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The evaluation of high-and moderate-intensity interval exercise on perceptual responses, physical health, quality of life, mental well-being and exercise motivation among college students in China
No full textThe prevalence of physical inactivity among college students has become a serious challenge for the education and health authorities across many regions in the world, including China. Consequently, researchers and health providers have shifted their attention to interval-type of exercise as a potentially effective strategy to promote physical activity. However, it is unclear whether different intensities of interval exercise could promote exercise adherence and overall wellness among college students. The present study examined the effects of different work intensities during interval exercise training on the perceptual responses, physical health parameters, exercise motivation, mental well-being and health-related quality of life (HRQOL) in physically inactive college students. Twenty-four inactive college students (aged 20.8 ± 1.2 years; PA levels = 448 ± 80 MET-min/week) were randomly assigned to two groups: High-Intensity Interval Exercise (HIIE) or Moderate-Intensity Interval Exercise (MIIE). Both groups underwent 12 weeks of exercise intervention, with 6–10 × 1-minute work intervals at 90% of Maximal Aerobic Speed (MAS) for HIIE and 6–10 × 1-minute work intervals at 60% of MAS for MIIE. The exercise sessions were conducted three times per week, for a total of 36 sessions. Perceptual responses (affective, enjoyment, and perceived exertion) observed in sessions 1, 18, and 36 were measured. Whereas physical health parameters (cardiorespiratory fitness and body composition), exercise motivation, mental well-being (stress, depression, and anxiety) and HRQOL were measured before and after 12-week exercise intervention. The results of the Mixed Factorial Analysis of Variance displayed significant interactions between experimental groups across the measurement sessions compared to the control group for feeling scale (FS), enjoyment, cardiorespiratory responses, anxiety, depression, HRQOL, and exercise motivation. The results of post–hoc analysis displayed that HIIE group generated lower affective responses at work interval 4 and end work interval in session 1 and session 18 compared to MIIE group (all P < 0.05). However, HIIE elicited greater score in FS at the end of the work interval during sessions 18 and 36 compared to session 1 (P < 0.05). Both groups generated greater post-enjoyment in session 36 compared to session 1 (all P < 0.05). A significant improvement in cardiorespiratory responses and body composition was observed in HIIE group compared to MIIE group following a 12-week intervention (P < 0.05). Also, HIIE group produced a significant improvement in anxiety and depression scores following a 12-week intervention compared to MIIE group (all P < 0.05). HIIE elicited an improvement from baseline in overall HRQOL variables (all P < 0.05) compared to only two HRQOL variables in MIIE group (all P < 0.05). A significant improvement in intrinsic and identified scores were also observed (all P < 0.05) after HIIE intervention. In contrast, MIIE group elicited greater scores in external and amotivation following exercise intervention (all P < 0.05). HIIE appears to be a time-efficient and viable strategy to facilitate future exercise adherence while producing overall physical and mental well-being among physically inactive college students when considering the impact of perceptual responses, overall physical health parameters, and exercise motivation factors
Low-cost condition monitoring for unbalanced motor systems using tuned dynamic vibration absorber
Full text linkUnbalanced motor is referred to the situation of a rotating system where there is an uneven distribution of mass, resulting the significant vibration or imbalance problems. Poor management of unbalanced motor can lead to various issues, such as increased vibration, decreased efficiency, and potential damage of both motor and the integrated system. This study investigates the performance of reduction vibration for an integrated unbalanced motor-beam structure using a Tuned Dynamic Vibration Absorbers (TDVA), with different types of TDVA stiffness (stainless steel, aluminium, brass and titanium). To gain a better understanding of the system dynamic behavior, the natural frequencies of the beam were determined using an Experimental Modal Analysis prior to implementing the TDVA. The Operational Deflection Shapes (ODS) experiment