scholarly journals Measurement and differentiation of banana juice scent using an electronic nose FF-2A

PeerJ ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 9 ◽  
pp. e10638
Author(s):  
Mayumi Nomura ◽  
Erika Osada ◽  
Tsuyoshi Tokita ◽  
Takeo Iwamoto ◽  
Yoshinobu Manome
Keyword(s):  
Electronic Nose ◽  
Soft Drink ◽  
Objective Evaluation ◽  
Great Care ◽  
Absolute Value ◽  
Banana Juice ◽  
Standardized Measurement ◽  
The Difference ◽  
Over Time

Background Banana juice is becoming a popular beverage in Japan and the number of soft-drink stands or shops that take great care and pride in the quality of their products has been increasing. This study aims to measure the scent of banana juice from different brands using the electronic (e-) nose FF-2A in order to identify the characteristics, time-related changes, and the differences among them. Methods We standardized the scent value of banana juice measured using FF-2A and determined the absolute value in three different shops. We compared the similarities in samples from each shop with axis data created using standardized measurement. With FF-2A we identified the scent common to all banana juice samples from the composite scent and numerically showed the similarity to the reference gas. Results The juices from each shop had their own characteristics and we were able to identify the difference between some of these. The response of FF-2A varied according to the increase/decrease in the number of characteristic molecules measured by GC-MS such as overtime fluctuations in the gas. These data were shown along with the differences between the various banana juices. Conclusions FF-2A was able to identify the scent of banana juice at each banana shop as well as time-related changes. By combining GC-MS, we were able to evaluate scent components that changed over time. The results using the electronic nose may prove useful for objective evaluation and comparison of scent with other types of juices.

scholarly journals Evaluation of the quality of transesophageal echocardiography images and verification of proficiency

2018 ◽  
Vol 5 (3) ◽  
pp. 89-95 ◽  
Author(s):  
Robina Matyal ◽  
Faraz Mahmood ◽  
Ziyad Omar Knio ◽  
Stephanie B Jones ◽  
Lu Yeh ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Transesophageal Echocardiography ◽  
Clinical Training ◽  
Objective Evaluation ◽  
Task Completion ◽  
Success Rates ◽  
Ideal Image ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
The Difference ◽  
Anesthesia Residents

Various metrics have been used in curriculum-based transesophageal echocardiography (TEE) training programs to evaluate acquisition of proficiency. However, the quality of task completion, that is the final image quality, was subjectively evaluated in these studies. Ideally, the endpoint metric should be an objective comparison of the trainee-acquired image with a reference ideal image. Therefore, we developed a simulator-based methodology of preclinical verification of proficiency (VOP) in trainees by tracking objective evaluation of the final acquired images. We utilized geometric data from the simulator probes to compare image acquisition of anesthesia residents who participated in our structured longitudinal simulator-based TEE educational program vs ideal image planes determined from a panel of experts. Thirty-three participants completed the study (15 experts, 7 postgraduate year (PGY)-1 and 11 PGY-4). The results of our study demonstrated a significant difference in image capture success rates between learners and experts (χ2 = 14.716, df = 2, P < 0.001) with the difference between learners (PGY-1 and PGY-4) not being statistically significant (χ2 = 0, df = 1, P = 1.000). Therefore, our results suggest that novices (i.e. PGY-1 residents) are capable of attaining a level of proficiency comparable to those with modest training (i.e. PGY-4 residents) after completion of a simulation-based training curriculum. However, professionals with years of clinical training (i.e. attending physicians) exhibit a superior mastery of such skills. It is hence feasible to develop a simulator-based VOP program in performance of TEE for junior anesthesia residents.

scholarly journals Evaluating the Impact of Music & Memory’s Personalized Music and Tablet Engagement Program in Wisconsin Assisted Living Communities: Pilot Study (Preprint)

