On-photo Restitution and Management of an Angular Size-Illusion\u27s Behaviour Experienced in Architectural/Urban Spaces

An angular size-illusion refers to a contradictory effect related to a seeming size-decrease of focused objects as the observer approaches them. This paper continues the research in this field, trying to establish fundamental principles of how to: (a) efficiently perform an on-photo restitution of an illusion\u27s behaviour (expressed by illusion descriptors) when it is experienced in architectural/urban spaces during movement under the influence of available triggers (represented by illusion determinants of physical nature), and (b) manage it computationally so as to be sustainable for contemporary professional practice. To explain that conceptually, one simple architectural/urban matrix is chosen and digitally photographed. Images are photogrammetrically processed and determinants-related data obtained. Subsequently, descriptors-related outputs are calculated by applying derived mathematical equations (expressed in function of those determinants-related data). Then, behaviour-charts are created and corresponding illusion-characteristics read-off. Finally, it is illustrated how to manage (intentionally modify) the restituted behaviour by varying values of acquired determinants-related data. Given results allow also to "design a new illusion" (to programme and control it) by simulating in digital VR/AR environments. Thus, any cause of unwanted/unpredictable visual impression degradations of important architectural/urban structures can be prevented or minimized (by planning and performing adequate spatial/physical interventions on existing/reconstructed/newly designed matrices)

Industrial Timber House Building - Levels of Automation

Swedish industrial timber house building faces a constantly increasing housing demand. In order to respond to the demand, companies in this sector, have to improve their businesses in terms of productivity. At the same time they need to meet customer requirements therefore, balance between the productivity and flexibility. Off-site assembly of exterior walls is an essential part of the house production, and cutting down lead times at this phase hence, increases the competitiveness. If introduced in a right way, automation can contribute to a higher productivity. Thus, right levels of both physical and cognitive automation are necessary. The objective of this study is to measure the current levels of automation (LoA) within the off-site exterior wall assembly. Research design consisted of a literature study and a case study that was conducted at a Swedish company that is an engineer-to-order producer of single-family timber houses. A case study design was made according to the DYNAMO ++ framework. The framework was used in the assessment of LoA and designing flexible task allocation in many manufacturing industries, but there is a lack of knowledge on how to use this method in the industrial timber house building. The average physical and cognitive LoA of 124 identified tasks are 3 and 1 respectively. Increased physical and cognitive LoA for critical tasks would enable flexible task allocation between human operators and technology. It is believed that this type of flexibility can result in less production disturbances and higher productivity when a high variety of exterior walls is assembled

The impact of obstructive sleep apnea variability measured in-lab versus in-home on sample size calculations

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>When conducting a treatment intervention, it is assumed that variability associated with measurement of the disease can be controlled sufficiently to reasonably assess the outcome. In this study we investigate the variability of Apnea-Hypopnea Index obtained by polysomnography and by in-home portable recording in untreated mild to moderate obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) patients at a four- to six-month interval.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Thirty-seven adult patients serving as placebo controls underwent a baseline polysomnography and in-home sleep study followed by a second set of studies under the same conditions. The polysomnography studies were acquired and scored at three independent American Academy of Sleep Medicine accredited sleep laboratories. The in-home studies were acquired by the patient and scored using validated auto-scoring algorithms. The initial in-home study was conducted on average two months prior to the first polysomnography, the follow-up polysomnography and in-home studies were conducted approximately five to six months after the initial polysomnography.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>When comparing the test-retest Apnea-hypopnea Index (AHI) and apnea index (AI), the in-home results were more highly correlated (r = 0.65 and 0.68) than the comparable PSG results (r = 0.56 and 0.58). The in-home results provided approximately 50% less test-retest variability than the comparable polysomnography AHI and AI values. Both the overall polysomnography AHI and AI showed a substantial bias toward increased severity upon retest (8 and 6 events/hr respectively) while the in-home bias was essentially zero. The in-home percentage of time supine showed a better correlation compared to polysomnography (r = 0.72 vs. 0.43). Patients biased toward more time supine during the initial polysomnography; no trends in time supine for in-home studies were noted.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Night-to-night variability in sleep-disordered breathing can be a confounding factor in assessing treatment outcomes. The sample size of this study was small given the night-to-night variability in OSA and limited understanding of polysomnography reliability. We found that in-home studies provided a repeated measure of sleep disordered breathing less variable then polysomnography. Investigators using polysomnography to assess treatment outcomes should factor in the increased variability and bias toward increased AHI values upon retest to ensure the study is adequately powered.</p

