Mobile game for motor and cognitive assessment

Abstract. In the present day almost everyone has a powerful computer in their pocket, a smartphone. These new affordable devices can replace some traditional ways of assessing health. In this project we focused on assessing motoric and cognitive properties using a mobile application that we developed along the way. We looked into research related to the subjects of our project, such as reaction time, memory measuring methods, input accuracy, and serious games. Then, we looked at some potential use cases for this type of application. Before we started developing the application, each researcher made a small demo application to gain some experience with Android development. The mobile application that we designed was developed for the Android platform. It has two games, one for measuring memory, and the other for measuring input accuracy and reaction time. After the application was done, we tested it with our friends and family members to gather data. The tests were conducted between two age groups, one consisted of testees from age 20 to 25, while the other had testees from age 50 to 65. The results were then analyzed by using Mann-Whitney U test to assess the differences between the age groups. We also took notes of our observations during the tests and asked the testees for feedback on the test procedure and the games after the test. The younger age group got significantly better results as expected. However, the results of the older age group do not properly reflect their abilities, as the older age group is not as used to playing games or using a smartphone as the younger group, and because the games ended up being quite complex. Some of the testees from the older age group kept playing the games after the testing was done and got up to ten times higher scores than in the testing phase. We hope that at some stage the application could potentially be used to assess motor dysfunctionalities and cognitive impairment in elderlies and disabled people.Mobiilipeli motoristen ja kognitiivisten ominaisuuksien arviointiin. Tiivistelmä. Tänä päivänä melkein jokaiselta löytyy taskustaan tehokas tietokone, eli älypuhelin. Näiden uusien kohtuuhintaisten laitteiden avulla voidaan mahdollisesti korvata vanhoja tapoja arvioida terveyttä. Tässä projektissa me keskityimme mittaamaan motorisia ja kognitiivisia ominaisuuksia mobiilisovelluksen avulla, jonka kehitimme projektin aikana. Tarkastelimme aiemmin suorettuja tutkimuksia, jotka koskevat meidän projektimme eri osa-alueita, kuten reaktioaikaa, muistin mittausta, syötetarkkuutta ja hyötypelejä. Lisäksi tarkastelimme joitain mahdollisia käyttökohteita tämän tyylisille sovelluksille. Ennen sovelluskehityksen aloittamista jokainen tutkijoista teki pienen demo sovelluksen saadakseen hieman kokemusta Android kehityksestä. Mobiilisovellus, jonka suunnittelimme kehitettiin Android alustalle. Se sisältää kaksi peliä, joista toinen on muistin mittaamiseen, ja toinen syötetarkkuuden sekä reaktioajan mittaamiseen. Sovelluksen valmistuttua testasimme sitä ystävillämme ja perheen jäsenillämme kerätäksemme dataa. Testit suoritettiin kahden ikäryhmän välillä, ensimmäisen ryhmän testaajat olivat 20–25 vuotiaita ja toisen ryhmän testaajat olivat 50–65 vuotiaita. Analysoimme tämän jälkeen tuloksia Mann-Whitney U testillä arvioidaksemme eroja ikäryhmien välillä. Otimme myös ylös havaintoja testauksen aikana ja kysyimme testaajilta palautetta testiproseduurista sekä peleistä testin jälkeen. Nuorempi ikäryhmä sai huomattavasti parempia tuloksia. Kuitenkin, vanhemman ikäryhmän tulokset eivät täysin vastaa heidän kykyjään sillä vanhempi ikäryhmä ei ole yhtä tottunut pelaamaan pelejä tai käyttämään älypuhelinta kuin nuorempi ikäryhmä ja koska pelit olivat lopulta melko monimutkaisia. Osa vanhemman ikäryhmän testaajista jatkoivat pelien pelaamista testauksen jälkeen ja saivat jopa kymmennen kertaa suurempia pistemääriä kuin testauksen aikana. Toivomme, että tätä sovellusta voidaan joskus käyttää motoristen toimintahäiriöiden ja kognitiivisten rajoitteiden arviointiin vanhuksilla ja motorisesti tai kognitiivisesti vajaakuntoisilla henkilöillä

Vaihtoehtoisia korvausmalleja hammashoidon sairausvakuutusjärjestelmän kehittämiseksi

