information and warnings. The app has the function to distinguish earthquake shakings from daily human activities based on the different patterns behind the movements. It also can be triggered by the traditional earthquake early warning (EEW) system to record for a certain amount of time to collect earthquake data. When the app is triggered by the earthquake-like movements, it sends the trigger information back to our server which contains time and location of the trigger, at the same time, it stores the waveform data on local phone first, and upload to our server later. Trigger information from multiple phones will be processed in real time on the server to find the coherent signal to confirm the earthquakes. Therefore, the app provides the basis to form a smartphone seismic network that can detect earthquake and even provide warnings. A planned public roll-out of MyShake could collect millions of seismic recordings for large earthquakes in many regions around the world.

Oculomotor preparation as a rehearsal mechanism in spatial working memory.

PubMed

Pearson, David G; Ball, Keira; Smith, Daniel T

2014-09-01

There is little consensus regarding the specific processes responsible for encoding, maintenance, and retrieval of information in visuo-spatial working memory (VSWM). One influential theory is that VSWM may involve activation of the eye-movement (oculomotor) system. In this study we experimentally prevented healthy participants from planning or executing saccadic eye-movements during the encoding, maintenance, and retrieval stages of visual and spatial working memory tasks. Participants experienced a significant reduction in spatial memory span only when oculomotor preparation was prevented during encoding or maintenance. In contrast there was no reduction when oculomotor preparation was prevented only during retrieval. These results show that (a) involvement of the oculomotor system is necessary for optimal maintenance of directly-indicated locations in spatial working memory and (b) oculomotor preparation is not necessary during retrieval from spatial working memory. We propose that this study is the first to unambiguously demonstrate that the oculomotor system contributes to the maintenance of spatial locations in working memory independently from the involvement of covert attention. Copyright © 2014 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

An Online Scheduling Algorithm with Advance Reservation for Large-Scale Data Transfers

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Balman, Mehmet; Kosar, Tevfik

Scientific applications and experimental facilities generate massive data sets that need to be transferred to remote collaborating sites for sharing, processing, and long term storage. In order to support increasingly data-intensive science, next generation research networks have been deployed to provide high-speed on-demand data access between collaborating institutions. In this paper, we present a practical model for online data scheduling in which data movement operations are scheduled in advance for end-to-end high performance transfers. In our model, data scheduler interacts with reservation managers and data transfer nodes in order to reserve available bandwidth to guarantee completion of jobs that aremore » accepted and confirmed to satisfy preferred time constraint given by the user. Our methodology improves current systems by allowing researchers and higher level meta-schedulers to use data placement as a service where theycan plan ahead and reserve the scheduler time in advance for their data movement operations. We have implemented our algorithm and examined possible techniques for incorporation into current reservation frameworks. Performance measurements confirm that the proposed algorithm is efficient and scalable.« less

Motor control is decision-making.

PubMed

Wolpert, Daniel M; Landy, Michael S

2012-12-01

Motor behavior may be viewed as a problem of maximizing the utility of movement outcome in the face of sensory, motor and task uncertainty. Viewed in this way, and allowing for the availability of prior knowledge in the form of a probability distribution over possible states of the world, the choice of a movement plan and strategy for motor control becomes an application of statistical decision theory. This point of view has proven successful in recent years in accounting for movement under risk, inferring the loss function used in motor tasks, and explaining motor behavior in a wide variety of circumstances. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Developmental coordination disorders and sensory processing and integration: Incidence, associations and co-morbidities.

PubMed

Allen, Susan; Casey, Jackie

2017-09-01

Children with developmental coordination disorder or sensory processing and integration difficulties face challenges to participation in daily living. To date there has been no exploration of the co-occurrence of developmental coordination disorders and sensory processing and integration difficulties. Records of children meeting Diagnostic and Statistical Manual - V criteria for developmental coordination disorder ( n  = 93) age 5 to 12 years were examined. Data on motor skills (Movement Assessment Battery for Children - 2) and sensory processing and integration (Sensory Processing Measure) were interrogated. Of the total sample, 88% exhibited some or definite differences in sensory processing and integration. No apparent relationship was observed between motor coordination and sensory processing and integration. The full sample showed high rates of some difficulties in social participation, hearing, body awareness, balance and motion, and planning and ideation. Further, children with co-morbid autistic spectrum disorder showed high rates of difficulties with touch and vision. Most, but not all, children with developmental coordination disorder presented with some difficulties in sensory processing and integration that impacted on their participation in everyday activities. Sensory processing and integration difficulties differed significantly between those with and without co-morbid autistic spectrum disorder.

Eye movements and attention: The role of pre-saccadic shifts of attention in perception, memory and the control of saccades

PubMed Central

Gersch, Timothy M.; Schnitzer, Brian S.; Dosher, Barbara A.; Kowler, Eileen

2012-01-01

Saccadic eye movements and perceptual attention work in a coordinated fashion to allow selection of the objects, features or regions with the greatest momentary need for limited visual processing resources. This study investigates perceptual characteristics of pre-saccadic shifts of attention during a sequence of saccades using the visual manipulations employed to study mechanisms of attention during maintained fixation. The first part of this paper reviews studies of the connections between saccades and attention, and their significance for both saccadic control and perception. The second part presents three experiments that examine the effects of pre-saccadic shifts of attention on vision during sequences of saccades. Perceptual enhancements at the saccadic goal location relative to non-goal locations were found across a range of stimulus contrasts, with either perceptual discrimination or detection tasks, with either single or multiple perceptual targets, and regardless of the presence of external noise. The results show that the preparation of saccades can evoke a variety of attentional effects, including attentionally-mediated changes in the strength of perceptual representations, selection of targets for encoding in visual memory, exclusion of external noise, or changes in the levels of internal visual noise. The visual changes evoked by saccadic planning make it possible for the visual system to effectively use saccadic eye movements to explore the visual environment. PMID:22809798

Different left brain regions are essential for grasping a tool compared with its subsequent use.

