Cognitive Services Research Articles

Telehealth memory clinics in primary healthcare: real-world experiences from low-resource settings in Greece

BackgroundThe role of primary healthcare is pivotal in the management of the surge of dementia prevalence particularly in low-resource areas. In this study, two telehealth-based memory clinics in primary healthcare operating within the frames of the INTegRated InterveNtion of pSychogerIatric Care (INTRINSIC) are presented.MethodsThe first clinic, which is led by a general practitioner, operates at a primary healthcare center in a semi-mountainous area and closely collaborates with the geriatric psychiatry outpatient clinic of the Patras University General Hospital via a telehealth medicine platform. The second clinic is embedded at the General Hospital Center for Interconnected Psychiatric Support on the island of Syros, is led by registered nurses, and is interconnected with the geriatric psychiatry unit at the Eginition University Hospital in Athens.ResultsBoth memory clinics are in their infancy. At the general practitioner-led memory clinic, 13 beneficiaries were assessed and treated during the first 6 months of its operation. Cognitive decline and depressive and/or anxiety symptoms were detected in 10 and eight individuals, respectively. In 9 of the 27 beneficiaries of the registered nurse-led memory clinic, either mild cognitive impairment or dementia was diagnosed, while affective and/or anxiety symptoms were detected in almost all of them. Of note, only 14 beneficiaries of both clinics had received a diagnosis of a mental or neurocognitive disorder prior to their assessment at the memory clinics.ConclusionDeveloping memory clinics in primary healthcare may be a pragmatic strategy to improve access of older adults living in low-resource areas to cognitive healthcare services.

A systematic analysis of neurologic manifestations of Long COVID in Nigeria.

Long COVID, also called post-acute sequelae of SARS-CoV-2 infection (PASC) affects millions of people in the world. The neurologic manifestations of PASC (Neuro-PASC) are among the most debilitating but they are largely unreported in Africa. We sought to compare the demographics, symptoms and cognitive profile of post-hospitalization Neuro-PASC (PNP) and non-hospitalized Neuro-PASC (NNP) patients in Nigeria. In this cross-sectional study performed at the Lagos University Teaching Hospital, 106/2319 (4.6%) SARS-CoV-2 positive individuals contacted via telephone reported Neuro-PASC symptoms with a higher frequency in PNP than in NNP individuals ((23/200 (11.5%) vs. 83/2119 (3.9%), p = < 0.0001). The predominant neurologic symptoms at any time during the disease course were difficulty remembering / brain fog (63/106; 59.4%), fatigue (59/106; 55.7%), sleep problems (34/106; 32%), headache (33/106; 31%), paresthesia (12/106; 11.3%), and myalgia (10/106; 9.4%). Of 66 participants with Neuro-PASC who underwent in-person neurological evaluation and cognitive screening, all had normal scores on the Intervention for Dementia in Elderly Africans cognition screen, while 11/65 (16.9%) that completed the Montreal Cognitive Assessment had results consistent with mild cognitive impairment (3/16 PNP (18.8%) and 8/49 NNP (16.3%); p = 1.0). Finally, 47/66 (71.2%) had digit span test scores consistent with mild cognitive dysfunction (12/16 PNP (75%) and 35/50 (70%) NNP; p = 1.0). Our findings reveal the previously unrecognized occurrence of Neuro-PASC among COVID-19 survivors in Nigeria and highlight the need for improved screening and diagnosis of Neuro-PASC in our population. Development of cognitive support services for persons suffering from Neuro-PASC in Nigeria is warranted.

