8 research outputs found
Indoor Pedestrian Navigation Using Foot-Mounted IMU and Portable Ultrasound Range Sensors
No full textMany solutions have been proposed for indoor pedestrian navigation. Some rely on pre-installed sensor networks, which offer good accuracy but are limited to areas that have been prepared for that purpose, thus requiring an expensive and possibly time-consuming process. Such methods are therefore inappropriate for navigation in emergency situations since the power supply may be disturbed. Other types of solutions track the user without requiring a prepared environment. However, they may have low accuracy. Offline tracking has been proposed to increase accuracy, however this prevents users from knowing their position in real time. This paper describes a real time indoor navigation system that does not require prepared building environments and provides tracking accuracy superior to previously described tracking methods. The system uses a combination of four techniques: foot-mounted IMU (Inertial Motion Unit), ultrasonic ranging, particle filtering and model-based navigation. The very purpose of the project is to combine these four well-known techniques in a novel way to provide better indoor tracking results for pedestrians
Fig. 1 in Myxostoma petiverianum tenggolensis (Gastropoda: Caenogastropoda: Cyclophoridae), a new subspecies of land snail from Peninsular Malaysia
No full textFig. 1. Comparison of shells and opercula of Myxostoma petiverianum tenggolensis, new subspecies (A, E), and Myxostoma petiverianum petiverianum (Wood, 1828) (B–D, F–G). Arrows indicate the peristomal extension along the periphery of the last whorl. A, Myxostoma petiverianum tenggolensis, new subspecies, holotype (SH 22.9 × SD 32.7 mm) (MZUM MOG 000001), Pulau Tenggol, Malaysia; B, Myxostoma petiverianum petiverianum (Wood, 1828) (SH 24.2 × SD 36.1 mm) (USNM 316711), Con Son Island, Con Đảo Archipelago, Vietnam; C, Myxostoma petiverianum petiverianum (Wood, 1828) (SH 22.1 × SD 29.0 mm) (IRSNB p334781), southern Vietnam; D, original figure of Cyclostoma petiverianum illustrated in Wood (1828); E, operculum of Myxostoma petiverianum tenggolensis holotype (MZUM MOG 000001); F, operculum of Myxostoma petiverianum petiverianum (Wood, 1828) (USNM 316711); G, eroded operculum of Myxostoma petiverianum petiverianum (Wood, 1828) (IRSNB p334781). Photographs A and E by the author; photographs B and F, courtesy of Robert Hershler (USNM); photographs C and G by Yves Barette, courtesy of Yves Samyn (IRSNB); illustration D from Wood (1828) (no longer in copyright and digitised by the Biodiversity Heritage Library: http://dx.doi.org/10.5962/bhl.title.30661).Published as part of Foon, Junn Kitt, 2016, Myxostoma petiverianum tenggolensis (Gastropoda: Caenogastropoda: Cyclophoridae), a new subspecies of land snail from Peninsular Malaysia, pp. 329-334 in Raffles Bulletin of Zoology 64 on page 330, DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.450439
Isolated lumbar extension exercise as an intervention for chronic low back pain
No full textLow back pain (LBP) is highly prevalent, generally categorised as ‘non-specific’ as clear diagnosis for pain is often absent, and further categorised into acute, sub-acute and chronic, with 69-75% of acute cases developing into chronic. This chronic LBP population accounts for the majority of economic costs worldwide associated with LBP. Although LBP is often ‘non-specific’, many physical dysfunctions are associated with it. Thus LBP can be regarded as multifactorial in nature. Dysfunctions include, but are not limited to: deconditioning of the lumbar extensor musculature, limited range of motion (ROM), gait abnormality and disc disorders. The novel approach of this thesis was to consider lumbar extensor deconditioning, LBP and its associated physical dysfunctions within a multifactorial framework, and the potential improvement of associated dysfunctions from intervention using isolated lumbar extension (ILEX) specifically aimed at addressing lumbar extensor deconditioning. Findings from three empirical studies are reported. The first examined limited ROM ILEX exercise compared with full ROM exercise. Results from this study support that limited ROM training is as effective as full ROM training at improving full ROM ILEX strength, pain and disability. The second study examined the effects of ILEX exercise upon lumbar spine kinematic waveform pattern variability during gait. Results from this study demonstrate that ILEX exercise significantly improves sagittal plane variability in chronic LBP participants. The final study examined the effects of ILEX exercise upon disc hydration determined indirectly through measurement of spinal height using seated stadiometry. Results from this study showed improved ILEX strength, pain and disability but did not demonstrate improvement in disc hydration. These results provide evidence for adopting a multifactorial conceptualisation of LBP in the use of ILEX exercise as a treatment. It is concluded that a wide range of improvements including pain, disability and various aspects of function relating to the multifactorial model are possible through use of a single minimal intervention involving ILEX. This conclusion has potential implications for considering direction of treatments from clinicians towards chronic LBP. Such a minimal intervention offering a wide range of benefits may reduce the need for costly and complex multi-disciplinary interventions
The social and ritual contextualisation of Ancient Egyptian hair and hairstyles from the Protodynastic to the end of the Old Kingdom
No full textHair, the most malleable part of the human body, lends itself to the most varied forms of
impermanent modifications. The resulting hairstyles convey social practices and norms,
and may be regarded as part of the “representation of self” and an integral element in
the maintenance and structuring of society. In this thesis, a systematic and quantative
investigation has been undertaken of the structural relationships between variations in
hairstyles and principal changes in social organisation in ancient Egypt from the
Protodynastic to the end of the Old Kingdom (3,350-2,181 BC), a period that witnessed
the rise, consolidation and eventually breakdown of centralised authority.
