The use of UTAUT and Post Acceptance models to investigate the attitude towards a telepresence robot in an educational setting

(1) Background: In the last decade, various investigations into the field of robotics have created several opportunities for further innovation to be possible in student education. However, despite scientific evidence, there is still strong scepticism surrounding the use of robots in some social fields, such as personal care and education; (2) Methods: In this research, we present a new tool named: HANCON model that was developed merging and extending the constructs of two solid and proven models: the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT) model to examine the factors that may influence the decision to use a telepresence robot as an instrument in educational practice, and the Post Acceptance Model to evaluate acceptability after the actual use of a telepresence robot. The new tool is implemented and used to study the acceptance of a Double telepresence robot by 112 pre-service teachers in an educational setting; (3) Results: The analysis of the experimental results predicts and demonstrate a positive attitude towards the use of telepresence robot in a school setting and confirm the applicability of the model in an educational context; (4) Conclusions: The constructs of the HANCON model could predict and explain the acceptance of social telepresence robots in social contexts

Cognitive robotics for the modelling of cognitive dysfunctions: A study on unilateral spatial neglect

© 2015 IEEE. Damage to the posterior parietal cortex (PPC) can cause patients to fail to orient toward, explore, and respond to stimuli on the contralesional side of the space. PPC is thought to play a crucial role in the computation of sensorimotor transformations that is in linking sensation to action. Indeed, this disorder, known as Unilateral Spatial Neglect (USN), can compromise visual, auditory, tactile, and olfactory modalities and may involve personal, extra-personal, and imaginal space [1], [2]. For this reason, USN describes a collection of behavioural symptoms in which patients appear to ignore, forget, or turn away from contralesional space [3]. Given the complexity of the disease and the difficulties to study human patients affected by USN, because of their impairments, several computer simulation studies were carried out via artificial neural networks in which damage to the connection weights was also found to yield neglect-related behaviour [4]-[6]

Social robots for older users: a possibility to support assessment and social interventions

In the last decades, various researches in the field of robotics have created numerous opportunities for innovative support of the older population. The goal of this work was to review and highlight how social robots can help the daily life of older people, and be useful also as assessment tools. We will underline the aspects of usability and acceptability of robotic supports in the psychosocial work with older persons. The actual usability of the system influences the perception of the ease of use only when the user has no or low experience, while expert users’ perception is related to their attitude towards the robot. This finding should be more deeply analysed because it may have a strong influence on the design of future interfaces for elderly-robot interaction. Robots can play an important role to tackle the societal challenge of the growing older population. The authors report some recent studies with older users, where it was demonstrated that the acceptability of robotics during daily life activities, and also in cognitive evaluation, could be supported by social robot

Possible Relationships between Seep Carbonates and Gas Hydrates in the Miocene of the Northern Apennines

In the Miocene of the northern Apennines, a widespread carbonate precipitation was induced by the expulsion of methane-rich fluids. Numerous outcrops of carbonate masses share sedimentological, textural and geochemical features with present-day gas hydrate-associated carbonates. We hypothesize the contribution of paleo-gas hydrate destabilization on the base of the heavy oxygen isotope signature, the presence of distinctive sedimentary features (breccias, pervasive nonsystematic fractures, and soft sediment deformation), the close association between seep carbonates and sedimentary instability, and the huge dimensions of seep carbonates bearing brecciated structures

Affect Recognition in Autism: a single case study on integrating a humanoid robot in a standard therapy.

Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is a multifaceted developmental disorder that comprises a mixture of social impairments, with deficits in many areas including the theory of mind, imitation, and communication. Moreover, people with autism have difficulty in recognising and understanding emotional expressions. We are currently working on integrating a humanoid robot within the standard clinical treatment offered to children with ASD to support the therapists. In this article, using the A-B-A' single case design, we propose a robot-assisted affect recognition training and to present the results on the child’s progress during the five months of clinical experimentation. In the investigation, we tested the generalization of learning and the long-term maintenance of new skills via the NEPSY-II affection recognition sub-test. The results of this single case study suggest the feasibility and effectiveness of using a humanoid robot to assist with emotion recognition training in children with ASD

Personality factors and acceptability of socially assistive robotics in teachers with and without specialized training for children with disability

Personality factors can be predictors of acceptability and intention to use new technologies, especially regarding education and care fields in the whole lifespan. The aim of this study was to evaluate the predictive factors and attitudes of curricular and specialized teachers towards socially assistive robotics and the intention to use robots in teaching activities. In our research, we investigated the impact of the personality factors measured with the Big Five Questionnaire, on acceptability questionnaires derived by Eurobarometer and by the model Unified Theory of the Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT), administered respectively before and after showing the possible uses of the robot NAO in education and teaching. The study was conducted in four schools, participants were 114 teachers (52.07 ± 8.22), aged 26 to 68 years, of the primary and middle school level. The results highlight the primary role of the personality factors Openness to Experience and Extraversion for promoting the acceptability and reduce the prejudicial reject regarding the use of educational and assistive robotic technologies. In conclusion, for using at best robotics in education, teachers need to receive appropriate training - also on the basis of their attitudes and personality traits - to learn how to plan their educational activities integrating the robotics tool

On the estimation of the Lorenz curve under complex sampling designs

This paper focuses on the estimation of the concentration curve of a finite population, when data are collected according to a complex sampling design with different inclusion probabilities. A (design-based) Hajek type estimator for the Lorenz curve is proposed, and its asymptotic properties are studied. Then, a resampling scheme able to approximate the asymptotic law of the Lorenz curve estimator is constructed. Applications are given to the construction of (i) a confidence band for the Lorenz curve, (ii) confidence intervals for the Gini concentration ratio, and (iii) a test for Lorenz dominance. The merits of the proposed resampling procedure are evaluated through a simulation study

miRNAs as Influencers of Cell-Cell Communication in Tumor Microenvironment

microRNAs (miRNAs) are small noncoding RNAs that regulate gene expression at the posttranscriptional level, inducing the degradation of the target mRNA or translational repression. MiRNAs are involved in the control of a multiplicity of biological processes, and their absence or altered expression has been associated with a variety of human diseases, including cancer. Recently, extracellular miRNAs (ECmiRNAs) have been described as mediators of intercellular communication in multiple contexts, including tumor microenvironment. Cancer cells cooperate with stromal cells and elements of the extracellular matrix (ECM) to establish a comfortable niche to grow, to evade the immune system, and to expand. Within the tumor microenvironment, cells release ECmiRNAs and other factors in order to influence and hijack the physiological processes of surrounding cells, fostering tumor progression. Here, we discuss the role of miRNAs in the pathogenesis of multicomplex diseases, such as Alzheimer's disease, obesity, and cancer, focusing on the contribution of both intracellular miRNAs, and of released ECmiRNAs in the establishment and development of cancer niche. We also review growing evidence suggesting the use of miRNAs as novel targets or potential tools for therapeutic applications