Search results for: sleep breathing disorder

Authors: Deanne McArthur, Melinda Wall, Claire Hanlon, Dana Agnolin, Krista Davis, Melanie Dennis, Elizabeth Glidden, Anne Marie Smith, Claudette Thomson

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Background and significance: Patients with eating disorders have traditionally been an underserviced population within the publicly-funded Canadian healthcare system. This situation was worsened by the COVID-19 pandemic and accompanying public health measures, such as “lockdowns” which led to increased isolation, changes in routine, and other disruptions. Illness severity and prevalence rose significantly with corresponding increases in patient suffering and poor outcomes. In Ontario, Canada, the provincial government responded by increasing funding for the treatment of eating disorders, including the launch of a new day program at an intermediate, regional health centre that already housed an outpatient treatment service. The funding was received in March 2022. The care team sought to optimize this opportunity by designing a program that would fit well within the resource-constrained context in Ontario. Methods: This case study will detail how the team consulted the literature and sought patient and family input to design a program that optimizes patient outcomes and supports for patients and families while they await treatment. Early steps include a review of the literature, expert consultation and patient and family focus groups. Interprofessional consensus was sought at each step with the team adopting a shared leadership and patient-centered approach. Methods will include interviews, observations and document reviews to detail a rich description of the process undertaken to design the program, including evaluation measures adopted. Interim findings pertaining to the early stages of the program-building process will be detailed as well as early lessons and ongoing evolution of the program and design process. Program implementation and outcome evaluation will continue throughout 2022 and early 2023 with further publication and presentation of study results expected in the summer of 2023. The aim of this study is to contribute to the body of knowledge pertaining to the design and implementation of eating disorder treatment services that combine outpatient and day treatment services in a resource-constrained context.

Keywords: eating disorders, day program, interprofessional, outpatient, adolescents, transitional aged youth

Procedia PDF Downloads 109

Authors: Tianle Yang

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As a common mental disorder, depression is a leading cause of various diseases worldwide. Early detection and treatment of depression can dramatically promote remission and prevent relapse. However, conventional ways of depression diagnosis require considerable human effort and cause economic burden, while still being prone to misdiagnosis. On the other hand, recent studies report that physical characteristics are major contributors to the diagnosis of depression, which inspires us to mine the internal relationship by neural networks instead of relying on clinical experiences. In this paper, neural networks are constructed to predict depression from physical characteristics. Two initialization methods are examined - Xaiver and Kaiming initialization. Experimental results show that a 3-layers neural network with Kaiming initialization achieves 83% accuracy.

Keywords: depression, neural network, Xavier initialization, Kaiming initialization

Procedia PDF Downloads 129

Authors: Rossana Mancini

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The charm of a ruin colonised by wild plants and flowers is part of Western culture. The relationship between ruins and vegetation involves a wide range of different fields of research. During the first phase of the research the most important writings and projects about this argument were investigated, to understand how the perception of the co-existence of ruins and vegetation has changed over time and to investigate the various different approaches that these different fields have adopted when tackling this issue. The paper presents some practical examples of projects carried out from the early 1900s on. The major result is that specifically regards conservation, the best attitude is the management of change, an inevitable process when it comes to the co-existence of ruins and nature and, particularly, ruins and vegetation. Limiting ourselves to adopting measures designed to stop, or rather slow down, the increasing level of entropy (and therefore disorder) may not be enough.

Keywords: ruins, vegetation, conservation, archaeology, architecture

Procedia PDF Downloads 332

Authors: Ammar S. M. Moohialdin, Bambang T. Suhariadi, Mohsin Siddiqui

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This paper addresses the application of physiological status monitoring (PSM) for assessing the impact of harsh weather conditions on sports activities in universities in Saudi Arabia. Real sports measurement was conducted during sports activities such that the physiological status (HR and BR) of five students were continuously monitored by using Zephyr BioHarness^TM 3.0 sensors in order to identify the physiological bonds and zones. These bonds and zones were employed as indicators of the associated physiological risks of the performed sports activities. Furthermore, a short yes/no questionnaire was applied to collect information on participants’ health conditions and opinions of the applied PSM sensors. The results show the absence of a warning system as a protective aid for the hazardous levels of extremely hot and humid weather conditions that may cause dangerous and fatal circumstances. The applied formulas for estimating maximum HR provides accurate estimations for Maximum Heart Rate (HR_max). The physiological results reveal that the performed activities by the participants are considered the highest category (90–100%) in terms of activity intensity. This category is associated with higher HR, BR and physiological risks including losing the ability to control human body behaviors. Therefore, there is a need for immediate intervention actions to reduce the intensity of the performed activities to safer zones. The outcomes of this study assist the safety improvement of sports activities inside universities and athletes performing their sports activities. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first paper to represent a special case of the application of PSM technology for assessing sports activities in universities considering the impacts of harsh weather conditions on students’ health and safety.

