Adaptive Aid Research Articles

The Srgb Color Space Based Density Analysis for Brain Tumor Segmentation

One of the important areas of study in medical image processing is early disease detection and diagnosis. A subfield of medical image processing includes the brain tumour segmentation procedure. Medical professionals have an efficient means of diagnosing illnesses because to computer vision and machine learning technology. The Srgb based density analysis is used in this study to isolate the area of brain tumours in MRI images. To differentiate the tumour area from the surrounding area, the intensity values of the input are normalised using the Gaussian filter and the Srgb colour space. In brain MRI samples, the adaptive threshold approach aids in locating potential tumour space. By calculating region parameters like area and density function, the actual space occupied by brain tumours is recovered. Ultimately, by applying morphological functions and removing potential false positives, the accurate tumour space is identified. Recall, accuracy, and F-measure are a few of the performance indicators that are used to evaluate how effective the suggested strategy.

Design and Experimental Validation of an Adaptive Multi-Layer Neural Network Observer-Based Fast Terminal Sliding Mode Control for Quadrotor System

This study considers the numerical design and practical implementation of a new multi-layer neural network observer-based control design technique for unmanned aerial vehicles systems. Initially, an adaptive multi-layer neural network-based Luenberger observer is designed for state estimation by employing a modified back-propagation algorithm. The proposed observer’s adaptive nature aids in mitigating the impact of noise, disturbance, and parameter variations, which are usually not considered by conventional observers. Based on the observed states, a nonlinear dynamic inversion-based fast terminal sliding mode controller is designed to attain the desired attitude and position tracking control. This is done by employing a two-loop control structure. Numerical simulations are conducted to demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed scheme in the presence of disturbance, parameter uncertainty, and noise. The numerical results are compared with current approaches, demonstrating the superiority of the proposed method. In order to assess the practical effectiveness of the proposed method, hardware-in-loop simulations are conducted by utilizing a Pixhawk 6X flight controller that interfaces with the mission planner software. Finally, experiments are conducted on a real F450 quadrotor in a secured laboratory environment, demonstrating stability and good tracking performance of the proposed MLNN observer-based SMC control scheme.

Voice user interfaces for effortless navigation in medical virtual reality environments

In various situations, such as clinical environments with sterile conditions or when hands are occupied with multiple devices, traditional methods of navigation and scene adjustment are impractical or even impossible. We explore a new solution by using voice control to facilitate interaction in virtual worlds to avoid the use of additional controllers. Therefore, we investigate three scenarios: Object Orientation, Visualization Customization, and Analytical Tasks and evaluate whether natural language interaction is possible and promising in each of these scenarios. In our quantitative user study participants were able to control virtual environments effortlessly using verbal instructions. This resulted in rapid orientation adjustments, adaptive visual aids, and accurate data analysis. In addition, user satisfaction and usability surveys showed consistently high levels of acceptance and ease of use. In conclusion, our study shows that the use of natural language can be a promising alternative for the improvement of user interaction in virtual environments. It enables intuitive interactions in virtual spaces, especially in situations where traditional controls have limitations.

Hearing at the Mall: Multibeam Processing Technology Improves Hearing Group Conversations in a Real-World Food Court Environment.