Tässä tutkimuksessa tavoitteena oli tarjota vaihtoehtoja keskusteluun hammashoidon sairausvakuutuskorvausjärjestelmän uudistamiseksi. Vaihtoehtoisten korvausmallien, porrasmallin ja tilimallin, korvauksia verrattiin vuonna 2009 voimassa olleen taksamallin korvauksiin. Laskelmien avulla arvioitiin, ketkä korvausta saaneet hyötyisivät ja ketkä häviäisivät. Tutkimuksen aineistona oli otos henkilöistä, jotka saivat sairausvakuutuksen sairaanhoitokorvausta yksityisen hammashoidon kustannuksista vuonna 2009. Otoksen koko oli 100 000 henkilöä, joilla oli yhteensä 503 093 toimenpidettä. Aineistossa oli tiedot henkilöille tehdyistä toimenpiteistä, toimenpiteistä maksetuista palkkioista ja saaduista korvauksista. Taustamuuttujia aineistossa olivat sukupuoli, ikä, kotikunta ja valtionveronalaiset vuositulot. Laskelmissa käytettiin kahta vaihtoehtoista korvausmallia: porrasmallia ja tilimallia. Porrasmallissa korvaus nousi, kun asiakkaan kustannukset nousivat. Tilimallissa kaikilla oli käytössään vuosittain samansuuruinen korvaussumma. Tutkimusaineiston todellisille toimenpiteille laskettiin vaihtoehtoisten mallien mukaiset korvaukset. Laskelmissa oletettiin, että henkilöiden toimenpiteet ja toimenpiteiden palkkiot säilyvät ennallaan. Korvausmallit pidettiin kustannusneutraaleina, joten niiden korvaussumma oli korkeintaan vuoden 2009 tasolla. Laskelmat osoittivat, että tilimallista hyötyisi kolme neljästä korvauksen saajasta. Korvausprosentti oli taksamallia korkeampi, kun vuosikustannus eivät ylittäneet 500 euroa. Porrasmallin käyttöönotosta hyötyisi yksi kymmenestä korvauksen saajasta. Korvausprosentti kasvoi, jos vuosikustannus ylitti 800 euroa. Sitä pienemmällä vuosikustannuksella korvausprosentti pieneni taksamalliin verrattuna. Jos sairausvakuutuksen korvausjärjestelmää halutaan uudistaa kustannusneutraalisti ja samalla parantaa edellytyksiä käyttää yksityisiä hammashoitopalveluja, tulisi soveltaa tilimallia porrasmallin asemesta

The plasma membrane carbonic anhydrase in murine hepatocytes identified as isozyme XIV

BACKGROUND: Biochemical and histochemical studies have both previously indicated plasma membrane-associated carbonic anhydrase (CA) activity in hepatocytes which has been assumed to be CA IV. However, immunohistochemical data did not support this assignment. Recent northern blotting results indicated the presence of mRNA for the most recently discovered membrane-bound CA isozyme, CA XIV, in the liver. The present study was designed to examine whether CA XIV could contribute to the CA activity described in the hepatocytes. METHODS: Tissue samples from mouse liver were subjected to immunohistochemical staining using the antibodies raised against recombinant mouse CA XIV and CA IV. RT-PCR and western blotting were also performed for CA XIV. RESULTS: A strong immunofluorescent signal was observed in the plasma membrane of mouse hepatocytes. Although CA XIV was expressed on both the apical and basolateral surfaces, the staining was more prominent at the apical (canalicular) membrane domain. The expression of CA XIV in the liver was confirmed by RT-PCR and western blotting. CONCLUSIONS: The presence of CA XIV in the hepatocyte plasma membrane places this novel enzyme at a strategic site to control pH regulation and ion transport between the hepatocytes, sinusoids and bile canaliculi

Evidence that abscisic acid promotes degradation of SNF1-related protein kinase (SnRK) 1 in wheat and activation of a putative calcium-dependent SnRK2

Sucrose nonfermenting-1 (SNF1)-related protein kinases (SnRKs) form a major family of signalling proteins in plants and have been associated with metabolic regulation and stress responses. They comprise three subfamilies: SnRK1, SnRK2, and SnRK3. SnRK1 plays a major role in the regulation of carbon metabolism and energy status, while SnRKs 2 and 3 have been implicated in stress and abscisic acid (ABA)-mediated signalling pathways. The burgeoning and divergence of this family of protein kinases in plants may have occurred to enable cross-talk between metabolic and stress signalling, and ABA-response-element-binding proteins (AREBPs), a family of transcription factors, have been shown to be substrates for members of all three subfamilies. In this study, levels of SnRK1 protein were shown to decline dramatically in wheat roots in response to ABA treatment, although the amount of phosphorylated (active) SnRK1 remained constant. Multiple SnRK2-type protein kinases were detectable in the root extracts and showed differential responses to ABA treatment. They included a 42 kDa protein that appeared to reduce in response to 3 h of ABA treatment but to recover after longer treatment. There was a clear increase in phosphorylation of this SnRK2 in response to the ABA treatment. Fractions containing this 42 kDa SnRK2 were shown to phosphorylate synthetic peptides with amino acid sequences based on those of conserved phosphorylation sites in AREBPs. The activity increased 8-fold with the addition of calcium chloride, indicating that it is calcium-dependent. The activity assigned to the 42 kDa SnRK2 also phosphorylated a heterologously expressed wheat AREBP

