A Unified Multimodal Interface for the RELAX High-Payload Collaborative Robot.

This manuscript introduces a mobile cobot equipped with a custom-designed high payload arm called RELAX combined with a novel unified multimodal interface that facilitates Human-Robot Collaboration (HRC) tasks requiring high-level interaction forces on a real-world scale. The proposed multimodal framework is capable of combining physical interaction, Ultra Wide-Band (UWB) radio sensing, a Graphical User Interface (GUI), verbal control, and gesture interfaces, combining the benefits of all these different modalities and allowing humans to accurately and efficiently command the RELAX mobile cobot and collaborate with it. The effectiveness of the multimodal interface is evaluated in scenarios where the operator guides RELAX to reach designated locations in the environment while avoiding obstacles and performing high-payload transportation tasks, again in a collaborative fashion. The results demonstrate that a human co-worker can productively complete complex missions and command the RELAX mobile cobot using the proposed multimodal interaction framework.

Automated Video-Based Capture of Crustacean Fisheries Data Using Low-Power Hardware.

This work investigates the application of Computer Vision to the problem of the automated counting and measuring of crabs and lobsters onboard fishing boats. The aim is to provide catch count and measurement data for these key commercial crustacean species. This can provide vital input data for stock assessment models, to enable the sustainable management of these species. The hardware system is required to be low-cost, have low-power usage, be waterproof, available (given current chip shortages), and able to avoid over-heating. The selected hardware is based on a Raspberry Pi 3A+ contained in a custom waterproof housing. This hardware places challenging limitations on the options for processing the incoming video, with many popular deep learning frameworks (even light-weight versions) unable to load or run given the limited computational resources. The problem can be broken into several steps: (1) Identifying the portions of the video that contain each individual animal; (2) Selecting a set of representative frames for each animal, e.g, lobsters must be viewed from the top and underside; (3) Detecting the animal within the frame so that the image can be cropped to the region of interest; (4) Detecting keypoints on each animal; and (5) Inferring measurements from the keypoint data. In this work, we develop a pipeline that addresses these steps, including a key novel solution to frame selection in video streams that uses classification, temporal segmentation, smoothing techniques and frame quality estimation. The developed pipeline is able to operate on the target low-power hardware and the experiments show that, given sufficient training data, reasonable performance is achieved.

Trends in women's height and the effect of early childbearing on height retardation: An analysis of the height of Bangladeshi women born between 1974 and 1998.

Background: Depending on race, ethnicity, and region, genetic variants determine human height by 65% to 80%, while the remaining variance of 20% to 35% is influenced by nutrition and other individual or environmental exposures in the early years of life. An improvement in nutrition and health in the early years in a population underprivileged in health and nutrition will likely increase the group's average height. Due to outstanding improvements in these areas in recent decades, we hypothesised that the average height of Bangladeshi women has increased. Moreover, because pregnancy at an early age affects women's health and nutrition, we hypothesised that women who began childbearing early would experience growth retardation compared to women who had pregnancies at a later age. Methods: We used data from five national surveys conducted between 2004 and 2018 that collected height data from ever-married women aged 15-49 years. We analysed the height of women aged 20-29 years (born between 1974 and 1998) and examined the mean height by birth years, age at first birth (AFB), economic status, religion and region. We conducted multiple linear regression models, controlling for the differential effects of the socio-demographic characteristics on women's height over time and by AFB. Results: The average height of women born between 1974 and 1998 significantly increased by 0.03 cm annually, with fluctuations between 150.3 and 151.6 cm. We also found an association between age at childbearing and height in adulthood - women who began childbearing before age 17 were approximately one centimetre shorter in adulthood than those who began childbearing at a later age. Conclusions: We found evidence of an increasing trend in women's height in Bangladesh and an inhibiting effect of early teenage childbearing on attaining the potential growth of women. The findings call for further studies to investigate early childbearing and its consequences on women's and their children's growth in diverse settings, considering socio-cultural customs influencing early marriage and childbearing.

