2,023 research outputs found

    Digital chronofiles of life experience

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    Technology has brought us to the point where we are able to digitally sample life experience in rich multimedia detail, often referred to as lifelogging. In this paper we explore the potential of lifelogging for the digitisation and archiving of life experience into a longitudinal media archive for an individual. We motivate the historical archive potential for rich digital memories, enabling individuals’ digital footprints to con- tribute to societal memories, and propose a data framework to gather and organise the lifetime of the subject

    Surg Oncol

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    Objectives:Pre-operative exercise may improve functional outcomes for lung cancer patients, but barriers associated with cost, resources, and burden make it challenging to deliver pre-operative exercise programs. The goal of this proof-of-concept study was to determine level of moderate-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) and change in aerobic capacity after participation in a pre-operative exercise intervention.Materials and Methods:Eighteen patients scheduled for surgery for suspected stage I-III lung cancer received an exercise prescription from their surgeon and wore a commercially-available device that tracked their daily MVPA throughout the pre-operative period. Descriptive statistics were used to calculate adherence to the exercise prescription. A one-sample t test was used to explore change in aerobic capacity from baseline to the day of surgery.Results:Participants exhibited a mean of 20.4 (sd = 46.2) minutes of MVPA per day during the pre-operative period. On average, the sample met the goal of 30 minutes of MVPA on 16.4% of the days during the pre-operative period. The mean distance achieved at baseline for the six-minute walk test was 456.7 meters (sd = 72.9), which increased to 471.1 meters (sd = 88.4) on the day of surgery. This equates to a mean improvement of 13.8 meters (sd=37.0), but this difference was not statistically different from zero (p = 0.14). Eight of the 17 participants (47%) demonstrated a clinically significant improvement of 14 meters or more.Conclusion:A surgeon-delivered exercise prescription plus an activity tracker may promote clinically significant improvement in aerobic capacity and MVPA engagement among patients with lung cancer during the pre-operative period, but may need to be augmented with more contact with and support from practitioners over time to maximize benefits.T32 MH073553/MH/NIMH NIH HHSUnited States/UL1 TR001086/TR/NCATS NIH HHSUnited States/U48 DP005018/DP/NCCDPHP CDC HHSUnited States/U48DP005018/ACL/ACL HHSUnited States/K23 AG051681/AG/NIA NIH HHSUnited States/2022-06-01T00:00:00Z33813267PMC821719711425vault:3720

    Perceived exertion is as effective as the perceptual strain index in predicting physiological strain when wearing personal protective clothing

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    Objective The perceptual strain index (PeSI) has been shown to overcome the limitations associated with the assessment of the physiological strain index (PSI), primarily the need to obtain a core body temperature measurement. The PeSI uses the subjective scales of thermal sensation and perceived exertion (RPE) to provide surrogate measures of core temperature and heart rate, respectively. Unfortunately, thermal sensation has shown large variability in providing an estimation of core body temperature. Therefore, the primary aim of this study was to determine if thermal comfort improved the ability of the PeSI to predict the PSI during exertional-heat stress. Methods Eighteen healthy males (age: 23.5 years; body mass: 79.4 kg; maximal aerobic capacity: 57.2 ml·kg− 1·min− 1) wore four different chemical/biological protective garments while walking on treadmill at a low (< 325 W) or moderate (326–499 W) metabolic workload in environmental conditions equivalent to wet bulb globe temperatures 21, 30 or 37 °C. Trials were terminated when heart rate exceeded 90% of maximum, when core body temperature reached 39 °C, at 120 min or due to volitional fatigue. Core body temperature, heart rate, thermal sensation, thermal comfort and RPE were recorded at 15 min intervals and at termination. Multiple statistical methods were used to determine the most accurate perceptual predictor. Results Significant moderate relationships were observed between the PeSI (r = 0.74; p < 0.001), the modified PeSI (r = 0.73; p < 0.001) and unexpectedly RPE (r = 0.71; p < 0.001) with the PSI, respectively. The PeSI (mean bias: − 0.8 ± 1.5 based on a 0–10 scale; area under the curve: 0.887), modified PeSI (mean bias: − 0.5 ± 1.4 based on 0–10 scale; area under the curve: 0.886) and RPE (mean bias: − 0.7 ± 1.4 based on a 0–10 scale; area under the curve: 0.883) displayed similar predictive performance when participants experienced high-to-very high levels of physiological strain. Conclusions Modifying the PeSI did not improve the subjective prediction of physiological strain. However, RPE provided an equally accurate prediction of physiological strain, particularly when high-to-very high levels of strain were observed. Therefore, given its predictive performance and user-friendliness, the evidence suggests that RPE in isolation is a practical and cost-effective tool able to estimate physiological strain during exertional-heat stress under these work conditions