Factors Related to Rehabilitation Adherence in Pediatric Cancer: A Systematic Review

Background: Rehabilitation is crucial for improving the functional outcomes of children and adolescents with cancer. An understanding of factors related to rehabilitation adherence is needed to improve intervention design and effectiveness, and decrease healthcare costs. Therefore, this systematic review aims to identify factors related to pediatric cancer rehabilitation adherence. Methods: Based upon the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-analyses (PRISMA) guidelines, a search of MEDLINE and CINAHL was completed in January 2023, including terms of pediatrics, cancer, rehabilitation, and adherence. Study eligibility included: (1) published after 2011, (2) English language, (3) a physical therapy, occupational therapy, speech-language pathology, cognitive or exercise intervention or service, (4) mean age ≤18 years old, within 5 years of a cancer diagnosis, and (5) measurement and reporting of adherence factors. Study quality was evaluated using the Joanna Briggs Critical Appraisal Tools. Results: The review included 13 studies providing interventions to 318 children. Most of the interventions were related to exercise. Adherence levels of supervised sessions ranged from 61% to 91%. Unsupervised intervention adherence was not a common outcome, but the reported measurements ranged widely (&lt;1-72%). The classification of factors associated with adherence included organizational, treatment, and personal factors. Common barriers to adherence were fatigue, illness, time and motivation. Facilitators of adherence included peer or caregiver support and supervision. Conclusion: Additional research is needed to investigate the factors related to rehabilitation intervention adherence, especially factors beyond exercise and those associated with unsupervised interventions. Standardized measures are crucial to ensure the reliability and comparability of findings.

Extended Reality Educational System with Virtual Teacher Interaction for Enhanced Learning

Advancements in technology that can reshape educational paradigms, with Extended Reality (XR) have a pivotal role. This paper introduces an interactive XR intelligent assistant featuring a virtual teacher that interacts dynamically with PowerPoint presentations using OpenAI’s ChatGPT API. The system incorporates Azure Cognitive Services for multilingual speech-to-text and text-to-speech capabilities, custom lip-syncing solutions, eye gaze, head rotation and gestures. Additionally, panoramic images can be used as a sky box giving the illusion that the AI assistant is located at another location. Findings from three pilots indicate that the proposed technology has a lot of potential to be used as an additional tool for enhancing the learning process. However, special care must be taken into privacy and ethical issues.

Cognitive customer profiling at the edge: Challenges and research directions

The proliferation of automated services and applications has generated large amounts of data that must be handled with artificial intelligence and machine learning techniques, impacting businesses in different fields. Cognitive customer profiling services allow a better user experience enabling the tailoring of the customer experience to specific consumer patterns and preferences. Cognitive customer profiling services require heavy processing power in order to get accurate results from the artificial intelligence/machine learning models, which has led to services taking advantage of the cloud-to-edge continuum. This trending approach brings a set of challenges that have to be addressed. The more recent edge intelligence paradigm introduces artificial intelligence capacities to edge nodes, enabling a new set of solutions. However, artificial intelligence techniques must be adapted to deal with the specific characteristics of these scenarios. This paper identifies the challenges of running cognitive customer profiling in centralized scenarios, such as the cloud, to later introduce other approaches more suited for scenarios like the edge, identifying challenges and future research directions in the area.

P41: Loss of Fornix White-Matter Integrity is Associated with Impulse Dyscontrol in Cognitively Normal Older Adults

