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Guerra BMV, Torti E, Marenzi E, Schmid M, Ramat S, Leporati F, Danese G. Ambient assisted living for frail people through human activity recognition: state-of-the-art, challenges and future directions. Front Neurosci 2023; 17:1256682. [PMID: 37849892 PMCID: PMC10577184 DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2023.1256682] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/11/2023] [Accepted: 09/18/2023] [Indexed: 10/19/2023] Open
Abstract
Ambient Assisted Living is a concept that focuses on using technology to support and enhance the quality of life and well-being of frail or elderly individuals in both indoor and outdoor environments. It aims at empowering individuals to maintain their independence and autonomy while ensuring their safety and providing assistance when needed. Human Activity Recognition is widely regarded as the most popular methodology within the field of Ambient Assisted Living. Human Activity Recognition involves automatically detecting and classifying the activities performed by individuals using sensor-based systems. Researchers have employed various methodologies, utilizing wearable and/or non-wearable sensors, and employing algorithms ranging from simple threshold-based techniques to more advanced deep learning approaches. In this review, literature from the past decade is critically examined, specifically exploring the technological aspects of Human Activity Recognition in Ambient Assisted Living. An exhaustive analysis of the methodologies adopted, highlighting their strengths and weaknesses is provided. Finally, challenges encountered in the field of Human Activity Recognition for Ambient Assisted Living are thoroughly discussed. These challenges encompass issues related to data collection, model training, real-time performance, generalizability, and user acceptance. Miniaturization, unobtrusiveness, energy harvesting and communication efficiency will be the crucial factors for new wearable solutions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bruna Maria Vittoria Guerra
- Bioengineering Laboratory, Department of Electrical, Computer and Biomedical Engineering, University of Pavia, Pavia, Italy
| | - Emanuele Torti
- Custom Computing and Programmable Systems Laboratory, Department of Electrical, Computer and Biomedical Engineering, University of Pavia, Pavia, Italy
| | - Elisa Marenzi
- Custom Computing and Programmable Systems Laboratory, Department of Electrical, Computer and Biomedical Engineering, University of Pavia, Pavia, Italy
| | - Micaela Schmid
- Bioengineering Laboratory, Department of Electrical, Computer and Biomedical Engineering, University of Pavia, Pavia, Italy
| | - Stefano Ramat
- Bioengineering Laboratory, Department of Electrical, Computer and Biomedical Engineering, University of Pavia, Pavia, Italy
| | - Francesco Leporati
- Custom Computing and Programmable Systems Laboratory, Department of Electrical, Computer and Biomedical Engineering, University of Pavia, Pavia, Italy
| | - Giovanni Danese
- Custom Computing and Programmable Systems Laboratory, Department of Electrical, Computer and Biomedical Engineering, University of Pavia, Pavia, Italy
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Wang D, Gu X, Yu H. Sensors and algorithms for locomotion intention detection of lower limb exoskeletons. Med Eng Phys 2023; 113:103960. [PMID: 36966000 DOI: 10.1016/j.medengphy.2023.103960] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/27/2022] [Revised: 02/13/2023] [Accepted: 02/15/2023] [Indexed: 02/18/2023]
Abstract
In recent years, lower limb exoskeletons (LLEs) have received much attention due to the potential to help people with paraplegia regain the ability of upright-legged locomotion. However, one major hindrance to converting prototypes into actual products is the lack of a balance recovery function. Locomotion intentions can be the first step for balance assistance. Therefore, its significance continues to grow. Many researchers focus on this topic, but there is a lack of a general discussion on the research phenomenon. Therefore, the purpose of this work is to systematize these data and benefit future research. This review is divided into two parts, the location of sensors/devices and the evaluation criteria of algorithms, which are the main components of locomotion intentions. We found that sensor/device placement is still concentrated in the lower limbs, but most researchers have found the importance of the chest. The peak power of the signal collected from the chest may be overestimated because it undergoes higher vertical velocity and acceleration during a rotation. However, despite the differences in peak power between the upper and lower back, high correlations were found for the tasks, especially from sitting to standing. Since peak power is based on vertical acceleration and velocity, it can be considered a metric that is more robust to changes in sensor location. Therefore, data acquisition from the chest is effective. In this paper, it is pointed out that sensors placed on the chest may have a tendency to change, as some researchers have realized in the field of locomotion intention recognition. In the evaluation criteria, we also found that deep learning algorithm (such as Back Propagation Artificial Neural Network (BPANN)) is outstanding, and Support Vector Machine (SVM) is the most cost-effective algorithm. In terms of accuracy, sensitivity, and specificity, BPANN achieved nearly 100%. SVM has different types; the best one achieves 98% accuracy, 100% sensitivity, and 100% specificity. But it also has 87.8% accuracy, which is not stable. Convolutional Neural Networks (CNN) can be used for image classification and have an accuracy of around 87%. Compared to the above two algorithms, CNN may have lower performance. Other algorithms also have higher accuracy, sensitivity, and specificity. These evaluation criteria, however, were not all ideal at the same time. Based on these results, we also point out the existing problems. In general, the application of these algorithms to LLE can contribute to its intention recognition, which can be helpful in balancing research. Finally, this can help make LLE more suitable for daily use.
