Accidental falls remain an important problem in older people. Stepping is a common task to avoid a fall and requires good interplay between sensory functions, central processing and motor execution. Increased choice stepping reaction time has been associated with recurrent falls in older people. The aim of this study was to examine if a sensor-based Exergame Choice Stepping Reaction Time test can successfully discriminate older fallers from non-fallers. The stepping test was conducted in a cohort of 104 community-dwelling older people (mean age: 80.7 ± 7.0 years). Participants were asked to step laterally as quickly as possible after a light stimulus appeared on a TV screen. Spatial and temporal measurements of the lower and upper body were derived from a low-cost and portable 3D-depth sensor (i.e. Microsoft Kinect) and 3D-accelerometer. Fallers had a slower stepping reaction time (970 ± 228 ms vs. 858 ± 123 ms, P = 0.001) and a slower reaction of their upper body (719 ± 289 ms vs. 631 ± 166 ms, P = 0.052) compared to non-fallers. It took fallers significantly longer than non-fallers to recover their balance after initiating the step (2147 ± 800 ms vs. 1841 ± 591 ms, P = 0.029). This study demonstrated that a sensor-based, low-cost and easy to administer stepping test, with the potential to be used in clinical practice or regular unsupervised home assessments, was able to identify significant differences between performances by fallers and non-fallers.
Download full-text PDF |
Source |
|---|---|
| http://dx.doi.org/10.1109/EMBC.2014.6945228 | DOI Listing |
Publication Analysis
Top Keywords
Similar Publications
Effects of an external load on anticipatory mechanisms of handstand walking initiation in experienced gymnasts.
J Sports Sci
January 2025
Department of Movement, Human and Health Sciences, University of Rome "Foro Italico", Rome, Italy.
Anticipatory postural adjustments (APAs) are responsible for a successful first step execution in handstand walking. This study evaluates gymnasts' ability to adapt their APAs and stepping parameters in response to adding/removing an external load over repeated handstand walking initiation trials. Eighteen gymnasts performed five handstand walking initiation trials without load (PRE), eight trials with an external load (LOAD) and five trials with removed load (POST).
View Article and Find Full Text PDFUnraveling the Role of Water in Isothermal Methanol Partial Oxidation to Methyl Formate on Gold: A Combined Experimental and Computational Study.
J Phys Chem C Nanomater Interfaces
January 2025
Institut für Chemie und Biochemie, Freie Universität Berlin, Arnimallee 22, 14195 Berlin, Germany.
Since water is both a product and a common reactant impurity in the (partial) methanol oxidation to methyl formate (MeFo) on gold, its effect on the isothermal selectivity to methyl formate was investigated under well-defined single-collision conditions employing pulsed molecular beam experiments and in situ IRAS measurements. Both a flat Au(111) and a stepped Au(332) surface were used as model catalysts to elucidate how water affects the reactivity of low-coordinated step sites as compared to (111) terrace sites employing a range of reaction conditions. The interactions of water with methanol/methoxy as well as with oxygen species are addressed.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAtomic-scale changes can significantly impact heterogeneous catalysis, yet their atomic mechanisms are challenging to establish using conventional analysis methods. By using identical location scanning transmission electron microscopy (IL-STEM), which provides quantitative information at the single-particle level, we investigated the mechanisms of atomic evolution of Ru nanoclusters during the ammonia decomposition reaction. Nanometre-sized disordered nanoclusters transform into truncated nano-pyramids with stepped edges, leading to increased hydrogen production from ammonia.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFFabrication and optimization of a multielectrode microfluidic electrochemical flow cell for fast and dynamic detection of reaction products.
MethodsX
June 2025
Department of Materials Science and Engineering, Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU), NO-7491, Trondheim, Norway.
Construction and experimental validation of electrochemical cells with multiple electrodes in a microfluidic channel is described. Details of the fabrication of the electrodes and polydimethylsiloxane channel using soft lithography methods are given. Calibration of the collection efficiencies and transit times between electrodes validate the use of these cells for fast electrochemical detection of soluble species.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFCovalent Grafting of Graphene Quantum Dots onto Stepped TiO-Mediated Electronic Modulation for Electrocatalytic Hydrogen Evolution.
Inorg Chem
January 2025
School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, and Institute for Innovative Materials and Energy, Yangzhou University, 180 Si-Wang-Ting Road, Yangzhou 225002, China.
The interaction between electrocatalytic active centers and their support is essential to the electrocatalytic performance, which could regulate the electronic structure of the metal centers but requires precise design. Herein, we report on covalent grafting of graphene quantum dots (GQDs) on stepped TiO as a support to anchoring cobalt phosphide nanoparticles (CoP/GQD/S-TiO) for electrocatalytic hydrogen evolution reaction (HER). The covalent ester bonds between GQDs and TiO endow enlarged anchoring sites to achieve highly dispersed electroactive CoP nanoparticles but, more importantly, provide an efficient electron-transfer pathway from TiO to GQDs which could regulate the electronic structure of CoP.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFWant AI Summaries of new PubMed Abstracts delivered to your In-box?
Enter search terms and have AI summaries delivered each week - change queries or unsubscribe any time!