Keywords: physiological status monitoring (PSM), heart rate (HR), breathing rate (BR), Arabian Gulf

Procedia PDF Downloads 199

Authors: Somayeh Negahdari, Mohsen Ghanbarzadeh, Masoud Nikbakht, Heshmatolah Tavakol

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Asthma, obesity and overweight are the main factors causing change within the heart and respiratory airways. Asthma symptoms are normally observed during exercising. Epidemiological studies have indicated asthma symptoms occurring due to certain lifestyle habits; for example, a sedentary lifestyle. In this study, eight weeks of aerobic exercises resulted in a positive effect overall in overweight women experiencing mild chronic asthma. The quasi-experimental applied research has been done based on experimental and control groups. The experimental group (seven patients) and control group (n = 7) were graded before and after the test. According to the Borg dyspnea and fatigue Perception Index, the training intensity has determined. Participants in the study performed a sub-maximal aerobic activity schedule (45% to 80% of maximum heart rate) for two months, while the control group (n = 7) stayed away from aerobic exercise. Data evaluation and analysis of covariance compared both the pre-test and post-test with paired t-test at significance level of P≤ 0.05. After eight weeks of exercise, the results of the experimental group show a significant decrease in resting heart rate, systolic blood pressure, minute ventilation, while a significant increase in maximal oxygen uptake and tolerance activity (P ≤ 0.05). In the control group, there was no significant difference in these parameters ((P ≤ 0.05). The results indicate the aerobic activity can strengthen the respiratory muscles, while other physiological factors could result in breathing and heart recovery. Aerobic activity also resulted in favorable changes in cardiovascular parameters, and exercise tolerance of overweight women with chronic asthma.

Keywords: asthma, respiratory cardiac index, exercise tolerance, aerobic, overweight

Procedia PDF Downloads 236

Authors: Rida Ahmad, Areej S. Habib, Sohail A. Dogar, Saqib H. Qazi

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Transverse testicular ectopia is a rare congenital disorder involving mal descent and mal-positioning of the testes, reported in the medical literature about 300 times. Many theories attempt to explain the failure of the testes to migrate to their correct location. While the age at presentation can vary; most cases present in early adolescents or late adulthood. It is often an incidental discovery made during an operative intervention, most commonly during hernia exploration. It can be isolated or present with a plethora of anomalies. We present the case of a 2-year-old male with transverse testicular ectopia who presented with vague abdominal pain. He was managed successfully with the Modified Ombredanne procedure and good outcome 6 months after the procedure.

Keywords: cryptorchidism, persistent Mullerian duct syndrome, transverse testicular ectopia, testicular mal-descent

Procedia PDF Downloads 342

Authors: Nasiruddin Khan

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The increased use of caffeinated beverages and energy drink is posing threat to all ages and gender especially, younger adults. There is a lack of scientific evidence in Oman regarding caffeine and energy drink consumption. Our study aims to demonstrate the prevalence, pattern, knowledge and awareness, and side effects of caffeine intake among university students. This cross-sectional study including (N=365) apparently healthy male and female Omani university students aged 18-30 years, was carried out from February 2018-June 2018. A self-administered questionnaire with various sections was used to obtain information. The prevalence of caffeinated beverage consumption was commonly high among participants (97%). The males preferred Nescafe, coffee (both p < 0.001), espresso (p < 0.022), and soda (p < 0.008) while females consumed more tea (p < 0.029). The awareness about negative health impact of caffeine intake was significantly higher in females rather than males (p < 0.002). The overall prevalence of energy drink consumption was 42.1% (n=149), and higher in males (75%, p < 0.001). More males consumed 3-5 and > 5 cans/day while females used 1-2 cans/day. The starting age of energy drink use was higher in females (16-20 years (51.1%)) as compared to males (11-15 years (33.3%)). Females were more aware of caffeine as energy drink ingredient (p < 0.036) than males. The major source of information about enery drink was family and friends (58.3%). Red Bull was the commonly used brand (55.5%) among participants. Common reasons for high energy drink consumption were energy boost (68.4 %), taste (62.9%), reduce fatigue (52.1%), and better performance (47.3%). Females reported breathing problem, and abnormal heart beat (p < 0.004, 0.054, respectively), while more males reported irritability than females (p < 0.052). The prevalence of caffeinated beverage and energy drink consumption is high among participants. The awareness, and knowledge among university student is not satisfactory and needs immediate action to avoid excess use of such consumption.