    Substantial findings from two study projects popular in cariology and pediatric dentistry

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    Bringing New Voices to Design of Exercise Technology:participatory design with vulnerable young adults

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    Novel sedentary behaviour measurement methods: application for self-monitoring in adults

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    With the introduction of the technological age, increasing mechanisation has led to labour saving devices which have all-but engineered physical activity out of our lives and sedentary behaviour has now become the default behaviour during waking hours. Interventions that previously focused on improving levels of physical activity are now attempting to concurrently increase levels of physical activity and decrease time spent in sedentary behaviour. One method that has shown promise in interventions to increase physical activity and healthy eating in adults is the behaviour change technique of self-monitoring. There is now a robust set of literature indicating self-monitoring as the most promising behaviour change technique in this area. Self-monitoring is tied inherently into the recent rise in wearable technology. These new devices have the ability to track a variety of behavioural and physiological parameters and immediately make the information returnable to the user via connected mobile applications. The potential pervasive nature of these technologies and their use of robust behaviour change techniques could make them a useful tool in interventions to reduce sedentary behaviour. Therefore the overall purpose of this three study dissertation was to identify and validate technology that can self-monitor sedentary behaviour and to determine its feasibility in reducing sedentary behaviour. Study 1 Purpose: The aim of this study was to review the characteristics and measurement properties of currently available self-monitoring devices for sedentary behaviour and/or physical activity. Methods: To identify technologies, four scientific databases were systematically searched using key terms related to behaviour, measurement, and population. Articles published through October 2015 were identified. To identify technologies from the consumer electronic sector, systematic searches of three Internet search engines were also performed through to October 1st, 2015. Results: The initial database searches identified 46 devices and the Internet search engines identified 100 devices yielding a total of 146 technologies. Of these, 64 were further removed because they were currently unavailable for purchase or there was no evidence that they were designed for, had been used in, or could readily be modified for self-monitoring purposes. The remaining 82 technologies were included in this review (73 devices self-monitored physical activity, 9 devices self-monitored sedentary time). Of the 82 devices included, this review identified no published articles in which these devices were used for the purpose of self-monitoring physical activity and/or sedentary behaviour; however, a number of technologies were found via Internet searches that matched the criteria for self-monitoring and provided immediate feedback on physical activity (ActiGraph Link, Microsoft Band, and Garmin Vivofit) and sedentary behaviour (activPAL VT, the LumoBack, and Darma). Conclusions: There are a large number of devices that self-monitor physical activity; however, there is a greater need for the development of tools to self-monitor sedentary time. The novelty of these devices means they have yet to be used in behaviour change interventions, although the growing field of wearable technology may facilitate this to change. Study 2 Purpose: The aim of this study was to examine the criterion and convergent validity of the LumoBack as a measure of sedentary behaviour compared to direct observation, the ActiGraph wGT3X+ and the activPAL under laboratory and free-living conditions in a sample of healthy adults. Methods: In the laboratory experiment, 34 participants wore a LumoBack, ActiGraph and activPAL monitor and were put through seven different sitting conditions. In the free-living experiment, a sub-sample of 12 participants wore the LumoBack, ActiGraph and activPAL monitor for seven days. Validity were assessed using Bland-Altman plots, mean absolute percentage error (MAPE), and intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC). T-test and Repeated Measures Analysis of Variance were also used to determine any significant difference in measured behaviours. Results: In the laboratory setting, the LumoBack had a mean bias of 76.2, 72.1 and -92.3 seconds when compared to direct observation, ActiGraph and activPAL, respectively, whilst MAPE was less than 4%. Furthermore, the ICC was 0.82 compared to the ActiGraph and 0.73 compared to the activPAL. In the free-living experiment, mean bias was -4.64, 8.90 and 2.34 seconds when compared to the activPAL for sedentary behaviour, standing time and stepping time respectively. Mean bias was -38.44 minutes when compared to the ActiGraph for sedentary time. MAPE for all behaviours were 0.75. Conclusion: The LumoBack has acceptable validity and reliability as a measure of sedentary behaviour. Study 3 Purpose: The aim of this study was to explore the use of the LumoBack as a behaviour change tool to reduce sedentary behaviour in adults. Methods: Forty-two participants (≥25 years) who had an iPhone 4S or later model wore the LumoBack without any feedback for one week for baseline measures of behaviour. Participants then wore the LumoBack for a further five weeks whilst receiving feedback on sedentary behaviour via a sedentary vibration from the device and feedback on the mobile application. Sedentary behaviour, standing time, and stepping time were objectively assessed using the LumoBack. Differences in behaviour were determined between baseline, week 1 and week 5. Participant engagement with the LumoBack was determined using Mobile app analytics software. Results: There were no statistically significant differences in behaviour between baseline and the LumoBack intervention period (p>0.05). Participants engaged most with the Steps card on the LumoBack app with peaks in engagement seen at week 5. Conclusion: This study indicates that using the LumoBack on its own was not effective in reducing sedentary behaviour in adults. Self-monitoring and feedback may need to be combined with other behaviour change strategies such as environmental restructuring to be effective. General Conclusion This thesis found that there are currently an abundance of technologies which self-monitors physical activity but a lack of devices which measuring sedentary behaviour. One such device, the LumoBack, has shown to have acceptable validity as a measure of sedentary behaviour. Whilst the use of the LumoBack as a behaviour change tool did not elicit any significant changes, its ability to be a pervasive behavioural intervention and the use of user-defined nudging can make the LumoBack, and other similar low cost, valid objective sedentary behaviour self-monitors key components in multi-faceted interventions

    Proof-of-concept trial results of the HeartMan mobile personal health system for self-management in congestive heart failure

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    This study tested the effectiveness of HeartMan—a mobile personal health system offering decisional support for management of congestive heart failure (CHF)—on health-related quality of life (HRQoL), self-management, exercise capacity, illness perception, mental and sexual health. A randomized controlled proof-of-concept trial (1:2 ratio of control:intervention) was set up with ambulatory CHF patients in stable condition in Belgium and Italy. Data were collected by means of a 6-min walking test and a number of standardized questionnaire instruments. A total of 56 (34 intervention and 22 control group) participants completed the study (77% male; mean age 63 years, sd 10.5). All depression and anxiety dimensions decreased in the intervention group (p &lt; 0.001), while the need for sexual counselling decreased in the control group (p &lt; 0.05). Although the group differences were not significant, self-care increased (p &lt; 0.05), and sexual problems decreased (p &lt; 0.05) in the intervention group only. No significant intervention effects were observed for HRQoL, self-care confidence, illness perception and exercise capacity. Overall, results of this proof-of-concept trial suggest that the HeartMan personal health system significantly improved mental and sexual health and self-care behaviour in CHF patients. These observations were in contrast to the lack of intervention effects on HRQoL, illness perception and exercise capacity
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