Developing An Improved Heart Rate Monitor With Work-Out Training Android Application And Real Time Audio Coaching

TechnoHeart is a digital way of monitoring heart rate using a Heart Rate Monitor device and an android phone. Moreover, this is made more special through its work-out training which is designed to help users set and achieve their target heart rate and monitor at what training intensity they are during a strenuous exercise. The training is made more interactive as the application has its real-time audio coaching. The need for this application comes from three sources; First, some athletes, non-athletes and even doctors are still using the traditional way of getting the heart rate; Second, training intensity is not monitored and target heart rate is not achieved; Third, most mobile developments do not tailor the need of users who undergo work-out training. With the following needs, objectives were set; First, to connect an HRM (Heart Rate Monitoring) device to an android mobile device and display individual’s heart rate in digital form through mobile; Second, to create a work-out training program using the Karvonen Formula; Third, to enable users know one’s target heart rate by using a Karvonen calculator; Fourth, to notify users in real time with every sudden change and the needed action in order to keep an effective training exercise. The project is to explore this and other similar concepts to develop a design that optimally satisfies all of these objectives. The project addresses all of these objectives while meeting the constraints given. The project was deployed in three different sets of users: The University of Mindanao Athletes, The elderly users aging from 50-80 years old and the other users aging from 12-49 years old. The researchers recommend the use of TechnoHeart for athletes and non-athletes who are aiming for an effective cardiovascular training. And for the next researchers, they can focus on the compatibility of the said application to other mobile platforms like iOS, Blackberry, Windows and etc. And also, they may upload application in the internet such as in social networking sites or any features that would make this project more usable.

Educational Institutions and Political Awareness in Pakistan: A Case Study of Punjab.

This study was designed to determine the role of educational institutions in developing political awareness among the secondary level students in Pakistan. In developing political awareness, the curriculum, faculty, school environment and home environment play a significant role. Keeping in view these independent variables of political awareness, and the study was delimited to the public high and higher secondary schools in the Punjab, province of Pakistan. Six thousand four hundred and eighty seven (6487) High and Higher secondary schools from all over the Punjab were taken in this study. All the Head Teachers, 33561 Secondary School Teachers and 524336 students of tenth class of session 2012-14 were the population of this study. 414 Head Teachers, 828 Secondary School Teachers and 1242 students of tenth class were taken as study sample by using the Cochran‟s formula for taking sufficient sample size from the population. To seek the extent of content regarding political awareness, the content analysis of the text books being taught at secondary level out of the compulsory subjects was undertaken. Three five point rating scales were developed for the head teachers, teachers and the students under the direction of the supervisor keeping in view the different factors responsible for political awareness like “Curriculum, “School Environment” and “Home Environment”. In order to determine the level of political awareness among the students, a Test comprising the basic and key concepts of political education was also developed.The collected data were analyzed by applying descriptive (Mean, Average, Standard Deviation) as well as inferential (Z-Test, Chi Squire Test) statistics. The level of political awareness was determined by the content analyses of the texts, statement Wise and questionnaire Wise analysis of the questionnaires of the study sample and the results of the Test administered on the students‟ sample. The results of the study showed that a very little amount of content was found on political awareness in the text books at secondary level. The statement and questionnaire Wise analyses of the questionnaires of the study sample showed the unsatisfactory condition about the political awareness. The results of the Test also showed the lower level of achievement of students. Inculcation of basic and key concepts of political education in compulsory subjects at secondary level, political awareness drive in the form of seminars, debates and workshops at schools, appointment of expert subject specialists, provision of different societies and organizations like school councils and literary societies, continuous parent-teacher meetings and sufficient budget allocation were recommended in this study.