Keywords: energy drink, caffeinated beverages, awareness, Oman

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Authors: Digambar J. Darekar, Sharvari D. Darekar

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Childlessness is a universal problem. It particularly affects the mental health of childless couple. It leads to anxiety, frustration, nervousness, depression, loneliness, helplessness, hopelessness, etc. After reviewing the literature, it is found that mental health of married couples is negatively related to childlessness. To understand emotional and psychological problems of a childless couple, researcher surveyed and interviewed 50 childless couples with the help of medical practitioner and gynecologist. Personal adjustment and mental health inventory and marital adjustment inventory along with semi-structured interview questionnaire was used. On the basis of responses from the subject, distinction is made between the problems of male subjects and female subjects and common problem separately. The researcher found that childlessness leads to the conflict between in-laws, harassment, hopelessness, feeling of emptiness and vacuumed, frustration, lack of hope and desire for life, restlessness, loss of sleep, ideas of committing suicide, increased emotional distance and disturbed marital life. The childlessness leads to sorrow for women and anger for men. Men turns towards addiction and women tend to avoid social contact and face problems of social adjustments. Childless couples are sufferers of personal and marital adjustment problems which in turn affect their mental health adversely.

Keywords: childlessness, marital adjustments, mental health, social adjustment

Procedia PDF Downloads 195

Authors: Melody Yin

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Concussions impact a large amount of adolescents; they make up as much as half of the diagnosed concussions in America. This research proposes a hybrid machine learning model based on the combination of human/knowledge-based domains and computer-generated feature rankings to improve the accuracy of diagnosing sports related concussion (SRC). Using a data set of symptoms collected on the sideline post-SRC events, the symptom selection criteria method has been developed by using Google AutoML's important score function to identify the top 10 symptom features. In addition, symptom domains have been introduced as another parameter, categorizing the symptoms into physical, cognitive, sleep, and emotional domains. The hybrid machine learning model has been trained with a combination of the top 10 symptoms and 4 domains. From the results, the hybrid model was the best performer for symptom resolution time prediction in 2 and 4-week thresholds. This research is a proof of concept study in the use of domains along with machine learning in order to improve concussion prediction accuracy. It is also possible that the use of domains can make the model more efficient due to reduced training time. This research examines the use of a hybrid method in predicting sports-related concussion. This achievement is based on data preprocessing, using a hybrid method to select criteria to achieve high performance.

Keywords: hybrid model, machine learning, sports related concussion, symptom resolution time

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Authors: Neerja Meena, Paresh Sukhani

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Dandy walker malformation is a generalised disorder of mesenchymal development that affect both the cerebellum and overlying meninges. Classically dandy-walker malformation consists of a triad of- 1:vermian and hemispheric cerebellar hypoplasia 2:cystic dilatation of 4th ventricle 3: enlarged posterior fossa with the upward migration of tentorium(lambdoid- torcular inversion). Clinical presentation: four months old female child with hydrocephalus and neurological symptoms. Generally- early death is common in classic dandy walker malformation. However, if it is relatively mild and uncomplicated by other CNS anomalies, intelligence can be normal and neurologic deficits minimal. Usually, VP shunting is the treatment of choice for this hydrocephalus. Conclusion: MRI is the modality of choice to diagnose posterior fossa malformation. However, it can be ruled out through using during the antenatal check as the prognosis of this malformation is not good; it's better to diagnose it inutero.

Keywords: Dandy Walker, Mri, Earlydaignosis, Treatment

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Authors: Hsiang-Chun Lai, Hsien-Yin Liao, Yi-Wen Lin

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Migraine is a primary headache disorder which presented as recurrent and moderate to severe headaches and affects nearly fifteen percent of people’s daily life. In East Asia, acupuncture is a common treatment for migraine prevention. Acupuncture can modulate migraine through both peripheral and central mechanism and decrease the allodynia process. Molecular pathway suggests that acupuncture relief migraine by regulating neurotransmitters/neuromodulators. This process was also proven by neural imaging. Acupuncture decrease the headache frequency and intensity compared to routine care. We also review the most common chosen acupoints to treat migraine and its treatment protocol. As a result, we suggested that acupuncture can serve as an option to migraine treatment and prevention. However, more studies are needed to establish the mechanism and therapeutic roles of acupuncture in treating migraine.