PubMed

Randerath, Jennifer; Goldenberg, Georg; Spijkers, Will; Li, Yong; Hermsdörfer, Joachim

2010-10-15

Tool use engages a left hemispheric network including frontal, temporal and parietal regions. Patients with left brain lesions (LBD patients) exhibit deficits when demonstrating use of a single tool (apraxia). When attempting to use a tool, some apraxic patients show errors in the preceding grasping movement. Forty-two LBD patients and 18 healthy controls grasped individual tools and demonstrated their typical use. For patients with a tool use impairment (22), lesion analysis revealed a large area of overlap in the left hemisphere, mainly in the supramarginal gyrus (SMG). For patients with erroneous grasping (12), the lesion overlay showed overlaps in the left frontal and parietal cortices, especially in the inferior frontal gyrus (IFG) and the angular gyrus (ANG). However, contrasting lesions associated with impaired grasping versus tool use impairments reveal little overlap, limited to the inferior parietal cortex. Presumably the left IFG is involved in selection processes in the context of tool use, such as choosing a functional or non-functional grasping movement depending on the task and the online information about the tool's structure and orientation. The ANG might provide this grasp related information, which is relevant for the specific action. The contribution of the SMG to tool use involves more general principals, such as integrating online and learned tool use information into the action plan for the use movement. Copyright 2010 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Tissue architecture, cell traction, deformable scaffolds, and the forces that shape the embryo during morphogenesis.

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Davidson, Lance

2005-03-01

Morphogenesis is the process of constucting form and shape. Morphogenesis during early development of the embryo involves orchestrated movements of cells and tissues. These morphogenetic movements establish the body plan and organs of the early embryo. The rates and trajectories of these movements depend on three physical features of the early embryo: 1) the forces generated by cells, 2) the mechanical properties of the tissues, and 3) the architecture of the tissues. These three mechanical features of the embryo are some of the earliest phenotypic features generated by the genome. We are taking an interdisciplinary approach combining biophysical, cell biological, and classical embryological techniques to understand the mechanics of morphogenesis. Using nanoNewton-sensitive force transducers we can apply forces and measure time dependent elastic modulii of tissue fragments 100 micrometers across. Using traction-force microscopy we can measure forces generated by cells on their environment. We use drugs and chimeric proteins to investigate the localization and function of molecular complexes responsible for force generation and the modulus. We use microsurgery to take-apart and construct novel tissues to investigate the role of geometry and architecture in the mechanics of morphogenesis. Together with simulation techniques these quantitative approaches will provide us with a practical nuts-and-bolts understanding of how the genome encodes the shapes and forms of life.

Evaluation of the socialist health policy in Greece.

PubMed

Tsalikis, G

1988-01-01

Following seven years of military rule and seven years of "democratic restoration" under the Right, Greece is now sailing under the flag of the Panhellenic Socialist Movement (PASOK). The Movement was inspired by the ideals of participatory democracy and socialization of the economy and of social services. A central part of socialist planning brought about the National Health System Act (1983) and related legislation intended to universalize health care, remove disparities, and restrict the private sector. It is argued here that the implementation of PASOK's statutory reforms in this field, as in others, will be subject to its ability to transform traditional patterns of production and consumption. As is now increasingly understood, it is hard to plan for socialism on the basis of wants provisions and patterns of consumption established under capitalism.

76 FR 66779 - Endangered and Threatened Wildlife and Plants; Removal of the Concho Water Snake From the Federal...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-10-27

... given area, in this case, each major river reach. (3) Movement of an adequate number of Concho water... without meeting all recovery criteria contained in a recovery plan. For example, one or more criteria may... cases, recovery opportunities may be recognized that were not known at the time the recovery plan was...

Tracking Eye Movements to Localize Stroop Interference in Naming: Word Planning versus Articulatory Buffering

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Roelofs, Ardi

2014-01-01

Investigators have found no agreement on the functional locus of Stroop interference in vocal naming. Whereas it has long been assumed that the interference arises during spoken word planning, more recently some investigators have revived an account from the 1960s and 1970s holding that the interference occurs in an articulatory buffer after word…

Methodological Aspects of Cognitive Rehabilitation with Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR)

PubMed Central

Zarghi, Afsaneh; Zali, Alireza; Tehranidost, Mehdi

2013-01-01

A variety of nervous system components such as medulla, pons, midbrain, cerebellum, basal ganglia, parietal, frontal and occipital lobes have role in Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) processes. The eye movement is done simultaneously for attracting client's attention to an external stimulus while concentrating on a certain internal subject. Eye movement guided by therapist is the most common attention stimulus. The role of eye movement has been documented previously in relation with cognitive processing mechanisms. A series of systemic experiments have shown that the eyes’ spontaneous movement is associated with emotional and cognitive changes and results in decreased excitement, flexibility in attention, memory processing, and enhanced semantic recalling. Eye movement also decreases the memory's image clarity and the accompanying excitement. By using EMDR, we can reach some parts of memory which were inaccessible before and also emotionally intolerable. Various researches emphasize on the effectiveness of EMDR in treating and curing phobias, pains, and dependent personality disorders. Consequently, due to the involvement of multiple neural system components, this palliative method of treatment can also help to rehabilitate the neuro-cognitive system. PMID:25337334

How Analysis Informs Regulation:Success and Failure of ...

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

How Analysis Informs Regulation:Success and Failure of Evolving Approaches to Polyfluoroalkyl Acid Contamination The National Exposure Research Laboratory (NERL) Human Exposure and Atmospheric Sciences Division (HEASD) conducts research in support of EPA mission to protect human health and the environment. HEASD research program supports Goal 1 (Clean Air) and Goal 4 (Healthy People) of EPA strategic plan. More specifically, our division conducts research to characterize the movement of pollutants from the source to contact with humans. Our multidisciplinary research program produces Methods, Measurements, and Models to identify relationships between and characterize processes that link source emissions, environmental concentrations, human exposures, and target-tissue dose. The impact of these tools is improved regulatory programs and policies for EPA.

