Influence of the mode of walk on walking speed in multiple sclerosis: are you walking comfortably?

Poster (2013, June 10)

Introduction : Walking speed (WS) is the most frequent gait variable taken into account when measuring gait dysfunction in neurological diseases. Influences of the mode of walk instructed to the subject ... [more ▼]

Introduction : Walking speed (WS) is the most frequent gait variable taken into account when measuring gait dysfunction in neurological diseases. Influences of the mode of walk instructed to the subject, i.e. « as fast as possible » (AFAP) or « at a comfortable pace » (PrP) have not been well characterized in multiple sclerosis (MS). Objectives : to compare those 2 mode of walk in a population of persons with MS (pMS) and healthy volunteers (HV). Methods: WS was measured with a new automated device along a 25 foot distance (T25FW) as part of a multimodal evaluation of gait in an MS ambulatory department. Results: Baseline demographics between HV and pMS were comparable. Our first results demonstrate that (i) WS is obviously significantly higher in AFAP than in PrP both for pMS and HV (p < 0.001 for all comparisons) and (ii) the relative difference between AFAP and PrP WS is significantly higher in HV than in pMS (p < 0.001). The AFAP-PrP WS correlation is higher in pMS (r = 0.87, p < 0.001) than in HV (r = 0.51, p < 0.001). Finally, the relative difference between AFAP and PrP WS is significantly and negatively correlated with the PrP WS in HV (r = -0.41, p < 0.001) and pMS with mild to moderate disability (EDSS 0-3.5, r = -0.49, p < 0.01) but not in pMS with high disability (EDSS 4-5.5, r = 0.008). Conclusions : these results suggests that heatlhy subjects have access to a higher range of PrP WS than pMS and questions the regulation of PrP WS that might be under psychological or behavioural influences. The demonstration of a lower PrP-AFAP difference in MS suggests that pMS are either adopting a natural WS closer to their maximum WS, or alternatively that they can’t reach their maximum WS because of neurological impairments. Our results also emphasize the importance of the instructed mode of walk in the quantification of gait disorders both for routine clinical practice and clinical trials. [less ▲]

I-see-3D! An Interactive and Immersive System that dynamically adapts 2D projections to the location of a user’s eyes

in International Conference on 3D Imaging (IC3D) (2012, December)

This paper presents a system that gives the illusion of a 3D immersive and interactive environment with 2D projectors. The user does not need to wear glasses, nor to watch a (limited) screen. The virtual ... [more ▼]

This paper presents a system that gives the illusion of a 3D immersive and interactive environment with 2D projectors. The user does not need to wear glasses, nor to watch a (limited) screen. The virtual world is all around him, drawn on the floor. As the user is himself immersed in the virtual world, there is no need for a proxy like an avatar; he can move inside the virtual environment freely. Moreover, the Isee-3D system allows a user to manipulate virtual objects with his own body, making interactions with the virtual world very intuitive. Giving the illusion of 3D requires to render images insuch a way that the deformation of the image projected on thefloor is taken into account, as well as the position of the user’s “eye” in its virtual world. The resulting projection is neither perspective nor orthographic. Nevertheless, we describe how thiscan be implemented with the standard OpenGL pipeline, without any shader. Our experiments demonstrate that our system is effective in giving the illusion of 3D. Videos showing the results obtained with our I-see-3D system are available on our website http://www.ulg.ac.be/telecom/projector [less ▲]

Detection and Quantification of Efficiency and Quality of Gait Impairment in Multiple Sclerosis through Foot Path Analysis

Poster (2012, October 11)

Introduction: Walking speed is generally considered as the best outcome measure in trials for people with multiple sclerosis (pMS). We recently designed a device based on range laser scanner capable to ... [more ▼]

