Voice Interaction for Augmented Reality Navigation Interfaces with Natural Language Understanding

Voice interaction with natural language understanding (NLU) has been extensively explored in desktop computers, handheld devices, and human-robot interaction. However, there is limited research into voice interaction with NLU in augmented reality (AR). There are benefits of using voice interaction in AR, such as high naturalness and being hands-free. In this project, we introduce VOARLA, an NLU-powered AR voice interface, which navigate courier driver delivery a package. A user study was completed to evaluate VOARLA against an AR voice interface without NLU to investigate the effectiveness of NLU in the navigation interface in AR. We evaluated from three aspects: accuracy, productivity, and commands learning curve. Results found that using NLU in AR increases the accuracy of the interface by 15%. However, higher accuracy did not correlate to an increase in productivity. Results suggest that NLU helped users remember the commands on the first run when they were unfamiliar with the system. This suggests that using NLU in an AR hands-free application can make the learning curve easier for new users

Effects of Cl on the reduction of supported PdO in ethanol/water solvent mixtures

The reduction of γ-Al2O3-supported PdO in flowing aqueous ethanol was investigated. Quick EXAFS (QEXAFS) performed at the Pd K-edge reveals that the presence of Cl can have a profound effect on the reduction process. At low loadings of Pd (1 wt-%), the size dependency of the process is inverted, compared to Cl-free samples. The extent of reduction was found to be dependent on loading/particles size. It is shown, using in situ QEXAFS at the Cl K- and Pd L3-edges, that residual Cl is not removed by the flowing solvent mixture, even at an elevated temperature of 350 K. The origins of these behaviours are discussed in terms of the differing effects that Cl may have when bonded to oxidic or reduced metal centres and the results were compared to earlier observations made on the effects of Cl on commercial polyurea encapsulated Pd ENCAT™ NP 30 catalysts

Dementia risk in a diverse population: A single-region nested case-control study in the East End of London

Background: Most evidence about dementia risk comes from relatively affluent people of White European ancestry. We aimed to determine the association between ethnicity, area level socioeconomic deprivation and dementia risk, and the extent to which variation in risk might be attributable to known modifiable clinical risk factors and health behaviours. Methods: In this nested case-control study, we analysed data from primary care medical records of a population of 1,016,277 from four inner East London boroughs, United Kingdom, collected between 2009 and 2018. The outcome measures were odds ratios for dementia according to ethnicity and deprivation, before and after the addition of major modifiable risk factors for dementia; and weighted population attributable risk for comparison between individual risk factors. Findings: We identified 4137 dementia cases and 15,754 matched controls (mean age for cases and controls were 80·7 years, (SD 8·7); 81·3 years, (SD 8·9) respectively, range 27–103). Black and South Asian ethnicity were both associated with increased risk of dementia relative to White (odds ratios [95% CI]: Black 1·43 [1·31–1·56]; South Asian 1.17 [1·06–1·29]). Area-level deprivation was independently associated with an increased risk of dementia in a dose-dependent manner. Black and South Asian ethnicity were both associated with a younger age at dementia diagnosis (odds ratios [95%CI]: 0·70 [0·61–0·80] and 0·55 [0·47–0·65], respectively). Population attributable risk was higher for ethnicity (9·7%) and deprivation (11·7%) than for any established modifiable risk factor in this population. Interpretation: Ethnicity and area-level deprivation are independently associated with dementia risk in East London. This effect may not be attributable to the effect of known risk factors

The biomechanics of amnion rupture: an X-ray diffraction study

Pre-term birth is the leading cause of perinatal and neonatal mortality, 40% of which are attributed to the pre-term premature rupture of amnion. Rupture of amnion is thought to be associated with a corresponding decrease in the extracellular collagen content and/or increase in collagenase activity. However, there is very little information concerning the detailed organisation of fibrillar collagen in amnion and how this might influence rupture. Here we identify a loss of lattice like arrangement in collagen organisation from areas near to the rupture site, and present a 9% increase in fibril spacing and a 50% decrease in fibrillar organisation using quantitative measurements gained by transmission electron microscopy and the novel application of synchrotron X-ray diffraction. These data provide an accurate insight into the biomechanical process of amnion rupture and highlight X-ray diffraction as a new and powerful tool in our understanding of this process

