Abstract—Sleep onset latency (SOL) is an objective indicator of sleepiness and is being used clinically as a diagnostic tool for sleep deprivation.Thisstudyproposesanewandlessintrusiveapproach toestimateSOLbasedonthebloodpressure(BP)regulatoryreflex mechanism.Wehypothesizedthatthearterialbaroreflex,onekind of reflex mechanism for BP regulation, maintains the toning-down effect sleep has on…
Abstract—Cadence or stride frequency is an important parameter being controlled in gait training of neurologically impaired subjects. The aim of this study was to examine the effects of cadencevariationonmuscleactivationpatternsduringrobot-assisted unimpaired gait using dynamic simulations. A 2-D musculoskeletal model of human gait was developed considering eight major muscle groups along wit…
Abstract—Public m-health is a new medical service under intensive development, which provides unobtrusive monitoring of people’shealthconditionsfromanywhereatanytimetoenabledetection of deteriorating health conditions before severe discomfort or disability occur. A key challenge in practical implementation of public m-health is the use of shared license-free spectrum by body area networks (…
Abstract—In this paper, a feasibility study where small wireless devices are used to classify some typical user’s positions in the bed is presented. Wearable wireless low-cost commercial transceivers operatingat2.4GHzaresupposedtobewidelydeployedinindoor settings and on people’s bodies in tomorrow’s pervasive computing environments. The key idea of this study is to leverage their presen…
Abstract—We propose a novel joint probabilistic model that correlates a new probabilistic shape model with the corresponding global intensity distribution to segment multiple abdominal organs simultaneously. Our probabilistic shape model estimates the probability of an individual voxel belonging to the estimated shape of the object. The probability density of the estimated shape is derived fr…
Abstract—In this paper, lossless and near-lossless compression algorithms for multichannel electroencephalogram (EEG) signals arepresentedbasedonimageandvolumetriccoding.Multichannel EEG signals have significant correlation among spatially adjacent channels; moreover, EEG signals are also correlated across time. Suitable representations are proposed to utilize those correlations effectively.…
Abstract—Iris analysis studies the relationship between human health and changes in the anatomy of the iris. Apart from the fact that iris recognition focuses on modeling the overall structure of theiris,irisdiagnosisemphasizesthedetectingandanalyzingoflocal variations in the characteristics of irises. This paper focuses on studyingthegeometricalstructurechangesinirisesthatarecaused by gastro…
Abstract—In this paper, a computational framework for patientspecific preoperative planning of robotics-assisted minimally invasive cardiac surgery (RAMICS) is presented. It is expected that the preoperative planning of RAMICS will improve the success rate by considering robot kinematics, patient-specific thoracic anatomy, and procedure-specific intraoperative conditions. Given the significan…
Millenium Development Goals (MDGs) adalah sebuah proyek kemanusiaan yang digagas Perserikatan Bangsa-Bangsa (PBB) yang disepakati oleh 189 negara, termasuk Indonesia untuk mulai dilaksanakan sejak tahun 2000 sampai 2015. MDGs merupakan sebuah inisiatif pembangunan yang dibentuk oleh para perwakilan tidak hanya negara kaya, melainkan juga negara-negara berkembang dan negara-negara miskin dengan…
Recently the World Health Organization (WHO) has highlighted the need to strengthen mental health systems following emergencies, including natural and manmade disasters. Mental health services need to be informed by culturally attuned evidence that is developed through research. Therefore, there is an urgent need to establish rigorous ethical research practice to underpin the evidence-base for…
Marijuana (cannabis) is the most frequently used illicit drug of abuse in the United States and worldwide. Moreover, it is second only to alcohol as the most prevalent psychoactive substance seen in cases of driving under the influence of drugs.1,2 It is also by a wide margin, the drug most often detected in workplace drug-testing programs. The primary psychoactive substance in marijuana is del…
This article reports on a literature review of workplace interventions (i.e., creating healthy work environments and improving nurses’ quality of work life [QWL]) aimed at managing occupational stress and burnout for nurses. A literature search was conducted using the keywords nursing, nurses, stress, distress, stress management,burnout, and intervention. All the intervention studies included…
Nurses are loyal to their patients and coworkers. They often put the needs of others before their own and sometimes even before the needs of their families. This concern for others can cause conflicts that manifest as stress. Of the more than 2 million nurses in the United States, more than 62% work in hospitals. Hospitals are known to be both rewarding and stressful places to work. Like most w…
Perceptions of tobacco are a relatively unexplored issue in disadvantaged populations in India and France. The objectives of this study included the following: obtain qualitative information on representations of tobacco use and cessation within two vulnerable populations; identify cultural factors that influence tobacco use and cessation; and acquire information for the development of effectiv…
Non-communicable diseases (NCDs) represent an increasing proportion of morbidity and mortality throughout the world. Sustained advocacy, carried out by a skilled workforce, is an important strategy to realize the political will and implement the policy changes necessary to reduce the global burden of NCDs. Competencies for effective advocacy include a combination of scientific and technical as …