This study aimed to evaluate conversation hearing with an adaptive beamforming hearing aid that supports adaptive tracking of multiple talkers in an ecologically valid, real-world food court environment in a busy mall. Twenty older adult experienced hearing aid wearers with sensorineural hearing loss were fitted in the lab with binaural receiver-in-the-canal style hearing aids set with two programs, each having a different beamforming strategy. The participant and two researchers then met in a moderately noisy and reverberant food court at a local mall where the participant was asked to listen to a conversation between the two researchers. Participants rated the extent of their agreement with 10 positively worded statements specific to the conversation twice, once for each program. Participants then provided program-preference ratings for seven different aspects of a conversation during which the programs were switched back and forth by the researcher, so that participants were unaware of the condition to which they were listening. Real-world subjective ratings for all domains resulted in positive values on average for both programs. Pairwise comparisons indicated that the intervention algorithm had higher absolute ratings on five of the 10 criteria including understanding, clarity, focus, listening effort, and background noise. Ratings for preference between programs indicated a significant preference for the intervention algorithm for all seven criteria. In a real-world setting, the use of hearing aids with separate processing of sounds from the front and back hemisphere provided positive subjective ratings. However, following a group conversation with multiple conversation partners, improvements in the algorithm to account for the locations of interlocutors and the natural head turning of the hearing aid wearer that occurs during a conversation by adding and controlling multiple adaptive beams in the front hemisphere significantly influenced preference for all aspects rated.

Model-free visual servoing based on active disturbance rejection control and adaptive estimator for robotic manipulation without calibration

PurposeVisual feedback control is a promising solution for robots work in unstructured environments, and this is accomplished by estimation of the time derivative relationship between the image features and the robot moving. While some of the drawbacks associated with most visual servoing (VS) approaches include the vision–motor mapping computation and the robots’ dynamic performance, the problem of designing optimal and more effective VS systems still remains challenging. Thus, the purpose of this paper is to propose and evaluate the VS method for robots in an unstructured environment.Design/methodology/approachThis paper presents a new model-free VS control of a robotic manipulator, for which an adaptive estimator aid by network learning is proposed using online estimation of the vision–motor mapping relationship in an environment without the knowledge of statistical noise. Based on the adaptive estimator, a model-free VS schema was constructed by introducing an active disturbance rejection control (ADRC). In our schema, the VS system was designed independently of the robot kinematic model.FindingsThe various simulations and experiments were conducted to verify the proposed approach by using an eye-in-hand robot manipulator without calibration and vision depth information, which can improve the autonomous maneuverability of the robot and also allow the robot to adapt its motion according to the image feature changes in real time. In the current method, the image feature trajectory was stable in the camera field range, and the robot’s end motion trajectory did not exhibit shock retreat. The results showed that the steady-state errors of image features was within 19.74 pixels, the robot positioning was stable within 1.53 mm and 0.0373 rad and the convergence rate of the control system was less than 7.21 s in real grasping tasks.Originality/valueCompared with traditional Kalman filtering for image-based VS and position-based VS methods, this paper adopts the model-free VS method based on the adaptive mapping estimator combination with the ADRC controller, which is effective for improving the dynamic performance of robot systems. The proposed model-free VS schema is suitable for robots’ grasping manipulation in unstructured environments.

European Achondroplasia Forum Practical Considerations for Following Adults with Achondroplasia.

Achondroplasia is a lifelong condition requiring lifelong management. There is consensus that infants and children with achondroplasia should be managed by a multidisciplinary team experienced in the condition. However, many people are lost to follow-up after the transition from paediatric to adult care, and there is no standardised approach for management in adults, despite the recent availability of international consensus guidelines. To address this, the European Achondroplasia Forum has developed a patient-held checklist to support adults with achondroplasia in managing their health. The checklist highlights key symptoms of spinal stenosis and obstructive sleep apnoea, both among the most frequent and potentially severe medical complications in adults with achondroplasia. The checklist acts as a framework to support individuals and their primary care provider in completing a routine review. General advice on issues such as blood pressure, pain, hearing, weight, adaptive aids, and psychosocial aspects are also included. The checklist provides key symptoms to be aware of, in addition to action points so that people can approach their primary care provider and be directed to the appropriate specialist, if needed. Additionally, the European Achondroplasia Forum offers some ideas on implementing the checklist during the transition from paediatric to adult care, thus ensuring the existing multidisciplinary team model in place during childhood can support in engaging individuals and empowering them to take responsibility for their own care as they move into adulthood.