Developing Decontamination Tools and Approaches to ...

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

Developing Decontamination Tools and Approaches to Address Indoor Pesticide Contamination from Improper Bed Bug Treatments The National Exposure Research Laboratory (NERL) Human Exposure and Atmospheric Sciences Division (HEASD) conducts research in support of EPA mission to protect human health and the environment. HEASD research program supports Goal 1 (Clean Air) and Goal 4 (Healthy People) of EPA strategic plan. More specifically, our division conducts research to characterize the movement of pollutants from the source to contact with humans. Our multidisciplinary research program produces Methods, Measurements, and Models to identify relationships between and characterize processes that link source emissions, environmental concentrations, human exposures, and target-tissue dose. The impact of these tools is improved regulatory programs and policies for EPA.

A Method for Improved Interpretation of "Spot" Biomarker Data ...

EPA Pesticide Factsheets

A Method for Improved Interpretation of "Spot" Biomarker Data The National Exposure Research Laboratory (NERL) Human Exposure and Atmospheric Sciences Division (HEASD) conducts research in support of EPA mission to protect human health and the environment. HEASD research program supports Goal 1 (Clean Air) and Goal 4 (Healthy People) of EPA strategic plan. More specifically, our division conducts research to characterize the movement of pollutants from the source to contact with humans. Our multidisciplinary research program produces Methods, Measurements, and Models to identify relationships between and characterize processes that link source emissions, environmental concentrations, human exposures, and target-tissue dose. The impact of these tools is improved regulatory programs and policies for EPA.

Faults in parts of north-central and western Houston metropolitan area, Texas

USGS Publications Warehouse

Verbeek, Earl R.; Ratzlaff, Karl W.; Clanton, Uel S.

1979-01-01

Hundreds of residential, commercial, and industrial structures in the Houston metropolitan area have sustained moderate to severe damage owing to their locations on or near active faults. Paved roads have been offset by faults at hundreds of locations, butted pipelines have been distorted by fault movements, and fault-induced gradient changes in drainage lines have raised concern among flood control engineers. Over 150 faults, many of them moving at rates of 0.5 to 2 cm/yr, have been mapped in the Houston area; the number of faults probably far exceeds this figure.This report includes a map of eight faults, in north-central and western Houston, at a scale useful for land-use planning. Seven of the faults, are known, to be active and have caused considerable damage to structures built on or near them. If the eighth fault is active, it may be of concern to new developments on the west side of Houston. A ninth feature shown on the map is regarded only as a possible fault, as an origin by faulting has not been firmly established.Seismic and drill-hold data for some 40 faults, studied in detail by various investigators have verified connections between scarps at the land surface and growth faults in the shallow subsurface. Some scarps, then, are known to be the surface manifestations of faults that have geologically long histories of movement. The degree to which natural geologic processes contribute to current fault movement, however, is unclear, for some of man’s activities may play a role in faulting as well.Evidence that current rates of fault movement far exceed average prehistoric rates and that most offset of the land surface in the Houston area has occurred only within the last 50 years indirectly suggest that fluid withdrawal may be accelerating or reinitiating movement on pre-existing faults. This conclusion, however, is based only on a coincidence in time between increased fault activity and increased rates of withdrawal of water, oil, and gas from subsurface sediments; no cause-and-effect relationship has been demonstrated. An alternative hypothesis is that natural fault movements are characterized by short—term episodicity and that Houston is experiencing the effects of a brief period of accelerated natural fault movement. Available data from monitored faults are insufficient to weigh the relative importance of natural vs. induced fault movements.

Estimating feedforward vs. feedback control of speech production through kinematic analyses of unperturbed articulatory movements.

PubMed

Kim, Kwang S; Max, Ludo

2014-01-01

To estimate the contributions of feedforward vs. feedback control systems in speech articulation, we analyzed the correspondence between initial and final kinematics in unperturbed tongue and jaw movements for consonant-vowel (CV) and vowel-consonant (VC) syllables. If movement extents and endpoints are highly predictable from early kinematic information, then the movements were most likely completed without substantial online corrections (feedforward control); if the correspondence between early kinematics and final amplitude or position is low, online adjustments may have altered the planned trajectory (feedback control) (Messier and Kalaska, 1999). Five adult speakers produced CV and VC syllables with high, mid, or low vowels while movements of the tongue and jaw were tracked electromagnetically. The correspondence between the kinematic parameters peak acceleration or peak velocity and movement extent as well as between the articulators' spatial coordinates at those kinematic landmarks and movement endpoint was examined both for movements across different target distances (i.e., across vowel height) and within target distances (i.e., within vowel height). Taken together, results suggest that jaw and tongue movements for these CV and VC syllables are mostly under feedforward control but with feedback-based contributions. One type of feedback-driven compensatory adjustment appears to regulate movement duration based on variation in peak acceleration. Results from a statistical model based on multiple regression are presented to illustrate how the relative strength of these feedback contributions can be estimated.

Effect of visual field presentation on action planning (estimating reach) in children.

PubMed

Gabbard, Carl; Cordova, Alberto

2012-01-01

In this article, the authors examined the effects of target information presented in different visual fields (lower, upper, central) on estimates of reach via use of motor imagery in children (5-11 years old) and young adults. Results indicated an advantage for estimating reach movements for targets placed in lower visual field (LoVF), with all groups having greater difficulty in the upper visual field (UpVF) condition, especially 5- and 7-year-olds. Complementing these results was an overall age-related increase in accuracy. Based in part on the equivalence hypothesis suggesting that motor imagery and motor planning and execution are similar, the findings support previous work of executed behaviors showing that there is a LoVF bias for motor skill actions of the hand. Given that previous research hints that the UpVF may be bias for visuospatial (perceptual) qualities, research in that area and its association with visuomotor processing (LoVF) should be considered.

