Digital Commons Network^™

Lower Body Gait Variability As A Distinguishing Feature In Humans, Tyler M. Wiles, Seung Kyeom Kim, Nick Stergiou, Aaron D. Likens

UNO Student Research and Creative Activity Fair

Most humans have a fingerprint that is unique and persists throughout life. The same may be true for gait. Each person is unique physiologically and biomechanically, and has experienced a unique progression of life including injuries, habits, hobbies, or lifestyles that all contribute to navigating the world. Those individualized experiences, whether intended or not, are potentially on display in gait. We hypothesized that there are gait characteristics intrinsic and unique to everyone, so that everyone has a unique “gaitprint”, similar to humans possessing unique fingerprints. To test our hypothesis, we recruited thirty healthy young adults between the ages 19-35 as …

Functional Outcomes Of Noninvasive Sensory Feedback In Upper Limb Prostheses: A Meta-Analysis, Libby Caldwell

UNO Student Research and Creative Activity Fair

Noninvasive sensory feedback applies vibration or pressure to the residual limb and is thought to improve the functionality of upper limb prostheses. However, the efficacy of this approach has not been sufficiently investigated, particularly regarding actual amputee efficacy. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the functional benefits of noninvasive sensory feedback in upper limb prostheses through a meta-analysis. Electronic databases (MEDLINE, Web of Science, and PubMed) were searched up to October 2022 using the following search terms: (prosthesis OR prosthetic) AND (hand OR arm OR forearm OR transradial OR “upper limb” OR “upper extremity) AND (tactile OR haptic …

Walking With A Load On Wheels: Potential Effects Of Bidirectional Springs On Walking Economy, Hiva Razavi, Philippe Malcolm

UNO Student Research and Creative Activity Fair

Walking with a Load on Wheels: Potential Effects of Bidirectional Springs on Walking Economy

Have you ever noticed how your arms alternatively flex and extend when pushing a heavy shopping cart? Accelerating and decelerating heavy masses, such as a shopping cart, can require much effort. During walking, we alternatively accelerate and decelerate our Center of Mass (COM) in every gait cycle, which can require even more effort if we accelerate and decelerate a load while walking. Theoretically, this effort can be reduced by timing the acceleration and deceleration of the load's mass opposite to the individual's COM. Previous studies have …

Inter-Joint Variability And Age-Related Changes In Human Walking, Mehrnoush Haghighatnejad, Tyler Wiles, Seung Kyeom Kim, Aaron Likens, Nicholas Stergiou

UNO Student Research and Creative Activity Fair

Inter-Joint Variability and Age-Related Changes in Human Walking

Mehrnoush Haghighatnejad¹*, Tyler M. Wiles¹, Seung Kyeom Kim¹, Nick Stergiou^1,2, Aaron D. Likens¹

¹Department of Biomechanics, University of Nebraska at Omaha

²Department of Physical Education and Sport Science, Aristotle University, Thessaloniki, Greece

*Corresponding author’s email: mhaghighatnejad@unomaha.edu

Presentation Preference: Poster

Humans routinely perform a variety of activities such as walking, running, driving, and typing, all of which require coordination among different body joints. For instance, walking and running involve rhythmic movements of the arms and legs. The involvement of the upper …

Negative Impact Of Aging On Gait Autocorrelation: A Mixed-Effects Analysis Of Stride Interval Dynamics, Theodore Deligiannis, Tyler M. Wiles, Seung Kyeom Kim, Nikolaos Stergiou, Aaron Likens

UNO Student Research and Creative Activity Fair

NEGATIVE IMPACT OF AGING ON GAIT AUTOCORRELATION: A MIXED-EFFECTS ANALYSIS OF STRIDE INTERVAL DYNAMICS

Theodore A. Deligiannis^1*, Tyler M. Wiles¹, Seung Kyeom Kim¹, Nick Stergiou^1,2, Aaron D. Likens¹

