Path planning research for mobile robots in dynamic environments

At present, due to the COVID-19, China's social and economic development has slowed down. Some life service e-commerce platforms have successively launched "contactless delivery" services, which can effectively curb the spread of the epidemic. Robot distribution is the current mainstream, but robots are different from people and need to have accurate program settings. Both path planning and obstacle avoidance are currently top issues. This requires the mobile robot to successfully arrive at the destination while minimizing the impact on the surrounding environment and pedestrians, and avoiding encroachment on the movement space of pedestrians. Therefore, the mobile robot needs to be able to actively avoid moving pedestrians in a dynamic environment, in addition to avoiding static obstacles, and safely and efficiently integrate into the pedestrian movement environment. In this paper, the path planning problem of unmanned delivery robot is studied, and the path of mobile robot in the crowd is determined by global planning and local planning, and the matlab simulation is used for verification. © The Authors. Published under a Creative Commons Attribution CC-BY 3.0 License.

Path Planning of Follow-up Transport Robot Based on Machine Vision

With the upgrading and innovation of the logistics industry, the requirements for the level of transportation smart technologies continue to increase. The outbreak of the COVID-19 has further promoted the development of unmanned transportation machines. Aimed at the requirements of intelligent following and automatic obstacle avoidance of mobile robots in dynamic and complex environments, this paper uses machine vision to realize the visual perception function, and studies the real-time path planning of robots in complicated environment. And this paper proposes the Dijkstra-ant colony optimization (ACO) fusion algorithm, the environment model is established by the link viewable method, the Dijkstra algorithm plans the initial path. The introduction of immune operators improves the ant colony algorithm to optimize the initial path. Finally, the simulation experiment proves that the fusion algorithm has good reliability in a dynamic environment. © 2022 IEEE.

Our journey from the Peripatetic Ultrasound Trainers to the Ultrasound Training Academy - HEE (South East)

In 2016, an innovative project of three ultrasound trainers evolved to support multi-professional trainees in Obstetric and Gynaecology ultrasound across the Wessex region. The aim of the project was to deliver a high-quality ultrasound training programme. One of the project's successes resulted in establishing the Sonographer Training Network Forum which allowed ultrasound leads from seven Trusts to meet and share ideas, which ultimately led to the development of regional ultrasound guidelines. From 2016 to early 2020, we have supported 75 trainees in O&G ultrasound. The vision was to create a dedicated ultrasound training centre to support trainees in a safe environment. Late 2019, with the support and funding from Health Education England South-East, the plans were set in motion to create the first Ultrasound Training Academy in the South- East Region. A briefing paper was submitted to the Trust Investment Group for approval. Approval from TIG acknowledged the Trust's support in the project as well as supporting the sonography workforce. This began the search for space that would accommodate the academy. Frustratingly, COVID stopped all activities, however, with reflection, COVID gave us the time to plan accordingly for the Ultrasound Training Academy. Without the normal pressure of a time frame, it was an opportunity to find an ideal location as well as purchasing the required equipment befitting the academy. The Ultrasound Training Academy - HEE (South-East) is based in the Princess Anne Hospital (University Hospital Southampton NHS FT). The advantages based within a hospital setting allowed the academy to follow the Trust's governance as well as absorbing some of the capacity from the ultrasound department. We have two ultrasound rooms and a dedicated space for simulation training. We have plans to create a third ultrasound room.

Restricting Human Movement During the COVID-19 Pandemic: New Research Avenues in the Study of Mobility, Migration, and Citizenship: IMR

Every government in the world introduced restrictions to human mobility – that is, the movement of persons across and within state borders – in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Such restrictions thus constituted a global phenomenon, but they were by no means globally uniform;rather, they varied significantly between and within states, as well as over time. This research note presents different data sources for studying the drivers and outcomes of mobility restrictions, highlighting specific ways in which the data can be used. We begin by surveying seven new databases capturing various aspects of the regulation of human movement during the COVID-19 pandemic. Drawing inspiration from research on previous pandemics, we then outline five possible research avenues prompted by these data. We suggest that explaining the causes and consequences of such restrictions, as well as the differences between them, can significantly advance research on the governance of mobility, migration, and citizenship.

