Development of iot-based agility timer prototype and classification of agility

To date, there is limited specific device available that can measure agility time and deficient study has been conducted to study agility classification. Thus, the aim of this study is to develop an Internet of Things (IoT)-based agility timer prototype with appropriate agility experiment protocol to evaluate the agility time of combat sports athletes and perform agility profiling using supervised machine learnings. The main components of the prototype consisted of an Arduino NodeMCU board, a vibration sensor, an organic light-emitting diode (OLED), three visual stimuli (red, green and yellow LEDs) and an audio stimulus (buzzer). Through the integration with the Blynk app, the data obtained can be viewed not only on the OLED display but on Blynk App too. Prototype assessment by means of statistical analysis was found to be valid (R = 0.998, R 2 = 0.997, p < 0.05), reliable (ICC ≥ 0.9) and accurate (0.06 - 0.084 RMSE). Fifty combat sports athletes (26 Silat and 24 Taekwondo athletes) were recruited to undergo two agility experiments: Simple Agility Time (SAT) and Multiple-Choice Agility Time (MCAT). It was found that 80 % of the participants were more responsive towards the audio stimulus as compared with the visual stimulus. In terms of visual cognition, 40 % of the subjects were more responsive towards the red LED stimulus in comparison with the yellow LED and green LED stimuli. Next, supervised Support Vector Machine (SVM), K-Nearest Neighbor (KNN) and Artificial Neural Network (ANN) were implemented to classify agility time into three classes, which were high, medium and low based on two inputs: agility time and body mass index (BMI). The classification benchmark was determined based on the agility time threshold range. The findings revealed that the best supervised classifier model was ANN, which gave 100 % accuracy for each stimulus. Next, an agility calculator based on the ANN model was developed to obtain the athletes’ agility class. In conclusion, a valid, reliable and accurate IoT-based agility timer prototype was successfully developed to assess the agility time of combat sports athletes, and an agility calculator based on the ANN model was created to obtain the agility class of athletes

IoT-based instrumentation development for reaction time, kick impact force, and flexibility index measurement

This paper presents an Internet of Thing (IoT)- based instrumentation development using vibration sensor, force sensor, and Blynk app to obtain the reaction time, kick impact force, and flexibility index based on visual stimulants. Besides the Blynk app, vibration, and force sensors, other main components of the prototype are the Arduino NodeMCU microcontroller, and three LEDs (yellow, red, and green). The developed prototype was able to record the reaction time, kick impact force, and flexibility index. These outputs could be viewed not only on the Organic Light Emitting Diode (OLED) display but also on the smartphone via the Blynk app interface. To evaluate the performance of the developed prototype, four male Silat athletes weighing between 61kg to 80kg were recruited for this experiment. They were requested to undergo a Simple Reaction Time (SRT) task which requires them to perform three trials of the front kick. From the SRT findings, it can be deduced that 75% of the participants reacted faster towards green LED with the fastest reaction time recorded was 1485.2±126.7ms compared to yellow and red LEDs. In the future, the design of the hardware in terms of circuitry and hardware casing will be improved for a better prototype presentation. Secondly, a big sample size of subjects and different branches of combat sports will be recruited to assist in further analysis. Furthermore, the sound stimuli will be included in future studies. Lastly, further research should be conducted to assess the effect of colored stimuli on the reaction time of the athletes

Expression Analysis of Differentiated Sago Palm Gene (Sulfate Transporter and Boron Transporter) via Amplified cDNA

The scientific name of the sago palm is Metroxylon sagu. It is a species that can be found in wetland areas of Malaysia. The present study looks on the gene expression level of sulfate transporter and boron transporter gene by using trunking and non-trunking sago palm leaves. Liquid nitrogen was used to deactivate the nucleases in the leaves. CTAB extraction method was used for RNA extraction. DNase treatment was carried out to increase the yield of RNA. Primers were designed for targeting sulfate transporter gene and boron transporter gene. Gel electrophoresis was done for visualize the RNA, fragments then convert to cDNA and undergo amplification. The expression level of sulfate transporter gene and boron transporter gene was found to be similar in trunking and non-trunking sago trees. Thebands in sulfate transporter gene were more fainted when compared to boron transporter gene. Further research on the gene expression level of both gene should be conducted in order to understand the formation of non-trunking sago palm trees and due to its high potential in economic application

Unique Challenges for Mental Health in Inpatient Settings Amid the COVID-19 Pandemic

COVID-19 has impacted the world in many ways due to fears of contracting the pandemic, social distancing, and large-scale movement control rules. These have especially grave consequences for inpatient psychiatry. This article reviews measures taken to adapt to the new norm in inpatient care, both for standalone psychiatry units and consultation-liaison units. For inpatient units, changes have been made for personal protective equipment usage, screening and triaging policies, and training and educational policies. Consultation liaison units together with inpatient units have been required to expand the scope of coverage and difficulties by providing certain teleconsultation services. As the new norm takes precedence, Sabah has to embrace and empower community-based psychiatry services for better outreach and coverage. This article discusses the issues underlying the new norm in the management of inpatient psychiatry patients in both units and presents some points and practical solutions on the ground to instil hope

Unique challenges for mental health in inpatient settings amid the COVID-19 pandemic: Perspective from Sabah

