A sensing architecture for empathetic data systems

Today's increasingly large and complex databases require novel and machine aided ways of exploring data. To optimize the selection and presentation of data, we suggest an unconventional approach. Instead of exclusively relying on explicit user input to specify relevant information or to navigate through a data space, we exploit the power and potential of the users' unconscious processes in addition. To this end, the user is immersed in a mixed reality environment while his bodily reactions are captured using unobtrusive wearable devices. The users' reactions are analyzed in real-time and mapped onto higher-level psychological states, such as surprise or boredom, in order to trigger appropriate system responses that direct the users' attention to areas of potential interest in the visualizations. The realization of such a close experience-based human-machine loop raises a number of technical challenges, such as the real-time interpretation of psychological user states. The paper at hand describes a sensing architecture for empathetic data systems that has been developed as part of such a loop and how it tackles the diverse challenges

iCity. Transformative Research for the Livable, Intelligent, and Sustainable City

This open access book presents the exciting research results of the BMBF funded project iCity carried out at University of Applied Science Stuttgart to help cities to become more liveable, intelligent and sustainable, to become a LIScity. The research has been pursued with industry partners and NGOs from 2017 to 2020. A LIScity is increasingly digitally networked, uses resources efficiently, and implements intelligent mobility concepts. It guarantees the supply of its grid-bound infrastructure with a high proportion of renewable energy. Intelligent cities are increasingly human-centered, integrative, and flexible, thus placing the well-being of the citizens at the center of developments to increase the quality of life. The articles in this book cover research aimed to meet these criteria. The book covers research in the fields of energy (i.e. algorithms for heating and energy storage systems, simulation programs for thermal local heating supply, runtime optimization of combined heat and power (CHP), natural ventilation), mobility (i.e. charging distribution and deep learning, innovative emission-friendly mobility, routing apps, zero-emission urban logistics, augmented reality, artificial intelligence for individual route planning, mobility behavior), information platforms (i.e. 3DCity models in city planning: sunny places visualization, augmented reality for windy cities, internet of things (IoT) monitoring to visualize device performance, storing and visualizing dynamic energy data of smart cities), and buildings and city planning (i.e. sound insulation of sustainable facades and balconies, multi-camera mobile systems for inspection of tunnels, building-integrated photovoltaics (BIPV) as active façade elements, common space, the building envelopes potential in smart sustainable cities)

Semi - regular exercises for the rehabilitation of shoulder joint for weightlifting disabled athletes

The weight lifting athletes get injured while they are demonstrating the strength to lift the weight. It is observed mostly the shoulder joints are prone to affect due to physical imbalance or abnormal movement in weightlifting athletes. This results impair normal functional movement. The rehabilitation centers are providing the semi-regular exercises to regain their muscular strength. Muscular endurance is predominant rather than muscular strength. The rehabilitation centers are initially focusing on retain their muscular endurance and then focusing on increasing the muscular strength by practicing the semi-regular exercises. In this research work we suggest the semi-regular exercises to improve 3 different muscle contractions namely isometric contraction, concentric contraction and eccentric contractions of the skeletal muscle. The semi-regular exercises are aiming to improve the joint strength and range of motion in shoulder joint dislocation. This can be provided after two weeks of the shoulder dislocation of the weightlifting athletes with the confirmation from physician. The duration of the semi-regular exercises rehabilitation program is spanned across the period of 6 weeks to regain their muscle power and strength

iCity. Transformative Research for the Livable, Intelligent, and Sustainable City