Isometric thumb extension exercise as part of a multimodal intervention for de Quervain's syndrome: A randomised feasibility trial

Introduction: de Quervain's syndrome is a painful condition commonly presented to hand therapists. Exercise is utilised as an intervention, but isometric exercise has not been investigated. We aimed to assess the feasibility and safety of isometric thumb extension exercise for de Quervain's syndrome and to explore differences between high-load and low-load isometric exercise. Method(s): This parallel-group randomised clinical feasibility trial included individuals with de Quervain's syndrome. All participants underwent a 2 week washout period where they received an orthosis, education, and range of motion exercises. Eligible participants were then randomised to receive high or low-load isometric thumb extension exercises, performed daily for 4 weeks. Feasibility and safety were assessed by recruitment and drop-out rates, adherence, adverse events, and participant feedback via semi-structured interviews. Secondary outcomes included patient-reported outcomes for pain and function, and blinded assessment of range of motion and strength. Result(s): Twenty-eight participants were randomised. There were no drop-outs after randomisation, and no serious adverse events. Adherence to exercise was 86.7%, with 84% of participants stating they would choose to participate again. There were clinically and statistically significant improvements in pain and function over time (p < 0.001) but not in range of motion or strength. There were no statistically significant between-group differences. Conclusion(s): Isometric thumb extension exercise within a multimodal approach appears a safe and feasible intervention for people with de Quervain's syndrome. A large multi-centre trial would be required to compare high- and low-load isometric exercises. Further research investigating exercise and multimodal interventions in this population is warranted.Copyright © The Author(s) 2023.

THE EFFECTS OF SPINAL STABILIZATION EXERCISES VIA TELEREHABILITATION ON INDIVIDUALS WITH CHRONIC LOW BACK PAIN: A RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED STUDY

BackgroundChronic low back pain is a very common problem worldwide. Reasons such as repetitive problems and lack of a clear treatment cause low back pain to be a serious burden for society [1]. Telerehabilitation provides remote application of rehabilitation services with the developing technology. Especially in the COVID-19 pandemic, the problems experienced in health services have increased the popularity of telerehabilitation services [2].ObjectivesAim in this study is to investigate the effects of spinal stabilization exercises performed remotely with asynchronous video clips on pain, disability, quality of life, trunk flexion range of motion and gait parameters.MethodsA total of 20 individuals with chronic low back pain were included in the study. After recording demographic information, pain levels were evaluated with the Visual Analogue Scale (VAS), disability levels were evaluated with the Oswestry Disability Index (ODI), and quality of life was evaluated with the Nottingham Health Profile (NHP). Trunk flexion range of motion was evaluated with the Valedo ® system (Hocoma, Switzerland), and the spatiotemporal parameters of the gait (step time, cadance) were evaluated with the OPTOGAIT system (OPTOGait, Microgate, Italy). After the evaluation, the individuals were divided into 2 groups. One group did face-to-face progressive spinal stabilization exercises in the clinic, while the other group did the same exercise program remotely with asynchronous videos. The exercise program was 8 weeks, 3 days a week.ResultsThe mean age of the telerehabilitation group (4 M, 5 F) was 41.44 ± 9.74, and their body mass index (BMI) was 26.34 ± 3.1. The mean age of the clinical group (1 M, 8 F) was 41.0 ± 13.0, and their BMI was 27.64 ± 3.55. All parameters were similar in the two groups before treatment. There was a significant difference in parameters except gait parameters in both groups after treatment (p<0.05). In the evaluation between the groups after treatment, the results of the two groups were similar in all parameters (p>0.05) (Table 1).Table 1.Baseline and after treatment characteristics of telerehabilitation and face to face group and comparison of with-in group and between groupTelerehabilitationFace to FaceBaselineAfter Treatmentp valueBaselineAfter Treatmentp valueBetween GroupVAS6.51±1.612.41±1.170.00*6.62±0.952.33±1.980.00*0.79ODI20.66±9.9413.55±100.00*30.22±15.517.11±120.02*0.54NHP131.51±121.2934.0±29.610.01*203.55±60.0763.08±76.240.00*0.66Trunk Flexion Range of Motion99.55±12.24106.55±7.510.04*88.11±15.2694.11±15.180.00*0.09Step length (cm)60.67±9.0764.35±9.580.5153.82±2165.95±9.410.170.54Step Time (sec)0.55±0.040.51±0.080.260.40±0.120.34±0.180.130.06Cadance105.67±9.17106.13±17.460.44103.37±8.64105.31±9.450.670.73ConclusionAccording to the results of our study, it is seen that both methods did not provide any change in gait parameters. However, it has similar effects in reducing pain and disability, improving quality of life, and increasing trunk range of motion. For individuals with chronic low back pain, it seems that remote exercise with asynchronous videos can be as effective a treatment as face-to-face exercise. There is a need for studies to be conducted in a larger population with longer follow-up.References[1] Anderson GB. epidemiological features of chronicles low back pain _ the lance _ 1999;354(9178):581-5.[2] Turolla A, Rossettini G, Viceconti A, Palese A, Geri T. Musculoskeletal physical therapy during the COVID-19 pandemic: is telerehabilitation the answer? Phys. ther. 2020;100(8): 1260-4.Acknowledgements:NIL.Disclosure of InterestsNone Declared.