A reconfigurable multi-terrain adaptive casualty transport aid base on Watt II six-bar linkage for industrial environment.

Introduction: This paper presents the Reconfigurable Multi-Terrain Adaptive Casualty Transport Aid (RMTACTA), an innovative solution addressing the critical need for rapid and safe pre-hospital casualty transport in industrial environments. The RMTACTA, leveraging the Watt II six-bar linkage, offers enhanced adaptability through six modes of motion, overcoming the limitations of traditional stretchers and stretcher vehicles by facilitating navigation across narrow and challenging terrains. Methods: The RMTACTA's design incorporates two branching four-bar mechanisms to form a compact, reconfigurable Watt II six-bar linkage mechanism. This setup is controlled via a single remote rope, allowing for easy transition between its multiple operational modes, including stretcher, stretcher vehicle, folding, gangway-passing, obstacle-crossing, and upright modes. The mechanical design and kinematics of this innovative linkage are detailed, alongside an analysis of the optimal design and mechanical evaluation of rope control. Results: A prototype of the RMTACTA was developed, embodying the proposed mechanical and kinematic solutions. Preliminary tests were conducted to verify the prototype's feasibility and operability across different terrains, demonstrating its capability to safely and efficiently transport casualties. Discussion: The development of the proposed Reconfigurable Multi-Terrain Adaptive Casualty Transport Aid (RMTACTA) introduces a novel perspective on the design of emergency medical transport robots and the enhancement of casualty evacuation strategies. Its innovative application of the Watt II six-bar linkage mechanism not only showcases the RMTACTA's versatility across varied terrains but also illuminates its potential utility in critical scenarios such as earthquake relief, maritime rescue, and battlefield medical support.

Design of integral sliding mode control and fuzzy adaptive PI control for voltage stability in DC microgrid

This paper introduces a novel control strategy that merges integral sliding mode control with fuzzy adaptive PI control. This hybrid approach maximizes the benefits of both techniques to ensure voltage stability in DC microgrid. Firstly, a mathematical model characterizes the DC–DC boost converter. Subsequently, a sliding surface, incorporating an integral term, is employed to regulate the converter’s output voltage and current errors. To address uncertainties stemming from factors like input inductance and output capacitance, a dynamic sliding mode controller is formulated. The proposed sliding mode control scheme significantly reduces the time required for voltage stability, curbs system oscillations, and showcases robustness. Furthermore, the inclusion of fuzzy adaptive PI control aids in refining the voltage deviation signal and droop resistance. This enhancement improves the precision of the error tracking system. Finally, the effectiveness of this strategy is demonstrated through MATLAB simulations, supported by experimental validation and analysis. The findings reveal that this control strategy efficiently accelerates the convergence of DC microgrid voltage to a stable state.

O.1.2-7 Optimization of older adults home spaces

Abstract Purpose There is a lack of studies focused explicitly on the impact of the home physical environment on older adults’ sedentary behaviour (SB) and physical activity (PA). Therefore, the present study aims to investigate older adults’ perception of their home environment and its impact on their PA and SB. Methods A qualitative exploratory research design, based on in-depth interviews (IDIs) and focus groups discussions (FGDs) with older adults was conducted from 1st August 2022 to 31st December 2022. We identified four major themes: (I) Home layout and PA, (II) Space designation within the home, (III) Electronic equipment, furniture and material within the home space, (IV) Changing infrastructure within the home space. We analysed the data through reflexive thematic analysis using NVivo 10 software. Results Older adults valued the physical environment, and they managed their indoor space to control environment by structuring and restructuring to make it conducive for PA. Outdoor space such as garden was also an important factor for older adults’ PA. Moreover, older adults being autonomous and without any restrictions spent a substantial amount of time on utilizing electronic media. Further modification (such as adaptive aids, modification in the bathroom and etc) within the home space assist them in daily activities. Conclusion The findings suggest that both indoor and outdoor space play an important role in enhancing PA level and minimizing SB. Although space is important but how space is used, and its intention of use is also very crucial. The study finding also supported and recommended the notion of ‘think small for large effects’ within the home space. Instead of building the indoor facilities (such as indoor gyms, swimming pool and etc) older adults should mapped out small-scale activities such as avoiding screens in bedroom or removing clutter to increase space for activity.

