Mobile Phone Controlling Home Appliances

Advancement in wireless technology nowadays has allowed the creation of various remote control systems, one of which is the famous Smart Home concept. This project focuses on the development of a smart home system that allows user control of electrical appliances using devices such as laptop or an Android phone via Bluetooth. The system adapts serial connection of the devices with a Bluetooth module and a PIC microcontroller attached on the main circuit board where the microcontroller will then control the home appliances via a relay circuit. The smart home system will be able to ease the effort of physically challenged individuals in controlling their home appliances such as lamps, fan, air-con and etc. Users can trigger the switches anywhere as long as the device is within the vicinity of the Bluetooth signal in the main panel. Moreover, users can also control the appliances via internet connection by sending an email to a specified address. However, this addition requires that the laptop be wirelessly connected to the main board at all times and have internet connection. Generally, the project software application together with its Graphical User Interface was developed using Microsoft© Visual Studio in VB language for the computer platform and Eclipse IDE for the Android platform. The microcontroller, PIC16F877A located on the main circuit board was programmed in C language using MPLAB IDE software and debugged together with the circuit design using Proteus 7 ISIS. The PCB was designed using Proteus 7 ARES. The final prototype of the system was built to demonstrate the proposed functionality of the syste

216 Jewish Hospital of St. Louis

https://digitalcommons.wustl.edu/bjc_216/1163/thumbnail.jp

Human-Computer Interaction

In this book the reader will find a collection of 31 papers presenting different facets of Human Computer Interaction, the result of research projects and experiments as well as new approaches to design user interfaces. The book is organized according to the following main topics in a sequential order: new interaction paradigms, multimodality, usability studies on several interaction mechanisms, human factors, universal design and development methodologies and tools

Exercise intensity prescription in cancer survivors

Thanks to the numerous positive effects of exercise (1-5) and its steadily growing importance in exercise oncology, exercise is recommended to all cancer survivors (CS) (3, 6-9). The existing oncology exercise guidelines are based on the assumption that intensity specifications can be transferred from healthy individuals to CS. However, it was shown that cardio-metabolic parameters used for intensity prescription may be altered in CS due to cancer treatment (10, 11). So-called second-generation trials are demanded which compare the effects of different training prescriptions aiming at elaborating the optimal exercise prescription for CS (12). Consequently, before conducting the demanded studies, a fundamental question must first be clarified: “Is my selected dosage actually what it claims to be when I prescribe a certain intensity for a cancer survivor?”. This was the leading question of this dissertation; Without its final clarification no progress can be made towards individualized training prescription. A precise intensity prescription is a prerequisite for eliciting the greatest possible training effects without provoking training overload. The TOP study was the first to systematically investigate whether currently used methods of intensity prescription are reliable for its use in CS. The main questions were (I) whether maximal oxygen uptake (VO2max) as the major parameter used for intensity prescription, is actually attained by CS during a cardiopulmonary exercise test (CPET), (II) whether three different established methods for intensity prescription for endurance exercise are equally suitable for targeting a specific intensity zone, and (III) whether commonly used methods of intensity testing and prescription in resistance exercise are also valid in CS. The TOP study was designed to answer these research questions; The results were discussed in three manuscripts which constitute the main body of this dissertation. I. Manuscript 1 (chapter 5) targets the question whether CS attain their true VO2max in a CPET. We analyzed data from 75 CS who underwent a supramaximal verification test to confirm the attainment of VO2max. We found that VO2max was not underestimated in the CPET on the group level, yet one third of CS did not attain their true VO2max. We concluded that the verification test appears feasible and beneficial for distinguishing between patients who attained their true VO2max and those who did not. II. In manuscript 2 (chapter 6) we evaluated whether threshold concepts might be useful submaximal alternatives to %VO2max in terms of meeting the vigorous intensity zone. We compared physiological and psychological responses of three training sessions defined by Abstract III three different prescription methods: blood lactate (bLa) thresholds, ventilatory thresholds, and %VO2max as reference. The data showed that all intensity prescription methods met the targeted intensity zone on average, however the session prescribed via bLa thresholds provoked the most homogeneous bLa responses. Furthermore, not all CS were able to complete the training sessions, we therefore concluded that slightly lower percentages should be chosen to improve durability of the training sessions. III. Manuscript 3 (chapter 7) focused on whether different maximum strength tests yield comparable results and are therefore applicable interchangeably. Maximal strength values derived from two indirect strength testing methods (h1-RM after Brzycki (13) and Epley (14)) were compared to one direct method of 1-RM determination, all performed at six different resistance machines. The results vary between the different methods with the occurrence of both, over- and underestimation of patients’ strength performance. This should be considered when training intensities are to be described based on maximal strength values, and when comparing maximal strength data between studies using different testing procedures. Moreover, we aimed to investigate the prediction accuracy for targeting specific intensity zones in resistance exercise in CS, i.e., whether the achieved number of repetitions (NOR) corresponding to specific values of %1-RM/h1-RM were accurately predicted. We found in part extreme deviations between the targeted NOR and the NOR actually performed. We conclude that the prediction accuracy of all test procedures seems to be very poor for all tested strength training machines for the chosen intensities. The use of %1-RM/h1-RM for intensity prescription is therefore questionable for this population. Our results demonstrate that currently used methods of exercise testing and prescription seem to have only limited applicability in CS. The overall conclusion for endurance exercise is that threshold concepts seem to be suitable alternatives to %VO2max for intensity prescription, yet bLa thresholds should be favored if a defined metabolic strain is intended as this method evokes the most homogeneous bLa response between individuals. Furthermore, a verification test seems necessary to ensure VO2max attainment, if percentages of VO2max are used for intensity prescription, or if the effect of a training intervention is evaluated based on changes of VO2max. Regarding resistance exercise, commonly used methods for testing are not safe (1-RM) or imprecise (h1-RM) which is also true when %1-RM/h1-RM is used for intensity prescription. Abstract IV Directly approaching specified intensities might be an alternative method for intensity prescription in resistance training. A phenomenon that connects all three manuscripts is that the individual data show in part extreme interindividual variations which tell different stories than the group means. Therefore, special attention should be paid to interindividual variability when prescribing exercise for CS. The choice of methods should fit the goals and possibilities of the patients. Subsequently, maximum accuracy is warranted in the context of studies, whereas in practice, more inaccuracies can be accepted, and the methods should be chosen accordingly. Independent of the setting, our results demonstrate that it is important not to blindly trust on calculated exercise intensity specifications but to consider them as orientation. For this, it is important to closely monitor the patients for signs of over- or underload, to ensure maximum safety and adequate training stimulus at the same time. There will and can never be one method that fits all. People are individuals and training should be prescribed accordingly. The results presented in this dissertation contribute important insights about the accuracy of different exercise testing as well as prescription methods, and further advance the field of personalized exercise oncology. However, they only represent a first step in the still largely unresearched field of exercise prescription in CS and point to a need for further research

