Doctor of Philosophy, Case Western Reserve University, 2010, EECS - Electrical Engineering

A real-time method using only accelerometers is developed for classification of basic static/dynamic human postures, namely sitting, standing, bending, walking, lying, and running, as well as the dynamic states between them. Discrete wavelet transform (DWT) in combination with a fuzzy logic inference system (FIS) are the algorithmic basis underlying this method. A generic platform for continuously and unobtrusively monitoring human motion activity and safety is developed that is low power, inexpensive, and wearable. The platform is built around the following key components: a commercial low-power 10-million-instruction-per-second (MIPS) microcontroller; an IEEE 802.15.4 compliant 2.4 GHz wireless transceiver; sensors, including accelerometers, microphone, and humidity/temperature sensors. The sampling frequency is in the range of 20-100 Hz. The hardware architecture is a distributed modular implementation, occupying an area of less than one square inch. The hardware is integrated in a conventional wearable headband. Wirelessly transmitted data from a single three-axis accelerometer integrated into the headband is collected in real time on a laptop, and then analyzed to extract two sets of features necessary for posture/movement classification. The received acceleration signals is decomposed with DWT to extract the first set of features; any change of the smoothness of the signal that reflects a transition between postures is detected at the finer DWT resolution levels. FIS then uses the previous posture transition and the second set of features to choose one of eight different posture categories, namely sit, stand, lie on back, lie on left, lie on right, bend, walk, and run. Using the classifier in typical everyday activity among multiple users indicated more than 96.9%, 94.2%, 97.5% accuracy in detecting the static postures, walking, and running, respectively. Identifying the dynamic transitions among these steady postures achieved 92.6% accuracy. Furthermore, a (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Mehran Mehregany PhD (Committee Chair); Kenneth Loparo PhD (Committee Member); Frank Merat PhD (Committee Member); Joseph Mansour PhD (Committee Member) Subjects: Electrical Engineering

Master of Science, The Ohio State University, 2005, Graduate School

Committee: Not Provided (Other) Subjects:

Master of Science, The Ohio State University, 2005, Graduate School

Committee: Not Provided (Other) Subjects:

Doctor of Philosophy, Case Western Reserve University, 2023, Biomedical Engineering

Muscles of the trunk and hip enable stable seated postures while providing a base of support for the activities of the upper extremities, such as reaching. Individuals with spinal cord injury (SCI) often have a paralyzed trunk that compromises seated balance which in turn could impede the ability to successfully undertake seated activities of daily living. Functional neuromuscular stimulation (FNS) can activate the otherwise paralyzed trunk and hip muscles to restore seated function. A constant level of stimulation can stiffen the trunk and result in a stable upright posture which can improve reaching capabilities. However, this does not allow the user to change their posture. Incorporating feedback control strategies that modulate the level of stimulation based on trunk movements can enable stable seated postures away from erect by resisting internal and external perturbations. In this dissertation we describe feedback control strategies that maintain and expand seated postures for individuals with compromised seated stability due to SCI. We first modified a previous upright controller that maintained seated postures during flexion/ extension motion to also aid in lateral bending motions. The controller aided return to upright motions of four subjects during a functional task where a weighted jar was deployed to and returned from multiple stations. To further our understanding of the system, we characterized the effects of stimulation on the forces and moments produced across the lumbar joints through system identification. Co-activation of multiple muscle groups resulted in a linear vector addition of forces with muscle recruitment curves that could be modeled by sigmoid curves. Muscle moments were measured during leaning postures and used to develop a controller that facilitated leaning away from upright. The controller enabled three individuals with trunk paralysis to assume and maintain leaning postures for almost two minutes. These postures extended reach by (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Ronald Triolo (Advisor); Kenneth Gustafson (Committee Chair); Alia Hdeib (Committee Member); Kathryn Daltorio (Committee Member); Musa Audu (Committee Member) Subjects: Biomedical Engineering

Master of Arts (MA), Bowling Green State University, 1946, Curriculum and Teaching

