Evaluating the Microsoft HoloLens through an augmented reality assembly application

Industry and academia have repeatedly demonstrated the transformative potential of Augmented Reality (AR) guided assembly instructions. In the past, however, computational and hardware limitations often dictated that these systems were deployed on tablets or other cumbersome devices. Often, tablets impede worker progress by diverting a user\u27s hands and attention, forcing them to alternate between the instructions and the assembly process. Head Mounted Displays (HMDs) overcome those diversions by allowing users to view the instructions in a hands-free manner while simultaneously performing an assembly operation. Thanks to rapid technological advances, wireless commodity AR HMDs are becoming commercially available. Specifically, the pioneering Microsoft HoloLens, provides an opportunity to explore a hands-free HMD’s ability to deliver AR assembly instructions and what a user interface looks like for such an application. Such an exploration is necessary because it is not certain how previous research on user interfaces will transfer to the HoloLens or other new commodity HMDs. In addition, while new HMD technology is promising, its ability to deliver a robust AR assembly experience is still unknown. To assess the HoloLens’ potential for delivering AR assembly instructions, the cross-platform Unity 3D game engine was used to build a proof of concept application. Features focused upon when building the prototype were: user interfaces, dynamic 3D assembly instructions, and spatially registered content placement. The research showed that while the HoloLens is a promising system, there are still areas that require improvement, such as tracking accuracy, before the device is ready for deployment in a factory assembly setting

Comparison of a Virtual Game-Day Experience on Varying Devices

Collegiate athletics, particularly football, provide tremendous value to schools through branding, revenue, and publicity. As a result, extensive effort is put into recruiting talented students. When recruiting, home games are exceptional tools used to show a school\u27s unique game-day atmosphere. However, this is not a viable option during the offseason or for off-site visits. This paper explores a solution to these challenges by using virtual reality (VR) to recreate the game-day experience. The Virtual Reality Application Center in conjunction with Iowa State University (ISU) athletics, created a VR application mimicking the game-day experience at ISU. This application was displayed using the world\u27s highest resolution six-sided CAVETM, an Oculus Rift DK2 computer-driven head mounted display (HMD) and a Merge VR smart phone-driven HMD. A between-subjects user study compared presence between the different systems and a video control. In total, 82 students participated, indicating their presence using the Witmer and Singer questionnaire. Results revealed that while the CAVETM scored the highest in presence, the Oculus and Merge only experienced a slight drop compared to the CAVETM. This result suggests that the mobile ultra-low-cost Merge is a viable alternative to the CAVE TM and Oculus for delivering the game-day experience to ISU recruits

COVID-19 in Pregnancy in Scotland (COPS):protocol for an observational study using linked Scottish national data

Funding: EAVE II funded by the Medical Research Council (MR/R008345/1) with the support of BREATHE - The Health Data Research Hub for Respiratory Health [MC_PC_19004], which is funded through the UK Research and Innovation Industrial Strategy Challenge Fund and delivered through Health Data Research UK. Additional support has been provided through the Scottish Government DG Health and Social Care. COPS receive additional funding from Tommy’s charity (1060508; SC039280). SJS is supported by Wellcome Trust (209560/Z/17/Z).Introduction The effects of SARS-CoV-2 in pregnancy are not fully delineated. We will describe the incidence of COVID-19 in pregnancy at population level in Scotland, in a prospective cohort study using linked data. We will determine associations between COVID-19 and adverse pregnancy, neonatal and maternal outcomes and the proportion of confirmed cases of SARS-CoV-2 infection in neonates associated with maternal COVID-19. Methods and analysis Prospective cohort study using national linked data sets. We will include all women in Scotland, UK, who were pregnant on or became pregnant after, 1 March 2020 (the date of the first confirmed case of SARS-CoV-2 infection in Scotland) and all births in Scotland from 1 March 2020 onwards. Individual-level data will be extracted from data sets containing details of all livebirths, stillbirth, terminations of pregnancy and miscarriages and ectopic pregnancies treated in hospital or attending general practice. Records will be linked within the Early Pandemic Evaluation and Enhanced Surveillance of COVID-19 (EAVE II) platform, which includes primary care records, virology and serology results and details of COVID-19 Community Hubs and Assessment Centre contacts and deaths. We will perform analyses using definitions for confirmed, probable and possible COVID-19 and report serology results (where available). Outcomes will include congenital anomaly, miscarriage, stillbirth, termination of pregnancy, preterm birth, neonatal infection, severe maternal disease and maternal deaths. We will perform descriptive analyses and appropriate modelling, adjusting for demographic and pregnancy characteristics and the presence of comorbidities. The cohort will provide a platform for future studies of the effectiveness and safety of therapeutic interventions and immunisations for COVID-19 and their effects on childhood and developmental outcomes. Ethics and dissemination COVID-19 in Pregnancy in Scotland is a substudy of EAVE II(, which has approval from the National Research Ethics Service Committee. Findings will be reported to Scottish Government, Public Health Scotland and published in peer-reviewed journals.Publisher PDFPeer reviewe

