What do staff in eldercare want a robot for? An assessment of potential tasks and user requirements for a long-term deployment

Robotic aids could help to overcome the gap between rising numbers of older adults and at the same time declining numbers of care staff. Assessments of end-user requirements, especially focusing on staff in eldercare facilities are still sparse. Contributing to this field of research this study presents end-user requirements and task analysis gained from a methodological combination of interviews and focus group discussions. The findings suggest different tasks robots in eldercare could engage in such as “fetch and carry” tasks, specific entertainment and information tasks, support in physical and occupational therapy, and in security. Furthermore this paper presents an iterative approach that closes the loop between requirements-assessments and subsequent implementations that follow the found requirements

Exploring the Relationship between Noise Sensitivity, Annoyance and Health-Related Quality of Life in a Sample of Adults Exposed to Environmental Noise

The relationship between environmental noise and health is poorly understood but of fundamental importance to public health. This study estimated the relationship between noise sensitivity, noise annoyance and health-related quality of life in a sample of adults residing close to the Auckland International Airport, New Zealand. A small sample (n = 105) completed surveys measuring noise sensitivity, noise annoyance, and quality of life. Noise sensitivity was associated with health-related quality of life; annoyance and sleep disturbance mediated the effects of noise sensitivity on health

PreSMA stimulation changes task-free functional connectivity in the fronto-basal-ganglia that correlates with response inhibition efficiency

Previous work using transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) demonstrated that the right pre-supplementary motor area (preSMA), a node in the fronto-basal-ganglia network, is critical for response inhibition. However, TMS influences interconnected regions, raising the possibility of a link between the preSMA activity and the functional connectivity within the network. To understand this relationship, we applied single-pulse TMS to the right preSMA during functional magnetic resonance imaging when the subjects were at rest to examine changes in neural activity and functional connectivity within the network in relation to the efficiency of response inhibition evaluated with a stop-signal task. The results showed that preSMA-TMS increased activation in the right inferior-frontal cortex (rIFC) and basal ganglia and modulated their task-free functional connectivity. Both the TMS-induced changes in the basal-ganglia activation and the functional connectivity between rIFC and left striatum, and of the overall network correlated with the efficiency of response inhibition and with the white-matter microstructure along the preSMA – rIFC pathway. These results suggest that the task-free functional and structural connectivity between the rIFCop and basal ganglia are critical to the efficiency of response inhibition

Die Rezeption von H.G. Wells in Russland

Ziel der vorliegenden Arbeit ist die Aufarbeitung und Darstellung der Rezeption H.G. Wells´ – sowohl seiner Werke als auch seiner Person – im Russland des frühen 20. Jahrhunderts. Als Grundlage für die wissenschaftliche Auseinandersetzung dient dabei die „Rezeptionsästhetik“. Die Werke von H.G. Wells werden folglich nicht werk- bzw. textimmanent interpretiert, sondern stets in Bezug zu ihrer Wahrnehmung, Wirkung und Verständnishorizonte betrachtet. Die forschungsleitende Fragestellung der Arbeit – wie wurde der Autor H.G. Wells und sein Werk in Russland von der Kritik und Leserschaft unter Einfluss der gegebenen sozialen und politischen Verhältnisse rezipiert, und welchen Einfluss hatten umgekehrt die sozialen und politischen Verhältnisse Russlands auf Wells und sein Werk - wurde somit im erweiterten Kontext der historischen und politischen Verhältnisse in Russland zwischen 1898 und 1945 bearbeitet und einer Beantwortung zugeführt. Die Arbeit rekurriert weiters auf dem Konzept von „Rezeptionsinseln“, d.i. thematisch gegliederte und orientierte Interpretationsansätze. In der Rezeption Wells´ sind drei solcher „Inseln“ feststellbar. Zum einen fokussiert die frühe Rezeption in Russland am Ende des 19. und zu Beginn des 20. Jahrhunderts auf den belletristischen Aspekt in Wells´ Werken. Seine „scientific romances“ wie „The Time Machine“ oder „The War of the Worlds“ fanden breiten Anklang in der russischen Leserschaft. Unter Eindruck seiner Russlandaufenthalte veränderte sich ab 1920 auch die Rezeption: Zum einen führten seine Schilderungen der jungen Sowjetunion nach der Russischen Revolution zu einer verstärkten Auseinandersetzung mit Wells als analytischen Realisten, zum anderen wurden seine sozialistischen Vorstellungen und seine Treffen mit Lenin und Stalin verstärkt rezipiert. Wells wurde nicht mehr (nur) als Unterhaltungsautor wahrgenommen und vermittelt, sondern mehr und mehr auch als politischer Verbündeter in Westeuropa. Wells und seine Werke wurden dahingehend zunehmend instrumentalisiert