Committee: Herschel Litherland (Advisor) Subjects: Education

Doctor of Philosophy, University of Toledo, 2021, Psychology - Experimental

Degree of hand preference is a robust indication of corpus callosum size, with individuals whose hand preference varies (called inconsistent-handers, or ICHs)typically having larger corpora callosa than individuals that prefer to use the same hand for most or all tasks (called consistent-handers, or CHs).A larger corpus callosum gives ICHs advantages on tasks that require the integration of information between the two hemispheres of the brain but is detrimental to their performance on tasks that require separation between the hemispheres. Thus, degree of hand preference is a trait variable that can explain individual differences in cognition. One's bodily posture affects cerebral activation, thereby producing cognitive changes as well. Cerebral activation largely favors the left hemisphere when seated; when standing, though, cerebral activity becomes more symmetrical and increases overall. Standing generally facilitates performance on tasks that require access to right-hemisphere processes or integration of information between the hemispheres. The present research aimed to examine the individual and interactive effects of handedness ad bodily posture on cognitive flexibility. In Experiments 1 and 2, participants were assigned to either sit or stand while performing tasks intended to measure cognitive flexibility. In Experiment 1, participants were presented with several ambiguous images and clicked the screen each time their perception of the image changed. In Experiment 2,participants read either a strong or weak argument in favor of comprehensive senior exit exams. No significant effects of handedness of posture emerged. Methodological considerations and limitations are discussed.

Committee: Stephen Christman (Committee Chair); John Jasper (Committee Member); John Sarnecki (Committee Member); Andrew Geers (Committee Member); Kamala London (Committee Member) Subjects: Cognitive Psychology; Experimental Psychology; Psychobiology; Psychology

MS, University of Cincinnati, 2020, Medicine: Industrial Hygiene (Environmental Health)

Workplace conditions (pipe height and gas density), anthropometric variability (worker height), and task orientation (worker posture) in petroleum refining can influence the concentration of chemicals measured in the breathing zone of workers. Consideration of these factors while performing qualitative risk assessment is essential for occupational hygienists to accurately estimate exposure and prioritize assessment and mitigation resources. This study aimed to characterize the impact of these factors by simulating a routine operations task in a laboratory setting, at a predetermined flow rate, using full body mannequins. The results of the analysis of variance (ANOVA) and post-hoc Tukey tests indicate that all tested independent variables have a significant impact on the level of gas measured in the breathing zone (p < 0.001). Pipe height was a significant predictor of gas concentration measured in the breathing zone and correlated to the emission pathway for each evaluated gas density. Specifically, measurements of chemical concentration were higher for pipe heights that encouraged the gas to enter the breathing zone of the worker. Worker anthropometry was a significant predictor of gas concentration measured in the breathing zone and results varied for each gas density tested. Specifically, the tall worker (male) chemical concentrations exceeded those of the short worker (female) for methane simulations. Conversely, the short worker (female) chemical concentrations exceeded those of the tall worker (male) for sulfur hexafluoride simulations. This variance is primarily attributable to the vertical and horizontal position of each mannequin's breathing zone relative to the emission source for exposure events. Worker posture was a significant predictor of gas concentration measured in the breathing zone and the results of this study demonstrate that non-neutral postures may be associated with higher levels of chemical concentration for these sorts of manual tasks. The (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Kermit Davis Ph.D. (Committee Chair); M. Maier Ph.D. (Committee Member); Marepalli Rao Ph.D. (Committee Member) Subjects: Environmental Health

Doctor of Philosophy, The Ohio State University, 2020, Industrial and Systems Engineering

Office computer users experience work-related musculoskeletal disorders including pain in the neck, shoulders, and lower back. Previous researchers revealed that there were associations between the cognitive workload imposed by computer tasks and the increased biomechanical load which could eventually lead to adverse symptoms. However, there are limited data that describe how the different components of cognitive workload are associated with changes in computer users' biomechanical response to the work process. At the same time, although furnishings with lumbar support and relevant sitting guidelines have been provided in many office settings, there is limited evidence showing more supportive furniture is effective in reducing the risk of musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) among office computer users. This study investigated: 1) whether computer users are sitting in the suggested neutral position and using the backrest when working on different types of computer tasks; 2) how the causal (task complexity and time pressure) and assessment factors (mental demand, mental effort, and task performance) of cognitive workload are related with the variations in computer users' biomechanical responses; and 3) whether using a footrest can be used to promote the use of backrest in computer tasks. The first stage of this dissertation was an observational study in which computer users' sitting postures were observed and recorded discretely as the observed individuals worked on different types of computer tasks. The findings revealed that chairs' back supports were not being used effectively that the users did not rest their whole back against the backrest. Following the observational study, a laboratory experiment was conducted to investigate how the computer tasks that varied in their level of cognitive workload, which was assessed in terms of mental demand, mental effort, and task performance, are associated with the variations in the computer users' biomechanical responses (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Steven Lavender (Advisor); Carolyn Sommerich (Committee Member); Michael Rayo (Committee Member) Subjects: Biomechanics; Design; Industrial Engineering; Occupational Health