was conducted in the z-axis direction with three different motor speeds; 880 RPM (14.8 Hz), 2100 RPM (35 Hz) and 2800 RPM (46.5 Hz) to observe the most significant vibration of the beam during operation. Later, the TDVA which consisted of two secondary masses, was employed to modify the structural dynamic response of the beam. The lengths of the TDVA masses were adjusted based on the motor speed to optimize vibration reduction of the beam. The selection of TDVA stiffness materials was driven by their varying densities, moduli of elasticity and damping capacities, providing insight into their suitability for specific operating frequencies and conditions. Various TDVA stiffness materials were applied to determine the most effective vibration attenuation and it was found that aluminium
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material has produced the highest attenuation of 93.18 % at motor speed of 2880 RPM. Furthermore, a low-cost condition-based monitoring (CBM) system was developed using an Arduino Uno microcontroller connected to a Raspberry Pi. This system utilized an MPU9250 sensor which is cost-effective and appropriate for vibration measurement. The CBM system dashboard was hosted using the cloud, allowing real-time access to the vibration data. The system employed four programmable conditions to continuously assess the vibration activities. This affordable approach offers an accessible solution for small-scale industries, reducing reliance on expensive industrial-grade analyzers. In the event of abnormal vibration, the CBM system can trigger a notification alert, serving as a preventive measure against structure failures. The findings contribute to broader applications, including the improvement of maintenance strategies across various industries, emphasizing the transformative impact of combining effective vibration control and low-cost monitoring systems. It is also contributes to the understanding of the effect of different TDVA stiffness materials on the vibration control of beam structures with the additional of practical approach for real-time condition monitoring to improve system reliability
Anxiety, depression and coping strategies among parents of children with autism at zayed higher organization for-people of determination, Abu Dhabi
No full textAutism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder causing social communication impairments, restricted interests, and repetitive behaviors. A global prevalence of one in every 100 children presents lifelong challenges for affected families. Parents often experience psychological stress due to caregiving issues, inadequate support systems, and societal stigma, especially in Arab countries. This study aims to assess the levels of anxiety, depression, and coping strategies as well as determining factors associated with depression, anxiety, and coping strategies among parents of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) children at the Zayed Higher Organization for People of Determination, Abu Dhabi. This cross-sectional study involved 200 parents of children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), recruited through convenience sampling. Data was collected by inviting available and willing parents of children with ASD at the Zayed Higher Organization in Abu Dhabi to participate in the study by completing an online self-administered questionnaire. The data was collected using a validated online self-administered questionnaire consisting of the hospital anxiety and depression scale (HADS) to measure anxiety and depression and the Ways of Coping Questionnaire (WOC) to measure coping methods. Data were analyzed using SPSS version 27 with a chi-square test for categorical data. The results show that the majority of the respondents had moderate anxiety levels n=72 (36%) and high depression levels (48.5%), and most of the respondents were moderate-level copers (81.3%). There was no significant association between the respondents' coping levels and their levels of depression and anxiety. The analysis identifies several factors that are significantly associated with anxiety levels: education level (p = 0.011), employment (p = 0.028), marital status (p = 0.022), number of children (p = 0.001), and children’s sex (p = 0.028). In addition to the children age/year (p = 0.010). Depression levels are associated with marital status (p = 0.035) and the children’s method of education (p = 0.002). For coping levels, the factors associated are the respondent's age (p = 0.019), marital status (p = 0.009), and the children’s method of education (p = 0.002). In addition, Income (p = <0.001) and Children age (p = <0.001). In conclusion, understanding the experiences and concerns of parents can guide the provision of services that help parents identify needs related to the challenges of raising children with autism. It suggests that nursing professionals, psychoeducation, collaboration between practitioners and families, and future research should involve a large population and awareness-raising programs. The practical implications of these findings highlight the need for targeted psychological support, counseling services, and family-centered interventions, especially for parents with limited education, low income, and those managing older children. Healthcare professionals, particularly nurses, should be trained to provide culturally sensitive psychoeducation and early emotional support. Workplace flexibility, accessible educational resources for children with ASD, and marital support programs may help improve parental well-being. Future research should involve larger, more diverse populations and support awareness-raising programs at the community and institutional level
Experimental and in silico studies on bioengineered polyester nanobeads for latent tuberculosis diagnosis
No full textMycobacterium tuberculosis (MTB) is the causative agent for tuberculosis (TB) and remains one of the top ten causes of mortality, with 1.4 million deaths in 2021 alone. With a 50% mortality rate if left untreated, active TB infection needs to be diagnosed as soon as possible. Currently, it is estimated that a quarter of the world's population is infected with latent TB infection (LTBI), that acts as an MTB reservoir. Current diagnostic methods for LTBI, such as the Mantoux Tuberculin Skin Test (TST) and the Interferon Gamma Release Assay (IGRA), have limitations: the former exhibits low specificity, while the latter is expensive to be widely use especially in high TB burden areas. Aiming to decrease the cost of TB infection diagnostic methods, a feasibility study on a new platform (i.e., bioengineered biopolyester nanobeads), using the IGRA technique was conducted. This platform was already successfully tested to diagnose M. bovis-infected cows. The same three MTB antigens (i.e., ESAT-6, CFP-10, and TB7.7) used in IGRA, was utilised to bioengineer the MTB-antigen-coated biopolyester nanobeads platform (BMTB). Optimisation of the BMTB concentration was performed using human samples. The optimised concentration of BMTB was determined to be 10 ng. A comparative analysis of IFN- levels between BMTB and QuantiFERON (QFT) kit, as recommended by the manufacturer, was performed. QFT demonstrated superior performance compared to BMTB in the IFN- release assays. In order to evaluate the discriminatory power of BMTB in three sample groups: pulmonary TB (PTB), TST positive (TSTp), and TST negative (TSTn), the concentrations of six selected cytokines (i.e., IFN-γ, IP-10, IL-2, TNF-α, CCL-3,CCL-11) in them were analysed. IL-2 and CCL-11 were the best-performing individual cytokines for distinguishing PTB against TSTp, TSTn, and healthy individual (TSTp and TSTn) group, achieving greater than 80% sensitivity and specificity. The best cytokine combination is IFN-+IL-2 when PTB is compared to TSTn, TSTp, and to healthy individual (i.e., TSTn + TSTp) groups. Then, to further improve the sensitivity of the BMTB platform, additional antigens that have high immunogenic properties were identified using in silico (immunoinformatics) approaches. These properties are based on six T cell epitope (TCE) criteria: matching with MTB H37Rv antigens, coverage across 273 MTB strains, association with highly expressed MTB genes, promiscuous epitopes, population coverage, and overlap with B cell epitopes (BCEs). Each TCE has a cumulative score of all six criteria. MTB antigens were then ranked based on their corrected total TCE scores within them. Top -ranked antigens were compared to literature for their inferred diagnostic potential. Among the shorlisted antigens are the existing IGRA antigens (ESAT-6 and CFP-10), newly identified potential antigens like ESAT-6-like proteins (i.e., EsxJ, EsxK, EsxM, EsxP, EsxW), the Ag85 family (i.e., Ag85A, Ag85B, and Ag85C), and several others (e.g., HspX, PfkB, and Rv1733). In conclusion, the BMTB showed potential as a low-cost LTBI diagnostic platform, although its sensitivity can be further enhanced by incorporating additional highly immunogenic MTB antigen
PPKBSM, Pusat Pengajian Kejuruteraan Bahan dan Sumber Mineral (2025) EBB160 Physical Chemistry Of Engineering Materials SEM 2 SA 2024/2025.
