TY - JOUR A1 - Quarmby, Andrew James A1 - Khajooei, Mina A1 - Kurtz, Philip A1 - Henschke, Jakob A1 - Kim, MyoungHwee A1 - Mayer, Frank A1 - Engel, Tilman T1 - Unexpected running perturbations BT - reliability and validity of a treadmill running protocol with analysis of provoked reflex activity in the lower extremities JF - Frontiers in sports and active living N2 - Introduction Balance is vital for human health and experiments have been conducted to measure the mechanisms of postural control, for example studying reflex responses to simulated perturbations. Such studies are frequent in walking but less common in running, and an understanding of reflex responses to trip-like disturbances could enhance our understanding of human gait and improve approaches to training and rehabilitation. Therefore, the primary aim of this study was to investigate the technical validity and reliability of a treadmill running protocol with perturbations. A further exploratory aim was to evaluate the associated neuromuscular reflex responses to the perturbations, in the lower limbs. Methods Twelve healthy participants completed a running protocol (9 km/h) test-retest (2 weeks apart), whereby 30 unilateral perturbations were executed via the treadmill belts (presets:2.0 m/s amplitude;150 ms delay (post-heel contact);100ms duration). Validity of the perturbations was assessed via mean +/- SD comparison, percentage error calculation between the preset and recorded perturbation characteristics (PE%), and coefficient of variation (CV%). Test-retest reliability (TRV%) and Bland-Altman analysis (BLA; bias +/- 1.96 * SD) was calculated for reliability. To measure reflex activity, electromyography (EMG) was applied in both legs. EMG amplitudes (root mean square normalized to unperturbed strides) and latencies [ms] were analysed descriptively. Results Left-side perturbation amplitude was 1.9 +/- 0.1 m/s, delay 105 +/- 2 ms, and duration 78 +/- 1 ms. Right-side perturbation amplitude was 1.9 +/- 0.1 m/s, delay 118 +/- 2 ms, duration 78 +/- 1 ms. PE% ranged from 5-30% for the recorded perturbations. CV% of the perturbations ranged from 19.5-76.8%. TRV% for the perturbations was 6.4-16.6%. BLA for the left was amplitude: 0.0 +/- 0.3m/s, delay: 0 +/- 17 ms, duration: 2 +/- 13 ms, and for the right was amplitude: 0.1 +/- 0.7, delay: 4 +/- 40 ms, duration: 1 +/- 35 ms. EMG amplitudes ranged from 175 +/- 141%-454 +/- 359% in both limbs. Latencies were 109 +/- 12-116 +/- 23 ms in the tibialis anterior, and 128 +/- 49-157 +/- 20 ms in the biceps femoris. Discussion Generally, this study indicated sufficient validity and reliability of the current setup considering the technical challenges and limitations, although the reliability of the right-sided perturbations could be questioned. The protocol provoked reflex responses in the lower extremities, especially in the leading leg. Acute neuromusculoskeletal adjustments to the perturbations could be studied and compared in clinical and healthy running populations, and the protocol could be utilised to monitor chronic adaptations to interventions over time. KW - running KW - perturbation KW - EMG KW - reliability KW - stumbling KW - reflexes KW - split-belt treadmill KW - gait Y1 - 2023 U6 - https://doi.org/10.3389/fspor.2023.1129058 SN - 2624-9367 VL - 5 PB - Frontiers Media CY - Lausanne ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Garbusow, Maria A1 - Ebrahimi, Claudia A1 - Riemerschmid, Carlotta A1 - Daldrup, Luisa A1 - Rothkirch, Marcus A1 - Chen, Ke A1 - Chen, Hao A1 - Belanger, Matthew J. A1 - Hentschel, Angela A1 - Smolka, Michael A1 - Heinz, Andreas A1 - Pilhatsch, Maximilan A1 - Rapp, Michael A. T1 - Pavlovian-to-instrumental transfer across mental disorders BT - a review JF - Neuropsychobiology : international journal of experimental and clinical research in biological psychiatry, pharmacopsychiatry, Biological Psychology/Pharmacopsychology and Pharmacoelectroencephalography N2 - A mechanism known as Pavlovian-to-instrumental transfer (PIT) describes a phenomenon by which the values of environmental cues acquired through Pavlovian conditioning can motivate instrumental behavior. PIT may be one basic mechanism of action control that can characterize mental disorders on a dimensional level beyond current classification systems. Therefore, we review human PIT studies investigating subclinical and clinical mental syndromes. The literature prevails an inhomogeneous picture concerning PIT. While enhanced PIT effects seem to be present in non-substance-related disorders, overweight people, and most studies with AUD patients, no altered PIT effects were reported in tobacco use disorder and obesity. Regarding AUD and relapsing alcohol-dependent patients, there is mixed evidence of enhanced or no PIT effects. Additionally, there is evidence for aberrant corticostriatal activation and genetic risk, e.g., in association with high-risk alcohol consumption and relapse after alcohol detoxification. In patients with anorexia nervosa, stronger PIT effects elicited by low caloric