Reading the landscape: Legible environments and hominin dispersals.

PubMed

Guiducci, Dario; Burke, Ariane

2016-05-06

Wayfinding, or the ability to plan and navigate a course over the landscape, is a subject of investigation in geography, neurophysiology, psychology, urban planning, and landscape design. With the prevalence of GPS-assisted navigation systems, or "wayfinders," computer scientists are also increasingly interested in understanding how people plan their movements and guide others. However, the importance of wayfinding as a process that regulates human mobility has only recently been incorporated into archeological research design. Hominin groups were able to disperse widely during the course of prehistory. The scope of these dispersals speaks to the innate navigation abilities of hominins. Their long-term success must have depended on an ability to communicate spatial information effectively. Here, we consider the extent to which some landscapes may have been more conducive to wayfinding than others. We also describe a tool we have created for quantifying landscape legibility (sensu Gollege), a complex and under-explored concept in archeology, with a view to investigating the impact of landscape structure on human wayfinding and thus, patterns of dispersal during prehistory. To this end, we have developed a method for quantifying legibility using a Geographic Information System (GIS) and apply it to a test case in prehistoric Iberia. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Dance/Movement Therapy: A Unique Career Opportunity.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Armeniox, Leslie Flint

Dance and movement therapy is a form of psychotherapy that uses the body, dance, and movement as the primary mediums for the therapeutic process. Dance is a fundamental art form that involves the body as an instrument of self-expression; movement is a universal means of learning and communicating. Dance and movement therapy is the…

Path Planning for Robot based on Chaotic Artificial Potential Field Method

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, Cheng

2018-03-01

Robot path planning in unknown environments is one of the hot research topics in the field of robot control. Aiming at the shortcomings of traditional artificial potential field methods, we propose a new path planning for Robot based on chaotic artificial potential field method. The path planning adopts the potential function as the objective function and introduces the robot direction of movement as the control variables, which combines the improved artificial potential field method with chaotic optimization algorithm. Simulations have been carried out and the results demonstrate that the superior practicality and high efficiency of the proposed method.

Does order and timing in performance of imagined and actual movements affect the motor imagery process? The duration of walking and writing task.

PubMed

Papaxanthis, Charalambos; Pozzo, Thierry; Skoura, Xanthi; Schieppati, Marco

2002-08-21

The purpose of the present study was to investigate the effects on the duration of imagined movements of changes in timing and order of performance of actual and imagined movement. Two groups of subjects had to actually execute and imagine a walking and a writing task. The first group first executed 10 trials of the actual movements (block A) and then imagined the same movements at different intervals: immediately after actual movements (block I-1) and after 25 min (I-2), 50 min (I-3) and 75 min (I-4) interval. The second group first imagined and then actually executed the tasks. The duration of actual and imagined movements, recorded by means of an electronic stopwatch operated by the subjects, was analysed. The duration of imagined movements was very similar to those of actual movements, for both tasks, regardless of either the interval elapsed from the actual movements (first group) or the order of performance (second group). However, the variability of imagined movement duration was significantly increased compared to variability of the actual movements, for both motor tasks and groups. The findings give evidence of similar cognitive processes underlying both imagination and actual performance of movement. Copyright 2002 Elsevier Science B.V.

Evolution of Mass Movements near Epicentre of Wenchuan Earthquake, the First Eight Years

PubMed Central

Zhang, Shuai; Zhang, Limin; Lacasse, Suzanne; Nadim, Farrokh

2016-01-01

It is increasingly clear that landslides represent a major cause of economic costs and deaths in earthquakes in mountains. In the Wenchuan earthquake case, post-seismic cascading landslides continue to represent a major problem eight years on. Failure to anticipate the impact of cascading landslides could lead to unexpected losses of human lives and properties. Previous studies tended to focus on separate landslide processes, with little attention paid to the quantification of long-term evolution of multiple processes or the evolution of mass movements. The very active mass movements near the epicentre of the Wenchuan earthquake provided us a unique opportunity to understand the complex processes of the evolving cascading landslides after a strong earthquake. This study budgets the mass movements on the hillslopes and in the channels in the first eight years since the Wenchuan earthquake and verify a conservation in mass movements. A system illustrating the evolution and interactions of mass movement after a strong earthquake is proposed. PMID:27824077

Use of cone-beam computed tomography in the diagnosis of sensory nerve paresthesia secondary to orthodontic tooth movement: a clinical report.

PubMed

Chana, Randeep S; Wiltshire, William A; Cholakis, Anastasia; Levine, Gary

2013-08-01

In this article, we report an incident of transient neuropathy secondary to tooth movement involving the inferior alveolar nerve. This clinical report reflects the need to thoroughly examine potentially high-risk patients for neuropathy using advanced diagnostic tools such as cone-beam computed tomography when diagnosing and planning treatment. Copyright © 2013 American Association of Orthodontists. Published by Mosby, Inc. All rights reserved.

Cat and mouse search: the influence of scene and object analysis on eye movements when targets change locations during search.

