"There's no real roadmap that I know of": Experiences of transgender and nonbinary graduate students in counseling psychology programs.

Minimal research has examined the experiences of transgender and nonbinary (TNB) people in graduate school with no studies to date examining the experiences of TNB students in psychology graduate programs. The purpose of this study was to utilize a critical-ideological paradigm to identify recruitment, retention, and attrition factors for TNB people in counseling psychology (CP) programs with the aim of providing specific recommendations to CP programs. Individual interviews (between 35 and 70 min) were conducted with a sample of 16 TNB graduate students, aged 23-37-years old (M = 26.9, SD = 3.84), in masters (n = 6) and doctoral (n = 10) CP programs. Participants were nonbinary (n = 13) and trans men (n = 3), the majority were White (n = 10), and all were sexual minorities. Participants were recruited online through email listservs and on social media posts on Facebook and Twitter. Reflexive thematic analysis revealed themes related to challenges experienced in CP programs (systemic/structural challenges, interpersonal challenges, individual/internal challenges) and strengths of or recommendations for CP programs (transaffirming resources/policies, supporting TNB competence and expertise, being a TNB accomplice). Several unique subthemes emerged across the seven themes. Findings may be applied by CP programs to more effectively recruit and retain TNB people, and collectively contribute to an increasing number of TNB people within this field. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved).

Topological Navigation for Autonomous Underwater Vehicles in Confined Semi-Structured Environments.

In this work, we present the design, implementation, and simulation of a topology-based navigation system for the UX-series robots, a spherical underwater vehicle designed to explore and map flooded underground mines. The objective of the robot is to navigate autonomously in the 3D network of tunnels of a semi-structured but unknown environment in order to gather geoscientific data. We start from the assumption that a topological map has been generated by a low-level perception and SLAM module in the form of a labeled graph. However, the map is subject to uncertainties and reconstruction errors that the navigation system must address. First, a distance metric is defined to compute node-matching operations. This metric is then used to enable the robot to find its position on the map and navigate it. To assess the effectiveness of the proposed approach, extensive simulations have been carried out with different randomly generated topologies and various noise rates.

Co-Designing Digital Technologies for Improving Clinical Care in People with Parkinson's Disease: What Did We Learn?

The healthcare model is shifting towards integrated care approaches. This new model requires patients to be more closely involved. The iCARE-PD project aims to address this need by developing a technology-enabled, home-based, and community-centered integrated care paradigm. A central part of this project is the codesign process of the model of care, exemplified by the active participation of patients in the design and iterative evaluation of three sensor-based technological solutions. We proposed a codesign methodology used for testing the usability and acceptability of these digital technologies and present initial results for one of them, MooVeo. Our results show the usefulness of this approach in testing the usability and acceptability as well as the opportunity to incorporate patients' feedback into the development. This initiative will hopefully help other groups incorporate a similar codesign approach and develop tools that are well adapted to patients' and care teams' needs.

Enhancement of charge-assisted hydrogen bond capabilities due to O-alkylation proximity in alkoxy cationic polythiophenes: solution- and solid-state evidence via EPR, AFM and surface free energy.

Despite the array of applications for cationic polythiophenes (CPTs), there is still a need for structure-function guidelines and mechanistic understanding of their solution- and solid-state properties. This work presents a solution- and solid-state investigation of the effect of O-alkylation proximity on the hydrogen bonding (H-bonding) capabilities of alkoxy-CPTs, based on comparing an imidazolium alkoxy CPT with strong cation-pi, pi+ and positive charge-assisted hydrogen bonding (+CAHB) capabilities (PIMa), with two isothiouronium alkoxy CPTs with two-point +CAHB capabilities (PT1 & PT2), which have short and long alkoxy side chains, respectively. Our results show that a closer proximity of O-alkylation strengthens the +CAHB capabilities of PT1: in aqueous solutions, PT2 aggregates have a stronger interaction with cationic EPR spin probes than aggregates of PIMa and PT1, which in turn show a similar extent of repulsion towards the cationic spin probes. In solid-state, atomic force microscopy (AFM) shows that PIMa generates dendritic structures onto mica, with features of diffusion-limited aggregation (DLA), indicating strong interactions with the anionic substrate due to a high configurational entropy during spreading, regardless of being drop-casted from water or 1,4-dioxane-water (W-DI), despite the latter disturbing H-bonding due to selective solvation. PT1 is also capable of generating dendritic structures resembling ballistic aggregation (BA). However, this occurs only when casting from water, since W-DI generates island-like aggregates resembling attachment limited aggregation (ALA), which is the morphology generated by PT2 regardless of the solvent. Finally, spin-coated films of PIMa and PT1 show similar dispersivity of the surface free energy (SFE), which in turn is larger than that in PT2 films, which are also more affected when casted from W-DI, presenting much larger decreases of dispersivity. These results constitute a novel empirical structure-function guideline that could be useful for optimal design and/or processing of alkoxy CPTs. For example, dendritic patterns have recently gained attention since the colloidal droplet drying is related to engineering applications including inkjet printing, biosensing, and functional material design, while the SFE is relevant for opto- and bio-electronic applications of conjugated polyelectrolytes (CPEs). This information could also be useful when analyzing previous results obtained from alkoxy CPTs with different side chain lengths.

