Filling the user skill gap using HCI techniques to implement experimental protocol on driving simulators

Abstract-Programming activities are performed not only by programmers but also by end-users in order to support their primary goals in different domains and applications. End-users do not have formal training in programming, so interaction environment and systems are needed, which could account for user skills. The objective of our work is to fill the gap between the user skills and the goals they want to achieve using driving simulators. This paper presents the results of a research in which, we have proposed a solution for the primary users of the driving simulator to design and implement experimental protocol. We have used user-centered design (UCD) technique, conducted a user survey, and proposed a solution, in which we have categorized the Interface of the driving simulator into three sub-interfaces based on the skills of the users. These interfaces are Experiment Builder (Nontechnical persons), Template builder (for technical persons) and Experiment Interface (for any user to execute experiment). A prototype based on this concept is developed and evaluated. Our results indicate that, users can implement an experimental protocol without having programming skills using our proposed design

COVID-19 outbreak and increased risk of amblyopia and epidemic myopia: Insights from EUROCOVCAT group

The most common cause of vision impairment in children is amblyopia. It is defined as impaired visual acuity in one or both eyes that is present with no demonstrable abnormality of the visual pathway and is not immediately resolved by wearing glasses. After the World Health Organization (WHO) recognized COVID-19 as a global pandemic on March 11, 2020, widespread changes and restrictions to social and sanitary practices have presented significant issues in access to eye care during the COVID-19 pandemic. A reduction of more than 80% in pediatric eye care volume up to its total cessation has been observed in different departments. In this scenario, reduced or absent eyesight, due to delay in timely treatment of amblyopic conditions, could create major, long-lasting effects on all aspects of life, including daily personal activities, interacting with the community, school and work opportunities and the ability to access public services. Processes coming out of lockdown should be gradually easing restrictions giving priority to ophthalmology and eye care facilities so that amblyopia does not remain unattended and irreversible as in adults due to lack of timely treatments. If not reversible, this process could lead to a dramatic increase in disability and unsustainable social costs for many governments

COVID-19 outbreak and increased risk of amblyopia and epidemic myopia: Insights from EUROCOVCAT group

The most common cause of vision impairment in children is amblyopia. It is defined as impaired visual acuity in one or both eyes that is present with no demonstrable abnormality of the visual pathway and is not immediately resolved by wearing glasses. After the World Health Organization (WHO) recognized COVID-19 as a global pandemic on March 11, 2020, widespread changes and restrictions to social and sanitary practices have presented significant issues in access to eye care during the COVID-19 pandemic. A reduction of more than 80% in pediatric eye care volume up to its total cessation has been observed in different departments. In this scenario, reduced or absent eyesight, due to delay in timely treatment of amblyopic conditions, could create major, long-lasting effects on all aspects of life, including daily personal activities, interacting with the community, school and work opportunities and the ability to access public services. Processes coming out of lockdown should be gradually easing restrictions giving priority to ophthalmology and eye care facilities so that amblyopia does not remain unattended and irreversible as in adults due to lack of timely treatments. If not reversible, this process could lead to a dramatic increase in disability and unsustainable social costs for many governments

Dementia beyond 2025: knowledge and uncertainties

International audienceGiven that there may well be no significant advances in drug development before 2025, prevention of dementia/AD through the management of vascular and lifestyle-related risk factors may be a more realistic goal than treatment. Level of education and cognitive reserve assessment in neuropsychological testing deserve attention, as well as cultural, social and economic aspects of caregiving. Assistive technologies for dementia care remain complex. Serious games are emerging as virtual educational and pleasurable tools, designed for individual and cooperative skill-building. Public policies are likely to pursue improving awareness and understanding of dementia; providing good quality early diagnosis and intervention for all; improving quality of care from diagnosis to the end of life, using clinical and economic endpoints; delivering dementia strategies quicker, with an impact on more people. Dementia should remain presented as a stand-alone concept, distinct from frailty or loss of autonomy. The basic science of sensory impairment and social engagement in people with dementia needs to be developed. E-learning and serious games programmes may enhance public and professional education. Faced with funding shortage, new professional dynamics and economic models may emerge through coordinated, flexible research networks. Psychosocial research could be viewed as an investment in quality of care, rather than an academic achievement in a few centres of excellence. This would help provide a competitive advantage to the best operators. Stemming from care needs, a logical, systems approach to dementia care environment through organizational, architectural and psychosocial interventions may be developed, to help reduce symptoms in people with dementia and enhance quality of life. Dementia-friendly environments, culture and domesticity are key factors for such interventions

