"Imagine and make": teaching construction robotics for higher education students.

The use of robotics in construction projects is still in its infancy despite the opportunities that robots can present for the improvement of construction practices. One of the strategies to effectively increase the reliance on robots in construction is increasing the knowledge and improving the educational programs about robotics for university students. This paper contributes to the ongoing efforts worldwide to improve the teaching methods about construction robotics through the presentation of a novel method called "Imagine and Make", in which students learn how to integrate robotics in different aspects and practices in construction projects. The method has been applied at Centrale Lille in France since 2018. The results of the application of "Imagine and Make" in the first semester of 2021-2022, evaluation by students, and teaching outcomes are reported in this paper.

COVID-19 and the ageing workforce: global perspectives on needs and solutions across 15 countries.

BACKGROUND: COVID-19 has a direct impact on the employment of older people. This adds to the challenge of ageism. The World Health Organization has started a worldwide campaign to combat ageism and has called for more research and evidence-based strategies that have the potential to be scaled up. This study specifically aims to identify solutions to combat the adverse effects of COVID-19 on the global ageing workforce. METHODS: We present 15 case studies from different countries and report on what those countries are doing or not doing to address the impact of COVID-19 on ageing workers. RESULTS: We provide examples of how COVID-19 influences older people's ability to work and stay healthy, and offer case studies of what governments, organizations or individuals can do to help ensure older people can obtain, maintain and, potentially, expand their current work. Case studies come from Australia, Austria, Canada, China, Germany, Israel, Japan, Nigeria, Romania, Singapore, Sweden, South Korea, Thailand, United Kingdom (UK), and the United States (US). Across the countries, the impact of COVID-19 on older workers is shown as widening inequalities. A particular challenge has arisen because of a large proportion of older people, often with limited education and working in the informal sector within rural areas, e.g. in Nigeria, Thailand and China. Remedies to the particular disadvantage experienced by older workers in the context of COVID are presented. These range from funding support to encouraging business continuity, innovative product and service developments, community action, new business models and localized, national and international actions. The case studies can be seen as frequently fitting within strategies that have been proven to work in reducing ageism within the workplace. They include policy and laws that have increased benefits to workers during lockdowns (most countries); educational activities such as coaching seniorpreneurship (e,g, Australia); intergenerational contact interventions such as younger Thai people who moved back to rural areas and sharing their digital knowledge with older people and where older people reciprocate by teaching the younger people farming knowledge. CONCLUSION: Global sharing of this knowledge among international, national and local governments and organizations, businesses, policy makers and health and human resources experts will further understanding of the issues that are faced by older workers. This will facilitate the replication or scalability of solutions as called for in the WHO call to combat ageism in 2021. We suggest that policy makers, business owners, researchers and international organisations build on the case studies by investing in evidence-based strategies to create inclusive workplaces. Such action will thus help to challenge ageism, reduce inequity, improve business continuity and add to the quality of life of older workers.

Hypersensitivity in teeth affected by molar-incisor hypomineralization (MIH).

Tooth hypersensitivity is a common symptom in patients with molar-incisor hypomineralization (MIH). Therefore, this clinical study aimed to assess potential associations between patient- and tooth-related variables and the intensity of hypersensitivity in MIH-affected permanent teeth compared to healthy controls. Fifty-seven MIH patients and 20 healthy adolescents with a total of 350 MIH-affected and 193 healthy teeth were included in this study. The intensity of hypersensitivity was measured after cold air stimulation using the Schiff Cold Air Sensitivity Scale (SCASS) by the dentist and visual analogue scale (VAS) by the patient. Tooth hypersensitivity was low in non-MIH teeth (97.9% of the group had zero SCASS and VAS values). In contrast, MIH-affected teeth with demarcated opacities and atypical restorations had moderate SCASS and VAS values, whereas teeth with enamel breakdown were mostly linked to severe hypersensitivity. The logistic regression model confirmed a significantly lower level of hypersensitivity in MIH patients aged ≥ 8 years (OR 0.06, 95% CI 0.01-0.50, p = 0.009) and higher levels in molar teeth (OR 5.49, 95% CI 1.42-21.27, p = 0.014) and teeth with enamel disintegration (OR 4.61, 95% CI 1.68-12.63, p = 0.003). These results indicate that MIH-related tooth hypersensitivity seems to be present in disintegrated molars immediately after tooth eruption.