This open access book presents the exciting research results of the BMBF funded project iCity carried out at University of Applied Science Stuttgart to help cities to become more liveable, intelligent and sustainable, to become a LIScity. The research has been pursued with industry partners and NGOs from 2017 to 2020. A LIScity is increasingly digitally networked, uses resources efficiently, and implements intelligent mobility concepts. It guarantees the supply of its grid-bound infrastructure with a high proportion of renewable energy. Intelligent cities are increasingly human-centered, integrative, and flexible, thus placing the well-being of the citizens at the center of developments to increase the quality of life. The articles in this book cover research aimed to meet these criteria. The book covers research in the fields of energy (i.e. algorithms for heating and energy storage systems, simulation programs for thermal local heating supply, runtime optimization of combined heat and power (CHP), natural ventilation), mobility (i.e. charging distribution and deep learning, innovative emission-friendly mobility, routing apps, zero-emission urban logistics, augmented reality, artificial intelligence for individual route planning, mobility behavior), information platforms (i.e. 3DCity models in city planning: sunny places visualization, augmented reality for windy cities, internet of things (IoT) monitoring to visualize device performance, storing and visualizing dynamic energy data of smart cities), and buildings and city planning (i.e. sound insulation of sustainable facades and balconies, multi-camera mobile systems for inspection of tunnels, building-integrated photovoltaics (BIPV) as active façade elements, common space, the building envelopes potential in smart sustainable cities)

The Search as Learning Spaceship: Toward a Comprehensive Model of Psychological and Technological Facets of Search as Learning

Using a Web search engine is one of today’s most frequent activities. Exploratory search activities which are carried out in order to gain knowledge are conceptualized and denoted as Search as Learning (SAL). In this paper, we introduce a novel framework model which incorporates the perspective of both psychology and computer science to describe the search as learning process by reviewing recent literature. The main entities of the model are the learner who is surrounded by a specific learning context, the interface that mediates between the learner and the information environment, the information retrieval (IR) backend which manages the processes between the interface and the set of Web resources, that is, the collective Web knowledge represented in resources of different modalities. At first, we provide an overview of the current state of the art with regard to the five main entities of our model, before we outline areas of future research to improve our understanding of search as learning processes. Copyright © 2022 von Hoyer, Hoppe, Kammerer, Otto, Pardi, Rokicki, Yu, Dietze, Ewerth and Holtz

The Search as Learning Spaceship: Toward a Comprehensive Model of Psychological and Technological Facets of Search as Learning

Using a Web search engine is one of today’s most frequent activities. Exploratory search activities which are carried out in order to gain knowledge are conceptualized and denoted as Search as Learning (SAL). In this paper, we introduce a novel framework model which incorporates the perspective of both psychology and computer science to describe the search as learning process by reviewing recent literature. The main entities of the model are the learner who is surrounded by a specific learning context, the interface that mediates between the learner and the information environment, the information retrieval (IR) backend which manages the processes between the interface and the set of Web resources, that is, the collective Web knowledge represented in resources of different modalities. At first, we provide an overview of the current state of the art with regard to the five main entities of our model, before we outline areas of future research to improve our understanding of search as learning processes

Aeronautical Engineering: A continuing bibliography with indexes, supplement 108

This bibliography lists 517 reports, articles, and other documents introduced into the NASA scientific and technical information system in March 1979

Investigation of ALDH bright cancer stem (-like) cell-targeted treatment by Cisplatin and all-trans retinoic acid in cervical cancer cell lines