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
James H Ford II ◽  
Debby Dodds ◽  
Julie Hyland ◽  
Michael Potteiger
Keyword(s):  
Quality Of Life ◽  
Assisted Living ◽  
Psychological Symptoms ◽  
Qualitative Interviews ◽  
Medication Use ◽  
Term Care ◽  
The Difference ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Over Time

BACKGROUND Individuals with Alzheimer disease or related dementia represent a significant and growing segment of the older adult (aged 65 years and above) population. In addition to physical health concerns, including comorbid medical conditions, these individuals often exhibit behavioral and psychological symptoms of dementia (BPSD). The presence of BPSD in long-term care residential facilities can disrupt resident’s care and impact staff. Nonpharmacological interventions such as personalized music and tablet engagement maintain cognitive function, improve quality of life (QOL), and mitigate BPSD for older adults with dementia. Evidence of the impact of such interventions in assisted living communities (ALCs) is needed for widespread adoption and sustainment of these technologies. OBJECTIVE The aim of this study was to assess the impact of Music & Memory’s personalized music and tablet engagement (PMATE) program on QOL, agitation, and medication use for residents living in 6 Wisconsin ALCs. METHODS The data collected were on the utilization of iPods and iPads by the residents. Residents’ outcomes were assessed using the Pittsburgh Agitation Scale, the Quality of Life in Late Stage Dementia scale, and self-reported medication use. A mixed-methods approach was utilized to examine the impact of the PMATE program on these outcomes. Descriptive statistics were calculated. A paired t test explored changes in residents’ QOL. A 1-way analysis of variance was utilized to examine changes in resident’s agitation and QOL based on the resident’s utilization of the PMATE program. Qualitative interviews were conducted with the individuals responsible for PMATE implementation in the ALC. Residents excluded from the analysis were those who passed away, were discharged, or refused to participate. RESULTS A total of 5 apps, based on average times used by residents, were identified. In all, 4 of the 5 apps were rated as being useful to promote residents’ engagement. PMATE utilization was not associated with changes in the residents’ agitation levels or antipsychotic medication use over time. Over a 3-month period, the change in residents’ QOL was significant (P=.047), and the differences across ALCs were also significant (F25=3.76, P=.02). High utilizers of the PMATE program (>2500 min over 3 months) showed greater improvements in QOL as compared with low utilizers (a change of −5.90 points vs an increase of 0.43 points). The difference was significant (P=.03). Similar significant findings were found between the high- and midutilizers. CONCLUSIONS The study is one of the first to explore the impact of Music & Memory’s PMATE program on residents living in ALCs. Findings suggest that higher utilization over time improves residents’ QOL. However, a more comprehensive study with improved data collection efforts across multiple ALCs is needed to confirm these preliminary findings.

scholarly journals Interplay Between Spirituality and Religiosity on the Physical and Mental Well-Being of Cancer Survivors

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anthony Cannon ◽  
Mehmet Dokucu ◽  
Fausto Loberiza
Keyword(s):  
Quality Of Life ◽  
Cancer Survivors ◽  
Prospective Observational Study ◽  
Well Being ◽  
The Difference ◽  
Relationship Of ◽  
Mental Well Being ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Over Time

Abstract Purpose: This study explored the relationship of spirituality and religiosity as it affects the physical and mental quality of life (pQOL, mQOL) of cancer survivors. Methods: This is a prospective observational study that included adults ≥19 years who received treatment for various types of cancer. Patients’ QOL was obtained at baseline, 6, and 12 months. Cohorts were categorized according to spirituality/religiosity levels: low spirituality – low religiosity (LSLR), low spirituality – high religiosity (LSHR), high spirituality – low religiosity (HSLR), and high spirituality – high religiosity (HSHR). Results: Of the 551 eligible: 248 (45%) had HSHR, 196 (36%) had LSHR, 75 (14%) had LSLR, and 32 (6%) had HSLR. The pQOL of LSLR were significantly lower than those with HSHR (p = 0.02). The difference in pQOL between LS and HS were observed among those who have HR (p <0.0001). Among patients with LR, pQOL did not differ. The mQOL of patients with LSLR was significantly lower than those with HSHR (p < 0.0001). The mQOL of those with HS was significantly higher than those with LS in both cohorts having LR (p <0.0001) or HR (p <0.0001). pQOL decreased while mQOL increased over time regardless of spirituality or religiosity levels.Conclusion: Spirituality is important in the improvement of both pQOL and mQOL of cancer survivors, while religiosity may have some impact on pQOL. Clinicians’ incorporation of spirituality into cancer treatment facilitates well-rounded care, that offers measurable improvements for patients with an illness, of which the treatment is often arduous, and uncertain.