Eeg-Derived Estimators of Present and Future Cognitive Performance

Previous electroencephalography (EEG)-based fatigue-related research primarily focused on the association between concurrent cognitive performance and time-locked physiology. The goal of this study was to investigate the capability of EEG to assess the impact of fatigue on both present and future cognitive performance during a 20-min sustained attention task, the 3-choice active vigilance task (3CVT), that requires subjects to discriminate one primary target from two secondary non-target geometric shapes. The current study demonstrated the ability of EEG to estimate not only present, but also future cognitive performance, utilizing a single, combined reaction time (RT), and accuracy performance metric. The correlations between observed and estimated performance, for both present and future performance, were strong (up to 0.89 and 0.79, respectively). The models were able to consistently estimate “unacceptable” performance throughout the entire 3CVT, i.e., excessively missed responses and/or slow RTs, while acceptable performance was recognized less accurately later in the task. The developed models were trained on a relatively large dataset (n = 50 subjects) to increase stability. Cross-validation results suggested the models were not over-fitted. This study indicates that EEG can be used to predict gross-performance degradations 5–15 min in advance

Haemodynamic determinants of quality of life in chronic heart failure

BACKGROUND: Heart failure patients demonstrate reduced functional capacity, hemodynamic function, and quality of life (QOL) which are associated with high mortality and morbidity rate. The aim of the present study was to assess the relationship between functional capacity, hemodynamic response to exercise and QOL in chronic heart failure. METHODS: A single-centre prospective study recruited 42 chronic heart failure patients (11 females, mean age 60 ± 10 years) with reduced left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF = 23 ± 7%). All participants completed a maximal graded cardiopulmonary exercise test with non-invasive hemodynamic (bioreactance) monitoring. QOL was assessed using Minnesota Living with Heart Failure Questionnaire. RESULTS: The average value of QOL score was 40 ± 23. There was a significant negative relationship between the QOL and peak O(2) consumption (r = − 0.50, p ≤ 0.01). No significant relationship between the QOL and selected exercise hemodynamic measures was found, including peak exercise cardiac power output (r = 0.15, p = 0.34), cardiac output (r = 0.22, p = 0.15), and mean arterial blood pressure (r = − 0.08, p = 0.60). CONCLUSION: Peak O(2) consumption, but not hemodynamic response to exercise, is a significant determinant of QOL in chronic heart failure patients

Gender Related Differences in the Clinical Presentation of Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy-An Analysis from the SILICOFCM Database

Background and Objectives: Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) is the most common inherited cardiac disease that affects approximately 1 in 500 people. Due to an incomplete disease penetrance associated with numerous factors, HCM is not manifested in all carriers of genetic mutation. Although about two-thirds of patients are male, it seems that female gender is associated with more severe disease phenotype and worse prognosis. The objective of this study was to evaluate the gender related differences in HCM presentation. Materials and Methods: This study was conducted as a part of the international multidisciplinary SILICOFCM project. Clinical information, laboratory analyses, electrocardiography, echocardiography, and genetic testing data were collected for 362 HCM patients from four clinical centers (Florence, Newcastle, Novi Sad, and Regensburg). There were 33% female patients, and 67% male patients. Results: Female patients were older than males (64.5 vs. 53.5 years, p < 0.0005). The male predominance was present across all age groups until the age of 70, when gender distribution became comparable. Females had higher number of symptomatic individuals then males (69% vs. 52%, p = 0.003), most frequently complaining of dyspnea (50% vs. 30%), followed by chest pain (30% vs. 17%), fatigue (26% vs. 13%), palpitations (22% vs. 13%), and syncope (13% vs. 8%). The most common rhythm disorder was atrial fibrillation which was present in a similar number of females and males (19% vs. 13%, p = 0.218). Levels of N-terminal pro-brain natriuretic peptide were comparable between the genders (571 vs. 794 ng/L, p = 0.244). Echocardiography showed similar thickness of interventricular septum (18 vs. 16 mm, p = 0.121) and posterolateral wall (13 vs. 12 mm, p = 0.656), however, females had a lower number of systolic anterior motion (8% vs. 16%, p = 0.020) and other mitral valve abnormalities. Conclusions: Female patients are underrepresented but seem to have a more pronounced clinical presentation of HCM. Therefore, establishing gender specific diagnostic criteria for HCM should be considered