stimuli were associated with increased disease severity. In patients with depression, enhanced aversive PIT effects and a loss of action-specificity associated with poorer treatment outcomes were reported. Schizophrenic patients showed disrupted specific but intact general PIT effects. Patients with chronic back pain showed reduced PIT effects. We provide possible reasons to understand heterogeneity in PIT effects within and across mental disorders. Further, we strengthen the importance of reliable experimental tasks and provide test-retest data of a PIT task showing moderate to good reliability. Finally, we point toward stress as a possible underlying factor that may explain stronger PIT effects in mental disorders, as there is some evidence that stress per se interacts with the impact of environmental cues on behavior by selectively increasing cue-triggered wanting. To conclude, we discuss the results of the literature review in the light of Research Domain Criteria, suggesting future studies that comprehensively assess PIT across psychopathological dimensions. KW - Pavlovian-to-instrumental transfer KW - dimensional psychopathology KW - mental disorders KW - reliability Y1 - 2022 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1159/000525579 SN - 0302-282X SN - 1423-0224 VL - 81 IS - 5 SP - 418 EP - 437 PB - Karger CY - Basel ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Jannasch, Franziska A1 - Nickel, Daniela A1 - Schulze, Matthias Bernd T1 - The reliability and relative validity of predefined dietary patterns were higher than that of exploratory dietary patterns in the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC)-Potsdam population JF - British journal of nutrition : BJN : an international journal of nutritional science / published on behalf of The Nutrition Society N2 - The aim of this study was to assess the ability of the FFQ to describe reliable and valid dietary pattern (DP) scores. In a total of 134 participants of the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition-Potsdam study aged 35-67 years, the FFQ was applied twice (baseline and after 1 year) to assess its reliability. Between November 1995 and March 1997, twelve 24-h dietary recalls (24HDR) as reference instrument were applied to assess the validity of the FFQ. Exploratory DP were derived by principal component analyses. Investigated predefined DP were the Alternative Healthy Eating Index (AHEI) and two Mediterranean diet indices. From dietary data of each FFQ, two exploratory DP were retained, but differed in highly loading food groups, resulting in moderate correlations (r 0 center dot 45-0 center dot 58). The predefined indices showed higher correlations between the FFQ (r(AHEI) 0 center dot 62, r(Mediterranean Diet Pyramid Index (MedPyr)) 0 center dot 62 and r(traditional Mediterranean Diet Score (tMDS)) 0 center dot 51). From 24HDR dietary data, one exploratory DP retained differed in composition to the first FFQ-based DP, but showed similarities to the second DP, reflected by a good correlation (r 0 center dot 70). The predefined DP correlated moderately (r 0 center dot 40-0 center dot 60). To conclude, long-term analyses on exploratory DP should be interpreted with caution, due to only moderate reliability. The validity differed extensively for the two exploratory DP. The investigated predefined DP showed a better reliability and a moderate validity, comparable to other studies. Within the two Mediterranean diet indices, the MedPyr performed better than the tMDs in this middle-aged, semi-urban German study population. KW - dietary patterns KW - reliability KW - validity Y1 - 2020 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1017/S0007114520003517 SN - 1475-2662 SN - 0007-1145 VL - 125 IS - 11 SP - 1270 EP - 1280 PB - Cambridge University Press CY - Cambridge ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Chen, Junchao A1 - Lange, Thomas A1 - Andjelkovic, Marko A1 - Simevski, Aleksandar A1 - Lu, Li A1 - Krstić, Miloš T1 - Solar particle event and single event upset prediction from SRAM-based monitor and supervised machine learning JF - IEEE transactions on emerging topics in computing / IEEE Computer Society, Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers N2 - The intensity of cosmic radiation may differ over five orders of magnitude within a few hours or days during the Solar Particle Events (SPEs), thus increasing for several orders of magnitude the probability of Single Event Upsets (SEUs) in space-borne electronic systems. Therefore, it is vital to enable the early detection of the SEU rate changes in order to ensure timely activation of dynamic radiation hardening measures. In this paper, an embedded approach for the prediction of SPEs and SRAM SEU rate is presented. The proposed solution combines the real-time SRAM-based SEU monitor, the offline-trained machine learning model and online learning algorithm for the prediction. With respect to the state-of-the-art, our solution brings the following benefits: (1) Use of existing on-chip data storage