Introduction: Mild behavioral impairment (MBI), and particularly its impulse dyscontrol domain, has been linked to brain alterations suggestive of Alzheimer’s disease (AD) in subjects without dementia. We aimed to analyze the association of impulse dyscontrol with the loss of integrity in white-matter brain tracts in a group of cognitively normal older adults.Materials and Methods: Using linear regression models, we analyzed the effect of impulse dyscontrol scores (using the MBI-Checklist, MBI-C) on diffusivity metrics (fractional anisotropy, FA; mean diffusivity) controlling for age and sex in five white-matter regions of interest: cingulum, fornix, hippocampus, superior fronto-occipital fasciculus, and uncinate fasciculus. A total of 48 cognitively normal older adults were included in the study.Results: The mean age of the subjects was 67.5 years, and 28 (58.3%) were female. The mean impulse dyscontrol score was 2.9 (SD: 4.8, Rng: 0 –22). The effect of the impulse dyscontrol score, controlling for age and sex, in the diffusivity measures of regions of interest was only significant in the fornix FA after multiple-comparison correction (weighted least squares model β = –3.65 x 10 –3, SE = 1.27 x 10 –3, corrected p = 0.03, R2 = 0.31).Discussion: To our knowledge, this is the first time that an MBI domain is linked to MRI diffusivity measures in a group composed exclusively of cognitively normal older adults. Our findings add to the growing understanding of MBI, and particularly the impulse dyscontrol domain, as a potential behavioral marker indicating a higher risk for developing neurocognitive disorders.Materials and Methods: A prospective cross-sectional observational study was conducted on patients who underwent a cognitive evaluation between May and October 2022 at the memory unit of the Favaloro Foundation (Buenos Aires, Argentina) who had undergone a neuropsychological evaluation during the current year and were under the care of our cognitive neurology service. During the medical interview, patients were asked to show the objects they carry in their pockets (wallet, candy wrapper, cellphone, thread, loose coins, tickets, receipts, etc.). Each item was counted independently. The total number obtained was compared. The total number obtained was compared with the FAQ and CDR values of each patient. A correlation between these data was sought, and it was determined whether this relationship (number of items carried in the pocket/scale value) has predictive value to determine if the patient meets dementia criteria according to functionality (FAQ: 6 or more, CDR: 1 or more).Results: The sample consisted of 26 male patients (n = 26) with an average age of 69 years and MMSE Mean: 27.73. Within this group, 80.7% had a diagnosis of dementia (of any etiology) and the rest were either healthy patients or patients with mild cognitive impairment. The non- parametric MANN WHITNEY test was performed using the R statistical program. A statistically significant difference was found when comparing the dementia group and objects in the pocket (wilcox_test p 0.00854). When comparing the group of patients with more than three objects and the presence of dementia, significant p values were also found (wilcox_test p 0.0363).Conclusions: The number of objects in the pocket of patients with cognitive impairment could be a valuable tool for predicting dementia.The presence of 3 or more objects in the pocket of a patient with cognitive impairment could correlate with a low score on the functionality scales (FAQ less than 6, absence of dementia stage).

Forgotten interventions to promote relational health to prevent child maltreatment

Harsh parenting and intimate partner violence increased during the pandemic. However, pediatrician-led evidence-based models that link primary care, home visiting, and child maltreatment prevention have been neglected, despite C. Henry Kempe’s successful programs from 1971 to 1973. The Kempe randomized trial included comprehensive pediatric follow-up by a single physician and a lay health visitor whenever indicated, and/or weekly visits by a public health nurse in the home 50 years ago. The interventions responded to abnormal parenting practices and early warning signs during pregnancy, labor and delivery, and postnatally and reduced the hospitalization for serious injuries among those 2 years old. The Kempe trial was not cited in many publications but only 402 times in Google Scholar in October 2023. Kempe's call for promoting emotional health and parent bonding 40 years ago was echoed in the American Academy of Pediatrics’ Bright Futures and Policy Statements on Promoting Relational Health in 2021. Relational health is a strengths-based approach, which can promote safe, stable, and nurturing relationships, buffer adversity, and build resilience. Screening for relational health should be integrated into Obstetric and Pediatric Care, and home visitation should become linked to primary care as a basic health benefit. Pediatric care must be transformed based on the evidence in the Kempe trial, focus on promoting primary prevention and trusted relationships from pregnancy on, and engage community resources to address unmet social needs, enabling integrated behavioral health, and changing financial incentives that now prioritize procedures and crisis interventions over cognitive services and prevention. The education and training of future pediatricians needs to emphasize the importance of relational health in the family, and the moment is now to collaborate and implement these forgotten interventions.

Effect of Social Class Cognition and Public Service Satisfaction on Pro-Environmental Behavior in China

Effect of Social Class Cognition and Public Service Satisfaction on Pro-Environmental Behavior in China

Personalized Cognitive Health in Psychiatry: Current State and the Promise of Computational Methods.

