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

Evaluation of Multidrug Efflux Pump Inhibitors by a New Method Using Microfluidic Channels

Fluorescein-di-β-d-galactopyranoside (FDG), a fluorogenic compound, is hydrolyzed by β-galactosidase in the cytoplasm of Escherichia coli to produce a fluorescent dye, fluorescein. We found that both FDG and fluorescein were substrates of efflux pumps, and have developed a new method to evaluate efflux-inhibitory activities in E. coli using FDG and a microfluidic channel device. We used E. coli MG1655 wild-type, ΔacrB (ΔB), ΔtolC (ΔC) and ΔacrBΔtolC (ΔBC) harboring plasmids carrying the mexAB-oprM (pABM) or mexXY-oprM (pXYM) genes of Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Two inhibitors, MexB-specific pyridopyrimidine (D13-9001) and non-specific Phe-Arg-β-naphthylamide (PAβN) were evaluated. The effects of inhibitors on pumps were observed using the microfluidic channel device under a fluorescence microscope. AcrAB-TolC and analogous pumps effectively prevented FDG influx in wild-type cells, resulting in no fluorescence. In contrast, ΔB or ΔC easily imported and hydrolyzed FDG to fluorescein, which was exported by residual pumps in ΔB. Consequently, fluorescent medium in ΔB and fluorescent cells of ΔC and ΔBC were observed in the microfluidic channels. D13-9001 substantially increased fluorescent cell number in ΔBC/pABM but not in ΔBC/pXYM. PAβN increased medium fluorescence in all strains, especially in the pump deletion mutants, and caused fluorescein accumulation to disappear in ΔC. The checkerboard method revealed that D13-9001 acts synergistically with aztreonam, ciprofloxacin, and erythromycin only against the MexAB-OprM producer (ΔBC/pABM), and PAβN acts synergistically, especially with erythromycin, in all strains including the pump deletion mutants. The results obtained from PAβN were similar to the results from membrane permeabilizer, polymyxin B or polymyxin B nonapeptide by concentration. The new method clarified that D13-9001 specifically inhibited MexAB-OprM in contrast to PAβN, which appeared to be a substrate of the pumps and permeabilized the membranes in E. coli

A new research agenda for managing socio-cultural integration

Post-acquisition socio-cultural integration has received increasing attention from both scholars and practitioners since the early 1990s. During the past decade, research has increasingly focused on emotions and identity in mergers and acquisitions. This chapter introduces the reader to the vibrant research field and its relevance. This section sets the scene for the book, which provides a deeper understanding of how emotions—both positive and negative—as well as values and identity enable a deeper socio-cultural integration after a merger or acquisition, and how leadership plays a crucial role in making it all happen. This chapter also highlights how the Nordic approach to post-acquisition socio-cultural integration refers to a large community of Nordic academics focusing on the softer social and human side of acquisition, often relying on a huge variety of qualitative methods, and to Nordic companies that are not afraid of adopting a more collaborative approach to post-acquisition integration

Benzene at 1GHz. Magnetic field-induced fine structure

The deuterium NMR spectrum of benzene-d6 in a high field spectrometer (1 GHz protons) exhibits a magnetic field-induced deuterium quadrupolar splitting ??. The magnitude of ?? observed for the central resonance is smaller than that observed for the 13C satellite doublets ???. This difference, ?(??) = ??? ? ??, is due to unresolved fine structure contributions to the respective resonances. We determine the origins of and simulate this difference, and report pulse sequences that exploit the connectivity of the peaks in the 13C and 2H spectra to determine the relative signs of the indirect coupling, JCD, and ??. The positive sign found for ?? is consonant with the magnetic field biasing of an isolated benzene molecule—the magnetic energy of the aromatic ring is lowest for configurations where the C6 axis is normal to the field. In the neat liquid the magnitude of ?? is decreased by the pair correlations in this prototypical molecular liquid

Non-tuberculous Mycobacteria can Cause Disseminated Mycobacteriosis in Cats

Mycobacteriosis caused by non-tuberculous mycobacteria (NTM) is a rising concern in human medicine both in immunocompromised and immunocompetent patients. In cats, mycobacteriosis caused by NTM is considered mostly to be a focal or dermal infection, with disseminated disease mostly caused by Mycobacterium avium. We describe three cases of disseminated mycobacteriosis in cats, caused by Mycobacterium malmoense, Mycobacterium branderi/shimoidei and M. avium, with no identified underlying immunosuppression. In all cases, extracellular mycobacteria were seen in the pulmonary epithelium, intestinal lumen and glomerular tufts, which could affect the shedding of the organism. The present study highlights the importance of mycobacteriosis as a differential even in immunocompetent animals. Considering the close relationship of owners and pets and the potential presence of free mycobacteria in secretions, cats should be considered as a possible environmental reservoir for mycobacteria. (C) 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.Peer reviewe

Artefact Appropriation in Facilitated Modelling: An Adaptive Structuration Theory Approach

Scholars have long acknowledged the importance of unveiling the black box of Operational Research (OR) practice. However, despite the emerging empirical studies in the area known as ‘Behavioural OR’, there is still a dearth of research into how artefacts are used at the micro-level of OR practice. This paper addresses this gap by using Adaptive Structuration Theory (AST) to study the appropriation (use) of artefacts during a Facilitated Modelling (FM) workshop. We argue that the appropriation of artefacts from the workshop participants enables them to engage in negotiation of meaning with action implications effectively, but appropriation occurs at varying intensities (high, medium, low) depending on the issue of concern. Moreover, we identify that artefacts are reproduced if their reproduction is an aim or part of an aim of strategic discourse. Finally, we outline the limitations of our study and future research avenues

Building professional discourse in emerging markets: Language, context and the challenge of sensemaking

Using ethnographic evidence from the former Soviet republics, this article examines a relatively new and mainly unobserved in the International Business (IB) literature phenomenon of communication disengagement that manifests itself in many emerging markets. We link it to the deficiencies of the local professional business discourse rooted in language limitations reflecting lack of experience with the market economy. This hampers cognitive coherence between foreign and local business entities, adding to the liability of foreignness as certain instances of professional experience fail to find adequate linguistic expression, and complicates cross-cultural adjustments causing multi-national companies (MNCs) financial losses. We contribute to the IB literature by examining cross-border semantic sensemaking through a retrospectively constructed observational study. We argue that a relative inadequacy of the national professional idiom is likely to remain a feature of business environment in post-communist economies for some time and therefore should be factored into business strategies of MNCs. Consequently, we recommend including discursive hazards in the risk evaluation of international projects