Custom tuning of Rieske oxygenase reactivity.

Rieske oxygenases use a Rieske-type [2Fe-2S] cluster and a mononuclear iron center to initiate a range of chemical transformations. However, few details exist regarding how this catalytic scaffold can be predictively tuned to catalyze divergent reactions. Therefore, in this work, using a combination of structural analyses, as well as substrate and rational protein-based engineering campaigns, we elucidate the architectural trends that govern catalytic outcome in the Rieske monooxygenase TsaM. We identify structural features that permit a substrate to be functionalized by TsaM and pinpoint active-site residues that can be targeted to manipulate reactivity. Exploiting these findings allowed for custom tuning of TsaM reactivity: substrates are identified that support divergent TsaM-catalyzed reactions and variants are created that exclusively catalyze dioxygenation or sequential monooxygenation chemistry. Importantly, we further leverage these trends to tune the reactivity of additional monooxygenase and dioxygenase enzymes, and thereby provide strategies to custom tune Rieske oxygenase reaction outcomes.

Study on the influence of Chinese traditional culture on corporate environmental responsibility.

In accordance with the theory of informal institutions, culture exerts a crucial influence on the enactment of corporate social responsibility. Based on the two core variables of Chinese traditional culture and corporate environmental responsibility, we designed a panel data model to investigate the impact of Chinese traditional culture on corporate environmental responsibility and its heterogeneity. The findings indicate the following: 1) Chinese traditional culture can promote the performance of corporate environmental responsibility. 2) Chinese traditional culture has a heterogeneous influence on the environmental responsibility of enterprises that depends on the ownership difference of enterprises; that is, the influence of traditional culture on the environmental responsibility of state-owned enterprises is stronger than that of non-state-owned enterprises. 3) Chinese traditional culture has a heterogeneous influence on the environmental responsibility of enterprises according to the difference in industrial pollution levels; that is, traditional culture has a positive correlation with the environmental responsibility of enterprises in heavily polluting industries and a negative correlation with non-heavily polluting industries. 4) Chinese traditional culture has a heterogeneous influence on corporate environmental responsibility according to geographical differences; that is to say, traditional culture promotes the development of corporate environmental responsibility in the central and western regions, and vice versa in the eastern regions.

Cultural interventions addressing disparities in the HIV prevention and treatment cascade among Black/African Americans: a scoping review.

Culture is an important determinant of HIV risk and protective behaviors; yet, we know little about how it is integrated in HIV interventions. This scoping review characterizes the integration of culture in HIV prevention and treatment interventions focused on Black/African Americans. We searched MEDLINE, PsycINFO, CINAHL, and Google Scholar for peer-reviewed manuscripts published between July 1, 2011, and June 28, 2021. Twenty-five interventions were identified, with 96% focused on prevention. Most (40%) targeted men who have sex with men or transgender women. Only three were grounded in cultural theory. Although all interventions were labeled "culturally based," only two explicitly defined culture. Moreover, there was much diversity regarding the ways in which interventions integrated cultural elements, with some conflating race/ethnicity with culture. To improve uptake and HIV-related outcomes, interventions integrating culture are greatly needed. Additionally, HIV interventions purporting to be "culturally based" must include basic information to support rigor and reproducibility.

Development of a Culturally Adapted Dietary Intervention to Reduce Alzheimer's Disease Risk among Older Black Adults.

The objective of this study is to identify and understand knowledge and attitudes that influence dietary practices among older Black adults using a community-engaged approach. This is a non-interventional mixed methods study designed to inform the development of an adapted brain-healthy soul food diet intervention. A purposive sampling approach was used to conduct seven semi-structured focus group discussions and an online quantitative survey. In total, 39 participants who self-identified as Black, aged 55 years and older, English speaking, and who were cognitively normal with an AD8 < 2; (25.6% men; 74.4% women) participated in the online survey and one of the seven 60 min virtual focus group discussions (5-7 per focus group). Quantitative frequency data from the online surveys were analyzed using descriptive statistics. Qualitative focus group data were analyzed using a 6-step thematic analysis process. Five themes emerged: dementia awareness; practices shaping food choices and consumption; barriers to eating healthy; instrumental support; and elements of a culturally adapted brain-healthy dietary intervention. Older Black adults perceived an adapted MIND dietary model as the most acceptable with the incorporation of salient cultural characteristics and strategies within both the design and delivery phases.

