VelociWatch: Designing and evaluating a virtual keyboard for the input of challenging text

© 2019 Association for Computing Machinery. Virtual keyboard typing is typically aided by an auto-correct method that decodes a user’s noisy taps into their intended text. This decoding process can reduce error rates and possibly increase entry rates by allowing users to type faster but less precisely. However, virtual keyboard decoders sometimes make mistakes that change a user’s desired word into another. This is particularly problematic for challenging text such as proper names. We investigate whether users can guess words that are likely to cause auto-correct problems and whether users can adjust their behavior to assist the decoder. We conduct computational experiments to decide what predictions to ofer in a virtual keyboard and design a smartwatch keyboard named VelociWatch. Novice users were able to use the features of VelociWatch to enter challenging text at 17 words-per-minute with a corrected error rate of 3%. Interestingly, they wrote slightly faster and just as accurately on a simpler keyboard with limited correction options. Our fnding suggest users may be able to type dif-fcult words on a smartwatch simply by tapping precisely without the use of auto-correct

WiBAF into a CMS: Personalization in learning environments made easy

Adaptivity has proven successful in reducing navigation and comprehension problems in hypermedia documents. Authoring of adaptive hypermedia documents and especially of the adaptivity in these documents has been problematic or at least labour intensive throughout AH history. This paper shows how the integration of a CMS with an adaptive framework greatly simplifies the inclusion of personalization in existing educational applications. It does this within the context of European project Autism&Uni that uses adaptive hypermedia to offer information for students transitioning from high school to university, especially to cater for students on the autism spectrum as well as for non-autistic students. The use of our Within Browser adaptation framework (WiBAF) reduces privacy concerns because the user model is stored on the end-user's machine, and eliminates performance issues that currently prevent the adoption of adaptivity in MOOC platforms by having the adaptation performed on the end-user's machine as well (within the browser). Authoring of adaptive applications within the educational domain with the system proposed was tried out with first year students from the Design-Based Learning Hypermedia course at the Eindhoven University of Technology (TU/e) to gather feedback on the problems they faced with the platform

Adaptive web-based educational application for autistic students

Adaptive web-based applications have proven successful in reducing navigation and comprehension problems in hypermedia documents. In this paper, we describe a toolkit that is offered as an adaptive Web-based application to help autistic students incorporate to high education. The toolkit has been developed using a popular CMS in which we have integrated a client-side adaptation library. The toolkit described here was tried out during workshops with autistic students at Leeds Becketts University to gather (mostly qualitative) feedback on the adaptation and privacy aspects of the Autism&Uni platform. That feedback was later used to improve the toolkit

Climate services for health: from global observations to local interventions

Despite the wealth of available climate data available, there is no consensus on the most appropriate product choice for health impact modelling and how this influences downstream climate-health decisions. We discuss challenges related to product choice, highlighting the importance of considering data biases and co-development of climate services between different sectors

Multiple exon skipping strategies to by-pass dystrophin mutations.

Manipulation of dystrophin pre-mRNA processing offers the potential to overcome mutations in the dystrophin gene that would otherwise lead to Duchenne muscular dystrophy. Dystrophin mutations will require the removal of one or more exons to restore the reading frame and in some cases, multiple exon skipping strategies exist to restore dystrophin expression. However, for some small intra-exonic mutations, a third strategy, not applicable to whole exon deletions, may be possible. The removal of only one frame-shifting exon flanking the mutation-carrying exon may restore the reading frame and allow synthesis of a functional dystrophin isoform, providing that no premature termination codons are encountered. For these mutations, the removal of only one exon offers a simpler, cheaper and more feasible alternative approach to the dual exon skipping that would otherwise be considered. We present strategies to by-pass intra-exonic dystrophin mutations that clearly demonstrate the importance of tailoring exon skipping strategies to specific patient mutations

Paternal exposure to pesticides and congenital malformations

OBJECTIVES: A case-referent study with 261 matched pairs was carried out in 8 hospitals of Comunidad Valenciana, Spain, to assess the relation between occupational exposure to pesticides and selected congenital malformations. In this paper, the results concerning paternal exposure are presented. METHODS: The parents of the case patients and the referents were interviewed to collect information about exposure to pesticides and potential confounding variables. Detailed information on direct involvement in the handling of pesticides was collected for the interviewees involved in agricultural activities during a previously defined period in relation to conception and pregnancy. Exposure data were reviewed by 2 experts who assigned ordinal scores for the probability and intensity of exposure to pesticide classes and active ingredients. RESULTS: The dichotomous analysis of exposure (absent, present) yielded some increased risks, although not statistically significant, for aliphatic hydrocarbons [adjusted odds ratio (adjusted OR) 2.05, 95% confidence interval (95% CI) 0.62-6.80], inorganic compounds (adjusted OR 2.02, 95% CI 0.53-7.72), and glufosinate (adjusted OR 2.45, 95% CI 0.78-7.70), and a significant association for pyridil derivatives (adjusted OR 2.77, 95% CI 1.19-6.44). The analysis based on the experts' scores (2 levels of exposure) showed some consistent associations for these compounds. CONCLUSIONS: This research indicates a possible risk of congenital malformations for paternal exposure to some pesticides, notably, pyridils, aliphatic hydrocarbons, inorganic compounds, and glufosinate. It did not find an increased risk for paternal exposure to pesticides in the classes of organophosphates, carbamates, organochlorines, chloroalkylthio fungicides and organosulfurs. These findings warrant further investigation

Prenatal hypoxia induces increased cardiac contractility on a background of decreased capillary density.

Background: Chronic hypoxia in utero (CHU) is one of the most common insults to fetal development and may be associated with poor cardiac recovery from ischaemia-reperfusion injury,yet the effects on normal cardiac mechanical performance are poorly understood. Methods: Pregnant female wistar rats were exposed to hypoxia (12% oxygen, balance nitrogen)for days 10–20 of pregnancy. Pups were born into normal room air and weaned normally. At 10 weeks of age, hearts were excised under anaesthesia and underwent retrograde 'Langendorff' perfusion. Mechanical performance was measured at constant filling pressure (100 cm H2O) with intraventricular balloon. Left ventricular free wall was dissected away and capillary density estimated following alkaline phosphatase staining. Expression of SERCA2a and Nitric Oxide Synthases (NOS) proteins were estimated by immunoblotting. Results: CHU significantly increased body mass (P < 0.001) compared with age-matched control rats but was without effect on relative cardiac mass. For incremental increases in left ventricular balloon volume, diastolic pressure was preserved. However, systolic pressure was significantly greater following CHU for balloon volume = 50 μl (P < 0.01) and up to 200 μl (P < 0.05). For higher balloon volumes systolic pressure was not significantly different from control. Developed pressures were correspondingly increased relative to controls for balloon volumes up to 250 μl (P < 0.05).Left ventricular free wall capillary density was significantly decreased in both epicardium (18%; P <0.05) and endocardium (11%; P < 0.05) despite preserved coronary flow. Western blot analysis revealed no change to the expression of SERCA2a or nNOS but immuno-detectable eNOS protein was significantly decreased (P < 0.001) in cardiac tissue following chronic hypoxia in utero. Conclusion: These data offer potential mechanisms for poor recovery following ischaemia, including decreased coronary flow reserve and impaired angiogenesis with subsequent detrimental effects of post-natal cardiac performance