PubMed

Hillstrom, Anne P; Segabinazi, Joice D; Godwin, Hayward J; Liversedge, Simon P; Benson, Valerie

2017-02-19

We explored the influence of early scene analysis and visible object characteristics on eye movements when searching for objects in photographs of scenes. On each trial, participants were shown sequentially either a scene preview or a uniform grey screen (250 ms), a visual mask, the name of the target and the scene, now including the target at a likely location. During the participant's first saccade during search, the target location was changed to: (i) a different likely location, (ii) an unlikely but possible location or (iii) a very implausible location. The results showed that the first saccade landed more often on the likely location in which the target re-appeared than on unlikely or implausible locations, and overall the first saccade landed nearer the first target location with a preview than without. Hence, rapid scene analysis influenced initial eye movement planning, but availability of the target rapidly modified that plan. After the target moved, it was found more quickly when it appeared in a likely location than when it appeared in an unlikely or implausible location. The findings show that both scene gist and object properties are extracted rapidly, and are used in conjunction to guide saccadic eye movements during visual search.This article is part of the themed issue 'Auditory and visual scene analysis'. © 2017 The Author(s).

Lateral Support Systems And Underpinning. Volume III: Construction Methods

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

1997-03-01

Contains the proceedings of the National Freight Planning Applications Conference held October 1996 and the proceedings of the Urban Goods Movement and Freight Forecasting Conference held in September 1997.

Gastrulation and pre-gastrulation morphogenesis, inductions, and gene expression: similarities and dissimilarities between urodelean and anuran embryos.

PubMed

Kaneda, Teruo; Motoki, Jun-ya Doi

2012-09-01

Studies of meso-endoderm and neural induction and subsequent body plan formation have been analyzed using mainly amphibians as the experimental model. Xenopus is currently the predominant model, because it best enables molecular analysis of these induction processes. However, much of the embryological information on these inductions (e.g., those of the Spemann-Mangold organizer), and on the morphogenetic movements of inductively interacting tissues, derives from research on non-model amphibians, especially urodeles. Although the final body pattern is strongly conserved in vertebrates, and although many of the same developmental genes are expressed, it has become evident that there are individually diverse modes of morphogenesis and timing of developmental events. Whether or not this diversity represents essential differences in the early induction processes remains unclear. The aim of this review is to compare the gastrulation process, induction processes, and gene expressions between a urodele, mainly Cynops pyrrhogaster, and an anura, Xenopus laevis, thereby to clarify conserved and diversified aspects. Cynops gastrulation differs significantly from that of Xenopus in that specification of the regions of the Xenopus dorsal marginal zone (DMZ) are specified before the onset of gastrulation, as marked by blastopore formation, whereas the equivalent state of specification does not occur in Cynops until the middle of gastrulation. Detailed comparison of the germ layer structure and morphogenetic movements during the pre-gastrula and gastrula stages shows that the entire gastrulation process should be divided into two phases of notochord induction and neural induction. Cynops undergoes these processes sequentially after the onset of gastrulation, whereas Xenopus undergoes notochord induction during a series of pre-gastrulation movements, and its traditionally defined period of gastrulation only includes the neural induction phase. Comparing the structure, fate, function and state of commitment of each domain of the DMZ of Xenopus and Cynops has revealed that the true form of the Spemann-Mangold organizer is suprablastoporal gsc-expressing endoderm that has notochord-inducing activity. Gsc-expressing deep endoderm and/or superficial endoderm in Xenopus is involved in inducing notochord during pre-gastrulation morphogenesis, rather than both gsc- and bra-expressing tissues being induced at the same time. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Evaluation of the Elekta Symmetry ™ 4D IGRT system by using a moving lung phantom

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shin, Hun-Joo; Kim, Shin-Wook; Kay, Chul Seung; Seo, Jae-Hyuk; Lee, Gi-Woong; Kang, Ki-Mun; Jang, Hong Seok; Kang, Young-nam

2015-07-01

Purpose: 4D cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT) is a beneficial tool for the treatment of movable tumors because it can help us to understand where the tumors are actually located and it has a precise treatment plan. However, general CBCT images have a limitation in that they cannot perfectly perform a sophisticated registration. On the other hand, the Symmetry TM 4D image-guided radiation therapy (IGRT) system of Elekta offers a 4D CBCT registration option. In this study, we evaluated the usefulness of Symmetry TM . Method and Materials: Planning CT images of the CIRS moving lung phantom were acquired 4D multi-detector CT (MDCT), and the images were sorted as 10 phases from 0% phase to 90% phase. The thickness of the CT images was 1 mm. Acquired MDCT images were transferred to the contouring software, and a virtual target was generated. A one-arc volumetric-modulated arc therapy (VMAT) plan was performed by using the treatment planning system on the virtual target. Finally, the movement of the phantom was verified by using the XVI Symmetry TM system. Results: The physical movement of the CIRS moving lung phantom was ±10.0 mm in the superiorinferior direction, ±1.0 mm in the lateral direction, and ±2.5 mm in the anterior-posterior direction. The movement of the phantom was measured from the 4D MDCT registration as ±10.2 mm in the superior-inferior direction, ±0.9 mm in the lateral direction, and ±2.45 mm in the anterior-posterior direction. The movement of the phantom was measured from the SymmetryTM registration as ±10.1 mm in the superior-inferior direction, ±0.9 mm in the lateral direction, and ±2.4 mm in the anterior-posterior direction. Conclusion: We confirmed that 4D CBCT is a beneficial tool for the treatment of movable tumors, and that the 4D registration of SymmetryTM can increase the precision of the registration when a movable tumor is the target of radiation treatment.

Modification of Agility Running Technique in Reaction to a Defender in Rugby Union

PubMed Central

Wheeler, Keane W.; Sayers, Mark G.L.