No full textPPKBSM, Pusat Pengajian Kejuruteraan Bahan dan Sumber Mineral (2025) EBP201 POLYMER SYNTHESIS SEM 1 SA 2024.2025
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Investigation of exon 12 mutations in the janus kinase 2 (jak 2) gene among polycythemia vera patients from Hospital Pakar Universiti Sains Malaysia
No full textPolycythemia vera (PV) is a myeloproliferative disorder characterized by excessive red blood cell production. While JAK2 V617F mutations have been extensively studied, mutations in JAK2 exon 12 remain under-explored. This study aimed to determine the prevalence of JAK2 exon 12 mutations among PV patients at Hospital Pakar Universiti Sains Malaysia (HPUSM) and explore their associations with clinical and hematological parameters. A total of 86 PV patients were screened for JAK2 exon 12 mutations using polymerase chain reaction (PCR) followed by Sanger sequencing. Patients were categorized into groups based on the presence of JAK2 exon 12 mutations, JAK2 V617F mutations, both mutations, or neither. Clinical data, including age, gender, splenomegaly, and thrombosis, were obtained from medical records. Hematological parameters, such as hemoglobin, hematocrit, white blood cell (WBC) count, platelet count, and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), were analyzed. Fifteen patients tested positive for JAK2 exon 12 mutations, revealing two mutation types such as insertion mutations and point mutations. Interestingly, co-occurrence of JAK2 V617F and exon 12 mutations was found in eight patients (9.32%), indicating the potential for complex genetic mechanisms. Patients with both JAK2 V617F and exon 12 mutations had the highest mean age and elevated platelet and WBC counts, indicating a more aggressive disease course. JAK2 V617F mutations were associated with higher rates of thrombosis and splenomegaly compared to exon 12-only mutations. Morphological analysis revealed hypercellularity in the bone marrow of JAK2 exon 12-positive patients, with significant erythroid and megakaryocytic proliferation. This study underscores the clinical significance of JAK2 exon 12 mutations, highlighting their distinct impact on disease progression and clinical features compared to JAK2 V617F mutation
Tomographic sensitivity analysis of spect/ct detectors equipped with low energy high resolution collimators at different tc-99m activity levels
No full textSingle Photon Emission Computed Tomography/Computed Tomography (SPECT/CT) is a key hybrid imaging technique in nuclear medicine, combining functional and anatomical data for improved disease detection and management. While planar sensitivity is well-studied, the tomographic sensitivity of SPECT/CT detectors with low energy high resolution (LEHR) collimators at varying Tc-99m activity levels remains underexplored. This study examines the effects of Tc-99m activities and LEHR collimator characteristics on tomographic sensitivity, spatial resolution, image contrast, and quantification accuracy. A Jaszczak phantom was scanned using a SPECT/CT system with LEHR collimators at Tc-99m activity levels of 7 mCi, 10 mCi, and 12 mCi. Standard acquisition and reconstruction protocols were used. Tomographic sensitivity was measured in counts per second per millicurie (cps/mCi), spatial resolution was assessed via phantom rod visualisation, and image contrast and relative error were calculated from defined regions of interest. Results show increasing Tc-99m activity enhances tomographic sensitivity which was 176.49 cps/mCi at 7 mCi to 209.45 cps/mCi at 12 mCi, spatial resolution (smaller rods visible at 12 mCi), and contrast the larger spheres showed more negative contrast (e.g., −47% for 31.8 mm at 7 mCi), which improved with higher activity. Smaller spheres exhibited greater variability and higher relative errors. In summary, Tc-99m activity and LEHR collimator design significantly influence tomographic sensitivity, spatial resolution, and image contrast in SPECT/CT imaging. Optimising activity levels and system parameters is vital for enhanced image quality and reducing radiation dose, providing critical insights for clinical protocol improvement in nuclear medicine
Assessment of the impact of computed tomography (CT) slice thickness on image noise and noise power spectrum (NPS)
No full textSlice thickness in computed tomography (CT) plays a critical role in image quality and diagnostic accuracy. This study aims to assess the impact of CT slice thickness on image noise and the Noise Power Spectrum (NPS) using the IndoQCT software. CT images were acquired using a water phantom at various slice thicknesses, and the resulting data were analyzed using the image analysis module in IndoQCT. Image noise was evaluated by calculating the standard deviation within a uniform region of interest, while the NPS was computed to examine the frequency distribution of the noise. The findings indicate that varying slice thickness significantly affects the level of image noise and its frequency characteristics. Thinner slices tend to produce images with higher noise but better spatial resolution, whereas thicker slices reduce noise at the expense of image detail. In this project, a water phantom was scanned using varying slice thicknesses ranging from 0.6 mm to 10 mm. The resulting images were analysed using IndoQCT software to quantify image noise and evaluate the NPS across the different slice thicknesses. Image noise was measured in terms of standard deviation within a uniform region of interest, while the NPS was used to characterise the spatial frequency distribution of the noise. These results are essential for determining the optimal slice thickness for quality control and clinical scanning purpose