A Pilot Fuzzy System with Virtual Reality for Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI) Assessment.

Mild cognitive impairment (MCI) is when brain function declines. MCI is the gray area transitioning from normal aging to the AD stage. Currently, the majority of early MCI diagnoses are processed through comprehensive neuropsychological tests. These tests may take the form of interviews, paper-and-pencil tests, or computer-based tests. There may be resistance from the subject if he/she has to undergo many screening tests simultaneously for multiple evaluation information, resulting in execution difficulty. The objectives of this study are to use 3D virtual reality to create an entertaining test scenario integrating the Mini-Cog, SPMSQ, MMSE, SLUMS, CDR, and CASI for middle-aged to older adults, furthermore, to employ fuzzy logic control (FLC) technology to develop a "MCI assessment system" for obtaining some pilot information for MCI assessment. There were 24 middle-aged to older adults aged from 50 to 65 years who participated in the evaluation experiment. The results showed that the MCI assessment system developed in this study is highly correlated with the traditional screening tests, including the Mini-Cog, SPMSQ, MMSE, SLUMS, and CASI. The assessment system can provide an integrated reference score for clinic workers in making judgments. In addition, the distribution of the System Usability Scale (SUS) evaluation scores for the MCI assessment system revealed that 87.5% were grade C (good to use) or above and 29.2% were grade B (extremely good to use) or above. The assessment system received positive feedback from the subjects.

Efficacy of Aromatherapy at Relieving the Work-Related Stress of Nursing Staff from Various Hospital Departments during COVID-19.

This study aimed to evaluate the efficacy of aromatherapy in relieving the stress of nursing staff working in different departments during COVID-19. A total of 26 nursing staff from Taiwan were recruited for this study. Bergamot essential oil was diffused for over a four-week period in four different hospital departments. We assessed heart rate variability indicators, Nurse Stress Checklist, and Copenhagen Burnout Inventory before and after the intervention. The results of the analysis showed that during a high workload period, aromatherapy had no significant effect on regulating physical stress. Subjective measurements showed a significant impact on work concern and personal fatigue. Moreover, there were large differences among the four departments; the aromatherapy treatment had a weak effect on those with a heavy workload, whereas those with a lighter workload showed a stronger effect. Finally, this study provides practical results about aromatherapy stress reduction applied during the pandemic on first-line medical staff.

Apply the SERVQUAL Instrument to Measure Service Quality for the Adaptation of ICT Technologies: A Case Study of Nursing Homes in Taiwan.

The adoption of information and communication technology by elderly care organizations is an inevitable trend. Most empirical studies on e-Health service quality have focused predominantly on the general population rather than on the elderly. Thus, the generalizations are rather problematic. In addition, in the planning stage, pre-implementation analysis is considered critical but seldom performed. In this research, an instrument to evaluate the e-Health service quality in nursing homes was developed based on the SERVQUAL model. Furthermore, a pre-implementation analysis combining the SERVQUAL questionnaire and importance performance analysis was performed. Dissatisfactory factors were identified as follows. Regarding the physical environment quality, the residents expressed that the nursing homes did not provide well-maintained rooms and that the temperature in the rooms was unsuitable. Regarding the outcome quality, the elderly residents replied that the medical treatments and doctor visits were not well scheduled. Regarding the interaction quality, the residents indicated that the staff did not solve their problems sincerely or clearly understand their needs. Health care informatics (HCI) such as an electronic shift system (ESS) and electronic health records (EHR) are proposed to eliminate these problems. Given current resource limitations, our instrument and methodology proposed in this research could be extremely meaningful in practical application.

Effects of exercise in the heat on thermoregulation of Japanese and Malaysian males.

The effect of low-intensity exercise in the heat on thermoregulation and certain biochemical changes in temperate and tropical subjects under poorly and well-hydrated states was examined. Two VO2max matched groups of subjects consisting of 8 Japanese (JS) and 8 Malaysians (MS) participated in this study under two conditions: poorly-hydrated (no water was given) and well-hydrated (3 mL x Kg(-1) body weight of water was provided at onset of exercise, and the 15th, 35th and 55th min of exercise). The experimental room in both countries was adjusted to a constant level (Ta: 31.6+/-0.03 degrees C, rh: 72.3+/-0.13%). Subjects spent an initial 10 min rest, 60 min of cycling at 40% VO2max and then 40 min recovery in the experimental room. Rectal temperatures (Tre) skin temperatures (Tsk), heart rate (HR), heat-activated sweat glands density (HASG), local sweat rate (M sw-back) and percent dehydration were recorded during the test. Blood samples were analysed for plasma glucose and lactate levels.The extent of dehydration was significantly higher in the combined groups of JS (1.43+/-0.08%) compared to MS (1.15+/-0.05%). During exercise M sw-back was significantly higher in JS compared to MS in the well-hydrated condition. The HASG was significantly more in JS compared to MS at rest and recovery. Tre was higher in MS during the test. Tsk was significantly higher starting at the 5th min of exercise until the end of the recovery period in MS compared to JS. In conclusion, tropical natives have lower M sw-back associated with higher Tsk and Tre during the rest, exercise and recovery periods. However, temperate natives have higher M sw-back and lower Tsk and Tre during experiments in a hot environment. This phenomenon occurs in both poorly-hydrated and well-hydrated states with low intensity exercise. The differences in M sw-back, Tsk and Tre are probably due to a setting of the core temperature at a higher level and enhancement of dry heat loss, which occurred during passive heat exposure.