Master of Science, Miami University, 2020, Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering

Injuries related to falling occur with high frequency and severity in geriatric individuals as well as those medically impaired by neuromuscular diseases (such as Parkinson's, multiple sclerosis, concussions, etc.). It has been shown that modeling a human's postural standing position as an inverted pendulum with a continuous feedback loop and analyzing an individual's center of pressure location during quiet standing can provide insight into stability states through topological data analysis. This stability state then offers information on the healthiness of an individual signal. However, only synthetically created signals derived from the model itself have undergone state classification. This thesis investigated different models of human balance by analyzing their similarities with experimental data using topological data analysis. The objective of this thesis was to competitively iterate through model types and variations to convincingly support a superior model type for use in future stability state classification research and studies.

Committee: James Chagdes (Advisor); Ryan Kramer (Committee Member); Amit Shukla (Committee Member) Subjects: Kinesiology; Mechanical Engineering

Master of Science (M.S.), University of Dayton, 2020, Mechanical Engineering

Balance is a common term that is usually represented as the center of pressure (COP) for standing balance. With increasing age, adults begin to show more postural sway, which can be a marker for higher risk of falls. Among those with balance issues, challenging environments can increase this risk. Challenges can occur because of difficult terrain, dynamic perturbations, and visual stimuli. As challenging environments are difficult to replicate experimentally, this study investigates balance response to different environments using Virtual Reality (VR). This study seeks to characterize differences in standing balance response between age groups, determine which VR environments (VRE) elicit the greatest postural responses, and justify the safety of VR. The VREs used were selected for the variety of individual postural responses that they could elicit. The study uses force plate data to assess center of pressure metrics of standard deviation, range, and frequency power. This study uses motion capture data to assess segment and marker-based measures of standard deviation, range, and total path length. Healthy adult participants were grouped into age brackets of Young (n=15, 19.8±0.7), Middle (n=14, 47.3±9.9), and Older (n=8, 68±5.8). The participants performed a standing balance task for seven randomized VREs, each a duration of sixty seconds, and baseline Eyes Open and Eyes Closed before and after VR exposure. The VREs used were a mix of dynamic/static virtual platforms and dynamic/static visuals. Body segment motion was recorded with motion capture markers and accelerometers. Two different marker approaches for the motion capture was used (single marker and segment) to accurately track the body segments. The Fast Fourier Transform (FFT) was used to determine the power of frequency contributions to postural sway response in different frequency bands associated with different sensory systems (0-0.3 Hz for visual system, 0.3-1 Hz for vestibular system, and 1-3 Hz for pro (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Megan Reissman Ph.D. (Committee Chair); Timothy Reissman Ph.D. (Committee Member); Kurt Jackson Ph.D. (Committee Member) Subjects: Biomechanics; Biomedical Engineering; Biomedical Research; Engineering; Mechanical Engineering

Master of Science, The Ohio State University, 2019, Industrial and Systems Engineering

