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Purpose: To present the social network analysis-based approach used to create a new workspace layout for three hospital services as part of a campus expansion at a large tertiary care public hospital. Objective: To analyze the relationships among service members across four healthcare resilience abilities (monitor, anticipate, respond, and learn) and utilize network metrics to indicate the suitability of a shared workspace layout for the services. Background: The hospital expanded by 70%, providing space for relocating key services-the rapid response team, medical on-call team, and nursing supervision. Initial observations suggested a shared workspace layout based on anecdotal evidence. Method: Stakeholders have reached a consensus on a three-stage process to assess the suitability of a shared workspace layout for these services: first, collecting data on social interactions with a focus on resilience abilities; second, presenting layout alternatives based on sociograms; and third, evaluating these alternatives and devising a strategy for allocating personnel to shifts based on a resilience score derived from social network metrics. Case Study: The examination of social network metrics allowed identifying key individuals contributing to the overall resilience of the three services. Sociograms provided visual representations of how these individuals were spatially distributed within the shared layout. Discussion: The process was designed to shape a resilient layout and incorporated initial data, preferences, and constraints into layout proposals. Additionally, it utilized a resilience score from existing literature to formulate a strategy for staff allocation to shifts, ensuring consistent collective resilience ability across all shifts., Competing Interests: Declaration of Conflicting InterestsThe authors declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.

Shoulder joints determine the motion range of the upper limb. Thus, the compact and well-stiffened spherical parallel mechanism (SPM) has emerged as the mainstream shoulder prosthesis design approaches. However, the SPM's moving pairs of redundant motions impose excessive constraints that limit its workspace. Therefore, amplifying the workspace of the SPM to cover the motion range required by human daily activities is a pressing problem in shoulder prosthesis design. To address this challenge, this study proposed a workspace amplification approach through the kinematic analysis of a symmetrically arranged 2 degrees of freedom (DoFs) passive mechanism, together with the designed and optimized 3-RRR SPM, to construct an anthropomorphic shoulder. The effectiveness and reliability of the proposed mechanism was verified through thorough analyses. Simulation and experiment results demonstrated that the workspace amplification mechanism could significantly increase the maximum motion match index between the shoulder prosthesis and the daily workspace of the human shoulder from only 26.3% to 94.79%, solving the problem that the traditional SPM-based prostheses cannot satisfy the motion range required by daily activities. Moreover, the proposed mechanism has the potential to amplify the workspace of most parallel mechanisms with multiple DoFs after proper modification., (© 2024 IOP Publishing Ltd.)

How deep is the current diversity in the panoply of theories to define consciousness, and to what extent do these theories share common denominators? Here we first examine to what extent different theories are commensurable (or comparable) along particular dimensions. We posit logical (and, when applicable, empirical) commensurability as a necessary condition for identifying common denominators among different theories. By consequence, dimensions for inclusion in a set of logically and empirically commensurable theories of consciousness can be proposed. Next, we compare a limited subset of neuroscience-based theories in terms of commensurability. This analysis does not yield a denominator that might serve to define a minimally unifying model of consciousness. Theories that seem to be akin by one denominator can be remote by another. We suggest a methodology of comparing different theories via multiple probing questions, allowing to discern overall (dis)similarities between theories. Despite very different background definitions of consciousness, we conclude that, if attention is paid to the search for a common methological approach to brain-consciousness relationships, it should be possible in principle to overcome the current Babylonian confusion of tongues and eventually integrate and merge different theories., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Objective: Using the example of robotic-assisted surgery (RAS), we explore the methodological and practical challenges of technology integration in surgery, provide examples of evidence-based improvements, and discuss the importance of systems engineering and clinical human factors research and practice., Background: New operating room technologies offer potential benefits for patients and staff, yet also present challenges for physical, procedural, team, and organizational integration. Historically, RAS implementation has focused on establishing the technical skills of the surgeon on the console, and has not systematically addressed the new skills required for other team members, the use of the workspace, or the organizational changes., Results: Human factors studies of robotic surgery have demonstrated not just the effects of these hidden complexities on people, teams, processes, and proximal outcomes, but also have been able to analyze and explain in detail why they happen and offer methods to address them. We review studies on workload, communication, workflow, workspace, and coordination in robotic surgery, and then discuss the potential for improvement that these studies suggest within the wider healthcare system., Conclusion: There is a growing need to understand and develop approaches to safety and quality improvement through human-systems integration at the frontline of care.Precis: The introduction of robotic surgery has exposed under-acknowledged complexities of introducing complex technology into operating rooms. We explore the methodological and practical challenges, provide examples of evidence-based improvements, and discuss the implications for systems engineering and clinical human factors research and practice., Competing Interests: KEY POINTSRobotic surgery requires new technical, team, and workspace organization skills for the surgeon, the operating room team, and the anesthesiologist while also requiring new training and staff development practices.Limited systems thinking in healthcare means it has taken nearly 20 years of robotic surgery use to study and reveal these effects, and there remains no formal acknowledgement or approach to addressing them.We outline approaches to teamwork training, task design, and workspace management that might successfully address this gap when implemented carefully into the wider clinical system.Recognizing the need for formal intervention approaches and human factors engineering is an important step towards improving the safety, efficiency, and efficacy of future surgical technologies.

The quest to comprehend the nature of consciousness has spurred the development of many theories that seek to explain its underlying mechanisms and account for its neural correlates. In this paper, I compare my own conscious electromagnetic information field (cemi field) theory with integrated information theory (IIT) and global workspace theory (GWT) for their ability to 'carve nature at its joints' in the sense of predicting the entities, structures, states and dynamics that are conventionally recognized as being conscious or nonconscious. I go on to argue that, though the cemi field theory shares features of both integrated information theory and global workspace theory, it is more successful at carving nature at its conventionally accepted joints between conscious and nonconscious systems, and is thereby a more successful theory of consciousness.

