Designing Haptic Interfaces to Uncover Gestural Patterns in Children

Children with sensory processing differences such as Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) may have different gestural patterns compared to their neurotypical peers. However, the evaluation of sensory differences is complicated and subjective, especially when it\u27s related to the tactile sense. Haptic interfaces (i.e., tools that transmit information through touch) allow changing vibrotactile patterns to stimulate children\u27s tactile senses, affecting how children interact with the interface. Therefore, haptic interfaces can be used to collect data on how users interact with them and uncover their gestural patterns. However, it is unclear how to design active haptic interfaces vibration using touch (e.g., mobile phone), wearables (e.g., smartwatch), or ultrasonic (e.g., Stratos) to support the data collection of gesture interaction. As the first step in this work, we proposed the design of Feel and Touch, a haptic game that could be developed for different haptic interfaces, such as mobile, wearable, and ultrasonic. In future work, we proposed to develop the game in the three interfaces and evaluate their usefulness and effectiveness in collecting gestural data, especially for children with ASD. We would like to thank: Ivonne Monarca and Monica Tentori from CICESE Research center

Impacts of human recreation on nutrient availability and periphyton abundance on the Niobrara River

In freshwater ecosystems, eutrophication can create many problems. Excess nutrients, like nitrogen or phosphorus, promote algal or cyanobacterial growth. This growth also leads to increased organic matter production and decomposition, a process that can reduce oxygen concentration in the water. When this happens, species diversity declines, transparency of the water declines, and anoxia may lead to fish kills . Of particular concern is the possibility of cyanobacteria blooms that create compounds toxic for humans. Many of the waters across Nebraska receive excessive nutrients from human activities, largely related to agriculture (Dickey 1982). However, there is one river, the Niobrara River, that is exceptional in Nebraska for its relatively undisturbed condition. Home to over 160 distinct plant and animal species, 76 miles of the Niobrara River are classified by the National Park Service (NPS) as a National Scenic River. This means that the river has a mostly undeveloped shoreline, is free-flowing (no dams) and most importantly, it is free of contamination. Despite the protection, the very reason that the Niobrara is so important culturally - because of its high water quality - is the very thing that might be threatened. Every year, nearly 80,000 visit the Niobrara River, with most of the activity happening during the summer (Learn). In certain areas of the Niobrara summer tourism is suspected to cause an influx of nutrients or cause physical disturbances, potentially harming the ecosystem. The following question was asked as we began our project; Do human recreational activities have a direct impact on the river ecosystem

Portable Calorimeter for Fire Experiments

Executive Summary An oxygen consumption calorimeter works by measuring the heat release rate of a burning substance. This value is calculated by measuring the oxygen and byproducts in smoke from afire.In order to get these values two types of sensors were used. A non-dispersive infrared sensor (NDIR) that measured CO and CO2 and a zirconium O2 sensor were used to find their respective gas concentrations.The design to calculate the heat release rate is focused on maximizing sensor accuracy and portability while simplifying the manufacturing by using off-the-shelf components. The goal included making the system simple to recreate and package in a portable system.Multiple designs were considered to ensure that the system would be portable. The final design is focused on working around the Crestline 7911 NDIR sensor and AO2 Citacel sensor. The other key components include the microcontroller, pump, power supply, air filter, and mounting platform, which were designed around these two sensors. These components are packaged together in a briefcase that will house the components and protect them during transportation and usage. This flexibility for transportation allows the system to be used in different locations.The oxygen consumption calorimeter also has several specific design specifications that it will meet. These fall under three categories: safety, usability, and data acquisition. Safety considerations involve ensuring that the system is not exposed to excessive heat, well insulated, does not deflect or fracture, etc. To ensure the usability of the device, the engineering team will record issues and the appropriate solutions for hardware and software issues to establish a working guideline for future users.Another key specification category is data acquisition. It is important for the system accurately acquire data and that the system is calibrated properly. This document will serve as the scope of work and as a design report for the mechanical engineering team working on the Portable Calorimeter for Fire Experiments project. The objective of this document is to define the problem and detail the steps that were taken to design the portable oxygen consumption calorimeter

Design of Nanoparticle-Based Carriers for Targeted Drug Delivery

Nanoparticles have shown promise as both drug delivery vehicles and direct antitumor systems, but they must be properly designed in order to maximize efficacy. Computational modeling is often used both to design new nanoparticles and to better understand existing ones. Modeled processes include the release of drugs at the tumor site and the physical interaction between the nanoparticle and cancer cells. In this paper, we provide an overview of three different targeted drug delivery methods (passive targeting, active targeting, and physical targeting) and compare methods of action, advantages, limitations, and the current stages of research. For the most commonly used nanoparticle carriers, fabrication methods are also reviewed. This is followed by a review of computational simulations and models on nanoparticle-based drug delivery

Analysis of Speech-to-Text Algorithms in Recognizing Down Syndrome Conversations

Introduction: Speech-to-text technology has become key in supporting technologies such as voice assistants (e.g., Alexa, Siri). Unfortunately, some individuals with speech differences, such as accents, female voices, children, or individuals with disabilities such as Down Syndrome, are not well recognized, creating issues in inclusivity. The first step toward making it more inclusive is to figure out where the errors or weaknesses are in speech-to-text algorithms (YouTube, IBM, Zoom, and Azure) in recognizing dialogs from diverse populations. Methods: We analyze 10 videos from the ‘Special Books by Special Kids’ YouTube channel. Videos include 15 people with Down Syndrome and 6 Neurotypicals. To compare how algorithms perform, we developed a python script to compute the word error rate, mismatch, insertion, and deletion. Results: Each algorithm did better for Neurotypicals than individuals with Down Syndrome by almost 40%. Overall, the most accurate algorithm was Azure for both Down Syndrome (46%) and Neurotypicals (87%). In general, all algorithms struggled the most with mismatching words, then deleting words, and the least common mistake was inserting words. Conclusion: Even though Azure is doing better than other algorithms, it still does not work well for Down Syndrome. To further understand the limitations and potential improvement of these algorithms, we propose a phonetic analysis to identify key sounds that prove difficult to detect in each algorithm. The end goal is to determine the best algorithm for analyzing speech from individuals with Down Syndrome and to ultimately provide an inclusive and more accurate algorithm. We are also planning to use estate of the art AI algorithms such as OpenAI and AssemblyAI. Acknowledgments: The first three authors equally contributed to this paper. We also thank Dr. Vivian Genaro Motti for her contributions to this research