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Non-linear analyses have been successfully applied to gait with evidence that fractal behavior of gait-related variables provide insights into function. Specifically, shifts in the fractal behavior of step width from pink toward white noise reflects a loss of complexity and diminished adaptive capacity and functionality. We previously reported an apparent difference in the fractal behavior of step width during treadmill walking between Service members with transtibial amputations and able-bodied civilian. We now combine recently collected data and data from two previous studies to further explore the relationship between lower limb injury, military service, and step width fractal behavior. Service member, regardless of the presence or type of injury, demonstrate step width fractal behavior walked in a way that the fractal behavior of their gait was significantly closer to white noise (-0.5 dB/Hz) than uninjured civilians (-0.82 dB/Hz). This data suggests that military training/service leads to a change in step width fractal behavior. Further studies are needed to explore what may cause this difference and any implications this may have on stability or performance.
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http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jbiomech.2022.111365 | DOI Listing |
Neurosci Biobehav Rev
September 2025
Department of Biomechanics, University of Nebraska at Omaha, Omaha, NE 68182, USA. Electronic address:
The concept of optimality dominates contemporary human movement science, with researchers across biomechanics, motor control, and neuroscience routinely explaining observed behaviors as solutions that maximize or minimize objective functions. This paper critiques the pervasive application of optimality principles in human movement science. We argue that optimization frameworks mischaracterize biological systems for several reasons: (1) Evolution produces sufficient rather than optimal adaptations without foresight; (2) Biological systems serve multiple functions simultaneously with context-dependent prioritization; (3) Structure-function relationships co-evolve rather than optimize for fixed targets; (4) The fractal, multiscale nature of physiological signals makes traditional optimization mathematically meaningless-there are no well-defined minima or maxima in fractal landscapes; (5) Optimality models implicitly invoke a homunculus that selects optimization criteria; and (6) The concept is methodologically circular and unfalsifiable, as any behavior can be retroactively modeled as optimal for some function.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFACS Omega
September 2025
Department of Chemistry, American University of Beirut, P.O. Box 11-0236, Riad El-Solh, 1107 2020 Beirut, Lebanon.
Fractal growth in reaction-diffusion frameworks (RDF) offers a powerful paradigm for understanding self-assembly in chemical and materials systems. However, its connection to diffusion-limited aggregation (DLA) remains underexplored. Here, we present the first quantitative demonstration of RDF-driven fractal crystallization of benzoic acid (BA), revealing a direct correlation among fractal dimension, diffusion rate, and gel-matrix chemistry.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFSoft Matter
September 2025
Nestlé Product Technology Centre, York, YO31 8FY, UK.
Particles with some degree of hydrophilicity are known to aggregate when directly dispersed in non-aqueous media. Proteins are generally insoluble in oil and have complex surface properties, but they may form networks in oil like more simple colloidal particles, depending on particle size and surface hydrophilicity. Here, the particle size of pea protein isolate (PPI) particles in oil was reduced to submicron sizes by stirred media milling.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPLoS One
September 2025
Grupo Interdisciplinario de Biología Teórica, Instituto de Neurociencia Cognitiva y Traslacional (INCyT), Universidad Favaloro, INECO, CONICET, Buenos Aires, Argentina.
The present paper analyzes the sounds emitted by pre-hatching chicks, focusing on those named as "clicks," which are thought to mediate pre-hatching social interactions and hatching synchronization. Representative acoustic signals were analyzed under three incubation conditions: (1) isolated pre-hatching chicks (n = 13), (2) pre-hatching chicks in contact with others of the same age (n = 14), and (3) pre-hatching chicks in contact with other of different age (n = 10 for each group: leader and follower). Customized MATLAB software was developed to (a) identify and isolate clicks from other recorded sounds, (b) represent them as temporal series of stochastic point processes, and (c) determine whether click emission dynamics resembled white noise or exhibited characteristics of informative signals.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFFront Neurosci
August 2025
School of Mathematics and Statistics Science, Ludong University, Yantai, China.
Epilepsy is a neurological disorder affecting ~50 million patients worldwide (30% refractory cases) with complex dynamical behavior governed by nonlinear differential equations. Seizures severely impact patients' quality of life and may lead to serious complications. As a primary diagnostic tool, electroencephalography (EEG) captures brain dynamics through non-stationary time series with measurable chaotic and fractal properties.
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