The appraisal of control over work intensity and decisions at the workplace is a well-established determinant of health and well-being among employees. Building on job design theories, the overarching aim of this study was to determine office layout as a predictor of perceived job control. Specifically, we investigated between-group differences in control by contrasting employees in cellular offices with employees in shared/open offices, as well as effects on control among employees transitioning from one office design to another. This is a longitudinal study with three survey points across 48 months comprising 3,415 Norwegian office employees. Data were analyzed with latent growth curve analyses, adjusted for gender, age, leadership responsibility, and teleworking. Employees in cellular offices reported significantly higher control over work intensity and control over decisions when compared with employees in shared/open workspaces. Transitioning from a shared/open workspace to a cellular office led to a significant increase in perceived control regarding work intensity. As the experience of control may buffer the negative impact of job demands, organizations that rely on shared or open office solutions may benefit from identifying tools that can contribute to enhancing their employees' perceived control., (© 2023 The Authors. Scandinavian Journal of Psychology published by Scandinavian Psychological Associations and John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

Trunk-like continuum robots have wide applications in manipulation and locomotion. In particular, trunk-like soft arms exhibit high dexterity and adaptability very similar to the creatures of the natural world. However, owing to the continuum and soft bodies, their performance in payload and spatial movements is limited. In this paper, we investigate the influence of key design parameters on robotic performance. It is verified that a larger workspace, lateral stiffness, payload, and bending moment could be achieved with adjustments to soft materials' hardness, the height of module segments, and arrayed radius of actuators. Especially, a 55% increase in arrayed radius would enhance the lateral stiffness by 25% and a bending moment by 55%. An 80% increase in segment height would enlarge 112% of the elongation range and 70 % of the bending range. Around 200% and 150% increments in the segment's lateral stiffness and payload forces, respectively, could be obtained by tuning the hardness of soft materials. These relations enable the design customization of trunk-like soft arms, in which this tapering structure ensures stability via the stocky base for an impact reduction of 50% compared to that of the tip and ensures dexterity of the long tip for a relatively larger bending range of over 400% compared to that of the base. The complete methodology of the design concept, analytical models, simulation, and experiments is developed to offer comprehensive guidelines for trunk-like soft robotic design and enable high performance in robotic manipulation., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2023 Tang, Tang, Wu, Xiao, Liu, Yi and Wang.)

In the period 2019-2020, the effect of plants in the workspace on (a) the physical indoor climate, (b) the perception of the workspace by office workers, and (c) their health, well-being and functioning was investigated in nine organizations. This paper reports the outcomes of the latter part. A conceptual model describing the short-term, medium and long-term effect of plants on people was formulated, containing 18 outcome variables. A "Before After Control Impact" quasi-experimental research design was used. A control workspace and an intervention workspace were selected in each of the organizations. A pre-measurement was conducted in both. Correlational analyses, based on the pre-measurements in all organizations and workspaces, confirmed the associations proposed by the conceptual model to a large extent. After placing plants in the intervention workspace, a maximum of two post-intervention measurements were conducted (due to COVID-19 not in all nine organizations), the last one at least 4 months after the introduction of the plants. Overall significant effects were found on complaints about dry air (fewer), the sense of privacy (higher), the attractiveness of the workspace (higher), satisfaction with the workspace (greater) and having a health-related complaint, especially when at work (fewer). The first three effects were already observed in the analyses only including the first post-measurement. The latter two effects only showed up in the analyses including two post-measurements. No direct effect of the plants could be demonstrated on the 13 other outcome variables. The observed effects mainly concern outcome variables that are positioned at the beginning of the proposed causal chain, starting with plants and ending with mental health, absenteeism and job satisfaction., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2023 de Vries, Hermans and Langers.)

We aimed to systematically review and meta-analyze the association of employees working in various kinds of open-plan offices with sick leave data, compared to those working in traditional cell offices. Databases of PubMed, PubPsych, and Psyndex were systematically searched following the PRISMA statement. Pooled summary estimates of odds ratio (OR) were calculated comparing sick leave of employees in cell offices with those working in small open-plan offices (4-9 people), and those in various open-plan office solutions (≥4 people). We used Forest plots visualizing study-specific estimates and the pooled fixed and random effects estimators. Five studies were identified (2008-2020) with a total of 13,277 (range 469-6,328) participants. Compared with employees working in cell offices, those working in small open-plan offices were associated with higher odds of sick leave days (OR=1.27; 95% CI 0.99-1.54; p=0.046) as well as those working in various kinds of open-plan offices with ≥4 colleagues (OR=1.24; 95% CI 0.96-1.51; p=0.004). Our results are consistent with those of earlier reviews focusing on other effects of open-plan office solutions such as health and well-being. Different solutions for office design and architectural lay-out should be the focus of future studies to balance pros and cons of open-plan offices.

Background: A sufficient surgical workspace is crucial to avoid complications. Within classic laparoscopy, many subjective surgical rating scales (SRSs) have previously been used to evaluate the surgical workspace. This study aimed to validate a modified version of the 5-point SRS during robot-assisted radical nephrectomy (RARN)., Methods: Thirty-two intra-operative videos of intraperitoneal spaces were recorded from eight patients who underwent RARN. To attain the visualisation of different types of workspaces, we recorded 20 s panoramic videos of different pneumoperitoneum, namely 3, 5, 7 and 12 mmHg. The videos were randomised and presented two times to eight experienced robotic surgeons to evaluate the workspace using our modified 5-point SRS. Both inter-and intra-rater reliabilities were tested., Results: The results of the validation study showed moderate inter-rater and good to excellent intra-rater reliability., Conclusion: This is a valid tool that can be confidently used by future researchers in the field of robot-assisted surgery., (© 2022 The Authors. The International Journal of Medical Robotics and Computer Assisted Surgery published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

At present, in specific and complex industrial operations, robots have to respect certain requirements and criteria as high kinematic or dynamic performance, specific dimensions of the workspace, or limitation of the dimensions of the mobile elements of the robot. In order to respect these criteria, a proper design of the robots has to be achieved, which requires years of practice and a proper knowledge and experience of a human designer. In order to assist the human designer in the process of designing the robots, several methods (including optimization methods) have been developed. The scientific problem addressed in this paper is the development of an artificial intelligence method to estimate the size of the workspace and the kinematics of a robot using a feedforward neural network. The method is applied on a parallel robot composed of a base platform, a mobile platform and six kinematic rotational-universal-spherical open loops. The numerical results show that, with proper training and topology, a feedforward neural network is able to estimate properly values of the volume of the workspace and the values of the generalized coordinates based on the pose of the end effector.

The increase of the aging population brings numerous challenges to health and aesthetic segments. Here, the use of laser therapy for dermatology is expected to increase since it allows for non-invasive and infection-free treatments. However, existing laser devices require doctors' manually handling and visually inspecting the skin. As such, the treatment outcome is dependent on the user's expertise, which frequently results in ineffective treatments and side effects. This study aims to determine the workspace and limits of operation of laser treatments for vascular lesions of the lower limbs. The results of this study can be used to develop a robotic-guided technology to help address the aforementioned problems. Specifically, workspace and limits of operation were studied in eight vascular laser treatments. For it, an electromagnetic tracking system was used to collect the real-time positioning of the laser during the treatments. The computed average workspace length, height, and width were 0.84 ± 0.15, 0.41 ± 0.06, and 0.78 ± 0.16 m, respectively. This corresponds to an average volume of treatment of 0.277 ± 0.093 m 3 . The average treatment time was 23.2 ± 10.2 min, with an average laser orientation of 40.6 ± 5.6 degrees. Additionally, the average velocities of 0.124 ± 0.103 m/s and 31.5 + 25.4 deg/s were measured. This knowledge characterizes the vascular laser treatment workspace and limits of operation, which may ease the understanding for future robotic system development.

