The role of attentional focus on walking efficiency among older fallers and non-fallers

This is the final version. Available on open access from OUP via the DOI in this recordResearch Grants Council of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, China

Predicting intensive care outcome: comparing three outcome prediction models, APACHE II, SAPS II, and MPM II

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Developing an aerobic exercise intervention for patients with psoriasis to support lifestyle behaviour change and improve health outcomes

BACKGROUND: Patients with psoriasis do not exercise to the extent recommended for cardiovascular health, which may contribute to the increased risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD) and metabolic syndrome observed in this patient group. We previously identified that patients with psoriasis have significant disease-specific barriers to exercise. Others have reported that individuals with psoriasis develop higher heart rates and systolic blood pressure during bouts of exercise, followed by a slower recovery than healthy control subjects. AIMS: We hypothesized that a bespoke, evidenced-based, exercise programme could be developed for patients with psoriasis. METHODS: We convened a multidisciplinary Working Group comprising key stakeholders, including patients with psoriasis, along with sports scientists and clinicians, to develop the programme. RESULTS: To allow for different levels of fitness, lifestyle and motivation a 10-week intervention comprising two group walking sessions per week each of 1 h duration [led by a sports scientist (RS)] was designed using the Mapometer website. Walking distance was validated by a Walkmeter application, which uses global positioning system technology. The volume of exercise per session was calculated so that participants could incrementally progress to heart-healthy levels of exercise over the course of the programme. Maps of 20 unique walking routes were developed. A GENEactiv Original accelerometer and Newfeel Onwalk 900 pedometer were selected as wearable devices. CONCLUSION: We developed an exercise programme which specifically removed barriers to exercise for those with psoriasis, in partnership with patients. Regular exercise may offer significant health benefits for patients with psoriasis, including reduced CVD risk and increased psychosocial functioning, and this programme merits further investigation

Examining links between anxiety, reinvestment and walking when talking by older adults during adaptive gait

Falls by older adults often result in reduced quality of life and debilitating fear of further falls. Stopping walking when talking (SWWT) is a significant predictor of future falls by older adults and is thought to reflect age-related increases in attentional demands of walking. We examine whether SWWT is associated with use of explicit movement cues during locomotion, and evaluate if conscious control (i.e., movement specific reinvestment) is causally linked to falls-related anxiety during a complex walking task. We observed whether twenty-four older adults stopped walking when talking when asked a question during an adaptive gait task. After certain trials, participants completed a visual-spatial recall task regarding walkway features, or answered questions about their movements during the walk. In a subsequent experimental condition, participants completed the walking task under conditions of raised postural threat. Compared to a control group, participants who SWWT reported higher scores for aspects of reinvestment relating to conscious motor processing but not movement self-consciousness. The higher scores for conscious motor processing were preserved when scores representing cognitive function were included as a covariate. There were no group differences in measures of general cognitive function, visual spatial working memory or balance confidence. However, the SWWT group reported higher scores on a test of external awareness when walking, indicating allocation of attention away from task-relevant environmental features. Under conditions of increased threat, participants self-reported significantly greater state anxiety and reinvestment and displayed more accurate responses about their movements during the task. SWWT is not associated solely with age-related cognitive decline or generic increases in age-related attentional demands of walking. SWWT may be caused by competition for phonological resources of working memory associated with consciously processing motor actions and appears to be causally linked with fall-related anxiety and increased vigilance.This research was supported by The Royal Society (IE131576) and British Academy (SG132820)

Tuning-free controller to accurately regulate flow rates in a microfluidic network

