Towards hybrid primary intersubjectivity: a neural robotics library for human science

Human-robot interaction is becoming an interesting area of research in cognitive science, notably, for the study of social cognition. Interaction theorists consider primary intersubjectivity a non-mentalist, pre-theoretical, non-conceptual sort of processes that ground a certain level of communication and understanding, and provide support to higher-level cognitive skills. We argue this sort of low level cognitive interaction, where control is shared in dyadic encounters, is susceptible of study with neural robots. Hence, in this work we pursue three main objectives. Firstly, from the concept of active inference we study primary intersubjectivity as a second person perspective experience characterized by predictive engagement, where perception, cognition, and action are accounted for an hermeneutic circle in dyadic interaction. Secondly, we propose an open-source methodology named \textit{neural robotics library} (NRL) for experimental human-robot interaction, and a demonstration program for interacting in real-time with a virtual Cartesian robot (VCBot). Lastly, through a study case, we discuss some ways human-robot (hybrid) intersubjectivity can contribute to human science research, such as to the fields of developmental psychology, educational technology, and cognitive rehabilitation

Mathematical methods for modeling the microcirculation

The microcirculation plays a major role in maintaining homeostasis in the body. Alterations or dysfunctions of the microcirculation can lead to several types of serious diseases. It is not surprising, then, that the microcirculation has been an object of intense theoretical and experimental study over the past few decades. Mathematical approaches offer a valuable method for quantifying the relationships between various mechanical, hemodynamic, and regulatory factors of the microcirculation and the pathophysiology of numerous diseases. This work provides an overview of several mathematical models that describe and investigate the many different aspects of the microcirculation, including geometry of the vascular bed, blood flow in the vascular networks, solute transport and delivery to the surrounding tissue, and vessel wall mechanics under passive and active stimuli. Representing relevant phenomena across multiple spatial scales remains a major challenge in modeling the microcirculation. Nevertheless, the depth and breadth of mathematical modeling with applications in the microcirculation is demonstrated in this work. A special emphasis is placed on models of the retinal circulation, including models that predict the influence of ocular hemodynamic alterations with the progression of ocular diseases such as glaucoma

Ultrastructural analysis of platelets and fibrin networks in stroke patients

Ischaemic stroke represent more than 80% of the total stroke instances. The location of the occlusion and the amount of brain tissue involved determines the effect of the stroke. Stroke can result in paralysis, memory loss, speech impairment and even a “lock-in” state. The amount of neuronal damage will determine whether these symptoms will be temporary or permanent. Stroke is deemed the second leading cause of death for individuals over the age of 60. According to the World Stroke Organization (WSO) every six seconds stroke claims a life, regardless of age or gender. Stroke is a global burden and the medical costs and disability related to stroke in America for 2010 was projected at almost $73.7 billion. The morphology of platelets, fibrin networks and erythrocytes as well as the differential white blood cell counts of 20 thrombo-embolic ischaemic stroke patients were investigated. Internal and external alterations were revealed in the platelets of stroke patients when compared to healthy controls. The decreased numbers of alpha granules in the platelets of the stroke patients indicated these platelets to be activated. Substances released by activated platelets promote fibrin network structure, specifically the formation of fibrin strands and accumulation of additional platelets. The fibrin network of healthy individuals consists of major, thick fibers with minor, thin fibers distributed between them. The fibrin network of stroke patients exhibited an abnormally layered and matted ultrastructure comprising of mainly thin, minor fibrin fibers packed closely together. An uncharacteristic circular morphology was also observed. These alterations in the fibrin network indicate the activated platelets to be actively involved in the thrombotic event. Neuronal damage related to stroke is also advanced by the vasoactive substances released by activated platelets. It can therefore be deduced that the morphology of the fibrin network is altered long before the concrete thrombotic event transpire. Large numbers of abnormal erythrocytes were distinguished in the blood of stroke patients. Among these abnormal forms of erythrocytes specifically codocytes, knizocytes, stomatocytes and echinocytes were identified. Abnormal erythrocyte forms were significantly increased in hypertensive patients and females independently. Alterations in the ultrastructure of erythrocytes disturb blood flow in the microcirculation and could possibly augment the ischaemic event. Inflammation is closely related to ischaemic stroke. An increased monocyte count and a reduced number of neutrophils were a significant feature among all the stroke patients of this study. Patients with hypertension as well as patients consuming aspirin on a daily basis showed the greatest influence on the observed differential white blood cell counts. These morphological alterations observed in the platelets, fibrin network and erythrocytes as well as the differential white blood cell count could be incorporated in an analysis regime that could probably indicate an impending thrombotic event. Therefore treatment could be initiated before the ischaemic event to possibly prevent the stroke. For future studies a larger study population, a more refined patient enrolment as well as the analysis of follow-up blood samples from patients could substantiate the above-mentioned findings and provide additional information concerning the thrombotic event and the effectiveness of treatment procedures.Dissertation (MSc)--University of Pretoria, 2010.AnatomyUnrestricte