SRAM as a particle detector, thus minimizing the hardware and power overhead, (2) Prediction of SRAM SEU rate one hour in advance, with the fine-grained hourly tracking of SEU variations during SPEs as well as under normal conditions, (3) Online optimization of the prediction model for enhancing the prediction accuracy during run-time, (4) Negligible cost of hardware accelerator design for the implementation of selected machine learning model and online learning algorithm. The proposed design is intended for a highly dependable and self-adaptive multiprocessing system employed in space applications, allowing to trigger the radiation mitigation mechanisms before the onset of high radiation levels. KW - Machine learning KW - Single event upsets KW - Random access memory KW - monitoring KW - machine learning algorithms KW - predictive models KW - space missions KW - solar particle event KW - single event upset KW - machine learning KW - online learning KW - hardware accelerator KW - reliability KW - self-adaptive multiprocessing system Y1 - 2022 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1109/TETC.2022.3147376 SN - 2168-6750 VL - 10 IS - 2 SP - 564 EP - 580 PB - Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers CY - [New York, NY] ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Prill, Robert A1 - Walter, Marina A1 - Królikowska, Aleksandra A1 - Becker, Roland T1 - A systematic review of diagnostic accuracy and clinical applications of wearable movement sensors for knee joint rehabilitation JF - Sensors N2 - In clinical practice, only a few reliable measurement instruments are available for monitoring knee joint rehabilitation. Advances to replace motion capturing with sensor data measurement have been made in the last years. Thus, a systematic review of the literature was performed, focusing on the implementation, diagnostic accuracy, and facilitators and barriers of integrating wearable sensor technology in clinical practices based on a Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) statement. For critical appraisal, the COSMIN Risk of Bias tool for reliability and measurement of error was used. PUBMED, Prospero, Cochrane database, and EMBASE were searched for eligible studies. Six studies reporting reliability aspects in using wearable sensor technology at any point after knee surgery in humans were included. All studies reported excellent results with high reliability coefficients, high limits of agreement, or a few detectable errors. They used different or partly inappropriate methods for estimating reliability or missed reporting essential information. Therefore, a moderate risk of bias must be considered. Further quality criterion studies in clinical settings are needed to synthesize the evidence for providing transparent recommendations for the clinical use of wearable movement sensors in knee joint rehabilitation. KW - wearable movement sensor KW - IMU KW - motion capture KW - reliability KW - clinical KW - orthopedic Y1 - 2021 U6 - https://doi.org/10.3390/s21248221 SN - 1424-8220 VL - 21 IS - 24 PB - MDPI CY - Basel ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Kather, Fritz A1 - Hadzic, Miralem A1 - Hehle, Teresa A1 - Eichler, Sarah A1 - Klein, Julia A1 - Völler, Heinz A1 - Salzwedel, Annett T1 - Test-retest reliability of the Mini Nutritional Assessment- Short Form (MNA-SF) in older patients undergoing cardiac rehabilitation JF - Journal of geriatric cardiology KW - Cardiac rehabilitation KW - Malnutrition KW - Octogenarians KW - Test-retest KW - reliability Y1 - 2020 U6 - https://doi.org/10.11909/j.issn.1671-5411.2020.09.007 SN - 1671-5411 VL - 17 IS - 9 SP - 574 EP - 579 PB - English China Online Journals, ECOJ CY - Windsor [u.a.] ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Dobberke, Jeanette A1 - Baritello, Omar A1 - Hadzic, Miralem A1 - Völler, Heinz A1 - Eichler, Sarah A1 - Salzwedel, Annett T1 - Test-retest reliability of center of pressure measures for postural control assessment in older cardiac patients JF - Gait & posture : official journal of Gait and Clinical Movement Analysis Society (GCMAS) and European Society of Movement Analysis in Adults and Children (ESMAC) N2 - Background Elderly patients are a growing population in cardiac rehabilitation (CR). As postural control declines with age, assessment of impaired balance is important in older CR patients in order to predict fall risk and to initiate counteracting steps. Functional balance tests are subjective and lack adequate sensitivity to small differences, and are further subject to ceiling effects. A quantitative approach to measure postural control on a continuous scale is therefore desirable. Force plates are already used for this purpose in other clinical contexts, therefore could be a promising tool also for older CR patients. However, in this population the reliability of the assessment is not fully known. Research question Analysis of test-retest reliability of center of pressure (CoP) measures for the assessment of postural control using a force plate in older