Sex with robots: A not-so-niche market for disabled and older persons

In this article, we present our experiences from research into the healthy ageing and well-being of older people and we report on our personal opinions of robots that may help the elderly to have sex and to cope with isolation and loneliness. However, and while there is a growing industry for sex robots and other sex toys and gadgets, there is also a growing concern about the ethics of such an industry. As is the case with pornography, the concept of sex robots may be criticized, yet it has deep roots in human civilization, with erotic depictions that date back to the Palaeolithic and Mesolithic Ages. So the need for an artefact that would offer sexually relevant functionality is not new at all. But what might be new and worrying is the potential for using artificial intelligence in sex robots in ways that might cause a repositioning of our entire value system. Such a threat is not related to the proliferation of sex robots per se but to the use of robots in general and in a variety of other fields of application

Determinants of reduction in 30-day readmissions among people with a severe behavioral illness: a case study

BACKGROUND: Individuals with serious mental illness face a significant burden of disease, yet experience lower quality care across a range of services (1). Hospital readmission within 30 days of discharge is an important, if imperfect, proxy for quality of care. Factors contributing to readmission are well documented (2–5), yet successful interventions to decrease readmissions have been slow to take shape (6–9). To effectively develop and incorporate evidence-based interventions to reduce 30-day psychiatric readmissions into large, geographically diverse inpatient systems; there is a need to conduct in-depth implementation analyses to better understand the relationship between patient-, hospital-, health system-, and community-level factors and their net impact on readmissions. This research addresses this need. METHODS: Using a modified Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research (CFIR), two state-based case studies were conducted within a large U.S. hospital system. Two hospitals per state were selected-- one with a high and one with a lower readmission rate. We conducted document reviews and semi-structured interviews (N=52) with corporate, clinical and community stakeholders, using the CFIR to identify key themes within each construct. We scored and compared hospitals with lower vs. higher readmission rates. An analysis of EMR data from the hospital system contextualized case study findings. RESULTS: In one state a complex interplay of factors at all levels contributed to readmission rates in both hospitals. In the second, constructs within the inner hospital setting contribute to differences in hospital readmission rates. Facilities with high readmission rates scored lowest among CFIR constructs “Patient Needs and Resources in the Community” and “External Policies and Incentives.” CONCLUSIONS: Ours is the first known study to explore a broad range of factors that influence readmission rates among patients with serious mental illness and a range of comorbidities. Findings from two state-based case studies indicate that readmission rates are determined by multiple, interrelated factors which vary in importance based on hospital and community context and political environment. To be effective, systemic interventions to reduce readmissions must be tailored to the specific context at targeted hospitals

Sustainable ICT equals not ICT for sustainability

In this opinion paper we promote the idea of an open dialogue to take place from within the Sustainable Futures journal that will offer the opportunity to a wide range of actors and stakeholders to present their ideas, concerns and worries on a variety of issues relevant and related to aspects of sustainability. Such an open-ended approach will help overcome opposing dynamics that currently cater for polarization and as a result to the segregation within the scientific community and the society at large. On the positive side, there is a wide spectrum of ambitious, game-changing and disruptive initiatives that can be taken from academia, from the industry, from the activists’ movements and the citizens at large, which will aim to increase our freedoms and not reduce them

Definition of two agonist types at the mammalian cold-activated channel TRPM8.

Various TRP channels act as polymodal sensors of thermal and chemical stimuli, but the mechanisms whereby chemical ligands impact on TRP channel gating are poorly understood. Here we show that AITC (allyl isothiocyanate; mustard oil) and menthol represent two distinct types of ligands at the mammalian cold sensor TRPM8. Kinetic analysis of channel gating revealed that AITC acts by destabilizing the closed channel, whereas menthol stabilizes the open channel, relative to the transition state. Based on these differences, we classify agonists as either type I (menthol-like) or type II (AITC-like), and provide a kinetic model that faithfully reproduces their differential effects. We further demonstrate that type I and type II agonists have a distinct impact on TRPM8 currents and TRPM8-mediated calcium signals in excitable cells. These findings provide a theoretical framework for understanding the differential actions of TRP channel ligands, with important ramifications for TRP channel structure-function analysis and pharmacology