{"210981":{"#nid":"210981","#data":{"type":"event","title":"Jeffrey T. Bingham - Ph.D. Defense","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EADVISOR\u003C\/strong\u003E:\u003Cbr \/\u003ELena Ting - Biomedical Engineering, GA Tech\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003ECOMMITTEE MEMBERS:\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003ETom Burkholder \u2013 Applied Physiology, GA Tech\u003Cbr \/\u003EDaniel Goldman \u2013 Physics, GA Tech\u003Cbr \/\u003EKaren Liu \u2013 Computer Science, GA Tech\u003Cbr \/\u003ERandy Trumbower \u2013 Rehabilitation Medicine, Emory\u003Cbr \/\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EInteractions between the neural and musculoskeletal systems are a prerequisite for the production of robust movement. In spite of this, the neural control and musculoskeletal structure underlying biological movements are typically studied independently, with little attention paid to how changes in one may affect the other. Understanding these interactions may be critical to improving current rehabilitation technologies and therapy methods. As an example, balance disorders are multifactorial in nature and identifying whether biomechanical or neural changes are the source of instability remains an unanswered question.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EI have used a combined experimental and modeling approach to understand neural and biomechanical interactions governing human balance control. I developed a simple four-bar linkage model with delayed feedback to investigate frontal-plane standing balance. Using methods from time-delay systems I present evidence from this model that biomechanical structure is important for behavioral function and show that neural control and biomechanical structure co-vary for stable human balance. Predictions from the model were tested experimentally to dissociate the effects of inertia and postural configuration on balance. In addition, I applied robust control methods to solve the difficult problem of comparing the relative performance between neuromechanical systems that differ in parameter values and predicted a common mechanism to explain changes in neural control across biomechanical contexts.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EIn the future, the analytical tools and simulation methods I have developed can be generalized to investigate changes in neuromechanical interactions of various deficits in biomechanics (ACL rupture, amputation) and neural control (Parkinson\u2019s disease, stroke).\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EFurthermore, this approach can be used to explain how neural control and biomechanical structure relate to the diversity of animal form and function, as well as suggest biomimetic control policies for robotics.\u003C\/p\u003E","summary":null,"format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":"","field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003E\u0022A Framework to Quantify Neuromechanical Contributions to Stable Standing Balance: Modeling Predictions and Experimental Observations\u0022\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"A Framework to Quantify Neuromechanical Contributions to Stable Standing Balance: Modeling Predictions and Experimental Observations"}],"uid":"27547","created_gmt":"2013-05-02 11:52:36","changed_gmt":"2016-10-08 02:03:30","author":"Chris Ruffin","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","field_event_time":{"event_time_start":"2013-05-14T11:00:00-04:00","event_time_end":"2013-05-14T13:00:00-04:00","event_time_end_last":"2013-05-14T13:00:00-04:00","gmt_time_start":"2013-05-14 15:00:00","gmt_time_end":"2013-05-14 17:00:00","gmt_time_end_last":"2013-05-14 17:00:00","rrule":null,"timezone":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"groups":[{"id":"65448","name":"Bioengineering Graduate Program"}],"categories":[],"keywords":[{"id":"569","name":"bioengineering"}],"core_research_areas":[],"news_room_topics":[],"event_categories":[{"id":"1788","name":"Other\/Miscellaneous"}],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022mailto:chris.ruffin@ibb.gatech.edu\u0022\u003EMr. Christopher Ruffin\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"email":[],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}}}