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Sensors (Basel, Switzerland) Dec 2022More insight into in-field mechanical power in cyclical sports is useful for coaches, sport scientists, and athletes for various reasons. To estimate in-field mechanical... (Review)
Review
More insight into in-field mechanical power in cyclical sports is useful for coaches, sport scientists, and athletes for various reasons. To estimate in-field mechanical power, the use of wearable sensors can be a convenient solution. However, as many model options and approaches for mechanical power estimation using wearable sensors exist, and the optimal combination differs between sports and depends on the intended aim, determining the best setup for a given sport can be challenging. This review aims to provide an overview and discussion of the present methods to estimate in-field mechanical power in different cyclical sports. Overall, in-field mechanical power estimation can be complex, such that methods are often simplified to improve feasibility. For example, for some sports, power meters exist that use the main propulsive force for mechanical power estimation. Another non-invasive method usable for in-field mechanical power estimation is the use of inertial measurement units (IMUs). These wearable sensors can either be used as stand-alone approach or in combination with force sensors. However, every method has consequences for interpretation of power values. Based on the findings of this review, recommendations for mechanical power measurement and interpretation in kayaking, rowing, wheelchair propulsion, speed skating, and cross-country skiing are done.
Topics: Humans; Sports; Athletes; Mechanical Phenomena; Bicycling; Wearable Electronic Devices; Biomechanical Phenomena
PubMed: 36616649
DOI: 10.3390/s23010050 -
Applied Radiation and Isotopes :... Jun 2022The operating principle of innovative interval radon exposure meters INERAD (types IE-2 and IE-4) is described. The major technical features of the both models have been... (Review)
Review
The operating principle of innovative interval radon exposure meters INERAD (types IE-2 and IE-4) is described. The major technical features of the both models have been standardized as much as possible. The exposure meters use the LR-115 type 2 track threshold detector, which is sensitive to alpha particles.
Topics: Air Pollutants, Radioactive; Air Pollution, Indoor; Alpha Particles; Radiation Monitoring; Radon
PubMed: 35344830
DOI: 10.1016/j.apradiso.2022.110176 -
Biosensors & Bioelectronics Jan 2020Personal glucose meters (PGMs) have been used for the measurement of blood glucose for decades now such that they have become the most used analytical method in the... (Review)
Review
Personal glucose meters (PGMs) have been used for the measurement of blood glucose for decades now such that they have become the most used analytical method in the world. They are also well placed to be repurposed for point-of-care testing of other analytes as they are inexpensive, portable and quantitative. Efforts to repurpose PGMs for the detection of any analyte at the point-of-care have been one focus of biosensor research for several years now with a number of successful efforts in the detection of a wide range of analytes. This article reviews the published methods to repurpose a PGM to detect analytes other than glucose, and analyses the potential and the challenges to be overcome in developing a PGM-based biosensor and bring it to market.
Topics: Animals; Biosensing Techniques; Blood Glucose; Blood Glucose Self-Monitoring; Humans; Point-of-Care Systems
PubMed: 31707326
DOI: 10.1016/j.bios.2019.111835 -
Journal of Physical Therapy Science Feb 2022[Purpose] This study aimed to investigate the absolute intra-rater and inter-rater reliabilities during the measurement of muscle hardness, which is used to evaluate...
[Purpose] This study aimed to investigate the absolute intra-rater and inter-rater reliabilities during the measurement of muscle hardness, which is used to evaluate physical therapy. Moreover, we examined the effects of using different equipment types and their positioning on the intra-rater and inter-rater reliabilities. [Participants and Methods] Participants of this study comprised 12 healthy adult male individuals. Two experts and two beginners measured the muscle hardness of the lumbar erector spinae and rectus femoris using three types of hardness meters at two positions, including when the muscle was relaxed and stretched. [Results] Intra-rater fixed bias was observed during some measurements by both experts and beginners. Inter-rater fixed bias was observed during measurements by some experts and not the beginners. [Conclusion] In this study, the measurement of muscle hardness demonstrated a need to reconsider the measurement position and acclimation time. These examinations require the consideration of relative and absolute reliabilities.