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Affiliation(s)
- Duojin Wang
- Institute of Rehabilitation Engineering and Technology, University of Shanghai for Science and Technology, 516 Jungong Road, Shanghai 200093, China; Shanghai Engineering Research Center of Assistive Devices, 516 Jungong Road, Shanghai 200093, China.
| | - Xiaoping Gu
- Institute of Rehabilitation Engineering and Technology, University of Shanghai for Science and Technology, 516 Jungong Road, Shanghai 200093, China
| | - Hongliu Yu
- Institute of Rehabilitation Engineering and Technology, University of Shanghai for Science and Technology, 516 Jungong Road, Shanghai 200093, China; Shanghai Engineering Research Center of Assistive Devices, 516 Jungong Road, Shanghai 200093, China
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Nouredanesh M, Godfrey A, Powell D, Tung J. Egocentric vision-based detection of surfaces: towards context-aware free-living digital biomarkers for gait and fall risk assessment. J Neuroeng Rehabil 2022; 19:79. [PMID: 35869527 PMCID: PMC9308210 DOI: 10.1186/s12984-022-01022-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/24/2021] [Accepted: 04/25/2022] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
Abstract
Background
Falls in older adults are a critical public health problem. As a means to assess fall risks, free-living digital biomarkers (FLDBs), including spatiotemporal gait measures, drawn from wearable inertial measurement unit (IMU) data have been investigated to identify those at high risk. Although gait-related FLDBs can be impacted by intrinsic (e.g., gait impairment) and/or environmental (e.g., walking surfaces) factors, their respective impacts have not been differentiated by the majority of free-living fall risk assessment methods. This may lead to the ambiguous interpretation of the subsequent FLDBs, and therefore, less precise intervention strategies to prevent falls.
Methods
With the aim of improving the interpretability of gait-related FLDBs and investigating the impact of environment on older adults’ gait, a vision-based framework was proposed to automatically detect the most common level walking surfaces. Using a belt-mounted camera and IMUs worn by fallers and non-fallers (mean age 73.6 yrs), a unique dataset (i.e., Multimodal Ambulatory Gait and Fall Risk Assessment in the Wild (MAGFRA-W)) was acquired. The frames and image patches attributed to nine participants’ gait were annotated: (a) outdoor terrains: pavement (asphalt, cement, outdoor bricks/tiles), gravel, grass/foliage, soil, snow/slush; and (b) indoor terrains: high-friction materials (e.g., carpet, laminated floor), wood, and tiles. A series of ConvNets were developed: EgoPlaceNet categorizes frames into indoor and outdoor; and EgoTerrainNet (with outdoor and indoor versions) detects the enclosed terrain type in patches. To improve the framework’s generalizability, an independent training dataset with 9,424 samples was curated from different databases including GTOS and MINC-2500, and used for pretrained models’ (e.g., MobileNetV2) fine-tuning.
Results
EgoPlaceNet detected outdoor and indoor scenes in MAGFRA-W with 97.36$$\%$$
%
and 95.59$$\%$$
%
(leave-one-subject-out) accuracies, respectively. EgoTerrainNet-Indoor and -Outdoor achieved high detection accuracies for pavement (87.63$$\%$$
%
), foliage (91.24$$\%$$
%
), gravel (95.12$$\%$$
%
), and high-friction materials (95.02$$\%$$
%
), which indicate the models’ high generalizabiliy.