Objective: Anterior cervical discectomy and fusion (ACDF) provides a limited workspace, and surgeons often need to access the posterior aspect of the vertebral body to achieve sufficient decompression. Oblique resection of the posterior endplate (trumpet-shaped decompression [TSD]) widens the workspace, enabling removal of lesions behind the vertebral body. This study was conducted to evaluate the efficacy and safety of oblique posterior endplate resection for wider decompression., Methods: In this retrospective study, 227 patients who underwent ACDF for the treatment of cervical myelopathy or radiculopathy caused by spondylosis or ossification of the posterior longitudinal ligament and were followed up for ≥ 1 year were included. Patient characteristics, fusion rates, subsidence, and patient-reported outcome measures, including the neck pain visual analog scale (VAS) score, arm pain VAS score, and Neck Disability Index (NDI), were assessed. Patients who underwent TSD during ACDF (TSD group) and those who underwent surgery without TSD (non-TSD group) were compared., Results: Fifty-seven patients (25.1%) were included in the TSD group and 170 patients (74.9%) in the non-TSD group. In the TSD group, 28.2% ± 5.5% of the endplate was resected, and 26.0% ± 6.1% of the region behind the vertebral body could be visualized via the TSD technique. The resection angle was 26.9° ± 5.9°. The fusion rate assessed on the basis of interspinous motion, intragraft bone bridging, and extragraft bone bridging did not significantly differ between the two groups. Furthermore, there were no significant intergroup differences in subsidence. The patient-reported outcome measures at the 1-year follow-up were also not significantly different between the groups., Conclusions: TSD widened the workspace during ACDF, and 26% of the region posterior to the vertebral body could be accessed using this technique. The construct stability was not adversely affected by TSD as demonstrated by the similar fusion and subsidence rates among patients who underwent TSD and those who did not. Therefore, TSD can be safely applied during ACDF when compressive lesions extend behind the vertebral body and are not limited to the disc space, enabling adequate decompression without disrupting the construct stability.

Based on the anti-parallelogram mechanism, an approximate cylindrical rolling joint is proposed to develop a novel cable-driven snake-arm robot with multiple degrees of freedom (DOF). Furthermore, the kinematics of the cable-driven snake-arm robot are established, and the mapping between actuator space and joint space is simplified by bending decoupling motion in the multiple segments. The workspace and bending configurations of the robot are obtained. The static model is established by the principle of minimum potential energy. Furthermore, the simplified cable constraints in the static model are proposed through Taylor expansion, which facilitates the equilibrium conformation analysis of the robot under different external forces. The cable-driven snake-arm robot prototype is developed to verify the feasibility of the robot design and the availability of the static model through the experiments of the free bending motion and the external load on the robot.

In otolaryngologic surgery, more and more robots are being studied to meet the clinical needs of operating rooms. However, to help design and optimize these robots, the workspace must be precisely defined taking into account patient variability. The aim of this work is to define a geometric atlas of the middle ear and paranasal sinuses for endoscopic robotic applications. Scans of several patients of different ages and sexes were used to determine the average size of these workspaces, which are linked by the similar use of endoscopes in surgery.

Background: Upper-limb rehabilitation robots have become an important piece of equipment in stroke rehabilitation. The design of exoskeleton mechanisms plays a key role to improve human-robot interface in the upper-limb movements under passive and active rehabilitation training., Objective: This paper proposes a novel of the 7-DOF (RR-RR-PRR) under-actuated exoskeleton mechanism based on the characteristics of the upper-limb movements in both of active and passive training. This aim of the proposed work is to improve human-robot interface in rehabilitation training with robots., Methods: Firstly, the characteristics of active and passive movement training are analyzed depending on the human upper-limb model. Then, a novel 7-DOF (RR-RR-PRR) exoskeleton mechanism is proposed based on the analyzed characteristics. After that, kinematical performances of the proposed exoskeleton are analyzed on the workspace, manipulability and manipulability ellipsoid by compared with the common exoskeleton configuration of the 7 DOFs (RRR-R-PRR) mechanism. In the end, the prototype is manufactured and tested by undergoing the experiments of single-joint passive movement training and multi-joint active movement training. The human-robot interface of the proposed exoskeleton is demonstrated by root mean square error, Pearson correlation coefficient, and the time-delay difference., Results: The results of the kinematical performance show that the effective workspace and the flexibility of the exoskeleton with the proposed configuration are increased by 10.44% and 1.7%. In the single-joint passive movement training experiment, the root mean square errors are 6.986, 7.568, 5.846, and Pearson correlation coefficients are 0.989, 0.984, 0.988 at the shoulder joint and the elbow joint, respectively. The time-delay differences are not beyond 3.1%. In the multi-joint active movement training experiment, the root mean square errors are 9.312 and 7.677, and Pearson correlation coefficients are 0.906 and 0.968 at the shoulder joint and the elbow joint, respectively. The time-delay differences are not beyond 3.28%., Conclusions: The proposed 7 DOFs exoskeleton mechanism shows uniformity with that of the common exoskeleton on the same rehabilitation trajectory which is effective to improve human-robot interface under passive and active rehabilitation training.