The effect of adaptive aids on different levels of students’ performance in a virtual reality chemistry laboratory

The effect of adaptive aids on different levels of students’ performance in a virtual reality chemistry laboratory

A Systematic Comparison of High-End and Low-Cost EEG Amplifiers for Concealed, Around-the-Ear EEG Recordings.

Wearable electroencephalography (EEG) has the potential to improve everyday life through brain-computer interfaces (BCI) for applications such as sleep improvement, adaptive hearing aids, or thought-based digital device control. To make these innovations more practical for everyday use, researchers are looking to miniaturized, concealed EEG systems that can still collect neural activity precisely. For example, researchers are using flexible EEG electrode arrays that can be attached around the ear (cEEGrids) to study neural activations in everyday life situations. However, the use of such concealed EEG approaches is limited by measurement challenges such as reduced signal amplitudes and high recording system costs. In this article, we compare the performance of a lower-cost open-source amplification system, the OpenBCI Cyton+Daisy boards, with a benchmark amplifier, the MBrainTrain Smarting Mobi. Our results show that the OpenBCI system is a viable alternative for concealed EEG research, with highly similar noise performance, but slightly lower timing precision. This system can be a great option for researchers with a smaller budget and can, therefore, contribute significantly to advancing concealed EEG research.

Remote Cognitive Adaptation Training During and After COVID-19.

Remote Cognitive Adaptation Training During and After COVID-19.

Least Restrictive Adaptation Model: Anything You Need You Can Find in the Kitchen Drawer (First printed inRE:view, 36(2), 63–69.)

Least Restrictive Adaptation Model: Anything You Need You Can Find in the Kitchen Drawer (First printed in<i>RE:view</i>, 36(2), 63–69.)

Adaptive Hearing Aid Benefit in Children With Mild/Moderate Hearing Loss: A Registered, Double-Blind, Randomized Clinical Trial.

We completed a registered double-blind randomized control trial to compare acclimatization to two hearing aid fitting algorithms by experienced pediatric hearing aid users with mild to moderate hearing loss. We hypothesized that extended use (up to 13 months) of an adaptive algorithm with integrated directionality and noise reduction, OpenSound Navigator (OSN), would result in improved performance on auditory, cognitive, academic, and caregiver- or self-report measures compared with a control, omnidirectional algorithm (OMNI). Forty children aged 6 to 13 years with mild to moderate/severe symmetric sensorineural hearing loss completed this study. They were all experienced hearing aid users and were recruited through the Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center Division of Audiology. The children were divided into 20 pairs based on similarity of age (within 1 year) and hearing loss (level and configuration). Individuals from each pair were randomly assigned to either an OSN (experimental) or OMNI (control) fitting algorithm group. Each child completed an audiology evaluation, hearing aid fitting using physically identical Oticon OPN hearing aids, follow-up audiological appointment, and 2 research visits up to 13 months apart. Research visit outcome measures covered speech perception (in quiet and in noise), novel grammar and word learning, cognition, academic ability, and caregiver report of listening behaviors. Analysis of outcome differences between visits, groups, ages, conditions and their interactions used linear mixed models. Between 22 and 39 children provided useable data for each task. Children using the experimental (OSN) algorithm did not show any significant performance differences on the outcome measures compared with those using the control (OMNI) algorithm. Overall performance of all children in the study increased across the duration of the trial on word repetition in noise, sentence repetition in quiet, and caregivers' assessment of hearing ability. There was a significant negative relationship between age at first hearing aid use, final Reading and Mathematical ability, and caregiver rated speech hearing. A significant positive relationship was found between daily hearing aid use and study-long change in performance on the Flanker test of inhibitory control and attention. Logged daily use of hearing aids related to caregiver rated spatial hearing. All results controlled for age at testing/evaluation and false discovery rate. Use of the experimental (OSN) algorithm neither enhanced nor reduced performance on auditory, cognitive, academic or caregiver report measures compared with the control (OMNI) algorithm. However, prolonged hearing aid use led to benefits in hearing, academic skills, attention, and caregiver evaluation.