Cationic polythiophene-anionic fullerene pair in water and water-dioxane: studies on hydrogen bonding capabilities, kinetic and thermodynamic properties.

Despite the vast array of solution- and solid-state bio-analytical, bioelectronic and optoelectronic applications of cationic polythiophenes (CPTs), the number of studies focused on the role of hydrogen bonding (H-bonding) between these and other molecules is scarce, regardless of whether H-bonding is expected to play an important role in several such applications. Also, despite the advantages of using cosolvents to systematically examine the molecular interactions, there are no such studies for CPTs to our knowledge. This work presents a steady-state UV-vis/fluorescence spectroscopic, kinetic and thermodynamic study on the H-bonding interactions between a water-soluble, cationic-anionic (isothiouronium-tetraphosphonate), polythiophene-fullerene donor-acceptor pair with two-point, charge-assisted H-bonding (CAHB) capabilities, tuned using water or a 1,4-dioxane-water mixture (W-DI). Both solvents generate photoinduced electron transfer (PET), fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET), spontaneous binding, H-bonding, ground-state complexing via multiple site binding, formation of micelle-like aggregates and equivalence points at a similar concentration of the quencher. However, in comparison with water, W-DI promotes less-ordered, less packed micellar aggregates, due to hydrophobic desolvation of the H-bond and larger solvent displacement during the PT1-4Fo complexation. This would decrease the extent of charge-transfer and the size of the sphere-of-quenching, mainly by displacements or rotations of the H-bonds, instead of elongations, together with a possible larger extent of diffusion-controlled static quenching. At [4Fo] larger than the equivalence point the micelles formed in water do not have available binding sites due to a tighter aggregation, causing a decrease in the quenching efficiency, while the micelles formed in W-DI start showing larger quenching efficiencies, possibly due to an increase in entropy that overcomes the desolvation of the H-bonding. These results could be useful when analyzing outputs from systems including CPTs with H-bonding capabilities, operating in (or casted from) solvents with clear differences in polarity and/or H-bonding capacity.

Nonlinear Control Strategies for an Autonomous Wing-In-Ground-Effect Vehicle.

Autonomous vehicles are nowadays one of the most important technologies that will be incorporated to every day life in the next few years. One of the most promising kind of vehicles in terms of efficiency and sustainability are those known as Wing-in-Ground crafts, or WIG crafts, a family of vehicles that seize the proximity of ground to achieve a flight with low drag and high lift. However, this kind of crafts lacks of a sound theory of flight that can lead to robust control solutions that guarantees safe autonomous operation in all the cruising phases.In this paper we address the problem of controlling a WIG craft in different scenarios and using different control strategies in order to compare their performance. The tested scenarios include obstacle avoidance by fly over and recovering from a random disturbance in vehicle attitude. MPC (Model Predictive Control) is tested on the complete nonlinear model, while PID, used as baseline controller, LQR (Linear Quadratic Regulator) and adaptive LQR are tested on top of a partial feedback linearization. Results show that LQR has got the best overall performance, although it is seen that different design specifications could lead to the selection of one controller or another.

Cationic Imidazolium Polythiophenes: Effects of Imidazolium-Methylation on Solution Concentration-Driven Aggregation and Surface Free Energy of Films Processed from Solvents with Different Polarity.