Decades of research have firmly established that cognitive health and cognitive treatment services are a key need for people living with psychosis. However, many current clinical programs do not address this need, despite the essential role that an individual's cognitive and social cognitive capacities play in determining their real-world functioning. Preliminary practice-based research in the Early Psychosis Intervention Network early psychosis intervention network shows that it is possible to develop and implement tools that delineate an individuals' cognitive health profile and that help engage the client and the clinician in shared decision-making and treatment planning that includes cognitive treatments. These findings signify a promising shift toward personalized cognitive health. Extending upon this early progress, we review the concept of interindividual variability in cognitive domains/processes in psychosis as the basis for offering personalized treatment plans. We present evidence from studies that have used traditional neuropsychological measures as well as findings from emerging computational studies that leverage trial-by-trial behavior data to illuminate the different latent strategies that individuals employ. We posit that these computational techniques, when combined with traditional cognitive assessments, can enrich our understanding of individual differences in treatment needs, which in turn can guide evermore personalized interventions. As we find clinically relevant ways to decompose maladaptive behaviors into separate latent cognitive elements captured by model parameters, the ultimate goal is to develop and implement approaches that empower clients and their clinical providers to leverage individual's existing learning capacities to improve their cognitive health and well-being.

Eligibility for antiamyloid treatment: preparing for disease-modifying therapies for Alzheimer’s disease

BackgroundDisease-modifying therapies (DMTs) for Alzheimer’s disease (AD) have early evidence of efficacy. Widespread delivery of DMTs will require major service reconfiguration. Treatment pathways will need to include triaging for eligibility,...

Defining the "ideal state": A primer on critical care pharmacy practice models.

Critical care pharmacists (CCPs) have been clearly established as value-added members of the interprofessional team, and their contributions positively impact patient outcomes in the intensive care unit (ICU). Despite this, not every critically ill patient in the US receives care from a CCP and the model through which CCPs practice is variable, which has important implications. The purpose of this primer is to review current CCP models and discuss elements of the optimal CCP practice model. Current CCP practice models are defined, including the drug processing and dispensing model, clinical pharmacy specialist model, integrated pharmacy generalist model, and hybrid model, as well as unit-based vs service-based models. The optimal CCP practice model considers the Triple Domain of CCP workload, which includes direct patient care, indirect patient care, and professional service. Elements of the ideal CCP practice model including 24/7/365 CCP services, unit- vs service-based models, prescriptive authority, operational support, and CCP-to-patient ratio are discussed. Other vital elements include dedicated offline time, use of appropriate workload metrics, development of career ladders, opportunities for professional development, and providing wellness resources. The ideal CCP practice model must also be considered through the lens of the patient and medical team, the CCP, the institution, and professional organizations. Strategies for optimizing current CCP practice models are provided, and application of optimal CCP practice model elements is explored through 5 case studies. The optimal CCP practice model includes multiple elements and incorporates the viewpoints of patients, providers, CCPs, institutions, and professional organizations; this model will increase access of all ICU patients to CCPs, enhance the scope of CCP cognitive services, and ensure the economic sustainability of CCP practice while establishing CCP involvement in activities outside of patient care and in professional service.

Analysis of the Monitoring and Identification Effect of Cognitive Service Technology on Dc System in Power Grid

This study investigates the impact of cognitive service technology on the monitoring and identification capabilities within a direct current (DC) system in a power grid. This paper introduces a novel Pattern Recognition Neural Network (PRNN) by integrating a Pattern Recognition Algorithm (PRA) and Convolutional Neural Networks (CNN) to analyse patterns in the DC system's data. With the increasing complexity and interconnectivity of modern power systems, the need for advanced monitoring and identification solutions becomes crucial. Cognitive service technology, known for its adaptability and learning capabilities, offers a promising avenue for enhancing the performance and reliability of DC systems. The research employs a comprehensive approach, incorporating data analysis, modelling, and simulation to assess the effectiveness of cognitive service technology in monitoring and identifying critical parameters within the DC system. The study aims to contribute valuable insights into the application of cognitive services for improving the overall efficiency and resilience of power grids operating on direct current, thereby fostering advancements in smart grid technologies

