Biomechanics Books and Monographs

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The Modern Legacy of Gibson's Affordances for the Sciences of Organisms

Madhur Mangalam, Alen Hajnal Ed., and Damian G. Kelty-Stephen

This edited collection provides a comprehensive and empirically informed discussion on affordances and their role in studying goal-directed behavior, covering philosophical, experimental psychological, neuroscientific, and applied perspectives.

Showcasing the work of expert contributors from different backgrounds, the book inspires new directions for future research in affordances. Chapters address questions relating to the definition and perception of affordances, their advantages over stimuli, the relationship between affordances and behavior, and how systems engage with affordances in different tasks and intentions. This question-based format provides a distinctive perspective that allows for a thorough exploration of the expansive field of affordance research.

This book serves as a crucial resource for seasoned scientists, researchers, and undergraduate and graduate students in the fields of ecological psychology, sensation and perception, cognition, and the philosophy of cognitive science, as well as non-academic individuals interested in mind sciences broadly construed. It provides valuable insights and knowledge in these fields, making it an essential reference for those seeking to deepen their understanding in the areas of perception and cognition.
Oxford Bibliographies

D. S. Dunn Ed.

Developed cooperatively with scholars and librarians worldwide, Oxford Bibliographies offers exclusive, authoritative research guides across a variety of subject areas. Combining the best features of an annotated bibliography and a high-level encyclopedia, this cutting-edge resource directs researchers to the best available scholarship across a wide variety of subjects.

Oxford Bibliographies is regularly updated with new articles and additions to existing articles.
In search for an alternative to the computer metaphor of the mind and brain

Damian G. Kelty-Stephen, Paul E. Cisek, Benjamin De Bari, James Dixon, Luis H. Favela, Fred Hasselman, Fred Keijzer, Vincente Raja, Jeffrey B. Wagman, Brandon J. Thomas, and Madhur Mangalam

The brain-as-computer metaphor has anchored the professed computational nature of the mind, wresting it down from the intangible logic of Platonic philosophy to a material basis for empirical science. However, as with many long-lasting metaphors in science, the computer metaphor has been explored and stretched long enough to reveal its boundaries. These boundaries highlight widening gaps in our understanding of the brain's role in an organism's goal-directed, intelligent behaviors and thoughts. In search of a more appropriate metaphor that reflects the potentially noncomputable functions of mind and brain, eight author groups answer the following questions: (1) What do we understand by the computer metaphor of the brain and cognition? (2) What are some of the limitations of this computer metaphor? (3) What metaphor should replace the computational metaphor? (4) What findings support alternative metaphors? Despite agreeing about feeling the strain of the strictures of computer metaphors, the authors suggest an exciting diversity of possible metaphoric options for future research into the mind and brain.
Encyclopedia of Evolutionary Psychological Science

Todd K. Shackelford Ed and Viviana A. Weekes-Shackelford Ed.

Evolutionary psychology is a hybrid discipline that draws insights from modern evolutionary theory, biology, cognitive psychology, anthropology, economics, computer science, and paleoarchaeology. The discipline rests on a foundation of core premises: 1. Manifest behavior depends on underlying psychological mechanisms, information processing devices housed in the brain, in conjunction with the external and internal inputs that trigger their activation. 2. Evolution by selection is the only known causal process capable of creating such complex organic mechanisms. 3. Evolved psychological mechanisms are functionally specialized to solve adaptive problems that recurred for humans over deep evolutionary time. 4. Selection designed the information processing of many evolved psychological mechanisms to be adaptively influenced by specific classes of information from the environment. 5. Human psychology consists of a large number of functionally specialized evolved mechanisms, each sensitive to particular forms of contextual input, that get combined, coordinated, and integrated with each other to produce manifest behavior. Evolutionary psychology is one of the fastest growing academic areas within psychology. The field is now served by half a dozen high-quality journals dedicated to the field, including a new Springer journal, Evolutionary Psychological Science, set to launch in 2015 and edited by Todd Shackelford, a co-editor of the current proposal. In addition, there are now over a dozen extremely well-selling undergraduate textbooks dedicated to evolutionary psychology, along with several recent Handbooks dedicated to the field. The field is now ready for an Encyclopedia of Evolutionary Psychological Science. This encyclopedia will be extraordinarily comprehensive and wide-ranging. If the standard Handbook runs 500 printed pages, we envision this project might run 1000 printed pages per volume, but of course this will depend on how many entries we include, and the length of those entries. We anticipate having entries of varying length, depending on the importance of the topic or issue. For example, an entry on the prominent topic of “sex differences” might run the equivalent of 20 printed pages, whereas an entry on female orgasm, a more recent focus of research in evolutionary psychology, might run 10 printed pages. And then we expect to have briefer entries still that address much more focused topics and issues (for example, cultural differences in tattooing and scarification).
Introduction to Exercise Science: 5th Edition