Letter to the Editor: The Continuing Challenge of Evaluating RSD Impairment and Disability

1998 ◽  
Vol 3 (5) ◽  
pp. 8-10
Author(s):  
Robert L. Knobler ◽  
Charles N. Brooks ◽  
Leon H. Ensalada ◽  
James B. Talmage ◽  
Christopher R. Brigham
Keyword(s):  
Disability Evaluation ◽  
Body Part ◽  
Loss Of Function ◽  
Regulatory Requirements ◽  
Major Cardiac Event ◽  
Clinical Scenarios ◽  
Impairment Score ◽  
Occupational Activities ◽  
The Difference

Abstract The author of the two-part article about evaluating reflex sympathetic dystrophy (RSD) responds to criticisms that a percentage impairment score may not adequately reflect the disability of an individual with RSD. The author highlights the importance of recognizing the difference between impairment and disability in the AMA Guides to the Evaluation of Permanent Impairment (AMA Guides): impairment is the loss, loss of use, or derangement of any body part, system, or function; disability is a decrease in or the loss or absence of the capacity to meet personal, social, or occupational demands or to meet statutory or regulatory requirements because of an impairment. The disparity between impairment and disability can be encountered in diverse clinical scenarios. For example, a person's ability to resume occupational activities following a major cardiac event depends on medical, social, and psychological factors, but nonmedical factors appear to present the greatest impediment and many persons do not resume work despite significant improvements in functional capacity. A key requirement according to the AMA Guides is objective documentation, and the author agrees that when physicians consider the disability evaluation of people, more issues than those relating to the percentage loss of function should be considered. More study of the relationships among impairment, disability, and quality of life in patients with RSD are required.

Psychological and Cognitive Aspects of Borderline Intellectual Functioning

2017 ◽  
Vol 22 (3) ◽  
pp. 159-166 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bastianina Contena ◽  
Stefano Taddei
Keyword(s):  
Quality Of Life ◽  
Systematic Review ◽  
Intellectual Functioning ◽  
Clinical Impact ◽  
Review Of The Literature ◽  
Borderline Intellectual Functioning ◽  
General Quality ◽  
Meta Analyses ◽  
Over Time

Abstract. Borderline Intellectual Functioning (BIF) refers to a global IQ ranging from 71 to 84, and it represents a condition of clinical attention for its association with other disorders and its influence on the outcomes of treatments and, in general, quality of life and adaptation. Furthermore, its definition has changed over time causing a relevant clinical impact. For this reason, a systematic review of the literature on this topic can promote an understanding of what has been studied, and can differentiate what is currently attributable to BIF from that which cannot be associated with this kind of intellectual functioning. Using Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) criteria, we have conducted a review of the literature about BIF. The results suggest that this condition is still associated with mental retardation, and only a few studies have focused specifically on this condition.

