User-centered design of a dynamic-autonomy remote interaction concept for manipulation-capable robots to assist elderly people in the home

In this article, we describe the development of a human-robot interaction concept for service robots to assist elderly people in the home with physical tasks. Our approach is based on the insight that robots are not yet able to handle all tasks autonomously with sufficient reliability in the complex and heterogeneous environments of private homes. We therefore employ remote human operators to assist on tasks a robot cannot handle completely autonomously. Our development methodology was user-centric and iterative, with six user studies carried out at various stages involving a total of 241 participants. The concept is under implementation on the Care-O-bot 3 robotic platform. The main contributions of this article are (1) the results of a survey in form of a ranking of the demands of elderly people and informal caregivers for a range of 25 robot services, (2) the results of an ethnography investigating the suitability of emergency teleassistance and telemedical centers for incorporating robotic teleassistance, and (3) a user-validated human-robot interaction concept with three user roles and corresponding three user interfaces designed as a solution to the problem of engineering reliable service robots for home environments

Estudio piloto de EMG durante la conducción en un autobús urbano

La actividad laboral del conductor de autobús urbano puede presentar un nivel de riesgo significativo de desarrollar trastornos musculoesqueléticos (Rayo et al, 2007), pero la influencia de las características de la ruta, del autobús, del diseño del puesto y de la interacción con los pasajeros aún no se ha estudiado. En el presente estudio piloto se realizó el análisis cinemático mediante electromiografía de superficie a un conductor de autobús durante un turno de trabajo real en la ruta urbana más exigente de la ciudad de Badalona. Este estudio se planteó con un doble objetivo: valorar la utilidad de la técnica para cuantificar las exigencias musculares de un conductor de autobús y valorar la viabilidad de realizar este tipo de registro durante conducción en servicios reales. Los resultados ponen de manifiesto la viabilidad de efectuar estudios de registro cinemático en el mismo lugar de trabajo contemplando todas las variables que inciden en la actividad laboral diaria, y se ha evidenciado que algunas acciones como el uso de espejo retrovisor central y la atención directa a los usuarios puede representar una importante exigencia en músculos como el esternocleidomastoideo y el pectoralPreprin

Inclusion of service robots in the daily lives of frail older users: a step-by-step definition procedure on users' requirements

The implications for the inclusion of robots in the daily lives of frail older adults, especially in relation to these population needs, have not been extensively studied. The “Multi-Role Shadow Robotic System for Independent Living” (SRS) project has developed a remotelycontrolled, semi-autonomous robotic system to be used in domestic environments. The objective of this paper is to document the iterative procedure used to identify, select and prioritize user requirements. Seventy-four requirements were identified by means of focus groups, individual interviews and scenario-based interviews. The list of user requirements, ordered according to impact, number and transnational criteria, revealed a high number of requirements related to basic and instrumental activities of daily living, cognitive and social support and monitorization, and also involving privacy, safety and adaptation issues. Analysing and understanding older users’ perceptions and needs when interacting with technological devices adds value to assistive technology and ensures that the systems address currently unmet needs

Environmental and biological monitoring of workers exposed to antineoplastic drugs. Dose and effect biomarkers

Antineoplastic drugs are among the most widespread drugs. Consequently, workers involved in their handling and management could be exposed to hazardous chemicals. However, even if procedures are established, it is of the utmost importance that attention on this issue never faint. For these reasons, our Institution is always very attentive and has conducted a specific study in collaboration with “Sapienza”, Rome University. An environmental monitoring campaign, combined with biological monitoring, was carried out in an oncology ward of a hospital in central Italy. Cyclophosphamide, ifosfamide, cytarabine, dacarbazine, doxo and epirubicine, gemcitabine, methotrexate and 5‑fluorouracile were selected for this study due to their diffusion. A wipe‑sampling procedure followed by a LC‑MS/MS analysis was used to evaluate the contamination of benches, hood and general surfaces inside the “Unit for cytotoxic drug preparations” (Unità Farmaci Antiblastici‑UFA). A Solid Phase Extraction procedure coupled with the same LC‑MS/MS method was applied to analyze urine samples of the workers involved in cytotoxic drugs handling. Moreover, biomarkers of oxidative stress were analyzed on the same biological samples in order to evaluate if a correlation exists between drugs exposure and damages to proteins, RNA and DNA. Results showed the presence of one or more of the selected analytes on the surfaces before the cleaning procedure but, worryingly, also after it. Biological monitoring followed a similar trend showing the presence of cyclophosphamide, dacarbazine, methotrexate, cytarabine and 5‑fluorouracile in different samples. Urinary concentration of 8‑oxo‑7,8‑dihydro‑2’‑deoxyguanosine was found higher than that of a group of healthy volunteers not exposed to antineoplastic drugs, showing a possible effect of cytarabine on biomarkers of DNA oxidative stress. Outcomes raised from the analyzed samples and the biomarkers evaluation highlighted the presence of many critical issues. Contamination depends on many factors, such as working modalities and cleaning procedures, however specific training courses as well as continuous monitoring plans for risk assessment are still extremely important to protect the workers’ health