Background: As the mainstay of chemotherapy, cisplatin has been increasingly adopted in cervical cancer treatment. However, cisplatin is not sufficient to eradicate all cancer cells, due to the existence of cancer stem (-like) cells (CSCs). ALDH is a marker of CSCs, as well as the speed-limiting enzyme in the cellular metabolism of ATRA. The impacts of cisplatin or/and ATRA on ALDH might offer useful information for the treatment of cervical cancer. Methods: A 3-dimensional cell culture method was employed to generate spheroid- derived cells (SDCs) from three cervical cancer cell lines (HeLa, MRIH186, and SiHa). An Aldefluor kit was used for sorting of ALDHbright and ALDHlow cells. Furthermore, the frequency of ALDHbright cells was determined by this assay in SDCs after treatment with cisplatin or/and ATRA. The mRNA profile of CSC-related markers was concomitantly observed by quantitative real-time PCR. The stemness, apoptosis ratio, invasiveness, and motility of cells were assessed by colony formation assay, Annexin-V/Propidium iodide assay, invasion assay, and scratching assay, respectively. Results: This study confirmed that ALDHbright cells possess enhanced CSC-related properties compared to ALDHlow cells, especially in drug resistance. SDCs contained an increased proportion of ALDHbright cells compared to traditional monolayer-derived cells (1.85 to 5.12-fold; p <0.05). The ALDHbright population of SDCs responded to serial titrated concentration of cisplatin in a bi-phasic manner. Low-dose cisplatin (lower than 1 μM in HeLa and SiHa, and 3 μM in MRIH186) augmented the proportion of ALDHbright cells to 30.32 % in HeLa, to 62.44% in MRIH186, and to 55.21% in SiHa, which was about 1.83-fold, 1.67-fold, and 2.04-fold of their untreated control (all, p <0.05), respectively. An increase of cisplatin concentration led a reduced proportion of ALDHbright cells. The ALDHbright population was inhibited by ATRA in a dose-dependent way. ATRA overcame the increased ALDHbright population in SDCs derived from HeLa, MRIH186 and SiHa. Additionally, ATRA partially counteracted other adverse effects caused by low-dose cisplatin, such as the augments in stemness, invasiveness, and cellular motility. Conclusions: Consistently, low-dose cisplatin increases the ALDHbright population in SDCs derived from cervical cancer cell lines. ATRA presents the ability to reverse the increased ALDHbright population and the concomitant CSC-related effects caused by cisplatin. Inhibition of ALDH activity by ATRA might be beneficial for cervical cancer treatment by cisplatin.Als Hauptstütze der Chemotherapie wurde Cisplatin zunehmend in der Behandlung von Gebärmutterhalskrebs eingesetzt. Cisplatin reicht jedoch nicht aus, um alle Krebszellen zu vernichten, da es Krebsstammzell (-ähnliche) gibt(CSC). ALDH ist ein Marker für CSCs sowie das geschwindigkeitsbegrenzte Enzym im Zellstoffwechsel von ATRA. Die Auswirkungen von Cisplatin oder/und ATRA auf ALDH könnten nützliche Informationen für die Behandlung von Gebärmutterhalskrebs liefern. Methoden:Eine 3-dimensionale Zellkulturmethode wurde eingesetzt, um aus drei zervikalen Krebszelllinien (HeLa, MRIH186 und SiHa) sphäroid-abgeleitete Zellen (SDCs) zu erzeugen. Das Aldefluor-Kit wurde für die Sortierung von ALDHbright-und ALDHlow-Zellen verwendet. Darüber hinaus wurde die Häufigkeit der ALDHbright-Zellen durch diesen Assay in SDCs nach der Behandlung mit Cisplatin oder/und ATRA bestimmt. Das mRNA-Profil von CSC-spezifischenMarkern wurde gleichzeitig durch quantitative real time-PCR untersucht. Der StammzellcharaktorSteifheit,das Apoptose verhalten, die Invasivität und die Motilität der Zellen wurden durch Koloniebildungs-assay, Annexin-V/Propidiumiodid-assay, Invasions-assay,und Scratch-assaybewertet. Ergebnisse:Diese Studie bestätigte, dass ALDHbright-Zellen verbesserte CSC-spezifische Eigenschaften aufweisen als ALDHlow-Zellen, insbesondere bei Resistanzen gegen Therapeutika. Die SDCs enthielten einen erhöhten Anteil an ALDHbright-Zellen im Vergleich zu herkömmlichen ‚‚monolayer‘‘-abgeleiteten Zellen (1,85 bis 5,12-fach;p <0,05). Die ALDHbright-Population der SDCs reagierte auf die seriell titrierte Konzentration von Cisplatin in zweiphasiger Weise. Niedrig dosiertes Cisplatin (niedriger als 1 μM in HeLa,und SiHa und 3 μM in MRIH186) erhöhte den Anteil der ALDHbright-Zellen auf 30,32 % in HeLa, 62,44 % in MRIH186 und 55,21 % was in SiHa, das etwa 1,83-fach, 1,67-fach und 2,40-fach ihrer unbehandelten Kontrolle war (alle, p <0,05). Eine Erhöhung der Cisplatin Konzentration führte zu einem reduzierten Anteil an ALDHbright-Zellen. Die ALDHbrightZellpopulationwurde durch ATRA in einer dosisabhängigen Weise gehemmt. ATRA Behandlung verringertedie erhöhte ALDHbright-Zellpopulation in SDCs, die von HeLa, MRIH186 und SiHa stammten. Darüber hinaus wirkte ATRA teilweise auch anderen Nebenwirkungen entgegen, die durch niedrig dosiertes Cisplatin verursacht wurden, wie z.B. die Erhöhung der Stammzelleigenschaften, Invasivität und zellulären Beweglichkeit. Schlussfolgerungen: Durchgängig erhöht niedrig dosiertes Cisplatin die ALDHbright-Zellpopulation in SDCs, die aus Gebärmutterhalskrebs-Zelllinien stammen. ATRA bietet die Möglichkeit, die erhöhte ALDHbright-Population und die damit verbundenen CSC-bezogenen Effekte, die durch Cisplatin verursacht werden, umzukehren. Die Hemmung der ALDH-Aktivität durch ATRA könnte für die Behandlung von Gebärmutterhalskrebs von Vorteil sein