Keywords: acupuncture, allodynia, headache, migraine

Procedia PDF Downloads 267

Authors: Ming-Dong Wang, Abigail F. Ruby, Michelle E. Ross

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Methylphenidate is a first-line treatment drug for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), a common mental health disorder in children and adolescents. Over the last several decades, the rate of children and adolescents using ADHD medication has been increasing in many countries. A recent study found that the prevalence of ADHD medication use among children aged 3-18 years increased in 13 different world regions between 2001 and 2015, where the absolute increase ranged from 0.02 to 0.26% per year. The goal of this study was to examine the use of methylphenidate in Canadian children and its associated adverse reactions. Methylphenidate use information among young Canadians aged 0-14 years was extracted from IQVIA data on prescriptions dispensed by pharmacies between April 2014 and June 2020. The adverse reaction information associated with methylphenidate use was extracted from the Canada Vigilance database for the same time period. Methylphenidate use trends were analyzed based on sex, age group (0-4 years, 5-9 years, and 10-14 years), and geographical location (province). The common classes of adverse reactions associated with methylphenidate use were sorted, and the relative risks associated with methylphenidate use as compared with two second-line amphetamine medications for ADHD were estimated. This study revealed that among Canadians aged 0-14 years, every 100 people used about 25 prescriptions (or 23,000 mg) of methylphenidate per year during the study period, and the use increased with time. Boys used almost three times more methylphenidate than girls. The amount of drug used was inversely associated with age: Canadians aged 10-14 years used nearly three times as many drugs compared to those aged 5-9 years. Seasonal methylphenidate use patterns were apparent among young Canadians, but the seasonal trends differed among the three age groups. Methylphenidate use varied from region to region, and the highest methylphenidate use was observed in Quebec, where the use of methylphenidate was at least double that of any other province. During the study period, Health Canada received 304 adverse reaction reports associated with the use of methylphenidate for Canadians aged 0-14 years. The number of adverse reaction reports received for boys was 3.5 times higher than that for girls. The three most common adverse reaction classes were psychiatric disorders, nervous system disorders and injury, poisoning procedural complications. The number one commonly reported adverse reaction for boys was aggression (11.2%), while for girls, it was a tremor (9.6%). The safety profile in terms of adverse reaction classes associated with methylphenidate use was similar to that of the selected control products. Methylphenidate is a commonly used pharmaceutical product in young Canadians, particularly in the province of Quebec. Boys used approximately three times more of this product as compared to girls. Future investigation is needed to determine what factors are associated with the observed geographic variations in Canada.

Keywords: adverse reaction risk, methylphenidate, prescription trend, use variation

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Authors: M. A. Sohaly, M. A. Elfouly

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Parkinson's disease (PD) is a heterogeneous movement disorder that often appears in the elderly. PD is induced by a loss of dopamine secretion. Some drugs increase the secretion of dopamine. In this paper, we will simply study the stability of PD models as a nonlinear delay differential equation. After a period of taking drugs, these act as positive feedback and increase the tremors of patients, and then, the differential equation has positive coefficients and the system is unstable under these conditions. We will present a set of suggested modifications to make the system more compatible with the biodynamic system. When giving a set of numerical examples, this research paper is concerned with the mathematical analysis, and no clinical data have been used.

Keywords: Parkinson's disease, stability, simulation, two delay differential equation

Procedia PDF Downloads 133

Authors: Farah Al Zaabi, Sarah Amrani

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Complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS) is a chronic pain condition that develops in an extremity following a fracture, soft tissue injury, or surgery. It is a neuropathic pain disorder that is accompanied by the characteristic skin manifestations that are needed for the diagnosis. We report the case of a 30 year old male, who has findings consistent with CRPS and has been followed for over two years by multiple specialties within the healthcare system without obtaining a diagnosis. The symptoms he presented with were treated based on the specialty he was seeing, rather than unified and recognized as a single disease process. Our case highlights the complexity of chronic pain, which can sometimes present with skin manifestations, and the importance of involving a pain specialist early for both the medical and physical recovery of CRPS patients.

Keywords: complex regional pain syndrome, chronic pain, skin changes of CRPS, dermatological manifestions of CRPS

Procedia PDF Downloads 154

Authors: Mary Rose Eunice S. Gundayao, Manolo M. Fernandez

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Metachromatic leukodystrophy (MLD) is a rare lysosomal storage disorder with an autosomal recessive inheritance pattern. Lysosomal storage disorders are often severe, follow a progressively neurodegenerative path, and may result in multi-organ failure, potentially leading to death within 5 to 6 years in cases of early-onset forms. There are limited data regarding cases of MLD in Filipino children. This is the case of a 2-year-old Filipino girl who presented with progressive neurological deterioration and was diagnosed with metachromatic leukodystrophy by molecular genetic testing. This case report aims to present this patient’s clinical history, neurological findings, diagnosis and novel genetic mutations causing MLD. A concise review of updated literature on MLD will be discussed.

Keywords: metachromatic leukodystrophy, ARSA gene, peripheral neuropathy, case report, demyelinating disease

Procedia PDF Downloads 20

Authors: June Tay, Ivy Chia

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There are numerous changes, both mental and physical, taking place when people age. We need to understand the different aspects required for healthy living, including meeting nutritional needs, regular physical activities to keep agility, sufficient rest and sleep to have physical and mental well-being, social engagement to avoid the risk of social isolation and depression, and access to healthcare to detect and manage chronic conditions. Promoting physical activities for an ageing population is necessary as many may have enjoyed sedentary lifestyles for some time. In our study, we evaluate the considerations when designing a computer vision video game for the elderly. We need to design some low-impact activities, such as stretching and gentle movements, because some elderly individuals may have joint pains or mobility issues. The exercise game should consist of simple movements that are easy to follow and remember. It should be fun and enjoyable so that they can be motivated to do some exercise. Social engagement can keep the elderly motivated and competitive, and they are more willing to engage in game exercises. Elderly citizens can compare their game scores and try to improve them. We propose a computer vision-based video game for the elderly that will capture and track the movement of the elderly hand pushing a ball on the screen into a circle. It can be easily set up using a PC laptop with a webcam. Our video game adhered to the design framework we employed, and it encompassed ease of use, a simple graphical interface, easy-to-play game exercise, and fun gameplay.