¹Department of Biomechanics, University of Nebraska at Omaha

*Corresponding author’s email: tdeligiannis@unomaha.edu

Presentation preference: Podium

Traditional gait metrics, like speed, cadence, coordination, as well as non-linear measures, appear related to Timed Up and Go (TUG). Timed Up and Go is a clinical measurement related to physical, socioeconomic, and psychological parameters, as well as overall health. TUG can be used as a health …

Nonan Gaitprint: An Imu Gait Database Of Healthy Young Adults, Tyler M. Wiles, Madhur Mangalam, Joel H. Sommerfeld, Seung Kyeom Kim, Kolby J. Brink, Anaëlle Charles, Alli Grunkemeyer, Marilena Kalaitzi Manifrenti, Spyridon Mastorakis, Nicholas Stergiou, Aaron Likens

Journal Articles

An ongoing thrust of research focused on human gait pertains to identifying individuals based on gait patterns. However, no existing gait database supports modeling efforts to assess gait patterns unique to individuals. Hence, we introduce the Nonlinear Analysis Core (NONAN) GaitPrint database containing whole body kinematics and foot placement during self-paced overground walking on a 200-meter looping indoor track. Noraxon Ultium MotionTM inertial measurement unit (IMU) sensors sampled the motion of 35 healthy young adults (19–35 years old; 18 men and 17 women; mean ± 1 s.d. age: 24.6 ± 2.7 years; height: 1.73 ± 0.78 m; body mass: …

Quantifying Non-Gaussian Intermittent Fluctuations In Physiology: Multiscale Probability Density Function Analysis Using The Savitzky-Golay Detrending, Madhur Mangalam, Damian G. Kelty-Stephen, Eiichi Watanabe, Ken Kiyono

Journal Articles

When measuring physiological data, the central limit theorem typically implies a consistent variance, resulting in data that closely follow a Gaussian distribution. However, physiological measurements often deviate from this expectation, increasing variance due to nonlinear correlations across various scales. The challenge lies in testing these tails, which comprise only rare and extreme values. We introduce multiscale probability density function (PDF) analysis, a method that estimates this non-Gaussianity parameter for physiological fluctuations in each of multiple timescales. We gain valuable insights into the observed distributions with heavier tails and nonlinear correlations by exploring the relationship between non-Gaussianity and logarithmic scale. To …

Multifractality In Stride-To-Stride Variations Reveals That Walking Involves More Movement Tuning And Adjusting Than Running, Taylor J. Wilson, Madhur Mangalam, Nicholas Stergiou, Aaron Likens

Journal Articles

Introduction: The seemingly periodic human gait exhibits stride-to-stride variations as it adapts to the changing task constraints. The optimal movement variability hypothesis (OMVH) states that healthy stride-to-stride variations exhibit “fractality”—a specific temporal structure in consecutive strides that are ordered, stable but also variable, and adaptable. Previous research has primarily focused on a single fractality measure, “monofractality.” However, this measure can vary across time; strideto-stride variations can show “multifractality.” Greater multifractality in stride-tostride variations would highlight the ability to tune and adjust movements more.

Methods: We investigated monofractality and multifractality in a cohort of eight healthy adults during self-paced walking and …

Temporal Organization Of Stride-To-Stride Variations Contradicts Predictive Models For Sensorimotor Control Of Footfalls During Walking, Madhur Mangalam, Damian G. Kelty-Stephen, Joel H. Sommerfeld, Nicholas Stergiou, Aaron Likens

Journal Articles

Walking exhibits stride-to-stride variations. Given ongoing perturbations, these variations critically support continuous adaptations between the goal-directed organism and its surroundings. Here, we report that stride-to-stride variations during self-paced overground walking show cascade-like intermittency—stride intervals become uneven because stride intervals of different sizes interact and do not simply balance each other. Moreover, even when synchronizing footfalls with visual cues with variable timing of presentation, asynchrony in the timings of the cue and footfall shows cascade-like intermittency. This evidence conflicts with theories about the sensorimotor control of walking, according to which internal predictive models correct asynchrony in the timings of the cue …

Ergodic Characterization Of Nonergodic Anomalous Diffusion Processes, Madhur Mangalam, Ralf Metzler, Damian G. Kelty-Stephen

