Biomedical Signal Transceivers

With the growing costs of healthcare, the need for mobile health monitoring devices is critical. A wireless transceiver provides a cost effective way to transmit biomedical signals to the various personal electronic devices, such as computers, cellular devices, and other mobile devices. Different kinds of biomedical signals can be processed and transmitted by these devices, including electroencephalograph (EEG), electrocardiograph (ECG), and electromyography (EMG). By utilizing wireless transmission, the user gains freedom to connect with fewer constraints to their personal devices to view and monitor their health condition. In this chapter, in the first few sections, we will introduce the reader with the basic design of the biomedical transceivers and some of the design issues. In the subsequent sections, we will be presenting design challenges for wireless transceivers, specially using a common wireless protocol Bluetooth. Furthermore, we will share our experience of implementing a biomedical transceiver for ECG signals and processing them. We conclude the discussion with current trends and future work

eHealth Literacy Instruments: Systematic Review of Measurement Properties

BackgroundThe internet is now a major source of health information. With the growth of internet users, eHealth literacy has emerged as a new concept for digital health care. Therefore, health professionals need to consider the eHealth literacy of consumers when providing care utilizing digital health technologies. ObjectiveThis study aimed to identify currently available eHealth literacy instruments and evaluate their measurement properties to provide robust evidence to researchers and clinicians who are selecting an eHealth literacy instrument. MethodsWe conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis of self-reported eHealth literacy instruments by applying the updated COSMIN (COnsensus-based Standards for the selection of health Measurement INstruments) methodology. ResultsThis study included 7 instruments from 41 articles describing 57 psychometric studies, as identified in 4 databases (PubMed, CINAHL, Embase, and PsycInfo). No eHealth literacy instrument provided evidence for all measurement properties. The eHealth literacy scale (eHEALS) was originally developed with a single-factor structure under the definition of eHealth literacy before the rise of social media and the mobile web. That instrument was evaluated in 18 different languages and 26 countries, involving diverse populations. However, various other factor structures were exhibited: 7 types of two-factor structures, 3 types of three-factor structures, and 1 bifactor structure. The transactional eHealth literacy instrument (TeHLI) was developed to reflect the broader concept of eHealth literacy and was demonstrated to have a sufficient low-quality and very low-quality evidence for content validity (relevance, comprehensiveness, and comprehensibility) and sufficient high-quality evidence for structural validity and internal consistency; however, that instrument has rarely been evaluated. ConclusionsThe eHealth literacy scale was the most frequently investigated instrument. However, it is strongly recommended that the instrument's content be updated to reflect recent advancements in digital health technologies. In addition, the transactional eHealth literacy instrument needs improvements in content validity and further psychometric studies to increase the credibility of its synthesized evidence

Self-efficacy instruments for type 2 diabetes self-care: A systematic review of measurement properties

Aims To identify currently available self-efficacy instruments for type 2 diabetes self-care and to evaluate the evidence for their measurement properties. Design Systematic review of measurement properties. Data sources The PubMed, Embase and CINAHL databases were searched from their inception to 27 May 2019. Review methods The updated COnsensus-based Standards for the selection of health Measurement INstruments methodology were applied. Results Twelve instruments were identified from 3,665 records. Eight instruments were related to self-efficacy in performing a comprehensive set of the tasks/behaviours for diabetes self-care and the other four addressed specific behaviours related to diabetes self-care, such as insulin management. Most of the 12 instruments were developed based on Bandura's self-efficacy theory as their theoretical background. Overall, sufficient high-quality evidence for measurement properties was seldom identified. The Diabetes Management Self-Efficacy Scale is currently the best instrument, with particularly the 4-factor, 16-item version being demonstrated to have sufficient high-quality evidence for structural and internal consistency and sufficient moderate-quality evidence for reliability and convergent validity. Conclusions None of the instruments evaluated all of the relevant measurement properties. The Diabetes Management Self-Efficacy Scale is currently the most suitable instrument for potential use in practice and research. The measurement invariance across languages, measurement error and responsiveness of this instrument still need be evaluated. Impact This systematic review provides clinicians and researchers with a comprehensive list of available instruments for measuring self-efficacy in diabetes self-care, as well as evidence for helping them to select the most appropriate instrument. Using a psychometrically sound instrument will accurately inform practitioners about the levels of self-efficacy in self-care among patients with type 2 diabetes in practice and avoid threatening the credibility of research studies on self-efficacy in diabetes self-care.11Nsciessciscopu

Synthesis of Some Green Dopants for OLEDs Based on Arylamine 2,3-disubstituted Bithiophene Derivatives

A series of green dopants based on 2,2-diphenylvinyl end-capped bithiophene and three different arylamine moieties (9-phenylcarbazole, triphenylamine, and N,N’-di-(p-tolyl)benzeneamine) were successfully synthesized by the Suzuki and Wittig coupling reactions. The photophysical properties of these compounds are reported. The strongest PL emitting compound with the 9-phenylcarbazole moiety has been used for fabricating an OLED device with good overall performance

Pathways Linking Health Literacy to Self-Management in People with Type 2 Diabetes

Health literacy is considered to be an emerging determinant of health behaviors and outcomes. The underlying mechanisms linking health literacy to diabetes self-management are currently unclear. This study assessed a mediation model consisting of a direct pathway between health literacy and self-management, and indirect pathways via social isolation only, self-efficacy only, and social isolation and self-efficacy serially in people with type 2 diabetes. A cross-sectional design was employed, and a total of 524 participants were recruited from outpatient clinics of multi-institutions from June 2020 to February 2021. The mediation model was analyzed using the PROCESS macro on SPSS with bootstrap bias-corrected 95% confidence intervals (CIs) with 10,000 bootstrapping iterations. Health literacy positively affected self-management. The estimated indirect effect of health literacy on self-management via social isolation was significant, at 0.018 (95% CI = 0.004–0.036). The indirect effect via self-efficacy was estimated at 0.214 (95% CI = 0.165–0.266). The indirect effect via social isolation and self-efficacy serially was 0.013 (95% CI = 0.006–0.023). The findings of this study suggest that clinical practice can be improved through more comprehensive diabetes self-management interventions that promote all of the components of health literacy, social contacts/networks, and self-efficacy in particular