Photothermal effects of terahertz-band and optical electromagnetic radiation on human tissues.

The field of wireless communication has witnessed tremendous advancements in the past few decades, leading to more pervasive and ubiquitous networks. Human bodies are continually exposed to electromagnetic radiation, but typically this does not impact the body as the radiation is non-ionizing and the waves carry low power. However, with progress in the sixth generation (6G) of wireless networks and the adoption of the spectrum above 100 GHz in the next few years, higher power radiation is needed to cover larger areas, exposing humans to stronger and more prolonged radiation. Also, water has a high absorption coefficient at these frequencies and could lead to thermal effects on the skin. Hence, there is a need to study the radiation effects on human tissues, specifically the photothermal effects. In this paper, we present a custom-built, multi-physics model to investigate electromagnetic wave propagation in human tissue and study its subsequent photothermal effects. The proposed finite-element model consists of two segments-the first one estimates the intensity distribution along the beam path, while the second calculates the increase in temperature due to the wave distribution inside the tissue. We determine the intensity variation in the tissue using the radiative transfer equation and compare the results with Monte Carlo analysis and existing analytical models. The intensity information is then utilized to predict the rise in temperature with a bio-heat transfer module, powered by Pennes' bioheat equation. The model is parametric, and we perform a systematic photothermal analysis to recognize the crucial variables responsible for the temperature growth inside the tissue, particularly for terahertz and near-infrared optical frequencies. Our numerical model can serve as a benchmark for studying the high-frequency radiation effects on complex heterogeneous media such as human tissue.

Dilemmas in rehabilitation and patient strategies in an intensive home intervention: a follow-up study.

BACKGROUND: The original project, where older persons received reablement performed by an interprofessional team showed success factors for IHR. However, since there is a lack of knowledge about why some persons do not recover despite receiving IHR, this study follows up patients' experiences of IHR. AIM: To describe older persons' perceived dilemmas in the reablement process within the framework of IHR. METHOD: 11 CIT interviews with participants who have previously received IHR, were analysed, interpreted and categorized according to CIT. The study was approved by the Swedish Ethical Review Authority. RESULTS: The results showed disease-related dilemmas, fatigue or pain so that participants could not cope with the prescribed exercises. New diseases appeared, as well as medication side effects made exercising difficult, and painkillers became a prerequisite for coping with IHR. Low self-motivation and mistrust towards the staff emerged like lack of trust due to otherness such as sex, cultural background, or language also became critical. CONCLUSIONS: Interventions that consider individual- and contextual dilemmas are very important. By recognizing critical situations, this study can work as a basis of evidence to further develop interventions for older people living in their own homes and to ensure them to stay there.

Efficient precision editing of endogenous Chlamydomonas reinhardtii genes with CRISPR-Cas.

CRISPR-Cas genome engineering in the unicellular green algal model Chlamydomonas reinhardtii has until now been primarily applied to targeted gene disruption, whereas scarless knockin transgenesis has generally been considered difficult in practice. We have developed an efficient homology-directed method for knockin mutagenesis in Chlamydomonas by delivering CRISPR-Cas ribonucleoproteins and a linear double-stranded DNA (dsDNA) donor into cells by electroporation. Our method allows scarless integration of fusion tags and sequence modifications of proteins without the need for a preceding mutant line. We also present methods for high-throughput crossing of transformants and a custom quantitative PCR (qPCR)-based high-throughput screening of mutants as well as meiotic progeny. We demonstrate how to use this pipeline to facilitate the generation of mutant lines without residual selectable markers by co-targeted insertion. Finally, we describe how insertional cassettes can be erroneously mutated during insertion and suggest strategies to select for lines that are modified as designed.

