Kangaroo mother care had a protective effect on the volume of brain structures in young adults born preterm

Q1Q1Jóvenes adultosAim: The protective effects of Kangaroo mother care (KMC) on the neurodevelop-ment of preterm infants are well established, but we do not know whether the ben-efits persist beyond infancy. Our aim was to determine whether providing KMC in infancy affected brain volumes in young adulthood. Method: Standardised cognitive, memory and motor skills tests were used to determine the brain volumes of 20-year-old adults who had formed part of a randomised controlled trial of KMC versus incubator care. Multivariate analysis of brain volumes was conducted according to KMC exposure. Results: The study comprised 178 adults born preterm: 97 had received KMC and 81 were incubator care controls. Bivariate analysis showed larger volumes of total grey matter, basal nuclei and cerebellum in those who had received KMC, and the white matter was better organised. This means that the volumes of the main brain structures associated with intelligence, attention, memory and coordination were larger in the KMC group. Multivariate lineal regression analysis demonstrated the direct rela-tionship between brain volumes and duration of KMC, after controlling for potential confounders. Conclusion: Our findings suggest that the neuroprotective effects of KMC for pre-term infants persisted beyond childhood and improved their lifetime functionality and quality of life.https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6697-5837https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1923-3934https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5464-2701Revista Internacional - IndexadaA1N

Influence of Depth Cues on Eye Tracking Depth Measurement in Augmented Reality Using the Magic Leap Device

The eye-tracking technology is currently implemented in many mixed reality devices. However, eye-tracking measurements must be precise enough to permit correct localization in the environment; to allow, for example, linking such spatial positions to virtual objects. According to the human vision, major measurement issues would more likely occur in the depth axis rather than in the horizontal and vertical axes. In the literature, depth cues are known for improving human depth perception. In this study, our hypothesis is that, in an augmented reality environment, the more realistic virtual objects are displayed, thanks to depth cues, the more precise the eye-tracking device depth measures would be. Thus, using the MagicLeap device, we studied the effects of lighting and textures on eye-tracking depth measurement precision, by comparing the measures obtained under varying conditions of lights and textures, on both real and virtual objects. The results confirmed our general hypothesis, and we noticed a more significant influence of lights rather than textures on the precision of the measures. Moreover, we found that these depth cues reduce the measurement imprecision among observers, making the eye-tracking system more accurate when measuring depth

Homing by triangle completion in consumer-oriented virtual reality environments

Homing is a fundamental task which plays a vital role in spatial navigation. Its performance depends on the computation of a homing vector, where human beings can use simultaneously two different cognitive strategies: an online strategy based on the self-motion cues known as path integration (PI), and an offline strategy called piloting based on the spatial image of the path. Studies using virtual reality environments (VE) have shown that human being can perform homing tasks with acceptable performance. However, in these studies, subjects were able to walk naturally across large tracking areas, or researchers provided them with high-end large-immersive displays. Unfortunately, these configurations are far from current consumer-oriented devices, and very little is known about how their limitations can influence these cognitive processes. Using a triangle completion paradigm, we assessed homing tasks in two consumer-oriented displays (an HTC Vive and a GearVR) and two consumer-oriented interaction devices (a Virtuix Omni Treadmill and a Touchpad Control). Our results show that when locomotion is available (treadmill condition), there exist significant effects regarding display and path complexity. In contrast, when locomotion is restricted (touchpad condition), some effects on path complexity were found. Thus, some future research directions are therefore proposed

Perceived Space and Spatial Performance during Path-Integration Tasks in Consumer-Oriented Virtual Reality Environments

Studies using virtual reality environments (VE) have shown that subjects can perform path integration tasks with acceptable performance. However, in these studies, subjects could walk naturally across large tracking areas, or researchers provided them with large- immersive displays. Unfortunately, these configurations are far from current consumer-oriented VEs (COVEs), and little is known about how their limitations influence this task. Using a triangle completion paradigm, we assessed the subjects' spatial performance when developing path integration tasks in two consumer-oriented displays (an HTC Vive and a GearVR) and two consumer-oriented interaction devices (a Virtuix Omni motion platform and a Touchpad Control). Our results show that when locomotion is available (motion platform condition), there exist significant effects regarding the display and the path. In contrast, when locomotion is mediated no effect was found. Some future research directions are therefore proposed