Assessing changes in global fire regimes

PAGES, Past Global Changes, is funded by the Swiss Academy of Sciences and the Chinese Academy of Sciences and supported in kind by the University of Bern, Switzerland. Financial support was provided by the U.S. National Science Foundation award numbers 1916565, EAR-2011439, and EAR-2012123. Additional support was provided by the Utah Department of Natural Resources Watershed Restoration Initiative. SSS was supported by Brigham Young University Graduate Studies. MS was supported by National Science Centre, Poland (grant no. 2018/31/B/ST10/02498 and 2021/41/B/ST10/00060). JCA was supported by the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation program under the Marie Skłodowska-Curie grant agreement No 101026211. PF contributed within the framework of the FCT-funded project no. UIDB/04033/2020. SGAF acknowledges support from Trond Mohn Stiftelse (TMS) and University of Bergen for the startup grant ‘TMS2022STG03’. JMP participation in this research was supported by the Forest Research Centre, a research unit funded by Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia I.P. (FCT), Portugal (UIDB/00239/2020). A.-LD acknowledge PAGES, PICS CNRS 06484 project, CNRS-INSU, Région Nouvelle-Aquitaine, University of Bordeaux DRI and INQUA for workshop support.Background The global human footprint has fundamentally altered wildfire regimes, creating serious consequences for human health, biodiversity, and climate. However, it remains difficult to project how long-term interactions among land use, management, and climate change will affect fire behavior, representing a key knowledge gap for sustainable management. We used expert assessment to combine opinions about past and future fire regimes from 99 wildfire researchers. We asked for quantitative and qualitative assessments of the frequency, type, and implications of fire regime change from the beginning of the Holocene through the year 2300. Results Respondents indicated some direct human influence on wildfire since at least ~ 12,000 years BP, though natural climate variability remained the dominant driver of fire regime change until around 5,000 years BP, for most study regions. Responses suggested a ten-fold increase in the frequency of fire regime change during the last 250 years compared with the rest of the Holocene, corresponding first with the intensification and extensification of land use and later with anthropogenic climate change. Looking to the future, fire regimes were predicted to intensify, with increases in frequency, severity, and size in all biomes except grassland ecosystems. Fire regimes showed different climate sensitivities across biomes, but the likelihood of fire regime change increased with higher warming scenarios for all biomes. Biodiversity, carbon storage, and other ecosystem services were predicted to decrease for most biomes under higher emission scenarios. We present recommendations for adaptation and mitigation under emerging fire regimes, while recognizing that management options are constrained under higher emission scenarios. Conclusion The influence of humans on wildfire regimes has increased over the last two centuries. The perspective gained from past fires should be considered in land and fire management strategies, but novel fire behavior is likely given the unprecedented human disruption of plant communities, climate, and other factors. Future fire regimes are likely to degrade key ecosystem services, unless climate change is aggressively mitigated. Expert assessment complements empirical data and modeling, providing a broader perspective of fire science to inform decision making and future research priorities.Peer reviewe

Recommendations for the Use of Serious Games in Neurodegenerative Disorders: 2016 Delphi Panel

International audienceThe use of Serious Games (SG) in the health domain is expanding. In the field of neurodegenerative disorders (ND) such as Alzheimer’s disease, SG are currently employed both to support and improve the assessment of different functional and cognitive abilities, and to provide alternative solutions for patients’ treatment, stimulation, and rehabilitation. As the field is quite young, recommendations on the use of SG in people with ND are still rare. In 2014 we proposed some initial recommendations (Robert et al., 2014). The aim of the present work was to update them, thanks to opinions gathered by experts in the field during an expert Delphi panel. Results confirmed that SG are adapted to elderly people with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and dementia, and can be employed for several purposes, including assessment, stimulation, and improving wellbeing, with some differences depending on the population (e.g., physical stimulation may be better suited for people with MCI). SG are more adapted for use with trained caregivers (both at home and in clinical settings), with a frequency ranging from 2 to 4 times a week. Importantly, the target of SG, their frequency of use and the context in which they are played depend on the SG typology (e.g., Exergame, cognitive game), and should be personalized with the help of a clinician

Recommendations for the Use of Serious Games in Neurodegenerative Disorders: 2016 Delphi Panel