Gender role attitudes and well-being of German and refugee adolescents-same or different?

BACKGROUND: Assumed differences in gender role attitudes (GRAs) of German adolescents and refugee adolescents from the Middle East are often discussed, but rarely investigated. Presumed differences in GRAs across cultures and genders are assumed to be involved in emerging gender differences in well-being and mental health symptoms. Overall, appropriate measurements for investigating GRAs of adolescents with different cultural backgrounds are scarce. METHODS: Hence, the present study exemplarily investigates (1) the measurement invariance (MI) of a German translation of the Social Role Questionnaire (SRQ) for German (n = 114) and German-speaking Middle Eastern refugee adolescents from Syria, Afghanistan, or Iraq (n = 115), using a Multiple Indicator Multiple Cause (MIMIC) model to account for age and gender. Moreover, (2) differences between GRAs of both groups, (3) relationships of GRAs with different facets of affective well-being, as well as (4) differences in these relationships between German and refugee adolescents are examined by extending the MIMIC-model to a full structural equation model (SEM). RESULTS: Results indicate (1) that scalar MI for the SRQ can be assumed. Furthermore, (2) German adolescents show less traditional gender-linked GRAs than refugee adolescents, but no further differences in GRAs. Furthermore, no differences between the relationships of GRAs with well-being and mental health symptoms were found between the groups (4). Also, (3) GRAs showed no relation with any of the outcomes, but gender and age predicted mental health symptoms. CONCLUSION: The findings show that the SRQ is a useful measurement for investigating the GRAs of adolescents living in Germany and could be used in further cross-cultural research.

Parental knowledge, attitudes, and practices towards childhood fever among South-East and East Asian parents: A literature review.

AIM: The aim of this literature review was to identify, summarize, and critically appraise available empirical articles on the knowledge, attitudes, and practices towards childhood fever management among South-East and East Asian parents. DESIGN: A literature review following PRISMA. METHODS: Articles were limited to those available in the English language. Articles had to be empirical studies that used a qualitative or quantitative research design with full-text available; focus on parental knowledge, attitudes, and practices towards fever; and be published in South-East and East Asia. Searches were conducted with CINAHL, PubMed and Scopus from inception to June 2022, and eleven articles were included after removing duplicates and excluding irrelevant articles. RESULTS: Narrative synthesis was conducted according to four themes: source of fever information, knowledge level, attitudes, and practices towards childhood fever. Parents showed different fever knowledge needs and various information-seeking behaviors. A low level of fever knowledge was revealed in terms of temperature, fever causes, potential harms and influencing factors. South-East and East Asian parents mainly reported anxiety, concerns and fever phobia. Fever assessment methods and fever management strategies varied based on parents' cultural background and beliefs. CONCLUSIONS: The findings of this review highlight that inadequacy of fever knowledge and negative attitudes towards childhood fever exist in South-East and East Asian parents. Parents have diverse cultural practices during their children's febrile episodes. However, some of them conflict with current medical guidelines, as they prioritize fever and body temperature reduction. This raises questions about their effectiveness and safety. Although some of them are medically discouraged, there are others that have been proven beneficial for the symptomatic relief of childhood fever. The results indicate an urgent need to develop a cultural-sensitive educational intervention for childhood fever management among South-East and East Asian parents. Unified educational interventions are needed to address parental concerns and fever-related knowledge needs.

Feed plants, ethnoveterinary medicine, and biocultural values: insights on the Luchuan pig from Hakka communities in China.

