Jongsang Son

Microfluidic Multifunctional Probe Array Dielectrophoretic Force Spectroscopy with Wide Loading Rates

The simultaneous investigation of a large number of events with different types of intermolecular interactions, from nonequilibrium high-force pulling assays to quasi-equilibrium unbinding events in the same environment, can be very important for fully understanding intermolecular bond-rupture mechanisms. Here, we describe a novel dielectrophoretic force spectroscopy technique that utilizes microsized beads as multifunctional probes for parallel measurement of intermolecular forces with an extremely wide range of force rate (10(-4) to 10(4) pN/s) inside a microfluidic device. In our experiments, various forces, which broadly form the basis of all molecular interactions, were measured across a range of force loading rates by multifunctional probes of various diameters with a throughput of over 600 events per mm(2), simultaneously and in the same environment. Furthermore, the individual bond-rupture forces, the parameters for the characterization of entire energy landscapes, and the effective stiffness of the force spectroscopy were determined on the basis of the measured results. This method of determining intermolecular forces could be very useful for the precise and simultaneous examination of various molecular interactions, as it can be easily and cost-effectively implemented within a microfluidic device for a range of applications including immunoassays, molecular mechanics, chemical and biological screening, and mechanobiology.

Kinematic and kinetic analysis during forward and backward walking

Backward walking (BW) is a recently emerging exercise. However, limited studies exist regarding the motion analysis of BW compared with that of forward walking (FW). The present study identified the mechanisms of BW through kinetic analysis and focused on BW time-reversed data. A three-dimensional motion capture system was used to acquire the joint movements and to calculate the joint moments and the powers during walking. Ground reaction force curves were acquired from force plates. Each participant performed 10 FW trials and 40 BW trials with bare feet. All data were analyzed using paired t-tests (p<0.05) to verify the significant differences between FW and BW. In BW, since the progress is in the direction in which the person cannot see, the walkers speed is generally decreased compared to FW. As a result, the stride characteristics for each respective activity showed significant differences. The characteristics of angular displacement in all joints were almost identical in FW and time-reversed BW. However, selected crucial points of joint angles were significantly different. The moment pattern of the ankle joint was very similar in FW and time-reversed BW. In the knee and the hip joint, the joint moment pattern of time-reversed BW was simpler than FW. The joint power patterns of the ankle, the knee and the hip were different in FW and BW. An original finding of this study was that the main propulsion and shock absorption joint during BW is the ankle joint. The knee and hip joint did not generate propulsion power.

Experimental and numerical study of electrochemical nanomachining using an AFM cantilever tip

We fabricated nanopatterns on Cu thin films via an electrochemical route using an atomic force microscope (AFM). Experimental results were compared with an equivalent electrochemical circuit model representing an electrochemical nanomachining (ECN) technique. In order to precisely construct the nanopatterns, an ultra-short pulse was applied onto the Cu film through the AFM cantilever tip. The line width of the nanopatterns (the lateral dimension) increased with increased pulse amplitude, on-time, and frequency. The tip velocity effect on the nanopattern line width was also investigated. The study described here provides important insight for fabricating nanopatterns precisely using electrochemical methods with an AFM cantilever tip.

Effects of involuntary eccentric contraction training by neuromuscular electrical stimulation on the enhancement of muscle strength.

BACKGROUND Neuromuscular electrical stimulation is well-known as a modality to improve the performance of neuromuscular system, but its clinical value on muscle strengthening remains equivocal. In this study, we designed a system for an involuntary eccentric contraction of biceps brachii muscles using continuous passive movement and commercial neuromuscular electrical stimulation devices. METHODS To investigate the effects of involuntary eccentric contraction training by neuromuscular electrical stimulation on the enhancement of muscle strength, seven healthy men between the ages of 24 and 29 years participated in this study. Participants were trained two times per week for 12 weeks. Each exercise session was performed for 30 min with no rest intervals. Isometric elbow flexion torque and biceps brachii muscle thickness were chosen as evaluation indices, and were measured at pre-/post-training. FINDINGS After the 12-week training, the isometric elbow flexion torque of the trained side significantly increased by approximately 23% compared to the initial performance (P<0.01). Meanwhile, the torque of the untrained side showed no significant change (P=0.862). During the 12-week training period, the biceps brachii muscle thickness of the trained side significantly increased by around 8% at rest and 16% at maximum voluntary contraction (P<0.01). INTERPRETATION The developed system and the technique show promising results, suggesting that it has the potential to be used to increase the muscle strength in patients with neuromuscular disease and to be implemented in design rehabilitative protocols.

A hybrid static optimisation method to estimate muscle forces during muscle co-activation

The general static optimisation (GSO) process is one of various muscle force estimation methods due to its low computational requirements. However, it can show biased muscle force estimation under muscle co-contraction. In the present study, we introduced a novel hybrid static optimisation (HSO) method to estimate reasonable muscle forces during muscle co-activation movements using more specific equality constraints, i.e. agonist and antagonist muscle moments predicted from a new correlation coefficient approach. The new method was evaluated for heel-rise movements. We found that the proposed method improved the potential of antagonist muscle force estimation in comparison to the GSO solutions. The proposed HSO method could be applied in biomechanics and rehabilitation, for example.