Keywords: about computer vision, video games, gerontology technology, caregiving

Procedia PDF Downloads 83

Authors: Sonal Khosla

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A research is proposed in the present paper to explore the role of flow in coping with traumatic experiences and attaining post-traumatic growth. A grounded theory research is proposed to be carried by analyzing memoirs of people who have been through trauma. A pilot study was carried out on two memoirs of women who were held captive for over ten years and were sexually assaulted repeatedly. The role of flow in their coping experiences was explored by analyzing the books. Some of the flow activities that were used by them were- drawing and daydreaming. Their narratives show the evidence for flow as having cathartic and healing effects on them. Applicability of the findings can take two forms: 1. Flow can be applied as a preventive technique to help the people who are going through trauma, 2. Flow can be adopted into a positive intervention to help people suffering from PTSD.

Keywords: flow, positive intervention, PTSD, PTG

Procedia PDF Downloads 375

Authors: Neha Bhattacharyya, Soumendra Singh, Amrita Banerjee, Ria Ghosh, Oindrila Sinha, Nairit Das, Rajkumar Gayen, Somya Subhra Pal, Sahely Ganguly, Tanmoy Dasgupta, Tanusree Dasgupta, Pulak Mondal, Aniruddha Adhikari, Sharmila Sarkar, Debasish Bhattacharyya, Asim Kumar Mallick, Om Prakash Singh, Samir Kumar Pal

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Background: We aim to develop an integrated device comprised of single-probe EEG and CCD-based motion sensors for a more objective measure of Attention-deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). While the integrated device (MAHD) relies on the EEG signal (spectral density of beta wave) for the assessment of attention during a given structured task (painting three segments of a circle using three different colors, namely red, green and blue), the CCD sensor depicts movement pattern of the subjects engaged in a continuous performance task (CPT). A statistical analysis of the attention and movement patterns was performed, and the accuracy of the completed tasks was analysed using indigenously developed software. The device with the embedded software, called MAHD, is intended to improve certainty with criterion E (i.e. whether symptoms are better explained by another condition). Methods: We have used the EEG signal from a single-channel dry sensor placed on the frontal lobe of the head of the subjects (3-5 years old pre-schoolers). During the painting of three segments of a circle using three distinct colors (red, green, and blue), absolute power for delta and beta EEG waves from the subjects are found to be correlated with relaxation and attention/cognitive load conditions. While the relaxation condition of the subject hints at hyperactivity, a more direct CCD-based motion sensor is used to track the physical movement of the subject engaged in a continuous performance task (CPT) i.e., separation of the various colored balls from one table to another. We have used our indigenously developed software for the statistical analysis to derive a scale for the objective assessment of ADHD. We have also compared our scale with clinical ADHD evaluation. Results: In a limited clinical trial with preliminary statistical analysis, we have found a significant correlation between the objective assessment of the ADHD subjects with that of the clinician’s conventional evaluation. Conclusion: MAHD, the integrated device, is supposed to be an auxiliary tool to improve the accuracy of ADHD diagnosis by supporting greater criterion E certainty.

Keywords: ADHD, CPT, EEG signal, motion sensor, psychometric test

Procedia PDF Downloads 99

Authors: Alene Toulany, Elizabeth Dettmer, Seena Grewal, Kaley Roosen, Andrea Regina, Cathleen Steinegger, Kate Stadelman, Melissa Chambers, Lindsay Lochhead, Kelsey Gallagher, Alissa Steinberg, Andrea Leyser, Allison Lougheed, Jill Hamilton

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Obesity and psychiatric disorders occur together so frequently that the combination has been coined an epidemic within an epidemic. Youth living with obesity are at increased risk for trauma, depression, anxiety and disordered eating. Although symptoms of binge eating disorder are common in paediatric obesity management programs, they are often not identified or addressed within treatment. At The Hospital for Sick Children (SickKids), a tertiary care paediatric hospital in Toronto, Canada, adolescents with obesity are treated in an interdisciplinary outpatient clinic (1-2 hours/week). This intensity of care is simply not enough to help these extremely complex patients. Existing day treatment programs for eating, and psychiatric disorders are not well suited for patients with obesity. In order to address this identified care gap, a unique collaboration was formed between the obesity, psychiatry, and eating disorder programs at SickKids in 2015. The aim of this collaboration was to provide an enhanced treatment arm to our general psychiatry day hospital program that addresses both the mental health issues and the lifestyle challenges common to youth with obesity and binge eating. The program is currently in year-one of a two-year pilot project and is designed for a length of stay of approximately 6 months. All youth participate in daily group therapy, academics, and structured mealtimes. The groups are primarily skills-based and are informed by cognitive/dialectical behavioural therapies. Weekly family therapy and individual therapy, as well as weekly medical appointments with a psychiatrist and a nurse, are provided. Youth in the enhanced treatment arm also receive regular sessions with a dietitian to establish normalized eating behaviours and monthly multifamily meal sessions to address challenges related to behaviour change and mealtimes in the home. Outcomes that will be evaluated include measures of mental health, anthropometrics, metabolic status, and healthcare satisfaction. At the end of the two years, it is expected that we will have had about 16 youth participants. This model of care delivery will be the first of its kind in Canada and is expected to inform future paediatric treatment practices.

