Test Subjects Research Articles

Assessing Spatiotemporal Behavior of Human Gait: A Comparative Study Between Low-Cost Smartphone-Based Mocap and OptiTrack Systems

AbstractThis study assessed the accuracy of a low-cost marker-based motion capture system with smartphone devices to estimate the spatiotemporal behavior of human gait in comparison with the performance of the commercial OptiTrack system. Initially, three test subjects were selected for the study, and after equipping them with passive retroreflective markers, they were recorded for gait velocities of 1.50, 1.90, and 2.30 $$m\bullet {s}^{-1}$$ m ∙ s - 1 while collecting kinematic data and videos. The results showed that the smartphone motion capture system exhibited significant spatiotemporal tracking and accuracy in the x-y trajectories and estimation of joint relative angles of the hip, knee, and ankle joints (θ1, θ2, and θ3, respectively) compared to the commercial OptiTrack system. In this comparison, an average goodness-of-FIT and normalized root mean square error of over 88.93% and 2.71% were obtained, respectively, for the joint relative angles of the hip and knee (θ1 and θ2) in all tests performed. However, the accuracy of the joint relative angle of the ankle (θ3, average FIT: 71.04% and nRMSE: 4.26%) was lower because of the low capture rate of the retroreflective markers in the smartphone system and the higher relative velocity in the lower extremities of the test subjects, which generated noise in the calculation of x-y trajectories. This decrease in accuracy has been reported in other studies. However, both motion capture systems experienced marker data loss at the hip, highlighting the need for improvement in the spatial distribution of the optical devices. The OptiTrack system demonstrated better optical redundancy but still required improvements. In contrast, the smartphone system, with its inherent limitations in terms of optical redundancy and spatial distribution, can be enhanced by incorporating multiple cameras for a three-dimensional view. Despite these limitations, the low-cost smartphone system showed optimal performance with minimal errors compared with the commercial system, making it a cost-effective option with potential for further development. The rapid advancement of smartphone technology and its accessibility make it an attractive choice for motion capture applications.

Requirements of Environmentally-Aware Consumers on the Implementation and Communication of Sustainability Measures in the Beverage Industry: A Qualitative Kano-Model Approach

ABSTRACT Although the importance of sustainability in the beverage industry for consumers rises, environmentally-friendly attitudes often do not result in sustainable buying behavior. Ineffective communication strategies or implemented sustainability measures of producers that do not deliver value from the consumer’s perspective could be the reasons. Therefore, within three environmentally-aware focus groups, grocery choice motives are discussed and, by using a qualitative Kano-model approach, consumer requirements on sustainability measures within the beverage industry are categorized. Furthermore, expectations regarding the communication of sustainability-linked information are outlined. The results reveal that the participants pay particular attention to healthy diets, prices, and discounts when buying groceries and sustainability measures within the beverage industry can mainly be classified as must-be requirements. For communicating sustainability measures, the test subjects especially demand a stronger connection between online and offline communication channels. Based on the findings, implications for beverage manufacturers and future research directions are elaborated.

Pengembangan E-Booklet Berbasis Aplikasi Android Pada Sub Konsep Sistem Peredaran Darah Manusia Kelas XI SMA

Electronic booklets are learning resources that are in accordance with online learning conditions, the 2013 curriculum and IT advances in education. The research model used is 4D namely: 1) Define, 2) Design and 3) Development which then in the Development stage uses the Tessmer Formative Evaluation design namely 1) Expert assessment and 2) individual test 3) small group test. The subjects of the validity test were 2 Biology Education lecturers and 1 Biology teacher at SMA Negeri 4 Banjarmasin. The individual test subjects were 3 class XI MIPA 3 students at SMA Negeri 4 Banjarmasin and the small group test subjects were 4 students in the same class. The results of the study show 1) the validity of the Android application-based E-Booklet based on 5 aspects has a valid category; 2) the practicality of the contents of the Android application-based E-Booklet has attractiveness based on the responses of students in the at least good category, the practicality of the hope that the E-Booklet is easy to use based on the responses of students in the least good category; and 3) the effectiveness of expectations based on critical thinking assessments obtains a very good category in interpretation, analysis, evaluation, explanation, and self-regulation skills, and has a good category in the aspect of inference

Synthesis and Antitumor Activities of Novel 5-amino-3-(halophenyl)- 1- phenyl-1H-pyrazole-4-carbonitriles.