Effects of 4-Week Intensive Active-Resistive Training with an EMG-Based Exoskeleton Robot on Muscle Strength in Older People: A Pilot Study

This study aims to investigate the idea that an active-resistive training with an EMG-based exoskeleton robot could be beneficial to muscle strength and antagonist muscle cocontraction control after 4-week intensive elbow flexion/extension training. Three older people over 65 years participated the training for an hour per session and completed total 20 sessions during four weeks. Outcome measures were chosen as the maximum joint torque and cocontraction ratio between the biceps/triceps brachii muscles at pre-/post-training. The Wilcoxon signed-ranks test was performed to evaluate paired difference for the outcome measures. As a result, there was no significant difference in the maximum flexion or extension torque at pre- and post-training. However, the cocontraction ratio of the triceps brachii muscle as the antagonist was significantly decreased by 9.8% after the 4-week intensive training. The active-resistive training with the exoskeleton robot in the older people yielded a promising result, showing significant changes in the antagonist muscle cocontraction.

Verification of accuracy and validity of gait phase detection system using motion sensors for applying walking assistive FES.

In this study, we have analysed heel strike (HS) and toe off (TO) of normal individuals and hemiplegic patients, taking advantage of output curves acquired from various sensors, and verified the validity of sensor detection methods and their effectiveness when they were used for hemiplegic gaits. Gait phase detections using three different motion sensors were valid, since they all had reliabilities more than 95%, when compared with foot velocity algorithm. Results showed that the tilt sensor and the gyrosensor could detect gait phase more accurately in normal individuals. Vertical acceleration could detect HS most accurately in hemiplegic patient group A. The gyrosensor could detect HS and TO most accurately in hemiplegic patient groups A and B. The detection of TO from all sensor signals was valid in both the patient groups A and B. However, the vertical acceleration detected HS validly in patient group A and the gyrosensor detected HS validly in patient group B.

Analysis of Activation and Contribution of Muscles of the Elderly During Arm Flexion and Extension Resistance Exercise with Increased Load

The purpose of this study was to assess activation and contribution of muscles of the elderly according to increased loading during the arm flexion extension resistance exercise. Surface electromyographic signals were acquired from biceps brachii, triceps brachii, deltoid posterior, pectoralis major and latissimmus dorsi to determine the difference of the activation of specific muscles between the elderly and young. Five elderly and five young males with no musculoskeletal disease volunteered for the study. Electromyographic activities in the muscles were measured during resistance exercise and normalized to the maximum EMG activity recorded in the maximal voluntary static contraction (MVC). Against the increased loading during arm flexion/extension resistance exercises, the young uses muscles evenly but the elderly uses one specific muscle frequently. Contribution of triceps brachii during extension and deltoid posterior during flexion was principal in the elderly.

Biomechanical analysis of the circular friction hand massage

BACKGROUND A massage can be beneficial to relieve muscle tension on the neck and shoulder area. Various massage systems have been developed, but their motions are not uniform throughout different body parts nor specifically targeted to the neck and shoulder areas. OBJECTIVE Pressure pattern and finger movement trajectories of the circular friction hand massage on trapezius, levator scapulae, and deltoid muscles were determined to develop a massage system that can mimic the motion and the pressure of the circular friction massage. METHODS During the massage, finger movement trajectories were measured using a 3D motion capture system, and finger pressures were simultaneously obtained using a grip pressure sensor. RESULTS Results showed that each muscle had different finger movement trajectory and pressure pattern. The trapezius muscle experienced a higher pressure, longer massage time (duration of pressurization), and larger pressure-time integral than the other muscles. CONCLUSIONS These results could be useful to design a better massage system simulating human finger movements.

A Novel Short-Time Fourier Transform-Based Fall Detection Algorithm Using 3-Axis Accelerations

The short-time Fourier transform- (STFT-) based algorithm was suggested to distinguish falls from various activities of daily living (ADLs). Forty male subjects volunteered in the experiments including three types of falls and four types of ADLs. An inertia sensor unit attached to the middle of two anterior superior iliac spines was used to measure the 3-axis accelerations at 100 Hz. The measured accelerations were transformed to signal vector magnitude values to be analyzed using STFT. The powers of low frequency components were extracted, and the fall detection was defined as whether the normalized power was less than the threshold (50% of the normal power). Most power was observed at the frequency band lower than 5 Hz in all activities, but the dramatic changes in the power were found only in falls. The specificity of 1–3 Hz frequency components was the best (100%), but the sensitivity was much smaller compared with 4 Hz component. The 4 Hz component showed the best fall detection with 96.9% sensitivity and 97.1% specificity. We believe that the suggested algorithm based on STFT would be useful in the fall detection and the classification from ADLs as well.