A numerical approach to evaluate the fatigue life of monolimb

Monolimb refers to a transtibial prosthesis with the prosthetic socket and the shank being molded into one piece of thermoplastic material. Shank flexibility of a monolimb can improve gait and comfort. However, fatigue failure of monolimbs under cyclic walking load is an important concern. This study is to evaluate the fatigue life of a monolimb designed for a transtibial amputee, based on finite element analysis, the statistical Miner's rule and reliability analysis. Stress uncertainty due to modeling error and the scatter in fatigue test data were considered. Results indicated that the accuracy of fatigue life evaluation of monolimb depends significantly on the precision of stress estimation. In addition, relationship between fatigue failure probability and the number of walking steps was suggested providing a reference for clinicians to determine the interval of the inspection for the monolimb.     

壁面厚度对一体化小腿假肢应力分布的影响

一体化假肢是以聚合物为材料从接受腔到假腿一体成型的新型下肢假肢 ,它比传统型假肢更经济、美观、轻便 ,具有较大的应用前景。如同传统假肢 ,应力分析对于一体化假肢的构型设计和优化具有重要的意义。由于假肢中的应力大小及分布与其所用材料的力学特性密切相关。本文的工作是基于一实验用内骨架一体化小腿假肢的真实几何构型 ,考虑残端软组织和骨 ,建立一体化小腿假肢的三维有限元模型 ;在保持假肢的几何形状不变的前提下 ,建立三个不同壁面厚度的一体化小腿假肢的三维模型 ,应用有限元分析方法 ,计算这些模型在模拟 Heel Off步态时相的载荷作用下的应力分布 ,分析壁面厚度对一体化小腿假肢应力分布的影响 ,为一体化小腿假肢壁面厚度的设计标准提供参考。结果表明 ,可以通过适当增加壁面厚度来减小一体化假肢的应力及软组织表面的压力。     

一体化小腿假肢的三维有限元应力分析

建立一体化小腿假肢和残肢的三维模型，应用有限元分析方法，计算此模型在模拟Mid—Stance步态时相的载荷作用下各节点的应力，从而得到此模型内外表面的应力分布，为一体化假肢设计的CAD＼CAM系统提供理论依据。计算结果表明，接受腔的应力值较小，假腿的应力值较大，高应力区出现在假腿下端及接受腔与假腿的交界区域。     

Limitations of parallel global optimization for large-scale human movement problems

Global optimization algorithms (e.g., simulated annealing, genetic, and particle swarm) have been gaining popularity in biomechanics research, in part due to advances in parallel computing. To date, such algorithms have only been applied to small- or medium-scale optimization problems (<100 design variables). This study evaluates the applicability of a parallel particle swarm global optimization algorithm to large-scale human movement problems. The evaluation was performed using two large-scale (660 design variables) optimization problems that utilized a dynamic, 27 degree-of-freedom, full-body gait model to predict new gait motions from a nominal gait motion. Both cost functions minimized a quantity that reduced the external knee adduction torque. The first one minimized footpath errors corresponding to an increased toe out angle of 15°, while the second one minimized the knee adduction torque directly without changing the footpath. Constraints on allowable changes in trunk orientation, joint angles, joint torques, centers of pressure, and ground reactions were handled using a penalty method. For both problems, a single run with a gradient-based nonlinear least squares algorithm found a significantly better solution than did 10 runs with the global particle swarm algorithm. Due to the penalty terms, the physically realistic gradient-based solutions were located within a narrow “channel” in design space that was difficult to enter without gradient information. Researchers should exercise caution when extrapolating the performance of parallel global optimizers to human movement problems with hundreds of design variables, especially when penalty terms are included in the cost function.     

内骨架一体化小腿假肢的生物力学研究

一体化假肢是以聚合物为材料从接受腔到假腿一体成型的新型下肢假肢，它比传统型假肢更经济、美观、轻便，具有较大的应用前景。目前的相关研究主要集中在设计与制作及少量的临床研究方面。由于一体化假肢与传统型假肢在结构上的差异，有必要对其进行应力分析。本研究的目的是开展内骨架一体化假肢的生物力学研究，本研究基于内骨架一体化小腿假肢的真实几何构型，建立三维有限元模型，计算该模型在模拟Heel OH步态时相的载荷作用下的应力分布；在保持该模型的几何形状不变的情况下，建立了三个不同壁面厚度的一体化小腿假肢的有限元模型，分析壁面厚度对一体化小腿假肢应力分布的影响；通过分别赋予模型四种不同高分子聚合物的材料力学特性值，分析不同材料的一体化假肢的应力分布特点；分别对模型施加与正常步态的五个典型时相对应的载荷，分析一体化小腿假肢在各步态时相的应力分布特点。本研究结果对一体化假肢设计有指导价值。     

