Combining Rational and Biological Factors in Virtual Agent Decision Making

To enhance believability of virtual agents, this paper presents an agent-based modelling approach for decision making, which integrates rational reasoning based on means-end analysis with personal psychological and biological aspects. The agent model developed is a combination of a BDI-model and a utility-based decision model in the context of specific desires and beliefs. The approach is illustrated by addressing the behaviour of violent criminals, thereby creating a model for virtual criminals. Within a number of simulation experiments, the model has been tested in the context of a street robbery scenario. In addition, a user study has been performed, which confirms the fact that the model enhances believability of virtual agents. © 2009 The Author(s)

Prevalence of Autism Spectrum Disorders in Ecuador: A Pilot Study in Quito

This research presents the results of the first phase of the study on the prevalence of pupils with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) in regular education in Quito, Ecuador. One-hundred-and-sixty-one regular schools in Quito were selected with a total of 51,453 pupils. Prevalence of ASD was assessed by an interview with the rector of the school or its delegate. Results show an extremely low prevalence of 0.11 % of pupils with any ASD diagnosis; another 0.21 % were suspected to have ASD, but were without a diagnosis. This low prevalence suggests that children and adolescents with ASD are not included in regular education in Quito. These results are discussed in the light of low diagnostic identification of ASD and low inclusion tolerance

Photovoice as a research method with children

Hintergrund: Körperliche Aktivität ist ein wichtiger Schlüssel zur Reduktion Public-Health-relevanter Erkrankungen. Zur Entwicklung effektiver Gesundheitsförderung ist ein partizipativer Einbezug der Zielgruppe erforderlich. Dennoch ist gerade in Deutschland die Forschung mit Kindern noch randständig. Ziel dieser Studie ist es, am Beispiel der Bedürfnisse von Kindern in Bezug auf die Förderung ihrer Nahmobilität, die Methode Photovoice zu erproben und weiterzuentwickeln. Methode: Drittklässler*innen (n= 18) fotografierten maximal fünf Situationen oder Gegenstände im Rahmen ihrer eigenen Nahmobilität in einem Zeitraum von zwei Tagen. Auf Basis dieser Fotos wurden vier Gruppeninterviews mit vier bis fünf Kindern leitfadengestützt durchgeführt. Die transkribierten Interviews wurden in Anlehnung an die qualitative Inhaltsanalyse nach Mayring analysiert. Zudem wurde die Forschungsmethode von den Teilnehmer*innen mit Ratingskalen eingeschätzt. Ergebnisse: Photovoice verhalf den Kindern bei der Erarbeitung und Darlegung eigener Relevanzen. Gruppeninterviews führten mit Hilfe der Fotos zu gemeinsamer Generierung von Lösungen sowie Diskussionen über die Fotos hinaus. Allerdings ist ein hohes Maß an Flexibilität, zeitlicher Ressourcen sowie Empathie erforderlich. Fazit: Die Studie zeigt, dass die Methode Photovoice geeignet ist, um kindliche Perspektiven zu erfassen und damit neue Erkenntnisse zu generieren. Sie sollte verfeinert sowie weiter ausgebaut werden, indem die Ergebnisse zu einer Präsentation für Entscheidungsträger aggregiert werden. (c) Springer-Verlag GmbH German

Vitamin D status and insulin sensitivity are novel predictors of resting metabolic rate: a cross-sectional analysis in Australian adults

Purpose - Resting metabolic rate (RMR) accounts for two-thirds of the total energy expenditure in sedentary individuals. After accounting for traditional factors, there still remains a considerable unexplained variance in RMR. There is a pandemic of obesity and metabolic syndrome (MetS) which coexists with a high prevalence of vitamin D insufficiency. The aim of this study was to evaluate the potential effects of vitamin D status, insulin sensitivity (IS) and the metabolic syndrome (MetS) on RMR in Australian adults. Methods - RMR, respiratory quotient (RQ), McAuley’s insulin sensitivity index, fat mass (FM), fat-free mass (FFM) and vitamin D status were assessed in Australian adults. The presence of MetS was evaluated by current standard criteria. Predictors of RMR were examined through multiple linear regression based on stepwise and backward regression approaches with attention to multi-collinearity. All analyses were conducted on SPSS version 21. Results - One hundred and twenty-seven participants (45 men, 82 women), aged 53.4 ± 11.7 years and BMI 31.9 ± 5.2 kg/m2, were included. Forty-one subjects were insufficient in vitamin D status (<50 nmol/L), and 75 participants had the MetS. A parsimonious regression model explained 85.8 % of RMR and was given by: RMR (kJ/d) = 1931 + 83.5 × FFM (kg) + 29.5 × FM (kg) + 5.65 × 25(OH)D (nmol/L) − 17.6 × age (years) − 57.51 × IS. Conclusion - Vitamin D status and IS are novel independent predictors of RMR in adults. Future studies could validate a causal role for these factors in human energy metabolism