Terry J. Housh Ed., Dona J. Housh Ed., Glen O. Johnson, Nicholas Stergiou, Ka-Chun Siu, Sara A. Myers, and Ben Senderling

The fifth edition of Introduction to Exercise Science introduces students to every core area of study in the discipline. It comprises concise chapters which introduce the history, key lines of inquiry relating to both health and performance, technology, certifications, professional associations, and career opportunities associated with each area. No other book offers such a wide-ranging, evidence-based introduction to exercise science. Written by leading and experienced experts, chapters include:
Packed with pedagogical features—from journal abstract examples to study questions and further reading suggestions—and accompanied by a website including practical lab exercises, Introduction to Exercise Science is a complete resource for a hands-on introduction to the core tenets of exercise science. It is an engaging and invaluable textbook for students beginning undergraduate degrees in Kinesiology, Sport & Exercise Science, Sports Coaching, Strength & Conditioning, Athletic Training, Sports Therapy, Sports Medicine, and Health & Fitness.
Introduction to Exercise Science: 4th Edition

Terry J. Housh Ed., Dona J. Housh Ed., Glen O. Johnson Ed., Nicholas Stergiou, Daniel Blanke, Sara A. Myers, and Ka-Chun Siu

The fourth edition of this book is designed to introduce students to the many areas of study and possible professions in the field of exercise science, whether in an academic setting, at a fitness or sport venue, or in an organization such as the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention. Readers who plan to pursue careers in fields such as exercise physiology, athletic training, nutrition, strength and conditioning, or exercise/sport psychology will find coverage of the major areas of study in exercise science. Each chapter was written by one or more expert in that particular field. The book as a whole offers an excellent balance of theory, research, and application.

Chapter 9: Biomechanics (Abstract)

Full text avaialable at: https://digitalcommons.unomaha.edu/biomechanicsarticles/341/

Biomechanics is a discipline. A discipline deals with understanding, predicting, and explaining phenomena within a content domain, and biomechanics is the study of the human body in motion. By applying

principles from mechanics and engineering, biomechanists are able to study the forces that act on the body and the effects they produce (Bates, 1991). Hay (1973) describes biomechanics as the science that examines forces acting on and within a biological structure and the effects produced by such forces, whereas Alt (1967) describes biomechanics as the science that investigates the effect of internal and external forces on human and animal bodies in movement and at rest. Each of these definitions describes the essential relationship between humans and mechanics found in biomechanics.
Nonlinear Analysis for Human Movement Variability: 1st Edition

Nicholas Stergiou

How Does the Body’s Motor Control System Deal with Repetition?

While the presence of nonlinear dynamics can be explained and understood, it is difficult to be measured. A study of human movement variability with a focus on nonlinear dynamics, Nonlinear Analysis for Human Movement Variability, examines the characteristics of human movement within this framework, explores human movement in repetition, and explains how and why we analyze human movement data. It takes an in-depth look into the nonlinear dynamics of systems within and around us, investigates the temporal structure of variability, and discusses the properties of chaos and fractals as they relate to human movement.

Providing a foundation for the use of nonlinear analysis and the study of movement variability in practice, the book describes the nonlinear dynamical features found in complex biological and physical systems, and introduces key concepts that help determine and identify patterns within the fluctuations of data that are repeated over time. It presents commonly used methods and novel approaches to movement analysis that reveal intriguing properties of the motor control system and introduce new ways of thinking about variability, adaptability, health, and motor learning.

In addition, this text:
Nonlinear Analysis for Human Movement Variability advances the field of human movement variability research by dissecting human movement and studying the role of movement variability. The book proposes new ways to use nonlinear analysis and investigate the temporal structure of variability, and enables engineers, movement scientists, clinicians, and those in related disciplines to effectively apply nonlinear analysis in practice.
Studies in Perception and Action XIII Eighteenth International Conference on Perception and Action

Julie A. Weast-Knapp Ed., MaryLauren Malone Ed., and Drew H. Abney Ed.