Background: The traditional surgical instruments for transnasal endoscopic skull base surgery have poor flexibility and continuum robot has attracted extensive attention for its high dexterity and safety., Methods: A new type of micro continuum surgical robot is designed. On the basis of kinematic analysis, a superposition method is proposed to analyse the reachable configuration space of the system, and the workspace is analysed. The results obtained by superposition method can provide reference for the selection of joint parameters. At last, the static model of the system is established considering friction and coupling between two segments., Results: The simulation results show that the workspace can meet the requirements of surgery. And the validity of the static model is verified by numerical simulation and experiment, which lays a foundation for the establishment of the driving force transmission system and precise control of the robot., Conclusions: The research results of this study contribute to the real-time control and movement of robot. The proposed continuum robot provides convenient conditions for the clinical application., (© 2021 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

Objective: The aim of this study is to examine the interactive effects of display curvature radius and display size on visual search accuracy, visual search speed, and visual fatigue., Background: Although the advantages of curved displays have been reported, little is known about the interactive effects of display curvature radius and size., Method: Twenty-seven individuals performed visual search tasks at a viewing distance of 50 cm using eight configurations involving four display curvature radii (400R, 600R, 1200R, and flat) and two display sizes (33″ and 50″). To simulate curved screens, five flat display panels were horizontally arranged with their centers concentrically repositioned following each display curvature radius., Results: For accuracy, speed, and fatigue, 33″-600R and 50″-600R provided the best or comparable-to-best results, whereas 50″-flat provided the worst results. For accuracy and fatigue, 33″-flat was the second worst. The changes in the horizontal field of view and viewing angle due to display curvature as well as the association between effective display curvature radii and empirical horopter (loci of perceived equidistance) can explain these results., Conclusion: The interactive effects of display curvature radius and size were evident for visual search performance and fatigue. Beneficial effects of curved displays were maintained across 33″ and 50″, whereas increasing flat display size from 33″ to 50″ was detrimental., Application: For visual search tasks at a viewing distance of 50 cm, 33″-600R and 50″ 600R displays are recommended, as opposed to 33″ and 50″ flat displays. Wide flat displays must be carefully considered for visual display terminal tasks.

Worldwide cardiovascular diseases such as stroke and heart disease are the leading cause of mortality. While guidewire/catheter-based minimally invasive surgery is used to treat a variety of cardiovascular disorders, existing passive guidewires and catheters suffer from several limitations such as low steerability and vessel access through complex geometry of vasculatures and imaging-related accumulation of radiation to both patients and operating surgeons. To address these limitations, magnetic soft continuum robots (MSCRs) in the form of magnetic field-controllable elastomeric fibers have recently demonstrated enhanced steerability under remotely applied magnetic fields. While the steerability of an MSCR largely relies on its workspace-the set of attainable points by its end effector-existing MSCRs based on embedding permanent magnets or uniformly dispersing magnetic particles in polymer matrices still cannot give optimal workspaces. The design and optimization of MSCRs have been challenging because of the lack of efficient tools. Here, we report a systematic set of model-based evolutionary design, fabrication, and experimental validation of an MSCR with a counterintuitive nonuniform distribution of magnetic particles to achieve an unprecedented workspace. The proposed MSCR design is enabled by integrating a theoretical model and the genetic algorithm. The current work not only achieves the optimal workspace for MSCRs but also provides a powerful tool for the efficient design and optimization of future magnetic soft robots and actuators., Competing Interests: The authors declare no competing interest.

By analyzing the physiological structure and motion characteristics of human ankle joint, a four degree of freedom generalized spherical parallel mechanism is proposed to meet the needs of ankle rehabilitation. Using the spiral theory to analyze the motion characteristics of the mechanism and based on the method of describing the position with spherical coordinates and the posture with Euler Angle, the inverse solution of the closed vector equation of mechanism position is established. The workspace of mechanism is analyzed according to the constraint conditions of inverse solution. The workspace of the moving spherical center of the mechanism is used to match the movement space of the tibiotalar joint, and the workspace of the dynamic platform is used to match the movement space of subtalar joint. Genetic algorithm is used to optimize the key scale parameters of the mechanism. The results show that the workspace of the generalized spherical parallel mechanism can satisfy the actual movement space of human ankle joint rehabilitation. The results of this paper can provide theoretical basis and experimental reference for the design of ankle joint rehabilitation robot with high matching degree.

In recent years, several studies have investigated upper-limb motion in a variety of scenarios including motor control, physiology, rehabilitation and industry. Such applications assess people's kinematics and muscular performances, focusing on typical movements that simulate daily-life tasks. However, often only a limited interpretation of the EMG patterns is provided. In fact, rarely the assessments separate phasic (movement-related) and tonic (postural) EMG components, as well as the EMG in the acceleration and deceleration phases. With this paper, we provide a comprehensive and detailed characterization of the activity of upper-limb and trunk muscles in healthy people point-to-point upper limb movements. Our analysis includes in-depth muscle activation magnitude assessment, separation of phasic (movement-related) and tonic (postural) EMG activations, directional tuning, distinction between activations in the acceleration and deceleration phases. Results from our study highlight a predominant postural activity with respect to movement related muscular activity. The analysis based on the acceleration phase sheds light on finer motor control strategies, highlighting the role of each muscle in the acceleration and deceleration phase. The results of this study are applicable to several research fields, including physiology, rehabilitation, design of robots and assistive solutions, exoskeletons., Competing Interests: The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (© 2021 The Authors.)

Workplace environments have a significant impact on worker performance, health, and well-being. With machine learning capabilities, artificial intelligence (AI) can be developed to automate individualized adjustments to work environments (e.g., lighting, temperature) and to facilitate healthier worker behaviors (e.g., posture). Worker perspectives on incorporating AI into office workspaces are largely unexplored. Thus, the purpose of this study was to explore office workers' views on including AI in their office workspace. Six focus group interviews with a total of 45 participants were conducted. Interview questions were designed to generate discussion on benefits, challenges, and pragmatic considerations for incorporating AI into office settings. Sessions were audio-recorded, transcribed, and analyzed using an iterative approach. Two primary constructs emerged. First, participants shared perspectives related to preferences and concerns regarding communication and interactions with the technology. Second, numerous conversations highlighted the dualistic nature of a system that collects large amounts of data; that is, the potential benefits for behavior change to improve health and the pitfalls of trust and privacy. Across both constructs, there was an overarching discussion related to the intersections of AI with the complexity of work performance. Numerous thoughts were shared relative to future AI solutions that could enhance the office workplace. This study's findings indicate that the acceptability of AI in the workplace is complex and dependent upon the benefits outweighing the potential detriments. Office worker needs are complex and diverse, and AI systems should aim to accommodate individual needs.

Recent statistics reveal that the number of individuals with upper or lower extremity dysfunctions has increased alarmingly. It is estimated that approximately 3.3 million Americans use a wheelchair, with an expected 2 million new wheelchair users every year. To assist powered wheelchair users with limited upper limb function, we have been exploring assistive robots that can be mounted on a wheelchair to perform essential activities of daily living (ADL), such as picking/placing an object from out of reach, feeding, etc. In this research, a 6DoF robot, xArm-6 was used as an assistive robot to provide ADL assistance. Experiments were conducted with xArm6 Robot to investigate the motion trajectories and workspace covering essential ADLs. In kinematic analysis, modified Denavit-Hartenberg parameters are used to identify the Robot's motion path and workspace. On the other hand, the iterative Newton-Euler method was used for dynamic analysis to estimate the joint torques corresponding to each ADL. Experimental results show that xArm-6 can be used for some selected ADLs tasks but not for all essential ADLs.