PubMed: 35221515
DOI: 10.1589/jpts.34.122 -
Spatiotemporal Trends in Discarded Needle Reports in San Francisco Over a 10-year Period, 2010-2019.The International Journal on Drug Policy Jan 2021To describe the geographic and spatiotemporal distribution of needle reports in San Francisco, and examine spatial relationships between needle reports and needle...
BACKGROUND
To describe the geographic and spatiotemporal distribution of needle reports in San Francisco, and examine spatial relationships between needle reports and needle disposal boxes, needle disposal kiosks, and homeless shelters.
METHODS
We conducted multiple geospatial analyses of a crowdsourced database of non-emergency service requests. We describe changes in discarded needle and bulky item reports across San Francisco between 2010 and 2019, and compared changes in the reporting patterns of these items, while 200-meter Euclidean buffers captured needle reports in close proximity to needle deposit boxes, needle deposit kiosks, and homeless shelters in 2019.
RESULTS
34,912 needle reports were included. Yearly needle reports increased by 3827.1%, with a markedly different geospatial distribution from bulky item reports. 45.6% of needle reports originated in the five downtown neighborhoods with the highest needle report density, and 33.8% were identified within 200 meters of boxes, kiosks, or homeless shelters.
CONCLUSIONS
Reports of discarded needles in San Francisco increased dramatically over the last decade, and more than one third of 2019 reports were adjacent to harm reduction and homeless shelter locations. Needle reports provide an opportunity to understand changes in public injection drug use and target harm reduction services.
Topics: Harm Reduction; Ill-Housed Persons; Humans; Needles; San Francisco; Substance Abuse, Intravenous
PubMed: 33142160
DOI: 10.1016/j.drugpo.2020.103018 -
Technology and Health Care : Official... 2023Peak expiratory flow meters (PEFMs) have emerged as primary tools used for diagnosing and monitoring a range of respiratory diseases including asthma and chronic...
BACKGROUND
Peak expiratory flow meters (PEFMs) have emerged as primary tools used for diagnosing and monitoring a range of respiratory diseases including asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and the performance of these meters will thus impact disease evaluation.
OBJECTIVE
The aim of this study was therefore to assess the technical performance of mechanical and electronic PEFMs commonly used in clinical practice.
METHODS
The accuracy, repeatability, airflow resistance, frequency response, and linearity of five electronic and seven mechanical PEFMs were measured using a standard flow/volume simulator in accordance with nine A-waveforms and three B-waveforms defined in ISO 23747:2015 issued by the International Standards Organization (ISO).
RESULTS
The accuracy, repeatability, linearity, airflow resistance, and frequency response pass rates for these 12 different PEFM brands were 41.67%, 75.00%, 50.00%, 75.00%, and 25.00%, respectively. Just 16.67% (2/12) of the tested PEFMs met all evaluated criteria, whereas the remaining PEFMs partially met these criteria. There were no significant differences between the two tested PEFM types in the low flow rate waveform test (P> 0.05), although there were significant differences in the medium and high flow rate waveform test (P< 0.05). In addition, the overall PEFMs test had poor accuracy and good repeatability, although most of the repeatability errors occurred in the BTPS state.
CONCLUSION
PEFMs commonly used in clinical settings exhibit variable technical performance, and relevant departments need to strengthen PEFM quality control and management in China.
Topics: Humans; Spirometry; Peak Expiratory Flow Rate; Respiratory Function Tests; Lung; Asthma
PubMed: 35988228
DOI: 10.3233/THC-220122 -
Journal of the American Medical... Oct 2022Visual timelines of patient-reported outcomes (PRO) can help prostate cancer survivors manage longitudinal data, compare with population averages, and consider future...
Comprehension, utility, and preferences of prostate cancer survivors for visual timelines of patient-reported outcomes co-designed for limited graph literacy: meters and emojis over comics.
OBJECTIVE
Visual timelines of patient-reported outcomes (PRO) can help prostate cancer survivors manage longitudinal data, compare with population averages, and consider future trajectories. PRO visualizations are most effective when designed with deliberate consideration of users. Yet, graph literacy is often overlooked as a design constraint, particularly when users with limited graph literacy are not engaged in their development. We conducted user testing to assess comprehension, utility, and preference of longitudinal PRO visualizations designed for prostate cancer survivors with limited literacy.