Transcranial magnetic stimulation of the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex decreases cue-induced nicotine craving and EEG delta power

Background TMS has high potential as smoking cessation treatment. However, the neural mechanisms underlying TMS induced reduction of tobacco craving remain unclear. Electroencephalographic (EEG) delta frequency has been associated with the activity of the dopaminergic brain reward system, which is crucial for nicotine induced effects, and decreases after nicotine admission in smokers. Objective The aim of this study was to investigate EEG delta power changes induced by hf rTMS of the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) in nicotine deprived smokers and it's relation to cue-induced nicotine craving. Methods Fourteen healthy smokers meeting ICD-10 criteria for tobacco addiction participated in this within-subject sham controlled study. Participants had to abstain from smoking 6 h before the experiment. Effects of high-frequency repetitive TMS (hf rTMS) (10 Hz) for verum (left DLPFC) and sham (vertex) stimulations on cue-induced nicotine craving and resting state EEG delta power were assessed before and three times within 40 min after rTMS. Results Both craving (P = 0.046) and EEG delta power (P = 0.048) were significantly lower after verum stimulation compared to sham stimulation across the whole post stimulation time period assessed. However, changes of craving ratings and delta power did not correlate. Conclusion Hf rTMS applied to the left DLPFC reduces nicotine craving in short-term abstinent smokers. Changes in delta activity support the idea that stimulation induced effects are mediated by the dopaminergic brain reward system, which presumably plays a prominent, but probably not exclusive, role in this stimulation induced behavioral modulation, making this method a promising smoking cessation treatment candidate

Lessons learned from the deployment of a long-term autonomous robot as companion in physical therapy for older adults with dementia a mixed methods study

The eldercare sector is a promising deployment area for robotics where robots can support staff and help to bridge the predicted staff-shortage. A requirement analysis showed that one field of robot-deployment could be supporting physical therapy of older adults with advanced dementia. To explore this possibility, a long-term autonomous robot was deployed as a walking group assistant at a care site for the first time. The robot accompanied two weekly walking groups for a month, offering visual and acoustic stimulation. Therapists' experience, the robot's influence on the dynamic of the group and the therapists' estimation of the robot's utility were assessed by a mixed methods design consisting of observations, interviews and rating scales. Findings suggest that a robot has the potential to enhance motivation, group coherence and also mood within the walking group. Furthermore, older adults show curiosity and openness towards the robot. However, robustness and reliability of the system must be high, otherwise technical problems quickly turn the robot from a useful assistant into a source of additional workload and exhaustion for therapists

The impact of EPI voxel size on SNR and BOLD sensitivity in the anterior medio-temporal lobe: A comparative group study of deactivation of the Default Mode

Objectives: To quantify the gain in time-series SNR that can be achieved in the amygdala by reducing EPI voxel size, and to assess the extent to which this advantage is carried through to statistical significance in a group fMRI study, using a cognitive task to trigger task-independent deactivation of anterior medial temporal structures. Materials and methods: Two groups of seven subjects were posed number-series tasks to induce deactivation of the Default Mode network. This is known from PET work to include the amygdala, which lies in a region of high magnetic field gradient. In 3 T imaging, one group was studied with high resolution EPI with 6 μl voxels, the other with lower resolution EPI with 17 μl voxels. Field maps were acquired to allow field gradients in relevant ROIs to be assessed. Results: Time-series SNR was 45% higher in the amygdala in the high resolution EPI data than in the low resolution data. In activation results, whilst there was good agreement between other areas, the involvement of the amygdala could only be demonstrated in the high resolution data. Conclusion: We find that reduction in signal dephasing afforded by high resolution EPI is realized as a substantial increase in SNR and BOLD sensitivity in group fMRI data. This has allowed the first demonstration of the involvement of the amygdala in the Default Mode in fMRI