This study aimed to synthesize a series of new 3-(halophenyl)-1-phenyl-1Hpyrazole moieties and survey the antitumor properties of these compounds. 3-(halophenyl)-1-phenyl-1H-pyrazoles (4a-j) were prepared by reaction of phenyl hydrazine (3) with different halogen aromatic aldehydes (1a-j) and malononitrile (2) in C2H5OH and piperidine. The reaction took place under microwave irradiation settings for two minutes at140°C. Three human cancer cell lines were used as in vitro test subjects for compounds 4a - j. Three cell lines from mammals HeLa (a cell line for human cervical cancer), MCF-7 (a cell line for human breast cancer), and PC-3 (a cell line for human prostate cancer), all with 5- fluorouracil as the standard reference drug were used. A series of novel 3-(halophenyl)-1-phenyl-1H-pyrazoles were synthesized in this work. All substances had their anticancer properties assessed.

Functional Genotype-Phenotype Associations in Recessive Dystrophic Epidermolysis Bullosa

Genotype-phenotype associations in recessive dystrophic epidermolysis bullosa (RDEB) have been difficult to elucidate. To investigate RDEB genotype-phenotype associations and explore a functional approach to genotype classification. Clinical examination and genetic testing of RDEB subjects, including assessment of clinical disease by RDEB subtype and extent of blistering. Genotypes were evaluated according to each variant's effect on type VII collagen (C7) function per updated literature, and subsequently categorized by degree of impact on C7 function as low-impact (splice/missense, missense/missense), medium-impact (premature termination codon [PTC]/missense, splice/splice), and high-impact (PTC/PTC, PTC/splice). Genotype-phenotype associations were investigated using Kruskal-Wallis and Fisher's exact tests, and age-adjusted regressions. 83 participants were included. High-impact variants were associated with worse RDEB subtype and clinical disease, including increased prevalence of generalized blistering (55.6% for low-impact vs. 72.7% medium-impact vs. 90.4% high-impact variants, p=0.002). In age-adjusted regressions, participants with high-impact variants had 40.8-fold greater odds of squamous cell carcinoma compared to low-impact variants (p=0.02), and 5.7-fold greater odds of death compared to medium-impact variants (p=0.05). Cross-sectional design. Functional genotype categories may stratify RDEB severity; high-impact variants correlated with worse clinical outcomes. Further validation in larger cohorts is needed.

PENGEMBANGAN LEMBAR KERJA SISWA BERBASIS PROBLEM BASED LEARNING UNTUK MENINGKATAN HASIL BELAJAR MATEMATIKA

The aim of this research is to produce Student Worksheets based on Problem Based Learning to improve student learning outcomes in junior high schools. This research uses the 4 D device (FOUR D MODEL). The development procedure includes analysis, design, development and implementation stages. The test subjects in this research were 16 class VII junior high school students consisting of 8 girls and 8 boys. Data collection was carried out using validation and test techniques. Based on the results of data analysis, student worksheets based on Problem Based Learning can be applied and carried out validly. Based on the results of the development research that has been carried out, it can be concluded that the Problem Based Learning model learning tools meet the very valid category with an average value for the lesson plan validator of 3.6 in the very valid category, student worksheets of 3.5 in the very valid category, response teachers towards student worksheets 3.2 in the very valid category, student responses to student worksheets 3.7 in the very valid category, the results of student worksheets is 3.1 in the very valid category, and the group test results is 3.5 in the very valid category.