Cationic imidazolium-functionalized polythiophenes with single- or double-methylation of the imidazolium ring were used to study the impact of imidazolium-methylation on (i) the solution concentration-driven aggregation in the presence of paramagnetic probes with different ionic and hydrophobic constituents and (ii) their surface free energy (SFE) as spin-coated films deposited on plasma-activated glass. Electron paramagnetic resonance spectroscopy shows that the differences in film structuration between the polymers with different methylations originate from the early stages of aggregation. In the solid state, higher degree of imidazolium-methylation generates smaller values of total SFE, γS, (by around 2 mN/m), which could be relevant in optoelectronic applications. Methylation also causes a decrease in the polar contribution of γS (γSp), suggesting that methylation decreases the polar nature of the imidazolium ring, probably due to the blocking of its H-bonding capabilities. The values of γS obtained in the present work are similar to the values obtained for doped films of neutral conjugated polymers, such as polyaniline, poly(3-hexylthiophene), and polypyrrole. However, imidazolium-polythiophenes generate films with a larger predominance of the dispersive component of γS (γSd), probably due to the motion restriction in the ionic functionalities in a conjugated polyelectrolyte, in comparison to regular dopants. The presence of 1,4-dioxane increases γSp, especially, in the polymer with larger imidazolium-methylation (and therefore unable to interact through H-bonding), probably by a decrease of the imidazolium-glass interactions. Singly-methylated imidazolium polythiophenes have been applied as electrode selective ("buffer") interlayers in conventional and inverted organic solar cells, improving their performance. However, clear structure-function guidelines are still needed for designing high-performance polythiophene-based interlayer materials. Therefore, the information reported in this work could be useful for such applications.

Guidance for Autonomous Underwater Vehicles in Confined Semistructured Environments.

In this work, we present the design, implementation, and testing of a guidance system for the UX-1 robot, a novel spherical underwater vehicle designed to explore and map flooded underground mines. For this purpose, it needs to navigate completely autonomously, as no communications are possible, in the 3D networks of tunnels of semistructured but unknown environments and gather various geoscientific data. First, the overall design concepts of the robot are presented. Then, the guidance system and its subsystems are explained. Finally, the system's validation and integration with the rest of the UX-1 robot systems are presented. A series of experimental tests following the software-in-the-loop and the hardware-in-the-loop paradigms have been carried out, designed to simulate as closely as possible navigation in mine tunnel environments. The results obtained in these tests demonstrate the effectiveness of the guidance system and its proper integration with the rest of the systems of the robot, and validate the abilities of the UX-1 platform to perform complex missions in flooded mine environments.

Prenatal Exposure to Cadmium During Organogenesis Impairs Memory in Young Rats.

Pregnant rats were treated with 0.3 and 0.6 mg cadmium (CdCl2)/kg injected subcutaneously on a daily basis from gestational day 7 to day 15 (organogenesis period). One control group was not injected and other received saline. The 45-day-old offspring were tested in a step-down inhibitory avoidance to evaluate short-term and long-term memory and in a radial maze for the study of spatial memory. These studies showed that gestational exposure to 0.6 mg Cd/kg produced in the male offspring a significant impairment in the retention of long-term memory evaluated 24 hours after training in the step-down inhibitory avoidance. The radial maze also demonstrated that the male offspring prenatally exposed to 0.6 mg Cd presented a significant deficit in the retention of spatial memory evaluated 42 days after training. These results demonstrate that the exposure to Cd during organogenesis may affect the retention of some types of memory.

Effects of Perinatal Fluoride Exposure on Short- and Long-Term Memory, Brain Antioxidant Status, and Glutamate Metabolism of Young Rat Pups.

Exposure to fluoride (F) during the development affects central nervous system of the offspring rats which results in the impairment of cognitive functions. However, the exact mechanisms of F neurotoxicity are not clearly defined. To investigate the effects of perinatal F exposure on memory ability of young rat offspring, dams were exposed to 5 and 10 mg/L F during gestation and lactation. Additionally, we evaluated the possible underlying neurotoxic mechanisms implicated. The results showed that the memory ability declined in 45-day-old offspring, together with a decrease of catalase and glutamate transaminases activity in specific brain areas. The present study reveals that exposure to F in early stages of rat development leads to impairment of memory in young offspring, highlighting the alterations of oxidative stress markers as well as the activity of enzymes involved in the glutamatergic system as a possible mechanisms of neurotoxicity.

Nonlinear Attitude Control of a Spherical Underwater Vehicle.