Previous investigations have shown that musculoskeletal injuries among Emergency Medical Service (EMS) providers are prevalent. A combination of awkward postures, high force demands, and environmental factors increase the physical demands in EMS tasks and the risk of injury. This study was designed to evaluate whether the postures and biomechanical loads experienced when raising a patient from the supine posture to the upright sitting posture (raising task) could be reduced through the use of an ergonomic intervention, specifically, the use of a strap, placed under the patient's torso, and long enough that emergency medical service (EMS) providers can perform the patient raising task in an upright standing posture. In this study, 15 participants performed this raising task with the strap or using a traditional method (without the strap) wherein the EMS provider grasps the patient's shoulder. These tasks were performed in an open area, a restricted space simulating a hallway setting, and in a bathtub. Torso and knee postures, along with EMG data from the back and arms were collected and analyzed. Analysis of postural data implied a significant amelioration of postural concerns. The muscle activation increased in the biceps muscle with the strap compared to the traditional method, while the EMG response from the latissimus dorsi muscle was reduced when the strap was used. However, the EMG activity of the erector spinae muscle increased when the strap was used, possibly to the flexion relaxation phenomenon and the associated loading of passive tissues due to the extreme torso flexion observed when using the traditional method. Perceived effort assessments found that most participants thought it was at least a little easier to perform the tasks with the strap within each environmental setting. Therefore, the intervention of using a strap in the raising task could be recommended to the EMS providers.

Committee: Steve Lavender (Advisor); Carolyn Sommerich (Committee Member) Subjects: Industrial Engineering

Master of Science, The Ohio State University, 2019, Industrial and Systems Engineering

One-handed lifting tasks are frequently performed in warehouse operations. Often these are small piece-pick order selection jobs that are performed by female hourly employees. These jobs require the picking of single items from open boxes of items, for example, individual bottles of shampoo that are sent to retail stores to replenish stock that has been sold. Often these individual items are picked from boxes located on multi-level flow racks. The objective of this study was to quantify the time cost and ergonomic cost of one-handed lifting tasks as a function of shelf height, item weight, and walking distance. Seventeen participants lifted items of two different weights (0.45 and 0.90 kg) from seven shelf heights ( 10.8, 37.1, 63.5, 89.9, 116.2, 142.6, 168.9 cm) and either walked one step prior to picking up the item (lifting task 1) or lifted the item without needing to take a step (lifting task 2). The dependent variables were the 90th percentile electromyographic (EMG) signals of the right anterior deltoid, right lateral deltoid, left and right erector spinae; the peak value of spine twist, spine flexion, spine lateral flexion, right shoulder flexion and right shoulder abduction; and time required for walking and lifting. Results indicated that shelf height had a significant effect on all postural and EMG variables and that there is a trade-off between the back and shoulder muscle activity across the varying shelf heights. Picking from shelf heights at 142.6 and 168.9 cm resulted in greater shoulder abduction and flexion and higher shoulder muscle activity. Picking from shelf heights at 10.8, 37.1 and 63.5cm increased torso flexion, twisting, and back muscle activity. Item weight significantly affected EMG activity in both shoulder muscles and one of the back muscles. In terms of lifting task, shoulder muscle activities increased in the second lifting task (task 2) which did not require a step. All postural measurements except spine flexion were sign (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Steve Lavender (Advisor); Carolyn Sommerich (Committee Member) Subjects: Industrial Engineering

MS, University of Cincinnati, 2019, Medicine: Occupational Safety and Ergonomics

Purpose: The purpose of this pilot study is to measure the effect of chronic heat on postural balance characteristics and decision making by comparing firefighters with a long work experience to firefighters who have a much shorter work experience, in terms of years. Methods: Eight fulltime, male firefighters (33.92 years old ± 1.51) participated in this study. Firefighters perceived judgement of others' fall risk was assessed while undergoing a functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) as they viewed actors in various states of imbalance while walking or standing still. Firefighter's postural balance was assessed with a wearable, inertial sensor system quantifying spatiotemporal parameters of gait as well as angular velocity, angular displacement, and angular acceleration for phase plane analysis along the medial-lateral (ML) and anterior-posterior (AP) planes. Participants performed static tests while on a force platform to assess these parameters during one-and two-feet balance tests with eyes open and closed. An instrumented timed up and go test (iTUG) was performed to assess dynamic parameters of gait and phase plane analysis. Firefighters perceived judgement of their own fall risk was determined during static and dynamic testing. Results: Firefighters were divided into two groups to compare firefighters with less than 8 years of work experience [Group 1: (3.00 years ± 2.83)] to firefighters with greater than 8 years [Group 2: (13.92 years ± 2.62)]. Between variance of double stance times during dual task was statistically significant (p = 0.013) between Group 1 (5.19e-04 ± (3.36e-04) and Group 2 (4.36e-3 ± (2.50e-03)). Firefighters who have worked more years (Group 2) have a larger variability between trials for the amount of time they have both feet on the ground during the double stance gait cycle. Significant associations (p-values ranging between 0.018 and 0.061) were found between gait dual task objective variables and gait PSPSI analysis, but not w (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Amit Bhattacharya Ph.D. (Committee Chair); Marepalli Rao Ph.D. (Committee Member) Subjects: Occupational Safety