CR patients. Methods 156 CR patients (> 75 years) were enrolled. CoP measures (path length (PL), mean velocity (MV), and 95% confidence ellipse area (95CEA)) were analyzed twice with an interval of two days in between (bipedal narrow stance, eyes open (EO) and closed (EC), three trials for each condition, 30 s per trial), using a force plate. For test-retest reliability estimation absolute differences (& UDelta;: T0-T1), intraclass correlation coefficients (ICC) with 95% confidence intervals, standard error of measurement and minimal detectable change were calculated. Results Under EO condition ICC were excellent for PL and MV (0.95) and good for 95CEA (0.88) with & UDelta; of 10.1 cm (PL), 0.3 cm/sec (MV) and 1.5 cm(2 )(95CEA) respectively. Under EC condition ICC were excellent (> 0.95) for all variables with larger & UDelta; (PL: 21.7 cm; MV: 0.7 cm/sec; 95CEA: 2.4 cm(2)) Significance In older CR patients, the assessment of CoP measures using a force plate shows good to excellent test retest reliability. KW - Cardiac rehabilitation KW - Older patients KW - Postural control KW - Test-retest KW - reliability KW - Force plate Y1 - 2022 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gaitpost.2021.12.011 SN - 0966-6362 SN - 1879-2219 VL - 92 SP - 359 EP - 363 PB - Elsevier Science CY - Amsterdam ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Schuster, Isabell A1 - Tomaszewska, Paulina A1 - Marchewka, Juliette A1 - Krahé, Barbara T1 - Does question format matter in assessing the prevalence of sexual aggression? BT - A methodological study JF - The journal of sex research N2 - As research on sexual aggression has been growing, methodological issues in assessing prevalence rates have received increased attention. Building on work by Abbey and colleagues about effects of question format, participants in this study (1,253; 621 female; 632 male) were randomly assigned to one of two versions of the Sexual Aggression and Victimization Scale (SAV-S). In Version 1, the coercive tactic (use/threat of physical force, exploitation of the inability to resist, verbal pressure) was presented first, and sexual acts (sexual touch, attempted and completed sexual intercourse, other sexual acts) were presented as subsequent questions. In Version 2, sexual acts were presented first, and coercive tactics as subsequent questions. No version effects emerged for overall perpetration rates reported by men and women. The overall victimization rate across all items was significantly higher in the tactic-first than in the sexual-act-first conditions for women, but not for men. Classifying participants by their most severe experience of sexual victimization showed that fewer women were in the nonvictim category and more men were in the nonconsensual sexual contact category when the coercive tactic was presented first. Sexual experience background did not moderate the findings. The implications for the measurement of self-reported sexual aggression victimization and perpetration are discussed. KW - self-report measures KW - experiences survey KW - risk-factors KW - victimization KW - rape KW - assault KW - women KW - perpetration KW - reliability KW - responses Y1 - 2020 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1080/00224499.2020.1777927 SN - 0022-4499 SN - 1559-8519 VL - 58 IS - 4 SP - 502 EP - 511 PB - Routledge, Taylor & Francis Group CY - Abingdon ER - TY - GEN A1 - Krstić, Miloš A1 - Jentzsch, Anne-Kristin T1 - Reliability, safety and security of the electronics in automated driving vehicles - joint lab lecturing approach T2 - 2018 12TH European Workshop on Microelectronics Education (EWME) N2 - This paper proposes an education approach for master and bachelor students to enhance their skills in the area of reliability, safety and security of the electronic components in automated driving. The approach is based on the active synergetic work of research institutes, academia and industry in the frame of joint lab. As an example, the jointly organized summer school with the respective focus is organized and elaborated. KW - reliability KW - safety KW - security KW - automated driving KW - joint lab Y1 - 2018 SN - 978-1-5386-1157-9 SP - 21 EP - 22 PB - IEEE CY - New York ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Risch, Lucie A1 - Wochatz, Monique A1 - Messerschmidt, Janin A1 - Engel, Tilman A1 - Mayer, Frank A1 - Cassel, Michael T1 - Reliability of evaluating achilles tendon vascularization assessed with doppler ultrasound advanced dynamic flow JF - Journal of ultrasound in medicine N2 - The reliability of quantifying intratendinous vascularization by high-sensitivity Doppler ultrasound advanced dynamic flow has not been examined yet. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the intraobserver and interobserver reliability of evaluating Achilles tendon vascularization by advanced dynamic flow using established scoring systems. Methods-Three investigators evaluated vascularization in 67 recordings in a test-retest design, applying the Ohberg score, a modified Ohberg score, and a counting score. Intraobserver and interobserver agreement for the Ohberg score and modified Ohberg score was analyzed by the Cohen kappa and Fleiss kappa coefficients (absolute), Kendall tau b coefficient, and Kendall coefficient of concordance (W; relative). The reliability of the counting score was analyzed by intraclass correlation coefficients (ICC) 2.1 and 3.1, the standard error of measurement (SEM), and Bland-Altman analysis (bias and limits of agreement [LoA]). Results-Intraobserver and interobserver agreement (absolute/relative) ranged from 0.61 to 0.87/0.87 to 0.95 and 0.11 to 0.66/0.76 to 0.89 for the Ohberg score and from 0.81 to 0.87/0.92 to 0.95 and 0.64 to 0.80/0.88 to 0.93 for the modified Ohberg score, respectively. The counting score revealed an intraobserver ICC of 0.94 to 0.97 (SEM, 1.0-1.5; bias, -1; and LoA, 3-4 vessels). The interobserver ICC for the counting score ranged from 0.91 to 0.98 (SEM, 1.0-1.9; bias, 0; and LoA, 3-5 vessels). Conclusions-The modified Ohberg score and counting score showed excellent reliability and seem convenient for research and clinical practice. The Ohberg score revealed decent intraobserver but unexpected low interobserver reliability and therefore cannot be recommended. KW - advanced dynamic flow KW - intratendinous blood flow KW - musculoskeletal KW - reliability KW - ultrasound Y1 - 2017 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1002/jum.14414 SN - 0278-4297 SN - 1550-9613 VL - 37 IS - 3 SP - 737 EP - 744 PB - Wiley CY - Hoboken ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Helm, Norman A1 - Prieske, Olaf A1 - Mühlbauer, Thomas A1 - Krüger, Tom A1 - Chaabene, Helmi A1 - Granacher, Urs T1 - Validation of a new judo-specific ergometer system in male elite and sub-elite athletes JF - Journal of sports science & medicine N2 - Our experimental approach included two studies to determine discriminative validity and test-retest reliability (study 1) as well as ecological validity (study 2) of a judo ergometer system while performing judo-specific movements. Sixteen elite (age: 23 +/- 3 years) and 11 sub-elite (age: 16 +/- 1 years) athletes participated in study 1 and 14 male sub-elite judo athletes participated in study 2. Discriminative validity and test-retest reliability of sport-specific parameters (mechanical work, maximal force) were assessed during pulling movements with and without tsukuri (kuzushi). Ecological validity of muscle activity was determined by performing pulling movements using the ergometer without tsukuri and during the same movements against an opponent. In both conditions, electromyographic activity of trunk (e.g., m. erector spinae) and upper limb muscles (e.g., m. biceps brachii) were assessed separately for the lifting and pulling arm. Elite athletes showed mostly better mechanical work, maximal force, and power (0.12 <= d <= 1.80) compared with sub-elite athletes. The receiver operating characteristic analysis revealed acceptable validity of the JERGo(C) system to discriminate athletes of different performance levels predominantly during kuzushi without tsukuri (area under the curve = 0.27-0.90). Moreover, small-to-medium discriminative validity was found to detect meaningful performance changes for mechanical work and maximal force. The JERGo(C) system showed small-to-high relative (ICC = 0.37-0.92) and absolute reliability (SEM = 10.8-18.8%). Finally, our analyses revealed acceptable correlations (r = 0.41-0.88) between muscle activity during kuzushi performed with the JERGo(C) system compared with a judo opponent. Our findings indicate that the JERGo(C) system is a valid and reliable test instrument for the assessment and training of judo-specific pulling kinetics particularly during kuzushi movement without tsukuri. KW - Judo-specific pulling movement KW - work KW - force KW - muscle activity KW - reliability Y1 - 2018 SN - 1303-2968 VL - 17 IS - 3 SP - 465 EP - 474 PB - Department of Sports Medicine, Medical Faculty of Uludag University CY - Bursa ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Dech, Silas A1 - Bittmann, Frank A1 - Schaefer, Laura T1 - Assessment of the adaptive force of Elbow extensors in healthy subjects quantified by a novel pneumatically driven measurement system with considerations of its quality criteria JF - Diagnostics : open access journal N2 - Adaptive Force (AF) reflects the capability of the neuromuscular system to adapt adequately to external forces with the intention of maintaining a position or motion. One specific approach to assessing AF is to measure force and limb position during a pneumatically applied increasing external force. Through this method, the highest (AFmax), the maximal isometric (AFisomax) and the maximal eccentric Adaptive Force (AFeccmax) can be determined. The main question of the study was whether the AFisomax is a specific and independent parameter of muscle function compared to other maximal forces. In 13 healthy subjects (9 male and 4 female), the maximal voluntary isometric contraction (pre- and post-MVIC), the three AF