Oral application of L-menthol in the heat: From pleasure to performance

When menthol is applied to the oral cavity it presents with a familiar refreshing sensation and cooling mint flavour. This may be deemed hedonic in some individuals, but may cause irritation in others. This variation in response is likely dependent upon trigeminal sensitivity toward cold stimuli, suggesting a need for a menthol solution that can be easily personalised. Menthol’s characteristics can also be enhanced by matching colour to qualitative outcomes; a factor which can easily be manipulated by practitioners working in athletic or occupational settings to potentially enhance intervention efficacy. This presentation will outline the efficacy of oral menthol application for improving time trial performance to date, either via swilling or via co-ingestion with other cooling strategies, with an emphasis upon how menthol can be applied in ecologically valid scenarios. Situations in which performance is not expected to be enhanced will also be discussed. An updated model by which menthol may prove hedonic, satiate thirst and affect ventilation will also be presented, with the potential performance implications of these findings discussed and modelled. Qualitative reflections from athletes that have implemented menthol mouth swilling in competition, training and maximal exercise will also be included

From Molecules to the Masses : Visual Exploration, Analysis, and Communication of Human Physiology

Det overordnede målet med denne avhandlingen er tverrfaglig anvendelse av medisinske illustrasjons- og visualiseringsteknikker for å utforske, analysere og formidle aspekter ved fysiologi til publikum med ulik faglig nivå og bakgrunn. Fysiologi beskriver de biologiske prosessene som skjer i levende vesener over tid. Vitenskapen om fysiologi er kompleks, men samtidig kritisk for vår forståelse av hvordan levende organismer fungerer. Fysiologi dekker en stor bredde romlig-temporale skalaer og fordrer behovet for å kombinere og bygge bro mellom basalfagene (biologi, fysikk og kjemi) og medisin. De senere årene har det vært en eksplosjon av nye, avanserte eksperimentelle metoder for å detektere og karakterisere fysiologiske data. Volumet og kompleksiteten til fysiologiske data krever effektive strategier for visualisering for å komplementere dagens standard analyser. Hvilke tilnærminger som benyttes i visualiseringen må nøye balanseres og tilpasses formålet med bruken av dataene, enten dette er for å utforske dataene, analysere disse eller kommunisere og presentere dem. Arbeidet i denne avhandlingen bidrar med ny kunnskap innen teori, empiri, anvendelse og reproduserbarhet av visualiseringsmetoder innen fysiologi. Først i avhandlingen er en rapport som oppsummerer og utforsker dagens kunnskap om muligheter og utfordringer for visualisering innen fysiologi. Motivasjonen for arbeidet er behovet forskere innen visualiseringsfeltet, og forskere i ulike anvendelsesområder, har for en sammensatt oversikt over flerskala visualiseringsoppgaver og teknikker. Ved å bruke søk over et stort spekter av metodiske tilnærminger, er dette den første rapporten i sitt slag som kartlegger visualiseringsmulighetene innen fysiologi. I rapporten er faglitteraturen oppsummert slik at det skal være enkelt å gjøre oppslag innen ulike tema i rom-og-tid-skalaen, samtidig som litteraturen er delt inn i de tre høynivå visualiseringsoppgavene data utforsking, analyse og kommunikasjon. Dette danner et enkelt grunnlag for å navigere i litteraturen i feltet og slik danner rapporten et godt grunnlag for diskusjon og forskningsmuligheter innen feltet visualisering og fysiologi. Basert på arbeidet med rapporten var det særlig to områder som det er ønskelig for oss å fortsette å utforske: (1) utforskende analyse av mangefasetterte fysiologidata for ekspertbrukere, og (2) kommunikasjon av data til både eksperter og ikke-eksperter. Arbeidet vårt av mangefasetterte fysiologidata er oppsummert i to studier i avhandlingen. Hver studie omhandler prosesser som foregår på forskjellige romlig-temporale skalaer og inneholder konkrete eksempler på anvendelse av metodene vurdert av eksperter i feltet. I den første av de to studiene undersøkes konsentrasjonen av molekylære substanser (metabolitter) ut fra data innsamlet med magnetisk resonansspektroskopi (MRS), en avansert