scholarly journals A Breathing Sonification System to Reduce Stress During the COVID-19 Pandemic

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bavo Van Kerrebroeck ◽  
Pieter-Jan Maes
Keyword(s):  
Beneficial Effect ◽  
Real Time ◽  
Respiration Rate ◽  
Human Behavior ◽  
Breathing Patterns ◽  
Environmental Sounds ◽  
Preliminary Results ◽  
Non Invasive ◽  
Biofeedback System ◽  
Filtered Noise

Since sound and music are powerful forces and drivers of human behavior and physiology, we propose the use of sonification to activate healthy breathing patterns in participants to induce relaxation. Sonification is often used in the context of biofeedback as it can represent an informational, non-invasive and real-time stimulus to monitor, motivate or modify human behavior. The first goal of this study is the proposal and evaluation of a distance-based biofeedback system using a tempo- and phase-aligned sonification strategy to adapt breathing patterns and induce states of relaxation. A second goal is the evaluation of several sonification stimuli on 18 participants that were recruited online and of which we analyzed psychometric and behavioral data using, respectively questionnaires and respiration rate and ratio. Sonification stimuli consisted of filtered noise mimicking a breathing sound, nature environmental sounds and a musical phrase. Preliminary results indicated the nature stimulus as most pleasant and as leading to the most prominent decrease of respiration rate. The noise sonification had the most beneficial effect on respiration ratio. While further research is needed to generalize these findings, this study and its methodological underpinnings suggest the potential of the proposed biofeedback system to perform ecologically valid experiments at participants' homes during the COVID-19 pandemic.

scholarly journals Assessing the feasibility and acceptability of online measurements of exhaled volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in children with preschool wheeze: a pilot study

2021 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
pp. e001003
Author(s):  
Karl Holden ◽  
Misty Makinde ◽  
Michael Wilde ◽  
Matthew Richardson ◽  
Tim Coats ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mass Spectrometry ◽  
Preschool Children ◽  
Volatile Organic Compounds ◽  
Real Time ◽  
Organic Compounds ◽  
Mass Spectrometry Analysis ◽  
Breathing Patterns ◽  
Spectrometry Analysis ◽  
Non Invasive ◽  
Volatile Organic

BackgroundInvestigating airway inflammation and pathology in wheezy preschool children is both technically and ethically challenging. Identifying and validating non-invasive tests would be a huge clinical advance. Real-time analysis of exhaled volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in adults is established, however, the feasibility of this non-invasive method in young children remains undetermined.AimTo determine the feasibility and acceptability of obtaining breath samples from preschool children by means of real-time mass spectrometry analysis of exhaled VOCs.MethodsBreath samples from preschool children were collected and analysed in real time by proton transfer reaction–time of flight–mass spectrometry (PTR–TOF–MS) capturing unique breath profiles. Acetone (mass channel m/z 59) was used as a reference profile to investigate the breath cycle in more detail. Dynamic time warping (DTW) was used to compare VOC profiles from adult breath to those we obtained in preschool children.Results16 children were recruited in the study, of which eight had acute doctor-diagnosed wheeze (mean (range) age 3.2 (1.9–4.5) years) and eight had no history of wheezing (age 3.3 (2.2–4.1) years). Fully analysable samples were obtained in 11 (68%). DTW was used to ascertain the distance between the time series of mass channel m/z 59 (acetone) and the other 193 channels. Commonality of 12 channels (15, 31, 33, 41, 43, 51, 53, 55, 57, 60, 63 and 77) was established between adult and preschool child samples despite differences in the breathing patterns.ConclusionReal-time measurement of exhaled VOCs by means of PTR–MS is feasible and acceptable in preschool children. Commonality in VOC profiles was found between adult and preschool children.

INVESTIGATION OF HAND KINEMATICS TOWARDS FRONT CRAWL SWIMMING USING NON-INVASIVE REAL-TIME MONITORING SYSTEM

2014 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rozaimi Ghazali ◽  
◽  
Asiah Mohd Pilus ◽  
Wan Mohd Bukhari Wan Daud ◽  
Mohd Juzaila Abd Latif ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Real Time ◽  
Monitoring System ◽  
Real Time Monitoring ◽  
Front Crawl ◽  
Non Invasive ◽  
Hand Kinematics

scholarly journals Serial Ultrasonographic and Real-Time Elastosonographic Assessment of the Ovine Common Calcaneal Tendon, after an Experimentally Induced Tendinopathy

2021 ◽  
Vol 8 (4) ◽  
pp. 54
Author(s):  
Daniele Serrani ◽  
Antonella Volta ◽  
Franco Cingolani ◽  
Luca Pennasilico ◽  
Caterina Di Bella ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Real Time ◽  
Statistical Significance ◽  
Healing Process ◽  
Tendon Healing ◽  
Tissue Elasticity ◽  
Calcaneal Tendon ◽  
Non Invasive ◽  
Type Ia ◽  
Single Operator ◽  
Experimentally Induced

Real-time elastosonography (RTE) is a recently described, non-invasive, ultrasonographic technique developed to assess tissue elasticity. The main aim of this study was to investigate the ultrasonographic and elastosonographic appearance of the common calcaneal tendon (CCT) in an ovine model, and to monitor the progression of tendon healing after an experimentally-induced tendinopathy. Sound tendons were initially evaluated (T0) with a caliper and by a single operator with ultrasound. Ultrasonographic and elastosonographic images were then acquired. Subsequently, ultrasound-guided tendon lesions were induced by injecting 500 IU of Type IA collagenases proximally to the calcaneal tuberosity. Caliper measurement, ultrasonography and elastosonography were then repeated at 15 (T1), 30 (T2) and 60 (T3) days. Clinically measured width of the tendon, ultrasonographic thickness and width and percentage of hard (Elx-t%hrd) and soft (Elx-t%sft) tissue were recorded. Statistical analysis was performed on the data collected; statistical significance was set at p < 0.05. Intra-class correlation coefficient (ICC) revealed good (0.68) repeatability of elastosonographic evaluation of the CCT. The tendon width was significantly increased when comparing T0 with T1–2 and decreased when comparing T1–2 with T3. Ultrasound-assessed thickness was significantly increased between T0–T1 and decreased between T1-T2–3. Elx-t%hrd was significantly decreased at T1–2–3 and Elx-t%sft was significantly increased at T1–2–3. In conclusion, the ovine CCT is a highly stiff structure that undergoes a severe loss of stiffness during the healing process. Thickness and width of the tendon increased during the first 30 days and then reduced progressively along the subsequent 30 days. Ultrasonographic appearance of the tendon remained severely abnormal and the tendon showed severely reduced elastic proprieties 60 days after lesion induction.

Strategic voting revisited: the case of the 2018 Taipei City mayoral election

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-17
Author(s):  
Chung-li Wu ◽  
Alex Min-Wei Lin ◽  
Chingching Chang
Keyword(s):  
Real Time ◽  
Strategic Voting ◽  
Expected Payoff ◽  
Preliminary Results ◽  
Mayoral Election ◽  
Taipei City ◽  
The Media

Abstract In this study, we examine whether strategic voting – in which a voter seeks to maximize the expected payoff from casting a ballot – occurred among late voters in the 2018 Taipei City mayoral election. This multi-candidate mayoral contest was noteworthy because ballot-counting started before all the votes had been cast, with preliminary results being leaked to the media. Theoretically, having access to real-time updates of voting figures could have influenced the decision of voters who were still in line waiting to cast their ballots. Analysis and reconstruction of aggregate polling data, however, demonstrate that there was very little (if any) strategic voting among these late voters on election day, even if they had information that might have induced them to vote strategically.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document