A Virtual Reality and BIM Approach for Clash Resolution

In the Architecture, Construction and Engineering (AEC) industry, a crucial task is Building Information Modelling (BIM) models coordination. Clashes can be detected automatically by current BIM tools. Clash origins (parn et al., 2018), or avoidance (Singh et al., 2015) have been studied. But, clash resolution still needs the civil engineers’ expertise. Currently, in a computer with a 3D BIM tool, they use annotations. As previous research showed that Virtual Reality (VR) can help to perform better AEC tasks, in terms of time and accuracy (Chalhoup and Ayer, 2018), we propose an immersive VR tool to solve clashes

A perceptual calibration method to ameliorate the phenomenon of non-size-constancy in hetereogeneous VR displays

The interception of the action-perception loop in virtual reality [VR] causes that understanding the effects of different display factors in spatial perception becomes a challenge. For example, studies have reported that there is not size-constancy, the perceived size of an object does not remain constant as its distance increases. This phenomenon is closely related to the reports of underestimation of distances in VR, which causes remain unclear. Despite the efforts improving the spatial cues regarding display technology and computer graphics, some interest has started to focus on the human side. In this study, we propose a perceptual calibration method which can ameliorate the effects of non-size-constancy in heterogeneous VR displays. The method was validated in a perceptual matching experiment comparing the performance between an HTC Vive HMD and a four-walls CAVE system. Results show that perceptual calibration based on interpupillary distance increments can solve partially the phenomenon of non-size-constancy in VR

Smart adaptation of BIM for virtual reality, depending on building project actors’ needs: the nursery case

Nowadays, virtual reality (VR) is widely used in the AEC (architecture, engineering and construction) industry. One crucial issue is how to reuse Building Information Modeling (BIM) models in VR applications. This paper presents an approach for a smart adaptation of BIM models for using in VR scene, by following the needs expressed by building projects actors. The main adaptation consists in filtering BIM data to keep the necessary ones for VR, according to the user objectives. Moreover, VR system should be chosen by taking into account the purpose of usage of the VR model. This approach is applied to a study case of a nursery building project

Pequeños Científicos, una aproximación sistémica al aprendizaje de las ciencias en la escuela

Este artículo presenta de forma breve las características más importantes del programa Pequeños Científicos en sus diferentes dimensiones de acción. Hace una corta descripción de los objetivos que éste persigue, las estrategias que utiliza y los resultados preliminares que ha obtenido.This paper shortly describes the main characteristics of the Pequeños Científicos program in its different action dimensions. It describes the program objectives, the strategies used in it and the preliminary results that have been obtained

BIM-based Mixed Reality Application for Supervision of Construction

International audienceBuilding Information Modelling (BIM) is an up-and-coming methodology and technology used in the Architecture, Engineering and Construction (AEC) industry, that allows data centralization and stakeholders' collaboration. But to check the accuracy of the work done on the worksite, it is necessary first to go on site and then to modify the BIM model. This paper presents a mixed reality (MR) application based on BIM data and drone videos, allowing off-site construction supervision. It permits to make annotations about differences between what has been planned in BIM and what has been built, using superimposition of the two sources. Then these ones can be transferred to the BIM model for corrections. Finally, we evaluate our work with building construction experts, providing to them a questionnaire to grade the application and to get feedback. Our major result is that as for them the application does really help to do construction supervisions; however, they suggest that the application should provide more interactions with the 3D model and with the videos

A Task-Centred Methodology to Evaluate the Design of Virtual Reality User Interactions: A Case Study on Hazard Identification

Virtual reality (VR) is a computer-based technology that can be used by professionals of many different fields to simulate an environment with a high feeling of presence and immersion. Nonetheless, one main issue when designing such environments is to provide user interactions that are adapted to the tasks performed by the users. Thus, we propose here a task-centred methodology to design and evaluate these user interactions. Our methodology allows for the determination of user interaction designs based on previous VR studies, and for user evaluations based on a task-related computation of usability. Here, we applied it on the hazard identification case study, since VR can be used in a preventive approach to improve worksite safety. Once this task and its related user interactions were analysed with our methodology, we obtained two possible designs of interaction techniques for the worksite exploration subtask. About their usability evaluation, we proposed in this study to compare our task-centred evaluation approach to a non-task-centred one. Our hypothesis was that our approach could lead to different interpretations of user study results than a non-task-centred one. Our results confirmed our hypothesis by comparing weighted usability scores from our task-centred approach to unweighted ones for our two interaction techniques.Conseil régional de Bourgogne-Franche-Comté (reference: CDBOBI