Introduction: Walking speed is generally considered as the best outcome measure in trials for people with multiple sclerosis (pMS). We recently designed a device based on range laser scanner capable to track feet paths of walking subjects. Our purpose was to explore gait descriptors of pMS and compare them with those of healthy volunteers (HV). Methods: Fourty-four pMS (considered as moderatly or highly disabled according to a cut-off EDSS value of 3.0) and 28 HV performed 4 walking tasks along 2 trajectories in 3 walking modes. Twenty-six gait descriptors crudely dichotomized in « efficiency» and « quality » of gait were compared in the 2 populations using unpaired t-tests. Results: (i) apart from an older age in pMS, the two populations were comparable, (ii) efficiency of gait descriptors including walking speed distinguished HV from pMS, and pMS with moderate from pMS with high disability, (iii) quality of gait descriptors were also significantly altered in pMS, including in walking tasks where their walking speed was comparable to that of HV. Conclusions: RLS technology can distinguish pMS from HV according to (i) more efficiency of gait descriptors than the sole walking speed and (ii) quality of gait descriptors, including in subjects with a « normal » walking speed. [less ▲]

Neural networks for musical chords recognition

in Journées d'informatique musicale (2012, May)

In this paper, we consider the challenging problem of music recognition and present an effective machine learning based method using a feed-forward neural network for chord recognition. The method uses ... [more ▼]

In this paper, we consider the challenging problem of music recognition and present an effective machine learning based method using a feed-forward neural network for chord recognition. The method uses the known feature vector for automatic chord recognition called the Pitch Class Profile (PCP). Although the PCP vector only provides attributes corresponding to 12 semi-tone values, we show that it is adequate for chord recognition. Part of our work also relates to the design of a database of chords. Our database is primarily designed for chords typical of Western Europe music. In particular, we have built a large dataset filled with recorded guitar chords under different acquisition conditions (instruments, microphones, etc), but also with samples obtained with other instruments. Our experiments establish a twofold result: (1) the PCP is well suited for describing chords in a machine learning context, and (2) the algorithm is also capable to recognize chords played with other instruments, even unknown from the training phase. [less ▲]

Estimation of human orientation based on silhouettes and machine learning principles

in International conference on pattern recognition applications and methods (ICPRAM) (2012, February)

Estimating the orientation of the observed person is a crucial task for home entertainment, man-machine interaction, intelligent vehicles, etc. This is possible but complex with a single camera because it ... [more ▼]

Estimating the orientation of the observed person is a crucial task for home entertainment, man-machine interaction, intelligent vehicles, etc. This is possible but complex with a single camera because it only provides one side view. To decrease the sensitivity to color and texture, we use the silhouette to infer the orientation. Under these conditions, we show that the only intrinsic limitation is to confuse the orientation q with the supplementary angle (that is 180°-theta), and that the shape descriptor must distinguish between mirrored images. In this paper, the orientation estimation is expressed and solved in the terms of a regression problem and supervised learning. In our experiments, we have tested and compared 18 shape descriptors; the best one achieves a mean error of 5:24°. However, because of the intrinsic limitation mentioned above, the range of orientations is limited to 180°. Our method is easy to implement and outperforms existing techniques. [less ▲]

Le "cheetah-look". Le phénotype guépart, face cachée de la pigmentation mélanique innée du visage.

in Dermatologie Actualité (2012), 131

Multimodal evaluation of gait and stride dynamics in relapsing and progressive forms of multiple sclerosis

in Proceedings of the Belgian Royal Academies of Medicine (2012), 1

Ambulation measures are being increasingly recognized as highly relevant to the quantification of multiple sclerosis (MS) severity and response to treatment. Feet paths are highly informative for gait ... [more ▼]