Quality of life over time in a German cohort of breast cancer survivors

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
K Thöne ◽  
N Obi ◽  
A Jung ◽  
M Schmidt ◽  
J Chang-Claude ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Breast Cancer ◽  
Quality Of Life ◽  
Cancer Survivors ◽  
Breast Cancer Survivors ◽  
Over Time

COMBINATORIAL POLYNOMIALLY COMPUTABLE CHARACTERISTICS OF SUBSTITUTIONS AND THEIR PROPERTIES

2020 ◽  
Vol 7 (2) ◽  
pp. 34-41
Author(s):  
VLADIMIR NIKONOV ◽  
◽  
ANTON ZOBOV ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Mathematical Expectation ◽  
Point Of View ◽  
Small Range ◽  
Computational Point ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Bijective Function ◽  
The Difference ◽  
Element Base ◽  
Selection Of

The construction and selection of a suitable bijective function, that is, substitution, is now becoming an important applied task, particularly for building block encryption systems. Many articles have suggested using different approaches to determining the quality of substitution, but most of them are highly computationally complex. The solution of this problem will significantly expand the range of methods for constructing and analyzing scheme in information protection systems. The purpose of research is to find easily measurable characteristics of substitutions, allowing to evaluate their quality, and also measures of the proximity of a particular substitutions to a random one, or its distance from it. For this purpose, several characteristics were proposed in this work: difference and polynomial, and their mathematical expectation was found, as well as variance for the difference characteristic. This allows us to make a conclusion about its quality by comparing the result of calculating the characteristic for a particular substitution with the calculated mathematical expectation. From a computational point of view, the thesises of the article are of exceptional interest due to the simplicity of the algorithm for quantifying the quality of bijective function substitutions. By its nature, the operation of calculating the difference characteristic carries out a simple summation of integer terms in a fixed and small range. Such an operation, both in the modern and in the prospective element base, is embedded in the logic of a wide range of functional elements, especially when implementing computational actions in the optical range, or on other carriers related to the field of nanotechnology.

The Distinction between [P] and [S]

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Galen Strawson
Keyword(s):  
Personal Identity ◽  
Radical Change ◽  
Legal Responsibility ◽  
The Difference ◽  
Definition Of ◽  
Over Time

This chapter examines the difference between John Locke's definition of a person [P], considered as a kind of thing, and his definition of a subject of experience of a certain sophisticated sort [S]. It first discusses the equation [P] = [S], where [S] is assumed to be a continuing thing that is able to survive radical change of substantial realization, as well as Locke's position about consciousness in relation to [P]'s identity or existence over time as [S]. It argues that Locke is not guilty of circularity because he is not proposing consciousness as the determinant of [S]'s identity over time, but only of [S]'s moral and legal responsibility over time. Finally, it suggests that the terms “Person” and “Personal identity” pull apart, in Locke's scheme of things, but in a perfectly coherent way.

THE INFLUENCE OF TILLAGE SYSTEMS ON THE GROWTH, DEVELOPMENT AND YIELD OF LONG-FLAX

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
V. Dumych ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Growth And Development ◽  
Field Experiments ◽  
Conservation Tillage ◽  
Mineral Fertilizers ◽  
Tillage Systems ◽  
Yield And Quality ◽  
Tillage System ◽  
The Difference ◽  
Flax Seeds

The purpose of research: to improve the technology of growing flax in the Western region of Ukraine on the basis of the introduction of systems for minimizing tillage, which will increase the yield of trusts and seeds. Research methods: field, laboratory, visual and comparative calculation method. Research results: Field experiments included the study of three tillage systems (traditional, canning and mulching) and determining their impact on growth and development and yields of trusts and flax seeds. The traditional tillage system included the following operations: plowing with a reversible plow to a depth of 27 cm, cultivation with simultaneous harrowing and pre-sowing tillage. The conservation system is based on deep shelfless loosening of the soil and provided for chiseling to a depth of 40 cm, disking to a depth of 15 cm, cultivation with simultaneous harrowing, pre-sowing tillage. During the implementation of the mulching system, disking to a depth of 15 cm, cultivation with simultaneous harrowing and pre-sowing tillage with a combined unit was carried out. Tillage implements and machines were used to perform tillage operations: disc harrow BDVP-3,6, reversible plow PON-5/4, chisel PCh-3, cultivator KPSP-4, pre-sowing tillage unit LK-4. The SZ-3,6 ASTPA grain seeder was used for sowing long flax of the Kamenyar variety. Simultaneously with the sowing of flax seeds, local application of mineral fertilizers (nitroammophoska 2 c/ha) was carried out. The application of conservation tillage allows to obtain the yield of flax trust at the level of 3,5 t/ha, which is 0,4 t/ha (12.9 %) more than from the area of traditional tillage and 0,7 t/ha (25 %) in comparison with mulching. In the area with canning treatment, the seed yield was the highest and amounted to 0,64 t/ha. The difference between this option and traditional and mulching tillage reaches 0,06 t/ha (10,3 %) and 0.10 t/ha (18.5 %), respectively. Conclusions. Preservation tillage, which is based on shelf-free tillage to a depth of 40 cm and disking to a depth of 15 cm has a positive effect on plant growth and development, yield and quality of flax.

