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Meal-assistance robots (MARs) help feed meals to users with disabilities or who need help consuming their meals. Although such MARs have been introduced in various fields, guidelines for evaluating MARs are limited. This study aims to develop comprehensive guidelines to assess the user experience (UX) of MAR designs considering its social interaction characteristics between humans and robots. Participants from three groups (patients, doctors, and caregivers) with different perspectives on MARs were recruited and a focus group interview was conducted to collect their UXs with MARs. The three groups showed different UXs with MARs in user interface design, robot arm motion, and safety and mobility. In addition, based on the literature review, eight UX features (usability, emotion, value, naturalness, assistance, acceptance, personality, and culture) are proposed to evaluate MAR interfaces. The proposed comprehensive design guideline will be particularly useful in evaluating and designing the UX of MARs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aims to understand the usability of common button colours and background choices in the existing augmented reality (AR) interface. AR is increasingly used in dynamic situations, such as driving using an AR head-up display. However, studies regarding the usability of AR interfaces, especially about the colours, are scarce. Twenty-four participants performed button selection tasks in an experiment using Microsoft HoloLens. Three measures (task completion time, the number of errors, and button colour visibility were collected for the 12 experimental conditions (3 backgrounds by 4 button colours). Significant differences were found in completion time between backgrounds and blue button visibility. On a moving background, the most effective button colour is orange, and the most minor effective button colour is blue. The results of this study can be used for colour choices in designing AR applications and devices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aims to develop a motion sickness measurement index in a virtual reality (VR) environment. The VR market is in an early stage of market formation and technological development, and thus, research on the side effects of VR devices such as simulator motion sickness is lacking. In this study, we used the simulator sickness questionnaire (SSQ), which has been traditionally used for simulator motion sickness measurement. To measure the motion sickness in a VR environment, 24 users performed target selection tasks using a VR device. The SSQ was administered immediately after each task, and the order of work was determined using the Latin square design. The existing SSQ was revised to develop a VR sickness questionnaire, which is used as the measurement index in a VR environment. In addition, the target selection method and button size were found to be significant factors that affect motion sickness in a VR environment. The results of this study are expected to be used for measuring and designing simulator sickness using VR devices in future studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Many people have significant difficulties while using information technology (IT) devices. This study suggests a new concept of IT interaction disability (ITID) to understand the significant difficulties that users may encounter while using IT devices. The task, interface, and context (TIC) framework for classifying the types of ITID is also developed; this framework includes three components: tasks, user interface elements, and context factors. A case study in which visually impaired people used smartphones was conducted to illustrate the types of ITID and to show the applicability of the TIC framework. The result of this study can provide insights to researchers to improve the understanding of the significant difficulties of using IT devices and to analyse these difficulties systematically. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

It is well known that radiative transfer equation (RTE) provides more accurate tomographic results than its diffusion approximation (DA). However, RTE-based tomographic reconstruction codes have limited applicability in practice due to their high computational cost. In this article, we propose a new efficient method for solving the RTE forward problem with multiple light sources in an all-at-once manner instead of solving it for each source separately. To this end, we introduce here a novel linear solver called block biconjugate gradient stabilized method (block BiCGStab) that makes full use of the shared information between different right hand sides to accelerate solution convergence. Two parallelized block BiCGStab methods are proposed for additional acceleration under limited threads situation. We evaluate the performance of this algorithm with numerical simulation studies involving the Delta–Eddington approximation to the scattering phase function. The results show that the single threading block RTE solver proposed here reduces computation time by a factor of 1.5–3 as compared to the traditional sequential solution method and the parallel block solver by a factor of 1.5 as compared to the traditional parallel sequential method. This block linear solver is, moreover, independent of discretization schemes and preconditioners used; thus further acceleration and higher accuracy can be expected when combined with other existing discretization schemes or preconditioners. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Diffuse optical tomography (DOT) is a noninvasive, nonionizing imaging modality that uses near-infrared light to visualize optically relevant chromophores. A recently developed dynamic DOT imaging system enables the study of hemodynamic effects in the breast during a breath-hold. Dynamic DOT imaging was performed in a total of 21 subjects (age 54 ± 10 years) including 3 healthy subjects and 18 subjects with benign (n = 8) and malignant (n = 14) masses. Three-dimensional time-series images of the percentage change in oxygenated and deoxygenated hemoglobin concentrations ([HbO2] and [Hb]) from baseline are obtained over the course of a breath-hold. At a time point of 15 s following the end of the breath-hold, [Hb] in healthy breasts has returned to near-baseline values (1.6% ± 0.5%), while tumor-bearing breasts have increased levels of [Hb] (6.8% ± 3.6%, p < 0.01). Further, healthy subjects have a higher correlation between the breasts over the course of the breath-hold as compared with the subjects with breast cancer (healthy: 0.96 ± 0.02; benign: 0.89 ± 0.02; malignant: 0.78 ± 0.23, p < 0.05). Therefore this study shows that dynamic features extracted from DOT measurements can differentiate healthy and diseased breast tissues. These features provide a physiologic method for identifying breast cancer without the need for ionizing radiation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Augmented reality (AR) technologies are becoming increasingly popular. However, studies regarding the usability of AR interfaces are scarce. This study aims to derive the optimal usability design of the AR interface by analyzing the performance of 12 interface conditions (2 button sizes × 3 distances × 2 interaction types). An experiment was conducted using Microsoft HoloLens, in which participants performed button selection tasks with an array of 3 × 3 virtual buttons. The task completion time and the number of errors were measured along with a subjective satisfaction score. The results showed that a clicker-based interaction was more effective in task completion time, the number of errors and user satisfaction than a hand gesture. Furthermore, large buttons required a significantly shorter task completion time than small buttons. There was no significant difference in the number of errors between the two sizes. A distance of at least 80 cm from the eye to the virtual object is most favorable for a good performance. There was a significant difference in the task completion times between 40 cm and 80 cm and between 40 cm and 120 cm. These results can aid the interface designs for AR applications and devices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The human arm exhibits outstanding manipulability in executing various tasks by taking advantage of its intrinsic compliance, force sensation, and tactile contact clues. By examining human strategy in controlling arm impedance, we may be able to understand underlying human motor control and develop control methods for dexterous robotic manipulation. This paper presents a novel method for estimating multijoint stiffness by using electromyogram (EMG) and an artificial neural network model. The artificial network model developed in this paper relates EMG data and joint motion data to joint stiffness. With the proposed method, the multijoint stiffness of the arm was estimated without complex calculation or specialized apparatus. The feasibility of the proposed method was confirmed through experimental and simulation results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Many patients suffer from the loss of motor skills, resulting from traumatic brain and spinal cord injuries, stroke, and many other disabling conditions. Thanks to technological advances in measuring and decoding the electrical activity of cortical neurons, brain–machine interfaces (BMI) have become a promising technology that can aid paralyzed individuals. In recent studies on BMI, robotic manipulators have demonstrated their potential as neuroprostheses. Restoring motor skills through robot manipulators controlled by brain signals may improve the quality of life of people with disability. This article reviews current robotic technologies that are relevant to BMI and suggests strategies that could improve the effectiveness of a brain-operated neuroprosthesis through robotics. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Current demonstrations of brain-machine interfaces (BMIs) have shown the potential for controlling neuroprostheses under pure motion control. For interaction with objects, however, pure motion control lacks the information required for versatile manipulation. This paper investigates the idea of applying impedance control in a BMI system. An extraction algorithm incorporating a musculoskeletal arm model was developed for this purpose. The new algorithm, called the muscle activation method (MAM), was tested on cortical recordings from a behaving monkey. The MAM was found to predict motion parameters with as much accuracy as a linear filter. Furthermore, it successfully predicted limb interactions with novel force fields, which is a new and significant capability lacking in other algorithms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Research on brain-machine interfaces (BMI's) is directed toward enabling paralyzed individuals to manipulate their environment through slave robots. Even for able-bodied individuals, using a robot to reach and grasp objects in unstructured environments can be a difficult telemanipulation task. Controlling the slave directly with neural signals instead of a hand-master adds further challenges, such as uncertainty about the intended trajectory coupled with a low update rate for the command signal. To address these challenges, a continuous shared control (CSC) paradigm is introduced for BMI where robot sensors produce reflex-like reactions to augment brain-controlled trajectories. To test the merits of this approach, CSC was implemented on a 3-degree-of-freedom robot with a gripper bearing three co-located range sensors. The robot was commanded to follow eighty-three reach-and-grasp trajectories estimated previously from the out- puts of a population of neurons recorded from the brain of a monkey. Five different levels of sensor-based reflexes were tested. Weighting brain commands 70% and sensor commands 30% produced the best task performance, better than brain signals alone by more than seven-fold. Such a marked performance improvement in this test case suggests that some level of machine autonomy will be an important component of successful BMI systems in general. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

15-Deoxy-Δ12,14-prostaglandin J2 (15d-PGJ2) was initially identified as a high affinity natural ligand for the peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor (PPAR)-γ. Recent studies have shown that it has a potent anti-inflammatory effect by attenuating the expression of proinflammatory mediators in activated macrophages, mainly through the inhibition of nuclear factor (NF)-κB-dependent transcription of inflammatory genes. In this study, we investigated the synergistic effect of 15d-PGJ2 on the expression of LPS-induced chemokine KC mRNA in mouse peritoneal macrophages. The time course of KC mRNA expression in cells stimulated with 15d-PGJ2 plus LPS simultaneously (15d-PGJ2/LPS) showed similar patterns to the cells treated with LPS alone, and 15d-PGJ2 had no effect on the stability of LPS-induced KC mRNA expression. Although NF-κB activity in cells treated with LPS was augmented by 15d-PGJ2, pyrrolidone dithiocarbamate (PDTC) did not block the synergistic effect of 15d-PGJ2 on LPS-induced KC mRNA expression. However, the synergistic effect of 15d-PGJ2 was markedly inhibited when the macrophages were treated with a inhibitor of the mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) signalling pathway, 2′-amino-3′-methoxyflavine (PD98059). Therefore, the mechanism of synergistic action of 15d-PGJ2 on the expression of LPS-induced KC mRNA in mouse peritoneal macrophages is possibly related to the MAPK signalling pathway, not to NF-κB activation. These data may contribute to unravelling some of the different mechanisms contrary to the anti-inflammatory effect of 15d-PGJ2. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study assessed the intra‐acquirer, intra‐ and inter‐processor reliability, and validity of the in vivo assessment of the medial gastrocnemius (MG), lateral gastrocnemius (LG) and soleus (SOL) muscle volumes using freehand 3D ultrasound (3DUS) in typically developing infants. Reliability assessments of freehand 3DUS were undertaken in infants across three ages groups: three, six and twelve months of age, with validity testing completed against magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in infants at 3 months of age. Freehand 3DUS scanning was carried out by a single acquirer, with two independent processors manually segmenting images to render volumes. MRI images were segmented independently by a separate processor, with the volumes compared to those obtained via freehand 3DUS. Reliability was assessed using intraclass correlation (ICC), coefficient of variance (CV) and minimal detectable change (MDC) across each assessment time point. Validity was assessed using the limits of agreement. ICCs for intra‐acquirer reliability of the acquisition process for freehand 3DUS