小腿截肢患者不同路况下膝关节动态载荷研究

研究截肢患者行走过程中的膝关节动态载荷是膝关节损伤康复和假肢设计的基础。本研究以小腿截肢患者为研究对象,建立了膝关节动态载荷三维计算模型,通过平地行走、上、下楼梯三种路况下的步态分析,对一个步态周期内的膝关节载荷进行了计算分析。结果表明,各种路况下患者的步态特征和膝关节载荷各不相同,虽然总体变化规律基本一致,但上下楼梯时的小腿运动范围、地面反力和膝关节载荷比平地行走时幅值较大。这些定量分析结果为小腿截肢患者步态分析和假肢设计提供了理论依据。     

Computer simulation for the prediction of stump loading in above-knee amputees

The efficiency and accuracy of prosthetic alignment may be greatly improved with the help of a model which establishes the relationship between alignment settings and physical parameters which are closely related to amputee comfort and performance. The paper presents a mathematical model, based on equations of motion of the shank and foot, relating above-knee amputees' stump loading to alignment adjustments. Included is a numerical example, which demonstrates the use of a computer simulation, to predict the alignment setting for minimal thigh axial torque (t.a.t.). It is suggested that the use of such a simulation should precede actual change of alignment in clinical practice.     

Selection of clinical features for pattern recognition applied to gait analysis

This paper deals with the opportunity of extracting useful information from medical data retrieved directly from a stereophotogrammetric system applied to gait analysis. A feature selection method to exhaustively evaluate all the possible combinations of the gait parameters is presented, in order to find the best subset able to classify among diseased and healthy subjects. This procedure will be used for estimating the performance of widely used classification algorithms, whose performance has been ascertained in many real-world problems with respect to well-known classification benchmarks, both in terms of number of selected features and classification accuracy. Precisely, support vector machine, Naive Bayes and K nearest neighbor classifiers can obtain the lowest classification error, with an accuracy greater than 97 %. For the considered classification problem, the whole set of features will be proved to be redundant and it can be significantly pruned. Namely, groups of 3 or 5 features only are able to preserve high accuracy when the aim is to check the anomaly of a gait. The step length and the swing speed are the most informative features for the gait analysis, but also cadence and stride may add useful information for the movement evaluation.     

Optimizing the automatic segmentation of the left ventricle in magnetic resonance images

Automatic segmentation of the left ventricular (LV) myocardial borders in cardiovascular MR (CMR) images allows a significant speed-up of the procedure of quantifying LV function, and improves its reproducibility. The automated boundary delineation is usually based on a set of parameters that define the algorithms. Since the automatic segmentation algorithms are usually sensitive to the image quality and frequently depend heavily on the acquisition protocol, optimizing the parameters of the algorithm for such different protocols may be necessary to obtain optimal results. In other words, using a default set of parameters may be far from optimal for different scanners or protocols. For the MASS-software, for example, this means that a total of 14 parameters need to be optimized. This optimization is a difficult and labor-intensive process. To be able to more consistently and rapidly tune the parameters, an automated optimization system would be extremely desirable. In this paper we propose such an approach, which is based on genetic algorithms (GAs). The GA is an unsupervised iterative tool that generates new sets of parameters and converges toward an optimal set. We implemented and compared two different types of the genetic algorithms: a simple GA (SGA) and a steady state GA (2SGA). The difference between these two algorithms lies in the characteristics of the generated populations: "nonoverlapping populations" and "overlapping populations," respectively "nonoverlapping" population means that the two populations are disjoint, and "overlapping" means that the best parameters found in the previous generation are included in the present population. The performance of both algorithms was evaluated on twenty routinely obtained short-axis examinations (eleven examinations acquired with a steady-state free precession pulse sequence, and nine examinations with a gradient echo pulse sequence). The optimal parameters obtained with the GAs were used for the LV myocardial border delineation. Finally, the automatically outlined contours were compared to the gold standard--manually drawn contours by experts. The result of the comparison was expressed as a degree of similarity after a processing time of less than 72 h to a 59.5% of degree of similarity for SGA and a 66.7% of degree of similarity for 2SGA. In conclusion, genetic algorithms are very suitable to automatically tune the parameters of a border detection algorithm. Based on our data, the 2SGA was more suitable than the SGA method. This approach can be generalized to other optimization problems in medical image processing.     

