From A to Z: Wearable technology explained

Wearable technology (WT) has become a viable means to provide low-cost clinically sensitive data for more informed patient assessment. The benefit of WT seems obvious: small, worn discreetly in any environment, personalised data and possible integration into communication networks, facilitating remote monitoring. Yet, WT remains poorly understood and technology innovation often exceeds pragmatic clinical demand and use. Here, we provide an overview of the common challenges facing WT if it is to transition from novel gadget to an efficient, valid and reliable clinical tool for modern medicine. For simplicity, an A–Z guide is presented, focusing on key terms, aiming to provide a grounded and broad understanding of current WT developments in healthcare

Cultural influences on critical thinking : a pedagogy for educating immigrant preservice teachers

There is no single definition of critical thinking, but there seems to be concurrence that it requires effective cognitive strategies to evaluate information and to draw conclusions based on reason. This article considers critical thinking as an inherent ability to engage in reasoned and reflective thinking on the contents of knowledge associated with educational psychology. The development of critical thinking abilities in preservice teachers who are either immigrants, or first-generation Americans raised in immigrant communities, is explored to gain an understanding of the effect of cultural influences on critical thinking in immigrant populations. Epistemic philosophical frameworks are identified to encompass McPeck’s critical thinking constructs and facilitate its infusion into pedagogical practices for educating immigrant preservice teachers. Further, the article examines the relationship between critical thinking abilities and cultural influences that shape ways of knowing, and discusses how immigrant or immigrant community preservice teachers might use cultural frameworks to critically analyse the tacit assumptions, beliefs, and practices embedded in the mainstream teacher education curriculum in countries such as the United States. To accomplish this connection, the authors recommend pedagogies (or androgogies for adult learners) that educators can infuse in the curriculum to foster critical thinking in the educational psychology discipline.peer-reviewe

Towards Investigating Global Warming Impact on Human Health Using Derivatives of Photoplethysmogram Signals

Recent clinical studies show that the contour of the photoplethysmogram (PPG) wave contains valuable information for characterizing cardiovascular activity. However, analyzing the PPG wave contour is difficult; therefore, researchers have applied first or higher order derivatives to emphasize and conveniently quantify subtle changes in the filtered PPG contour. Our hypothesis is that analyzing the whole PPG recording rather than each PPG wave contour or on a beat-by-beat basis can detect heat-stressed subjects and that, consequently, we will be able to investigate the impact of global warming on human health. Here, we explore the most suitable derivative order for heat stress assessment based on the energy and entropy of the whole PPG recording. The results of our study indicate that the use of the entropy of the seventh derivative of the filtered PPG signal shows promising results in detecting heat stress using 20-second recordings, with an overall accuracy of 71.6%. Moreover, the combination of the entropy of the seventh derivative of the filtered PPG signal with the root mean square of successive differences, or RMSSD (a traditional heart rate variability index of heat stress), improved the detection of heat stress to 88.9% accuracy

The Low Abundance of CpG in the SARS-CoV-2 Genome Is Not an Evolutionarily Signature of ZAP

The zinc finger antiviral protein (ZAP) is known to restrict viral replication by binding to the CpG rich regions of viral RNA, and subsequently inducing viral RNA degradation. This enzyme has recently been shown to be capable of restricting SARS-CoV-2. These data have led to the hypothesis that the low abundance of CpG in the SARS-CoV-2 genome is due to an evolutionary pressure exerted by the host ZAP. To investigate this hypothesis, we performed a detailed analysis of many coronavirus sequences and ZAP RNA binding preference data. Our analyses showed neither evidence for an evolutionary pressure acting specifically on CpG dinucleotides, nor a link between the activity of ZAP and the low CpG abundance of the SARS-CoV-2 genome

Consistent condom use and its predictors among female sexual partners of people who inject drugs in Klang Valley, Malaysia

Background: Men who inject drugs (MWIDs) comprise the highest percentage of diagnosed HIV cases in Malaysia. Their female partners risk being infected through unprotected sexual contact. This paper reports the prevalence of consistent condom use and its predictors among the wives and regular sexual partners of MWIDs in Klang Valley, Malaysia. Methods: A cross-sectional study using a self-administered questionnaire was conducted among the wives and regular sexual partners of MWIDs in the study location; 221 women were recruited through respondentdriven sampling. Data were analysed descriptively for the prevalence of consistent condom use, HIV status and HIV risk-related behaviour. Subsequently, simple and multiple logistic regressions were undertaken to identify the predictors of consistent condom use. Results: The prevalence of consistent condom use among respondents was 19.5%. Slightly more than half (52.5%) of respondents had never used condoms with their partner. Fourteen women (6.3%) reported being HIV positive. While 7.7% had HIV-positive partners, 45.7% were unaware of their partner’s HIV status. Consistent condom use was significantly higher among single women (AOR = 4.95; 95% CI: 2.45, 9.99), women who lived in urban areas (AOR = 2.97; 95% CI: 1.30, 6.78), HIV-positive women (AOR = 3.45; 95% CI: 1.13, 10.5) and women involved in sex work (AOR = 3.55, 95% CI: 1.45, 8.67). Conclusions: Inconsistent condom use among the majority of female sexual partners of MWIDs underscores the heightened risk faced by these women and calls for alternative prevention methods that women are able to control