parameters and the MVIC with a prior concentric contraction (MVICpri-con) of the elbow extensors were measured 4 times on two days. Arithmetic mean (M) and maximal (Max) torques of all force types were analyzed. Regarding the reliability of the AF parameters between days, the mean changes were 0.31–1.98 Nm (0.61%–5.47%, p = 0.175–0.552), the standard errors of measurements (SEM) were 1.29–5.68 Nm (2.53%–15.70%) and the ICCs(3,1) = 0.896–0.996. M and Max of AFisomax, AFmax and pre-MVIC correlated highly (r = 0.85–0.98). The M and Max of AFisomax were significantly lower (6.12–14.93 Nm; p ≤ 0.001–0.009) and more variable between trials (coefficient of variation (CVs) ≥ 21.95%) compared to those of pre-MVIC and AFmax (CVs ≤ 5.4%). The results suggest the novel measuring procedure is suitable to reliably quantify the AF, whereby the presented measurement errors should be taken into consideration. The AFisomax seems to reflect its own strength capacity and should be detected separately. It is suggested its normalization to the MVIC or AFmax could serve as an indicator of a neuromuscular function. KW - adaptive force KW - sensorimotor control KW - isometric muscle action KW - eccentric muscle action KW - maximal voluntary contraction KW - adaptive holding capacity KW - reliability KW - validity KW - neuromuscular functionality Y1 - 2021 U6 - https://doi.org/10.3390/diagnostics11060923 SN - 2075-4418 VL - 11 IS - 6 PB - MDPI CY - Basel ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Dombrowski, Sebastian A1 - Ermakova, Tatiana A1 - Fabian, Benjamin T1 - Graph-based analysis of cloud connectivity at the internet protocol level JF - International Journal of Communication Networks and Distributed Systems (IJCNDS) N2 - Internet connectivity of cloud services is of exceptional importance for both their providers and consumers. This article demonstrates the outlines of a method for measuring cloud-service connectivity at the internet protocol level from a client's perspective. For this, we actively collect connectivity data via traceroute measurements from PlanetLab to several major cloud services. Furthermore, we construct graph models from the collected data, and analyse the connectivity of the services based on important graph-based measures. Then, random and targeted node removal attacks are simulated, and the corresponding vulnerability of cloud services is evaluated. Our results indicate that cloud service hosts are, on average, much better connected than average hosts. However, when interconnecting nodes are removed in a targeted manner, cloud connectivity is dramatically reduced. KW - cloud computing KW - connectivity KW - availability KW - reliability KW - internet topology KW - graph analysis KW - complex networks Y1 - 2019 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1504/IJCNDS.2019.100644 SN - 1754-3916 SN - 1754-3924 VL - 23 IS - 1 SP - 117 EP - 142 PB - Inderscience Enterprises Ltd CY - Geneva ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Frank, Ulrike A1 - van den Engel-Hoek, Lenie A1 - Nogueira, Dalia A1 - Schindler, Antonio A1 - Adams, Sasha A1 - Curry, Morgan A1 - Huckabee, Maggie-Lee T1 - International standardisation of the test of masticating and swallowing solids in children JF - Journal of oral rehabilitation N2 - The Test of Masticating and Swallowing Solids (TOMASS) is a validated assessment tool measuring the efficiency of solid bolus intake by four quantitative parameters: discrete bites, masticatory cycles, swallows and time to ingest a single cracker. A normative database for adults (20-80+ years) has previously been established. The objective of this study was to investigate the applicability and reliability of the TOMASS in children and adolescents (TOMASS-C) and to establish the normative database for this younger population. We collected data from 638 participants (male: 311, female: 327) in five age groups (4-18 years) with five different but very similar test crackers in four countries. Significant effects of bolus type (cracker), age group and gender on the TOMASS parameters were identified, requiring stratification of the TOMASS-C database by these variables. Intra-rater reliability was excellent (ICC > 0.94) for all parameters; inter-rater reliability was moderate for "number of swallows" (ICC = 0.54), good for "bites" (ICC = 0.78) and "time" (ICC = 0.82), and excellent for "masticatory cycles" (ICC = 0.96). The "Test of Masticating and Swallowing Solids in Children (TOMASS-C)" was identified to be a reliable diagnostic tool for the comprehensive measurement of discrete oral stage components of solid bolus ingestion, standardised by a large normative database that covers age groups from preschoolers to young adults. While differences between gender groups were less pronounced than in the adult population, previous results relating to changes in masticatory and swallowing as a function of age are confirmed by our data. KW - mastication KW - normative data KW - reliability KW - solid bolus KW - swallowing Y1 - 2018 