Since 1991, the edited book series Studies in Perception and Action has appeared in conjunction with the biennial International Conference of Perception and Action (ICPA). ICPA provides a forum for researchers and academics who share a common interest in ecological psychology to come together, present new research, and foster ideas towards the advancement of the field. This volume highlights research presented at the 18th ICPA meeting, hosted by the University of Minneapolis in the summer of 2015. The short papers presented in this book represent the contributions of researchers and laboratories from across the globe, on a wide variety of topics in perception and action. This volume will especially appeal to those that are interested in James J. Gibson's ecological approach to psychology, as well as, more broadly, students and researchers of action and coordination, visual and haptic perception, perceptual development, human movement dynamics, human factors, and social processes.
Medicine Meets Virtual Reality 21

James D. Westwood, Susan W. Westwood, Li Felländer-Tsai, Cali M. Fidopiastis, Randy S. Haluck, Richard A. Robb, Steven Senger, Kirby G. Vosburgh, Joshua Pickhinke, Jung Hung Chien, and Mukul Mukherjee

Editors: James D. Westwood, Susan W. Westwood, Li Felländer-Tsai, Cali M. Fidopiastis, Randy S. Haluck, Richard A. Robb, Steven Senger, Kirby G. Vosburgh.

Chapter, Varying the Speed of Perceived Self-Motion Affects Postural Control During Locomotion, co-authored by Joshua Pickhinke, Jung Hung Chien, Mukul Mukherjee, UNO faculty and staff members.

Virtual reality environments have been used to show the importance of perception of self-motion in controlling posture and gait. In this study, the authors used a virtual reality environment to investigate whether varying optical flow speed had any effect on postural control during locomotion. Healthy young adult participants walked under two conditions, with optical flow matching their preferred walking speed, and with a randomly varying optic flow speed compared to their preferred walking speed. Exposure to the varying optic flow increased the variability in their postural control as measured by area of COP when compared with the matched speed condition. If perception of self-motion becomes less predictable, postural control during locomotion becomes more variable and possibly riskier.
Medicine Meets Virtual Reality 17

James D. Westwood, Mukul Mukherjee, K.-C. Siu, I. H. Suh, A. Klutman, D. Oleynikov, Nikolaos Stergiou, and E. Monk

Chapter, A Virtual Reality Training Program for Improvement of Robotic Surgical Skills, co-authored by Mukul Mukherjee and Nicholas Stergiou, UNO faculty members.

Chapter, Consistency of Performance of Robot-Assisted Surgical Tasks in Virtual Reality, co-authored by Mukul Mukherjee and Nicholas Stergiou, UNO faculty members.

The 17th annual Medicine Meets Virtual Reality (MMVR17) was held January 19-22, 2009, in Long Beach, CA, USA. The conference is well established as a forum for emerging data-centered technologies for medical care and education. Each year, it brings together an international community of computer scientists and engineers, physicians and surgeons, medical educators and students, military medicine specialists and biomedical futurists. MMVR emphasizes inter-disciplinary collaboration in the development of more efficient and effective physician training and patient care. The MMVR17 proceedings collect 108 papers by conference lecture and poster presenters. These papers cover recent developments in biomedical simulation and modeling, visualization and data fusion, haptics, robotics, sensors and other related information-based technologies. Key applications include medical education and surgical training, clinical diagnosis and therapy, physical rehabilitation, psychological assessment, telemedicine and more. From initial vision and prototypes, through assessment and validation, to clinical and academic utilization and commercialization - MMVR explores the state-of-the-art and looks toward healthcare’s future. The proceedings volume will interest physicians, surgeons and other medical professionals interested in emerging and future tools for diagnosis and therapy; educators responsible for training the next generation of doctors and scientists; IT and medical device engineers creating state-of-the-art and next-generation simulation, imaging, robotics and communication systems; data technologists creating systems for gathering, processing and distributing medical intelligence; military medicine specialists addressing the challenges of warfare and defense health needs; and biomedical futurists and investors who want to understand where the field is headed.
Medicine Meets Virtual Reality 16

James D. Westwood, B. Brown-Clerk, K.-C. Siu, D. Kastavelis, I. Lee, D. Oleynikov, and Nikolaos Stergiou

Chapter, Validating Advanced Robot-Assisted Laparoscopic Training Task in Virtual Reality, co-authored by Nicholas Stergiou, UNO faculty member.