Journal Articles

Anomalous diffusion in various complex systems abounds in nature and spans multiple space and time scales. Canonical characterization techniques that rely upon mean squared displacement break down for nonergodic processes, making it challenging to characterize anomalous diffusion from an individual time-series measurement. Nonergodicity reigns when the time-averaged mean square displacement differs from the ensemble-averaged mean squared displacement even in the limit of long measurement series. In these cases, the typical theoretical results for ensemble averages cannot be used to understand and interpret data acquired from time averages. The difficulty then lies in obtaining statistical descriptors of the measured diffusion process …

Gaze During Turning In Older Adults, Kalina Mavrov

Theses/Capstones/Creative Projects

To navigate complex environments, our gaze needs to attenuate to locomotor tasks, such as walking and turning. Shifting gaze (i.e., rotation of the eyes and head), is important when moving through different environments. The aim of this study was to compare gaze anticipation during clinical tests and complex real-world locomotion. I hypothesized that older adults would shift their gaze in a new heading direction in anticipation of turns. I further predicted increased gaze anticipation in tasks that have a high demand for spatial orientation. Participants were asked to complete clinical tasks consisting of a 2-minute walk, figure-8, and 360-turning in …

Accelerometry-Based Analysis Of Postural Sway In Parkinson's Disease Patients With Levodopa-Induced Dyskinesia, Chandler Brock

UNO Student Research and Creative Activity Fair

Parkinson’s disease (PD) is a progressive neurodegenerative disorder, with patient numbers projected to double to 12 million in the next 20 years. Levodopa-induced dyskinesia (LID) is a major problem associated with the long-term use of levodopa for symptomatic treatment of PD. These involuntary movements can become disabling and may interfere with quality of life. Our prior research showed that PD w/ LID were less stable while standing (i.e., increased postural sway) and had a higher incidence of falls. The aim of this study is to determine if postural sway properties are altered by LID via decomposing the sway signal. We …

Walking Easier By Attaching A Spring-Mass To The Body: A Preliminary Simulation, Hiva Razavi, Philippe Malcolm

UNO Student Research and Creative Activity Fair

When carrying or pushing a load, more force is needed to accelerate and decelerate the additional mass, increasing Ground Reaction Force (GRF). However, this can be reduced by synchronizing the object's movement with the individual's Center of Mass (COM) using antiphase acceleration and deceleration. Past studies have shown this can decrease muscle work and metabolic costs. This study aimed to determine optimal spring parameters to minimize horizontal GRF (GRFh) when pushing a cart by connecting the human to the cart with a spring and damper system.

Three walking conditions were simulated in MATLAB: 1) Normal walking; 2) Walking with a …

Attenuated Skeletal Muscle Metabolism Explains Blunted Reactive Hyperemia After Prolonged Sitting, Cody Anderson, Elizabeth Pekas, Michael Allen, Song-Young Park

UNO Student Research and Creative Activity Fair

Introduction: Although reduced post-occlusive reactive hyperemia (PORH) after prolonged sitting (PS) has been reported as impaired microvascular function, no specific mechanism(s) have been elucidated. One potential mechanism, independent of microvascular function, is that an altered muscle metabolic rate (MMR) may change the magnitude of PORH by modifying the oxygen deficit achieved during cuff-induced arterial occlusions. We speculated that if MMR changes during PS, this may invalidate current inferences about microvascular function during PS. Objective: Therefore, the objective of this study was to examine if peripheral leg MMR changes during PS and to ascertain whether the change in the oxygen deficit …

The Effect Of Exoskeleton Footwear On Joint Angular Motion During Walking In Patients With Peripheral Artery Disease, Zahra Salamifar, Farahnaz Fallahtafti, Iraklis I. Pipinos, Jason M. Johanning, Sara Myers

UNO Student Research and Creative Activity Fair

Gait, Lower Extremity, Peripheral Artery Disease, Joint Angle, Exoskeleton Footwear, Exoskeleton, Assistive Device, Walking.

