Automated Analysis of Human Performance Data

Automated Analysis of Human Performance Data could help to understand and possibly predict the performance of the human. To inform future research and enable Automated Analysis of Human Performance Data a systematic mapping study (scoping study) on the state-of-the-art knowledge is performed on three interconnected components(i)Human Performance (ii) Monitoring Human Performance and (iii) Automated Data Analysis. Using a systematic method of Kitchenham and Charters for performing the systematic mapping study, resulted in a comprehensive search for studies and a categorisation the studies using a qualitative method. This systematic mapping review extends the philosophy of Shyr and Spisic, and Knuth and represents the state-of-art knowledge on Human Performance, Monitoring Human Performance and Automated Data Analysi

User-centered design in brain–computer interfaces — a case study

The array of available brain–computer interface (BCI) paradigms has continued to grow, and so has the corresponding set of machine learning methods which are at the core of BCI systems. The latter have evolved to provide more robust data analysis solutions, and as a consequence the proportion of healthy BCI users who can use a BCI successfully is growing. With this development the chances have increased that the needs and abilities of specific patients, the end-users, can be covered by an existing BCI approach. However, most end-users who have experienced the use of a BCI system at all have encountered a single paradigm only. This paradigm is typically the one that is being tested in the study that the end-user happens to be enrolled in, along with other end-users. Though this corresponds to the preferred study arrangement for basic research, it does not ensure that the end-user experiences a working BCI. In this study, a different approach was taken; that of a user-centered design. It is the prevailing process in traditional assistive technology. Given an individual user with a particular clinical profile, several available BCI approaches are tested and – if necessary – adapted to him/her until a suitable BCI system is found

Fehlende Werte bei Patienten-berichteten Endpunkten in einer Längsschnittstudie bei fortgeschrittenem und metastasiertem Krebs

Missing patient-reported outcomes (PROs) are common in follow-up visits for longitudi-nal studies. However, the rates of missing values are relatively high in relation to health deterioration and premature death in patients with advanced stages of cancer. This study aims to investigate the rates and patterns of missing PROs data as well as to ex-plore the association between patient characteristics and time-to-dropout or time-to-death for a better understanding of how the missing data mechanism could be applied to missing PROs data in severely affected patients. This is an exploratory study using data from the Oncological Social Care Project. Missing rates and missing data patterns were reported using cumulative numbers and rates. The competing-risk analysis, using Fine and Gray’s proportional sub-distribution hazards model, was performed to explore factors associated with time-to-dropout when considering death as a competing event. Additionally, a Cox regression model was used to explore factors associated with time-to-death. A total of 362 patients were observed. The cumulative missing rate for assessing PROs was around 28% and 19%, caused by premature death and dropout, respectively. Being divorced or widowed (SHR=2.71; 95%CI: 1.12–6.56) and having poor social support (SHR=2.10; 95%CI: 1.01–4.35) were associated with early dropout. The presence of malignant neoplasm of pancreas cancer (HR = 2.48; 95%CI: 1.27–4.85) and a medium level of education (HR = 1.58; 95%CI: 1.02–2.45) were associated with premature death. Dropping out early from the study was associated with low baseline global health status/quality of life (GH/QoL) (SHR=1.14; 95%CI: 1.01–1.27) and low baseline role functioning, such as limited ability to do work or daily activities (SHR=1.10; 95%CI: 1.01–1.19). Furthermore, worsening scores of GH/QoL, functioning, and symptoms at baseline and at the last visit were associated with premature death. In the advanced stages of cancer research, high rates of missing PROs data should be expected. The worsening of health-related quality of life (e.g., GH/QoL, physical functioning, fatigue scores) was associated with missing PROs data, suggesting that the missing data is not completely random. The investigation of patient characteristics as-sociated with missing data is also informative and a prerequisite for further proper analysis of the data.Fehlende von den Patienten berichteten Ergebnisse (patient-reported outcomes: PROs) sind bei Nachuntersuchungen im Rahmen von Langzeitstudien üblich. Die Raten fehlender Werte sind jedoch relativ hoch, wenn es um die Verschlechterung des Gesundheitszustands und den vorzeitigen Tod von Patienten in fortgeschrittenen Krebsstadien geht. Ziel dieser Studie ist es, die Raten und Muster fehlender PRO-Daten zu untersuchen sowie den Zusammenhang zwischen Patientenmerkmalen und der Zeit bis zum Abbruch bzw. bis zum Tod zu erforschen, um besser zu verstehen, wie der Mechanismus fehlender Daten auf fehlende PRO-Daten bei schwer betroffenen Patienten angewendet werden könnte. Es handelt sich um eine explorative Studie, die Daten aus dem Oncological Social Care Project verwendet. Fehlende Raten und Muster fehlender Daten wurden anhand kumulativer Zahlen und Raten angegeben. Eine Analyse des konkurrierenden Risikos unter Verwendung des proportionalen Unterverteilungs-Hazards-Modells von Fine und Gray wurde durchgeführt, um Faktoren zu untersuchen, die mit der Zeit bis zum Abbruch in Verbindung stehen, wenn der Tod als konkurrierendes Risiko betrachtet wird. Zusätzlich wurde ein Cox-Regressionsmodell verwendet, um Faktoren zu untersuchen, die mit der Zeit bis zum Tod in Verbindung stehen. Insgesamt wurden 362 Patienten beobachtet. Die kumulative Missingrate für die Bewertung der PROs lag bei 28% bzw. 19%, verursacht durch vorzeitigen Tod bzw. Drop-out. Geschieden oder verwitwet zu sein (SHR=2,71; 95%KI: 1,12 – 6,56) und geringe soziale Unterstützung (SHR=2,10; 95%KI: 1,01 – 4,35) waren mit einem frühen Abbruch verbunden. Das Vorhandensein einer bösartigen Neubildung der Pankreas (HR=2,48; 95%KI: 1,27 - 4,85) und ein mittleres Bildungsniveau (HR=1,58; 95%KI: 1,02 - 2,45) waren mit einem vorzeitigen Tod assoziiert. Ein vorzeitiger Abbruch aus der Studie war mit einem niedrigen Ausgangswert für den globalen Gesundheitszustand/die Lebensqualität (GH/QoL) (SHR=1,14; 95%KI: 1,01 - 1,27) und einem niedrigen Ausgangswert für die Rollenfunktion, wie z. B. einer eingeschränkten Fähigkeit zur Ausübung von Arbeit oder täglichen Aktivitäten (SHR=1.10; 95%KI: 1,01 - 1,19) assoziiert. Darüber hinaus war eine Verschlechterung der Werte für GH/QoL, Funktionsfähigkeit und Symptome zu Studienbeginn und bei der letzten Visite mit einem vorzeitigen Versterben assoziiert. In den fortgeschrittenen Stadien der Krebsforschung sind hohe Raten an fehlenden PRO-Daten zu erwarten. Die Verschlechterung der gesundheitsbezogenen Lebensqualität (z. B. GH/QoL, körperlichen Funktionsfähigkeit, Müdigkeit) stand in Verbindung mit fehlenden PROs-Daten. Das bedeutet, dass der Mechanismus der fehlenden Daten nicht völlig zufällig ist. Die Untersuchung von Patientenmerkmalen, die mit fehlenden Daten in Verbindung stehen, ist aufschlussreich und eine Voraussetzung für die weitere korrekte Auswertung der Daten