2010-01-01

Three-dimensional kinematic analysis examined agility running technique during pre-planned and reactive performance conditions specific to attacking ball carries in rugby union. The variation to running technique of 8 highly trained rugby union players was compared between agility conditions (pre-planned and reactive) and also agility performance speeds (fast, moderate and slow). Kinematic measures were used to determine the velocity of the centre of mass (COM) in the anteroposterior (running speed) and mediolateral (lateral movement speed) planes. The position of foot-strike and toe-off was also examined for the step prior to the agility side- step (pre-change of direction phase) and then the side-step (change of direction phase). This study demonstrated that less lateral movement speed towards the intended direction change occurred during reactive compared to pre-planned conditions at pre-change of direction (0.08 ± 0.28 m·s-1 and 0.42 ± 0.25 m·s-1, respectively) and change of direction foot-strikes (0.25 ± 0.42 m·s-1 and 0.69 ± 0.43 m·s-1, respectively). Less lateral movement speed during reactive conditions was associated with greater lateral foot displacement (44.52 ± 6.10% leg length) at the change of direction step compared to pre-planned conditions (41.35 ± 5.85%). Importantly, the anticipation abilities during reactive conditions provided a means to differentiate between speeds of agility performance, with faster performances displaying greater lateral movement speed at the change of direction foot- strike (0.52 ± 0.34 m·s-1) compared to moderate (0.20 ± 0.37 m·s-1) and slow (-0.08 ± 0.31 m·s-1). The changes to running technique during reactive conditions highlight the need to incorporate decision-making in rugby union agility programs. Key points Changes to running technique occur when required to make a decision. Fast agility performers use different stepping strategies in reactive conditions. Decision-making must be incorporated in agility training programs. PMID:24149639

Remotely measuring populations during a crisis by overlaying two data sources.

PubMed

Bharti, Nita; Lu, Xin; Bengtsson, Linus; Wetter, Erik; Tatem, Andrew J

2015-03-01

Societal instability and crises can cause rapid, large-scale movements. These movements are poorly understood and difficult to measure but strongly impact health. Data on these movements are important for planning response efforts. We retrospectively analyzed movement patterns surrounding a 2010 humanitarian crisis caused by internal political conflict in Côte d'Ivoire using two different methods. We used two remote measures, nighttime lights satellite imagery and anonymized mobile phone call detail records, to assess average population sizes as well as dynamic population changes. These data sources detect movements across different spatial and temporal scales. The two data sources showed strong agreement in average measures of population sizes. Because the spatiotemporal resolution of the data sources differed, we were able to obtain measurements on long- and short-term dynamic elements of populations at different points throughout the crisis. Using complementary, remote data sources to measure movement shows promise for future use in humanitarian crises. We conclude with challenges of remotely measuring movement and provide suggestions for future research and methodological developments. © The Author 2015. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of Royal Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene.

Signal-dependent noise determines motor planning

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Harris, Christopher M.; Wolpert, Daniel M.

1998-08-01

When we make saccadic eye movements or goal-directed arm movements, there is an infinite number of possible trajectories that the eye or arm could take to reach the target,. However, humans show highly stereotyped trajectories in which velocity profiles of both the eye and hand are smooth and symmetric for brief movements,. Here we present a unifying theory of eye and arm movements based on the single physiological assumption that the neural control signals are corrupted by noise whose variance increases with the size of the control signal. We propose that in the presence of such signal-dependent noise, the shape of a trajectory is selected to minimize the variance of the final eye or arm position. This minimum-variance theory accurately predicts the trajectories of both saccades and arm movements and the speed-accuracy trade-off described by Fitt's law. These profiles are robust to changes in the dynamics of the eye or arm, as found empirically,. Moreover, the relation between path curvature and hand velocity during drawing movements reproduces the empirical `two-thirds power law',. This theory provides a simple and powerful unifying perspective for both eye and arm movement control.

Anticipatory Posturing of the Vocal Tract Reveals Dissociation of Speech Movement Plans from Linguistic Units

PubMed Central

Tilsen, Sam; Spincemaille, Pascal; Xu, Bo; Doerschuk, Peter; Luh, Wen-Ming; Feldman, Elana; Wang, Yi

2016-01-01

Models of speech production typically assume that control over the timing of speech movements is governed by the selection of higher-level linguistic units, such as segments or syllables. This study used real-time magnetic resonance imaging of the vocal tract to investigate the anticipatory movements speakers make prior to producing a vocal response. Two factors were varied: preparation (whether or not speakers had foreknowledge of the target response) and pre-response constraint (whether or not speakers were required to maintain a specific vocal tract posture prior to the response). In prepared responses, many speakers were observed to produce pre-response anticipatory movements with a variety of articulators, showing that that speech movements can be readily dissociated from higher-level linguistic units. Substantial variation was observed across speakers with regard to the articulators used for anticipatory posturing and the contexts in which anticipatory movements occurred. The findings of this study have important consequences for models of speech production and for our understanding of the normal range of variation in anticipatory speech behaviors. PMID:26760511

Anticipatory Posturing of the Vocal Tract Reveals Dissociation of Speech Movement Plans from Linguistic Units.

PubMed

Tilsen, Sam; Spincemaille, Pascal; Xu, Bo; Doerschuk, Peter; Luh, Wen-Ming; Feldman, Elana; Wang, Yi

2016-01-01

Models of speech production typically assume that control over the timing of speech movements is governed by the selection of higher-level linguistic units, such as segments or syllables. This study used real-time magnetic resonance imaging of the vocal tract to investigate the anticipatory movements speakers make prior to producing a vocal response. Two factors were varied: preparation (whether or not speakers had foreknowledge of the target response) and pre-response constraint (whether or not speakers were required to maintain a specific vocal tract posture prior to the response). In prepared responses, many speakers were observed to produce pre-response anticipatory movements with a variety of articulators, showing that that speech movements can be readily dissociated from higher-level linguistic units. Substantial variation was observed across speakers with regard to the articulators used for anticipatory posturing and the contexts in which anticipatory movements occurred. The findings of this study have important consequences for models of speech production and for our understanding of the normal range of variation in anticipatory speech behaviors.

The Roles of Beaconing and Dead Reckoning in Human Virtual Navigation

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bodily, Kent D.; Daniel, Thomas A.; Sturz, Bradley R.