Incremental Donor Approach for Immune Plasma Algorithm on Solving Path Planning Problem of UCAV

Immune Plasma algorithm (IP algorithm or IPA) that models the implementation details of a medical method popularized with the COVID-19 pandemic again known as the immune or convalescent plasma has been introduced recently and used successfully for solving different engineering optimization problems. In this study, incremental donor (ID) approach was first developed for controlling how many donor individuals will be chosen before the treatment of receivers representing the poor solutions of the population and then a promising IPA variant called ID-IPA was developed as a new path planner. For analyzing the contribution of the ID approach on the solving capabilities of the IPA, a set of experimental studies was carried out and results of the ID-IPA were compared with different well-known meta-heuristic algorithms. Comparative studies showed that controlling the incrementation of donor individuals as described in the ID approach increases the qualities of the final solutions and improves the stability of the IP algorithm. © 2022 IEEE.

The elephant in the Zoom: the role of virtual safaris during the COVID-19 pandemic for conservation resilience

The economic turmoil and restrictions on human movement precipitated by the COVID-19 pandemic severely impacted conservation efforts. Many conservation actors rapidly implemented various adaptive measures in response to the cessation of the nature-based tourism industry, the primary revenue source for much of conservation in sub-Saharan Africa. This timely preliminary study examined the innovative use of virtual safaris, a form of virtual nature-based tourism, as an adaptive response to the crisis. Eight in-depth semi-structured interviews and two written responses from a range of ‘conservation operators' provided insight into motivations, benefits, and challenges associated with using virtual safaris. This novel study found three mechanisms through which virtual safaris helped to alleviate the effects of COVID-19 with the potential to develop conservation resilience: 1) as a stopgap measure, 2) for revenue diversification, and 3) as a means of scaling ecosystem services. Virtual safaris provided a critical lifeline for conservation operators, created a new tool to connect with distant audiences, and strengthened relationships with donors. However, this research highlighted a need to re-evaluate the role of sustainable tourism within conservation, with transformative changes essential to enhance future conservation resilience.

Wearable Sensors in Daily Life: A Review

Wearable sensor technologies have improved people's daily lives through their applications in almost every field. Sensor technologies of inventive kinds are used in an extensive variety of applications in lifestyle, healthcare, fitness, manufacturing, etc. There have also been crucial issues in making significant improvements to the actual mechanical, electrical, and optical sensing methods mainly in upgrading the precision of identification of wearable sensors to various stimuli. With an extensive study of the basic demands in wearable device technology as of now, the road map becomes clearer for creating greater innovations in the future. This is a review that gives an outline of types of wearable sensors by the score that is utilized in daily life. © 2023 IEEE.