PhD, University of Cincinnati, 2019, Design, Architecture, Art and Planning: Architecture

This dissertation investigates the cultural influences between the so-called East and the West through the harem and the boudoir. This research is the first of its kind to explore the influence of the harem on the development of boudoirs in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries through the analysis and synthesis of historical accounts of these spaces. The staple ingredient of the French Rococo period (1723-74), the pursuit of pleasure and happiness, produced spaces and furniture with an unprecedented attention to bodily comfort. In addition to Ottoman-inspired furniture pieces such as sopha, divan, lit a la Turque (Turkish bed), lit de repos a la Turque (Turkish bed of rest), canape a la Turque (Turkish couch), veilleuse a la Turque (Turkish sofa), veilleuse a la Ottomanne (Ottoman sofa), and ottomanne (ottoman) to be used in a chamber a la Turque (Turkish room) or elsewhere, there was one space every modern eighteenth-century upper-class woman needed: the boudoir. The boudoir was an exclusive space for females, informed by the late eighteenth and nineteenth-century Western fascination with Orientalism. Encapsulating the experience of colonialism, the boudoir became the site for both the repression and reconciliation of gender roles and biases. Furthermore, the eighteenth-century boudoir was a space where modernization of the interior was underway due to the level of informality, personal privacy, and bodily comfort it afforded to its users. Although both the boudoir and the harem were feminine spaces, men authored most of the primary sources on them. When the aristocratic boudoir reemerged in the more bourgeois nineteenth-century, it also marked the highpoint of paintings depicting bourgeois boudoirs both fictional and authentic. The boudoir genre paintings exposed the awkwardness and the ironies of female bodies disciplined by corsets and placed on soft, Eastern-inspired furniture pieces. The nineteenth-century Anglo-American revival of the boud (open full item for complete abstract)

Committee: Aarati Kanekar Ph.D. (Committee Chair); Patrick Snadon Ph.D. (Committee Chair); Elizabeth Frierson Ph.D. (Committee Member); Joori Suh (Committee Member) Subjects: Architecture

Master of Arts in Psychology, Cleveland State University, 2018, College of Sciences and Health Professions

Research in emotional aging has primarily investigated mechanisms that could explain the age-related increase in positive emotionality despite various age-related losses. Of particular note is the increasing importance of age-related positivity effects and underlying biological influences on affective processes. Despite evidence of weakened mind-body connectivity in older adulthood presented in the maturation dualism framework, research shows age-similarities in subjective and objective reactivity for certain negative emotional states across adulthood. Thus, robust physiological-experiential associations may still exist in later life. Investigations of integrated mind-body connectivity have lead researchers to examine the influence of posture on cognitive outcomes. Prior evidence has observed that specific postural manipulations (i.e., stooped posture) is linked to negative affective biases in memory and emotional experiences. To interrogate potential posture effects on word recognition, an incidental encoding task was utilized. Although no age differences emerged for concrete words, younger adults outperformed older adults on both negative and neutral abstract words, and older adults remembered more positive relative to neutral abstract words. These results provide partial support for age-related positivity, perhaps in line with older adults' motivated positive affective goals. Although posture effects were absent in both age groups, there remains considerable room for other integrative research assessing mind-body connectivity within emotion-cognition links across adulthood.

