Real-World lnteractions between Cyclists and Automated Vehicles - A Wizard-of-Oz Experiment

The introduction of automated vehicles (AVs) changes the way road users interact and communicate. In AVs, informal communication such as eye contact or gestures with other road users is omitted. Because interaction should still be objectively and subjectively safe, many studies are currently focusing on the communication processes between (automated) vehicles and predominantly vulnerable road users (VRUs), like pedestrians and cyclists [1 ]. These road users are highly at risk of being fatally injured in road traffic accidents, with the WHO reporting pedestrians and cyclists account for 32 % of all fatalities in Europe [2].... This shows why it is so important to study the interaction processes between VRUs, such as cyclists, and A Vs in real traffic. The algorithms of the A Vs must be able to anticipate the behavior of VRUs and thus ensure a subjectively and objectively safe interaction (cyclists should feel and be safe a.round them). This is the aim of the present study. How do cyclists behave when they encounter an apparent A V for the first time? How do they assess the situation and on what basis do they decide to cross? To answer these questions, a field study will take place in Munich in the summer of 2022, in which such interactions will be observed and the cyclists will be interviewed afterward. The study takes place within the TEMPUS project funded by the BMDV (German Federal Ministry for Digital and Transport). [From: Introduction

Developing an institutional framework for supporting supervisors of research students: A practical guide

This booklet describes the outcomes of a unique interinstitutional project undertaken in Ireland between 2008 and 2012 to develop a common framework for the support of supervisors of postgraduate research students. The experiences of the seven institutions who ultimately participated in the project are summarized in the form of a series of commentaries on approaches to such training, and a description of the primary elements of the final framework itself. It is intended that this information may be of use to any institutions interested in developing their own supports for research supervisors, and ultimately will be of benefit to the supervisors themselves and, of course, their students

Increasing frailty is associated with higher prevalence and reduced recognition of delirium in older hospitalised inpatients: results of a multi-centre study

Purpose: Delirium is a neuropsychiatric disorder delineated by an acute change in cognition, attention, and consciousness. It is common, particularly in older adults, but poorly recognised. Frailty is the accumulation of deficits conferring an increased risk of adverse outcomes. We set out to determine how severity of frailty, as measured using the CFS, affected delirium rates, and recognition in hospitalised older people in the United Kingdom. Methods: Adults over 65 years were included in an observational multi-centre audit across UK hospitals, two prospective rounds, and one retrospective note review. Clinical Frailty Scale (CFS), delirium status, and 30-day outcomes were recorded. Results: The overall prevalence of delirium was 16.3% (483). Patients with delirium were more frail than patients without delirium (median CFS 6 vs 4). The risk of delirium was greater with increasing frailty [OR 2.9 (1.8–4.6) in CFS 4 vs 1–3; OR 12.4 (6.2–24.5) in CFS 8 vs 1–3]. Higher CFS was associated with reduced recognition of delirium (OR of 0.7 (0.3–1.9) in CFS 4 compared to 0.2 (0.1–0.7) in CFS 8). These risks were both independent of age and dementia. Conclusion: We have demonstrated an incremental increase in risk of delirium with increasing frailty. This has important clinical implications, suggesting that frailty may provide a more nuanced measure of vulnerability to delirium and poor outcomes. However, the most frail patients are least likely to have their delirium diagnosed and there is a significant lack of research into the underlying pathophysiology of both of these common geriatric syndromes

Real-World lnteractions between Cyclists and Automated Vehicles - A Wizard-of-Oz Experiment

The introduction of automated vehicles (AVs) changes the way road users interact and communicate. In AVs, informal communication such as eye contact or gestures with other road users is omitted. Because interaction should still be objectively and subjectively safe, many studies are currently focusing on the communication processes between (automated) vehicles and predominantly vulnerable road users (VRUs), like pedestrians and cyclists [1 ]. These road users are highly at risk of being fatally injured in road traffic accidents, with the WHO reporting pedestrians and cyclists account for 32 % of all fatalities in Europe [2].... This shows why it is so important to study the interaction processes between VRUs, such as cyclists, and A Vs in real traffic. The algorithms of the A Vs must be able to anticipate the behavior of VRUs and thus ensure a subjectively and objectively safe interaction (cyclists should feel and be safe a.round them). This is the aim of the present study. How do cyclists behave when they encounter an apparent A V for the first time? How do they assess the situation and on what basis do they decide to cross? To answer these questions, a field study will take place in Munich in the summer of 2022, in which such interactions will be observed and the cyclists will be interviewed afterward. The study takes place within the TEMPUS project funded by the BMDV (German Federal Ministry for Digital and Transport). [From: Introduction

Real-World lnteractions between Cyclists and Automated Vehicles - A Wizard-of-Oz Experiment