Proficiency-aware systems

In an increasingly digital world, technological developments such as data-driven algorithms and context-aware applications create opportunities for novel human-computer interaction (HCI). We argue that these systems have the latent potential to stimulate users and encourage personal growth. However, users increasingly rely on the intelligence of interactive systems. Thus, it remains a challenge to design for proficiency awareness, essentially demanding increased user attention whilst preserving user engagement. Designing and implementing systems that allow users to become aware of their own proficiency and encourage them to recognize learning benefits is the primary goal of this research. In this thesis, we introduce the concept of proficiency-aware systems as one solution. In our definition, proficiency-aware systems use estimates of the user's proficiency to tailor the interaction in a domain and facilitate a reflective understanding for this proficiency. We envision that proficiency-aware systems leverage collected data for learning benefit. Here, we see self-reflection as a key for users to become aware of necessary efforts to advance their proficiency. A key challenge for proficiency-aware systems is the fact that users often have a different self-perception of their proficiency. The benefits of personal growth and advancing one's repertoire might not necessarily be apparent to users, alienating them, and possibly leading to abandoning the system. To tackle this challenge, this work does not rely on learning strategies but rather focuses on the capabilities of interactive systems to provide users with the necessary means to reflect on their proficiency, such as showing calculated text difficulty to a newspaper editor or visualizing muscle activity to a passionate sportsperson. We first elaborate on how proficiency can be detected and quantified in the context of interactive systems using physiological sensing technologies. Through developing interaction scenarios, we demonstrate the feasibility of gaze- and electromyography-based proficiency-aware systems by utilizing machine learning algorithms that can estimate users' proficiency levels for stationary vision-dominant tasks (reading, information intake) and dynamic manual tasks (playing instruments, fitness exercises). Secondly, we show how to facilitate proficiency awareness for users, including design challenges on when and how to communicate proficiency. We complement this second part by highlighting the necessity of toolkits for sensing modalities to enable the implementation of proficiency-aware systems for a wide audience. In this thesis, we contribute a definition of proficiency-aware systems, which we illustrate by designing and implementing interactive systems. We derive technical requirements for real-time, objective proficiency assessment and identify design qualities of communicating proficiency through user reflection. We summarize our findings in a set of design and engineering guidelines for proficiency awareness in interactive systems, highlighting that proficiency feedback makes performance interpretable for the user.In einer zunehmend digitalen Welt schaffen technologische Entwicklungen - wie datengesteuerte Algorithmen und kontextabhängige Anwendungen - neuartige Interaktionsmöglichkeiten mit digitalen Geräten. Jedoch verlassen sich Nutzer oftmals auf die Intelligenz dieser Systeme, ohne dabei selbst auf eine persönliche