Weighted Pointer: Error-aware Gaze-based Interaction through Fallback Modalities.

Gaze-based interaction is a fast and ergonomic type of hands-free interaction that is often used with augmented and virtual reality when pointing at targets. Such interaction, however, can be cumbersome whenever user, tracking, or environmental factors cause eye tracking errors. Recent research has suggested that fallback modalities could be leveraged to ensure stable interaction irrespective of the current level of eye tracking error. This work thus presents Weighted Pointer interaction, a collection of error-aware pointing techniques that determine whether pointing should be performed by gaze, a fallback modality, or a combination of the two, depending on the level of eye tracking error that is present. These techniques enable users to accurately point at targets when eye tracking is accurate and inaccurate. A virtual reality target selection study demonstrated that Weighted Pointer techniques were more performant and preferred over techniques that required the use of manual modality switching.

Biventricular assessment of light-chain amyloidosis using 3D speckle tracking echocardiography: Differentiation from other forms of myocardial hypertrophy.

BACKGROUND: Given that in patients with cardiac amyloidosis (CA), deposition of amyloid protein is not restricted to the left ventricular (LV) myocardium, it can be hypothesized that the diagnostic value of deformation mechanics would be enhanced by considering right ventricular (RV) strain measures. The aim of the present study was to examine the potential utility of left ventricular (LV) and right ventricular (RV) deformation and rotational parameters derived from three-dimensional speckle-tracking echocardiograph (3DSTE) to diagnose cardiac amyloidosis and differentiate this disease from other forms of myocardial hypertrophy. METHODS: Twenty-three patients with biopsy-proven light-chain (AL) amyloidosis, 23 patients with systemic arterial hypertension (HTN), 23 patients with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM), 23 athletes and 23 normal controls were prospectively studied by conventional echocardiography and 3DSTE. LV longitudinal strain (LV LS), LV circumferential strain (LV CS), RV global longitudinal strain and RV free-wall longitudinal strain (RV FW LS) were obtained by 3DSTE, as well as LV rotation and rotational velocities. RESULTS: LV and RV longitudinal strains were reduced in cardiac amyloidosis (CA) patients compared to controls. By multivariate analysis, LV basal LS (p = 0.002), LV peak basal rotation (p = 0.003), and RV basal FW LS (p = 0.014) were independently associated with CA in the overall population. A significant improvement in global χ2 value was noted with RV 3D-strain parameters over only LV-3DSTE + conventional indices for detection of CA (p < 0.001). Comparison of ROC curves showed that the AUC using combined LV basal LS, LV basal rotation and RV basal FW LS had a higher discriminative value than the other echocardiographic parameters used for detecting CA (AUC 0.93, 95%CI 0.81-0.97). CONCLUSIONS: Three-dimensional speckle tracking echocardiography reveals regional and global biventricular dysfunction in CA. Assessment of RV ventricular dysfunction has an additive value in differentiating CA from other causes of myocardial wall thickening.

Feeling the Beat: Bouncing Synchronization to Vibrotactile Music in Hearing and Early Deaf People.

The ability to dance relies on the ability to synchronize movements to a perceived musical beat. Typically, beat synchronization is studied with auditory stimuli. However, in many typical social dancing situations, music can also be perceived as vibrations when objects that generate sounds also generate vibrations. This vibrotactile musical perception is of particular relevance for deaf people, who rely on non-auditory sensory information for dancing. In the present study, we investigated beat synchronization to vibrotactile electronic dance music in hearing and deaf people. We tested seven deaf and 14 hearing individuals on their ability to bounce in time with the tempo of vibrotactile stimuli (no sound) delivered through a vibrating platform. The corresponding auditory stimuli (no vibrations) were used in an additional condition in the hearing group. We collected movement data using a camera-based motion capture system and subjected it to a phase-locking analysis to assess synchronization quality. The vast majority of participants were able to precisely time their bounces to the vibrations, with no difference in performance between the two groups. In addition, we found higher performance for the auditory condition compared to the vibrotactile condition in the hearing group. Our results thus show that accurate tactile-motor synchronization in a dance-like context occurs regardless of auditory experience, though auditory-motor synchronization is of superior quality.

Assessment of ascending aorta wall stiffness in hypertensive patients by tissue Doppler imaging and strain Doppler echocardiography.