Triaxial force transducer for investigating stresses at the stump/socket interface

Although normal pressures at the stump socket interface of the lowerlimb amputee have been investigated, little is known about the shear stresses that also occur. Studies suggest that the combination of both shear and normal stresses significantly exacerbates discomfort and vascular and tissue damage. A means of simultaneously measuring normal and shear stresses will aid in the investigation and improvement of prosthetic fit. A miniature triaxial force transducer (4·9×16 mm diameter) has been developed which can be recessed into the socket wall. The principle of operation, construction, performance and limitations of the device are described. Preliminary measurements of the interface stress variations over the gait cycle in a supra-condylar PTB socket are presented. These show clear differences in the stress patterns present when two different prosthetic feet are used.     

Periodical gait asymmetry assessment using real-time wireless gyroscopes gait monitoring system

A real-time gait monitoring system that incorporates an immediate and periodical assessment of gait asymmetry is described. This system was designed for gait analysis and rehabilitation of patients with pathologic gait. It employs wireless gyroscopes to measure the angular rate of the thigh and shank in real time. Cross-correlation of the lower extremity (Cc(norm)), and normalized Symmetry Index (SI(norm)) are implemented as new approaches to periodically determine the gait asymmetry in each gait cycle. Cc(norm) evaluates the signal patterns measured by wireless gyroscopes in each gait cycle. SI(norm) determines the movement differences between the left and right limb. An experimental study was conducted to examine the viability of these methods. Artificial asymmetrical gait was simulated by placing a load on one side of the limbs. Results showed that there were significant differences between the normal gait and asymmetrical gait (p < 0.01). They also indicated that the system worked well in periodically assessing the gait asymmetry.     

Dynamic alignment and its association with knee adduction moment in medial knee osteoarthritis

Lower limb dynamic alignment represents the limb position during functional loading conditions and obtains valuable information throughout the gait cycle rather than a single instant in time. This study aims to determine whether dynamic alignment is altered in medial knee osteoarthritis (OA) and how dynamic alignment is related to knee adduction moment (KAM). Community-dwelling women (n = 17) with medial OA in at least one knee, according to the American College of Rheumatology criteria and 17 body mass index-matched women without OA were recruited. A three-dimensional motion analysis system was used to collect the gait data at self-selected habitual and maximal speeds. Clinical evaluation of lower extremities, physical function, pain, habitual level of physical activity, quality of life and physical self-efficacy were assessed. Shank adduction angle and shank mean angular velocity were significantly greater in the OA group compared to the controls from heel strike to 30% stance. KAM was not different between the groups (p = 0.542). Dynamic alignment variables were the best predictors of KAM. Health-related quality of life, habitual level of physical activity, lower extremity muscle strength and balance performance were impaired in the OA group compared to the controls. The importance of variables that contribute to dynamic alignment and the contribution of limb alignment to KAM were highlighted in this study. Detection of postural changes such as altered dynamic alignment in early stages of OA will lead to the institution of joint-protective measures including changes in footwear, orthotics, gait re-training, use of assistive devices to reduce weight-bearing loads, strengthening and balance enhancing exercises, better analgesia, or cartilage-preserving pharmacotherapy.     

The application of inertial measurements unit for the clinical evaluation and assessment of gait events

Foot drop is one of the common gait abnormalities which are difficult to detect, diagnose and evaluate. While various gait monitoring systems are available, many are computationally expensive and difficult to implement outside laboratory environments. This study introduces an in-house designed system based on inertial measurement units to capture the gait symptoms, specifically in the case of foot drop symptoms. The system specification and communication results, as well as filtering methods are discussed. Also, the pitch angle of thigh, shank and foot from a subject with no reported foot problem have been compared (gathered from identical equipment under similar conditions) to the same angle from a foot drop subject.     

