Instrument for high-speed recording of accommodation of the human eye

We developed an instrument used for recording the dynamics of accommodation of the eye. With this new technique, a recording speed of up to 95Hz can be achieved. As components used in our system are mechanically fixed, artifacts owing to movable mechanical parts are excluded. Recording samples demonstrate the potential use of this instrument. This instrument also enables assessment of gaze direction simultaneously with accommodatio

A simple video-based system for examining irregularities in very slow, smooth-pursuit eye movements in cancer patients

Subjective observations made during routine examination of eye movement functions (orthoptic status) reveal that very slow, smooth-pursuit eye movements in cancer patients are irregular. To objectively measure such movements, a video-based system was built to allow analysis of very slow, smooth-pursuit eye movements (1.8°/s). Analysis involves quantification of drift and jerk-like gaze movements that cause deviations in gaze direction from the predicted trajectory. Gaze deviations observed in cancer patients are compared to those for the normal population. Our results show that deviations are more important in cancer patients than in the normal population. The difference is statistically significant (p<0.05) for deviations ranging between 0.75° and 1.75°. In the future, the system may possibly be used in the diagnosis of cance

Ergonomics and human factors as a requirement to implement safer collaborative robotic workstations: a literature review

There is a worldwide interest in implementing collaborative robots (Cobots) to reduce work-related Musculoskeletal Disorders (WMSD) risk. While prior work in this field has recognized the importance of considering Ergonomics & Human Factors (E&HF) in the design phase, most works tend to highlight workstations’ improvements due to Human-Robot Collaboration (HRC). Based on a literature review, the current study summarises studies where E&HF was considered a requirement rather than an output. In this article, the authors are interested in understanding the existing studies focused on Cobots’ implementation with ergonomic requirements, and the methods applied to design safer collaborative workstations. This review was performed in four prominent publications databases: Scopus, Web of Science, Pubmed, and Google Scholar, searching for the keywords ‘Collaborative robots’ or ‘Cobots’ or ‘HRC’ and ‘Ergonomics’ or ‘Human factors’. Based on the inclusion criterion, 20 articles were reviewed, and the main conclusions of each are provided. Additionally, the focus was given to the segmentation between studies considering E&HF during the design phase of HRC systems and studies applying E&HF in real-time on HRC systems. The results demonstrate the novelty of this topic, especially of the real-time applications of ergonomics as a requirement. Globally, the results of the reviewed studies showed the potential of E&HF requirements integrated into HRC systems as a relevant input for reducing WMSD risk.This work has been supported by FCT–Fundação para a Ciência e Tecnologia and MIT Portugal Program under the doctoral Grant SFRH/BD/151365/2021. This work has been also supported by NORTE-06-3559-FSE-000018, integrated in the invitation NORTE-59-2018-41, aiming the Hiring of Highly Qualified Human Resources, co-financed by the Regional Operational Programme of the North 2020, thematic area of Competitiveness and Employment, through the European Social Fund. Additionally, has been also supported by FCT within the Project “I-CATER–Intelligent robotic Coworker Assistant for industrial Tasks with an Ergonomics Rationale”, Ref. PTDC/EEIROB/3488/2021, and within R&D Units Project Scope: UIDB/00319/2020

Adaptive Tutoring on a Virtual Reality Driving Simulator

We propose a system for a VR driving simulator including an \ac{its} to train the user's driving skills. TheVR driving simulator comprises a detailed model of a city,&nbsp;VR traffic, and a physical driving engine, interacting with the driver. In a physical mockup of a car cockpit, the driver operates the vehicle through the virtual environment by controlling a steering wheel, pedals, and a gear lever. Using a HMD, the driver observes the scene from within the car. The realism of the simulation is enhanced by a 6 DOF motion platform, capable of simulating forces experienced when accelerating, braking, or turning the car. Based on a pre-defined list of driving-related activities, the ITS permanently assesses the quality of driving during the simulation and suggests an optimal path through the city to the driver in order to improve the driving skills. A user study revealed that most drivers experience presence in the virtual world and are proficient in operating the car

How do cardiologists select patients for dual antiplatelet therapy continuation beyond 1 year after a myocardial infarction? Insights from the EYESHOT Post-MI Study

Background: Current guidelines suggest to consider dual antiplatelet therapy (DAPT) continuation for longer than 12 months in selected patients with myocardial infarction (MI). Hypothesis: We sought to assess the criteria used by cardiologists in daily practice to select patients with a history of MI eligible for DAPT continuation beyond 1 year. Methods: We analyzed data from the EYESHOT Post-MI, a prospective, observational, nationwide study aimed to evaluate the management of patients presenting to cardiologists 1 to 3 years from the last MI event. Results: Out of the 1633 post-MI patients enrolled in the study between March and December 2017, 557 (34.1%) were on DAPT at the time of enrolment, and 450 (27.6%) were prescribed DAPT after cardiologist assessment. At multivariate analyses, a percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) with multiple stents and the presence of peripheral artery disease (PAD) resulted as independent predictors of DAPT continuation, while atrial fibrillation was the only independent predictor of DAPT interruption for patients both at the second and the third year from MI at enrolment and the time of discharge/end of the visit. Conclusions: Risk scores recommended by current guidelines for guiding decisions on DAPT duration are underused and misused in clinical practice. A PCI with multiple stents and a history of PAD resulted as the clinical variables more frequently associated with DAPT continuation beyond 1 year from the index MI

Weak well-posedness for degenerate SDEs driven by L\'evy processes

In this article, we study the effects of the propagation of a non-degenerate L\'evy noise through a chain of deterministic differential equations whose coefficients are H\"older continuous and satisfy a weak H\"ormander-like condition. In particular, we assume some non-degeneracy with respect to the components which transmit the noise. Moreover, we characterize, for some specific dynamics, through suitable counterexamples , the almost sharp regularity exponents that ensure the weak well-posedness for the associated SDE. As a by-product of our approach, we also derive some Krylov-type estimates for the density of the weak solutions of the considered SDE.Comment: 67 pages. Comments are welcome