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1111/joor.12728 SN - 0305-182X SN - 1365-2842 VL - 46 IS - 2 SP - 161 EP - 169 PB - Wiley CY - Hoboken ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Lesinski, Melanie A1 - Schmelcher, Alina A1 - Herz, Michael A1 - Puta, Christian A1 - Gabriel, Holger A1 - Arampatzis, Adamantios A1 - Laube, Gunnar A1 - Büsch, Dirk A1 - Granacher, Urs T1 - Maturation-, age-, and sex-specific anthropometric and physical fitness percentiles of German elite young athletes JF - Plos One N2 - The aim of this study was to establish maturation-, age-, and sex-specific anthropometric and physical fitness percentile reference values of young elite athletes from various sports. Anthropometric (i.e., standing and sitting body height, body mass, body mass index) and physical fitness (i.e., countermovement jump, drop jump, change-of-direction speed [i.e., T-test], trunk muscle endurance [i.e., ventral Bourban test], dynamic lower limbs balance [i.e., Y-balance test], hand grip strength) of 703 male and female elite young athletes aged 8–18 years were collected to aggregate reference values according to maturation, age, and sex. Findings indicate that body height and mass were significantly higher (p<0.001; 0.95≤d≤1.74) in more compared to less mature young athletes as well as with increasing chronological age (p<0.05; 0.66≤d≤3.13). Furthermore, male young athletes were significantly taller and heavier compared to their female counterparts (p<0.001; 0.34≤d≤0.50). In terms of physical fitness, post-pubertal athletes showed better countermovement jump, drop jump, change-of-direction, and handgrip strength performances (p<0.001; 1.57≤d≤8.72) compared to pubertal athletes. Further, countermovement jump, drop jump, change-of-direction, and handgrip strength performances increased with increasing chronological age (p<0.05; 0.29≤d≤4.13). In addition, male athletes outperformed their female counterpart in the countermovement jump, drop jump, change-of-direction, and handgrip strength (p<0.05; 0.17≤d≤0.76). Significant age by sex interactions indicate that sex-specific differences were even more pronounced with increasing age. Conclusively, body height, body mass, and physical fitness increased with increasing maturational status and chronological age. Sex-specific differences appear to be larger as youth grow older. Practitioners can use the percentile values as approximate benchmarks for talent identification and development. KW - biological maturation KW - reliability KW - validity KW - performance KW - physiology KW - maturity KW - injury KW - talent Y1 - 2020 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0237423 SN - 1932-6203 VL - 15 IS - 8 PB - Plos One CY - San Francisco, California ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Bisi-Balogun, Adebisi A1 - Cassel, Michael A1 - Mayer, Frank T1 - Reliability of Various Measurement Stations for Determining Plantar Fascia Thickness and Echogenicity JF - Diagnostics : open access journal N2 - This study aimed to determine the relative and absolute reliability of ultrasound (US) measurements of the thickness and echogenicity of the plantar fascia (PF) at different measurement stations along its length using a standardized protocol. Twelve healthy subjects (24 feet) were enrolled. The PF was imaged in the longitudinal plane. Subjects were assessed twice to evaluate the intra-rater reliability. A quantitative evaluation of the thickness and echogenicity of the plantar fascia was performed using Image J, a digital image analysis and viewer software. A sonography evaluation of the thickness and echogenicity of the PF showed a high relative reliability with an Intra class correlation coefficient of 0.88 at all measurement stations. However, the measurement stations for both the PF thickness and echogenicity which showed the highest intraclass correlation coefficient (ICCs) did not have the highest absolute reliability. Compared to other measurement stations, measuring the PF thickness at 3 cm distal and the echogenicity at a region of interest 1 cm to 2 cm distal from its insertion at the medial calcaneal tubercle showed the highest absolute reliability with the least systematic bias and random error. Also, the reliability was higher using a mean of three measurements compared to one measurement. To reduce discrepancies in the interpretation of the thickness and echogenicity measurements of the PF, the absolute reliability of the different measurement stations should be considered in clinical practice and research rather than the relative reliability with the ICC. KW - plantar fascia KW - reliability KW - sonography KW - musculoskeletal Y1 - 2016 U6 - https://doi.org/10.3390/diagnostics6020015 SN - 2075-4418 VL - 6 SP - 506 EP - 519 PB - MDPI CY - Basel ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Mugele, Hendrik A1 - Plummer, Ashley A1 - Baritello, Omar A1 - Towe, Maggie A1 - Brecht, Pia A1 - Mayer, Frank T1 - Accuracy of training recommendations based on a treadmill multistage incremental exercise test JF - PLOS ONE N2 - Competitive