The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria's investments in harm reduction through the rounds-based funding model (2002-2014)

Background: Harm reduction is an evidence-based, effective response to HIV transmission and other harms faced by people who inject drugs, and is explicitly supported by the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria. In spite of this, people who inject drugs continue to have poor and inequitable access to these services and face widespread stigma and discrimination. In 2013, the Global Fund launched a new funding model-signalling the end of the previous rounds-based model that had operated since its founding in 2002. This study updates previous analyses to assess Global Fund investments in harm reduction interventions for the duration of the rounds-based model, from 2002 to 2014. Methods: Global Fund HIV and TB/HIV grant documents from 2002 to 2014 were reviewed to identify grants that contained activities for people who inject drugs. Data were collected from detailed grant budgets, and relevant budget lines were recorded and analysed to determine the resources allocated to different interventions that were specifically targeted at people who inject drugs. Results: 151 grants for 58 countries, plus one regional proposal, contained activities targeting people who inject drugs-for a total investment of US 620. million. Two-thirds of this budgeted amount was for interventions in th

Remote ischemic conditioning: from experimental observation to clinical application: report from the 8th Biennial Hatter Cardiovascular Institute Workshop

In 1993, Przyklenk and colleagues made the intriguing experimental observation that 'brief ischemia in one vascular bed also protects remote, virgin myocardium from subsequent sustained coronary artery occlusion' and that this effect '.... may be mediated by factor(s) activated, produced, or transported throughout the heart during brief ischemia/reperfusion'. This seminal study laid the foundation for the discovery of 'remote ischemic conditioning' (RIC), a phenomenon in which the heart is protected from the detrimental effects of acute ischemia/reperfusion injury (IRI), by applying cycles of brief ischemia and reperfusion to an organ or tissue remote from the heart. The concept of RIC quickly evolved to extend beyond the heart, encompassing inter-organ protection against acute IRI. The crucial discovery that the protective RIC stimulus could be applied non-invasively, by simply inflating and deflating a blood pressure cuff placed on the upper arm to induce cycles of brief ischemia and reperfusion, has facilitated the translation of RIC into the clinical setting. Despite intensive investigation over the last 20 years, the underlying mechanisms continue to elude researchers. In the 8th Biennial Hatter Cardiovascular Institute Workshop, recent developments in the field of RIC were discussed with a focus on new insights into the underlying mechanisms, the diversity of non-cardiac protection, new clinical applications, and large outcome studies. The scientific advances made in this field of research highlight the journey that RIC has made from being an intriguing experimental observation to a clinical application with patient benefit

Evaluating the Microsoft HoloLens through an augmented reality assembly application

Industry and academia have repeatedly demonstrated the transformative potential of Augmented Reality (AR) guided assembly instructions. In the past, however, computational and hardware limitations often dictated that these systems were deployed on tablets or other cumbersome devices. Often, tablets impede worker progress by diverting a user's hands and attention, forcing them to alternate between the instructions and the assembly process. Head Mounted Displays (HMDs) overcome those diversions by allowing users to view the instructions in a hands-free manner while simultaneously performing an assembly operation. Thanks to rapid technological advances, wireless commodity AR HMDs are becoming commercially available. Specifically, the pioneering Microsoft HoloLens, provides an opportunity to explore a hands-free HMD’s ability to deliver AR assembly instructions and what a user interface looks like for such an application. Such an exploration is necessary because it is not certain how previous research on user interfaces will transfer to the HoloLens or other new commodity HMDs. In addition, while new HMD technology is promising, its ability to deliver a robust AR assembly experience is still unknown. To assess the HoloLens’ potential for delivering AR assembly instructions, the cross-platform Unity 3D game engine was used to build a proof of concept application. Features focused upon when building the prototype were: user interfaces, dynamic 3D assembly instructions, and spatially registered content placement. The research showed that while the HoloLens is a promising system, there are still areas that require improvement, such as tracking accuracy, before the device is ready for deployment in a factory assembly setting.This proceeding is published as Evans, Gabriel, Jack Miller, Mariangely Iglesias Pena, Anastacia MacAllister, and Eliot Winer. "Evaluating the Microsoft HoloLens through an augmented reality assembly application." In SPIE Defense+Security, Proceedings SPIE, Volume 10197, Article 101970V, Degraded Environments: Sensing, Processing, and Display 2017. Anaheim, California; April 11-12, 2017. DOI: 10.1117/12.2262626. Posted with permission.</p