Committee: Eric Allard (Advisor); Katherine Judge (Committee Member); Jennifer Stanley (Committee Member) Subjects: Aging; Behavioral Sciences; Cognitive Psychology; Developmental Psychology; Psychology

Doctor of Musical Arts, The Ohio State University, 2018, Music

Abstract The clarinet is a complex instrument that blends wood, metal, and air to create some of the world's most beautiful sounds. Its most intricate component, however, is the human who is playing it. While the clarinet has 24 tone holes and 17 or 18 keys, the human body has 205 bones, around 700 muscles, and nearly 45 miles of nerves. A seemingly endless number of exercises and etudes are available to improve technique, but almost no one comments on how to best use the body in order to utilize these studies to maximum effect while preventing injury. The purpose of this study is to elucidate the interactions of the clarinet with the body of the person playing it. Emphasis will be placed upon the musculoskeletal system, recognizing that playing the clarinet is an activity that ultimately involves the entire body. Aspects of the skeletal system as they relate to playing the clarinet will be described, beginning with the axial skeleton. The extremities and their musculoskeletal relationships to the clarinet will then be discussed. The muscles responsible for the fine coordinated movements required for successful performance on the clarinet will be described. With this information in mind, methods of maximizing the use and coordination of the body while playing the instrument will be presented. It will be shown that efficient use of the body not only contributes to ease of playing the clarinet but also minimizes the risk of injury.

Committee: Caroline Hartig DMA (Advisor); Scott McCoy DMA (Committee Member); Katherine Jones Professor (Committee Member); David Hedgecoth DMA (Committee Member) Subjects: Health; Music; Music Education; Occupational Health

Bachelor of Science, Ashland University, 2017, Sport Sciences

Falls are a common occurrence in the geriatric population that lead to several complications. Solutions should be sought to reduce costs and morbidity of the elderly population related to the fall epidemic. This study investigated a connection between a person's posture and their risk for falling. A survey was created to obtain opinions of a representative geriatric population regarding posture. Fall history and information on chronic health conditions were then voluntarily reported, and fear of falling was assessed using the Falls Efficacy Scale. Thoracic kyphosis was measured using the occiput-to-wall distance and the Flexicurve Index, and the final element of the study was to determine the risk of falling using the Tinetti Balance Test. Data came from twenty geriatric participants aged 65 and older from skilled nursing facilities and the community of a rural northeastern area of Ohio. The postural measurements were compared to fall history, fear of falling, and fall risk. Statistical analysis was completed with IBM SPSS 24 using crosstabulations, chi-squares, and correlations. A trend was observed between posture and fall history but without a significant relationship (p = .343). There was significance displayed with an increased fear of falling and increased kyphosis (p = .025). A positive correlation was also discovered between posture and fall risk (r = 0.742, p = .001). Hypotheses of this study observed relationships between posture and fall history, fear of falling, and fall risk. There was significant support for most of the hypothesized relationships, indicating relevance of posture in the topic of falls with geriatrics. Although causation cannot be determined from this study, the relationship observed implies a suggestion to focus more on posture in its course through aging to improve the fall epidemic in the elderly.

Committee: Beth Patton Ph.D. (Advisor); Randall Gearhart Ph.D. (Other) Subjects: Aging; Anatomy and Physiology; Gerontology

Doctor of Philosophy, The Ohio State University, 1983, Graduate School

Committee: Not Provided (Other) Subjects: Engineering

Doctor of Philosophy, The Ohio State University, 1959, Graduate School

Committee: Not Provided (Other) Subjects: Home Economics

Master of Arts, Miami University, 2016, Speech Pathology and Audiology

This study examined the impact of external, internal, and additional drinking parameters on flow rate during open-cup drinking. Twenty-six participants between the ages of 8 and 10 years were recruited for participation in the study. Participants completed two open-cup drinking trials with either a low initial volume or a high initial volume. Trials were recorded using a Kinect v1 sensor, to generate a series of timestamped images. Images were then analyzed to obtain data on the external, internal, and additional factors. Results yielded that external parameters had no discernible systematic impact on flow. However, the additional factors of initial cup volume and cup angle at peak were found to each positively correlate with flow rates during open-cup drinking. In addition, a mathematical model for calculating flow rate, a standard drinking pose, and an average bolus size per swallow were developed for the population from this study. The findings from this study will be applied to the continued development of a programmable training cup to aid children in the transition from bottle to open-cup drinking.

Committee: Donna Scarborough Dr. (Advisor); Michael Bailey Van-Kuren Dr. (Committee Member); Laura Kelly Dr. (Committee Member) Subjects: Speech Therapy