Background: With the COVID-19 pandemic, organizations embraced Work From Home (WFH). An important component of transitioning to WFH is the effect on workers, particularly related to their productivity and work experience., Objectives: The objective of this study is to examine how worker-, workspace-, and work-related factors affected productivity and time spent at a workstation on a typical WFH day during the pandemic., Methods: An online questionnaire was designed and administered to collect the necessary information. Data from 988 respondents were included in the analyses., Results: Overall perception of productivity level among workers did not change relative to their in-office productivity before the pandemic. Female, older, and high-income workers were likely to report increased productivity. Productivity was positively influenced by better mental and physical health statuses, having a teenager, increased communication with coworkers and having a dedicated room for work. Number of hours spent at a workstation increased by approximately 1.5 hours during a typical WFH day. Longer hours were reported by individuals who had school age children, owned an office desk or an adjustable chair, and had adjusted their work hours., Conclusion: The findings highlight key factors for employers and employees to consider for improving the WFH experience.

A power-assisted exoskeleton should be capable of reducing the burden on the wearer's body or rendering his or her work improved and efficient. More specifically, the exoskeleton should be easy to wear, be simple to use, and provide power assistance without hindering the wearer's movement. Therefore, it is necessary to evaluate the backdrivability, range of motion, and power-assist capability of such an exoskeleton. This evaluation identifies the pros and cons of the exoskeleton, and it serves as the basis for its subsequent development. In this study, a lightweight upper-limb power-assisted exoskeleton with high backdrivability was developed. Moreover, a motion capture system was adopted to measure and analyze the workspace of the wearer's upper limb after the exoskeleton was worn. The results were used to evaluate the exoskeleton's ability to support the wearer's movement. Furthermore, a small and compact three-axis force sensor was used for power assistance, and the effect of the power assistance was evaluated by means of measuring the wearer's surface electromyography, force, and joint angle signals. Overall, the study showed that the exoskeleton could achieve power assistance and did not affect the wearer's movements.

Background: Good workspace design is key to the quality of work, safety, and wellbeing for workers, yet we lack vital knowledge about optimal hospital design to meet healthcare workforce needs. This study used novel mobile methods to examine the concept of Work-as-Done and the effect of workspace-use on healthcare professional practice, productivity, health and safety in an Australian university hospital., Methods: This pilot study took place in one gastroenterological surgical unit between 2018 and 2019. Data collection involved 50 h of observations and informal conversations, followed by interpretation of five architectural plans and 45 photographs. Fieldnotes were thematically analysed and corroborated by analysis of visual data using a predefined taxonomy., Results: Six themes were identified, revealing spaces that both support and hinder Work-as-Done. Fit-for-purpose spaces facilitated effective communication between staff, patients and families, conferred relative comfort and privacy, and supported effective teamwork. Unfit-for-purpose spaces were characterised by disruptions to work practices, disharmony among team members, and physical discomfort for staff. Staff employed workarounds to manage unfit-for-purpose spaces., Conclusion: The results identified negative impacts of negotiating unfit-for-purpose workspaces on the work and wellbeing of staff. While the use of workarounds and adaptations enable staff to maintain everyday working practices, they can also lead to unexpected consequences. Results indicated the need to identify and support fit-for-purpose spaces and minimize the detrimental qualities of unfit-for-purpose spaces. This study showed that mobile methods were suitable for examining Work-as-Done in a fast-moving, adaptive hospital setting.

Biophilia hypothesis suggests humans have an innate connection to nature which may affect our health and productivity. Yet we currently live in a world that is rapidly urbanizing with people spending most of their time indoors. We designed a randomized crossover study to let 30 participants experience three versions of biophilic design in simulated open and enclosed office spaces in virtual reality (VR). Throughout the VR session, we measured blood pressure, heart rate, heart rate variability, and skin conductance level and administered cognitive tests to measure their reaction time and creativity. Compared to the base case, participants in three spaces with biophilic elements had consistently lower level of physiological stress indicators and higher creativity scores. In addition, we captured the variation in the intensity of virtual exposure to biophilic elements by using eye-tracking technology. These results suggest that biophilic interventions could help reduce stress and improve creativity. Moreover, those effects are related to both the types of biophilic elements and may be different based on the workspace type (open vs enclosed). This research demonstrates that VR-simulated office spaces are useful in differentiating responses to two configurations and among biophilic elements., (© 2019 John Wiley & Sons A/S. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

Based on the biomechanical simulation curve of OpenSim, an open source software of biomechanical model, a spherical exoskeleton parallel mechanism with two degrees of freedom for hip joint is proposed in this paper for the rehabilitation therapy of patients with impaired leg motor function or elderly people with walking dysfunction. Firstly, the parallel mechanism is modeled and the position inverse solution of the parallel mechanism is obtained using inverse kinematics analysis. The velocity analysis expression of the mechanism is derived by deriving the inverse kinematics solution. The model is imported into the mechanical system dynamics analysis software ADAMS and matrix processing analysis software MATLAB to carry out simulation experiments. The correctness of the velocity analysis is verified by comparing the velocity simulation results of the two methods. Then, three singular types of the mechanism are analyzed according to the obtained Jacobian matrix. According to the inverse solution of the mechanism, the reachable workspace of the mechanism is obtained by programming in MATLAB with given mechanism parameters and restriction conditions. Finally, the prototype platform is built. The experimental results show that the exoskeleton hip joint using this parallel mechanism can satisfy the requirement of rotation angle of human hip joint movement, but also can be good to assist patients with leg flexion-extension movement and adduction-abduction movement, and it is helpful to carry out corresponding rehabilitation training. It also has theoretical significance and application value for the research work of human hip exoskeleton parallel mechanism.

During the BASALT research program, real (nonsimulated) geological and biological science was accomplished through a series of extravehicular activities (EVAs) under simulated Mars mission conditions. These EVAs were supported by a Mission Support Center (MSC) that included an on-site, colocated Science Support Team (SST). The SST was composed of scientists from a variety of disciplines and operations researchers who provided scientific and technical expertise to the crew while each EVA was being conducted (intra-EVA). SST management and organization developed under operational conditions that included Mars-like communication latencies, bandwidth constraints, and EVA plans that were infused with Mars analog field science objectives. This paper focuses on the SST workspace considerations such as science team roles, physical layout, communication interactions, operational techniques, and work support technology. Over the course of BASALT field deployments to Idaho and Hawai'i, the SST team made several changes of note to increase both productivity and efficiency. For example, new roles were added for more effective management of technical discussions, and the layout of the SST workspace evolved multiple times during the deployments. SST members' reflexive adjustments resulted in a layout that prioritized face-to-face discussions over face-to-data displays, highlighting the importance of interpersonal communication during SST decision-making. In tandem with these workspace adjustments, a range of operational techniques were developed to help the SST manage discussions and information flow under time pressure.