A novel DSPP mutation causes dentinogenesis imperfecta type II in a large Mongolian family

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Several studies have shown that the clinical phenotypes of dentinogenesis imperfecta type II (DGI-II) may be caused by mutations in <it>dentin sialophosphoprotein </it>(<it>DSPP</it>). However, no previous studies have documented the clinical phenotype and genetic basis of DGI-II in a Mongolian family from China.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>We identified a large five-generation Mongolian family from China with DGI-II, comprising 64 living family members of whom 22 were affected. Linkage analysis of five polymorphic markers flanking <it>DSPP </it>gene was used to genotype the families and to construct the haplotypes of these families. All five DSPP exons including the intron-exon boundaries were PCR-amplified and sequenced in 48 members of this large family.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>All affected individuals showed discoloration and severe attrition of their teeth, with obliterated pulp chambers and without progressive high frequency hearing loss or skeletal abnormalities. No recombination was found at five polymorphic markers flanking DSPP in the family. Direct DNA sequencing identified a novel A→G transition mutation adjacent to the donor splicing site within intron 3 in all affected individuals but not in the unaffected family members and 50 unrelated Mongolian individuals.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>This study identified a novel mutation (IVS3+3A→G) in <it>DSPP</it>, which caused DGI-II in a large Mongolian family. This expands the spectrum of mutations leading to DGI-II.</p

Nanoparticles of Block Ionomer Complexes from Double Hydrophilic Poly(acrylic acid)-b-poly(ethylene oxide)-b-poly(acrylic acid) Triblock Copolymer and Oppositely Charged Surfactant

The novel water-dispersible nanoparticles from the double hydrophilic poly(acrylic acid)-b-poly(ethylene oxide)-b-poly(acrylic acid) (PAA-b-PEO-b-PAA) triblock copolymer and oppositely charged surfactant dodecyltrimethyl ammonium bromide (DTAB) were prepared by mixing the individual aqueous solutions. The structure of the nanoparticles was investigated as a function of the degree of neutralization (DN) by turbidimetry, dynamic light scattering (DSL),ζ-potential measurement, and atomic force microscope (AFM). The neutralization of the anionic PAA blocks with cationic DTAB accompanied with the hydrophobic interaction of alkyl tails of DTAB led to formation of core–shell nanoparticles with the core of the DTAB neutralized PAA blocks and the shell of the looped PEO blocks. The water-dispersible nanoparticles with negative ζ-potential were obtained over the DN range from 0.4 to 2.0 and their sizes depended on the DN. The looped PEO blocks hindered the further neutralization of the PAA blocks with cationic DTAB, resulting in existence of some negative charged PAA-b-PEO-b-PAA backbones even when DN > 1.0. The spherical and ellipsoidal nature of these nanoparticles was observed with AFM

Dynamic model of basic oxygen steelmaking process based on multi-zone reaction kinetics : modelling of manganese removal

In the earlier work, a dynamic model for the BOF process based on the multi-zone reaction kinetics has been developed. In the preceding part, the mechanism of manganese transfer in three reactive zones of the converter has been analyzed. This study identifies that temperature at the slag-metal reaction interface plays a major role in the Mn reaction kinetics and thus a mathematical treatment to evaluate temperature at each reaction interface has been successfully employed in the rate calculation. The Mn removal rate obtained from different zones of the converter predicts that the first stage of the blow is dominated by the oxidation of Mn at the jet impact zone, albeit some additional Mn refining has been observed as a result of the oxidation of metal droplets in emulsion phase. The mathematical model predicts that the reversion of Mn from slag to metal primarily takes place at the metal droplet in the emulsion due to an excessive increase in slag-metal interface temperature during the middle stage of blowing. In the final stage of the blow, the competition between simultaneous reactions in jet impact and emulsion zone controls the direction of mass flow of manganese. Further, the model prediction shows that the Mn refining in the emulsion is a strong function of droplet diameter and the residence time. Smaller sized droplets approach equilibrium quickly and thus contribute to a significant Mn conversion between slag and metal compared to the larger sized ones. The overall model prediction for Mn in the hot metal has been found to be in good agreement with two sets of different size top blowing converter data reported in the literature