biokjemisk teknikk som brukes til å identifisere metabolske forbindelser i levende vev. Selv om MRS kan ha svært høy sensitivitet og spesifisitet i medisinske anvendelser, er analyseresultatene fra denne modaliteten abstrakte og vanskelige å forstå også for medisinskfaglige eksperter i feltet. Vår designstudie som undersøkte oppgavene og kravene til ekspertutforskende analyse av disse dataene førte til utviklingen av SpectraMosaic. Dette er en ny applikasjon som gjør det mulig for domeneeksperter å analysere konsentrasjonen av metabolitter normalisert for en hel kohort, eller etter prøveregion, individ, opptaksdato, eller status på hjernens aktivitetsnivå ved undersøkelsestidspunktet. I den andre studien foreslås en metode for å utføre utforskende analyser av flerdimensjonale fysiologiske data i motsatt ende av den romlig-temporale skalaen, nemlig på populasjonsnivå. En effektiv arbeidsflyt for utforskende dataanalyse må kritisk identifisere interessante mønstre og relasjoner, noe som blir stadig vanskeligere når dimensjonaliteten til dataene øker. Selv om dette delvis kan løses med eksisterende reduksjonsteknikker er det alltid en fare for at subtile mønstre kan gå tapt i reduksjonsprosessen. Isteden presenterer vi i studien DimLift, en iterativ dimensjonsreduksjonsteknikk som muliggjør brukeridentifikasjon av interessante mønstre og relasjoner som kan ligge subtilt i et datasett gjennom dimensjonale bunter. Nøkkelen til denne metoden er brukerens evne til å styre dimensjonalitetsreduksjonen slik at den følger brukerens egne undersøkelseslinjer. For videre å undersøke kommunikasjon til eksperter og ikke-eksperter, studeres i neste arbeid utformingen av visualiseringer for kommunikasjon til publikum med ulike nivåer av ekspertnivå. Det er naturlig å forvente at eksperter innen et emne kan ha ulike preferanser og kriterier for å vurdere en visuell kommunikasjon i forhold til et ikke-ekspertpublikum. Dette påvirker hvor effektivt et bilde kan benyttes til å formidle en gitt scenario. Med utgangspunkt i ulike teknikker innen biomedisinsk illustrasjon og visualisering, gjennomførte vi derfor en utforskende studie av kriteriene som publikum bruker når de evaluerer en biomedisinsk prosessvisualisering målrettet for kommunikasjon. Fra denne studien identifiserte vi muligheter for ytterligere konvergens av biomedisinsk illustrasjon og visualiseringsteknikker for mer målrettet visuell kommunikasjonsdesign. Særlig beskrives i større dybde utviklingen av semantisk konsistente retningslinjer for farging av molekylære scener. Hensikten med slike retningslinjer er å heve den vitenskapelige kompetansen til ikke-ekspertpublikum innen molekyler visualisering, som vil være spesielt relevant for kommunikasjon til befolkningen i forbindelse med folkehelseopplysning. All kode og empiriske funn utviklet i arbeidet med denne avhandlingen er åpen kildekode og tilgjengelig for gjenbruk av det vitenskapelige miljøet og offentligheten. Metodene og funnene presentert i denne avhandlingen danner et grunnlag for tverrfaglig biomedisinsk illustrasjon og visualiseringsforskning, og åpner flere muligheter for fortsatt arbeid med visualisering av fysiologiske prosesser.The overarching theme of this thesis is the cross-disciplinary application of medical illustration and visualization techniques to address challenges in exploring, analyzing, and communicating aspects of physiology to audiences with differing expertise. Describing the myriad biological processes occurring in living beings over time, the science of physiology is complex and critical to our understanding of how life works. It spans many spatio-temporal scales to combine and bridge the basic sciences (biology, physics, and chemistry) to medicine. Recent years have seen an explosion of new and finer-grained experimental and acquisition methods to characterize these data. The volume and complexity of these data necessitate effective visualizations to complement standard analysis practice. Visualization approaches must carefully consider and be adaptable to the user's main task, be it exploratory, analytical, or communication-oriented. This thesis contributes to the areas of theory, empirical findings, methods, applications, and research replicability in visualizing physiology. Our contributions open with a state-of-the-art report exploring the challenges and opportunities