Experimental identification of a linear parametric driver steering control model with torque feedback

Existing mathematical driver models with steering torque feedback are reviewed. It is argued that a new linear parametric driver-steering-vehicle model is required to provide greater insight to subjective assessment of steering torque feedback. The proposed new model incorporates: neuromuscular dynamics; proprioceptive (muscle stretch) and visual sensory dynamics; steering torque perception via efference copy; process and measurement noise; state estimator; and an internal predictive model of the plant. A series of path-following experiments with thirteen test subjects is performed on a fixed-base driving simulator. A Box-Jenkins model accounted for 90% of the variance of the measured handwheel angle time series averaged over the test subjects (VAF). The unknown parameter values of the model were identified from the driving simulator data. The prediction accuracy approached the upper bound given by the Box-Jenkins model. Process noise was found to be linearly dependent on muscle activation torque, and this signal-dependent behaviour was also present in the measurement noise. The model was re-identified using signal to noise ratios as parameters. The VAF was 86.6%, close to that of the Box-Jenkins model, and the identified parameter values are physically plausible, giving confidence that the model is suitable for further work on understanding steering torque feedback.

Assessing Ride Motion Discomfort Measurement Formulas

This article is about a framework for determining the degree of realism of any given passenger ride motion discomfort measurement formula. After providing some context and reviewing evidence of deficiency in currently popular ride motion discomfort measurement formulas, the article outlines the research program that needs to be carried out in order to establish such a framework. The research begins with gathering recordings of uncomfortable ride motion episodes encountered in a chosen type of passenger transport service. It then has test subjects compare the episodes via a ride motion simulator and adjust their amplitudes pair wise until they cause equal discomfort. It explains how to take the pair wise amplitude adjustments and determine amplitude adjustments that bring all of the motion episode recordings to a common level of discomfort so that they form a normalized set. Then, the lower the scatter of the scores assigned by any given discomfort measurement formula to the members of that set, the more realistic that formula will be for the chosen service.

"You really are an empathic type" - Types in empathy research

In this study, we used a configuration frequency analysis (CFA) to find out whether there are certain combinations of characteristics that can be used to define prototypical empathy types. Using a sample of 9,407 participants aged between 10 and 80 years, we were able to find four clearly separated and exhaustive empathy profiles which include all relevant aspects of emotional concern, perspective taking and personal distress and at the same time can be clearly defined in relation to each other. The superordinate patterns "situation-dependent altruists (A)", "high functioning empathy (B)", "low neurotic empathy (C)" and "low empathy (D)" were identified. With these four types, a total of almost 75% of the test subjects can be assigned to the significant empathy profiles, whereby only in profile A there were significantly more female participants than in the other three. For the first time, we were able to create a comprehensive and selective typology for the construct of empathy, with the help of which, for example, the holistic success of empathy training or the motivations of altruistic actions can be better described.

DEVELOPMENT OF STEM-BASED E-MODULES USING FLIP PDF PROFESSIONAL ON TEMPERATURE AND HEAT MATERIL

This research aims to produce a STEM-based e-module on temperature and heat material and determine student perceptions. This research is development research that uses the ADDIE model, which consists of analysis, design, development, implementation, and evaluation. However, this research is limited to the implementation stage. The test subjects for this research were class XI MIPA 6 students at Senior High School 3 Jambi City and class XI MIPA 3 students at Senior High School 11 Jambi City. The instruments used were media and material validation questionnaires and student perception questionnaires. Two types of data are collected, namely qualitative and quantitative. Qualitative data was obtained from media and material experts' criticism, comments, and suggestions. Then, quantitative data was obtained from the results of product validation by validation by media and material experts, as well as student perception questionnaires. The results of media expert validation by the two validators were 100% in the very good category. The results of material validation by the two validators were 70.83% in the good category and 97% in the very good category. The results of the analysis of student perceptions obtained an average score from the two schools, namely 84.05% and 86.97% in the very good category. The STEM-based electronic modules developed are valid and suitable for use to help students in the learning process, and the e-modules developed can be accessed offline via laptop/computer and online via cellphone by distributing links to students.