The use of Serious Games (SG) in the health domain is expanding. In the field of neurodegenerative disorders (ND) such as Alzheimer’s disease, SG are currently employed both to support and improve the assessment of different functional and cognitive abilities, and to provide alternative solutions for patients’ treatment, stimulation, and rehabilitation. As the field is quite young, recommendations on the use of SG in people with ND are still rare. In 2014 we proposed some initial recommendations (Robert et al., 2014). The aim of the present work was to update them, thanks to opinions gathered by experts in the field during an expert Delphi panel. Results confirmed that SG are adapted to elderly people with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and dementia, and can be employed for several purposes, including assessment, stimulation, and improving wellbeing, with some differences depending on the population (e.g., physical stimulation may be better suited for people with MCI). SG are more adapted for use with trained caregivers (both at home and in clinical settings), with a frequency ranging from 2 to 4 times a week. Importantly, the target of SG, their frequency of use and the context in which they are played depend on the SG typology (e.g., Exergame, cognitive game), and should be personalized with the help of a clinician

Contribution a l'etude geochimique du carbone-suie dans l'atmosphere : aspects methodologiques et geochimiques

CNRS T Bordereau / INIST-CNRS - Institut de l'Information Scientifique et TechniqueSIGLEFRFranc

La formation à l’interprofessionnalité des futurs médecins généralistes en 3e cycle : un état des lieux en France

Introduction : Collaborative practices in health care have been promoted by health authorities since 1980, to improve healthcare quality and efficiency. In order for healthcare professionals to engage in collaborative practices, training is essential. Our aim was to survey the methods used to teach collaborative practices in France and compare them with the United-Kingdom and Belgium.Materials and methods : Post graduate training methods for GPs in France (35) were compared with those in the United-Kingdom (14) and Belgium (9) using self-administrated internet questionnaires. A secondary analysis used logistic regression to define the teacher/ trainee ratio, the project, or difficulties encountered in inter professional practice training of future GP’s in France.Results : The data collection was comprehensive in France while only 4 questionnaires were returned from abroad. The results indicate that in France, both training departments and students are enthusiastic about the teaching of collaborative practices using widespread theoretical training and interprofessional meetings but hampered by the lack of suitable training grounds and resources. Significant differences between France and the other nations surveyed could not be established in this study. Conclusion : Interprofessional training is developing in France and continues to be inspired by international examples. Further qualitative evaluation of the programs would be useful.Introduction : La pratique collaborative, ou exercice interprofessionnel, est recommandée par les autorités de santé afin d’améliorer la qualité et l’efficience des soins. Pour que les soignants exercent en collaborant, il est important de les former à ce type d’exercice.L’objectif de cette étude était de faire un état des lieux en France des modes de formation aux pratiques collaborative en troisième cycle de médecine générale en comparant les résultats à ceux du Royaume-Uni et de la Belgique.Matériel et Méthode : Une enquête par questionnaire auto-administré a été menée auprès des départements de formation de troisième cycle de médecine générale français (35), britanniques (14) et belges (9). Une analyse descriptive et comparative a été menée.Résultats : Le recueil a été exhaustif en France mais seulement 4 questionnaires ont été récoltés à l’étranger. Les résultats montrent en France une appétence des départements de formation et des étudiants pour l’enseignement des pratiques collaboratives, avec des formations théoriques et des rencontres interprofessionnelles répandues, mais freinée par le manque de terrains de stage adaptés, le manque de moyens. Nous n’avons pas pu conclure à des différences significatives entre la France et les autres pays sondés.Conclusion : La formation à l’exercice interprofessionnel se développe en France et peut continuer à s’inspirer des exemples internationaux. Une poursuite des évaluations des programmes, sur un versant qualitatif, serait souhaitable

Determination of atmospheric soot carbon with a simple thermal method

International audienceThe dark component of carbonaceous aerosols is often referred to as "soot carbon". Soot consists of pure elemental carbon along with highly polymerized organic matter. An accurate discrimination between the soot carbon and the other components of carbonaceous aerosols is difficult to obtain by thermal analytical processes. Here, we report an optimization of a 2-step thermal method focused on the soot carbon determination of atmospheric particles. The organic material which does not absorb visible light is removed from the collection substrate under a pure oxygen flow during a precombustion step which has been carefully optimized in terms of temperature (340°C) and duration (2 h). The remaining carbon content is determined by coulometric titration of the C 0 2 evolved from the combustion of the samples. The method has been tested quantitatively for analytical artefacts (e.g., "soot" production due to the charring of organics; soot losses during the preheating step) by using various standards such as pure graphite, pure organic and natural biogenic compounds and replicates of ambient air samples collected in urban, rural and forested areas in France. The results obtained so far indicate that this approach satisfactorily distinguishes between organic and soot carbon and allows reliable soot carbon determination at the pg level in atmospheric samples from a wide variety of environments. This study confirms that soot carbon is not composed primarily of elemental carbon. It appears to be a variable mixture of highly condensed organic compounds. These compounds may be either combustion-derived material or the result of low-temperature gas-to-particle conversion processes