COVID-19 has impacted the world in many ways due to fears of contracting the pandemic, social distancing, and large-scale movement control rules. These have especially grave consequences for inpatient psychiatry. This article reviews measures taken to adapt to the new norm in inpatient care, both for standalone psychiatry units and consultation-liaison units. For inpatient units, changes have been made for personal protective equipment usage, screening and triaging policies, and training and educational policies. Consultation liaison units together with inpatient units have been required to expand the scope of coverage and difficulties by providing certain teleconsultation services. As the new norm takes precedence, Sabah has to embrace and empower community-based psychiatry services for better outreach and coverage. This article discusses the issues underlying the new norm in the management of inpatient psychiatry patients in both units and presents some points and practical solutions on the ground to instil hope

Treatment for identical twins simultaneously developing an eating disorder precipitated by COVID-19 pandemic home quarantine

An eating disorder presenting simultaneously in identical twins remains a rarity in the literature. In this case report, we describe monozygotic twins who presented simultaneously with anorexia nervosa as a psychological effect of COVID-19 home quarantine. Both twins were previously well but developed food restriction, exercise, and mutual surveillance behaviours in competition with each other over three months in early 2020. There were no features of other mood, anxiety or psychotic disorders, and there was no organic disease. However, a strong family history of anxiety disorders and highly permeable familial boundaries were identified. Non-pharmacological management modalities including family therapy and psychotherapy were implemented, and tailored to the twins. We discuss the unique genetic and psychological interactions that conceivably explain the aetiology of this simultaneous presentation of an eating disorder in a pair of twins and examine a simple psychodynamic formulation of this simultaneous emergence. Lastly, we look at the sequelae of COVID-19 related quarantines and isolation as potentiators of eating disorders in adolescents whose education and potential employment were drastically curtailed by movement restrictions

The effects of age on clinical characteristics, hospitalization and mortality of patients with influenza‐related illness at a tertiary care centre in Malaysia

Background: Age is an established risk factor for poor outcomes in individuals with influenza-related illness, and data on its influence on clinical presentations and outcomes in the South-East Asian settings are scarce. The aim of this study was to determine the above among adults with influenza-related upper respiratory tract infection at a teaching hospital in Malaysia. Methods: A retrospective case-note analysis was conducted on a cohort of 3935 patients attending primary care at the University Malaya Medical Centre, Malaysia from February 2012 till May 2014 with URTI symptoms. Demographics, clinical characteristics, medical and vaccination history were obtained from electronic medical records, and mortality data from the National Registration Department. Comparisons were made between those aged <25, ≥25 to <65 and ≥65 years. Results: 470 (11.9%) had PCR-confirmed influenza virus infection. Six (1.3%) received prior influenza vaccination. Those aged ≥65 years were more likely to have ≥2 comorbidities (P <.001) and were less likely to present with fever (P =.004). One-third of those aged ≥65 years experienced hospitalization, intensive care admission or death within a year compared to 10% in the ≥25 to <65 years. Age ≥65 years was an independent predictor of hospitalization and death (OR = 9.97; 95% CI = 3.11-31.93) compared to those aged <25 years. Conclusion: Older patients in our cohort were more likely to have comorbidities and present with atypical features, with older age being an independent predictor of poor health outcomes. Our findings will now inform future health policies on older persons and economic modelling of adult vaccination programmes. © 2019 The Authors. Influenza and Other Respiratory Viruses Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd

Intravesical Chemohyperthermia vs. Bacillus Calmette-Guerin Instillation for Intermediate- and High-Risk Non-muscle Invasive Bladder Cancer: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

© 2021 Zhao, Chan, Castellani, Chan, Ong, Peng, Moschini, Krajewski, Pradere, Ng, Enikeev, Vasdev, Ekin, Sousa, Leon, Guerrero-Ramos, Tan, Kelly, Shariat, Witjes and Teoh. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/Background: The efficacy of intravesical chemotherapy maintenance for patients with non-muscle invasive bladder cancer (NMIBC) is inferior compared to intravesical bacillus Calmette–Guerin (BCG). How intravesical chemohyperthermia (CHT) compares with BCG is under investigation. Objective: To compare the oncological outcomes and safety profile between intravesical CHT and BCG treatment for intermediate- and high-risk NMIBC. Methods: We performed a systematic review and meta-analysis of clinical studies comparing CHT with BCG for intermediate- and high-risk NMIBC patients. A comprehensive literature search on OVID MEDLINE, EMBASE, and Cochrane Library was conducted. Risk of bias was assessed by the Cochrane RoB tool and ROBINS-I. Certainty of evidence was rated using the Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation (GRADE) methodology. Results: A total of 2,375 articles were identified and five studies were finally included. Among them, four randomised trials comprising 327 patients (CHT group: 156 patients; BCG group: 171 patients) were included in the meta-analysis. There were no significant differences in the 24–36 months recurrence rates (CHT: 29.5%, BCG: 37.4%; RR: 0.83, 95% CI 0.61–1.13; moderate certainty of evidence) and the 24–36 months progression rates (CHT: 4.4%, BCG: 7.6%, RR = 0.62, 95% CI 0.26–1.49; low certainty of evidence). There were also no significant differences in grade 1–2 adverse events (CHT group: 59.9%, BCG group 54.5%; RR = 1.10, 95% CI 0.93–1.30; moderate certainty of evidence) and grade 3 or above adverse events (CHT group: 23.2%, BCG group 22.5%; RR = 0.99, 95% CI 0.69–1.43; low certainty of evidence). Conclusions: Intravesical CHT had equivalent oncological outcomes and similar safety profile when compared to BCG maintenance therapy for patients with intermediate- and high-risk NMIBC. CHT is a possible alternative treatment in the times of BCG shortage.Peer reviewedFinal Published versio