ACC/AHA/ESC 2006 Guidelines for Management of Patients With Ventricular Arrhythmias and the Prevention of Sudden Cardiac Death. A Report of the American College of Cardiology/American Heart Association Task Force and the European Society of Cardiology Committee for Practice Guidelines.

Several excellent guidelines already exist on treating patients who have ventricular arrhythmias (Table 1).The purpose of this document is to update and combine the previously published recommendations into one source approved by the major cardiology organizations in the United States and Europe. We have consciously attempted to create a streamlined document, not a textbook, that would be useful specifically to locate recommendations on the evaluation and treatment of patients who have or may be at risk for ventricular arrhythmias. Thus, sections on epidemiology, mechanisms and substrates, and clinical presentations are brief, because there are no recommendations for those sections. For the other sections, the wording has been kept to a minimum, and clinical presentations have been confined to those aspects relevant to forming recommendations

Technische Unterstützung für Menschen mit Demenz : Symposium 30.09. - 01.10.2013

Wie sollten technische Systeme zur Unterstützung von Menschen mit Demenz gestaltet sein? Was wünschen sich die Patienten, Angehörigen, Pflegenden, und Ärzte? Und was können technische Assistenzsysteme überhaupt leisten? Am KIT fand im Oktober 2013 ein Symposium zu diesen Fragen statt. Experten aus verschiedenen Disziplinen kamen zusammen, um den aktuellen Stand in den jeweiligen Gebieten zu erörtern. Dieser Band gibt einen Überblick über die Erkenntnisse aus den verschiedenen Blickwinkeln

