259 research outputs found
The story of the Soni Ventorum Wind Quintet
No full textThesis (D. Mus. Arts)--University of Washington, 2000The Soni Ventorum Wind Quintet has been the wind quintet-in-residence at the University of Washington School of Music since 1968. Officially founded in 1962, when its members were on the faculty of the Conservatory of Music of Puerto Rico, the group has had a long and stable history. Through their concerts, tours, and recordings, the Soni Ventorum Wind Quintet has established an international reputation. Over the years, many distinguished composers have written works especially for the Soni Ventorum, thus expanding the repertoire of the wind quintet.This study traces the history of the Soni Ventorum Wind Quintet mainly through interviews with the quintet members themselves. This history includes antecedent quintets in which members of the Soni Ventorum Wind Quintet participated (namely, a student quintet at the Curtis Institute, The American Wind Ensemble of Vienna, and the U.S. Seventh Army Symphony Wind Quintet). It covers the founding of the Soni Ventorum Wind Quintet in 1962 at the Conservatory of Music in Puerto Rico through their tenure from 1968 through the present as the wind quintet-in-residence at the University of Washington in Seattle. It gives an account of the establishment of the Soni Ventorum's recording career, their approach to sound and ensemble, their many tours, participation in festivals and competitions, and personnel. The study details the Soni Ventorum's collaborations with colleagues at the University of Washington School of Music, especially the many composers who wrote pieces for the group. One chapter covers ensemble pieces that have been written for the members of the Son! Ventorum Wind Quintet, while another presents wind quintet and quartet arrangements that were prepared by the quintet members themselves. The final chapter provides biographies of the members of the Soni Ventorum Wind Quintet.The Introduction to the study is a brief history of wind quintets. The study concludes with detailed appendices cataloguing the Soni Ventorum Wind Quintet's repertoire, concerts, residencies, tours and a complete discography.At the time of this writing, the author is aware of no other work detailing the history of an established wind quintet
Various methods to assess knee proprioception: A review
No full textIntroduction: Proprioception is a vital aspect of motor control and when degraded or lost can have a profound impact on function in diverse clinical populations. This systematic review aimed to identify clinically related tools to measure proprioceptive acuity. The major purpose of this systematic review was to identify and categorise the methods that have been developed and utilised to test proprioceptive accuracy in a comprehensive manner. Methods: The pub med, Scopus, Web of Science and the other search engine/databases used: Cochrane database / SCIRE / PEDro / CINAHL/ EMBASE, ERIC were systematically searched. Conclusions: The TTDPM method has less relative ecological validity, but has high conceptual purity, Although JPR tests may have less relative test validity, but more clinically feasible, The AMEDA method appears to have better ecological validity and relatively better test validity and data validity
Association of quadriceps angle with gender, anthropometric measurements and quadriceps muscle strength in middle age group: A systemic review
No full textThis study aims to determine the relationship between quadriceps angle, anthropometric measurements and quadriceps muscle strength. The quadriceps angle (Q angle) consider clinically as a very important parameter which displays the biomechanical effect of the quadriceps muscle on the knee and it is also a crucial factor for the proper posture and movement of the knee. Quadriceps angle is routinely and regularly used as an assessment parameter during the diagnosis of many knee-related problems. This study shows the inverse relation between quadriceps angle and height and quadriceps muscle strength. Also it provides information of the proportional relation between quadriceps angle and weight
Sustainable Attainment of Solar E-waste Recycling Concerning to COVID-19 Crisis: A Review
No full textAssociation of Quadriceps Angle (Q Angle) with Gender, Anthropometric Measurements and Quadriceps Muscle Strength in Healthy Young Adults
No full text