Conclusions
Encouraging results suggest that the integration of wearable cameras and deep learning approaches can provide objective contextual information in an automated manner, towards context-aware FLDBs for gait and fall risk assessment in the wild.
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Choi A, Kim TH, Yuhai O, Jeong S, Kim K, Kim H, Mun JH. Deep Learning-Based Near-Fall Detection Algorithm for Fall Risk Monitoring System Using a Single Inertial Measurement Unit. IEEE Trans Neural Syst Rehabil Eng 2022; 30:2385-2394. [PMID: 35969550 DOI: 10.1109/tnsre.2022.3199068] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/10/2022]
Abstract
Proactively detecting falls and preventing injuries are among the primary keys to a healthy life for the elderly. Near-fall remote monitoring in daily life could provide key information to prevent future falls and obtain quantitative rehabilitation status for patients with weak balance ability. In this study, we developed a deep learning-based novel classification algorithm to precisely categorize three classes (falls, near-falls, and activities of daily living (ADLs)) using a single inertial measurement unit (IMU) device attached to the waist. A total of 34 young participants were included in this study. An IMU containing accelerometer and gyroscope sensors was fabricated to acquire acceleration and angular velocity signals. A comprehensive experiment including thirty-six types of activities (10 types of falls, 10 types of near-falls, and 16 types of ADLs) was designed based on previous studies. A modified directed acyclic graph-convolution neural network (DAG-CNN) architecture with hyperparameter optimization was proposed to predict fall, near-fall, and ADLs. Prediction results of the modified DAG-CNN structure were found to be approximately 7% more accurate than the traditional CNN structure. For the case of near-falls, the modified DAG-CNN demonstrated excellent prediction performance with accuracy of over 98% by combining gyroscope and accelerometer features. Additionally, by combining acceleration and angular velocity the trained model showed better performance than each model of acceleration and angular velocity. It is believed that information to preemptively handle the risk of falls and quantitatively evaluate the rehabilitation status of the elderly with weak balance will be provided by monitoring near-falls.
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Nouredanesh M, Ojeda L, Alexander NB, Godfrey A, Schwenk M, Melek W, Tung J. Automated Detection of Older Adults’ Naturally-Occurring Compensatory Balance Reactions: Translation From Laboratory to Free-Living Conditions. IEEE JOURNAL OF TRANSLATIONAL ENGINEERING IN HEALTH AND MEDICINE 2022. [DOI: 10.1109/jtehm.2022.3163967] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/11/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Mina Nouredanesh
- Department of Mechanical and Mechatronics Engineering, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, ON, Canada
| | - Lauro Ojeda
- Department of Mechanical Engineering, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
| | - Neil B. Alexander
- Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Geriatric and Palliative Medicine, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
| | - Alan Godfrey
- Department of Computer and Information Sciences, Northumbria University, Newcastle upon Tyne, U.K
| | - Michael Schwenk
- Network Aging Research (NAR), Heidelberg University, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - William Melek
- Department of Mechanical and Mechatronics Engineering, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, ON, Canada
| | - James Tung
- Department of Mechanical and Mechatronics Engineering, University of Waterloo, Waterloo, ON, Canada
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Cicirelli G, Marani R, Petitti A, Milella A, D’Orazio T. Ambient Assisted Living: A Review of Technologies, Methodologies and Future Perspectives for Healthy Aging of Population. SENSORS (BASEL, SWITZERLAND) 2021; 21:3549. [PMID: 34069727 PMCID: PMC8160803 DOI: 10.3390/s21103549] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/07/2021] [Revised: 05/03/2021] [Accepted: 05/16/2021] [Indexed: 01/29/2023]
Abstract
Over the last decade, there has been considerable and increasing interest in the development of Active and Assisted Living (AAL) systems to support independent living. The demographic change towards an aging population has introduced new challenges to today's society from both an economic and societal standpoint. AAL can provide an arrary of solutions for improving the quality of life of individuals, for allowing people to live healthier and independently for longer, for helping people with disabilities, and for supporting caregivers and medical staff. A vast amount of literature exists on this topic, so this paper aims to provide a survey of the research and skills related to AAL systems. A comprehensive analysis is presented that addresses the main trends towards the development of AAL systems both from technological and methodological points of view and highlights the main issues that are worthy of further investigation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Grazia Cicirelli
- Institute of Intelligent Industrial Systems and Technologies for Advanced Manufacturing (STIIMA), National Research Council of Italy (CNR), Via G. Amendola 122, 70126 Bari, Italy; (R.M.); (A.P.); (A.M.); (T.D.)