Использование приема «смена установки» при проведении специального психофизиологического исследования с применением полиграфа

Introduction. The article considers the tacticsissues of conducting special psychophysiological examination with application of polygraph during professional psychological selection of citizens entering the service in the internal affairs bodies of the Russian Federation.When using polygraph inpersonnel work, there are often situations when it is difficult for a polygraph examiner to make a decision about the significance of the reactions detected, as they may be associated not with the presence of a certain risk factor (deviant behavior) preventingthe subject’s entering the police service, but with the manifestation of situational anxiety, which is difficult for the candidate to control in the situation assessed as stressful. To solve this problem and increase the reliability of polygraph examinationsresults, the specialists use “attitude change”techniquethat makes it possible to draw objective conclusion about the significance of a particular “risk factor” for the subject, taking into account his or her individual psychological characteristics. Research Method. Psychophysiological method of lie detection (polygraph) allows to solve important issues of candidates selection for service in law enforcement agencies who do not have a tendency to deviant behavior, which further ensures the quality and efficiency of professional activities of police officers. Results. Within the framework of the conducted research the possibility of creating special attitude in the subject, providing the emergence of reaction to a stimulus previously not significant for him/her, related to some test subject, was shown. The effectiveness of the “attitude change” technique use, which helps to neutralize the “accusatory bias” of the polygraph test when working with subjects of the anxious and suspiciouscircle, was revealed. It is proved that “attitude change” technique use in the process of screening checks leads to the reduction of errors of the first kind (“false alarm”) and provides reliability of the results of psychophysiological examination with application of polygraph.

An Automated “Hands-Off” Method for Sampling Mainstream Smoke from Cannabis Cigarettes

A simple-to-use, portable, and relatively inexpensive system for characterizing the chemical components of mainstream smoke from cannabis cigarettes was developed and tested by using commercial hemp cigarettes. The system is described, and its performance for reproducing actual user puff topographies is shown along with extensive chemical analysis data, including PAHs, carbonyls, and organic and elemental carbon, for a small set of initial samples. By using a solid-state flow meter and fast-response mass flow controller, the prototype can reproduce measured puff topography with excellent fidelity, which will allow users to accurately reproduce the actual inhalation patterns for various types of smoking products and consumers, and to collect samples of mainstream smoke without the need to bring test subjects or controlled substances into a laboratory.

Development Of Smart App Creator 3 (SAC) Learning Media In Learning History To Increase Students' Interest In Learning At Senior High School 3 Magelang

This research has: 1) the purpose of developing history learning media using the Smart App Creator 3 (SAC) application; and 2) to determine the feasibility of learning media using the Smart App Creator 3 (SAC) application. This research uses the Research and Development (R&D) method using the Analyze, Design, Development, Implementation, and Evaluate (ADDIE) model. This research was conducted at SMA Negeri 3 Magelang. The small group test subjects were 34 students, while the large group test subjects were 108 students. Data analysis used qualitative data (observation and interview) and quantitative data (questionnaire). The results of product development have produced history learning media based on the Smart App Creator 3 (SAC) application. The product was assessed by material experts and media experts with a score of 94 and 103 included in the criteria of good/worthy of use and the results of the large group trial scored 86 in high criteria so that the media is suitable for use in learning History at SMA Negeri 3 Magelang.

Appropriate Nitrogen Application for Alleviation of Soil Moisture-Driven Growth Inhibition of Okra (Abelmoschus esculentus L. (Moench))

Uneven rainfall, in the context of global warming, can cause soil moisture fluctuations (SMFs) that harm crop growth, and it is not yet known whether nitrogen (N) can mitigate the harm caused by a strong SMF. This paper uses okra as a test subject and sets three SMFs of 45–55% FC (W1), 35–65% FC (W2), and 25–75% FC (W3) and three N applications of 0 kg hm−2 (N0), 110 kg hm−2 (N1), and 330 kg hm−2 (N2) to investigate the effects of SMF and N application on the physiological and biochemical aspects of okra. The results demonstrated that okra exhibited the highest values in stem diameter, number of leaves, photosynthesis characteristics, antioxidant enzyme activity, and yield under the N1 treatment. The average yield in the N1 treatment was 149.8 g, significantly surpassing the average yields of the N0 (129.8 g) and N3 (84.0 g) treatments. Stomatal density, antioxidant enzyme activity, malondialdehyde content, and proline content in okra leaves were highest in the W3 treatment, indicating that plants experienced stress in the W3 treatment. However, the agronomic traits and yields of okra in the N1 treatment were higher than those in the N0 and N1 treatments, indicating that the crop damage caused by W3 could be mitigated by an appropriate amount of N application. The N1W1 treatment emerged as the most suitable combination for okra growth in this study, exhibiting the highest stem diameter, leaf count, photosynthetic characteristics, and yield (201.3 g). Notably, this yield was 67.8% higher than the lowest treatment (N2W3), signifying a significant improvement.