Just Keep Swimming...Just Keep Swimming

History: We present a 15-year-old right hand dominant high school swimmer with no significant past medical history, who complains of right elbow pain along the distal biceps' tendon for a 2 months. Pain was insidious in onset, sharp, intermittent, and described as a 0 to 6 out of 10. The patient has been swimming more frequently over the last few months to prepare for competition and noticed progressive pain with swimming. He went on vacation and then was diagnosed with a COVID-19 infection and took an additional 2 weeks off due to fatigue. He returned to sport without re-integration and increased his swimming intensity to 1 to 2 hours daily, which worsened his pain. Performing the butterfly and breaststroke provoke symptoms and cessation of activity reduces the pain. Denies pain at rest. He took Advil which did not reduce his pain. Denies acute trauma, prior injuries, or paresthesias. Physical Exam: Inspection of right elbow: no swelling or signs of discoloration. Palpation: Tenderness at the distal biceps tendon but can hook the tendon without pain. No shoulder or wrist tenderness. Active Range of Motion: Elbow extension 0 degrees, elbow flexion 130 degrees, supination and pronation normal. Normal shoulder and wrist ROM. Muscle strength: 5/5 grip, wrist extension, and wrist flexion. Pain elicited with resisted elbow flexion at the distal humerus. Maneuvers: pain with distal humerus squeeze. Negative Maudsley and negative Cozen test. Differential Diagnosis: 36. Distal Biceps Tendonitis/Tear 37. Stress Reaction of the Distal Humerus 38. Medial Epicondyle Apophysitis 39. Capitellar Osteochondritis Dissecans 40. Radiocapitellar Plica Syndrome Test Results: x-ray right elbow: AP and Lateral views indicate no abnormalities to the bones, alignment, or soft tissue structures. MRI right elbow No IVCON: Biceps tendon intact. There is periosteal edema and endosteal aspect marrow edema along the medial aspect of the distal diaphysis and metaphysis of the humerus. Several small foci of increased cortical signal. No fractures, joint effusion, or chondral defects. Findings comparable to Fredrickson grade 4a distal humerus diametaphysis stress injury. Final Diagnosis: Right Elbow Supracondylar Grade 4a Stress Reaction. Discussion(s): Actives that involve repetitive motion are susceptible to overuse injuries. Cases of upper extremity stress reactions in swimmers have been documented along the inferior angle of the scapula, upper ribs, and olecranon. Stress reactions along the distal humerus in swimmers is not well documented. This pathology has been seen in baseball players, cricket bowlers, and tennis players. In swimming, the butterfly technique requires significant endurance and athletic strength. During a sprint, fast synchronized upper extremity revolutions occurring up to 60 cycles perminute counterforcewater surface area friction leading to excessive loading forces even at 50 meter distances. Outcome(s): The patient was withheld from upper body work outs and swimming for 6 weeks. VitaminDand Calcium levels were drawn revealing a normal calcium level (10.2), but a vitamin D level of 28.1. Patient was started on 600 IU of Vitamin D and 1300 mg of Calcium daily. The patient started a return to swim program and returned to full competition at 7 months post presentation. Follow-Up: At 6 weeks, started an upper extremity low impact non-aquatic physical therapy program. Then a slow progressive return to swimming was initiated at 50% effort for 4 weeks. At 10 weeks, a return to sport plan including 200 m all strokes except butterfly, progressed to 250 m at week 2, 300 m at week 3, and 350 m at week 4. Finally, initiated speed work in =0 to 100 m increments and elbow loading workouts.

Impact of Time-Motion Patient Flow Analysis on the Productivity of an Endoscopy Unit in a Large Safety-Net Health Center