Benzene Exposure and MicroRNAs Expression: In Vitro, In Vivo and Human Findings

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are important regulators of gene expression and define part of the epigenetic signature. Their influence on human health is established and interest in them is progressively increasing. Environmental and occupational risk factors affecting human health include chemical agents. Benzene represents a pollutant of concern due to its ubiquity and because it may alter gene expression by epigenetic mechanisms, including miRNA expression changes. This review summarizes recent findings on miRNAs associated with benzene exposure considering in vivo, in vitro and human findings in order to better understand the molecular mechanisms through which benzene induces toxic effects and to evaluate whether selected miRNAs may be used as biomarkers associated with benzene exposure. Original research has been included and the study selection, data extraction and assessments agreed with PRISMA criteria. Both in vitro studies and human results showed a variation in miRNAs’ expression after exposure to benzene. In vivo surveys also exhibited this trend, but they cannot be regarded as conclusive because of their small number. However, this review confirms the potential role of miRNAs as “early warning” signals in the biological response induced by exposure to benzene. The importance of identifying miRNAs’ expression, which, once validated, might work as sentinel molecules to better understand the extent of the exposure to xenobiotics, is clear. The identification of miRNAs as a molecular signature associated with specific exposure would be advantageous for disease prevention and health promotion in the workplace

The Rasch Analysis Shows Poor Construct Validity and Low Reliability of the Quebec User Evaluation of Satisfaction with Assistive Technology 2.0 (QUEST 2.0) Questionnaire

This study aims to test the construct validity and reliability of the Quebec User Evaluation of Satisfaction with assistive Technology 2.0 (QUEST)–device, an eight-item questionnaire for measuring satisfaction with assistive devices. We collected 250 questionnaires from 79 patients and 32 caregivers. One QUEST was completed for each assistive device. Five assistive device types were included. QUEST was tested with the Rasch analysis (Many-Facet Rating Scale Model: persons, items, and device type). Most patients were affected by neurological disabilities, and most questionnaires were about mobility devices. All items fitted the Rasch model (InfitMS range: 0.88–1.1; OutfitMS: 0.84–1.28). However, the ceiling effect of the questionnaire was large (15/111 participants totalled the maximum score), its targeting poor (respondents mean measure: 1.90 logits), and its reliability was 0.71. The device classes had different calibrations (range: −1.18 to 1.26 logits), and item 3 functioned differently in patients and caregivers. QUEST satisfaction measures have low reliability and weak construct validity. Lacking invariance, the QUEST total score is unsuitable for comparing the satisfaction levels of users of different device types. The differential item functioning suggests that the QUEST could also be problematic for comparing satisfaction in patients and caregivers

Occupational Exposure in Industrial Painters: Sensitive and Noninvasive Biomarkers to Evaluate Early Cytotoxicity, Genotoxicity and Oxidative Stress

This study aimed to identify sensitive and noninvasive biomarkers of early cyto-genotoxic, oxidative and inflammatory effects for exposure to volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in shipyard painters. On 17 (11 spray and 6 roller) painters (previously characterized for VOCs exposure to toluene, xylenes, ethylbenzene, ethyl acetate) and on 18 controls, we performed buccal micronucleus cytome (BMCyt) assay; Fpg-comet assay on lymphocytes; detection of urinary 8-oxoGua (8-oxo-7,8-dihydroguanine), 8-oxodGuo (8-oxo-7,8-dihydro-2′-deoxyguanosine) and 8-oxoGuo (8-oxo-7,8-dihydroguanosine), and cytokines release on serum. We found induction of cyto-genotoxicity by BMCyt assay and inflammatory effects (IL-6 and TNFα) in roller painters exposed to lower VOC concentrations than spray painters. In contrast, in both worker groups, we found direct and oxidative DNA damage by comet assay (with slightly higher oxidative DNA damage in roller) and significant increase of 8-oxoGuo and decrease of 8-oxodGuo and 8-oxoGua in respect to controls. The cyto-genotoxicity observed only on buccal cells of roller painters could be related to the task’s specificity and the different used protective equipment. Although limited by the small number of subjects, the study shows the usefulness of all the used biomarkers in the risk assessment of painters workers exposed to complex mixtures

Transcriptional and epigenetic analyses of the DMD locus reveal novel cis\ue2\u80\u91acting DNA elements that govern muscle dystrophin expression

The dystrophin gene (DMD) is the largest gene in the human genome, mapping on the Xp21 chromosome locus. It spans 2.2 Mb and accounts for approximately 0,1% of the entire human genome. Mutations in this gene cause Duchenne and Becker Muscular Dystrophy, X-linked Dilated Cardiomyopathy, and other milder muscle phenotypes. Beside the remarkable number of reports describing dystrophin gene expression and the pathogenic consequences of the gene mutations in dystrophinopathies, the full scenario of the DMD transcription dynamics remains however, poorly understood. Considering that the full transcription of the DMD gene requires about 16 h, we have investigated the activity of RNA Polymerase II along the entire DMD locus within the context of specific chromatin modifications using a variety of chromatin-based techniques. Our results unveil a surprisingly powerful processivity of the RNA polymerase II along the entire 2.2 Mb of the DMD locus with just one site of pausing around intron 52. We also discovered epigenetic marks highlighting the existence of four novel cis\ue2\u80\u91DNA elements, two of which, located within intron 34 and exon 45, appear to govern the architecture of the DMD chromatin with implications on the expression levels of the muscle dystrophin mRNA. Overall, our findings provide a global view on how the entire DMD locus is dynamically transcribed by the RNA pol II and shed light on the mechanisms involved in dystrophin gene expression control, which can positively impact on the optimization of the novel ongoing therapeutic strategies for dystrophinopathies