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Chen B, Liu P, Xiao F, Liu Z, Wang Y. Review of the Upright Balance Assessment Based on the Force Plate. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH AND PUBLIC HEALTH 2021; 18:ijerph18052696. [PMID: 33800119 PMCID: PMC7967421 DOI: 10.3390/ijerph18052696] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/31/2020] [Accepted: 02/26/2021] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
Quantitative assessment is crucial for the evaluation of human postural balance. The force plate system is the key quantitative balance assessment method. The purpose of this study is to review the important concepts in balance assessment and analyze the experimental conditions, parameter variables, and application scope based on force plate technology. As there is a wide range of balance assessment tests and a variety of commercial force plate systems to choose from, there is room for further improvement of the test details and evaluation variables of the balance assessment. The recommendations presented in this article are the foundation and key part of the postural balance assessment; these recommendations focus on the type of force plate, the subject's foot posture, and the choice of assessment variables, which further enriches the content of posturography. In order to promote a more reasonable balance assessment method based on force plates, further methodological research and a stronger consensus are still needed.
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Dasgupta P, VanSwearingen J, Godfrey A, Redfern M, Montero-Odasso M, Sejdic E. Acceleration Gait Measures as Proxies for Motor Skill of Walking: A Narrative Review. IEEE Trans Neural Syst Rehabil Eng 2021; 29:249-261. [PMID: 33315570 PMCID: PMC7995554 DOI: 10.1109/tnsre.2020.3044260] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/23/2023]
Abstract
In adults 65 years or older, falls or other neuromotor dysfunctions are often framed as walking-related declines in motor skill; the frequent occurrence of such decline in walking-related motor skill motivates the need for an improved understanding of the motor skill of walking. Simple gait measurements, such as speed, do not provide adequate information about the quality of the body motion's translation during walking. Gait measures from accelerometers can enrich measurements of walking and motor performance. This review article will categorize the aspects of the motor skill of walking and review how trunk-acceleration gait measures during walking can be mapped to motor skill aspects, satisfying a clinical need to understand how well accelerometer measures assess gait. We will clarify how to leverage more complicated acceleration measures to make accurate motor skill decline predictions, thus furthering fall research in older adults.
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Kańtoch E, Kańtoch A. What Features and Functions Are Desired in Telemedical Services Targeted at Polish Older Adults Delivered by Wearable Medical Devices?-Pre-COVID-19 Flashback. SENSORS 2020; 20:s20185181. [PMID: 32932848 PMCID: PMC7570796 DOI: 10.3390/s20185181] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/29/2020] [Revised: 08/31/2020] [Accepted: 09/07/2020] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
Abstract
The emerging wearable medical devices open up new opportunities for the provision of health services and promise to accelerate the development of novel telemedical services. The main objective of this study was to investigate the desirable features and applications of telemedical services for the Polish older adults delivered by wearable medical devices. The questionnaire study was conducted among 146 adult volunteers in two cohorts (C.1: <65 years vs. C.2: ≥65 years). The analysis was based on qualitative research and descriptive statistics. Comparisons were performed by Pearson’s chi-squared test. The questionnaire, which was divided into three parts (1-socio-demographic data, needs, and behaviors; 2-health status; 3-telemedicine service awareness and device concept study), consisted of 37 open, semi-open, or closed questions. Two cohorts were analyzed (C.1: n = 77; mean age = 32 vs. C.2: n = 69; mean age = 74). The performed survey showed that the majority of respondents were unaware of the telemedical services (56.8%). A total of 62.3% of C.1 and 34.8% of C.2 declared their understanding of telemedical services. The 10.3% of correct explanations regarding telemedical service were found among all study participants. The most desirable feature was the detection of life-threatening and health-threatening situations (65.2% vs. 66.2%). The findings suggest a lack of awareness of telemedical services and the opportunities offered by wearable telemedical devices.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eliasz Kańtoch