Autom Constr

Field or laboratory data collected for work-related musculoskeletal disorder (WMSD) risk assessment in construction often becomes unreliable as a large amount of data go missing due to technology-induced errors, instrument failures or sometimes at random. Missing data can adversely affect the assessment conclusions. This study proposes a method that applies Canonical Polyadic Decomposition (CPD) tensor decomposition to fuse multiple sparse risk-related datasets and fill in missing data by leveraging the correlation among multiple risk indicators within those datasets. Two knee WMSD risk-related datasets-3D knee rotation (kinematics) and electromyography (EMG) of five knee postural muscles-collected from previous studies were used for the validation and demonstration of the proposed method. The analysis results revealed that for a large portion of missing values (40%), the proposed method can generate a fused dataset that provides reliable risk assessment results highly consistent (70%-87%) with those obtained from the original experimental datasets. This signified the usefulness of the proposed method for use in WMSD risk assessment studies when data collection is affected by a significant amount of missing data, which will facilitate reliable assessment of WMSD risks among construction workers. In the future, findings of this study will be implemented to explore whether, and to what extent, the fused dataset outperforms the datasets with missing values by comparing consistencies of the risk assessment results obtained from these datasets for further investigation of the fusion performance.CC999999/ImCDC/Intramural CDC HHS/United States2021-04-23T00:00:00Z33897107PMC8064735956