BACKGROUND: Aortic stiffness may be associated with an increased incidence of cardiovascular events and has been reported to be related to arterial wall motion velocities as measured by tissue Doppler imaging. OBJECTIVE: To investigate the potential clinical application of tissue Doppler imaging (TDI) for assessment of aortic function parameters in healthy and hypertensive adults. METHODS: 110 hypertensive and 80 healthy adults were examined. Pulse wave velocity (PWV) and augmentation index (Aix) were measured as standard parameters of arterial stiffness by an oscillometric system. Aortic M-mode and TDI parameters were measured. Aortic distensibility (D) and aortic stiffness index (SI) were calculated using accepted formulae. Anterior wall aortic expansion velocity (S(Ao)), acceleration time (AT(Ao)), early (E(Ao)) and late (A(Ao)) diastolic retraction velocity and peak systolic radial strain (epsilon(Ao)) were determined. Comprehensive echocardiography was performed for the assessment of left ventricular (LV) systolic/diastolic function. RESULTS: S(Ao), E(Ao) and e(Ao) were significantly lower in hypertensive subjects (p<.001, p<.001, and p<.0001, respectively). Reduced D (p<.05 vs controls) and increased PWV (p<.05 vs controls) and SI (p<.01 vs controls) were consistent with evidence of increased aortic stiffness in both male and female hypertensive patients. PWV and Aix increased and D decreased with increasing age or systolic blood pressure. Multivariate analysis showed epsilon(Ao) to be independently related (R2 = 0.63) to pulse pressure, LV mass index and diastolic function. CONCLUSION: Ascending aorta TDI provides wall velocity and strain data differentiating hypertensive from healthy adults and reflecting aortic compliance changes related to age and sex and LV diastolic function.

Combination of intensive cognitive rehabilitation and donepezil therapy in Alzheimer's disease (AD).

Acetylcholinesterase inhibitors (AchEIs) are extensively used in Alzheimer's disease (AD) while reality orientation therapy (ROT) is a cognitive rehabilitation indicated for mentally deteriorated patients. We aimed to evaluate the efficacy of the combination of donepezil with an intensive ROT with active participation of the caregiver. Patients with AD (n=100, mean age 78.4±4.3 years) initiated treatment with donepezil, 5mg/day; 62 of them underwent a 3-week, daily ROT and physical reactivation training with the caregiver (Group A); 38 participants received only donepezil therapy (Group B). All subjects were tested for cognitive and functional abilities at baseline, at the end of the training program, and after 2 months of follow-up. There was a significant improvement in mini-mental state examination (MMSE) score (p<0.001) and the AD assessment scale-cognitive (ADAS-Cog) subscale (p<0.001), without changes in impaired activity of daily living (ADL) and instrumental ADL (IADL) after intensive ROT training in Group A. MMSE was maintained after 2 months in-home ROT continuation. There were no significant changes in MMSE in drug-only treated patients (Group B) after 3 weeks, with a non-significant tendency to improvement in ADAS-Cog. Our results suggest benefit of an intensive ROT program in dementia patients receiving donepezil that seems to be maintained as far as ROT is continued by the caregiver.

The Caregiver Burden Inventory in evaluating the burden of caregivers of elderly demented patients: results from a multicenter study.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: The burden perceived by caregivers of patients with dementia is a fundamental prognostic aspect in the history of the disease. The aim of this study was to demonstrate the internal consistency of the Caregiver Burden Inventory (CBI), a scale used to quantify burdens in different aspects of a caregiver's life, and the influence of patients' and caregivers' characteristics on its different dimensions. METHODS: In this cross-sectional study, 419 demented patients and their caregivers were evaluated in 16 geriatric centers in Italy. Cognitive status and behavioral disturbances were assessed by the Mini Mental State Examination (MMSE) and Neuropsychiatric Inventory (NPI), respectively. Activities of Daily Living (ADL) and Instrumental Activities of Daily Living (IADL) were also evaluated. Comorbidity was assessed by the Cumulative Illness Rating Scale (CIRS). The severity of dementia was evaluated by the Clinical Dementia Rating (CDR) score. Caregiver distress due to the behavioral problems of the patient was assessed by the Neuropsychiatric Inventory-Distress, a subscale of the NPI which evaluates stress caused by each behavioral disturbance of the patient, and by the Brief Symptom Inventory which evaluates anxiety and depression. Burden was evaluated by the CBI. RESULTS: The CBI showed very high internal consistency (Cronbach's alpha value > 0.80). Factor analysis showed that the items clustered into four dimensions, and not five as originally proposed. Multiple regression analysis revealed that patients' behavioral disturbances and disability were the major predictors of the time-dependent burden; the psychophysical burden was explained mainly by caregiver anxiety and depression. CONCLUSIONS: The CBI proved to be an effective multidimensional tool for evaluating the impact of burden on many aspects of caregivers' lives.