A Preliminary Study on Real-Time Mobile-Aided Shuttle Bus Service

Abstract Background: Real-time ultrasound imaging (RUSI) has been increasingly used as a form of biofeedback when instructing and re-training muscle contraction. However, the effectiveness of the RUSI on a single sustained contraction of the lumbar multifidus (LM) and transversus abdominis (TrA) has rarely been reported. This preliminary study aimed to determine if the use of RUSI, as visual biofeedback, could enhance the ability of activation and continuous contraction of the trunk muscles including LM and TrA.Methods: Forty healthy individuals were included and randomly assigned into the experimental group and control group. All subjects performed a preferential activation of the LM and/or TrA (maintained the constraction of LM and/or TrA for 30 seconds and then relaxed for two minutes), while those in the experimental group also received visual feedback provided by RUSI. The thickness of LM and/or TrA at rest and during contraction (Tc-max, T15s, and T30s) were extracted and recorded. The experiment was repeated three times.Results: No significant differences were found in the thickness of LM at rest (P > 0.999), Tc-max (P > 0.999), and T15s (P = 0.414) between the two groups. However, the ability to recruit LM muscle contraction differed between groups at T30s (P = 0.006), with subjects in the experimental group that received visual ultrasound biofeedback maintaining a relative maximum contraction. Besides, no significant differences were found in the TrA muscle thickness at rest (P > 0.999) and Tc-max (P > 0.999) between the two groups. However, significant differences of contraction thickness were found at T15s (P = 0.031) and T30s (P = 0.010) between the two groups during the Abdominal Drawing-in Maneuver (ADIM), with greater TrA muscle contraction thickness in the experimental group.Conclusions: RUSI can be used to provide visual biofeedback, which can promote continuous contraction, and improve the ability to activate the LM and TrA muscles in healthy subjects.

Download Full-text

Real time surveillance of dengue fever – a preliminary study

Ceylon Medical Journal ◽

10.4038/cmj.v61i4.8393 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 61 (4) ◽

pp. 197 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Y P J N Warnasekara ◽

S B Agampodi ◽

P M N C Marage ◽

A A S D Athurupana ◽

S D Koonthota ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Real Time ◽

Dengue Fever ◽

Preliminary Study

Download Full-text

SERVICE CATCHMENT OF MASS RAPID TRANSIT (MRT) FEEDER BUS: A PRELIMINARY STUDY OF T461 ROUTE TAMAN KAJANG UTAMA

PLANNING MALAYSIA JOURNAL ◽

10.21837/pm.v17i10.630 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 17 ◽

Author(s):

Chloe Aida Lim Jhin Lin ◽

Zakiah Ponrahono

Keyword(s):

Data Collection ◽

Urban Sprawl ◽

Actual Data ◽

Research Instrument ◽

Bus Stop ◽

Feeder Bus ◽

Preliminary Study ◽

Bus Service ◽

The City ◽

Rail Services

The planning and development of rail services require various considerations. Land availability, land use, catchment, route matching, infrastructure fitting, barrier free and micro-climate friendly designs are some of the factors heeded prior to such installations. A deviation between designated and highly demanded service area in urban sprawl zones of the city has been occurring in many Malaysian cities. These gaps have led to the mismatch between origin/destination of passengers and planned locations of train stations and its feeder bus stops. As such, rail services become less accessible to populations with the highest demands. This paper discusses the preliminary findings from a pilot study which seeks to calibrate the research instrument and validate preliminary findings before actual data collection for the purpose of determining the service catchment of the T461 feeder bus in Kajang MRT Station. The Garmin GPS device acts as the research instrument to obtain coordinates of locations where passengers board and alight feeder buses. On-board surveys and comparison analyses are methods that have been used to obtain the optimum GPS coordinates of the bus stop locations. The preliminary findings indicate that the research instrument is ready to be used for actual data collection and geospatial analysis to determine the service catchment of the T461 feeder bus service.

Download Full-text

Line‐field confocal optical coherence tomography for the in‐vivo real‐time diagnosis of different stages of keratinocyte skin cancer: a preliminary study

Journal of the European Academy of Dermatology and Venereology ◽

10.1111/jdv.17603 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Cristel Ruini ◽

Sandra Schuh ◽

Charlotte Gust ◽

Benjamin Kendziora ◽

Leonie Frommherz ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Optical Coherence Tomography ◽

Skin Cancer ◽

Real Time ◽

Optical Coherence ◽

Line Field ◽

Preliminary Study ◽

Time Diagnosis

Download Full-text

Understanding the Transit Market: A Persona-Based Approach for Preferences Quantification

Sustainability ◽

10.3390/su12093863 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 12 (9) ◽

pp. 3863 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Gamal Eldeeb ◽

Moataz Mohamed

Keyword(s):

Real Time ◽

Choice Model ◽

Information Provision ◽

Travel Behaviour ◽

Error Component ◽

Transit Market ◽

Bus Service ◽

Transit Agencies ◽

Real Time Information ◽

Time Information

The study aims at utilizing a persona-based approach in understanding, and further quantifying, the preferences of the key transit market groups and estimating their willingness to pay (WTP) for service improvements. The study adopted an Error Component (EC) interaction choice model to investigate personas’ preferences in a bus service desired quality choice experiment. Seven personas were developed based on four primary characteristics: travel behaviour, employment status, geographical distribution, and Perceived Behavioural Control (PBC). The study utilized a dataset of 5238 participants elicited from the Hamilton Street Railway Public Engagement Survey, Ontario, Canada. The results show that all personas, albeit significantly different in magnitude, are negatively affected by longer journey times, higher trip fares, longer service headways, while positively affected by reducing the number of transfers per trip and real-time information provision. The WTP estimates show that, in general, potential users are more likely to have higher WTP values compared to current users except for at-stop real-time information provision. Also, there is no consensus within current users nor potential users on the WTP estimates for service improvements. Finally, shared and unique preferences for service attributes among personas were identified to help transit agencies tailor their marketing/improvement plans based on the targeted segments.

Download Full-text