MUSIC THERAPY IN THE COGNITIVE AND NEURAL REHABILITATION OF TRAUMATIC BRAIN INJURY

Traumatic brain injury (TBI) can have lifelong cognitive, emotional, and physical consequences. Music engages many cognitive, motor, and emotional functions making it a promising rehabilitation tool, but the effects of music in TBI are still largely unknown. The aim of this thesis was to explore the efficacy of neurological music therapy in the rehabilitation of moderate and severe TBI, particularly on executive functions (EF). The thesis includes three studies based on a cross-over randomized controlled trial (RCT), in which 40 participants with TBI (time since injury < 2 years) were randomized into two groups (AB/BA) to receive a 3-month neurological music therapy intervention either during the first (AB, n=20) or second (BA, n=20) half of a 6-month follow-up period. Neuropsychological and motor testing, questionnaires, and structural and functional magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) were performed at baseline and at the 3-month and 6-month stage. Results from Study I showed that general EF and set shifting improved more in the AB group than in the BA group over the first 3-month period, and the effect on general EF was maintained in the 6-month follow-up. Voxel-based morphometry analysis of the structural MRI data indicated that gray matter volume in the right inferior frontal gyrus increased significantly in both groups during the intervention versus control period, which also correlated with cognitive improvement in set shifting ability. Findings from Study II reporting the questionnaire data showed that the Behavioural Regulation Index of the Behaviour Rating Inventory of Executive Function (BRIEF-A) improved more in the AB than BA group from baseline to 3-month stage, and the effect was maintained in the 6-month follow-up. Finally, Study III explored functional connectivity patterns using resting-state functional MRI and revealed both changes towards increased and decreased functional connectivity within and between several networks. Importantly, behavioral improvements in EF correlated with resting-state functional connectivity changes within the frontoparietal network and between the default mode and sensorimotor networks. All in all, these results suggest that neurological music therapy enhances EF skills, including general EF, set shifting ability and behavioral self-regulation, after TBI and that these gains are linked to volumetric and functional neuroplastic changes in the brain. These novel findings give support to the use of music therapy in rehabilitation of moderate and severe TBI.Traumaattinen aivovaurio on varsin yleinen toimintakykyä alentava vamma, joka voi aiheuttaa elinikäisiä kognitiivisia, emotionaalisia ja fyysisiä oireita. Musiikki on monimuotoinen ja motivoiva toiminto, joka aktivoi useita kognitiivisia, motorisia ja emotionaalisia aivoverkostoja, mikä tekee siitä lupaavan hoitomuodon neurologisessa. Musiikin vaikuttavuutta aivovammakuntoutuksessa on kuitenkin toistaiseksi selvitetty varsin vähän. Tässä väitöskirjassa tutkitaan neurologisen musiikkiterapian vaikuttavuutta keskivaikeiden ja vaikeiden aivovammojen hoidossa ja erityisesti toiminnanohjaustaitojen kuntoutuksessa. Tähän tutkimukseen rekrytointiin 40 potilasta, joiden vammautumisesta oli kulunut alle 2 vuotta ja heidät satunnaistettiin kahteen ryhmään AB/BA. Ensimmäinen ryhmä (AB, n=20) sai neurologista musiikkiterapiaa 6 kuukauden seurantajakson alkupuoliskolla (3 kk) ja toinen ryhmä (BA, n=20) sai intervention seurantajakson jälkimmäisellä puoliskolla. Mittaukset, mukaan lukien neuropsykologiset ja motoriset testaukset, kyselylomakkeet sekä strukturaalinen ja funktionaalinen magneettikuvaus, suoritettiin alussa, 3 kuukauden ja 6 kuukauden kohdalla. Tutkimuksen I tulokset osoittavat, että yleiset toiminnanohjaustaidot (Frontal Assessment Battery -testistöllä arvioituna) sekä erityisesti kognitiivisen prosessoinnin joustavuus (Number-Letter Task -testillä testattuna) paranivat AB-ryhmässä BA-ryhmään verrattuna seurantajakson alkupuoliskolla ja positiivinen vaikutus yleisiin toiminnanohjaustaitoihin säilyi vielä 6 kuukauden seurannassa. Myös harmaan aineen volyymi oikealla alemmalla otsolohkopoimulla kasvoi merkittävästi molemmissa ryhmissä interventiojaksolla verrattuna kontrollijaksoon. Tämä harmaan aineen lisääntyminen korreloi kognitiivisen suorituksen kanssa prosessoinnin joustavuutta vaativassa tehtävässä. Tutkimuksessa II, jossa raportoidaan kyselylomakkeiden tulokset, osoitetaan että itse raportoitu käyttäytymisen säätely Behaviour Rating Inventory of Executive Function (BRIEF-A) mittarissa kohentui enemmän AB- kuin BA-ryhmässä ensimmäisen kolmen kuukauden seurannan aikana ja saavutettu taso säilyi vielä 6 kuukauden seurannassa. Tutkimuksessa III selvitettiin aivojen toiminnallisissa verkostoissa musiikkiterapian vaikutuksesta tapahtuneita muutoksia, joita mitattiin lepotilaverkostojen toiminnallisella magneettikuvauksella. Tulokset osoittavat, että useiden lepotilaverkostojen sisällä ja välillä tapahtui joko yhteyksien vahvistumista tai rauhoittumista. Muutokset toiminnanohjaustaidoissa korreloivat frontoparietaalisen verkoston sisällä sekä oletustilaverkoston ja sensorimotoristen verkkojen välillä tapahtuvien funktionaalisten muutosten kanssa. Kokonaisuudessaan nämä tulokset osoittavat, että aivovamman jälkeen musiikkiterapia kohentaa toiminnanohjaustaitoja mukaan lukien yleistä toiminnanohjausta, kognitiivisen prosessoinnin joustavuutta sekä käyttäytymisen säätelyä ja nämä muutokset ovat yhteydessä aivojen rakenteellisiin ja toiminnallisiin neuroplastisiin muutoksiin. Nämä uudet tulokset tukevat musiikkiterapian hyödyntämistä keskivaikeiden ja vaikeiden aivovammojen kuntoutuksessa