in visualization for physiology. This report is motivated by the need for visualization researchers, as well as researchers in various application domains, to have a centralized, multiscale overview of visualization tasks and techniques. Using a mixed-methods search approach, this is the first report of its kind to broadly survey the space of visualization for physiology. Our approach to organizing the literature in this report enables the lookup of topics of interest according to spatio-temporal scale. It further subdivides works according to any combination of three high-level visualization tasks: exploration, analysis, and communication. This provides an easily-navigable foundation for discussion and future research opportunities for audience- and task-appropriate visualization for physiology. From this report, we identify two key areas for continued research that begin narrowly and subsequently broaden in scope: (1) exploratory analysis of multifaceted physiology data for expert users, and (2) communication for experts and non-experts alike. Our investigation of multifaceted physiology data takes place over two studies. Each targets processes occurring at different spatio-temporal scales and includes a case study with experts to assess the applicability of our proposed method. At the molecular scale, we examine data from magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS), an advanced biochemical technique used to identify small molecules (metabolites) in living tissue that are indicative of metabolic pathway activity. Although highly sensitive and specific, the output of this modality is abstract and difficult to interpret. Our design study investigating the tasks and requirements for expert exploratory analysis of these data led to SpectraMosaic, a novel application enabling domain researchers to analyze any permutation of metabolites in ratio form for an entire cohort, or by sample region, individual, acquisition date, or brain activity status at the time of acquisition. A second approach considers the exploratory analysis of multidimensional physiological data at the opposite end of the spatio-temporal scale: population. An effective exploratory data analysis workflow critically must identify interesting patterns and relationships, which becomes increasingly difficult as data dimensionality increases. Although this can be partially addressed with existing dimensionality reduction techniques, the nature of these techniques means that subtle patterns may be lost in the process. In this approach, we describe DimLift, an iterative dimensionality reduction technique enabling user identification of interesting patterns and relationships that may lie subtly within a dataset through dimensional bundles. Key to this method is the user's ability to steer the dimensionality reduction technique to follow their own lines of inquiry. Our third question considers the crafting of visualizations for communication to audiences with different levels of expertise. It is natural to expect that experts in a topic may have different preferences and criteria to evaluate a visual communication relative to a non-expert audience. This impacts the success of an image in communicating a given scenario. Drawing from diverse techniques in biomedical illustration and visualization, we conducted an exploratory study of the criteria that audiences use when evaluating a biomedical process visualization targeted for communication. From this study, we identify opportunities for further convergence of biomedical illustration and visualization techniques for more targeted visual communication design. One opportunity that we discuss in greater depth is the development of semantically-consistent guidelines for the coloring of molecular scenes. The intent of such guidelines is to elevate the scientific literacy of non-expert audiences in the context of molecular visualization, which is particularly relevant to public health communication. All application code and empirical findings are open-sourced and available for reuse by the scientific community and public. The methods and findings presented in this thesis contribute to a foundation of cross-disciplinary biomedical illustration and visualization research, opening several opportunities for continued work in visualization for physiology.Doktorgradsavhandlin