Comparison of a Virtual Game-Day Experience on Varying Devices

Collegiate athletics, particularly football, provide tremendous value to schools through branding, revenue, and publicity. As a result, extensive effort is put into recruiting talented students. When recruiting, home games are exceptional tools used to show a school's unique game-day atmosphere. However, this is not a viable option during the offseason or for off-site visits. This paper explores a solution to these challenges by using virtual reality (VR) to recreate the game-day experience. The Virtual Reality Application Center in conjunction with Iowa State University (ISU) athletics, created a VR application mimicking the game-day experience at ISU. This application was displayed using the world's highest resolution six-sided CAVETM, an Oculus Rift DK2 computer-driven head mounted display (HMD) and a Merge VR smart phone-driven HMD. A between-subjects user study compared presence between the different systems and a video control. In total, 82 students participated, indicating their presence using the Witmer and Singer questionnaire. Results revealed that while the CAVETM scored the highest in presence, the Oculus and Merge only experienced a slight drop compared to the CAVETM. This result suggests that the mobile ultra-low-cost Merge is a viable alternative to the CAVE TM and Oculus for delivering the game-day experience to ISU recruits.This article is published as Miller, Jack, Holly Baiotto, Anastacia MacAllister, Melynda Hoover, Gabriel Evans, Jonathan Schlueter, Vijay Kalivarapu, and Eliot Winer. "Comparison of a Virtual Game-Day Experience on Varying Devices." Electronic Imaging 2017, no. 16 (2017): 30-37. DOI: 10.2352/ISSN.2470-1173.2017.16.CVAS-346. Posted with permission.</p

The uptake of population size estimation studies for key populations in guiding HIV responses on the African continent.

BACKGROUND:There has been a heightened emphasis on prioritizing data to inform evidence-based HIV responses, including data focused on both defining the content and scale of HIV programs in response to evidence-based need. Consequently, population size estimation (PSE) studies for key populations have become increasingly common to define the necessary scale of specific programs for key populations. This study aims to assess the research utilization of these size estimates in informing HIV policy and program documents across the African continent. METHODS:This study included two phases; Phase 1 was a review of all PSE for key populations, including men who have sex with men (MSM), female sex workers (FSW), people who use drugs (PWUD), and transgender persons in the 54 countries across Africa published from January 2009-December 2017. Phase 2 was a review of 23 different types of documents released between January 2009 -January 2019, with a focus on the US President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) and The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria investments, for evidence of stakeholder engagement in PSE studies, as well as key population PSE research utilization to inform HIV programming and international HIV investments. RESULTS:Of 118 size estimates identified in 39 studies, less than 15% were utilized in PEPFAR Country Operational Plans or national strategic health plan documents, and less than 2% in Global Fund Concept Notes. Of 39 PSE studies, over 50% engaged stakeholders in study implementation and identified target population stakeholders, a third of studies identified policy or program stakeholders, and 15% involved stakeholders in study design. CONCLUSION:The past decade has seen an increase in PSE studies conducted for key populations in more generalized HIV epidemic settings which involve significant investments of finances and human resources. However, there remains limited evidence of sustained uptake of these data to guide the HIV responses. Increasing uptake necessitates effective stakeholder engagement and data-oriented capacity building to optimize research utilization and facilitate data-driven and human rights-affirming HIV responses

Remote ischemic conditioning: from experimental observation to clinical application: report from the 8th biennial hatter cardiovascular institute workshop

In 1993, Przyklenk and colleagues made the intriguing experimental observation that \u27brief ischemia in one vascular bed also protects remote, virgin myocardium from subsequent sustained coronary artery occlusion\u27 and that this effect \u27.... may be mediated by factor(s) activated, produced, or transported throughout the heart during brief ischemia/reperfusion\u27. This seminal study laid the foundation for the discovery of \u27remote ischemic conditioning\u27 (RIC), a phenomenon in which the heart is protected from the detrimental effects of acute ischemia/reperfusion injury (IRI), by applying cycles of brief ischemia and reperfusion to an organ or tissue remote from the heart. The concept of RIC quickly evolved to extend beyond the heart, encompassing inter-organ protection against acute IRI. The crucial discovery that the protective RIC stimulus could be applied non-invasively, by simply inflating and deflating a blood pressure cuff placed on the upper arm to induce cycles of brief ischemia and reperfusion, has facilitated the translation of RIC into the clinical setting. Despite intensive investigation over the last 20 years, the underlying mechanisms continue to elude researchers. In the 8th Biennial Hatter Cardiovascular Institute Workshop, recent developments in the field of RIC were discussed with a focus on new insights into the underlying mechanisms, the diversity of non-cardiac protection, new clinical applications, and large outcome studies. The scientific advances made in this field of research highlight the journey that RIC has made from being an intriguing experimental observation to a clinical application with patient benefit