Intraindividual variability and micro-structural white matter changes in Alzheimer’s disease

The costs associated with diagnosis, treatment and care of Alzheimer’s disease (AD) patients places a significant financial and social strain on healthcare systems, patients and caregivers, especially in low-and middle-income countries (LAMICs). Traditional methods for diagnosing AD are time consuming and expensive, and treatments are often only effective in the early stages. These factors call for the development of alternative diagnostic methods. One such method that has gained attention due to its neural overlaps with AD is the measurement of intraindividual variability (IIV; the within-person variation in performance over multiple trials of a single task). IIV researchers have highlighted the role of white matter in increased IIV, and micro-structural white matter changes have been implicated in the early stages of AD. The current study examined the relationship between IIV on simple and choice reaction time tasks and micro-structural white matter changes, as indexed by fractional anisotropy (FA), mean diffusivity (MD), axial diffusivity (DA) and radial diffusivity (DR) in a sample of 16 AD patients and 20 healthy older adults. Across the entire sample, increased IIV on both the simple and choice reaction time tasks was significantly correlated with lower FA in an area of the right hemisphere inferior longitudinal fasciculus (R-ILF). Increased IIV on the choice reaction time task was significantly correlated with lower DA in the same area. Finally, IIV on the choice reaction time task contributed significantly and uniquely to variance in DA in the same area. These results suggest that further longitudinal studies into the diagnostic utility of IIV for neurological disorders might be of value for clinicians, patients and caregivers

Humanoid Robot handling Hand-Signs Recognition

Recent advancements in human-robot interaction have led to tremendous improvement for humanoid robots but still lacks social acceptance among people. Though verbal communication is the primary means of human-robot interaction, non-verbal communication that is proven to be an integral part of the human interactions is not widely used in humanoid robots. This thesis aims to achieve human-robot interaction via non-verbal communication, especially using hand-signs. It presents a prototype system that simulates hand-signs recognition in the NAO humanoid robot, and further an online questionnaire is used to examine people's opinion on the use of non-verbal communication to interact with a humanoid robot. The positive results derived from the study indicates people's willingness to use non-verbal communication as a means to communicate with humanoid robots, thus encouraging robot designers to use non-verbal communications for enhancing human-robot interaction

Understanding the relationship between cognitive performance and function in daily life after traumatic brain injury

Objective Cognitive impairment is a key cause of disability after traumatic brain injury (TBI) but relationships with overall functioning in daily life are often modest. The aim is to examine cognition at different levels of function and identify domains associated with disability. Methods 1554 patients with mild-to-severe TBI were assessed at 6 months post injury on the Glasgow Outcome Scale-Extended (GOSE), the Short Form-12v2 and a battery of cognitive tests. Outcomes across GOSE categories were compared using analysis of covariance adjusting for age, sex and education. Results Overall effect sizes were small to medium, and greatest for tests involving processing speed (eta(2)(p) 0.057-0.067) and learning and memory (eta(2)(p) 0.048-0.052). Deficits in cognitive performance were particularly evident in patients who were dependent (GOSE 3 or 4) or who were unable to participate in one or more major life activities (GOSE 5). At higher levels of function (GOSE 6-8), cognitive performance was surprisingly similar across categories. There were decreases in performance even in patients reporting complete recovery without significant symptoms. Medium to large effect sizes were present for summary measures of cognition (eta(2)(p) 0.111), mental health (eta(2)(p) 0.131) and physical health (eta(2)(p) 0.252). Conclusions This large-scale study provides novel insights into cognitive performance at different levels of disability and highlights the importance of processing speed in function in daily life. At upper levels of outcome, any influence of cognition on overall function is markedly attenuated and differences in mental health are salient.Peer reviewe