2012-01-01

Beaconing is a process in which the distance between a visual landmark and current position is reduced in order to return to a location. In contrast, dead reckoning is a process in which vestibular, kinesthetic and/or optic flow cues are utilized to update speed of movement, elapsed time of movement, and direction of movement to return to a…

Social Movements and Critical Pedagogy in Brazil: From the Origins of Popular Education to the Proposal of a Permanent Forum

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Leher, Roberto; Vittoria, Paolo

2015-01-01

One of the hallmarks of anti-capitalist social movements in Latin America is the incorporation of self-organizing processes of political education and involvement in the educational process of their children and youth. This article discusses popular education and critical pedagogy upheld by historical and contemporary Brazilian social movements,…

Speeded Reaching Movements around Invisible Obstacles

PubMed Central

Hudson, Todd E.; Wolfe, Uta; Maloney, Laurence T.

2012-01-01

We analyze the problem of obstacle avoidance from a Bayesian decision-theoretic perspective using an experimental task in which reaches around a virtual obstacle were made toward targets on an upright monitor. Subjects received monetary rewards for touching the target and incurred losses for accidentally touching the intervening obstacle. The locations of target-obstacle pairs within the workspace were varied from trial to trial. We compared human performance to that of a Bayesian ideal movement planner (who chooses motor strategies maximizing expected gain) using the Dominance Test employed in Hudson et al. (2007). The ideal movement planner suffers from the same sources of noise as the human, but selects movement plans that maximize expected gain in the presence of that noise. We find good agreement between the predictions of the model and actual performance in most but not all experimental conditions. PMID:23028276

Hypothesis regarding the transformation of the intended direction of movement during the production of graphic trajectories: a study of drawing movements in 8- to 12-year-old children.

PubMed

Pellizzer, Giuseppe; Zesiger, Pascal

2009-03-01

Children from 8 to 12 years of age drew figure-eights and ellipses at a self-chosen tempo on a digitizing tablet. Global aspects (perimeter and average speed) and local aspects (relation between instantaneous speed and curvature) of performance were analyzed across age groups and types of figures. We tested the predictions of the transformation model, which is based on the hypothesis that changing the intended direction of movement is a time-consuming process that affects the evolution in time of the movement trajectory, and compared how well it fitted the data relative to the power law. We found that the relation between speed and curvature was typically better described by the transformation model than by the power law. However, the power law provided a better description when ellipses were drawn at a fast speed. The analyses of the parameters of the transformation model indicate that processing speed increased linearly with age. In addition, the results suggest that the effects of the spring-like properties of the arm were noticeable when ellipses were drawn at a fast speed. This study indicates that both biomechanical properties and central processes have an effect on the kinematics of continuous movements and particularly on the relation between speed and curvature. However, their relative importance varies with the type of figure and average movement speed. In conclusion, the results support the hypothesis that a time-consuming process of transformation of the intended direction of movement is operating during the production of continuous movements and that this process increases in speed between 8 to 12 years of age.

Movement Precision and Amplitude as Separate Factors in the Control of Movement.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kerr, Robert

The purpose of this study was to assess Welford's dual controlling factor interpretation of Fitts' Law--describing movement time as being a linear function of movement distance (or amplitude) and the required precision of the movement (or target width). Welford's amplification of the theory postulates that two separate processes ought to be…

Final report : UAB transportation workforce development.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2014-06-01

Transportation engineering supports safe and efficient movement of people and goods through : planning, design, operation and management of transportation systems. As needs for : transportation continue to grow, the future needs for qualified transpo...

Utilization of a Vehicle Integrated Intelligence (V(INT)2) System in Armor Units

DTIC Science & Technology

1984-04-01

weaknesses or deficiencies in the plan such as blind spots or fire integration plans likely to result in either overkill or underkill (e.g., gaps). The...movement is used with this formation. 108 A PL TI.I TK2 . *Thiso~ A oiiaini sdweee h Figue 5-4. CmbatWedg PLL PS I 10 M4w ;ok *Thi modificatio isue-heee-h

Capabilities-Based Planning for Energy Security at Department of Defense Installations

DTIC Science & Technology

2013-01-01

Support Services—The ability to provide assis- tance for payload and launch vehicles including safety, reception , staging, integration, movement to the...pubs/technical_reports/TR1249.html Davis, Paul K., and Paul Dreyer, RAND’s Portfolio Analysis Tool (PAT): Theory , Methods, and Reference Manual, Santa...Steven C. Bankes, and Michael Egner, Enhancing Strategic Planning with Massive Scenario Generation: Theory and Experiments, Santa Monica, Calif

The interdependence of lake ice and climate in central North America

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Jelacic, A. J. (Principal Investigator)

1972-01-01

There are no author-identified significant results in this report. This investigation is to identify any correlations between the freeze/ thaw cycles of lakes and regional weather variations. ERTS-1 imagery of central Canada and north central United States is examined on a seasonal basis. The ice conditions of certain major study lakes are noted and recorded on magnetic tape, from which the movement of a freeze/thaw transition zone may be deduced. Weather maps and tables are used to establish any obvious correlations. The process of selecting major study lakes is discussed, and a complete lake directory is presented. Various routines of the software support library are described, accompanied by output samples. Procedures used for ERTS imagery processing are presented along with the data analysis plan. Application of these procedures to selected ERTS imagery has demonstrated their utility. Preliminary results show that the freeze/thaw transition zone can be monitored from ERTS.

Fuel shipment experience, fuel movements from the BMI-1 transport cask

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Bauer, Thomas L.; Krause, Michael G

1986-07-01

The University of Texas at Austin received two shipments of irradiated fuel elements from Northrup Aircraft Corporation on April 11 and 16, 1985. A total of 59 elements consisting of standard and instrumented TRIGA fuel were unloaded from the BMI-1 shipping cask. At the time of shipment, the Northrup core burnup was approximately 50 megawatt days with fuel element radiation levels, after a cooling time of three months, of approximately 1.75 rem/hr at 3 feet. In order to facilitate future planning of fuel shipment at the UT facility and other facilities, a summary of the recent transfer process including severalmore » factors which contributed to its success are presented. Numerous color slides were made of the process for future reference by UT and others involved in fuel transfer and handling of the BMI-1 cask.« less

The effect of aborting ongoing movements on end point position estimation.