The results reveal that hairstyles were linked to the identity of individuals and
social groups, such as men, women, children and the elderly. Hairstyles were used as a
means of displaying status. After experimentation with a broad spectrum of hairstyles
during the Protodynastic and early Dynasty I, an institutionalised canon for hairstyles
was established, coinciding with the creation of administrative institutions. These
codified hairstyles continued to serve as the norms for identifying members of the
administration or signs of authority. By the end of the Old Kingdom, the hairstyles of
the elite had been adopted by the lower officials of the increased bureaucracy and
provincial elites as representations of their newly acquired power and status.
Although initially the majority of the men had their hair cut short, modifications
of short hair and the adoption of mid- and shoulder-length hair became progressively
common. The use of certain hairstyles was restricted to the higher social offices, with
longer hair being emblematic of power and divinity. Women, by contrast, initially had
long hair with greater variety occurring by Dynasty I and a more restricted array from
Dynasty II onwards. However, long hair was predominant among women of all social
statuses in all periods. Long hair may have thus been related to the perception of women
as mothers (responsible for childbirth and nursing), and hence their perceived role as
directly linked with procreation and fecundity. Although the adoption of the tripartite by
high officials was related to this ‘generative’ aspect of feminine hairstyles, it was
primarily in imitation of the God Osiris and his regenerative powers
Impact of COVID-19 on Diagnostic Cardiac Procedural Volume in Oceania: The IAEA Non-Invasive Cardiology Protocol Survey on COVID-19 (INCAPS COVID)
No full textObjectives: The INCAPS COVID Oceania study aimed to assess the impact caused by the COVID-19 pandemic on cardiac procedure volume provided in the Oceania region. Methods: A retrospective survey was performed comparing procedure volumes within March 2019 (pre-COVID-19) with April 2020 (during first wave of COVID-19 pandemic). Sixty-three (63) health care facilities within Oceania that perform cardiac diagnostic procedures were surveyed, including a mixture of metropolitan and regional, hospital and outpatient, public and private sites, and 846 facilities outside of Oceania. The percentage change in procedure volume was measured between March 2019 and April 2020, compared by test type and by facility. Results: In Oceania, the total cardiac diagnostic procedure volume was reduced by 52.2% from March 2019 to April 2020, compared to a reduction of 75.9% seen in the rest of the world (p<0.001). Within Oceania sites, this reduction varied significantly between procedure types, but not between types of health care facility. All procedure types (other than stress cardiac magnetic resonance [CMR] and positron emission tomography [PET]) saw significant reductions in volume over this time period (p<0.001). In Oceania, transthoracic echocardiography (TTE) decreased by 51.6%, transoesophageal echocardiography (TOE) by 74.0%, and stress tests by 65% overall, which was more pronounced for stress electrocardiograph (ECG) (81.8%) and stress echocardiography (76.7%) compared to stress single-photon emission computerised tomography (SPECT) (44.3%). Invasive coronary angiography decreased by 36.7% in Oceania. Conclusion: A significant reduction in cardiac diagnostic procedure volume was seen across all facility types in Oceania and was likely a function of recommendations from cardiac societies and directives from government to minimise spread of COVID-19 amongst patients and staff. Longer term evaluation is important to assess for negative patient outcomes which may relate to deferral of usual models of care within cardiology
Reduction of cardiac imaging tests during the COVID-19 pandemic: The case of Italy. Findings from the IAEA Non-invasive Cardiology Protocol Survey on COVID-19 (INCAPS COVID)
No full textBackground: In early 2020, COVID-19 massively hit Italy, earlier and harder than any other European country. This caused a series of strict containment measures, aimed at blocking the spread of the pandemic. Healthcare delivery was also affected when resources were diverted towards care of COVID-19 patients, including intensive care wards. Aim of the study: The aim is assessing the impact of COVID-19 on cardiac imaging in Italy, compare to the Rest of Europe (RoE) and the World (RoW). Methods: A global survey was conducted in May–June 2020 worldwide, through a questionnaire distributed online. The survey covered three periods: March and April 2020, and March 2019. Data from 52 Italian centres, a subset of the 909 participating centres from 108 countries, were analyzed. Results: In Italy, volumes decreased by 67% in March 2020, compared to March 2019, as opposed to a significantly lower decrease (p < 0.001) in RoE and RoW (41% and 40%, respectively). A further decrease from March 2020 to April 2020 summed up to 76% for the North, 77% for the Centre and 86% for the South. When compared to the RoE and RoW, this further decrease from March 2020 to April 2020 in Italy was significantly less (p = 0.005), most likely reflecting the earlier effects of the containment measures in Italy, taken earlier than anywhere else in the West. Conclusions: The COVID-19 pandemic massively hit Italy and caused a disruption of healthcare services, including cardiac imaging studies. This raises concern about the medium- and long-term consequences for the high number of patients who were denied timely diagnoses and the subsequent lifesaving therapies and procedures
Impact of COVID-19 on cardiovascular testing in the United States versus the rest of the world
No full textObjectives: This study sought to quantify and compare the decline in volumes of cardiovascular procedures between the United States and non-US institutions during the early phase of the coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) pandemic.
