title: Assessment of the non-Gaussianity and non-linearity levels of simulated sEMG signals on stationary segments.
abstract: The purpose of this paper was to evaluate the effects of the longitudinal single differential (LSD), the longitudinal double differential (LDD) and the normal double differential (NDD) spatial filters, the electrode shape, the inter-electrode distance (IED) on non-Gaussianity and non-linearity levels of simulated surface EMG (sEMG) signals when the maximum voluntary contraction (MVC) varied from 10% to 100% by a step of 10%. The effects of recruitment range thresholds (RR), the firing rate (FR) strategy and the peak firing rate (PFR) of motor units were also considered. A cylindrical multilayer model of the volume conductor and a model of motor unit (MU) recruitment and firing rate were used to simulate sEMG signals in a pool of 120 MUs for 5s. Firstly, the stationarity of sEMG signals was tested by the runs, the reverse arrangements (RA) and the modified reverse arrangements (MRA) tests. Then the non-Gaussianity was characterised with bicoherence and kurtosis, and non-linearity levels was evaluated with linearity test. The kurtosis analysis showed that the sEMG signals detected by the LSD filter were the most Gaussian and those detected by the NDD filter were the least Gaussian. In addition, the sEMG signals detected by the LSD filter were the most linear. For a given filter, the sEMG signals detected by using rectangular electrodes were more Gaussian and more linear than that detected with circular electrodes. Moreover, the sEMG signals are less non-Gaussian and more linear with reverse onion-skin firing rate strategy than those with onion-skin strategy. The levels of sEMG signal Gaussianity and linearity increased with the increase of the IED, RR and PFR.
authors.affiliation: Université de Boumerdès, Faculty of Sciences, Department of Physics, 35000 Boumerdès, Algeria; Université Ferhat Abbes de Sétif 1, Faculty of Technology, Department of Electronics, LIS Laboratory, 19000 Sétif, Algeria.
authors.forename: Noureddine
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Messaoudi
authors.affiliation: Université Ferhat Abbes de Sétif 1, Faculty of Technology, Department of Electronics, LIS Laboratory, 19000 Sétif, Algeria. Electronic address: Bekka_re@yahoo.fr.
authors.forename: Raïs El'hadi
authors.initials: RE
authors.lastname: Bekka
authors.affiliation: Image and Signal Teams of the PRISME Laboratory of Orleans' University, 12 rue de Blois, 45067 Orleans, France.
authors.forename: Philippe
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Ravier
authors.affiliation: Image and Signal Teams of the PRISME Laboratory of Orleans' University, 12 rue de Blois, 45067 Orleans, France.
authors.forename: Rachid
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Harba
mesh_terms: D000465:Algorithms; D004576:Electromyography / Q000379:methods* / Q000592:standards; D019054:Evoked Potentials, Motor; D006801:Humans; D018482:Muscle, Skeletal / Q000502:physiology; D011999:Recruitment, Neurophysiological
keywords: Detection systems; Firing rates; Gaussianity; Linearity; Stationarity; Surface EMG signal