Effectiveness of the Chiari Health Index for Pediatrics instrument in measuring postoperative health-related quality of life in pediatric patients with Chiari malformation type I

2020 ◽  
pp. 1-6
Author(s):  
Georgina E. Sellyn ◽  
Alan R. Tang ◽  
Shilin Zhao ◽  
Madeleine Sherburn ◽  
Rachel Pellegrino ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Surgical Intervention ◽  
Type I ◽  
Health Related Quality ◽  
Health Index ◽  
Chiari Malformation Type I ◽  
Related Quality ◽  
Health Related ◽  
Over Time

OBJECTIVEThe authors’ previously published work validated the Chiari Health Index for Pediatrics (CHIP), a new instrument for measuring health-related quality of life (HRQOL) for pediatric Chiari malformation type I (CM-I) patients. In this study, the authors further evaluated the CHIP to assess HRQOL changes over time and correlate changes in HRQOL to changes in symptomatology and radiological factors in CM-I patients who undergo surgical intervention. Strong HRQOL evaluation instruments are currently lacking for pediatric CM-I patients, creating the need for a standardized HRQOL instrument for this patient population. This study serves as the first analysis of the CHIP instrument’s effectiveness in measuring short-term HRQOL changes in pediatric CM-I patients and can be a useful tool in future CM-I HRQOL studies.METHODSThe authors evaluated prospectively collected CHIP scores and clinical factors of surgical intervention in patients younger than 18 years. To be included, patients completed a baseline CHIP captured during the preoperative visit, and at least 1 follow-up CHIP administered postoperatively. CHIP has 2 domains (physical and psychosocial) comprising 4 components, the 3 physical components of pain frequency, pain severity, and nonpain symptoms, and a single psychosocial component. Each CHIP category is scored on a scale, with 0 indicating absent and 1 indicating present, with higher scores indicating better HRQOL. Wilcoxon paired tests, Spearman correlations, and linear regression models were used to evaluate and correlate HRQOL, symptomatology, and radiographic factors.RESULTSSixty-three patients made up the analysis cohort (92% Caucasian, 52% female, mean age 11.8 years, average follow-up time 15.4 months). Dural augmentation was performed in 92% of patients. Of the 63 patients, 48 reported preoperative symptoms and 42 had a preoperative syrinx. From baseline, overall CHIP scores significantly improved over time (from 0.71 to 0.78, p < 0.001). Significant improvement in CHIP scores was seen in patients presenting at baseline with neck/back pain (p = 0.015) and headaches (p < 0.001) and in patients with extremity numbness trending at p = 0.064. Patients with syringomyelia were found to have improvement in CHIP scores over time (0.75 to 0.82, p < 0.001), as well as significant improvement in all 4 components. Additionally, improved CHIP scores were found to be significantly associated with age in patients with cervical (p = 0.009) or thoracic (p = 0.011) syrinxes.CONCLUSIONSThe study data show that the CHIP is an effective instrument for measuring HRQOL over time. Additionally, the CHIP was found to be significantly correlated to changes in symptomatology, a finding indicating that this instrument is a clinically valuable tool for the management of CM-I.

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