Keywords: adolescent, binge eating, mental illness, obesity

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Authors: P. Sam Vimal Rajkumar, K. Priyanga

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Acoustics is the scientific study of sound which includes the effect of reflection, refraction, absorption, diffraction and interference. Sound can be considered as a wave phenomenon. A sound wave is a longitudinal wave where particles of the medium are temporarily displaced in a direction parallel to energy transport and then return to their original position. The vibration in a medium produces alternating waves of relatively dense and sparse particles –compression and rarefaction respectively. The resultant variation to normal ambient pressure is translated by the ear and perceived as sound. Today much importance is given to the acoustical environment. The noise sources are increased day by day and annoying level is strongly violated in different locations by traffic, sound systems, and industries. There is simple evidence showing that the high noise levels cause sleep disturbance, hearing loss, decrease in productivity, learning disability, lower scholastic performance and increase in stress related hormones and blood pressure. Therefore, achieving a pleasing and noise free environment is one of the endeavours of many a research groups. This can be obtained by using various techniques. One such technique is by using suitable materials with good sound absorbing properties. The conventionally used materials that possess sound absorbing properties are rock wool or glass wool. In this work, an attempt is made to use synthetic material in both fibrous and sheet form and use it for manufacturing of non-woven for sound absorption.

Keywords: acoustics, fibre, non-woven, noise, sound absorption properties, sound absorption coefficient

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Authors: A. Zurraini, Syed Alwi Sar, H. Helmy, H. Nazeefah

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Early Dementia Questionnaire (EDQ) was developed as a screening tool to detect patients with early dementia in primary care. It was developed based on 20 symptoms of dementia. From a preliminary study, EDQ had been shown to be a promising alternative for screening of early dementia. This study was done to further test on EDQ’s reliability and validity. Using a systematic random sampling, 200 elderly patients attending primary health care centers in Kuching, Sarawak had consented to participate in the study and were administered the EDQ. Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS) was used to exclude patients with depression. Those who scored >21 MMSE, were retested using the EDQ. Reliability was determined by Cronbach’s alpha for internal consistency and construct validity was assessed using confirmatory factor analysis (principle component with varimax rotation). The result showed that the overall Cronbach’s alpha coefficient was good which was 0.874. Confirmatory factor analysis on 4 factors indicated that the Cronbach’s alpha for each domain were acceptable with memory (0.741), concentration (0.764), emotional and physical symptoms (0.754) and lastly sleep and environment (0.720). Pearson correlation coefficient between the first EDQ score and the retest EDQ score among those with MMSE of >21 showed a very strong, positive correlation between the two variables, r = 0.992, N=160, P <0.001. The results of the validation study showed that Early Dementia Questionnaire (EDQ) is a valid and reliable tool to be used as a screening tool to detect early dementia in primary care.

Keywords: Early Dementia Questionnaire (EDQ), screening, primary care, construct validity

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Authors: Jarek Krajewski, David Daxberger, Luzi Beyer

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Finding objective and non-intrusive measurements of emotional and psychopathological states (e.g., post-traumatic stress disorder, PTSD) is an important challenge. Thus, the proposed approach here uses Photoplethysmographic imaging (PPGI) applying facial RGB Cam videos to estimate heart rate levels. A pipeline for the signal processing of the raw image has been proposed containing different preprocessing approaches, e.g., Independent Component Analysis, Non-negative Matrix factorization, and various other artefact correction approaches. Under resting and constant light conditions, we reached a sensitivity of 84% for pulse peak detection. The results indicate that PPGI can be a suitable solution for providing heart rate data derived from these indirectly post-traumatic stress states.