We humans are tribal, grouping ourselves by a multitude of criteria: physical, intellectual, political, emotional, etc. The Internet and its auxiliary technologies have enabled a novel dimension in tribal behavior during our recent past. This growing connectivity begs the question: will individuals and their communities come together to solve some very urgent global problems? At MMVR, we explore ways to harness information technology to solve healthcare problems – and in the industrialized nations we are making progress. In the developing world however, things are more challenging. Massive urban poverty fuels violence and misery. Will global networking bring a convergence of individual and tribal problem-solving? Recently, a barrel-shaped water carrier that rolls along the ground was presented, improving daily life for many people. Also the One Laptop per Child project is a good example of how the industrialized nations can help the developing countries. They produce durable and simple laptops which are inexpensive to produce. At MMVR, we focus on cutting-edge medical technology, which is generally pretty expensive. While the benefits of innovation trickle downward, from the privileged few to the broader masses, we should expand this trickle into a flood. Can breakthrough applications in stimulation, visualization, robotics, and informatics engender tools as ingeniously as the water carrier or laptop? With some extra creativity, we can design better healthcare for the developing world too.
Medicine Meets Virtual Reality 15

James D. Westwood, Matthew J. Fieldler, Shing-Jye Chen, Timothy N. Judkins, D. Oleynikov, and Nikolaos Stergiou

Chapter, Virtual Reality for Robotic Laparoscopic Surgical Training, co-authored by Nicholas Stergiou, UNO faculty member.

Our culture is obsessed with design. Sometimes designers can fuse utility and fantasy to make the mundane appear fresh—a cosmetic repackaging of the same old thing. Because of this, medicine—grounded in the unforgiving realities of the scientific method and peer review, and of flesh, blood, and pain—can sometimes confuse “design” with mere “prettifying.” Design solves real problems, however. This collection of papers underwrites the importance of design for the MMVR community, within three different environments: in vivo, in vitro and in silico. in vivo: we design machines to explore our living bodies. Imaging devices, robots, and sensors move constantly inward, operating within smaller dimensions: system, organ, cell, DNA. in vitro: Using test tubes and Petri dishes, we isolate in vivo to better manipulate and measure biological conditions and reactions. in silico: We step out of the controlled in vitro environment and into a virtual reality. The silica mini-worlds of test tubes and Petri dishes are translated into mini-worlds contained within silicon chips. The future of medicine remains within all three environments: in vivo, in vitro, and in silico. Design is what makes these pieces fit together—the biological, the informational, the physical/material—into something new and more useful.
Medicine Meets Virtual Reality 14

James D. Westwood, Timothy N. Judkins, D. Oleynikov, and Nikolaos Stergiou

Chapter, Real-Time Augmented Feedback Benefits Robotic Laparoscopic Training, co-authored by Nicholas Steriou, UNO faculty member.

Machine intelligence will eclipse human intelligence within the next few decades - extrapolating from Moore’s Law - and our world will enjoy limitless computational power and ubiquitous data networks. Today’s iPod® devices portend an era when biology and information technology will fuse to create a human experience radically different from our own. Already, our healthcare system now appears on the verge of crisis; accelerating change is part of the problem. Each technological upgrade demands an investment of education and money, and a costly infrastructure more quickly becomes obsolete. Practitioners can be overloaded with complexity: therapeutic options, outcomes data, procedural coding, drug names etc. Furthermore, an aging global population with a growing sense of entitlement demands that each medical breakthrough be immediately available for its benefit: what appears in the morning paper is expected simultaneously in the doctor’s office. Meanwhile, a third-party payer system generates conflicting priorities for patient care and stockholder returns. The result is a healthcare system stressed by scientific promise, public expectation, economic and regulatory constraints and human limitations. Change is also proving beneficial, of course. Practitioners are empowered by better imaging methods, more precise robotic tools, greater realism in training simulators, and more powerful intelligence networks. The remarkable accomplishments of the IT industry and the Internet are trickling steadily into healthcare. The Medicine Meets Virtual Reality series can readily see the progress of the past fourteen years: more effective healthcare at a lower overall cost, driven by cheaper and better computers.