The Effects Of Demographics And Risk Factors On The Morphological Characteristics Of Human Femoropopliteal Arteries, Sayed Ahmadreza Razian, Majid Jadidi, Alexey Kamenskiy

UNO Student Research and Creative Activity Fair

Background: Disease of the lower extremity arteries (Peripheral Arterial Disease, PAD) is associated with high morbidity and mortality. During disease development, the arteries adapt by changing their diameter, wall thickness, and residual deformations, but the effects of demographics and risk factors on this process are not clear.

Methods: Superficial femoral arteries from 736 subjects (505 male, 231 female, 12 to 99 years old, average age 51±17.8 years) and the associated demographic and risk factor variables were used to construct machine learning (ML) regression models that predicted morphological characteristics (diameter, wall thickness, and longitudinal opening angle resulting from the …

Long-Term Use Of An Ankle-Foot Orthosis Intervention In Patients With Peripheral Artery Disease Using The Integrated Promoting Action On Research Implementation In Health Services (I-Parihs) Framework, Ayisha Bashir, Danae Dinkel, Iraklis Pipinos, Paul Estabrooks, Jason Johanning, Sara A. Myers

Journal Articles

Background

Peripheral artery disease (PAD) is a cardiovascular disease that limits patients' walking ability. Persistent ankle-foot orthosis (AFO) use may increase the distance patients can walk as well as physical activity.

Purpose

The purpose of the study was to determine the implementation and patients' perspectives related to the use or disuse of the AFO intervention six months post-intervention. This study was guided by a semi-structured interview and survey based on the integrated Promoting Action on Research Implementation in Health Services (i-PARIHS) constructs.

Design

A convergent mixed methods design was used to evaluate participants' perceptions six months following a three-month AFO …

Joint Angle Variability Is Altered In Patients With Peripheral Artery Disease After Six Months Of Exercise Intervention, Farah Fallahtafti, Zahra Salamifar, Mahdi Hassan, Hafizur Rahman, Iraklis Pipinos, Sara A. Myers

Journal Articles

Supervised exercise therapy (SET) is a conservative non-operative treatment strategy for improving walking performance in patients with peripheral artery disease (PAD). Gait variability is altered in patients with PAD, but the effect of SET on gait variability is unknown. Forty-three claudicating patients with PAD underwent gait analysis before and immediately after a 6-month SET program. Nonlinear gait variability was assessed using sample entropy, and the largest Lyapunov exponent of the ankle, knee, and hip joint angle time series. Linear mean and variability of the range of motion time series for these three joint angles were also calculated. Two-factor repeated measure …

Machine Learning-Based Peripheral Artery Disease Identification Using Laboratory-Based Gait Data, Ali Al-Ramini, Mahdi Hassan, Farah Fallahtafti, Mohammad Ali Takallou, Hafizur Rahman, Basheer Qolomany, Iraklis Pipinos, Fadi Alsaleem, Sara A. Myers

Journal Articles

Peripheral artery disease (PAD) manifests from atherosclerosis, which limits blood flow to the legs and causes changes in muscle structure and function, and in gait performance. PAD is underdiagnosed, which delays treatment and worsens clinical outcomes. To overcome this challenge, the purpose of this study is to develop machine learning (ML) models that distinguish individuals with and without PAD. This is the first step to using ML to identify those with PAD risk early. We built ML models based on previously acquired overground walking biomechanics data from patients with PAD and healthy controls. Gait signatures were characterized using ankle, knee, …

Patient Compliance With Wearing Lower Limb Assistive Devices: A Scoping Review, Ayisha Bashir, Danae Dinkel, Iraklis Pipinos, Jason Johanning, Sara Myers

Journal Articles

Objective

The aim of this scoping review was to identify information on compliance with wearing orthoses and other supportive devices, to discuss the barriers to adherence, and to suggest strategies for improvement based on these findings.