Corporeality : A methodological study of supporting creativity in futures workshops

In futures studies creativity is an essential element needed in imagining and examining the different possible futures to be. Futures imaging, creating options and possibilities of futures, can play a significant role as a cultural force for defining goals. Futures workshops is a regularly used participatory futures method where collective futures imagination is utilised. There are diverse ways to support creativity in futures workshops but a use of corporeal, bodily experiences or multisensory elements for supporting creativity in them is unusual. Corporeality is linked to creativity via concepts of silent and kinaesthetic knowledge where experience and action have important role in knowledge formation. This study is examining the potential of corporeal and multisensory practices in promoting creative futures thinking in the futures workshops method and the interconnectedness of the workshop’s theme and creative practices. This is a qualitative research. A process of two futures workshops from planning to the results with two questionnaires to the participants forms the main source for this study. This is supported by six interviews. The workshops called Papua pataan ja peltoon were providing material for a research network called Kasvunpaikat which created a framework of legumes and sustainability to the workshops. This research was approached from phenomenological perspective emphasising perception, experiential knowledge and corporeality. Creativity in groups and futures research concepts of alternative futures, preferable futures and images of futures create the theoretical frame together with the phenomenology. Corporeal and multisensory activities in the futures workshops are proven useful and potential. They assist in building creative atmosphere for the group works, produce a new kind of silent, embodied knowledge and particularly inspire the participants for futures making. The participants reported several actions after the workshops within the framework of legumes and sustainability. These results evidently indicate the importance of positive multi-layered experiences in supporting commitment to make better futures. The experiences of sharing, learning and the interaction of intellectual, emotional and corporeal are all valuable in creating better futures. Developing further the use of phenomenological perspectives in futures research the experiential, silent, embodied knowledge can be better considered in the context of futures

The effect of post-exercise, lower-limb passive heating on endurance performance, muscle and vascular function

Introduction: Chronic application of passive heating has been shown to enhance factors associated with aerobic metabolism. Likewise, post-exercise passive heating provides an attractive strategy to prolong the exercising stimulus and has shown to improve endurance performance in temperate conditions. It is typical to use hot water immersion, sauna baths, hot-water perfused suits or diathermy to provide the necessary thermal stimulus, thus confining the studies to laboratory settings and may prevent their real-world application. In light of the recent developments in personal heating garments, the current study aimed to develop a mobile, home-based lower-body passive heating system, which was applied in a post-exercise format. The primary aim of the study was to investigate the effect of four-weeks of post-exercise passive heating on markers of endurance performance in recreationally trained adults compared to routine endurance training. Methods: The study included 30 recreationally trained individuals, who were randomly allocated to post-exercise passive heating (PH, n = 16) or control group (CON, n = 14). The PH group wore the passive heating system immediately following training for 90-120 min/day, completing a total of 20 heating sessions across the four-weeks. The CON group continued with their normal training without passive heating. To characterise the endurance phenotype, hallmark endurance markers were assessed: maximal oxygen uptake, gas exchange threshold, pulmonary oxygen uptake kinetics and critical torque, with simultaneous near infrared spectroscopy, vascular assessment of brachial artery flow mediated dilation and venous blood sample collection for analysis of heat shock proteins, nitric oxide and vascular endothelial growth factors. All of the above-mentioned characteristics were assessed at three testing blocks; PRE, MID & POST, each separated by two-weeks. Changes between groups from PRE to POST were analysed using analysis of co-variance. Results: Resting brachial artery diameter (p = 0.002) and maximal vasodilatory diameter (p < 0.001) was significantly higher in PH compared to CON after four-weeks. There was no significant difference between or within group for markers of endurance performance. Finally, a significant slowing of phase II time constant (p = 0.02) was found in the PH group, whilst the CON group improved their critical torque–deoxygenation (p = 0.03) ratio relative to the PH group. Conclusion: The four-week, post-exercise passive heating approach used in the current study did not improve endurance performance. Despite some improvements in the components of systemic resting blood delivery, the nature of the intervention appeared to result in suppression of beneficial adaptations that would otherwise be anticipated with routine endurance training. This study signifies the need for better understanding the dose-response relationship when utilising dual adaptative stimuli (exercise + thermal) for the purpose of enhancing endurance performance among healthy, active individuals. Transference of fundamental training principles to the design of thermal interventions, such as consideration of thermal load and recovery, may help to individualise future approaches, and thereby increase the probability of beneficial heat-mediated adaptations