An Optimized Dynamic Traffic Control System using OpenCV

Abstract: This study delves into a web-based platform designed to apprehend speeding vehicles. It harnesses the capabilities of OpenCV, a robust computer vision library, to accurately detect high-speed cars. Furthermore, the system integrates a specialized model for identifying vehicles deviating from their designated lanes, thereby fostering safer road conditions. To streamline the process of vehicle identification and potential ticket issuance, it incorporates automatic license plate recognition through Azure Cognitive Services. By amalgamating these advanced technologies, the proposed system offers a comprehensive solution for realtime traffic monitoring and regulation enforcement, with the overarching goal of enhancing road safety and traffic management.

Implementation of Cognitive Health Services in Large Systems of Care: Highlights From Coordinated Specialty Care for First Episode Psychosis.

With increasing recognition of the importance of cognitive health for recovery in people with psychosis, questions arise as to how to implement cognitive health services in large systems of care. This paper describes the implementation of cognitive health services in OnTrackNY (OTNY), a network of clinics delivering a Coordinated Specialty Care treatment model for early psychosis, with the goal of documenting the processes, challenges, and useful adaptations. In 2018, OTNY piloted a Cognitive Health Toolkit for implementation across 18 affiliated clinics. The toolkit intended to identify the cognitive health needs of individuals early in the course of psychosis and to integrate cognitive health into the vocabulary of wellness and recovery. Implementation involved creating mechanisms for staff training and support to, in turn, help participants improve how they use cognitive skills in daily life. The toolkit was disseminated to all 28 OTNY programs throughout New York state by 2023. When simple assessment and decision-making tools were embedded in routine care practices, the majority of participants identified that improving memory, attention, and critical thinking skills would be helpful. Consistently, about 70% of those asked wanted to learn more about how to better their cognitive health. Cognitive health services can be implemented in large systems of care that provide a multi-level system of implementation supports. Organizational facilitators of implementation include a training program to educate about cognitive health and the delivery of cognitive health interventions, and embedded quality assurance monitoring and improvement activities.

Efektivitas Pendekatan Konseling Cognitive Behavior Dengan Teknik Self-Management untuk Meningkatkan Kemandirian Belajar Peserta Didik Kelas X Perhotelan Di SMK Negeri 1 Singaraja

services with self-management techniques to increase the learning independence of class X hospitality students at SMK Negeri 1 Singaraja. This experimental research uses data collection techniques with random sampling techniques. The analysis technique used is in the form of parametric statistical analysis using the Paired-Sample T-Test. This research method aims to determine the influence of cognitive behavior counseling with self-management techniques in increasing student learning independence. The design of this study was the Non-Equivalent Control Group Design which was carried out on students in the control class and the experimental class. The focus of this research is on the changes produced by cognitive behavior counseling services with self-management techniques to increase student learning independence with data collection techniques used, namely questionnaires. Based on the significance test, it is found that the significance value is 0.000 where 0.000 ˂ 0.05, where the Application of Cognitive Behavior Theory with Self Management Techniques is effective for Increasing Student Learning Independence at SMK Negeri 1 Singaraja

Bifactor models of psychopathology using multi-informant and multi-instrument dimensional measures in the ABCD study.

Due to limitations of categorical definitions of mental illness, there is a need for quantitative empirical investigations of the dimensional structure of psychopathology. Using exploratory bifactor methods, this study investigated a comprehensive and representative structure of psychopathology in children to better understand how psychotic-like experiences (PLEs), autism spectrum disorder (ASD) symptoms, impulsivity, and sensitivity to reward and punishment, may be integrated into extant general factor models of psychopathology. We used seven child-report and three parent-report instruments capturing diverse mental health symptoms in 11,185 children aged 9-10 from the Adolescent Brain Cognitive DevelopmentSM (ABCD) Study. We built on previous modeling frameworks by conducting both split sample and full sample factor analytic approaches that harnessed recent methodological advances in bifactor exploratory structural equation modeling (B-ESEM) to examine a wide range of psychopathology measures not previously integrated into a single analysis. Validity of psychopathology dimensions was examined by investigating associations with sex, age, cognition, imaging measures, and medical service usage. All four factor analytic models showed excellent fit and similar structure within informant. PLEs loaded most highly onto a general psychopathology factor, suggesting that they may reflect non-specific risk for mental illness. ASD symptoms loaded separately from attention/hyperactivity symptoms. Symptoms of impulsivity and sensitivity to reward and punishment loaded onto specific factors, distinct from externalizing and internalizing factors. All identified factors were associated with clinically relevant risk factors, providing preliminary evidence for their construct validity. By integrating diverse child-report and parent-report psychopathology measures for children in the ABCD sample, we deliver data on the quantitative structure of psychopathology for an exceptionally large set of measurements and discuss implications for the field.