Introduction: The COVID-19 pandemic disrupted health care delivery, particularly for high-volume procedural areas. To improve productivity in the Los Angeles County 1 University of Southern California Medical Center (LAC + USC) Endoscopy Unit, we initiated an iterative rapid cycle quality improvement process to identify inefficiencies and implement changes to our workflow. Method(s): A time-motion analysis of patient flow through the LAC + USC Endoscopy Unit was used to construct a time-tracked flow sheet to track individual patients as they moved through the Unit. Data were collected weekly over 3 9-10 week phases, and intervening plan-do-study-act (PDSA) cycles were conducted to direct interventions for subsequent phases. Following phase 1 (9/1/21 to 11/9/21) we implemented targeted interventions at the start of phase 2 (12/1/21 to 2/1/22) and phase 3 (3/15/22 to 5/31/22). Phase 2 was focused on our anesthesia supported endoscopy room which requires greater resource coordination. Metrics were compared to published benchmarks. Linear regression was used to compare outcome parameters for the lean process flow improvement project. Result(s): Our phase 1 analysis showed operational delays in room turnover time for all procedures and pre-operative assessment and first-case on time start percentage for procedures supported by anesthesia, when compared to published benchmarks (Table 1). In phase 2 we implemented an intervention of combining pre-anesthesia visits with endoscopy teaching visits for patients designated to have anesthesia support. This significantly improved both turnover time and throughput for the anesthesia room (Table 1). In phase 3 we initiated a policy of preparing the first patient of the day in the procedure room which dramatically increased first-case on time start percentage. We further streamlined inter-procedure processes by simultaneously consenting, placingmonitoring equipment and documenting in the time between procedures, leading to a greater than 20% increase in total procedure volume (Table 1). Procedure throughput for the anesthesia supported procedure room increased from 4.5 to 7 to 9 procedures per room per day for phases 1, 2, and 3 respectively (Table 1). EndoscopyUnit staffing remained unchanged throughout the study period. Conclusion(s): Time-motion analysis of patient flow may be used to perform targeted interventions with significant improvements in Endoscopy Unit efficiency. This may be achieved without costly interventions such as hiring additional support staff or faculty. (Table Presented).

Shoulder Weakness Following Intramuscular COVID- 19 Vaccine

History: Transient and generalized adverse effects are common following COVID-19 vaccination;among other adverse effects, shoulder injuries related to vaccine administration (SIRVA) have been known to occur. In this case, a previously healthy right-hand dominant 62-year-old male presented with left shoulder pain and weakness 3 months after receiving a COVID-19 intramuscular vaccine in the left deltoid. Approximately 2 weeks after the injection, he started experiencing pain and numbness around the injection site along with ipsilateral shoulder weakness. Despite conservative management with Motrin, Medrol Dosepak, gabapentin and physical therapy (PT), the pain and weakness persisted. Physical Exam: Left Shoulder-No calor or erythema;significant atrophy of the anterior and middle deltoid muscle relative to right side;abduction 4/5;external rotation with shoulder adducted 4/5;range of motion for active forward flexion was 150 degrees and passive was 170 degrees;passive range of motion for external rotation was 70 degrees;internal rotation to the level of L5;sensation to light touch was intact. Right Shoulder-Range of motion, strength, and sensation were intact. Cervical Spine-Full ROM;no cervical paraspinal tenderness noted. Negative Spurling's and Lhermitte's tests. Differential Diagnosis: 161. Axillary Nerve Palsy 2/2 Chemical Neurotoxicity 162. Brachial Neuritis 163. Mechanical Axillary Nerve Palsy 2/2 Vaccination 164. Partial-Tear of Left Supraspinatus Tendon 165. Acromioclavicular Osteoarthritis Test Results: Left Shoulder-XR:Mild pseudo-subluxation;MRI w/o contrast: 8x9mmpartial-thickness articular surface tear of the distal supraspinatus tendon (<50%fiber thickness). Minimal subacromial bursitis. Mild acromioclavicular joint osteoarthritis. EMG/NCV: Left and Right Axillary Motor Nerves: prolonged distal onset latency;Left Deltoid: increased insertion activity, moderately increased spontaneous activity, reduced recruitment;Remaining LUE muscles without evidence of electrical instability Final Diagnosis: Axillary Nerve Palsy Secondary To Chemical Neurotoxicity from Intramuscular COVID-19 Vaccine. Discussion(s): We postulate that the neurologic deficits presented in our case may be attributed to chemical neurotoxicity to the axillary nerve following vaccination as the delayed onset of pain and weakness are most consistent with this differential. There are several cases of brachial neuritis following vaccination for the prevention of COVID- 19, however, EMG/NCV results in our patient were not consistent with brachial plexopathy. Additionally, while there have been a handful of reported cases of bursitis following COVID-19 vaccines falling under the SIRVA classification of injuries, this is the first case of reported axillary nerve neurapraxia. Outcome(s): The patient's left shoulder numbness and pain improved with PT and medical management. While mild improvement in strength was noted, weakness and atrophy persisted even on the third follow up visit 6 months after the initial appointment. He was counseled on his injury and was recommended to undergo repeat EMG testing to document recovery after his 6-month follow-up appointment. Follow-Up: The patient did not follow-up for a repeatEMG after his 6-month follow-up appointment. At that time, the patient was clinically stable, tolerating PT, and expecting recovery of his deltoid function.