In this work, we present the design, implementation, and testing of an attitude control system based on State Feedback Linearization (FL) of a prototype spherical underwater vehicle. The vehicle is characterized by a manifold design thruster configuration for both locomotion and maneuvering, as well as on a novel pendulum-based passive pitch control mechanism. First, the mechanical design and onboard electronics set up of the spherically shaped hull are introduced. Afterward, a high-fidelity dynamic model of the system is derived for a 6 degree-of-freedom (DOF) underwater vehicle, followed by several experiments that have been performed in a controlled environment to compare the performance of the proposed control method to that of a baseline Proportional-Integral-Derivative (PID) controller. Experimental results demonstrate that while both controllers were able to perform the specified maneuvers, the FL controller outperforms the PID in terms of precision and time response.

First molecular evidence of Babesia caballi and Theileria equi infections in horses in Cuba.

Equine piroplasmosis is a disease of Equidae, including horses, donkeys, mules, and zebras, caused by either Theileria equi or Babesia caballi. This disease represents a serious problem for the horse industry and its control is critical for the international trade of horses. The objective of the present study was to detect B. caballi and T. equi infections in horses reared in western Cuba. Blood samples from 100 horses were tested for the presence of piroplasms by using Giemsa-stained blood smears and nested PCR (nPCR) assays targeting merozoite antigen genes of B. caballi (bc48) and T. equi (ema-1). All animals were inspected for the detection of tick infestation and tick specimens were collected for species identification. Erythrocyte inclusions were observed in 13 (13%) of the analyzed samples. nPCR analysis showed that 25 (25%) samples were positive for B. caballi, 73 (73%) for T. equi, and 20 (20%) showed dual infections. Only one tick species was found infesting horses, Dermacentor nitens. In addition, three nearly full-length sequences of T. equi 18S rRNA gene were obtained and subjected to phylogenetic analyses. This study reports a high prevalence of T. equi and B. caballi single and coinfections in horses in western Cuba. Molecular analysis of the 18S rRNA gene of T. equi suggested that different genotypes of this hemoparasite circulate in Cuba. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report describing the molecular detection of B. caballi and T. equi in horses in Cuba.

Simultaneous Recognition and Relative Pose Estimation of 3D Objects Using 4D Orthonormal Moments.

Both three-dimensional (3D) object recognition and pose estimation are open topics in the research community. These tasks are required for a wide range of applications, sometimes separately, sometimes concurrently. Many different algorithms have been presented in the literature to solve these problems separately, and some to solve them jointly. In this paper, an algorithm to solve them simultaneously is introduced. It is based on the definition of a four-dimensional (4D) tensor that gathers and organizes the projections of a 3D object from different points of view. This 4D tensor is then represented by a set of 4D orthonormal moments. Once these moments are arranged in a matrix that can be computed off-line, recognition and pose estimation is reduced to the solution of a linear least squares problem, involving that matrix and the 2D moments of the observed projection of an unknown object. The abilities of this method for 3D object recognition and pose estimation is analytically proved, demonstrating that it does not rely on experimental work to apply a generic technique to these problems. An additional strength of the algorithm is that the required projection is textureless and defined at a very low resolution. This method is computationally simple and shows very good performance in both tasks, allowing its use in applications where real-time constraints have to be fulfilled. Three different kinds of experiments have been conducted in order to perform a thorough validation of the proposed approach: recognition and pose estimation under z axis (yaw) rotations, the same estimation but with the addition of y axis rotations (pitch), and estimation of the pose of objects in real images downloaded from the Internet. In all these cases, results are encouraging, at a similar level to those of state-of-the art algorithms.

Measures of Resilience: Do They Reflect the Experiences of Transgender Individuals?

Resilience is often viewed as the ability to bounce back from challenges. This conceptualization tends to be individualistic and can be less fitting for marginalized communities. Research with transgender and gender-diverse (TGD) individuals has shown that resilience can manifest in various ways, such as developing pride in one's identity, connection to a TGD community, or advocating against oppression. Given these conflicting views, we sought to (1) describe common themes in TGD people's experience of resilience by pooling information from qualitative research; and (2) evaluate how well quantitative measures of resilience reflected the ways that TGD people define resilience in qualitative research. We reviewed articles published from January 2010 to January 2020. Our search for research on resilience in TGD samples revealed 33 quantitative articles and 17 qualitative articles. We developed a codebook from the qualitative articles by retrieving information about themes from these past studies (e.g., developing motivation and agency, pride or positive self-image). We also reviewed the quantitative studies and retrieved the measures used to assess resilience, followed by coding these scales to understand whether the themes from the qualitative data were reflected in the quantitative measures of resilience. Overall, themes related to social support were common across the measures. However, other themes were not reflected in any measures, such as self-definition of gender, hope, and self-advocacy. Our research demonstrates the discrepancy between qualitative research on TGD resilience and quantitative measurement of resilience. Measure development that more fully reflects TGD people's experiences is key to advancing this research.