Objective: Maximising safe handoff procedures ensures patient safety. Anaesthesiology practices have primarily focused on developing better communication tools. However, these tools tend to ignore the physical layout of the anaesthesia workspace itself. Standardising the anaesthesia workspace has the potential to improve patient safety. The design process should incorporate end user feedback and objective data., Methods: This pilot project aims to design a standardised anaesthesia workspace using eye-tracking technology at a single university-affiliated Veterans Affairs hospital. Twelve practising anaesthesiologists observed a series of images representing five clinical scenarios. Each of these had a question prompting them to look for certain items commonly found in the anaesthesia workspace. Using eye-tracking technology, the gaze data of participants were recorded. These data were used to generate heat maps of the specific areas of interest in the workspace that received the most fixation counts., Results: The laryngoscope and propofol had the highest percentages of gaze fixations on the left-hand side of the workstation, in closest proximity to the anaesthesiologist. Atropine, although the highest percentage of gaze fixations (33%) placed it on the right-hand side of the workstation, also had 25% of gaze fixations centred over the anaesthesia cart., Conclusion: Gaze fixation analyses showed that anaesthesiologists identified locations for the laryngoscope and propofol within easy reach and emergency medications further away. Because eye tracking can provide objective data to influence the design process, it may be useful when developing standardised anaesthesia workspace templates for individual practices., Competing Interests: Conflict of Interest: The authors have no conflicts of interest to declare.

Background: Previous studies have focused on the role of deep neuromuscular blockade (NMB) in improving surgical conditions during laparoscopic bariatric surgery. However, a wide inter-individual variability has been noted. The aim of this study was to identify patient-related factors affecting surgeon satisfaction with the surgical space and surgery duration in laparoscopic bariatric surgery under deep NMB., Methods: One hundred eighty-five patients scheduled for laparoscopic gastric bypass were enrolled. Anesthesia was standardized. A deep NMB was maintained together with fixed patient positioning (30 reverse Trendelenburg) and constant pneumoperitoneum pressure (14 mmHg) during the whole surgical procedure. Immediately after surgery, the surgeon was invited to state his satisfaction with the surgical space through a verbal numeric scale (VNS) ranging from 0 (extremely poor) to 10 (optimal)., Results: VNS score was negatively correlated with male gender (r = - 0.35; p = 0.0001), BMI (r = - 0.16; p = 0.03), and age (r = - 0.20; p = 0.008). Surgery duration was positively correlated with male gender (r = 0.27; p = 0.0003) and BMI (r = 0.22; p = 0.006). Multivariate linear regressions showed that lower VNS scores were predicted by male gender (p = 0.000001) and increased age (p = 0.009), and that a longer surgery duration was predicted by male gender (p = 0.0002)., Conclusions: Findings showed that male gender and higher patient age were independent predictors of lower surgeon satisfaction with the workspace during laparoscopic bariatric surgery. Male gender also had a significant role in predicting longer surgery duration. The role of android obesity, which is more frequently associated with male gender, in affecting surgeon-perceived workspace conditions needs further investigation.

Although several studies have examined the impact of open workspaces, there is still an on-going debate about its advantages and disadvantages. Our paper contributes to this debate by shedding light on three issues: the effect of open workspaces on (1) the flow of communication along and across hierarchical lines; (2) the content of communication; and (3) the specificities of open integrated laboratories. Our findings derive from a longitudinal case in a large pharmaceutical company that has relocated some R&D teams from enclosed to multi-space offices and labs. The relocation has resulted in (a) increased interdisciplinary communication, particularly at lower hierarchical levels, (b) a shift of the location of discussions and the content of conversations and (c) an improved knowledge about expertise distribution. Practitioner Summary: Communication is essential in knowledge-driven organisations. This article examines the impact of a relocation of R&D employees from enclosed to multi-space offices and labs on communication patterns. We explain how the new environment fosters interdisciplinary communication, shifts the location of discussions and increases the knowledge of expertise distribution.

For the outstanding compliance and dexterity of continuum robot, it is increasingly used in minimally invasive surgery. The wide workspace, high dexterity and strong payload capacity are essential to the continuum robot. In this article, we investigate the workspace of a cable-driven continuum robot that we proposed. The influence of section number on the workspace is discussed when robot is operated in narrow environment. Meanwhile, the structural parameters of this continuum robot are optimized to achieve better kinematic performance. Moreover, an indicator based on the dexterous solid angle for evaluating the dexterity of robot is introduced and the distal end dexterity is compared for the three-section continuum robot with different range of variables. Results imply that the wider range of variables achieve the better dexterity. Finally, the static model of robot based on the principle of virtual work is derived to analyze the relationship between the bending shape deformation and the driven force. The simulations and experiments for plane and spatial motions are conducted to validate the feasibility of model, respectively. Results of this article can contribute to the real-time control and movement and can be a design reference for cable-driven continuum robot.

As a common athletics injury in orthopedics clinic, ankle injury may affect a person's daily life and ankle injury rehabilitation has gained increasing interests from the medical and robotic societies. A novel hybrid ankle rehabilitation robot is proposed, which composing of a serial and a parallel part. In order to analyze its kinematic performances, the parallel part of the robot is simplified as a constrained 3-PSP parallel mechanism. A mathematical model for the parallel part of the robot is established based on the screw theory. Then the inverse kinematics is obtained, and the reciprocal twists, Jacobian matrices and the singularity of the robot are analyzed. Finally the workspace of the central point on the moving platform is predicted. The kinematic analyses manifest that the proposed hybrid rehabilitation robot not only can realize three kinds of ankle rehabilitation motions, but also can eliminate singularity with enhanced workspace. The workspace of the central point reveals that the hybrid robot can fully meet the demanded rehabilitation space by comparing with the clinic demands. Our results reveals the characteristic structure of the hybrid rehabilitation robot and its superiority, it offers some basis data for the future enhancement of the device.