An evaluation of the application of the genetic algorithm to the problem of ordering genetic loci on human chromosomes using radiation hybrid data

Author to whom all correspondence should be addressed We consider the problem of ordering detectable genetic locialong a chromosome by minimizing the number of obligatory breaksthat can be inferred from radiation hybrid data. The problembears some resemblance to the travelling-salesman problem, forwhich genetic algorithms have been used with considerable success.We find that the results from other studies on closely relatedproblems are not directly transferable, and although we didfind a genetic algorithm that performed well in this applicationit would appear that this algorithm is highly sensitive to anychanges in the problem. Moreover, a very simple stochastic algorithmperformed almost as well as our much more complicated and computer-intensivegenetic algorithm and it did so in a fraction of the time. Whilewe do not dispute that genetic algorithms can work on largecomplicated problems, the various modifications and fine-tuningnecessary for good performance tend to be highly problem specificand they are often only arrived at after an exhaustive explorationof possibilities. Thus, we would dispute any claim that geneticalgorithms are robust in their form and range of applicability.     

A practical gait analysis system using gyroscopes.

This study investigated the possibility of using uni-axial gyroscopes to develop a simple portable gait analysis system. Gyroscopes were attached on the skin surface of the shank and thigh segments and the angular velocity for each segment was recorded in each segment. Segment inclinations and knee angle were derived from segment angular velocities. The angular signals from a motion analysis system were used to evaluate the angular velocities and the derived signals from the gyroscopes. There was a good correlation between these signals. When performing a turn the signals of segment inclination and knee angle drifted. Two methods were used to solve this: automatically resetting the system to re-initialise the angle in each gait cycle, and high-pass filtering. They both successfully corrected this drift. A single gyroscope on the shank segment could provide information on segment inclination range, cadence, number of steps, and an estimation of stride length and walking speed.     

An evaluation of the centre of pressure for successive steps with miniature triaxial load cells

A methodology is described for measuring the centre of pressure for successive steps during stance phase. Three persons were assessed, one normal, one below knee amputee and one having suffered from poliomyelitis. The clinical significance of this parameter of gait as measured by the miniature shoe-borne load cells is highlighted.     

The application of subspace preconditioned LSQR algorithm for solving the electrocardiography inverse problem

Regularization is an effective method for the solution of ill-posed ECG inverse problems, such as computing epicardial potentials from body surface potentials. The aim of this work was to explore more robust regularization-based solutions through the application of subspace preconditioned LSQR (SP-LSQR) to the study of model-based ECG inverse problems. Here, we presented three different subspace splitting methods, i.e., SVD, wavelet transform and cosine transform schemes, to the design of the preconditioners for ill-posed problems, and to evaluate the performance of algorithms using a realistic heart-torso model simulation protocol. The results demonstrated that when compared with the LSQR, LSQR-Tik and Tik-LSQR method, the SP-LSQR produced higher efficiency and reconstructed more accurate epcicardial potential distributions. Amongst the three applied subspace splitting schemes, the SVD-based preconditioner yielded the best convergence rate and outperformed the other two in seeking the inverse solutions. Moreover, when optimized by the genetic algorithms (GA), the performances of SP-LSQR method were enhanced. The results from this investigation suggested that the SP-LSQR was a useful regularization technique for cardiac inverse problems.     

An analytical approach to test and design upper limb prosthesis

Abstract

In this work the signal acquiring technique, the analysis models and the design protocols of the prosthesis are discussed. The different methods to estimate the motion intended by the amputee from surface electromyogram (SEMG) signals based on time and frequency domain parameters are presented. The experiment proposed that the used techniques can help significantly in discriminating the amputee’s motions among four independent activities using dual channel set-up. Further, based on experimental results, the design and working of an artificial arm have been covered under two constituents—the electronics design and the mechanical assembly. Finally, the developed hand prosthesis allows the amputated persons to perform daily routine activities easily.     

Control of triceps surae stimulation based on shank orientation using a uniaxial gyroscope during gait

This article presents a stimulation control method using a uniaxial gyroscope measuring angular velocity of the shank in the sagittal plane, to control functional electrical stimulation of the triceps surae to improve push-off of stroke subjects during gait. The algorithm is triggered during each swing phase of gait when the angular velocity of the shank is relatively high. Subsequently, the start of the stance phase is detected by a change of sign of the gyroscope signal at approximately the same time as heel strike. Stimulation is triggered when the shank angle reaches a preset value since the beginning of stance. The change of angle is determined by integrating angular velocity from the moment of change of sign. The results show that the real-time reliability of stimulation control was at least 95% for four of the five stroke subjects tested, two of which were 100% reliable. For the remaining subject, the reliability was increased from 50% found during the experiment, to 99% during offline processing. Our conclusion is that a uniaxial gyroscope on the shank is a simple, more reliable alternative to the heel switch for the purpose of restoring push-off of stroke subjects during gait.