Immediate effect of kinesio taping on muscle response in young elite soccer players.

CONTEXT: Kinesio taping (KT) is a new taping technique increasingly used in sports medicine to improve muscle performance; however, its real effect is not entirely known. OBJECTIVE: To assess the immediate effects of KT on muscle performance in young healthy elite soccer players. DESIGN: Crossover study. SETTING: University laboratory. PARTICIPANTS: Eighteen young elite soccer players voluntarily participated in the study (mean ± SEM: age 18.20 ± 2.45 y, height 1.76 ± 3.56 m, body mass 65.25 ± 3.76 kg, body-mass index 20.12 ± 1.25 kg/m2). INTERVENTIONS: Each subject completed 2 different protocols, with and without KT. Interventions were performed in a random order, with a washout period between conditions of 1 wk. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Outcome measures included tensiomyographic response in the vastus lateralis and vastus medialis, power output with 30 and 50 kg, countermovement jump, and 10-m sprint. RESULTS: Data showed no significant differences for any of the outcomes analyzed between interventions. CONCLUSIONS: KT does not produce a short-term improvement in muscle performance in young elite soccer players.

The Link between Deployment-Related Injuries and Suicidal Thinking in the Army National Guard: Examining the Role of Perceived Burdensomeness and Hopelessness.

OBJECTIVE: In 2020, Army National Guard members demonstrated greater risk of suicide than their military and civilian counterparts. Though literature on deployment-related experiences and suicidal ideation (SI) is mixed, investigations of specific deployment-related experiences (e.g., injuries) may further elucidate the relationship between deployment and suicide risk. Deployment-related injuries, including pain severity and functional impairment, have been linked to increased risk of SI, and correlates like perceived burdensomeness (PB) and hopelessness. The current study sought to examine the cross-sectional relationship between deployment-related injuries, including pain severity and functional impairment, and severity of SI through PB and hopelessness. METHOD: Immediately post-deployment, Army National Guard members (N = 2,261) completed validated self-report measures on past-week SI, PB, hopelessness, and single items regarding injury sustained during deployment and associated functional impairment and pain severity. RESULTS: Indirect effect analyses revealed that experience of deployment-related injury was related to SI through PB and hopelessness (R2 = .1993), functional impairment was related to SI through PB, and pain severity was related to SI through PB. Contrary to hypotheses, hopelessness was not associated with SI when PB was simultaneously considered. CONCLUSIONS: Army National Guard members who develop a sense of PB related to their injury and functional impairment of that injury may be at increased risk for suicidal ideation. Military suicide-prevention efforts may be potentiated through targeting distorted cognitions such as PB and hopelessness, especially in service members who have been injured.

Latinx trans immigrants' survival of torture in U.S. detention: A qualitative investigation of the psychological impact of abuse and mistreatment.

BACKGROUND: A trans person is murdered every 3 days in the world, with the majority of these murders occurring in Latin America. This violence is a motivating factor for Latinx trans immigrants to immigrate to the United States. Regardless of whether individuals may be able to remain in the U.S., trans immigrants and asylum seekers are often held in detention facilities until immigration courts decide their cases. Although there are several standards of care and guidelines produced for trans and nonbinary (TNB) people who are held in detention, various reports have indicated that Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has not or inappropriately implemented these guidelines, thereby incurring and increasing risk of harm upon TNB immigrants. AIMS: This qualitative study used thematic analysis to provide an understanding of the psychological impact that the systemic power of US detention proceedings had on the lives of Latinx, trans immigrants. METHOD: The semi-structured interview protocol and implementation of this study was developed in collaboration with two national Latinx, LGBTQ immigrant advocacy organizations. The sample included 30 trans participants, between the ages of 18 and 52 (M = 23) who immigrated from El Salvador (40%), Guatemala (23%), México (17%), Honduras (17%), and Peru (3%). RESULTS: Participants reported being subject to debilitating and torturous conditions in "La Hielera", torture and abusive treatment by detention authorities, being denied access to basic human needs and medical care, and held in solitary confinement as punishment. This dehumanization, abuse, and transphobia in detention incurred psychological sequelae on participants including trauma, anxiety and depression, suicidal ideation, and a preference to self-deport. DISCUSSION: Implications include calls to abolish immigration detention, recommendations for mental health providers, and an overall restructuring of policies and services for humane asylum seeking processes for trans, Latinx immigrants.