Co-ordinate-based positional embedding that captures resolution to enhance transformer’s performance in medical image analysis

Vision transformers (ViTs) have revolutionized computer vision by employing self-attention instead of convolutional neural networks and demonstrated success due to their ability to capture global dependencies and remove spatial biases of locality. In medical imaging, where input data may differ in size and resolution, existing architectures require resampling or resizing during pre-processing, leading to potential spatial resolution loss and information degradation. This study proposes a co-ordinate-based embedding that encodes the geometry of medical images, capturing physical co-ordinate and resolution information without the need for resampling or resizing. The effectiveness of the proposed embedding is demonstrated through experiments with UNETR and SwinUNETR models for infarct segmentation on MRI dataset with AxTrace and AxADC contrasts. The dataset consists of 1142 training, 133 validation and 143 test subjects. Both models with the addition of co-ordinate based positional embedding achieved substantial improvements in mean Dice score by 6.5% and 7.6%. The proposed embedding showcased a statistically significant advantage p-value< 0.0001 over alternative approaches. In conclusion, the proposed co-ordinate-based pixel-wise positional embedding method offers a promising solution for Transformer-based models in medical image analysis. It effectively leverages physical co-ordinate information to enhance performance without compromising spatial resolution and provides a foundation for future advancements in positional embedding techniques for medical applications.

Development of the P5 Module (Adipura Module) with The Entrepreneurship Theme for Elementary School Students as An Effort to Strengthen the Values of The Pancasila Student Profile

This research aims to develop the P5 Adipura Module with the theme of entrepreneurship for elementary school students as an effort to strengthen the values of the Pancasila student profile (P3). The research method used was research and development adopting Sugiyono's development model with 7 stages including potential and problems, data collection, product design, design validation, design revision, product testing, and product revision. The test subjects were students in class 4 phase B elementary school. The trial was carried out in small groups. The data collection process was in the form of interviews, observations, and distributing questionnaires. Data analysis uses quantitative and qualitative descriptives. The result of this research was a product in the form of the P5 Adipura Module on the use of family medicinal plants (TOGA) on the theme of entrepreneurship. The average result of material expert validation was 3.29 with valid criteria. Likewise, the average media expert validation result was 3.20 with valid criteria, suitable for use in the project learning process by educators and students. Experiments in small groups to show the practicality of the module can be seen from the score interval obtained from the practicality sheet instrument by users (teachers and students) of 3.86 with very practical criteria. The Adipura P5 module is suitable for use, making it easier for educators and students in the learning process.

Effects of different treatments on pain, functional disability, position sense and range of motion in elite bodybuilders with chronic low back pain

Back pain is one of the major global challenges and is one of the most prevalent musculoskeletal disorders occurring in 80% of people at least once in their lifetime. Therefore, the need to find appropriate treatment methods for this issue is very important. The objective is to examine the short-term and acute effects of a treatment session with dry needling, massage therapy, stretching exercises and Kinesio tape on pain, functional disability, position sense and range of motion in elite bodybuilders with non-specific chronic low back pain. The sample of this quasi-experimental study consisted of 48 bodybuilders with non-specific chronic low back pain (all male, mean age = 25.96 ± 2.18 years; mean weight = 74.45 ± 4.51 kg; mean height = 173.88 ± 3.74 cm; mean BMI = 24.60 ± 0.74 kg/m2) who randomly were placed in 4 dry needling, massage therapy, stretching exercises and Kinesio tape groups. The duration of each intervention was 30 min. The dependent variables in this study included the massage range of motion, position sense tests and visual pain scale that were taken separately from each subject in pretest, posttest (acute effect) and follow-up test (72 h after posttest; short-term effect). The results of a 4 (groups) × 3 (time) the mixed ANOVAs showed that pain in the short-term phase was significantly lower in the dry needling group than in the stretching and massage groups (P < 0.05). Also in the acute effect phase, the flexion range of motion was significantly lower in the dry needling group than in the massage group (P < 0.05). Furthermore, the two groups of stretching and massage exercises showed significantly greater range of motion (P < 0.05). Other comparisons were not significant (P > 0.05). The findings of the study showed that both massage and stretching treatment have higher acute effects, while dry needling treatment was more effective in follow up. On the other hand, these findings show that these treatment methods can have immediate and lasting positive effects in improving the performance in elite bodybuilders with non-specific chronic low back pain.