Introduction: Space matters. We read space like we read people's faces. Space is an instrument of collaboration and innovation. At the University of Michigan's Institute for Clinical and Health Research (MICHR), a team was created to creatively and economically enhance our operating space into a flexible workspace that supports privacy, innovation, creativity, and most important, a culture of collaboration., Methods: The team used a human-centered design process to creatively engage the staff at large into analyzing our existing space, identifying latent needs, proposing solutions, generating feedback, and economically building the rethought process., Results: The redesigned workspace embraces the differences among MICHR's teams while encouraging collaboration and teamwork and keeping costs at a minimum. It has resulted in a flexible space that includes co-located teams, spaces dedicated to different work goals, an open area for collaboration, quiet zones for focused work, and better wayfinding., Conclusions: Through our Rethink Space project, we hope to have demonstrated that, by initiating the project internally and by engaging the users of the space themselves in an empathetic, visual, and human-centered way, a space redesign can be undertaken economically while also leading to improved levels of employee and team satisfaction.

Background: An adverse clinical event requires emergency team coordination and multitasking activity. Based on studies in ecological psychology, we propose that a structured ambient environment can implicitly facilitate these requirements., Method: We designed a new configuration of work in which spatial zones were specified as fields of promoted actions for doctors, nurses and nursing auxiliaries. 6 emergency teams were confronted with scenarios in a simulation setting, either with a traditional configuration of work or with the new configuration., Results: Significantly, each kind of caregiver respected the delimited spatial zones: 91.5% of occupation time for doctors, 97.1% for nurses and 95.3% for nursing auxiliaries. The mean durations of occupation of a same zone by the nursing auxiliaries and another caregiver decreased significantly, thus reducing the likelihood of mutual disturbance. Readiness for multitasking activity measured before and after experiencing the work configuration increased significantly among caregivers. An ergonomic evaluation scale showed a high level of satisfaction among caregivers (68.5 points out of 100). Participants also indicated the advantages and disadvantages of this new work configuration., Conclusions: This study is a first step towards recommendations to standardise the positioning of emergency team members and for a new spatial arrangement of equipment., Competing Interests: Competing interests: None declared., (Published by the BMJ Publishing Group Limited. For permission to use (where not already granted under a licence) please go to http://www.bmj.com/company/products-services/rights-and-licensing/.)

This study explored the coordination between the components of the shoulder girdle (clavicle, scapula and humerus), and how they contribute to hand movement in the peri-personal space. Shoulder girdle motion was recorded in 10 healthy subjects during pointing movements to 9 targets in the peri-personal space, using electromagnetic sensors fixed to the trunk, scapula and upper arm. Most of the 9 degrees of freedom (DoF) of the shoulder girdle were finely scaled to target position. Principle component analysis revealed that the 6 DoF of scapula-thoracic motion were coordinated in three elementary patterns (protraction, shrug and lateral rotation). The ratio of gleno-humeral to scapulo-thoracic global motion was close to 2:1. A direct kinematic procedure showed that if no scapular motion occurred, the workspace would be reduced by 15.8 cm laterally, 13.7 cm vertically and 4.8 cm anteriorly. Scapulo-thoracic motion should be taken into account when investigating the physiology of upper-limb movements.

Objective: We assessed the perceived spaciousness and preference for a destination space in relation to six attributes (size, lighting, window size, texture, wall mural, and amount of furniture) of it and of the space experienced before it., Background: Studies have examined effects of these attributes but not for dynamic experience or preference., Method: We created 24 virtual reality walks between each possible pair of two levels of each attribute. For each destination space, 31 students (13 men, 18 women) rated spaciousness and 30 students (16 men, 14 women) rated preference. We conducted separate 2 × 2 repeated-measure ANOVAs across each condition for perceived spaciousness and preference., Results: Participants judged the space that was larger, was more brightly lit, with a larger window, or with less furniture as the more spacious. These attributes also increased preference. Consonant with adaptation-level theory, participants judged offices as higher in spaciousness and preference if preceded by a space that was smaller, was more dimly lit, or had smaller windows., Conclusion: The findings suggest that perceived spaciousness varies with size, lightness, window size, and amount of furniture but that perception also depends on the size, lightness, and size of the space experienced before., Application: Designers could use the findings to manipulate features to make a space appear larger or more desirable., (© 2016, Human Factors and Ergonomics Society.)

Background: A prerequisite for successful robot-assisted neurosurgery is to use a hand-controller matched with characteristics of real robotic microsurgery. This study reports quantified data pertaining to the required workspace and exerted forces of surgical tools during robot-assisted microsurgery., Methods: A surgeon conducted four operations in which the neuroArm surgical system, an image-guided computer-assisted manipulator specifically designed to perform robot-assisted neurosurgery, was employed to surgically remove brain tumors. The position, orientation, and exerted force of surgical tools were measured during operations., Results: Workspace of the neuroArm manipulators, for the cases studied, was 60×60×60 mm(3) while it offered orientation ranges of 103°, 62° and 112°. The surgical tools exerted a maximum force of 1.86 N with frequency band of less than 20 Hz., Conclusions: This data provides important information specific to neurosurgery that can be used to select among commercially available, or further design a customized, haptic hand-controller for robot-assisted neurosurgical systems. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., (Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.)

We were tasked with creating best possible non-clinical workspace solutions for approximately 450 hospital staff across 11 departments encompassing medical, nursing, allied health, administrative and other support staff. We used a Human-Centred Design process, involving 'Hear, Create and Deliver' stages. We used observations, contextual enquiry and role-specific workshops to understand needs, key interactions and drivers of behaviour. Co-design workshops were then used to explore and prototype-test concepts for the final design. With extensive employee engagement and design process expertise, an innovative solution was created that focussed on meeting the functional workspace needs of a diverse group of staff requiring a range of different spaces, incorporating space constraints and equity. This project demonstrated the strength of engaging employees in an expert-led Human-Centred Design process. We believe this is a successful blueprint process for other institutions to embrace when facing similar workspace design challenges., (© 2016 Royal Australasian College of Physicians.)

To establish the design requirements for an MR-compatible haptic hand-controller, this paper measures magnitudes and frequency bands of three mechanical motion and interaction components during the performance of neurosurgical tasks on a cadaveric brain. The hand-controller would allow the performance of virtual neurosurgical tasks within the bore of a high field magnet during image acquisition, i.e., functional MRI. The components are the position and the orientation of a surgical tool, and the force interaction between the tool and the brain tissue. A bipolar forceps was retrofitted with a tracking system and a set of force sensing components to measure displacements and forces, respectively. Results showed working positional, rotational, and force frequency bands of 3, 3 and 5 Hz, respectively. Peak forces of 1.4, 2.9 and 3.0 N were measured in the Cartesian coordinate system. A workspace of 50.1 × 39.8 × 58.2 mm(3) and orientation ranges of 40.4°, 60.1° and 63.1° for azimuth, elevation, and roll angles were observed. The results contribute in providing information specific to neurosurgery that can be used to effectively design a compact and customized haptic hand-controller reflecting characteristics of neurosurgical tasks.