Event-driven Middleware for Body and Ambient Sensor Applications

Continuing development of on-body and ambient sensors has led to a vast increase in sensor-based assistance and monitoring solutions. A growing range of modular sensors, and the necessity of running multiple applications on the sensor information, has led to an equally extensive increase in efforts for system development. In this work, we present an event-driven middleware for on-body and ambient sensor networks allowing multiple applications to define information types of their interest in a publish/subscribe manner. Incoming sensor data is hereby transformed into the required data representation which lifts the burden of adapting the application with respect to the connected sensors off the developer's shoulders. Furthermore, an unsupervised on-the-fly reloading of transformation rules from a remote server allows the system's adaptation to future applications and sensors at run-time as well as reducing the number of connected sensors. Open communication channels distribute sensor information to all interested applications. In addition to that, application-specific event channels are introduced that provide tailor-made information retrieval as well as control over the dissemination of critical information. The system is evaluated based on an Android implementation with transformation rules implemented as OSGi bundles that are retrieved from a remote web server. Evaluation shows a low impact of running the middleware and the transformation rules on a phone and highlights the reduced energy consumption by having fewer sensors serving multiple applications. It also points out the behavior and limits of the open and application-specific event channels with respect to CPU utilization, delivery ratio, and memory usage. In addition to the middleware approach, four (preventive) health care applications are presented. They take advantage of the mediation between sensors and applications and highlight the system's capabilities. By connecting body sensors for monitoring physical and physiological parameters as well as ambient sensors for retrieving information about user presence and interactions with the environment, full-fledged health monitoring examples for monitoring a user throughout the day are presented. Vital parameters are gathered from commercially available biosensors and the mediator device running both the middleware and the application is an off-the-shelf smart phone. For gaining information about a user's physical activity, custom-built body and ambient sensors are presented and deployed

The Psychosocial impact of food and nutrition on hospitalised oncological palliative care patients and their carers

Food provides more than simply a nurturing of physiological requirements; it encompasses social and emotional aspects that together can create an enjoyable experience. That however, is often altered at the end of life. Currently little is known about the psychosocial impact of food and nutrition in cancer patients admitted to the palliative care unit for end of life care.«br /» «br /» «strong»Aim:«/strong» This thesis investigates the lived experience of patients, carers and health care workers dealing with the changes in food intake of terminal cancer patients in the palliative care unit of a Sydney hospital. The meaning of food at this time in one’s life will also be determined.«br /» «br /» «strong»Method:«/strong» Nineteen patients, 14 nurses, 10 carers, seven medical officers, and four food service officers participated in phenomenologically informed interviews and focus groups investigating food and nutrition at the end of life. «br /» «br /» «strong»Results:«/strong» Themes and sub-themes were derived from the data of each participant group along with overarching themes common across groups. The meaning of food was derived using Max Van Manen’s approach to phenomenological analysis. The three meanings identified were that food means life, food is a demonstration of love and food acts as a social glue bringing people together to partake in a shared experience.«br /» «br /» As one’s intake declines at the end of life, significant changes often occur in the relationship between patient and carer as conflict and tension over food divide the two parties. While many patients and carers express the desire to fight for life, participant groups used various strategies to prolong life.«br /» «br /» «strong»Conclusion:«/strong» Because of its psychosocial impact, food continues to be of high importance in the terminal phase of life.«br /» «br /» Thus clinicians should address the role and concerns of patients and carers around food and nutrition in the last weeks of life because these significantly impact the quality of life of people dying of cancer, along with the harmony in their relationships with loved ones. «div» «div» «div» «/div» «/div» «/div

The Many Faces of Sleep Disorders in Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder: An Update on Clinical Features and Treatment

Sleep disorders and nightmares are core symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). The relationship seems to be bidirectional, and persistent disturbed sleep may influence the course of the disorder. With regard to sleep quality, insomnia and nocturnal anxiety symptoms, as well as nightmares and stressful dreams, are the most prominent sleep symptoms. Polysomnographic measurements reveal alterations of the sleep architecture and fragmentation of rapid eye movement sleep. In addition, sleep disorders, such as sleep-related breathing disorders and parasomnias are frequent comorbid conditions. The complex etiology and symptomatology of trauma-related sleep disorders with frequent psychiatric comorbidity require the application of multimodal treatment concepts, including psychological and pharmacological interventions. However, there is little empirical evidence on the effectiveness of long-term drug treatment for insomnia and nightmares. For nondrug interventions, challenges arise from the current lack of PTSD-treatment concepts integrating sleep- and trauma-focused therapies. Effective therapy for sleep disturbances may consequently also improve well-being during the day and probably even the course of PTSD. Whether early sleep interventions exert a preventive effect on the development of PTSD remains to be clarified in future studies