Action Observation: Olympic Clean & Jerk Skill Acquisition of Novice Individuals in Virtual Reality

Action observation (AO) involves acquiring skills through watching an expert model demonstrating said skill. Recent developments in virtual reality (VR) technology now allows for a 3D AO viewing perspective. In theory, this allows a learner to view and practice a skill without the requirement of a live demonstrator. While a 360-degree view is not possible through a 2D AO format, it is unknown if it serves as an added benefit or hinderance. PURPOSE: This study explored the viability of using VR for enhancing AO in novice individuals by performing an Olympic weightlifting exercise compared to those engaging in AO through a 2D format. METHODS: Thirty-six healthy, young novice participants were randomized into one of three groups: a 3D AO group, a 2D AO group, and a no-AO control group. Participants performed the clean & jerk exercise five times using a ten-pound barbell to assess baseline ability. Each group underwent their assigned AO paradigm for three minutes. The control group examined a poster that all groups had observed prior to their protocols. The 2D AO group viewed a video where a model was demonstrating the movement pattern from both sagittal & frontal planes. The 3D AO group utilized an Oculus Quest 2 VR headset that permitted views in a 360-degree fashion. Immediately after the learning portion, participants were asked to perform five repetitions of the clean & jerk. This cycle was done four times, with the final five repetitions serving as the post-training data set. For baseline and post training, 3D motion capture was used to assess bar kinematics and leg joint coordination. RESULTS: There were significant increases in bar displacement for both the 2D & 3D groups following training when compared to their baseline, indicative of worsened performance. There were no significant differences in horizontal bar displacement between groups. Those in the 2D group were significantly more likely than the other two groups to implement a three-step lift following training. Finally, during the second pull of the clean and jerk, the 2D group demonstrated a significantly greater proximal-to-distal leg joint sequencing pattern. CONCLUSION: Results may be attributed to the amount of information being presented to a novice individual. Future work should consider and further elucidate underlying relationships between the user and VR

Make Reading Fun: Implications of Virtual Reality on Standing Balance and Control

The recent rapid expansion of virtual reality (VR) technology is driving a widespread number of new applications, including providing immersive environments for users to learn and read through commercially-available applications. However, recent research has shown that VR causes symptoms of dizziness and motion sickness, which could disrupt users gait and balance. Thus, it is important to understand how to best mitigate these effects before VR use becomes more widespread across the lay public. PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to determine the acute effect of VR use on gait and balance control following use, and whether aspects of virtual environment design can mitigate negative effects.. METHODS: 60 young, healthy participants read a short story for 45 minutes while immersed in VR.They were randomly assigned to read in one of three environments: 1) a cluttered library, 2) a bright snowy landscape and 3) a dark outer space scene. These environments were selected due to their differences in visual clutter and lighting–VR design considerations which have been shown in previous work to influence visual fatigue and motion sickness. Prior to and following VR use, participants completed three standing balance tasks(standing balance, eyes open; standing balance, eyes closed and single leg stance) and two gait tasks (tandem walking and regular gait). While completing these tasks, kinematic and ground reaction force data were collected from an 8-camera 3D motion capture system and two force plates in order to assess changes in gait and balance kinematics and kinetics. RESULTS: Preliminary results (n = 12) indicate that those who read in the dark outer space environment demonstrated diminished balance control, as evidenced in an increase in center of pressure velocity during single leg balance. CONCLUSION: This finding indicates that the type of virtual environment a person is immersed in can affect their sense of balance following use. Specific to the dark outer space environment, it is possible the lack of visual anchors (i.e., nothing for them to focus on) lead to visual fatigue and downstream balance effects. Additional data analysis will help to elucidate these findings, which could lend insight to the role of virtual environment design on the user experience

A framework for Operational Security Metrics Development for industrial control environment

