1,261 research outputs found
Intravesical electromotive drug administration of mitomycin-C for non-muscle invasive bladder cancer
This article reviews intravesical application of electromotive drug administration (EMDA) for the treatment of bladder cancer and the evidence in support of intravesical passive diffusion chemotherapy in the management of non-muscle invasive bladder cancer. Two recently published randomised trials adopting protocols that use EMDA to enhance urothelial transport of intravesical mitomycin-C showed it provided a therapeutical advantage and suggested that intravesical passive diffusion administration of chemothera-peutic drugs may be suboptimal. Further studies are required to demonstrate feasibility and advantage of intravesical EMDA of mitomycin-C in the wider uro-oncological community
EEG Theta Power Activity Reflects Workload among Army Combat Drivers: An Experimental Study
We thank Héctor Rieiro, Eduardo Bailon, and Jose M. Morales, (University of Granada) for
their help in data processing. We also thank Lieutenant Colonel Francisco de AsÃs Vázquez Prieto (Training and
Doctrine Command, Spanish Army) for his help in organizing the study.We aimed to evaluate the effects of mental workload variations, as a function of the road
environment, on the brain activity of army drivers performing combat and non-combat scenarios in a
light multirole vehicle dynamic simulator. Forty-one non-commissioned officers completed three
standardized driving exercises with different terrain complexities (low, medium, and high) while
we recorded their electroencephalographic (EEG) activity. We focused on variations in the theta
EEG power spectrum, a well-known index of mental workload. We also assessed performance and
subjective ratings of task load. The theta EEG power spectrum in the frontal, temporal, and occipital
areas were higher during the most complex scenarios. Performance (number of engine stops) and
subjective data supported these findings. Our findings strengthen previous results found in civilians
on the relationship between driver mental workload and the theta EEG power spectrum. This suggests
that EEG activity can give relevant insight into mental workload variations in an objective, unbiased
fashion, even during real training and/or operations. The continuous monitoring of the warfighter not
only allows instantaneous detection of over/underload but also might provide online feedback to the
system (either automated equipment or the crew) to take countermeasures and prevent fatal errors.This work was supported by Santander Bank–CEMIX UGR-MADOC (grant number PINs2018-15 to
CDP & LLDS) and the Centro Universitario de la Defensa–Zaragoza (grant numbers 2015-05 and 2017-03 to MVS).
Additional support was obtained from the Unit of Excellence on Brain, Behavior, and Health (SC2), funded by the
Excellence actions program of the University of Granada. The funding organizations had no role in the design
or conduct of this research. Research by LLDS is supported by the Ramón y Cajal fellowship program from the
Spanish State Research Agency (RYC-2015-17483)
The influence of LED road stud color on driver behavior and perception along horizontal curves at nighttime
Scotopic lighting conditions (reduced level of natural light or presence of artificial lighting) may impair driving performance and, therefore, impact on road safety. Thanks to technological developments, low-cost light emitting diode (LED) studs are now being considered as an alternative and affordable pavement marking solution to assist drivers in these conditions. By helping them to maintain their vehicle within the marked lane, the studs should prevent any deterioration in driver performance when negotiating curves at nighttime. However, the few studies that investigated the impact of LED studs on driving performance produced inconsistent results, and the question of whether they actively improve driver performance remains open. Furthermore, while international road regulations allow the use of LED studs, they do not provide consistent prescriptions for their lighting color.Here, we assessed the influence of different LED lighting colors (red, white, and unlit) on longitudinal and transversal driver behavior when negotiating road curves with different radii and sense of direction. In the study, thirty-six drivers drove a dynamic virtual scenario featuring twenty-four curves. After the driving simulation, participants completed a static perception test in which they assessed each curve in terms of the perceived levels of risk, pleasantness, and arousal they experienced while driving on it.In comparison with the unlit and red lit curves, those marked with white lighting LED studs were perceived as less risky, less arousing, and more pleasant independently of the radii and curve direction. Furthermore, when entering these curves, participants tended to shift their driving trajectories towards the center of the road. This effect was most evident on the central part of the curve. Further studies are expected to corroborate these results by focusing on different road geometries and LED stud layouts, as well as testing driving behavior in controlled road field studies