Methods

Online databases of PubMed, Web of Science, and the Cochrane Library were searched for articles about patients’ compliance with regard to lower limb assistive devices. In addition, a methodological quality control process was conducted. Studies were included if in the English language and related to compliance and adherence to the lower limb assistive device. Exclusion was based on first reading the abstract …

Peripheral Artery Disease Affects The Function Of The Legs Of Claudicating Patients In A Diffuse Manner Irrespective Of The Segment Of The Arterial Tree Primarily Involved, Todd Leutzinger, Panagiotis Koutakis, Matthew A. Fuglestad, Hafizur Rahman, Holly Despiegelaere, Mahdi Hassan, Molly Schieber, Jason Johanning, Nick Stergiou, G. Matthew Longo, George P. Casale, Sara A. Myers, Iraklis Pipinos

Journal Articles

Different levels of arterial occlusive disease (aortoiliac, femoropopliteal, multi-level disease) can produce claudication symptoms in different leg muscle groups (buttocks, thighs, calves) in patients with peripheral artery disease (PAD). We tested the hypothesis that different locations of occlusive disease uniquely affect the muscles of PAD legs and produce distinctive patterns in the way claudicating patients walk. Ninety-seven PAD patients and 35 healthy controls were recruited. PAD patients were categorized to aortoiliac, femoropopliteal and multi-level disease groups using computerized tomographic angiography. Subjects performed walking trials both pain-free and during claudication pain and joint kinematics, kinetics, and spatiotemporal parameters were calculated to …

Midlands Voices: We Need To Do More To Support Expecting Mothers During And After Pregnancy, Sara A. Myers

Journal Articles

No abstract provided.

Development Of A Rural Childcare Professionals Advisory Board Focused On Mental And Physical Wellbeing, Danae Dinkel, John Rech, Natalie Hanna, Denita Julius, Jennifer Bauman, Tonya Hood-Hytrek, Matthew Bice

Journal Articles

Background. Childcare providers have high rates of stress and obesity, which can have an impact on the care they provide for children. Limited research has described strategies for including childcare providers in the development of wellbeing initiatives, especially in rural areas.
Objective. To describe the creation and acceptability of a rural childcare advisory board focused on childcare providers’ wellbeing as well as the acceptability of a wellbeing summit implemented by the board.
Methods. A collaborative model guided the actions of the advisory board. Acceptability of the board and the summit were assessed via surveys.
Results. Key factors contributing to the …

Assessing Wear Time And Perceptions Of Wearing An Ankle Foot Orthosis In Patients With Peripheral Artery Disease, Danae Dinkel, Mahdi Hassan, Holly Despiegelaere, Jason Johanning, Iraklis Pipinos, Sara Myers

Journal Articles

Background

Peripheral artery disease (PAD) is a cardiovascular disease that affects walking ability. An ankle foot orthosis (AFO) may improve walking distances in those with PAD. Little research has explored if those with PAD wear a prescribed AFO and their perceptions of wearing the device.

Objective

To assess wear time of an AFO and explore perceptions of wearing the device in patients with PAD.

Design

Convergent mixed methods.

Setting

The study was conducted through a tertiary care medical center, and the research participants used the device in the community.

Participants

Thirty-six patients, all older adult males, were enrolled in this …

Assessing Wear Time And Perceptions Of Wearing An Ankle Foot Orthosis In Patients With Peripheral Artery Disease, Danae Dinkel, Mahdi Hassan, John Rech, Holly Despiegelaere, Jason Johanning, Iraklis Pipinos, Sara A. Myers

Journal Articles

Background

Peripheral artery disease (PAD) is a cardiovascular disease that affects walking ability. An ankle foot orthosis (AFO) may improve walking distances in those with PAD. Little research has explored if those with PAD wear a prescribed AFO and their perceptions of wearing the device.

Objective

To assess wear time of an AFO and explore perceptions of wearing the device in patients with PAD.

Design

Convergent mixed methods.

Setting

The study was conducted through a tertiary care medical center, and the research participants used the device in the community.

