Understanding the Interaction between Older Adults and Soft Service Robots: Insights from Robotics and the Technology Acceptance Model

As the world’s population increasingly ages, we need technological solutions such as robotics technology to assist older adults in their daily tasks. In this regard, we examine soft service robots’ potential to help care for the elderly. To do so, we developed and tested the degree to which they would accept a soft service robot that catered to their functional needs in the home environment. We used embodied artificial to develop an in-house teleoperated human-sized soft service robot that performed object-retrieval tasks with a soft gripper. Using an extended technology acceptance model as a theoretical lens, we conducted a study with 79 older adults to examine the degree to which they would accept a soft service robot in the home environment. We found perceived ease of use, perceived usefulness, and subjective norms as significant predictors that positively influenced older adults’ intention to adopt and use soft service robots. However, we also found that perceived anxiety and perceived likability did not significantly predict older adults’ intention to adopt and use soft service robots. We discuss the implications, limitations, and future research directions that arise from these findings

Association of anticardiolipin, antiphosphatidylserine, anti-β2 glycoprotein I, and antiphosphatidylcholine autoantibodies with canine immune thrombocytopenia

β2GPI expression and identification. (PDF 159 kb

Fractionation and extraction of bio-oil for production of greener fuel and value-added chemicals : Recent advances and future prospects

Bio-oil is a highly valuable product derived from biomass pyrolysis which could be used in various downstream applications upon appropriate upgrading and refining. Extraction and fractionation are two promising methods to upgrade bio-oil by separating the complex mixture of bio-oil compounds into distinct fine chemicals and fractions enriched in certain classes of chemical compounds. In this review, various extraction techniques for bio-oil (organic solvent extraction, water extraction, supercritical fluid extraction, distillation, adsorption, chromatography, membrane, electrosorption and ionic liquid extraction), their associated features (extraction mechanisms involved, advantages and disadvantages), the characteristics of bio-oil extracts and their applications are presented and critically discussed. It was revealed that the most promising technique is via organic solvent extraction. Furthermore, the technological gaps and bottlenecks for each separation techniques are disclosed, as well as the overall challenges and future prospects of oil palm biomass-based bio-oil value chain. This review aims to provide key insights on bio-oil upgrading via extraction and fractionation, and a proposed way forward via technology integration in establishing a sustainable palm oil mill-based biorefinery

A high-resolution linkage map for comparative genome analysis and QTL fine mapping in Asian seabass, Lates calcarifer

10.1186/1471-2164-12-174BMC Genomics12-BGME

Design and baseline characteristics of the finerenone in reducing cardiovascular mortality and morbidity in diabetic kidney disease trial

Background: Among people with diabetes, those with kidney disease have exceptionally high rates of cardiovascular (CV) morbidity and mortality and progression of their underlying kidney disease. Finerenone is a novel, nonsteroidal, selective mineralocorticoid receptor antagonist that has shown to reduce albuminuria in type 2 diabetes (T2D) patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) while revealing only a low risk of hyperkalemia. However, the effect of finerenone on CV and renal outcomes has not yet been investigated in long-term trials. Patients and Methods: The Finerenone in Reducing CV Mortality and Morbidity in Diabetic Kidney Disease (FIGARO-DKD) trial aims to assess the efficacy and safety of finerenone compared to placebo at reducing clinically important CV and renal outcomes in T2D patients with CKD. FIGARO-DKD is a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, parallel-group, event-driven trial running in 47 countries with an expected duration of approximately 6 years. FIGARO-DKD randomized 7,437 patients with an estimated glomerular filtration rate >= 25 mL/min/1.73 m(2) and albuminuria (urinary albumin-to-creatinine ratio >= 30 to <= 5,000 mg/g). The study has at least 90% power to detect a 20% reduction in the risk of the primary outcome (overall two-sided significance level alpha = 0.05), the composite of time to first occurrence of CV death, nonfatal myocardial infarction, nonfatal stroke, or hospitalization for heart failure. Conclusions: FIGARO-DKD will determine whether an optimally treated cohort of T2D patients with CKD at high risk of CV and renal events will experience cardiorenal benefits with the addition of finerenone to their treatment regimen. Trial Registration: EudraCT number: 2015-000950-39; ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT02545049

A conceptual study of business orientations and its effect on strategic planning in small businesses.

This paper strives to understand the relationship between Market Orientation, Learning Orientation and Strategic Planning in the context of small businesses. All of these three areas have been studied extensively due to their proven direct bearings on business performance. We propose a conceptual model to reconcile them by positing that Market Orientation and Learning Orientation can have an influence on a small firm’s planning process. We also analyse the possibility that deductions be drawn on a firm’s planning process through knowledge of her business orientations. Additional research will need to be done in order to validate the scales used and the theories proposed. This paper suggests the use of Structured Equation Modelling for this purpose.BUSINES

Hazards of steroid injection: Suppurative extensor tendon rupture

Local steroid injections are often administered in the office setting for treatment of trigger finger, carpal tunnel syndrome, de Quervain's tenosynovitis, and basal joint arthritis. If attention is paid to sterile technique, infectious complications are rare. We present a case of suppurative extensor tenosynovitis arising after local steroid injection for vague symptoms of dorsal hand and wrist pain. The progression of signs and symptoms following injection suggests a natural history involving bacterial superinfection leading to tendon rupture. We discuss the pitfalls of local steroid injection and the appropriate management of infectious extensor tenosynovitis arising in such situations