Security metrics are very crucial towards providing insights when measuring security states and susceptibilities in industrial operational environments. Obtaining practical security metrics depend on effective security metrics development approaches. To be effective, a security metrics development framework should be scope-definitive, objective-oriented, reliable, simple, adaptable, and repeatable (SORSAR). A framework for Operational Security Metrics Development (OSMD) for industry control environments is presented, which combines concepts and characteristics from existing approaches. It also adds the new characteristic of adaptability. The OSMD framework is broken down into three phases of: target definition, objective definition, and metrics synthesis. A case study scenario is used to demonstrate an instance of how to implement and apply the proposed framework to demonstrate its usability and workability. Expert elicitation has also be used to consolidate the validity of the proposed framework. Both validation approaches have helped to show that the proposed framework can help create effective and efficient ICS-centric security metrics taxonomy that can be used to evaluate capabilities or vulnerabilities. The understanding from this can help enhance security assurance within industrial operational environments

Gene amplification-associated overexpression of the RNA editing enzyme ADAR1 enhances human lung tumorigenesis

The introduction of new therapies against particular genetic mutations in non-small-cell lung cancer is a promising avenue for improving patient survival, but the target population is small. There is a need to discover new potential actionable genetic lesions, to which end, non-conventional cancer pathways, such as RNA editing, are worth exploring. Herein we show that the adenosine-toinosine editing enzyme ADAR1 undergoes gene amplification in non-small cancer cell lines and primary tumors in association with higher levels of the corresponding mRNA and protein. From a growth and invasion standpoint, the depletion of ADAR1 expression in amplified cells reduces their tumorigenic potential in cell culture and mouse models, whereas its overexpression has the opposite effects. From a functional perspective, ADAR1 overexpression enhances the editing frequencies of target transcripts such as NEIL1 and miR-381. In the clinical setting, patients with early-stage lung cancer, but harboring ADAR1 gene amplification, have poor outcomes. Overall, our results indicate a role for ADAR1 as a lung cancer oncogene undergoing gene amplification-associated activation that affects downstream RNA editing patterns and patient prognosis.This work was supported by the European Research Council under the European Community's Seventh Framework Programme (FP7/2007-2013)/ERC grant agreement no. 268626—EPINORC project, the Grant agreement number HEALTH-F2-2010-258677—CURELUNG project, the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness (MINECO Projects no. SAF2011-22803, PI13-01339 and SAF2014-55000- R), the Institute of Health Carlos III (ISCIII)—PI10/02992, Ministerio de Educación, Ciencia e Innovación Grant SAF2010-14935, the Cellex Foundation, the National Cancer Center Research and Development Fund (NCC Biobank: 23 A-1) and the Health and Science Departments of the Catalan Government (Generalitat de Catalunya) AGAUR—project no. 2009SGR1315 and 2014SGR633.Peer Reviewe

Combined use of expression and CGH arrays pinpoints novel candidate genes in Ewing sarcoma family of tumors

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Ewing sarcoma family of tumors (ESFT), characterized by t(11;22)(q24;q12), is one of the most common tumors of bone in children and young adults. In addition to <it>EWS/FLI1 </it>gene fusion, copy number changes are known to be significant for the underlying neoplastic development of ESFT and for patient outcome. Our genome-wide high-resolution analysis aspired to pinpoint genomic regions of highest interest and possible target genes in these areas.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Array comparative genomic hybridization (CGH) and expression arrays were used to screen for copy number alterations and expression changes in ESFT patient samples. A total of 31 ESFT samples were analyzed by aCGH and in 16 patients DNA and RNA level data, created by expression arrays, was integrated. Time of the follow-up of these patients was 5–192 months. Clinical outcome was statistically evaluated by Kaplan-Meier/Logrank methods and RT-PCR was applied on 42 patient samples to study the gene of the highest interest.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Copy number changes were detected in 87% of the cases. The most recurrent copy number changes were gains at 1q, 2, 8, and 12, and losses at 9p and 16q. Cumulative event free survival (ESFT) and overall survival (OS) were significantly better (P < 0.05) for primary tumors with three or less copy number changes than for tumors with higher number of copy number aberrations. In three samples copy number imbalances were detected in chromosomes 11 and 22 affecting the <it>FLI1 </it>and <it>EWSR1 </it>loci, suggesting that an unbalanced t(11;22) and subsequent duplication of the derivative chromosome harboring fusion gene is a common event in ESFT. Further, amplifications on chromosomes 20 and 22 seen in one patient sample suggest a novel translocation type between <it>EWSR1 </it>and an unidentified fusion partner at 20q. In total 20 novel ESFT associated putative oncogenes and tumor suppressor genes were found in the integration analysis of array CGH and expression data. Quantitative RT-PCR to study the expression levels of the most interesting gene, <it>HDGF</it>, confirmed that its expression was higher than in control samples. However, no association between <it>HDGF </it>expression and patient survival was observed.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>We conclude that array CGH and integration analysis proved to be effective methods to identify chromosome regions and novel target genes involved in the tumorigenesis of ESFT.</p