BACKGROUND: The Luchuan pig is an indigenous breed from Luchuan County, China, with cultural and genetic significance. However, traditional knowledge and conservation status have not been systematically documented. METHODS: Using ethnobiological methods, we surveyed 72 Luchuan pig farmers in 7 townships during 2021-2023. Semi-structured interviews and participant observation were conducted to document traditional knowledge and management practices. RESULTS: The locals reported 51 plant species used as pig feed, with 30 wild species. Growth-stage-specific feeding and seasonal adjustment practices were documented. We recorded 62 ethnoveterinary plant uses, mainly for treating pigs' heat stress and skin conditions. Luchuan pigs play central roles in local Hakka customs, rituals, and cuisine. Additonally, the new ecological farming models minimize the environmental impacts to the local community. However, there are still some challenges remained for conserving and promoting Luchuan pigs. CONCLUSIONS: The Luchuan Hakka people possess rich traditional knowledge and management experience in raising Luchuan pigs. Our study provides extensive documentation of traditional knowledge and recommends integrating cultural and genetic aspects for sustaining this biocultural heritage. Findings can inform initiatives supporting local breed conservation globally.

Artificial intelligence and Italian culture: an understanding of how artificial intelligence can transform the radiation therapy landscape.

The aim is to support the perception of artificial intelligence in the radiation therapy landscape.

Feasibility of a Community Healthy Eating and Cooking Intervention Featuring Traditional African Caribbean Foods from Participant and Staff Perspectives.

Culturally appropriate healthy eating resources are intended to help people from different ethnic backgrounds consume diets reflecting government dietary recommendations, yet evidence on use in the target groups is lacking. This study evaluated the feasibility of a new brief culturally appropriate community intervention that aimed to introduce food-based healthy eating and recipe resources featuring African Caribbean foods, which were recently co-developed with people from these ethnic backgrounds. Working with a community organization in the UK, a single-arm study was used to collect verbal data from participants and staff on the acceptability of intervention whilst knowledge, skills and behaviours related to healthy eating were evaluated using pre-, post- and follow-up questionnaires. A total of 30 participants were recruited, and 22 completed all three questionnaires; who were mostly female aged 55 years+ (n = 17) and of African Caribbean ethnicity (45%, n = 10), with 32% (n = 7) reporting no educational attainment. At post-intervention and follow-up, most participants reported high satisfaction (n = 21, 95%) with the intervention sessions and high levels of confidence in using the resources at home within budget. The number of participants who were familiar with the healthy eating guidance featuring Caribbean foods increased from pre- (36%, n = 8) to post-intervention/follow-up (n = 22, 100%) (p < 0.05). Findings suggest the intervention is feasible in a community setting and could help increase awareness and use of culturally appropriate healthy eating guidance amongst a diverse group.

Drivers' Mental Engagement Analysis Using Multi-Sensor Fusion Approaches Based on Deep Convolutional Neural Networks.

In this paper, we present a comprehensive assessment of individuals' mental engagement states during manual and autonomous driving scenarios using a driving simulator. Our study employed two sensor fusion approaches, combining the data and features of multimodal signals. Participants in our experiment were equipped with Electroencephalogram (EEG), Skin Potential Response (SPR), and Electrocardiogram (ECG) sensors, allowing us to collect their corresponding physiological signals. To facilitate the real-time recording and synchronization of these signals, we developed a custom-designed Graphical User Interface (GUI). The recorded signals were pre-processed to eliminate noise and artifacts. Subsequently, the cleaned data were segmented into 3 s windows and labeled according to the drivers' high or low mental engagement states during manual and autonomous driving. To implement sensor fusion approaches, we utilized two different architectures based on deep Convolutional Neural Networks (ConvNets), specifically utilizing the Braindecode Deep4 ConvNet model. The first architecture consisted of four convolutional layers followed by a dense layer. This model processed the synchronized experimental data as a 2D array input. We also proposed a novel second architecture comprising three branches of the same ConvNet model, each with four convolutional layers, followed by a concatenation layer for integrating the ConvNet branches, and finally, two dense layers. This model received the experimental data from each sensor as a separate 2D array input for each ConvNet branch. Both architectures were evaluated using a Leave-One-Subject-Out (LOSO) cross-validation approach. For both cases, we compared the results obtained when using only EEG signals with the results obtained by adding SPR and ECG signals. In particular, the second fusion approach, using all sensor signals, achieved the highest accuracy score, reaching 82.0%. This outcome demonstrates that our proposed architecture, particularly when integrating EEG, SPR, and ECG signals at the feature level, can effectively discern the mental engagement of drivers.