- AGH University of Science and Technology, 30-059 Kraków, Poland
- Correspondence:
| | - Anna Kańtoch
- Faculty of Medicine, Department of Internal Medicine and Gerontology, Jagiellonian University Medical College, 30-688 Kraków, Poland;
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Konishi S, Hatakeyama S, Imai A, Kumagai M, Okita K, Togashi K, Hamaya T, Hamano I, Okamoto T, Iwamura H, Yamamoto H, Yoneyama T, Hashimoto Y, Ohyama C. Overactive bladder and sleep disturbance have a significant effect on indoor falls: Results from the community health survey in Japan. Low Urin Tract Symptoms 2020; 13:56-63. [PMID: 32496639 DOI: 10.1111/luts.12326] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/20/2020] [Revised: 04/22/2020] [Accepted: 05/12/2020] [Indexed: 01/10/2023]
Abstract
OBJECTIVES To evaluate the effect of overactive bladder (OAB) and frailty on indoor fall events in community-dwelling adults aged 50 or older. METHODS We conducted a cross-sectional study involving 723 adults between 2016 and 2017 in Hirosaki, Japan. OAB symptoms and sleep disturbance were assessed using the Overactive Bladder Symptom Score (OABSS) and the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI). Indoor fall events (falls or near-falls) within 1 year were evaluated. Frailty was evaluated by the frailty discriminant score. We investigated the association of OAB symptoms with sleep disturbance, frailty, and indoor fall events. Multivariate logistic regression analysis was performed to investigate the effect of OAB symptoms on fall events controlling for confounding factors such as age, gender, comorbidity, frailty, and sleep disturbance. RESULTS The median age was 64. We observed OABSS ≥6 in 98 participants (14%), nocturia ≥2 in 445 (62%), urgency score ≥3 in 80 (11%), urge incontinence score ≥3 in 36 (5.0%), PSQI ≥6 in 153 (21%), frailty in 169 (23%), and indoor fall events in 251 (35%). Older age, diabetes, OABSS, nocturia, urgency, urge incontinence, and the PSQI were significantly associated with indoor fall events. Multivariate logistic regression analyses showed that OAB symptoms and sleep disturbance were significantly associated with fall events. CONCLUSIONS The effect of OAB symptoms and sleep disturbance on indoor fall events was significant. The causal relationship between OAB and falls needs further study.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sakae Konishi
- Department of Urology, Hirosaki University Graduate School of Medicine, Hirosaki, Japan
| | - Shingo Hatakeyama
- Department of Advanced Blood Purification Therapy, Hirosaki University Graduate School of Medicine, Hirosaki, Japan
| | - Atsushi Imai
- Department of Urology, Hirosaki University Graduate School of Medicine, Hirosaki, Japan
| | - Mika Kumagai
- Department of Active Life Promotion Sciences, Hirosaki University Graduate School of Medicine, Hirosaki, Japan
| | - Kazutaka Okita
- Department of Urology, Hirosaki University Graduate School of Medicine, Hirosaki, Japan
| | - Kyo Togashi
- Department of Urology, Hirosaki University Graduate School of Medicine, Hirosaki, Japan
| | - Tomoko Hamaya
- Department of Urology, Hirosaki University Graduate School of Medicine, Hirosaki, Japan
| | - Itsuto Hamano
- Department of Urology, Hirosaki University Graduate School of Medicine, Hirosaki, Japan
| | - Teppei Okamoto
- Department of Urology, Hirosaki University Graduate School of Medicine, Hirosaki, Japan
| | - Hiromichi Iwamura
- Department of Urology, Hirosaki University Graduate School of Medicine, Hirosaki, Japan
| | - Hayato Yamamoto
- Department of Urology, Hirosaki University Graduate School of Medicine, Hirosaki, Japan
| | - Takahiro Yoneyama
- Department of Advanced Transplant and Regenerative Medicine, Hirosaki University Graduate School of Medicine, Hirosaki, Japan
| | - Yasuhiro Hashimoto
- Department of Urology, Hirosaki University Graduate School of Medicine, Hirosaki, Japan
| | - Chikara Ohyama
- Department of Urology, Hirosaki University Graduate School of Medicine, Hirosaki, Japan.,Department of Active Life Promotion Sciences, Hirosaki University Graduate School of Medicine, Hirosaki, Japan
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