Twenty Years Into the 21st Century – Tech-related Accommodations for College Students with Mental Health and Other Disabilities

Virtually all North American two- and four-year colleges provide accommodations to their increasing numbers of students with disabilities. To explore technology and non-technology related accommodations for these students we surveyed 118 Canadian two- and four-year college students who self-reported at least one disability, including a mental health related disability, and indicated that they had registered for access services from their college. Seventy-four students without disabilities were included in some analyses. Our findings reveal emerging issues such as non-binary gender and multiple comorbidities, in addition to more targeted recommendations concerning technology use. For example, over half of our sample self-reported multiple disabilities; there is a large number of students with mental health related disabilities (e.g., anxiety disorders, mood disorders), many of whom have comorbid disabilities; binary (male, female) gender designations are outdated; and exam and classroom accommodations without technologies are still the most popular. Grades of students with and without disabilities did not differ. Similarly, the number of different types of accommodations in two- and four-year colleges did not differ. Students generally had high technology related self-efficacy and they saw the substantial benefit of technologies, especially of writing tools. Students with mental health related disability used somewhat fewer technologies for reading, writing and time management. Self-efficacy and perceived benefit were highest for writing technologies. General use technologies such as Microsoft Office and Google Docs that were reported by most students in this study are increasingly used as adaptive aids. In future, use of technology related accommodations is likely to include showing students how to use general use software.

Optimizing aid activation in adaptive and non-adaptive aiding systems: A framework for design and validation

Development of adaptive aids to support human performance in complex systems is a cornerstone of human factors. Research in this area has led to a diversity of ideas regarding potential activation methods. However, little guidance has been provided on how to select among aid activation methods, and this lack of guidance could hinder adaptive aid development and deployment. Within the current paper, we review available methods of aid activation and describe a process for developing and validating adaptive aiding systems. We focus on supporting system designers who wish to select the ideal aid activation method for an intended application. The process that we recommend is an empirical approach to evaluate the feasibility, costs, and benefits of various potential methods of aid activation. This methodological framework will support practitioners making critical decisions about the design of aiding systems.

ADVERT: An Adaptive and Data-Driven Attention Enhancement Mechanism for Phishing Prevention

Attacks exploiting the innate and the acquired vulnerabilities of human users have posed severe threats to cybersecurity. This work proposes ADVERT, a human-technical solution that generates adaptive visual aids in real-time to prevent users from inadvertence and reduce their susceptibility to phishing attacks. Based on the eye-tracking data, we extract visual states and attention states as system-level sufficient statistics to characterize the user's visual behaviors and attention status. By adopting a data-driven approach and two learning feedback of different time scales, this work lays out a theoretical foundation to analyze, evaluate, and particularly modify humans' attention processes while they vet and recognize phishing emails. We corroborate the effectiveness, efficiency, and robustness of ADVERT through a case study based on the data set collected from human subject experiments conducted at New York University. The results show that the visual aids can statistically increase the attention level and improve the accuracy of phishing recognition from 74.6% to a minimum of 86%. The meta-adaptation can further improve the accuracy to 91.5% (resp. 93.7%) in less than 3 (resp. 50) tuning stages.