Prediction of outcome in newly diagnosed myeloma: a meta-analysis of the molecular profiles of 1,905 trial patients

Robust establishment of survival in multiple myeloma (MM) and its relationship to recurrent genetic aberrations is required as outcomes are variable despite apparent similar staging. We assayed copy number alterations (CNA) and translocations in 1036 patients from the NCRI Myeloma XI trial and linked these to overall survival (OS) and progression-free survival. Through a meta-anlysis of these data with data from MRC Myeloma IX trial, totalling 1905 newly diagnosed MM patients (NDMM), we confirm the association of t(4;14), t(14;16), t(14;20), del(17p) and gain(1q21) with poor prognosis with hazard ratios (HRs) for OS of 1.60 (P=4.77 × 10−7), 1.74 (P=0.0005), 1.90 (P=0.0089), 2.10 (P=8.86 × 10−14) and 1.68 (P=2.18 × 10−14), respectively. Patients with ‘double-hit’ defined by co-occurrence of at least two adverse lesions have an especially poor prognosis with HRs for OS of 2.67 (P=8.13 × 10−27) for all patients and 3.19 (P=1.23 × 10−18) for intensively treated patients. Using comprehensive CNA and translocation profiling in Myeloma XI we also demonstrate a strong association between t(4;14) and BIRC2/BIRC3 deletion (P=8.7 × 10−15), including homozygous deletion. Finally, we define distinct sub-groups of hyperdiploid MM, with either gain(1q21) and CCND2 overexpression (P<0.0001) or gain(11q25) and CCND1 overexpression (P<0.0001). Profiling multiple genetic lesions can identify MM patients likely to relapse early allowing stratification of treatment

Urinary Ethyl Glucuronide Can Be Used as a Biomarker of Habitual Alcohol Consumption in the General Population

BACKGROUND: Alcohol consumption is a frequently studied risk factor for chronic diseases, but many studies are hampered by self-report of alcohol consumption. The urinary metabolite ethyl glucuronide (EtG), reflecting alcohol consumption during the past 72 h, is a promising objective marker, but population data are lacking. OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was to assess the reliability of EtG as a marker for habitual alcohol consumption compared with self-report and other biomarkers in the general population. METHODS: Among 6211 participants in the Prevention of Renal and Vascular End-Stage Disease (PREVEND) cohort, EtG concentrations were measured in 24-h urine samples. EtG was considered positive when concentrations were ≥100 ng/mL. Habitual alcohol consumption was self-reported by questionnaire (categories: no/almost never, 1-4 units per month, 2-7 units per week, 1-3 units per day or ≥4 units per day). Plasma HDL cholesterol concentration, erythrocyte mean corpuscular volume (MCV), aspartate aminotransferase (AST), alanine aminotransferase (ALT), and γ-glutamyltransferase (GGT) were determined as indirect biomarkers of alcohol consumption. Sensitivity, specificity, positive and negative predictive value, and proportions of agreement between reported consumption and EtG were calculated. To test the agreement of EtG concentration and alcohol consumption in categories, linear regression analysis was performed. In addition, the association between EtG concentrations and indirect biomarkers was analyzed. RESULTS: Mean age was 53.7 y, and 52.9% of participants men. Of the self-reported abstainers, 92.3% had an EtG concentration <100 ng/mL. Sensitivity was 66.3%, positive predictive value was 96.3%, and negative predictive value was 47.4%. The proportion of positive agreement was 78.5%, and the proportion of negative agreement was 62.7%. EtG concentrations were linearly associated with higher categories of alcohol consumption (P-trend < 0.001), adjusted for age, sex, and renal function. EtG was positively related to MCV, HDL cholesterol, and GGT but not to AST and ALT concentrations. CONCLUSIONS: This study shows that urinary EtG is in reasonable agreement with self-reported alcohol consumption and therefore can be used as an objective marker of habitual alcohol consumption in the general population