Optimization of Contactless Distribution in the Post-COVID Era

During an emergency, timely and effective distribution of emergency supplies is critical in rescue. In the context of Covid-19, given the difficulties in distributing supplies to communities due to super infectious viruses, unmanned vehicle distribution is studied by taking into account the priority and satisfaction of communities to improve distribution safety and effectiveness of supplies. Furthermore, the influence of distribution time on the overall efficiency is also taken into account, thus ultimately establishing an unmanned distribution model with the shortest distribution time while meeting community satisfaction. The improved whale algorithm is used to solve the dual-objective model and compared with the basic whale optimization algorithm. The results show that the improved whale algorithm demonstrates better convergence, searchability, and stability. The constructed model can scientifically distribute daily necessities to communities while considering their priority and satisfaction. © 2022 IEEE.

Effect of BNT162b2 mRNA COVID-19 vaccine on sperm morphokinetics and DNA integrity: A prospective observational study in Japan

Objective: To assess whether the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) mRNA vaccine affects sperm morphokinetics using a computer-assisted semen analyzer and other semen parameters using a sperm chromatin structure assay. Method(s): Healthy male volunteers in two Japanese clinics between May 2021 and December 2021 were prospectively analyzed. Participants donated sperm twice, two days apart, in the following phases: before vaccination, 2 weeks after the first vaccine dose, and 2, 4, and 12 weeks after the second dose. Basic sperm parameters, sperm motility characteristics, and the percentage of DNA-damaged sperm were compared among the different phases. Result(s): Ninety-six semen samples from ten volunteers, who were vaccinated with the BNT162b2 mRNA vaccine, were evaluated. There were no significant differences between any phases in basic semen findings and parameters of the sperm chromatin structure assays. Regarding sperm motion characteristics, the average linear velocity, beat-cross frequency, and sperm motility index significantly decreased after the second vaccine dose (P=0.018, P=0.003, and P=0.027, respectively), with no significant differences between any two phases by post-hoc pairwise comparisons. Conclusion(s): After COVID-19 mRNA vaccination, while sperm motion characteristics might fluctuate, no apparent deterioration of basic sperm parameters or sperm DNA integrity was observed. Given the adverse effects of COVID-19 on sperm, our findings suggest that there might be no reason to refrain from vaccination for healthy individuals.Copyright © 2023 Asian Pacific Journal of Reproduction Produced by Wolters Kluwer- Medknow.

Edutainment Content Production Platform Based on Activity Control Using Skeleton Tracking

During the COVID-19 pandemic, the activities required for child physical development were reduced because classes were conducted remotely. Thus, an interactive edutainment content that can assist the physical and cognitive development of children in indoor environments is required. In this study, we designed an edutainment content production platform (ECPP) that allows teachers to design and produce an educational content using students' movements. Teachers can develop an educational content by analyzing and modifying the children's response to the designed edutainment content. The skeleton tracking of the human body using a depth sensor was used for the user interface and activity analysis. The proposed platform allows teachers to set images and movements for educational icons, as well as visual and sound effects that occur when a child touches the icons. The ECPP includes an activity control function that allows teachers to analyze the amounts of activity and movement, and then adjust the movement level in the edutainment content. In addition, a content management module allows teachers to store and share an interactive content.