This study examined the relationship between the use of vocabulary learning strategies and self-efficacy in medical English learning, and whether after an initial sixweek course to master the basics of medical terminology, those with higher use of vocabulary learning strategies and those with a higher degree of self-efficacy would have significant score improvements in the medical English profi…
Repeated anaerobic conditions during athletic performance may cause general and local fatigue that result in postural balance deficit. Evidence suggests that improved postural balance during athletic training may decrease the risk for fallings and traumatic injuries among athletes. Twenty athletes (12 girls, 8 boys) and 20 controls (12 girls, 8 boys) ages 10–15 years participated in the curre…
There is debate as to whether or not the Ebbinghaus illusion is driven by high-level cognitive size contrast mechanisms as opposed to low-level biphasic contour interactions. In this study, we examine the variability in effects that are shared between this illusion and a different illusion that cannot be explained logically by a size contrast account. This comparison revealed that nearly one q…
This study compares two versions of progressive muscle relaxation (PMR) training (7 and 16 muscle groups) on oxygen consumption (VO2), heart rates, rating of perceived exertion and choice reaction time. Football (soccer) players (N¼26;M age¼13.4 yr., SD¼0.5) were randomly assigned to either 7 muscle groups PMR, 16 muscle groups PMR, or a control group. PMR training requires the participants …
Resilience is important in sport performers to withstand the pressure they experience. This study analyzed the relationship among resilient qualities and coping strategies in 235 Spanish athletes (126 males, 109 females; M age¼20.7 yr) who practiced different sports (79.1% team sports, 20.9% individual sports). They were evaluated at the beginning of the last competitive mesocycle and after an…
Aging is accompanied by declines in cognitive and sensorimotor functions. However,at present, the interrelation between attentional processes and dexterity in aging has not been thoroughly addressed. This study explored the relationship between executive function, working memory, and dexterity performance in 15 young and 15 healthy elderly, right-handed participants. A modified version of the P…
The transtheoretical model of behavior change (TTM) is often used to understand and predict health-related behavior. The objective of this study is to apply the TTM’s stages of change to examine patterns of attendance behavior at fitness clubs. A retrospective study was performed to study the later stages of change, using attendance data of members who cancelled their membership in 2012 in tw…
The maximal lactate steady state is the gold standard for evaluating aerobic capacity;however, it is time-consuming. The lactate minimum protocol is an easier alternative,but is not feasible and still expensive. This study investigated whether the rating of perceived exertion of 13 is an accurate predictor of lactate minimum and maximal lactate steady state intensities. Eleven physically activ…
In a recent study, Lago-Penas and Gomez-Lopez (2014) demonstrated that during elite English soccer matches, the percentages of ball possession, entries into the final one-third of the pitch, and shots on goal were lower for the teams with a 1 goal up game status compared to those with 1 goal down condition. In addition, clubs with higher budgets preferred to control the match by dictating the p…
This study measured the durations of Japanese obstruent geminates/singletons and their adjacent vowels (V1 and V2) embedded in words repeatedly spoken by four intermediate-level Taiwanese learners of Japanese. The results indicated that the four learners were more or less at a native-like level in terms of geminate lengthening, but not in terms of the V1/V2 duration ratio. These findings sugges…
Motor impairments such as lack of standing and/or independent ambulation are common among persons with multiple disabilities. These two studies assessed technology-aided programs for persons with those impairments. Specifically, Study I assessed a program to teach two non-ambulatory adults to hand reach a stimulation-linked object by standing up. Study II assessed a program to teach a child an…
A commonly stated rationale for examining the use of ratings of perceived exertion with youth is its potential value as an assessment of intensity in physical education settings. The purpose of this study was to examine the relation between ratings of perceived exertion and heart rate in a natural physical education setting. Sixth through eighth grade students performed cardiovascular and muscl…
Year-to-year changes in sprinting in youth tennis players were examined in a mixedlongitudinal study (256 male players, aged 10–15 years: 993 measurements). Height (h),body mass (BM), lower limb explosive strength (LLES), and a 5-m sprint were measured over five years. During that period, players were classified as elite or sub-elite. To account for the repeated measurements within the indivi…
Yoga has been demonstrated to modulate autonomic nervous system activity, decreasing anxiety and stress, and improving quality of life. This preliminary study sought to examine the use of yogic techniques on persons who stutter given the interaction between physiological arousal/anxiety and stuttering that current multifactorial models of stuttering propose. Four participants (M¼52 yr, SD�…
This study investigated the development of subcortical pitch processing, as reflected by the scalp-recorded frequency-following response, during early infancy. Thirteen Chinese infants who were born and raised in Mandarin-speaking households were recruited to partake in this study. Through a prospective-longitudinal study design,infants were tested twice: at 1–3 days after birth and at three …