Correction: CD93 is expressed on chronic myeloid leukemia stem cells and identifies a quiescent population which persists after tyrosine kinase inhibitor therapy

Correction to: Leukemia https://doi.org/10.1038/s41375-019-0684-

Influence of climatic variables on crown condition in pine forests of Northern Spain

Producción CientíficaThe aim of this study was to find relationships between crown condition and some climatic parameters to identify which are those having a main influence on crown condition, and how this influence is shown in the tree (crown transparency), and to contribute to the understanding of how these parameters will affect under future climate change scenarios

Psychological interventions in asthma

Asthma is a multifactorial chronic respiratory disease characterised by recurrent episodes of airway obstruction. The current management of asthma focuses principally on pharmacological treatments, which have a strong evidence base underlying their use. However, in clinical practice, poor symptom control remains a common problem for patients with asthma. Living with asthma has been linked with psychological co-morbidity including anxiety, depression, panic attacks and behavioural factors such as poor adherence and suboptimal self-management. Psychological disorders have a higher-than-expected prevalence in patients with difficult-to-control asthma. As psychological considerations play an important role in the management of people with asthma, it is not surprising that many psychological therapies have been applied in the management of asthma. There are case reports which support their use as an adjunct to pharmacological therapy in selected individuals, and in some clinical trials, benefit is demonstrated, but the evidence is not consistent. When findings are quantitatively synthesised in meta-analyses, no firm conclusions are able to be drawn and no guidelines recommend psychological interventions. These inconsistencies in findings may in part be due to poor study design, the combining of results of studies using different interventions and the diversity of ways patient benefit is assessed. Despite this weak evidence base, the rationale for psychological therapies is plausible, and this therapeutic modality is appealing to both patients and their clinicians as an adjunct to conventional pharmacological treatments. What are urgently required are rigorous evaluations of psychological therapies in asthma, on a par to the quality of pharmaceutical trials. From this evidence base, we can then determine which interventions are beneficial for our patients with asthma management and more specifically which psychological therapy is best suited for each patient

High-fat overfeeding impairs peripheral glucose metabolism and muscle microvascular eNOS Ser1177 phosphorylation.

CONTEXT: The mechanisms responsible for dietary fat-induced insulin resistance of skeletal muscle and its microvasculature are only partially understood. OBJECTIVE: To determine the impact of high-fat overfeeding on postprandial glucose fluxes, muscle insulin signaling, and muscle microvascular eNOS content and activation. DESIGN: Fifteen non-obese volunteers consumed a high-fat (64%) high-energy (+47%) diet for 7 days. Experiments were performed before and after the diet. Stable isotope tracers were used to determine glucose fluxes in response to carbohydrate plus protein ingestion. Muscle insulin signaling was determined as well as the content and activation state of muscle microvascular eNOS. RESULTS: High-fat overfeeding impaired postprandial glycemic control as demonstrated by higher concentrations of glucose (+11%; P = 0.004) and insulin (+19%; P = 0.035). Carbohydrate plus protein ingestion suppressed endogenous glucose production to a similar extent before and after the diet. Conversely, high-fat overfeeding reduced whole body glucose clearance (-16%; P = 0.021) and peripheral insulin sensitivity (-26%; P = 0.006). This occurred despite only minor alterations in skeletal muscle insulin signaling. High-fat overfeeding reduced eNOS content in terminal arterioles (P = 0.017) and abolished the increase in eNOS Ser1177 phosphorylation that was seen after carbohydrate plus protein ingestion. CONCLUSION: High-fat overfeeding impaired whole-body glycemic control due to reduced glucose clearance, not elevated endogenous glucose production. The finding that high-fat overfeeding abolished insulin-mediated eNOS Ser1177 phosphorylation in the terminal arterioles suggests that impairments in the vasodilatory capacity of the skeletal muscle microvasculature may contribute to early dietary fat-induced impairments in glycemic control