Ambulation measures are being increasingly recognized as highly relevant to the quantification of multiple sclerosis (MS) severity and response to treatment. Feet paths are highly informative for gait analysis and we have recently designed a new system, which captures the position of the feet in real time. We use several range laser scanners (RLS) to analyze a horizontal slice of the scene in which each foot is considered as a point, and the vertical movements are ignored. Neat ambulation measures may be easily extracted such as walking speed, distance between feet over time, swing phase duration, and gait asymmetry in specific settings of walking recommendations. Our RLS platform is much cheaper than existing sensor-based and motion capture systems and may be more convenient for the development of multicentric clinical trials settings since patients can be easily and rapidly assessed without tags or sensors in the hallway of an outpatient clinic. We use 4 BEA LZR-i100 RLS arranged in a corridor of at least 10m long and 4m width, devoid of obstacle. The scanned plane is chosen to be located at 15 cm above the floor, which is right above the tibio-tarsal joint of the ankle in a barefoot configuration for adult individuals in stance phase. We expect further studies to validate and empower the meaning of non-intrusive RLS-derived gait measures that should pave the ground for major improvements in the way we will assess the efficacy of disease-modifying treatments (DMTs), physical therapy and symptomatic interventions on walking impairment, ataxia and fatigability in MS. RLS-derived gait measures may also reveal to be crucial in the near future for the development of treatments that would specifically target progressive forms of MS. [less ▲]

A new jump edge detection method for 3D cameras

in International Conference on 3D Imaging (IC3D) (2011, December)

Edges is a fundamental clue for analyzing, interpreting, and understanding 3D scenes: they describe objects boundaries. Available edge detection methods are not suited for 3D cameras such as the Microsoft ... [more ▼]

Edges is a fundamental clue for analyzing, interpreting, and understanding 3D scenes: they describe objects boundaries. Available edge detection methods are not suited for 3D cameras such as the Microsoft Kinect or a time-of-flight camera: they are slow and do not take into consideration the characteristics of the cameras. In this paper, we present a fast jump edge detection technique for 3D cameras based on the principles of Canny’s edge detector. We first analyze the characteristics of the range signal for two different kinds of cameras: a time-of-flight camera (the PMD[vision] CamCube) and the Microsoft Kinect. From this analysis, we define appropriate operators and thresholds to perform the edge detection. Then, we present some results of the developed algorithms for both cameras. [less ▲]

Estimation of human orientation in images captured with a range camera

in Advanced Concepts for Intelligent Vision Systems (ACIVS) (2011, August)

Estimating the orientation of the observed person is a crucial task for some application fields like home entertainment, man-machine interaction, or intelligent vehicles. In this paper, we discuss the ... [more ▼]

Estimating the orientation of the observed person is a crucial task for some application fields like home entertainment, man-machine interaction, or intelligent vehicles. In this paper, we discuss the usefulness of conventional cameras for estimating the orientation, present some limitations, and show that 3D information improves the estimation performance. Technically, the orientation estimation is solved in the terms of a regression problem and supervised learning. This approach, combined to a slicing method of the 3D volume, provides mean errors as low as 9.2° or 4.3° depending on the set of considered poses. These results are consistent with those reported in the literature. However, our technique is faster and easier to implement than existing ones. [less ▲]

A probabilistic pixel-based approach to detect humans in video streams

in International Conference on Acoustics, Speech, and Signal Processing (ICASSP 2011) (2011, May)

Human detection in video streams is an important task in many applications including video surveillance. Surprisingly, only few papers have been devoted to this topic. This paper presents a new approach ... [more ▼]

Human detection in video streams is an important task in many applications including video surveillance. Surprisingly, only few papers have been devoted to this topic. This paper presents a new approach to detect humans in video streams. Our approach is based on the temporal information present in videos. A background subtraction algorithm is first used to segment the silhouettes of the users and the moving objects. Then a classification process in two steps determines for each connected component if it corresponds to the silhouette of a human or not. During the first step, a probabilistic information is computed for each pixel independently. The information from a subset of pixels is then gathered to predict the class of the observed silhouette. This paper presents the principles and some results obtained on real silhouettes. It is shown that our approach is efficient for the detection of humans in video streams. [less ▲]