Artificial Intelligence based prediction system for General Medicine

COVID-19 is highly infectious and has been extensively spread worldwide, with approximately 651 million definite cases crosswise the globe including Pakistan. At that era of pandemic where patients are not able to approach a doctor for even the routine checkups, in such curial situation even normal disease checkups are ignored by many families due to pandemic situations, those diseases may lead to be a perilous disease are results of it. Human disorders portray scenarios that even disturb or permanently cutoff the essential functions of a body parts. Consequently, the aim is to transform raw health data potential into actionable insights to applying the promising outcomes of Body Sensor Network (BSN) and State-of-Art Artificial Intelligence (AI) techniques to get proper medicine allocation to the particular health state of patient. In this paper the different techniques of Deep Learning and Machine Learning introduced to predict the actual medicine for the specific health state of patient according to data from the BSN. Experiments have been conducted on large dataset which shepherd it into 16 states of patient's health which will allotted to AI model to predict the medicine accordingly to the health state of patient. Experimental results show the 87.46% by Random Forest, 92.74% by K-Nearest Neighbors, 74.57% by Naive Bayes, 94.41% by Extreme Gradient Boost, 84.88% by Multi-Layer Perceptron in terms of precision of model training in event of classification. © 2023 IEEE.

Time requirements for perioperative glucose management using fully closed-loop versus standard insulin therapy: A proof-of-concept time-motion study.

AIMS: To compare the time required for perioperative glucose management using fully automated closed-loop versus standard insulin therapy. METHODS: We performed a time-motion study to quantify the time requirements for perioperative glucose management with fully closed-loop (FCL) and standard insulin therapy applied to theoretical scenarios. Following an analysis of workflows in different periods of perioperative care in elective surgery patients receiving FCL or standard insulin therapy upon hospital admission (pre- and intra-operatively, at the intermediate care unit and general wards), the time of process-specific tasks was measured by shadowing hospital staff. Each task was measured 20 times and its average duration in combination with its frequency according to guidelines was used to calculate the cumulative staff time required for blood glucose management. Cumulative time was calculated for theoretical scenarios consisting of elective minor and major abdominal surgeries (pancreatic surgery and sleeve gastrectomy, respectively) to account for the different care settings and lengths of stay. RESULTS: The FCL insulin therapy reduced the time required for perioperative glucose management compared to standard insulin therapy, across all assessed care periods and for both perioperative pathways (range 2.1-4.5). For a major abdominal surgery, total time required was 248.5 min using FCL versus 753.9 min using standard insulin therapy. For a minor abdominal surgery, total time required was 68.6 min and 133.2 min for FCL and standard insulin therapy, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: The use of fully automated closed-loop insulin delivery for inpatient glucose management has the potential to alleviate the workload of diabetes management in an environment with adequately trained staff.

Blood Quantum and Fourth Cinema: Post- and Paracolonial Zombies

Blood Quantum and the postcolonial zombie films contemporary with it provide objects of study to illustrate some of the distinctions between postcolonial horror and the horror of Indigeneity that exists concomitant with a continuing colonial occupation, often referred to as paracolonialism. Blood Quantum is the most expensive Indigenous-directed film to come from Canada, and its postponed release in theaters because of the covid-19 pandemic produced a particularly intense interest in the film and arguably positioned it as one of the most notable examples of paracolonial horror, a film that unsettles colonial esthetics and politics "to confront conventionalized regimes of representation and to engender Indigenous sovereignty." Here, Truscello and Watchman argue that director Jeff Barnaby imagines an Indigenous futurity beyond the racist settler imposition of the blood quantum regime by using a specifically Indigenous esthetic, a cinematic exemplar of the Fourth Eye.

Emerging technology as an essential factor in changing lifestyles and reshaping exercise behaviour in Taiwan

The COVID-19 pandemic has influenced various aspects of people's lives;for instance, restrictions during the pandemic have forced people to think about sports participation and physical activity in new ways. There has been growing interest in technological interventions to support exercise-related behavioural changes in daily life;in particular, exergames designed to induce full-body movement offer alternatives to physical activity. Since Taiwan has a high rate of ownership of exergame-related equipment, it is worth examining players' perceptions of using exergames for exercise. This study utilised a Means-End Chain analysis with in-depth laddering interviews to investigate Taiwanese perceptions of certain attributes of exergames as most likely to produce desired consequences in accordance with their values. The findings provide researchers and practitioners interested in the use of technology for exercise with valuable implications of Means-End Chain theory and structuration theory and suggestions for exergame design and promotion.