Keywords: heart rate, PTSD, PPGI, stress, preprocessing

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Authors: Mahshid Rezaei, Zahra Tajari, Zahra Esmaeily, Atefeh Eyvazkhani, Shahrzad Daei, Marjan Mansouri Dara, Mohaddesh Rezaei, Abolghassem Djazayeri, Ahmadreza Dorosti Motlagh

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Background: Musculoskeletal pain is one of the most prevalent symptoms in elderly age. Nutrition and diet are considered important underlying factors that could affect chronic musculoskeletal pain. The purpose of this study was to identify the relationship between empirical dietary inflammatory patterns (EDII) and musculoskeletal pain. Method: In this cross-sectional study, 213 elderly individuals were selected from several health centers. The usual dietary intake was evaluated by a valid and reliable 147-items food frequency questionnaire (FFQ). To measure the intensity of pain, Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) was used. Multiple Linear Regression was applied to assess the association between EDII and musculoskeletal pain. Results: The results of multiple linear regression analysis indicate that a higher EDII score was associated with higher musculoskeletal pain (β= 0.21: 95% CI: 0.24-1.87: P= 0.003). These results stayed significant even after adjusting for covariates such as sex, marital status, height, family number, sleep, BMI, physical activity duration, waist circumference, protector, and medication use (β= 0.16: 95% CI: 0.11-1.04: P= 0.02). Conclusion: Study findings indicated that higher inflammation of diet might have a direct association with musculoskeletal pains in elderlies. However, further investigations are required to confirm these findings.

Keywords: musculoskeletal pain, empirical dietary inflammatory pattern, elderlies, dietary pattern

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Authors: P. Shrivastava, A. Shukla, K. Verma, S. Rungta

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Parkinson's disease is a chronic neurological disorder that directly affects human gait. It leads to slowness of movement, causes muscle rigidity and tremors. Gait serve as a primary outcome measure for studies aiming at early recognition of disease. Using gait techniques, this paper implements efficient binary bat algorithm for an early detection of Parkinson's disease by selecting optimal features required for classification of affected patients from others. The data of 166 people, both fit and affected is collected and optimal feature selection is done using PSO and Bat algorithm. The reduced dataset is then classified using neural network. The experiments indicate that binary bat algorithm outperforms traditional PSO and genetic algorithm and gives a fairly good recognition rate even with the reduced dataset.

Keywords: parkinson, gait, feature selection, bat algorithm

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Authors: Jui-Hung Hung, Ching-Liang Hsieh, Yi-Wen Lin

Abstract:

Modern medicine highly emphasizes the importance of palliative treatment. The inception of palliative and hospice care recently developed into the concept of caring for the patients’ and families’ physical, psychological and spiritual problems. There are several benefits related to palliative care such as reducing medical expenses, decreasing patients’ suffer, and supporting patient go through the finale of the life. Nowadays, in Taiwan, over 60-70% terminal cancer patients were covered in hospice care, and the coverage rate increased annually. Acupuncture is a well-known therapy used more than thousand years to relieve symptoms of cancer patient. Many reports showed that, even in the Western society, many reputable medical centers can provide Acupuncture therapy for patients. Accordingly, using Acupuncture for cancer patient care is a global trend. There are increased evidences indicate that Acupuncture can relieve the symptoms for cancer patients including pain, reduce the dosage of anesthetic, improve the cancer-related fatigue, relieve the chemotherapy-related nausea and vomiting, ease anxiety mood and even improving the quality of life. Furthermore, some trials show that Acupuncture may help relieve xerostomia, hot flash, sleep disorders, and some GI discomfort and so on. Acupuncture therapy has many advantages for clinical use with effective, low-cost, minimal side effect, suitable for cancer patients and even for elderly population. Especially in nowadays, there are more diversified challenges in modern medicine, all of them will make the higher medical budget. We suggest that Acupuncture will be one of methods for palliative care for cancer patients.

Keywords: Acupuncture, cancer, integrative medicine, palliative care

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Authors: Diane H. Dotson, Shari L. Rodriguez

Abstract:

Habitat for predators is on the decline worldwide, which often brings humans and predators into conflict over remaining shared space and common resources. While the direct impacts of human predator conflict on humans (i.e., attacks on livestock or humans resulting in injury or death) are well documented, the indirect impacts of conflict on humans (i.e., downstream effects such as fear, stress, opportunity costs, PTSD) have not been addressed. We interviewed 437 people living in 54 villages on the periphery of Kanha National Park, India, to assess the amount and severity of direct and indirect impacts of predator conflict. ​While 58% of livestock owners believed that predator attacks on livestock guards occurred frequently and 62% of those who collect forest products believed that predator attacks on those collecting occurred frequently, less than 20% of all participants knew of someone who had experienced an attack. Data related to indirect impacts suggest that such impacts are common; 76% of participants indicated they were afraid a predator will physically injure them. Livestock owners reported that livestock guarding took time away from their primary job (61%) and getting enough sleep (73%), and believed that it increased their vulnerability to illnesses (80%). These results suggest that the perceptions of risk of predator attack are likely inflated, yet the costs of human predator impacts may be substantially higher than previously estimated, particularly related to human well-being, making the implementation of appropriate and effective conservation and conflict mitigation strategies and policies increasingly urgent.