PubMed

Itaguchi, Yoshihiro; Fukuzawa, Kazuyoshi

2013-11-01

The present study investigated the impact of motor commands to abort ongoing movement on position estimation. Participants carried out visually guided reaching movements on a horizontal plane with their eyes open. By setting a mirror above their arm, however, they could not see the arm, only the start and target points. They estimated the position of their fingertip based solely on proprioception after their reaching movement was stopped before reaching the target. The participants stopped reaching as soon as they heard an auditory cue or were mechanically prevented from moving any further by an obstacle in their path. These reaching movements were carried out at two different speeds (fast or slow). It was assumed that additional motor commands to abort ongoing movement were required and that their magnitude was high, low, and zero, in the auditory-fast condition, the auditory-slow condition, and both the obstacle conditions, respectively. There were two main results. (1) When the participants voluntarily stopped a fast movement in response to the auditory cue (the auditory-fast condition), they showed more underestimates than in the other three conditions. This underestimate effect was positively related to movement velocity. (2) An inverted-U-shaped bias pattern as a function of movement distance was observed consistently, except in the auditory-fast condition. These findings indicate that voluntarily stopping fast ongoing movement created a negative bias in the position estimate, supporting the idea that additional motor commands or efforts to abort planned movement are involved with the position estimation system. In addition, spatially probabilistic inference and signal-dependent noise may explain the underestimate effect of aborting ongoing movement.

Acting without seeing: eye movements reveal visual processing without awareness.

PubMed

Spering, Miriam; Carrasco, Marisa

2015-04-01

Visual perception and eye movements are considered to be tightly linked. Diverse fields, ranging from developmental psychology to computer science, utilize eye tracking to measure visual perception. However, this prevailing view has been challenged by recent behavioral studies. Here, we review converging evidence revealing dissociations between the contents of perceptual awareness and different types of eye movement. Such dissociations reveal situations in which eye movements are sensitive to particular visual features that fail to modulate perceptual reports. We also discuss neurophysiological, neuroimaging, and clinical studies supporting the role of subcortical pathways for visual processing without awareness. Our review links awareness to perceptual-eye movement dissociations and furthers our understanding of the brain pathways underlying vision and movement with and without awareness. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Acting without seeing: Eye movements reveal visual processing without awareness Miriam Spering & Marisa Carrasco

PubMed Central

Spering, Miriam; Carrasco, Marisa

2015-01-01

Visual perception and eye movements are considered to be tightly linked. Diverse fields, ranging from developmental psychology to computer science, utilize eye tracking to measure visual perception. However, this prevailing view has been challenged by recent behavioral studies. We review converging evidence revealing dissociations between the contents of perceptual awareness and different types of eye movements. Such dissociations reveal situations in which eye movements are sensitive to particular visual features that fail to modulate perceptual reports. We also discuss neurophysiological, neuroimaging and clinical studies supporting the role of subcortical pathways for visual processing without awareness. Our review links awareness to perceptual-eye movement dissociations and furthers our understanding of the brain pathways underlying vision and movement with and without awareness. PMID:25765322

Computing Arm Movements with a Monkey Brainet.

PubMed

Ramakrishnan, Arjun; Ifft, Peter J; Pais-Vieira, Miguel; Byun, Yoon Woo; Zhuang, Katie Z; Lebedev, Mikhail A; Nicolelis, Miguel A L

2015-07-09

Traditionally, brain-machine interfaces (BMIs) extract motor commands from a single brain to control the movements of artificial devices. Here, we introduce a Brainet that utilizes very-large-scale brain activity (VLSBA) from two (B2) or three (B3) nonhuman primates to engage in a common motor behaviour. A B2 generated 2D movements of an avatar arm where each monkey contributed equally to X and Y coordinates; or one monkey fully controlled the X-coordinate and the other controlled the Y-coordinate. A B3 produced arm movements in 3D space, while each monkey generated movements in 2D subspaces (X-Y, Y-Z, or X-Z). With long-term training we observed increased coordination of behavior, increased correlations in neuronal activity between different brains, and modifications to neuronal representation of the motor plan. Overall, performance of the Brainet improved owing to collective monkey behaviour. These results suggest that primate brains can be integrated into a Brainet, which self-adapts to achieve a common motor goal.

Computing Arm Movements with a Monkey Brainet

PubMed Central

Ramakrishnan, Arjun; Ifft, Peter J.; Pais-Vieira, Miguel; Woo Byun, Yoon; Zhuang, Katie Z.; Lebedev, Mikhail A.; Nicolelis, Miguel A.L.

2015-01-01

Traditionally, brain-machine interfaces (BMIs) extract motor commands from a single brain to control the movements of artificial devices. Here, we introduce a Brainet that utilizes very-large-scale brain activity (VLSBA) from two (B2) or three (B3) nonhuman primates to engage in a common motor behaviour. A B2 generated 2D movements of an avatar arm where each monkey contributed equally to X and Y coordinates; or one monkey fully controlled the X-coordinate and the other controlled the Y-coordinate. A B3 produced arm movements in 3D space, while each monkey generated movements in 2D subspaces (X-Y, Y-Z, or X-Z). With long-term training we observed increased coordination of behavior, increased correlations in neuronal activity between different brains, and modifications to neuronal representation of the motor plan. Overall, performance of the Brainet improved owing to collective monkey behaviour. These results suggest that primate brains can be integrated into a Brainet, which self-adapts to achieve a common motor goal. PMID:26158523