Development of the DREAM System: Digital Reminders for Everyday Activity Memory

Prospective memory, the ability to remember to execute an intention in the future, is crucial for the performance of many everyday tasks important for independent living. Prospective memory abilities decline with age, and older adults living with mild cognitive impairment (MCI), cognitive impairment due to traumatic brain injury (TBI), and cognitive impairment due to stroke are especially susceptible to prospective memory failures. The goal of the Digital Reminders for Everyday Activity Memory (DREAM) project is first to establish proof of concept for an adaptive cognitive aid to support the prospective memory of older adults with various cognitive impairments, and then establish proof of product in studies examining the use of a working prototype within the lab and within participants’ homes. Data will be presented from initial work verifying product requirements through engagement with stakeholders, including subject matter experts, older adults with cognitive impairments, and their care partners.

Recent Development in the Management of Osteoarthritis - Overview of Nanoformulation Approaches.

Aim/Objectives: Osteoarthritis (OA) is a degenerative disease of joints affecting over 7% of the world population, especially females, contributing to 2% of years lived with disability (YLD's) globally due to pain and impaired movement of limbs viz. hip, shoulder, and knee joint. The present review explores the nano-formulation approaches to improve the therapeutic efficacy of drugs for the treatment of osteoarthritis. Results and Discussion: The high treatment cost of osteoarthritis not only includes medication but also physiotherapy, adaptive aids, and devices or even surgery that further amounts to the loss of work hours. These medications are only treated symptomatically. Various nanocarriers have created interest of reasearchers in improving the bioavailability of active drugs, thereby, therapeutically improving the action and possible reduction of dose and side effects. Various nanocarriers are available viz. liposome, noisome, transferosome, hydrogel, microemulsion, and nanoparticle formulations for intraarticular, topical, and oral delivery for osteoarthritis treatment. Methods and Conclusion: This article focuses on novel approaches, such as lipid-based formulations and nano- or microparticles as treatment strategies to minimize side effects by using carriers viz. liposome, noisome, transferosome, hydrogel, microemulsion, and nanoparticle formulations for intraarticular, topical, and even oral delivery.

Adaptive and transformative learning in environmental water management: Implementing the Crocodile River’s Ecological Reserve in Kruger National Park, South Africa

Freshwater biodiversity loss in the Anthropocene escalates the need for successful environmental water management to sustain human benefitting ecosystem services. Of the world’s river basins, one-third are now severely water depleted, rendering the quality and quantity of water to maintain or restore freshwater ecosystem integrity increasingly urgent. However, managing environmental water is intricate because of complexity and uncertainty in interacting social and biophysical system components, and trade-offs between costs and benefits of implementing environmental flows. Learning enabled adaptive management – embracing the uncertainty – is essential; however, practising adaptive management (worldwide) is challenging; single-, double- and triple-loop learning is required, along with social learning, to tackle complex problems. There is progressive realisation of environmental flows (Ecological Reserve) in the Crocodile River, South Africa, linked to the Kruger National Park, using Strategic Adaptive Management (SAM). In this research article, we reflected on adaptive (single- and double-loop) learning and transformative (triple-loop) learning capacity emergent in SAM between 2009 and 2019 whilst also considering social learning potentials. We found evidence of preconditions (e.g. transparency) for social learning within a burgeoning stakeholder ‘community-of-practice’, likely fostering capacities (e.g. information sharing) for sustained social learning. Adaptive and transformative learning is enabled by social learning, underpinned by ongoing nested feedbacks supporting assessment and reflection, which facilitates single-, double- and triple-loop learning. Champions exist and are vital for sustaining the adaptive management system. Executing adaptive and transformative learning aids in positive change across the range of ecological, social and economic outcomes that are essential for success in environmental water programmes, worldwide. Conservation implications: Crocodile River Ecological Reserve implementation, associated with Kruger National Park, provided an important national precedent (lessons) for protecting the ecological integrity of river systems – obligatory under the National Water Act (Act No 36 of 1998). We demonstrated the importance of ongoing stakeholder learning for successful management of the Ecological Reserve.