Comparison of four different treatment strategies in teeth with molar-incisor hypomineralization-related enamel breakdown-A retrospective cohort study.

BACKGROUND: There is little information available on the longevity of non-invasive glass ionomer cement (GIC) and composite restorations as well as conventional composite and ceramic restorations placed on permanent teeth with enamel breakdowns due to molar-incisor hypomineralization (MIH). AIM: To compare the longevity of the abovementioned treatment procedures. DESIGN: Of 377 identified MIH patients, 118 individuals received restorative treatment and were invited for clinical examination, including caries and MIH status. Finally, survival data from 204 MIH-related restorations placed on 127 teeth were retrospectively collected from 52 children, monitored between 2010 and 2018. Descriptive and explorative analyses were performed, including Kaplan-Meier estimators and the Cox regression model. RESULTS: The mean patient observation time was 42.9 months (SD = 35.1). The cumulative survival probabilities after 36 months-7.0% (GIC, N = 28), 29.9% (non-invasive composite restoration, N = 126), 76.2% (conventional composite restoration, N = 27) and 100.0% (ceramic restoration, N = 23)-differed significantly in the regression analysis. CONCLUSIONS: Conventional restorations were associated with moderate-to-high survival rates in MIH teeth. In contrast, non-invasive composite restorations, which were predominately used in younger or less cooperative children, were linked to lower survival rates.

Towards a future robotic home environment: a survey.

PURPOSE: Demographic change has resulted in an increase of elderly people, while at the same time the number of active working people is falling. In the future, there will be less caretaking, which is necessary to support the aging population. In order to enable the aged population to live in dignity, they should be able to perform activities of daily living (ADLs) as independently as possible. The aim of this paper is to describe several solutions and concepts that can support elderly people in their ADLs in a way that allows them to stay self-sufficient for as long as possible. METHOD: To reach this goal, the Building Realization and Robotics Lab is researching in the field of ambient assisted living. The idea is to implement robots and sensors in the home environment so as to efficiently support the inhabitants in their ADLs and eventually increase their independence. Through embedding vital sensors into furniture and using ICT technologies, the health status of elderly people can be remotely evaluated by a physician or family members. By investigating ergonomic aspects specific to elderly people (e.g. via an age-simulation suit), it is possible to develop and test new concepts and novel applications, which will offer innovative solutions. Via the introduction of mechatronics and robotics, the home environment can be made able to seamlessly interact with the inhabitant through gestures, vocal commands, and visual recognition algorithms. Meanwhile, several solutions have been developed that address how to build a smart home environment in order to create an ambient assisted environment. This article describes how these concepts were developed. The approach for each concept, proposed in this article, was performed as follows: (1) research of needs, (2) creating definitions of requirements, (3) identification of necessary technology and processes, (4) building initial concepts, (5) experiments in a real environment, and (6) development of the final concepts. To keep these concepts cost-effective, the suggested solutions are modular. Therefore, it will be possible to straightforwardly install the proposed devices in an existing home environment in a 'plug and play' manner once the terminals can be prefabricated off-site. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION: This article shows a variety of concepts that have been developed to support elderly people in their ADLs. The prototypes of the proposed concepts in this paper have been tested with elderly people. The results of the tests show that robots embedded in furniture, walls, ceiling, etc. offer enhanced support, properly addressing elderly as well as disabled people to individually and independently manage their ADLs. In order to make the concepts realizable in terms of cost, it will be necessary to standardize and modularize these concepts for industrial fabrication.