The introduction of automated vehicles (AVs) changes the way road users interact and communicate. In AVs, informal communication such as eye contact or gestures with other road users is omitted. Because interaction should still be objectively and subjectively safe, many studies are currently focusing on the communication processes between (automated) vehicles and predominantly vulnerable road users (VRUs), like pedestrians and cyclists [1 ]. These road users are highly at risk of being fatally injured in road traffic accidents, with the WHO reporting pedestrians and cyclists account for 32 % of all fatalities in Europe [2].... This shows why it is so important to study the interaction processes between VRUs, such as cyclists, and A Vs in real traffic. The algorithms of the A Vs must be able to anticipate the behavior of VRUs and thus ensure a subjectively and objectively safe interaction (cyclists should feel and be safe a.round them). This is the aim of the present study. How do cyclists behave when they encounter an apparent A V for the first time? How do they assess the situation and on what basis do they decide to cross? To answer these questions, a field study will take place in Munich in the summer of 2022, in which such interactions will be observed and the cyclists will be interviewed afterward. The study takes place within the TEMPUS project funded by the BMDV (German Federal Ministry for Digital and Transport). [From: Introduction

The role of audiovisual feedback delays and bimodal congruency for visuomotor performance in human-machine interaction

Dix A, Arlinghaus CS, Harkin AM, Pannasch S. The role of audiovisual feedback delays and bimodal congruency for visuomotor performance in human-machine interaction. Proceedings of the Annual Meeting of the Cognitive Science Society. 2023;45.Despite incredible technological progress in the last decades, latency is still an issue for today’s technologies and their applications. To better understand how latency and resulting feedback delays affect the interaction between humans and cyber-physical systems (CPS), the present study examines separate and joint effects of visual and auditory feedback delays (length: 200 ms) on performance (speed, accuracy) and the motor control strategy (movement kinematic) in a complex visuomotor task. Visual feedback delays slowed down movement execution and impaired precision, while delayed auditory feedback improved performance (i.e. increased precision) compared to a condition without feedback delays. Descriptively, this latter finding mainly appeared in the condition with joint (congruent) visual and auditory feedback delays. In this regard, we discuss the role of temporal congruency of audiovisual information as well as potential compensatory mechanisms that can inform the design of multisensory feedback in human-CPS interaction faced with latency

The Role of Audiovisual Feedback Delays and Bimodal Congruency for Visuomotor Performance in Human-Machine Interaction

Dix A, Arlinghaus CS, Harkin AM, Pannasch S. The Role of Audiovisual Feedback Delays and Bimodal Congruency for Visuomotor Performance in Human-Machine Interaction. In: André E, Chetouani M, Vaufreydaz D, et al., eds. ICMI'23: Proceedings of the 25th International Conference on Multimodel Interaction. New York: Association for Computing Machinery; 2023: 555-563.Despite incredible technological progress in the last decades, latency is still an issue for today's technologies and their applications. To better understand how latency and resulting feedback delays affect the interaction between humans and cyber-physical systems (CPS), the present study examines separate and joint effects of visual and auditory feedback delays on performance and the motor control strategy in a complex visuomotor task. Thirty-six participants played the Wire Loop Game, a fine motor skill task, while going through four different delay conditions: no delay, visual only, auditory only, and audiovisual (length: 200 ms). Participants’ speed and accuracy for completing the task and movement kinematic were assessed. Visual feedback delays slowed down movement execution and impaired precision compared to a condition without feedback delays. In contrast, delayed auditory feedback improved precision. Descriptively, the latter finding mainly appeared when congruent visual and auditory feedback delays were provided. We discuss the role of temporal congruency of audiovisual information as well as potential compensatory mechanisms that can inform the design of multisensory feedback in human-CPS interaction faced with latency

Association analyses identify 31 new risk loci for colorectal cancer susceptibility

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is a leading cause of cancer-related death worldwide, and has a strong heritable basis. We report a genome-wide association analysis of 34,627 CRC cases and 71,379 controls of European ancestry that identifies SNPs at 31 new CRC risk loci. We also identify eight independent risk SNPs at the new and previously reported European CRC loci, and a further nine CRC SNPs at loci previously only identified in Asian populations. We use in situ promoter capture Hi-C (CHi-C), gene expression, and in silico annotation methods to identify likely target genes of CRC SNPs. Whilst these new SNP associations implicate target genes that are enriched for known CRC pathways such as Wnt and BMP, they also highlight novel pathways with no prior links to colorectal tumourigenesis. These findings provide further insight into CRC susceptibility and enhance the prospects of applying genetic risk scores to personalised screening and prevention.Peer reviewe

The evolutionary landscape of colorectal tumorigenesis

The evolutionary events that cause colorectal adenomas (benign) to progress to carcinomas (malignant) remain largely undetermined. Using multi-region genome and exome sequencing of 24 benign and malignant colorectal tumours, we investigate the evolutionary fitness landscape occupied by these neoplasms. Unlike carcinomas, advanced adenomas frequently harbour sub-clonal driver mutations—considered to be functionally important in the carcinogenic process—that have not swept to fixation, and have relatively high genetic heterogeneity. Carcinomas are distinguished from adenomas by widespread aneusomies that are usually clonal and often accrue in a ‘punctuated’ fashion. We conclude that adenomas evolve across an undulating fitness landscape, whereas carcinomas occupy a sharper fitness peak, probably owing to stabilizing selection