Objective: To compare the effectiveness of robotic and non-robotic laparoscopic instruments in spatially constrained workspaces., Materials and Methods: Surgeons performed intracorporeal sutures with various instruments within three different cylindrical workspace sizes. Three pairs of instruments were compared: 3-mm non-robotic mini-laparoscopy instruments; 5-mm robotic instruments; and 8-mm robotic instruments. Workspace diameters were 4, 6 and 8 cm, with volumes of 50, 113 and 201 cm(3) respectively. Primary outcomes were validated objective task performance scores and instrument workspace breach counts., Results: A total of 23 participants performed 276 suture task repetitions. The overall median task performance scores for the 3-, 5- and 8-mm instruments were 421, 398 and 402, respectively (P = 0.12). Task scores were highest (best) for the 3-mm non-robotic instruments in all workspace sizes. Scores were significantly lower when spatial constraints were imposed, with median task scores for the 4-, 6- and 8-cm diameter workspaces being 388, 415 and 420, respectively (P = 0.026). Significant indirect relationships were seen between boundary breaches and workspace size (P < 0.001). Higher breach counts occurred with the robotic instruments., Conclusions: Smaller workspaces limit the performance of both robotic and non-robotic instruments. In operating workspaces <200 cm(3) , 3-mm non-robotic instruments are better suited for advanced bimanual operative tasks such as suturing. Future robotic instruments need further optimization if this technology is to be uniquely advantageous for clinical roles that involve endoscopic access to workspace-restricted anatomical areas., (© 2014 The Authors. BJU International © 2014 BJU International Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

A novel 3-PUU parallel robot was put forward, on which kinematic analysis was conducted to obtain its inverse kinematics solution, and on this basis, the limitations of the sliding pair and the Hooke joint on the workspace were analyzed. Moreover, the workspace was solved through the three dimensional limit search method, and then optimization analysis was performed on the workspace of this parallel robot, which laid the foundations for the configuration design and further analysis of the parallel mechanism, with the result indicated that this type of robot was equipped with promising application prospect. In addition that, the workspace after optimization can meet more requirements of patients.

The Permanent Senate Commission for the Investigation of Health Hazards of Chemical Compounds in the Work Area (MAK Commission of the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft) evaluates chemical substances using scientific criteria to prevent adverse effects on health at the work place. As part of this task there is a need to evaluate tumor promoting activity of chemicals (enhancement of formation of squamous cell carcinomas via premalignant papillomas) obtained from two-stage initiation/promotion experiments using the mouse skin model. In the present communication we address this issue by comparing responses seen in mouse skin with those in humans. We conclude that tumor promotional effects seen in such animal models be carefully analyzed on a case by case basis. Substances that elicit a rather non-specific effect that is restricted to the high dose range are considered to be irrelevant to humans and thus do not require classification as carcinogens. In contrast, substances that might have both a mode of action and a potency similar to the specific effects seen with TPA (12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate), the prototype tumor promoter in mouse skin, which triggers receptor-mediated signal cascades in the very low dose range, have to be classified in a category for carcinogens., (Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

This study examined whether manipulability during smartphone thumb-based touch operations could be predicted by the following robotic manipulability indices: the volume and direction of the 'manipulability ellipsoid' (MEd), both of which evaluate the influence of kinematics on manipulability. Limits of the thumb's range of motion were considered in the MEd to improve predictability. Thumb postures at 25 key target locations were measured in 16 subjects. Though there was no correlation between subjective evaluation and the volume of the MEd, high correlation was obtained when motion range limits were taken into account. These limits changed the size of the MEd and improved the accuracy of the manipulability evaluation. Movement directions associated with higher performance could also be predicted. In conclusion, robotic manipulability indices with motion range limits were considered to be useful measures for quantitatively evaluating human hand operations.

When designing a facility for telemedicine, there are several things to consider from a human factors point of view, as well as from a practicality point of view. Although the future practice of telemedicine is likely to be more of a mobile-based practice and centered more in the home than it is now, it is still very important to consider ways to optimize the design of clinic-based telemedicine facilities. This is true on both ends of a consultation-where the patient is and where the consultant is. On the patient side, the first thing to realize is that most telemedicine clinics are not going to be newly designed and built. In all likelihood they will be existing rooms converted to telemedicine clinic rooms. Quite often the former room will not even have been used for clinical purposes, but may have simply been a storage area cleared out for telemedicine use. Therefore, design is often a challenge but there are a few basic principles that can be followed to create a workable clinical space. This paper will review some of the basic human factors principles to take into account when designing a working telemedicine environment.

There is growing interest in the complex topology of human brain functional networks, often measured using resting-state functional MRI (fMRI). Here, we used a meta-analysis of the large primary literature that used fMRI or PET to measure task-related activation (>1,600 studies; 1985-2010). We estimated the similarity (Jaccard index) of the activation patterns across experimental tasks between each pair of 638 brain regions. This continuous coactivation matrix was used to build a weighted graph to characterize network topology. The coactivation network was modular, with occipital, central, and default-mode modules predominantly coactivated by specific cognitive domains (perception, action, and emotion, respectively). It also included a rich club of hub nodes, located in parietal and prefrontal cortex and often connected over long distances, which were coactivated by a diverse range of experimental tasks. Investigating the topological role of edges between a deactivated and an activated node, we found that such competitive interactions were most frequent between nodes in different modules or between an activated rich-club node and a deactivated peripheral node. Many aspects of the coactivation network were convergent with a connectivity network derived from resting state fMRI data (n = 27, healthy volunteers); although the connectivity network was more parsimoniously connected and differed in the anatomical locations of some hubs. We conclude that the community structure of human brain networks is relevant to cognitive function. Deactivations may play a role in flexible reconfiguration of the network according to cognitive demand, varying the integration between modules, and between the periphery and a central rich club.

This paper presents a novel, qualitative, bio-photographic study with intertextual analysis highlighting the relationship between community pharmacy workspace and practice. Sixteen pharmacists working across pharmacy types such as independent shops, large and small pharmacy chains and multiple pharmacies such as those in supermarkets participated in data capture and feedback consultation. Findings disclosed workspaces unfit for purpose and a workforce ill at ease with their new professional identity, involving increasingly complex tasks in health provision and retail. There was conflict between delegating to others and taking personal responsibility, and there were pressures from a demanding public within the context of a target-driven, litigious society. The study highlights that innovative, mixed methods in this context reveal nuanced, rich data.