Background: Quadriceps angle is the angle produced between the quadriceps muscle and the patellar tendon, which is also known as Q angle. It is also regarded as a key component for the correct knee posture and movement. Q angle is frequently employed as a diagnostic indicator for knee-related issues such as anterior knee pain, degenerative knee disorders, osteoarthritis etc. It has a great clinical and biomechanics significance and this angle gives useful information about alignment of lower limb. Present study shows association of Q angle with gender, various anthropometric measurements and Quadriceps muscle strength. Methods: Total 150 healthy young individuals (20 male and 130 female) between the age of 18 to 30 years from the different constituent institutes of Sumandeep Vidyapeeth University were included in the study. Q angle was measured in degrees by using universal goniometer on both sides. Anthropometric measurements - Height, weight. Body mass index, Waist and Hip circumference, Intercondylar distance between femur and Quadriceps muscle strength were measured. Results: In this study, the correlation between Q angle and Anthropometric measurements were analyzed. The mean Q angle on right side was 18.87 and on left side was 18.87. Bilaterally, no significant differences were found in Q angle. The angle of right and left side was significantly correlated with weight, height, BMI, intercondylar distance and quadriceps muscle strength. However, these angles are not correlated with WHR. Conclusion: This study supported positive correlation of weight and BMI with Q angle; negative correlation of height, intercondylar distance of femur and quadriceps muscle strength with Q angle. Although, no significant correlation was found between Q angle and WHR
Association of Age, Gender and Body Mass Index with Proprioception in Knee Joint in Healthy Individuals
No full textBackground: The word proprioception is derived from Latin word “proprius” means it is one’s own and “reception” means it receives. In Musculoskeletal rehabilitation, proprioception plays significant role in maintaining normal motor control. The proprioception is an important non-invasive clinical procedure which helps in diagnosing pre-existing and treating knee conditions. Proprioception assessment is foremost because loss in proprioception will lead to altered weight bearing at joints and alteration of normal body movement causing fall or injury. Purpose of this study is to find out the association of knee joint proprioception with age, gender and BMI in healthy individuals. Methods: Total 132 participants are included in the study. Their height and weight was measured to calculate their BMI. After that, proprioception was assessed with the help of goniometer mounted on the stand. Knee joint proprioception was measured for Test angles 30°, 45° and 60° toward extension. At all angles test was performed three times in sequence. Result: The collected data were analyzed in SPSS software version 21.0. At 30° correlations between both side of knee joint proprioception with Age, Gender and BMI was non-significant except left side of proprioception with gender. However, at 45° correlations between both side of knee joint proprioception with Age, Gender and BMI was found significant. Additionally, similar of most result was found at 60° except left side of knee joint proprioception was found not significant with BMI. Conclusion: Knee joint proprioception decreases with ageing and are more in females than males. This study finds weak to moderate correlation with BMI
Classifying flexible pavement defects using hybrid machine learning approach
No full textThe transportation infrastructure sector significantly impacts a country’s gross domestic product (GDP), particularly in developing nations striving to manage and maintain road networks as valuable assets. While asset generation is integral, the more intricate challenge lies in effective maintenance. Pavement monitoring, a crucial component of pavement maintenance and management systems (PMMS), evaluates defect severity, road maintenance prioritization, and maintenance types. To enhance road health monitoring, the present study introduces a hybrid machine learning (ML) method, integrating support vector machine (SVM) and convolutional neural network (CNN). The proposed semi-automated detection system aims to reduce human supervision in traditional surveys, thereby cutting down the cost of pavement distress maintenance The research utilizes data collected by the authors from Ahmedabad city, Gujarat, following Indian road congress (IRC) guidelines for defect selection. Training involves 1,000 images for each crack type, with testing on 100 images. Results indicate that the SVM-CNN model achieves 87% accuracy in training and 91% accuracy in testing for road defect classification, showcasing its efficiency in pavement maintenance and management. The system presents the potential to significantly enhance the efficiency of road maintenance processes, making it a valuable asset for developing nations striving for a more streamlined approach to road network preservation
PULSE-SMART: Pulse-Based Arrhythmia Discrimination Using a Novel Smartphone Application