Correlation of Thyroid Stimulating hormone and Liver function test in Hypothyroid and Euthyroid subjects

Correlation of Thyroid Stimulating hormone and Liver function test in Hypothyroid and Euthyroid subjects

ECG signal quality in intermittent long-term dry electrode recordings with controlled motion artifacts.

Wearable long-term monitoring applications are becoming more and more popular in both the consumer and the medical market. In wearable ECG monitoring, the data quality depends on the properties of the electrodes and on how they interface with the skin. Dry electrodes do not require any action from the user. They usually do not irritate the skin, and they provide sufficiently high-quality data for ECG monitoring purposes during low-intensity user activity. We investigated prospective motion artifact-resistant dry electrode materials for wearable ECG monitoring. The tested materials were (1) porous: conductive polymer, conductive silver fabric; and (2) solid: stainless steel, silver, and platinum. ECG was acquired from test subjects in a 10-min continuous settling test and in a 48-h intermittent long-term test. In the settling test, the electrodes were stationary, whereas both stationary and controlled motion artifact tests were included in the long-term test. The signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) was used as the figure of merit to quantify the results. Skin-electrode interface impedance was measured to quantify its effect on the ECG, as well as to leverage the dry electrode ECG amplifier design. The SNR of all electrode types increased during the settling test. In the long-term test, the SNR was generally elevated further. The introduction of electrode movement reduced the SNR markedly. Solid electrodes had a higher SNR and lower skin-electrode impedance than porous electrodes. In the stationary testing, stainless steel showed the highest SNR, followed by platinum, silver, conductive polymer, and conductive fabric. In the movement testing, the order was platinum, stainless steel, silver, conductive polymer, and conductive fabric.

Enhanced control of periodontitis by an artificial intelligence-enabled multimodal-sensing toothbrush and targeted mHealth micromessages: A randomized trial.

Treatment of periodontitis, a chronic inflammatory disease driven by biofilm dysbiosis, remains challenging due to patients' poor performance and adherence to the necessary oral hygiene procedures. Novel, artificial intelligence-enabled multimodal-sensing toothbrushes (AI-MST) can guide patients' oral hygiene practices in real-time and transmit valuable data to clinicians, thus enabling effective remote monitoring and guidance. The aim of this trial was to assess the effect of such a system as an adjunct to clinical practice guideline-conform treatment. This was a single-centre, double-blind, standard-of-care controlled, randomized, parallel-group, superiority trial. Male and female adults with generalized Stage II/III periodontitis were recruited at the Shanghai Ninth People's Hospital, China. Subjects received a standard-of-care oral hygiene regimen or a technology-enabled, theory-based digital intervention consisting of an AI-MST and targeted doctor's guidance by remote micromessaging. Additionally, both groups received guideline-conform periodontal treatment. The primary outcome was the resolution of inflamed periodontal pockets (≥4 mm with bleeding on probing) at 6 months. The intention-to-treat (ITT) analysis included all subjects who received the allocated treatment and at least one follow-up. One hundred patients were randomized and treated (50 tests/controls) between 1 February and 30 November 2022. Forty-eight tests (19 females) and 47 controls (16 females) were analysed in the ITT population. At 6 months, the proportion of inflamed periodontal pockets decreased from 80.7% (95% confidence interval [CI] 76.5-84.8) to 52.3% (47.7-57.0) in the control group, and from 81.4% (77.1-85.6) to 44.4% (39.9-48.9) in the test group. The inter-group difference was 7.9% (1.6-14.6, p < .05). Test subjects achieved better levels of oral hygiene (p < .001). No significant adverse events were observed. The tested digital health intervention significantly improved the outcome of periodontal therapy by enhancing the adherence and performance of self-performed oral hygiene. The model breaks the traditional model of oral health care and has the potential to improve efficiency and reduce costs (NCT05137392).