Weiterentwicklung hinzuwirken. Wird ein solches Vorgehen angestrebt, verlangt dies seitens der Anwender eine erhöhte Aufmerksamkeit. Es ist daher herausfordernd, ein entsprechendes Design für Kompetenzbewusstsein (Proficiency Awareness) zu etablieren. Das primäre Ziel dieser Arbeit ist es, eine Methodik für das Design und die Implementierung von interaktiven Systemen aufzustellen, die Nutzer dabei unterstützen über ihre eigene Kompetenz zu reflektieren, um dadurch Lerneffekte implizit wahrnehmen können. Diese Arbeit stellt ein Konzept für fähigkeitsbewusste Systeme (proficiency-aware systems) vor, welche die Fähigkeiten von Nutzern abschätzen, die Interaktion entsprechend anpassen sowie das Bewusstsein der Nutzer über deren Fähigkeiten fördern. Hierzu sollten die Systeme gesammelte Daten von Nutzern einsetzen, um Lerneffekte sichtbar zu machen. Die Möglichkeit der Anwender zur Selbstreflexion ist hierbei als entscheidend anzusehen, um als Motivation zur Verbesserung der eigenen Fähigkeiten zu dienen. Eine zentrale Herausforderung solcher Systeme ist die Tatsache, dass Nutzer - im Vergleich zur Abschätzung des Systems - oft eine divergierende Selbstwahrnehmung ihrer Kompetenz haben. Im ersten Moment sind daher die Vorteile einer persönlichen Weiterentwicklung nicht unbedingt ersichtlich. Daher baut diese Forschungsarbeit nicht darauf auf, Nutzer über vorgegebene Lernstrategien zu unterrichten, sondern sie bedient sich der Möglichkeiten interaktiver Systeme, die Anwendern die notwendigen Hilfsmittel zur Verfügung stellen, damit diese selbst über ihre Fähigkeiten reflektieren können. Einem Zeitungseditor könnte beispielsweise die aktuelle Textschwierigkeit angezeigt werden, während einem passionierten Sportler dessen Muskelaktivität veranschaulicht wird. Zunächst wird herausgearbeitet, wie sich die Fähigkeiten der Nutzer mittels physiologischer Sensortechnologien erkennen und quantifizieren lassen. Die Evaluation von Interaktionsszenarien demonstriert die Umsetzbarkeit fähigkeitsbewusster Systeme, basierend auf der Analyse von Blickbewegungen und Muskelaktivität. Hierbei kommen Algorithmen des maschinellen Lernens zum Einsatz, die das Leistungsniveau der Anwender für verschiedene Tätigkeiten berechnen. Im Besonderen analysieren wir stationäre Aktivitäten, die hauptsächlich den Sehsinn ansprechen (Lesen, Aufnahme von Informationen), sowie dynamische Betätigungen, die die Motorik der Nutzer fordern (Spielen von Instrumenten, Fitnessübungen). Der zweite Teil zeigt auf, wie Systeme das Bewusstsein der Anwender für deren eigene Fähigkeiten fördern können, einschließlich der Designherausforderungen , wann und wie das System erkannte Fähigkeiten kommunizieren sollte. Abschließend wird die Notwendigkeit von Toolkits für Sensortechnologien hervorgehoben, um die Implementierung derartiger Systeme für ein breites Publikum zu ermöglichen. Die Forschungsarbeit beinhaltet eine Definition für fähigkeitsbewusste Systeme und veranschaulicht dieses Konzept durch den Entwurf und die Implementierung interaktiver Systeme. Ferner werden technische Anforderungen objektiver Echtzeitabschätzung von Nutzerfähigkeiten erforscht und Designqualitäten für die Kommunikation dieser Abschätzungen mittels Selbstreflexion identifiziert. Zusammengefasst sind die Erkenntnisse in einer Reihe von Design- und Entwicklungsrichtlinien für derartige Systeme. Insbesondere die Kommunikation, der vom System erkannten Kompetenz, hilft Anwendern, die eigene Leistung zu interpretieren