Capacity building for providers of cognitive rehabilitation in Queensland: a needs analysis survey.

Background Cognitive rehabilitation of people with traumatic brain injury is a complex and challenging area of practice. Practitioners working in cognitive rehabilitation require ongoing training to stay abreast of new research and best practice interventions. A needs analysis was conducted to inform the development of a capacity building program for cognitive rehabilitation providers. Methods A cross-sectional online survey of providers of cognitive rehabilitation services in Queensland collected data on demographic information, perceptions of knowledge, skills and confidence in cognitive rehabilitation, previously completed training, desired training opportunities and delivery methods, and barriers and facilitators to engaging in training. Results The 103 respondents included 67 occupational therapists, 17 speech pathologists, 12 psychologists and seven social workers with a broad range of practice experience. Participants perceived a need for further training, with executive function and functional cognition the most desired topics. The number of topics previously trained on was significantly correlated with levels of knowledge, skills and confidence (P Conclusion Cognitive rehabilitation providers in Queensland reported a need for further training, delivered flexibly, with a focus on managing complex cognitive impairments.

College Chatbot

Creating a chatbot to be used by the students to get their queries responded easily from the college website. The College Chatbot has the capacity to make friendly conversations; respond the course and faculty details; give the link for the academic calendar; answer the frequently asked questions; calculate the fees based on the student's input; and give the timings, address, contacts, and events information of the departments like Union and Library. To build the chatbot, Microsoft Azure bot service as well as Microsoft cognitive services, namely, Text Analytics, LUIS, and QnA Maker are used. In order to address these problems, the College Enquiry Chatbot extends the implementation of the current chatbots by adding sentiment analysis and active learning

Mutual-cognition for proactive human–robot collaboration: A mixed reality-enabled visual reasoning-based method

Human-Robot Collaboration (HRC) is key to achieving the flexible automation required by the mass personalization trend, especially towards human-centric intelligent manufacturing. Nevertheless, existing HRC systems suffer from poor task understanding and poor ergonomic satisfaction, which impede empathetic teamwork skills in task execution. To overcome the bottleneck, a Mixed Reality (MR) and visual reasoning-based method is proposed in this research, providing mutual-cognitive task assignment for human and robotic agents’ operations. Firstly, an MR-enabled mutual-cognitive HRC architecture is proposed, with the characteristic of monitoring Digital Twins states, reasoning co-working strategies, and providing cognitive services. Secondly, a visual reasoning approach is introduced, which learns scene interpretation from the visual perception of each agent’s actions and environmental changes to make task planning strategies satisfying human–robot operation needs. Lastly, a safe, ergonomic, and proactive robot motion planning algorithm is proposed to let a robot execute generated co-working strategies, while a human operator is supported with intuitive task operation guidance in the MR environment, achieving empathetic collaboration. Through a demonstration of a disassembly task of aging Electric Vehicle Batteries, the experimental result facilitates cognitive intelligence in Proactive HRC for flexible automation.

Patient-report and caregiver-report measures of rehabilitation service use following acquired brain injury: a systematic review

ObjectiveTo review patient-report/caregiver-report measures of rehabilitation service use following acquired brain injury (ABI).Data sourcesMedline, APA PsycINFO, Embase and CINAHL were searched on November 2021 and November 2022. Authors were contacted...