No full textCo-author Apurv Soni is a medical student in the MD/PhD Program at UMass Medical School.BACKGROUND: Atrial fibrillation (AF) is a common and dangerous rhythm abnormality. Smartphones are increasingly used for mobile health applications by older patients at risk for AF and may be useful for AF screening. OBJECTIVES: To test whether an enhanced smartphone app for AF detection can discriminate between sinus rhythm (SR), AF, premature atrial contractions (PACs), and premature ventricular contractions (PVCs). METHODS: We analyzed two hundred and nineteen 2-minute pulse recordings from 121 participants with AF (n = 98), PACs (n = 15), or PVCs (n = 15) using an iPhone 4S. We obtained pulsatile time series recordings in 91 participants after successful cardioversion to sinus rhythm from preexisting AF. The PULSE-SMART app conducted pulse analysis using 3 methods (Root Mean Square of Successive RR Differences; Shannon Entropy; Poincare plot). We examined the sensitivity, specificity, and predictive accuracy of the app for AF, PAC, and PVC discrimination from sinus rhythm using the 12-lead EKG or 3-lead telemetry as the gold standard. We also administered a brief usability questionnaire to a subgroup (n = 65) of app users. RESULTS: The smartphone-based app demonstrated excellent sensitivity (0.970), specificity (0.935), and accuracy (0.951) for real-time identification of an irregular pulse during AF. The app also showed good accuracy for PAC (0.955) and PVC discrimination (0.960). The vast majority of surveyed app users (83%) reported that it was "useful" and "not complex" to use. CONCLUSION: A smartphone app can accurately discriminate pulse recordings during AF from sinus rhythm, PACs, and PVCs.MD/Ph
Association of common mental disorder symptoms with health and healthcare factors among women in rural western India: results of a cross-sectional survey
No full textFirst author Apurv Soni is a medical student in the MD/PhD Program at UMass Medical School.OBJECTIVES: Information about common mental disorders (CMD) is needed to guide policy and clinical interventions in low-income and middle-income countries. This study's purpose was to characterise the association of CMD symptoms with 3 inter-related health and healthcare factors among women from rural western India based on a representative, cross-sectional survey. SETTING: Surveys were conducted in the waiting area of various outpatient clinics at a tertiary care hospital and in 16 rural villages in the Anand district of Gujarat, India. PARTICIPANTS: 700 Gujarati-speaking women between the ages of 18-45 years who resided in the Anand district of Gujarat, India, were recruited in a quasi-randomised manner. PRIMARY AND SECONDARY OUTCOMES MEASURES: CMD symptoms, ascertained using WHO's Self-Reporting Questionnaire-20 (SRQ-20), were associated with self-reported (1) number of healthcare visits in the prior year; (2) health status and (3) portion of yearly income expended on healthcare. RESULTS: Data from 658 participants were used in this analysis; 19 surveys were excluded due to incompleteness, 18 surveys were excluded because the participants were visiting hospitalised patients and 5 surveys were classified as outliers. Overall, 155 (22·8%) participants screened positive for CMD symptoms (SRQ-20 score ≥8) with most (81.9%) not previously diagnosed despite contact with healthcare provider in the prior year. On adjusted analyses, screening positive for CMD symptoms was associated with worse category in self-reported health status (cumulative OR=9.39; 95% CI 5·97 to 14·76), higher portion of household income expended on healthcare (cumulative OR=2·31; 95% CL 1·52 to 3.52) and increased healthcare visits in the prior year (incidence rate ratio=1·24; 95% CI 1·07 to 1·44). CONCLUSIONS: The high prevalence of potential CMD among women in rural India that is unrecognised and associated with adverse health and financial indicators highlights the individual and public health burden of CMD.MD/Ph
Comparing Pre-trained Human Language Models: Is it Better with Human Context as Groups, Individual Traits, or Both?
No full textPre-trained language models consider the context of neighboring words and
documents but lack any author context of the human generating the text.
However, language depends on the author's states, traits, social, situational,
and environmental attributes, collectively referred to as human context (Soni
et al., 2024). Human-centered natural language processing requires
incorporating human context into language models. Currently, two methods exist:
pre-training with 1) group-wise attributes (e.g., over-45-year-olds) or 2)
individual traits. Group attributes are simple but coarse -- not all
45-year-olds write the same way -- while individual traits allow for more
personalized representations, but require more complex modeling and data. It is
unclear which approach benefits what tasks. We compare pre-training models with
human context via 1) group attributes, 2) individual users, and 3) a combined
approach on five user- and document-level tasks. Our results show that there is
no best approach, but that human-centered language modeling holds avenues for
different methods
- …