MATERIALS AND METHODS
Building upon our prior work co-designing longitudinal PRO visualizations with survivors, we engaged 18 prostate cancer survivors in a user study to assess 4 prototypes: Meter, Words, Comic, and Emoji. During remote sessions, we collected data on prototype comprehension (gist and verbatim), utility, and preference.
RESULTS
Participants were aged 61-77 (M = 69), of whom half were African American. The majority of participants had less than a college degree (95%), had inadequate health literacy (78%), and low graph literacy (89%). Among the 4 prototypes, Meter had the best gist comprehension and was preferred. Emoji was also preferred, had the highest verbatim comprehension, and highest rated utility, including helpfulness, confidence, and satisfaction. Meter and Words both rated mid-range for utility, and Words scored lower than Emoji and Meter for comprehension. Comic had the poorest comprehension, lowest utility, and was least preferred.
DISCUSSION
Findings identify design considerations for PRO visualizations, contributing to the knowledge base for visualization best practices. We describe our process to meaningfully engage patients from diverse and hard-to-reach groups for remote user testing, an important endeavor for health equity in biomedical informatics.
CONCLUSION
Graph literacy is an important design consideration for PRO visualizations. Biomedical informatics researchers should be intentional in understanding user needs by involving diverse and representative individuals during development.
Topics: Humans; Male; Cancer Survivors; Comprehension; Health Literacy; Patient Reported Outcome Measures; Prostate; Prostatic Neoplasms; Survivors
PubMed: 36040190
DOI: 10.1093/jamia/ocac148 -
The Journal of Neuroscience : the... Jan 2022Predicting and organizing patterns of events is important for humans to survive in a dynamically changing world. The motor system has been proposed to be actively, and...
Predicting and organizing patterns of events is important for humans to survive in a dynamically changing world. The motor system has been proposed to be actively, and necessarily, engaged in not only the production but the perception of rhythm by organizing hierarchical timing that influences auditory responses. It is not yet well understood how the motor system interacts with the auditory system to perceive and maintain hierarchical structure in time. This study investigated the dynamic interaction between auditory and motor functional sources during the perception and imagination of musical meters. We pursued this using a novel method combining high-density EEG, EMG, and motion capture with independent component analysis to separate motor and auditory activity during meter imagery while robustly controlling against covert movement. We demonstrated that endogenous brain activity in both auditory and motor functional sources reflects the imagination of binary and ternary meters in the absence of corresponding acoustic cues or overt movement at the meter rate. We found clear evidence for hypothesized motor-to-auditory information flow at the beat rate in all conditions, suggesting a role for top-down influence of the motor system on auditory processing of beat-based rhythms, and reflecting an auditory-motor system with tight reciprocal informational coupling. These findings align with and further extend a set of motor hypotheses from beat perception to hierarchical meter imagination, adding supporting evidence to active engagement of the motor system in auditory processing, which may more broadly speak to the neural mechanisms of temporal processing in other human cognitive functions. Humans live in a world full of hierarchically structured temporal information, the accurate perception of which is essential for understanding speech and music. Music provides a window into the brain mechanisms of time perception, enabling us to examine how the brain groups musical beats into, for example a march or waltz. Using a novel paradigm combining measurement of electrical brain activity with data-driven analysis, this study directly investigates motor-auditory connectivity during meter imagination. Findings highlight the importance of the motor system in the active imagination of meter. This study sheds new light on a fundamental form of perception by demonstrating how auditory-motor interaction may support hierarchical timing processing, which may have clinical implications for speech and motor rehabilitation.
Topics: Acoustic Stimulation; Auditory Perception; Brain; Electroencephalography; Electromyography; Female; Humans; Imagination; Male; Muscle, Skeletal; Music; Periodicity; Time Perception; Young Adult
PubMed: 34848500
DOI: 10.1523/JNEUROSCI.1121-21.2021 -
Journal of the American Heart... Dec 2021Background Knowledge gaps exist regarding the effect of time elapsed after stroke on the effectiveness of exercise training interventions, offering incomplete guidance...