Background: The COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted the care of many non-COVID-19 illnesses. Reductions in diagnostic cardiovascular testing around the world have led to concerns over the implications of reduced testing for cardiovascular disease (CVD) morbidity and mortality.
Methods: Data were submitted to the INCAPS-COVID (International Atomic Energy Agency Non-Invasive Cardiology Protocols Study of COVID-19), a multinational registry comprising 909 institutions in 108 countries (including 155 facilities in 40 U.S. states), assessing the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on volumes of diagnostic cardiovascular procedures. Data were obtained for April 2020 and compared with volumes of baseline procedures from March 2019. We compared laboratory characteristics, practices, and procedure volumes between U.S. and non-U.S. facilities and between U.S. geographic regions and identified factors associated with volume reduction in the United States.
Results: Reductions in the volumes of procedures in the United States were similar to those in non-U.S. facilities (68% vs. 63%, respectively; p = 0.237), although U.S. facilities reported greater reductions in invasive coronary angiography (69% vs. 53%, respectively; p < 0.001). Significantly more U.S. facilities reported increased use of telehealth and patient screening measures than non-U.S. facilities, such as temperature checks, symptom screenings, and COVID-19 testing. Reductions in volumes of procedures differed between U.S. regions, with larger declines observed in the Northeast (76%) and Midwest (74%) than in the South (62%) and West (44%). Prevalence of COVID-19, staff redeployments, outpatient centers, and urban centers were associated with greater reductions in volume in U.S. facilities in a multivariable analysis.
Conclusions: We observed marked reductions in U.S. cardiovascular testing in the early phase of the pandemic and significant variability between U.S. regions. The association between reductions of volumes and COVID-19 prevalence in the United States highlighted the need for proactive efforts to maintain access to cardiovascular testing in areas most affected by outbreaks of COVID-19 infection
International Impact of COVID-19 on the Diagnosis of Heart Disease
No full textBackground: The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has adversely affected diagnosis and treatment of noncommunicable diseases. Its effects on delivery of diagnostic care for cardiovascular disease, which remains the leading cause of death worldwide, have not been quantified. Objectives: The study sought to assess COVID-19's impact on global cardiovascular diagnostic procedural volumes and safety practices. Methods: The International Atomic Energy Agency conducted a worldwide survey assessing alterations in cardiovascular procedure volumes and safety practices resulting from COVID-19. Noninvasive and invasive cardiac testing volumes were obtained from participating sites for March and April 2020 and compared with those from March 2019. Availability of personal protective equipment and pandemic-related testing practice changes were ascertained. Results: Surveys were submitted from 909 inpatient and outpatient centers performing cardiac diagnostic procedures, in 108 countries. Procedure volumes decreased 42% from March 2019 to March 2020, and 64% from March 2019 to April 2020. Transthoracic echocardiography decreased by 59%, transesophageal echocardiography 76%, and stress tests 78%, which varied between stress modalities. Coronary angiography (invasive or computed tomography) decreased 55% (p < 0.001 for each procedure). In multivariable regression, significantly greater reduction in procedures occurred for centers in countries with lower gross domestic product. Location in a low-income and lower–middle-income country was associated with an additional 22% reduction in cardiac procedures and less availability of personal protective equipment and telehealth. Conclusions: COVID-19 was associated with a significant and abrupt reduction in cardiovascular diagnostic testing across the globe, especially affecting the world's economically challenged. Further study of cardiovascular outcomes and COVID-19–related changes in care delivery is warranted