Fast Three-Dimensional Posture Reconstruction of Motorcyclists Using OpenPose and a Custom MATLAB Script.

Ergonomics focuses on the analysis of the interaction between human beings and their working environment. During the riding of a motorbike, ergonomics studies the rider's posture on the motorbike. An incorrect posture can lead to physical and psychological discomfort, and can affect the perception of risk and the handling of the motorcycle. It is important for motorcyclists to adopt a good riding posture, for their health and road safety. The aim of this work is to propose a fast, cheap, and sufficiently robust method for the 3D reconstruction of the posture assumed by a motorcyclist. The stereo vision and the application of OpenPose made it possible to obtain a 3D reconstruction of the key points, and their evolution over time. The evaluation of the distances between the 3D key points, which represent the length of the various parts of the body, appears to remain sufficiently stable over time, and faithful to the real distances, as taken on the motorcyclist themself. The 3D reconstruction obtained can be applied in different fields: ergonomics, motorsport training, dynamics, and fluid dynamics analysis.

Recognising Indigenous plant-use histories for inclusive biocultural restoration.

Indigenous Peoples have manipulated environments and species for millennia. However, restoration science often overlooks ancient human plant dispersal, niche construction, and selection pressures that may have resulted in plant 'cultural traits'. Concerted efforts to acknowledge Indigenous plant-use histories in restoration could help to abate the coextinction of species and cultures.

Cultural similarities and specificities of finger counting and montring: Evidence from Amazon Tsimane' people.

Numerical cognition might be embodied, that is, grounded in bodily actions. This claim is supported by the observation that, potentially due to our shared biology, finger counting is prevalent among a variety of cultures. Differences in finger counting are apparent even within Western cultures. Relatively few indigenous cultures have been systematically analyzed in terms of traditional finger counting and montring (i.e., communicating numbers with fingers) routines. Even fewer studies used the same protocols across cultures, allowing for a systematic comparison of indigenous and Western finger counting routines. We analyze the finger counting and montring routines of Tsimane' (N = 121), an indigenous people living in the Bolivian Amazon rainforest, depending on handedness, education level, and exposure to mainstream, industrialized Bolivian culture. Tsimane' routines are compared with those of German and British participants. Tsimane' reveal a greater variation in finger counting and montring routines, which seems to be modified by their education level. We outline a framework on how different factors such as handedness and reading direction might affect cross-cultural and within-cultural variation in finger counting.

P-CSEM: An Attention Module for Improved Laparoscopic Surgical Tool Detection.

Minimal invasive surgery, more specifically laparoscopic surgery, is an active topic in the field of research. The collaboration between surgeons and new technologies aims to improve operation procedures as well as to ensure the safety of patients. An integral part of operating rooms modernization is the real-time communication between the surgeon and the data gathered using the numerous devices during surgery. A fundamental tool that can aid surgeons during laparoscopic surgery is the recognition of the different phases during an operation. Current research has shown a correlation between the surgical tools utilized and the present phase of surgery. To this end, a robust surgical tool classifier is desired for optimal performance. In this paper, a deep learning framework embedded with a custom attention module, the P-CSEM, has been proposed to refine the spatial features for surgical tool classification in laparoscopic surgery videos. This approach utilizes convolutional neural networks (CNNs) integrated with P-CSEM attention modules at different levels of the architecture for improved feature refinement. The model was trained and tested on the popular, publicly available Cholec80 database. Results showed that the attention integrated model achieved a mean average precision of 93.14%, and visualizations revealed the ability of the model to adhere more towards features of tool relevance. The proposed approach displays the benefits of integrating attention modules into surgical tool classification models for a more robust and precise detection.