We describe a control algorithm that can improve accuracy and stability of flow regulation in a microfluidic network that uses a conventional pressure pump system. The algorithm enables simultaneous and independent control of fluid flows in multiple micro-channels of a microfluidic network, but does not require any model parameters or tuning process. We investigate robustness and optimality of the proposed control algorithm and those are verified by simulations and experiments. In addition, the control algorithm is compared with a conventional PID controller to show that the proposed control algorithm resolves critical problems induced by the PID control. The capability of the control algorithm can be used not only in high-precision flow regulation in the presence of disturbance, but in some useful functions for lab-on-a-chip devices such as regulation of volumetric flow rate, interface position control of two laminar flows, valveless flow switching, droplet generation and particle manipulation. We demonstrate those functions and also suggest further potential biological applications which can be accomplished by the proposed control framework.open1142sciescopu

Preliminary Limits on the WIMP-Nucleon Cross Section from the Cryogenic Dark Matter Search (CDMS)

We are conducting an experiment to search for WIMPs, or weakly-interacting massive particles, in the galactic halo using terrestrial detectors. This generic class of hypothetical particles, whose properties are similar to those predicted by extensions of the standard model of particle physics, could comprise the cold component of non-baryonic dark matter. We describe our experiment, which is based on cooled germanium and silicon detectors in a shielded low-background cryostat. The detectors achieve a high degree of background rejection through the simultaneous measurement of the energy in phonons and ionization. Using exposures on the order of one kilogram-day from initial runs of our experiment, we have achieved (preliminary) upper limits on the WIMP-nucleon cross section that are comparable to much longer runs of other experiments.Comment: 5 LaTex pages, 5 eps figs, epsf.sty, espcrc2dsa2.sty. Proceedings of TAUP97, Gran Sasso, Italy, 7-11 Sep 1997, Nucl. Phys. Suppl., A. Bottino, A. di Credico and P. Monacelli (eds.). See also http://cfpa.berkeley.ed

Ten-year experience with liver transplantation at Queen Mary Hospital: retrospective study.

OBJECTIVE: To report the experience with liver transplantation at the Queen Mary Hospital from 1991 to 2000. DESIGN: Retrospective study. SETTING: Liver transplant centre of a University teaching hospital, Hong Kong. PATIENTS: One hundred and forty-eight patients (127 adults and 21 children) who underwent a total of 155 liver transplants using 75 cadaver grafts (full-size, 67; reduced-size, 5; split, 3) and 80 living donor grafts (left lateral segment, 15; left lobe, 6; right lobe, 59) from October 1991 to December 2000 were reviewed. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Graft and patient survival rate. RESULTS: The most common disease indications for liver transplantation were chronic hepatitis B-related liver disease (n=74) in adults and biliary atresia (n=14) in children. Eighteen patients had hepatocellular carcinoma. Forty-eight (31%) liver transplants (three ABO-incompatible) were performed in high-urgency situations for patients requiring intensive care. The proportion of living donor liver transplants was 47.7% in adults and 73.9% in children. The overall 1-year and 5-year patient survival rates were 82% and 77%, respectively. The survival of high-risk recipients, such as those with fulminant hepatic failure (80%), chronic hepatitis B (81%), or hepatocellular carcinoma (94%), was not inferior to that of other patients. CONCLUSION: Over the last decade, the promotion of (cadaver) organ donation through public education coupled with innovative techniques in living donor liver transplantation have enabled a liver transplantation programme to be established in Hong Kong with gratifying results.published_or_final_versio

Greenhouse Gas Reduction Potential for South Korea

South Korea's energy policies over the past 40 years have focused on securing stable energy supplies from fossil fuels and nuclear power. In 2000, imported energy, mainly coal, oil, natural gas and uranium, accounted for 97.2% of national energy supply. The country's energy intensity has been much above the world average and is still increasing. The energy consumption per capita grew from 2.17 tons of oil equivalent(TOE) in 1990 to 4.10 tons of oil equivalent(TOE) in 2000, higher than in Japan and Germany. South Korea was the tenth largest source of carbon dioxide(C02) emissions in the world as of 1999(World Bank, 1999). South Korea has suffered environmental problems because of its heavy reliance on energy-intensive economy. South Korea's anthropogenic emissions of greenhouse gases in 1997 are shown in Table 1