Oculomotor Assessment of Diurnal Arousal Variations
Saccadic and pupillary responses are reliable indices of arousal decrement (e.g. fatigue), that might be exploited to improve work schedule guidelines. In this study, we tested the sensitivity of a short 30-s oculomotor test to detect diurnal arousal variations. Twelve participants (5 females, 7 males, 37.7+-11.9 years) volunteered to be assessed every hour (66+-20 min) for three consecutive working days, during their regular office-hours. We used a fully automated testing system, the FIT 2000 Fitness Impairment Tester (Pulse Medical Instruments Inc., Rockville, MD, USA), to measure and record saccadic peak velocity, pupil diameter, and latency and amplitude of the pupillary light reflex. In addition, we collected subjective levels of arousal using the Stanford Sleepiness Scale, and body core temperature. We analyzed the data using a linear mixed model approach for longitudinal data. Both saccadic velocity and subjective alertness decreased over the course of a day, while body core temperature increased (all p-values.05). The data also weakly suggested an increase of the pupil diameter (p 07). The findings support the use of oculomotor indices in the assessment of arousal and fatigue in applied settings
Test-Retest Reliability and Minimum Detectable Change for Various Frontal Plane Projection Angles during Dynamic Tasks
Objective: Establish between-day test-retest reliability metrics for 2-dimensional frontal plane projection angles (FPPAs) during the lateral step-down (LSD), single-limb squat (SLS), single-limb landing (SLL), and drop vertical jump (DVJ).
Design: Test-retest reliability study
Setting: University laboratory
Participants: 20 healthy adults (12 female, age = 23.60±1.93 years old, body mass index = 24.26±2.54 kg/m2) were tested on 2 separate occasions 7-14 days apart.
Main Outcome Measures: Intraclass correlation coefficients (ICC), standard errors of the measurement (SEM), and minimal detectable change (MDC) values across the LSD, SLS, SLL, and DVJ for the following body region variables: trunk, trunk on pelvis, pelvis, hip, thigh to vertical, knee, and shank to vertical.
Results: There was moderate-to-substantial between-day test-retest reliability for nearly all body regions across all tasks (ICC = 0.65-0.96). SEM values varied across body regions and tasks (0.9-3.5 degrees). MDCs were variable (2.3-9.8 degrees). Of the body regions, MDCs were largest for the knee and hip. By task, MDCs were lowest for the LSD.
Conclusions: This study identified between-day test-retest reliability metrics for 2-dimensional FPPAs across a variety of body regions during commonly assessed clinical tasks. These data allow clinicians and researchers to more confidently assess true change between assessments or over time
Smart on-Road Technologies and Road Safety: A short overview
Smart on-Road Technologies (SRT) are installations on the road, with which drivers interact passively, designed to reduce road accidents by increasing driving performance and/or road network sustainability. Although SRT are a core element of the future Smart Road Infrastructures, as they might significantly improve the road system, they are usually presented just as conceptual models instead of actual solutions. Consequently, evidence on the effectiveness of SRT in increasing driving performance and/or safety are scarce and not conclusive. Here, we present an overview of SRT systems (theoretical or existing) to try to identify their goals and objectives in terms of impact on road safety and driving behavior. More than 100 peer-reviewed articles on SRT, published in the last five years, were screened. Based on their impact on the road transportation system, we classified SRT into two main categories: (i) those that encourage appropriate road users’ behaviors and awareness, including active and adaptive road delineator systems such as luminescent horizontal road markings, temperature-sensitive paints, or musical roads, and (ii) those able to reduce the environmental impact of the road transportation system, including technologies such as electrified priority lanes, and smart road lightning. Preliminary empirical evidence has shown the effectiveness of SRT in improving drivers’ performance (e.g., vehicle lane positioning) and perceived safety. This result is based on just eight works, however. Overall, our results pointed out that SRT lack dedicated research aimed at evaluating the effects on driving performance and safety (traffic crash/injury prevention). To discourage the misuse of any new SRT, future research investigating the impact of these advanced innovations, using both simulated and real settings, is needed
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