Rat developmental fluoride exposure affects retention memory, leads to a depressive-like behavior, and induces biochemical changes in offspring rat brains.

Water is the principal source of human exposure to fluoride (F). The high permeability of the placenta and blood-brain barrier to F during the intrauterine life up to the end of lactation may be crucial to neurological fetus development. Therefore, this study explores the effects of 5 and 10 mg/l F exposure during entire gestation and lactation periods, through neurobehavioral and biochemical tests performed on 90-day-old male offspring rats. The present study shows that pre and peri-natal exposure to F doses that are in the range of those found in groundwater sources in Argentina affects long-term memory and leads to a depressive-like behavior in 90-day-old male pup. Furthermore, the purpose of the investigation was to find out the possible biochemical changes through which the pre and peri-natal F-administration could generate such behavioral variations. We found alterations in transaminases, acetylcholinesterase, and alkaline phosphatase enzymes activity in specific brain areas (the prefrontal cortex, the striatum, and the hippocampus), together with findings regarding misbalanced oxidative stress. In conclusion, F exposure during the early stages of rat development alters brain-oxidative stress markers as well as the activity of enzymes implicated in cholinergic and glutamatergic systems. These molecular changes could contribute to the neurobehavioral alterations described in the present investigation.

J-like aggregation of a cationic polythiophene with hydrogen-bonding capabilities due to 1,4-dioxane: Solution excitation spectra and fluorescence, morphology and surface free energy of films.

This work presents solution- and solid-state evidence of the enhancement of J-like aggregation of a cationic polythiophene (CPT) with isothiouronium functionalities (PT1), caused by a decrease in the polarity and hydrogen-bonding (H-bonding) capacity of the solvent, generated by using a 50:50 v/v 1,4-dioxane-water mixture (W-DI) instead of water. In solution, the presence of 1,4-dioxane (DI) seems to generate selective solvation, tuning the energy transfer within PT1 from inter-chain into intra-chain, enhancing J-like aggregation. On the other hand, during the casting process, the presence of DI directs the interaction with solid-substrates, generating an increase in the solid-state fluorescence, modifying the morphology from one similar to ballistic-aggregation (BA) into one similar to attachment limited aggregation (ALA), DI also modifies the SFE by increasing slightly its polar contribution (γSp) and decreasing the dispersive one (γSd). These results can be explained to be caused by a "coating" effect in presence of DI (as proposed before experimentally and computationally). Our results show a clear correlation between the solution- and solid-state properties of PT1 in each solvent, further validating the use of the fluorescence excitation spectra to trace J-like aggregation of water-soluble conjugated polymeric fluorophores in solution. This information could be useful for predicting and designing specific mesoscopic architectures of CPTs (and conjugated polyelectrolytes in general), which are molecules lacking of clear structure-function guidelines for designing high-performance polythiophene-based interlayer materials, especially for CPTs (and conjugated polyelectrolytes (CPEs) in general), particularly those with H-bonding capabilities. To the best of our knowledge the use of solution-state fluorescence excitation spectra to identify J-like aggregation of water-soluble conjugated polymers (CPs) has been scarcely used/discussed in literature and no correlation with solid-state properties was reported previously.

Remote Evaluation of Parkinson's Disease Using a Conventional Webcam and Artificial Intelligence.

Objective: This study aimed to prove the concept of a new optical video-based system to measure Parkinson's disease (PD) remotely using an accessible standard webcam. Methods: We consecutively enrolled a cohort of 42 patients with PD and healthy subjects (HSs). The participants were recorded performing MDS-UPDRS III bradykinesia upper limb tasks with a computer webcam. The video frames were processed using the artificial intelligence algorithms tracking the movements of the hands. The video extracted features were correlated with clinical rating using the Movement Disorder Society revision of the Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale and inertial measurement units (IMUs). The developed classifiers were validated on an independent dataset. Results: We found significant differences in the motor performance of the patients with PD and HSs in all the bradykinesia upper limb motor tasks. The best performing classifiers were unilateral finger tapping and hand movement speed. The model correlated both with the IMUs for quantitative assessment of motor function and the clinical scales, hence demonstrating concurrent validity with the existing methods. Conclusions: We present here the proof-of-concept of a novel webcam-based technology to remotely detect the parkinsonian features using artificial intelligence. This method has preliminarily achieved a very high diagnostic accuracy and could be easily expanded to other disease manifestations to support PD management.