Keywords: direct impacts, indirect impacts, human-predator conflict, India

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Authors: Ismail Seçer

Abstract:

The purpose of this study is to analyze the predictive effect of anxiety sensitivity on obsessive compulsive symptoms. The sample of the study consists of 542 students selected with appropriate sampling method from the secondary and high schools in Erzurum city center. Obsessive Compulsive Inventory and Anxiety Sensitivity Index were used in the study to collect data. The data obtained through the study was analyzed with structural equation modeling. As a result of the study, it was determined that there is a significant relationship between obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) and anxiety sensitivity. Anxiety sensitivity has direct and indirect meaningful effects on the latent variable of OCD in the sub-dimensions of doubting-checking, obsessing, hoarding, washing, ordering, and mental neutralizing, and also anxiety sensitivity is a significant predictor of obsessive compulsive symptoms.

Keywords: obsession, compulsion, structural equation, anxiety sensitivity

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Authors: Abdela Bulbula

Abstract:

Background: Marek’s disease virus is a devastating infection, causing high morbidity and mortality in chickens in Ethiopia. Methods: The current study was conducted from March to November, 2021 with the general objective of performing antemortem and postmortem, isolation, and molecular detection of Marek’s disease virus from outbreak cases in southwestern Ethiopia. Accordingly, based on outbreak information reported from the study sites namely, Bedelle, Yayo, and Bonga towns in southwestern Ethiopia, 50 sick chickens were sampled. The backyard and intensive farming systems of chickens were included in the sampling and priorities were given for chickens that showed clinical signs that are characteristics of Marek’s disease. Results: By clinical examinations, paralysis of legs and wings, gray eye, loss of weight, difficulty in breathing, and depression were recorded on all chickens sampled for this study and death of diseased chickens was observed. In addition, enlargement of the spleen and gross lesions of the liver and heart were recorded during postmortem examination. The death of infected chickens was observed in both vaccinated and non-vaccinated flocks. Out of 50 pooled feather follicle samples, Marek’s disease virus was isolated from 14/50 (28%) by cell culture method and out of six tissue samples, the virus was isolated from 5/6(83.30%). By Real time polymerization chain reaction technique, which was targeted to detect the Meq gene, Marek’s disease virus was detected from 18/50 feather follicles which accounts for 36% of sampled chickens. Conclusion: In general, the current study showed that the circulating Marek’s disease virus in southwestern Ethiopia was caused by the oncogenic Gallid herpesvirus-2 (Serotype-1). Further research on molecular characterization of revolving virus in current and other regions is recommended for effective control of the disease through vaccination.

Keywords: Ethioi, Marek's disease, isolation, molecular

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Authors: Elmira Davasaz Tabrizi, Mushteba Sevil, Ercan Arican

Abstract:

Directly or indirectly, the human microbiome, or the population of bacteria and other microorganisms living in the human body, has been linked with human health. Various research has examined the connection with both illness status and the composition of the human microbiome, even though current studies indicate that the gut microbiome influences the mucosa and immune system. A significant amount of effort is being put into understanding the human microbiome's natural history in terms of health outcomes while also expanding our comprehension of the molecular connections between the microbiome and the host. To maintain health and avoid disease, these efforts ultimately seek to find efficient methods for recovering human microbial communities. This review article describes how the human microbiome leads to chronic diseases and discusses evidence for an important significant disorder that is related to the microbiome and linked to prostate cancer: chronic prostatitis (CP).

Keywords: urobiome, chronic prostatitis, metagenomic, urinary microbiome

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Authors: R. Adwaith, J. Gopinath, Vasantha Kohila B., R. Chandru, Arul Prakash R.

Abstract:

The turbofan engine is a type of air breathing engine that is widely used in aircraft propulsion produces thrust mainly from the mass-flow of air bypassing the engine core. The present research has developed an effective method numerically by increasing the thrust generated from the bypass air. This thrust increase is brought about by heating the walls of the bypass valve from the combustion chamber using convective heat transfer method. It is achieved computationally by the use external heat to enhance the velocity of bypass air of turbofan engines. The bypass valves are either heated externally using multicell tube resistor which convert electricity generated by dynamos into heat or heat is transferred from the combustion chamber. This increases the temperature of the flow in the valves and thereby increase the velocity of the flow that enters the nozzle of the engine. As a result, mass-flow of air passing the core engine for producing more thrust can be significantly reduced thereby saving considerable amount of Jet fuel. Numerical analysis has been carried out on a scaled down version of a typical turbofan bypass valve, where the valve wall temperature has been increased to 700 Kelvin. It is observed from the analysis that, the exit velocity contributing to thrust has significantly increased by 10 % due to the heating of by-pass valve. The degree of optimum increase in the temperature, and the corresponding effect in the increase of jet velocity is calculated to determine the operating temperature range for efficient increase in velocity. The technique used in the research increases the thrust by using heated by-pass air without extracting much work from the fuel and thus improve the efficiency of existing turbofan engines. Dimensional analysis has been carried to prove the accuracy of the results obtained numerically.

Keywords: turbofan engine, bypass valve, multi-cell tube, convective heat transfer, thrust

Procedia PDF Downloads 358