Enhancing Long-Term Motivation of Cardiac Patients by Applying Exergaming in Rehabilitation Training.

Although regular physical activities reduce mortality and increase quality of life many cardiac patients discontinue training due to lack of motivation, lack of time or having health concerns because of a too high training intensity. Therefore, we developed an exergaming based system to enhance long-term motivation in the context of rehabilitation training. We combined different hardware components such as vital sensors, a virtual reality headset, a motion detecting camera, a bicycle ergometer and a motion platform to create an immersive and fun experience for the training user without having to worry about any negative health impact. Our evaluation shows that the system is well accepted by the users and is capable of tackling the aforementioned reasons for an inactive lifestyle. The system is designed to be easily extensible, safe to use and enables professionals to adjust and to telemonitor the training at any time.

Wool Base determination using dual energy X-ray absorptiometry (DEXA).

An industry grade dual energy X-ray absorptiometry (DEXA) scanner was calibrated for Wool Base determination. The calibration used 201 Crossbred and Merino wool samples, and a further 72 samples to validate the calibration. The prediction correlation had the smallest residual standard deviation (RSD) when the independently measured mean fibre diameter (MFD) was included in the multiple regression analysis. Best results were achieved when separate calibrations were used for individual wool breeds. The RSD for the Merino calibration set of 44 samples was 1.88, when the MFD was included in the regression, and 2.1 without. The RSD for 144 Crossbred samples was 1.73 including the MFD, and 2.59 without. The validation trial with 46 Crossbred and 24 Merino wool samples resulted in RSD of 2.35 and 2.23, respectively. An excellent DEXA repeatability was achieved at a standard deviation of approximately 0.2%. Improvement of the calibration is expected from concurrent laboratory testing and scanning. The research shows the promising potential for DEXA as a tool to determine Wool Base.

Comparing neutron and X-ray-based dual beam gauges for characterising industrial organic-based materials.

Comparisons are made of the neutron gamma transmission (NEUGAT) and dual energy X-ray absorption (DEXA) methods of measuring the composition of organic-based industrial products. A simple model is developed to allow comparisons to be made particularly of the measurement precision and the industrial performance. These gauges have similar applications but the latter gauge is shown to be more suitable for high and variable product throughputs. X-ray tube source and detector combinations provide higher beam fluxes, superior imaging and require less bulky shielding.