Participants

Thirty-six patients, all older adult males, were enrolled in this …

Qualitative Analysis Of Colorectal Cancer Screening In Rural Nebraska, Kendra L. Ratnapradipa, Krishtee Napit, Jordan Ranta, Lady Beverly Luma, Danae Dinkel, Tamara Robinson, Laura Schabloske, Shinobu Watanabe-Galloway

Journal Articles

Compared to urban residents, rural populations are less likely to engage in colorectal cancer (CRC) screening. As part of a statewide cancer needs assessment, we aimed to elicit rural perspectives about CRC screening and resources. We conducted three focus groups with rural Nebraska cancer survivors and caregivers (N = 20) in Spring 2021 using a collective case study design. Participant awareness of and knowledge about CRC screening methods varied across focus groups; overall, 95% of participants had heard of colonoscopy. Participants were less familiar with fecal tests and had confusion about them. Colonoscopy was associated with negative perceptions regarding …

Qualitative Analysis Of Cancer Care Experiences Among Rural Cancer Survivors And Caregivers, Kendra L. Ratnapradipa, Jordan Ranta, Krishtee Napit, Lady Beverly Luma, Tamara Robinson, Danae Dinkel, Laura Schabloske, Shinobu Watanabe-Galloway

Journal Articles

Purpose

Rural (vs urban) patients experience poorer cancer outcomes and are less likely to be engaged in cancer prevention, such as screening. As part of a community needs assessment, we explored rural cancer survivors’ and caregivers’ experiences, perceptions, and attitudes toward cancer care services.

Methods

We conducted 3 focus groups (N = 20) in Spring 2021 in rural Nebraska.

Findings

Three patterns of cancer diagnosis were regular care/screening without noticeable symptoms, treatment for symptoms not initially identified as cancer related, and symptom self-identification. Most participants, regardless of how diagnosis was made, had positive experiences with timely referral for testing (imaging …

Metabolically Efficient Walking Assistance Using Optimized Timed Forces At The Waist, Prokopios Antonellis, Arash Mohammadzadeh Gonabadi, Sara Myers, Iraklis Pipinos, Philippe Malcolm

Journal Articles

The metabolic rate of walking can be reduced by applying a constant forward force at the center of mass. It has been shown that the metabolically optimal constant force magnitude minimizes propulsion ground reaction force at the expense of increased braking. This led to the hypothesis that selectively assisting propulsion could lead to greater benefits. We used a robotic waist tether to evaluate the effects of forward forces with different timings and magnitudes. Here, we show that it is possible to reduce the metabolic rate of healthy participants by 48% with a greater efficiency ratio of metabolic cost reduction per …

The Optimal Relationship Between Actuator Stiffness And Actuation Timing For A Passive Ankle Exoskeleton: An Opensim Simulation, Cody Anderson, Hafizur Rahman, Sara Myers

UNO Student Research and Creative Activity Fair

Introduction

The passive ankle exoskeleton developed by Collins et al. (2015) reduced the metabolic cost of walking with an actuation-timing of ~16% of stance [1]; however, other actuation timings have not been extensively investigated. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to determine the optimal relationship between actuator-stiffness and actuation-timing for a passive ankle exoskeleton by using musculoskeletal modeling.

Methods

Kinematics and ground reaction forces were recorded while a healthy-young male walked on overground force-plates, and these data were exported to a musculoskeletal modeling software (OpenSim) for simulation. A passive ankle exoskeleton model was designed and integrated with a default …

Design And Development Of Software With A Graphical User Interface To Display And Convert Multiple Microscopic Histology Images, Sayed Ahmadreza Razian, Majid Jadidi, Alexey Kamenskiy

UNO Student Research and Creative Activity Fair

Histological images are widely used to assess the microscopic anatomy of biological tissues. Recent advancements in image analysis allow the identification of structural features on histological sections that can help advance medical device development, brain and cancer research, drug discovery, vascular mechanobiology, and many other fields. Histological slide scanners create images in SVS and TIFF formats that were designed to archive image blocks and high-resolution textual information. Because these formats were primarily intended for storage, they are often not compatible with conventional image analysis software and require conversion before they can be used in research. We have developed a user-friendly …