ranged from 0.91 to 0.99 across all muscles. ICCs for intra‐processor and inter‐processor reliability for the segmentation process of freehand 3DUS ranged from 0.80 to 0.98 across all muscles. Acceptable levels of agreement between muscle volume obtained by freehand 3DUS and MRI were found for all muscles; however, freehand 3DUS overestimated muscle volume of MG and LG and underestimate the SOL compared with MRI, with average absolute differences of MG = 0.3 ml, LG = 0.3 ml and Sol = 1.2 ml. Freehand 3DUS is a reliable method for measuring in vivo triceps surae muscle volume in typically developing infants. We conclude that freehand 3DUS is a useful tool to assess changes in muscle volume in response to growth and interventions in infants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As VR technology advances and network speeds rise, social VR platforms are gaining traction. These platforms enable multiple users to socialize and collaborate within a shared virtual environment using avatars. Virtual reality, with its ability to augment visual information, offers distinct advantages for collaboration over traditional methods. Prior research has shown that merely sharing another person's viewpoint can significantly boost collaborative efficiency. This paper presents an innovative non-verbal communication technique designed to enhance the sharing of visual information. By employing virtual cameras, our method captures where participants are focusing and what they are interacting with, then displays these data above their avatars. The direction of the virtual camera is automatically controlled by considering the user's gaze direction, the position of the object the user is interacting with, and the positions of other objects around that object. The automatic adjustment of these virtual cameras and the display of captured images are symmetrically conducted for all participants engaged in the virtual environment. This approach is especially beneficial in collaborative settings, where multiple users work together on a shared structure of multiple objects. We validated the effectiveness of our proposed technique through an experiment with 20 participants tasked with collaboratively building structures using block assembly. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A letter to the editor is presented in response to the article regarding right-sided rupture of the diaphragm with intrathoracic liver herniation.

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is one of the most frequent malignant tumors in the world. The only serological marker widely used for the diagnosis of HCC is alpha-fetoprotein (AFP). Despite that AFP is widely used for the diagnosis of HCC, it has a limit as a serological marker due to its low sensitivity and specificity. The human cervical cancer proto-oncogene 1 (HCCR-1) was previously reported as a new biomarker for HCC. To further evaluate the HCCR-1 as a biomarker for HCC, we conducted the prospective cohort study. We evaluated the significance of simultaneous measurement of 2 tumor markers in the diagnosis of HCC in China, Japan and Korea. Two markers for HCC, AFP and HCCR-1, were measured in the sera obtained from 1,338 patients at the time of initial diagnosis of HCC. Of the 1338 HCC patients, 616 (46%) and 686 (51.3%) were sero-positive for AFP and HCCR-1, respectively. The positive rate for HCC was increased up to 74.1% in combined use of AFP and HCCR-1. Many cases (54%) for AFP-negative HCC were positive for HCCR-1 and vice versa. More importantly, the diagnostic rate for small HCC (< 2 cm) was significantly improved in the combined analysis of AFP and HCCR-1 to 56.9% although it was only 40.1% and 23.4% in the single analysis of HCCR-1 and AFP, respectively. Our result suggests that the HCCR-1 could be an useful biomarker for HCC while the diagnostic rate could be significantly improved in the combined use of HCCR-1 and AFP. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Optical tomography belongs to the promising set of non-invasive methods for probing applications of semi-transparent media. This covers a wide range of fields. Nowadays, it is mainly driven by medical imaging in search of new less aggressive and affordable diagnostic means. This paper aims at presenting the most recent research accomplished in the authors’ laboratories as well as that of collaborative institutions concerning the development of imaging algorithms. The light transport modelling is not a difficult question as it used to be. Research is now focused on data treatment and reconstruction. Since the turn of the century, the rapid expansion of low cost computing has permitted the development of enhanced imaging algorithms with great potential. Some of these developments are already on the verge of clinical applications. This paper presents these developments and also provides some insights on still unresolved challenges. Intrinsic difficulties are identified and promising directions for solutions are discussed. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Virtual reality (VR) devices have recently become popular; however, research on input methods for VR devices is lacking. The main input methods of current commercial devices can be classified into two categories: manual selection using a controller and gaze selection. This study aims to derive the optimal input method and timing for VR devices by analyzing the performance of these input methods. A study is conducted in which participants wear a VR headset and select an activated input button from a 3 × 3 array on a VR device with two button sizes and two input methods. The manual selection method exhibits a shorter task completion time but a greater error number compared to the gaze selection method. For the gaze selection method, the task completion time and target search time were shortest when the gaze timing was 1 s. Further, the button size was determined to be statistically significant only when the manual selection method was used. The results of this study can be used as a reference in future VR user experience and product design. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim: To test a hypothetical path model evaluating the influence of menopause symptoms on sexual function among middle‐aged perimenopausal women, as well as identify the mediating roles of body image, depression and sexual communication in this relationship. Methods: We used a cross‐sectional, correlational design. We included one exogenous variable (menopause symptoms) and four endogenous variables (body image, depression, sexual communication and sexual function) in the proposed model. All data were collected between January 19 and March 11, 2016, and analyzed using spss statistics 25.0 and AMOS 23.0. Results: Eight of the nine hypothesized paths in the model were significant. Specifically, menopause symptoms were significantly associated with sexual function via the effects of body image, depression and sexual communication. Conclusion: This study may provide basic data for counseling and nursing programs to help improve sexual function in middle‐aged perimenopausal women. Particularly, these programs should focus on the indirect paths via body image, depression and sexual communication, such as by improving body image and sexual communication and reducing depression. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background/Objectives Infantile hemangiomas ( IHs) are vascular tumors with the potential for significant morbidity. There is a lack of validated objective tools to assess IH severity and response to treatment. Diffuse optical spectroscopy ( DOS), a noninvasive, nonionizing imaging modality, can measure total hemoglobin concentration and hemoglobin oxygen saturation in tissue to assess IH vascularity and response to treatment. Our objective was to evaluate the utility of a wireless, handheld DOS system to assess IH characteristics at selected points during their clinical course. Methods Thirteen subjects (initial age 5.8 ± 2.0 mos) with 15 IHs were enrolled. IHs were classified as proliferative, plateau phase, or involuting. Nine patients with 11 IHs were untreated; four patients with 4 IHs were treated with timolol or propranolol. Each IH was evaluated by placing the DOS system directly on the lesion as well a normal contralateral skin site. IH vascularity and oxygenation were scored using a newly defined normalized hypoxia fraction ( NHF) coefficient. Measurements were recorded at various intervals from the initial visit to 1 to 2 years of age. Results For the nine untreated IHs, the NHF was highest at 6 months of age, during proliferation. Differences in NHFs between the proliferation and the plateau (p = 0.02) and involuting (p < 0.001) stages were statistically significant. In treated patients, the NHF normalized to 60% after 2 months. One treated IH came within 5% of the NHF for normal skin after 12 months. Conclusions DOS can be used to assess the vascularity and tissue oxygenation of IHs and monitor their progression and response to treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The levels of persistent organic pollutants (POPs) were determined in 50 samples of Korean human milk. POPs include organochlorine pesticides (OCPs) [aldrin, chlordanes, dieldrin, dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethanes (DDTs), endrins, heptachlors, hexachlorobenzene (HCB), hexachlorocyclohexanes (HCHs), mirex, and toxaphenes] and marker PCBs (PCB28, PCB52, PCB101, PCB138, PCB153 and PCB180). In all samples, p,p′-DDE were determined as 75.5–1115.3 ng/g fat. The compounds β-HCH and p,p’-DDT were detected at 72% and 60% of the samples, respectively. Chlordanes (nd–84.9 ng/g fat) heptachlors (nd–40.1 ng/g fat), HCB (nd–42.9 ng/g fat) and PCBs (nd–38.3 ng/g fat) were detected in several samples. The ratio of dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethylene (DDE)/DDT was 6.8, which explained that exposure of volunteers to DDT did not occur recently. Compared with the previous monitoring data, the level of marker PCBs generally decreased in the milk samples. The levels of OCPs are significantly correlated to the residential periods of the mothers but not with their dietary habits. Considering the daily intake of each OCPs, 18% of infants would ingest the amount of heptachlor exceeding the acceptable daily intake (ADI) proposed by World Health Organization (WHO). There was no sample surpassing the WHO ADI for DDTs, HCB and chlordanes. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Purpose: The presence of two or more epileptogenic pathologies in patients with epilepsy is often observed, and the coexistence of focal cortical dysplasia (FCD) with hippocampal sclerosis (HS) is one of the most frequent clinical presentations. Although surgical resection has been an important treatment for patients with refractory epilepsy associated with FCD, there are few studies on the surgical treatment of FCD accompanied by HS, and treatment by resection of both neocortical dysplastic tissue and hippocampus is still controversial. Methods: We retrospectively recruited epilepsy patients who had undergone surgical treatment for refractory epilepsy with the pathologic diagnosis of FCD and the radiologic evidence of HS. We evaluated the prognostic roles of clinical factors, various diagnostic modalities, surgical procedures, and the severity of pathology. Results: A total of 40 patients were included, and only 35.0% of patients became seizure free. Complete resection of the epileptogenic area (p = 0.02), and the presence of dysmorphic neurons or balloon cells on histopathology (p = 0.01) were associated with favorable surgical outcomes. Patients who underwent hippocampal resection were more likely to have a favorable surgical outcome (p = 0.02). Conclusions: We show that patients with complete resection of epileptogenic area, the presence of dysmorphic neurons or balloon cells on histopathology, or resection of hippocampus have a higher chance of a favorable surgical outcome. We believe that this observation is useful in planning of surgical procedures and predicting the prognoses of individual patients with FCD patients accompanied by HS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: The removal efficiency of endocrine disrupting compounds from effluents using pilot scale sewage treatment processes, including various treatment technologies, such as membrane bioreactors (MBR), nanofiltration (NF) and reverse osmosis (RO) for the purpose of water reuse, were estimated and compared. The calculated estrogenic activity, expressed in ng-EEQ/l, based on the concentration detected by GC/MS, and relative potencies for each target compound were compared to those measured using the E-screen assay. The removal efficiencies for nonylphenol, was within the range of 55–83% in effluents. High removal efficiencies of approximately >70% based on the detection limits were obtained for bisphenol A, E1, EE2 and genistein with each treatment processes, with the exception of E1 (∼64%) using the MBR process. The measured EEQ values for the effluents from the MBR, NF and RO processes also indicated low estrogenic activities of 0.65, 0.23 and 0.05ng-EEQ/l, respectively. These were markedly reduced values compared with the value of 1.2ng-EEQ/l in influent. Consequently, the removals of EDCs in terms of the EEQ value from the biological and chemical determinations were sufficiently achieved by the treatment process applied in this study, especially in the cases of the NF and RO treatments. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Many previous studies have identified that physiological responses of a driver are significantly associated with driving stress. However, research is limited to identifying the effects of traffic conditions (low vs. high traffic) and road types (highway vs. city) on driving stress. The objective of this study is to quantify the relationship between driving stress and traffic conditions, and driving stress and road types, respectively. In this study, electrodermal activity (EDA) signals for a male driver were collected in real road driving conditions for 60 min a day for 21 days. To classify the levels of driving stress (low vs. high), two separate models were developed by incorporating the statistical features of the EDA signals, one for traffic conditions and the other for road types. Both models were based on the application of EDA features with the logistic regression analysis. City driving turned out to be more stressful than highway driving. Traffic conditions, defined as traffic jam also significantly affected the stress level of the driver, when using the criteria of the vehicle speed of 40 km/h and standard deviation of the speed of 20 km/h. Relevance to industry: The classification results of the two models indicate that the traffic conditions and the road types are important features for driving stress and its related applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]