runners will occasionally undergo exercise in a laboratory setting to obtain predictive and prescriptive information regarding their performance. The present research aimed to assess whether the physiological demands of lab-based treadmill running (TM) can simulate that of over-ground (OG) running using a commonly used protocol. Fifteen healthy volunteers with a weekly mileage of ≥ 20 km over the past 6 months and treadmill experience participated in this cross-sectional study. Two stepwise incremental tests until volitional exhaustion was performed in a fixed order within one week in an Outpatient Clinic research laboratory and outdoor athletic track. Running velocity (IATspeed), heart rate (IATHR) and lactate concentration at the individual anaerobic threshold (IATbLa) were primary endpoints. Additionally, distance covered (DIST), maximal heart rate (HRmax), maximal blood lactate concentration (bLamax) and rate of perceived exertion (RPE) at IATspeed were analyzed. IATspeed, DIST and HRmax were not statistically significantly different between conditions, whereas bLamax and RPE at IATspeed showed statistical significance (p < 0.05). Apart from RPE at IATspeed, IATspeed, DIST, HRmax and bLamax strongly correlate between conditions (r = 0.815–0.988). High reliability between conditions provides strong evidence to suggest that running on a treadmill are physiologically comparable to that of OG and that training recommendations and be made with assurance. KW - individual anaerobic threshold KW - lactate threshold KW - soccer players KW - performance KW - validity KW - reliability KW - runners Y1 - 2018 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0204696 SN - 1932-6203 VL - 13 IS - 10 SP - 1 EP - 12 PB - PLOS CY - San Francisco ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Sumpf, Bernd A1 - Maiwald, Martin A1 - Muller, Andre A1 - Ginolas, Arnim A1 - Haeusler, Karl A1 - Erbert, Goetz A1 - Traenkle, Guenther T1 - Reliable operation for 14 500 h of a wavelength-stabilized Diode Laser System on a Microoptical Bench at 671 nm JF - IEEE transactions on components, packaging and manufacturing technology N2 - Reliability tests for wavelength-stabilized compact diode laser systems emitting at 671 nm are presented. The devices were mounted on microoptical benches with the dimensions of 13 mm x 4 mm. Reflecting Bragg gratings were used for wavelength stabilization and emission width narrowing. The reliability tests were performed at 25 degrees C and at an output power up to 10 mW per micrometer stripe width of the gain medium. Reliable operation could be demonstrated over a test time up to 14 500 h at an output power up to 1.0 W. Environmental tests using random vibrations with acceleration up to 29 g were performed without deterioration of the devices. KW - High-power lasers KW - laser resonators KW - Raman spectroscopy KW - reliability KW - semiconductor lasers Y1 - 2012 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1109/TCPMT.2011.2171342 SN - 2156-3950 VL - 2 IS - 1 SP - 116 EP - 121 PB - Inst. of Electr. and Electronics Engineers CY - Piscataway ER - TY - JOUR A1 - Kemper, Christoph J. A1 - Lutz, Johannes A1 - Bähr, Tobias A1 - Rüddel, Heinz A1 - Hock, Michael T1 - Construct validity of the anxiety sensitivity index-3 in clinical samples JF - Assessment N2 - Using two clinical samples of patients, the presented studies examined the construct validity of the recently revised Anxiety Sensitivity Index-3 (ASI-3). Confirmatory factor analyses established a clear three-factor structure that corresponds to the postulated subdivision of the construct into correlated somatic, social, and cognitive components. Participants with different primary clinical diagnoses differed from each other on the ASI-3 subscales in theoretically meaningful ways. Specifically, the ASI-3 successfully discriminated patients with anxiety disorders from patients with nonanxiety disorders. Moreover, patients with panic disorder or agoraphobia manifested more somatic concerns than patients with other anxiety disorders and patients with nonanxiety disorders. Finally, correlations of the ASI-3 scales with other measures of clinical symptoms and negative affect substantiated convergent and discriminant validity. Substantial positive correlations were found between the ASI-3 Somatic Concerns and body vigilance, between Social Concerns and fear of negative evaluation and socially inhibited behavior, and between Cognitive Concerns and depression symptoms, anxiety, fear of negative evaluation, and subjective complaints. Moreover, Social Concerns correlated negatively with dominant and intrusive behavior. Results are discussed with respect to the contribution of the ASI-3 to the assessment of anxiety-related disorders. KW - anxiety sensitivity KW - Anxiety Sensitivity Index KW - ASI-3 KW - construct validity KW - reliability KW - clinical sample KW - factor structure Y1 - 2012 U6 - https://doi.org/10.1177/1073191111429389 SN - 1073-1911 VL - 19 IS - 1 SP - 89 EP - 100 PB - Sage Publ. CY - Thousand Oaks ER -