Background Knowledge gaps exist regarding the effect of time elapsed after stroke on the effectiveness of exercise training interventions, offering incomplete guidance to clinicians. Methods and Results To determine the associations between time after stroke and 6-minute walk distance, 10-meter walk time, cardiorespiratory fitness and balance (Berg Balance Scale score [BBS]) in exercise training interventions, relevant studies in post-stroke populations were identified by systematic review. Time after stroke as continuous or dichotomized (≤3 months versus >3 months, and ≤6 months versus >6 months) variables and weighted mean differences in postintervention outcomes were examined in meta-regression analyses adjusted for study baseline mean values (pre-post comparisons) or baseline mean values and baseline control-intervention differences (controlled comparisons). Secondary models were adjusted additionally for mean age, sex, and aerobic exercise intensity, dose, and modality. We included 148 studies. Earlier exercise training initiation was associated with larger pre-post differences in mobility; studies initiated ≤3 months versus >3 months after stroke were associated with larger differences (weighted mean differences [95% confidence interval]) in 6-minute walk distance (36.3 meters; 95% CI, 14.2-58.5), comfortable 10-meter walk time (0.13 m/s; 95% CI, 0.06-0.19) and fast 10-meter walk time (0.16 m/s; 95% CI, 0.03-0.3), in fully adjusted models. Initiation ≤3 months versus >3 months was not associated with cardiorespiratory fitness but was associated with a higher but not clinically important Berg Balance Scale score difference (2.9 points; 95% CI, 0.41-5.5). In exercise training versus control studies, initiation ≤3 months was associated with a greater difference in only postintervention 6-minute walk distance (baseline-adjusted 27.3 meters; 95% CI, 6.1-48.5; fully adjusted, 24.9 meters; 95% CI, 0.82-49.1; a similar association was seen for ≤6 months versus >6 months after stroke (fully adjusted, 26.6 meters; 95% CI, 2.6-50.6). Conclusions There may be a clinically meaningful benefit to mobility outcomes when exercise is initiated within 3 months and up to 6 months after stroke.
Topics: Exercise Therapy; Humans; Regression Analysis; Stroke; Time-to-Treatment; Treatment Outcome
PubMed: 34913357
DOI: 10.1161/JAHA.121.022588 -
Currents in Pharmacy Teaching & Learning Apr 2021Pharmacy programs are required to teach patient assessment (PA) skills. However, pharmacist workforce survey data indicates that limited opportunities exist for students...
INTRODUCTION
Pharmacy programs are required to teach patient assessment (PA) skills. However, pharmacist workforce survey data indicates that limited opportunities exist for students to practice PA skills in real-world settings. The study objectives were to (1) assess how often PA skills are utilized by fourth-year pharmacy (P4) students on advanced pharmacy practice experiences (APPEs), (2) determine perceived competence in performing PA skills, and (3) examine relationships between grade-point average or post-graduation plans and the number of skills performed and between skill use frequency and self-reported competency.
METHODS
P4 students completed a questionnaire assessing 13 PA skills. Respondents performing a skill indicated frequency of use and rated their competence using a 5-point scale. Descriptive and bivariate statistics were reported.
RESULTS
The response rate was 81%. Measuring blood pressure (BP) (76%) and evaluating metered-dose inhaler (MDI) technique (74%) were most commonly performed. Peak-flow meter evaluation (6%) and lymph node examination (2%) were least commonly performed. Measuring BP and evaluating MDI technique had the highest competency ratings (4.6 + 0.7 for both). Lung (3.4 + 0.7) and heart (2.8 + 1) auscultation had the lowest competency ratings. Positive correlations were found between the frequency of skill use and self-reported competence for assessing MDI technique, peripheral pulses, and peripheral edema. No other findings were significant.
CONCLUSIONS
P4 students reported high perceived competency for PA skills performed frequently during APPEs. Preceptor education, requiring skill use, and encouraging students to proactively identify situations to use skills could increase opportunities for use of PA skills.
Topics: Education, Pharmacy; Humans; Pharmaceutical Services; Pharmacies; Pharmacy; Students, Pharmacy
PubMed: 33715798
DOI: 10.1016/j.cptl.2020.11.015