Level Of Difficulty Research Articles

A Study on Application of Construal Theory in English Translation of Chinese Medical book: take English Translation of Jin Gui Yao Liao as an Example

The translation of Chinese medical books is characterized by language, cultural connotation and cognitive domain background, which makes the translators encounter different levels of difficulty in the process of translation and form different translations accordingly. This paper takes the construal theory in cognitive linguistics as a guide, analyzes the important role of four kinds of means of construal in the process of translating Chinese medical books, and analyzes the different English translations of JGL under the construal theory, analyzes that different translations reflect different cognitive mechanisms of the translators, and comes to the conclusion that the translations should maximally reflect the cognitive points of reference of the authors at that time, so as to maximize the translations. It is also concluded that the translation should maximally reflect the author's cognitive reference point so as to maximize the closeness of the translation to the original text, aiming to provide theoretical guidance and reference for the English translation of Chinese medical books.

BDIQA: A New Dataset for Video Question Answering to Explore Cognitive Reasoning through Theory of Mind

As a foundational component of cognitive intelligence, theory of mind (ToM) can make AI more closely resemble human thought processes, thereby enhancing their interaction and collaboration with human. In particular, it can significantly improve a model's comprehension of videos in complex scenes. However, current video question answer (VideoQA) datasets focus on studying causal reasoning within events, few of them genuinely incorporating human ToM. Consequently, there is a lack of development in ToM reasoning tasks within the area of VideoQA. This paper presents BDIQA, the first benchmark to explore the cognitive reasoning capabilities of VideoQA models in the context of ToM. BDIQA is inspired by the cognitive development of children's ToM and addresses the current deficiencies in machine ToM within datasets and tasks. Specifically, it offers tasks at two difficulty levels, assessing Belief, Desire and Intention (BDI) reasoning in both simple and complex scenarios. We conduct evaluations on several mainstream methods of VideoQA and diagnose their capabilities with zero-shot, few-shot and supervised learning. We find that the performance of pre-trained models on cognitive reasoning tasks remains unsatisfactory. To counter this challenge, we undertake thorough analysis and experimentation, ultimately presenting two guidelines to enhance cognitive reasoning derived from ablation analysis.

SoundCount: Sound Counting from Raw Audio with Dyadic Decomposition Neural Network

In this paper, we study an underexplored, yet important and challenging problem: counting the number of distinct sounds in raw audio characterized by a high degree of polyphonicity. We do so by systematically proposing a novel end-to-end trainable neural network~(which we call DyDecNet, consisting of a dyadic decomposition front-end and backbone network), and quantifying the difficulty level of counting depending on sound polyphonicity. The dyadic decomposition front-end progressively decomposes the raw waveform dyadically along the frequency axis to obtain time-frequency representation in multi-stage, coarse-to-fine manner. Each intermediate waveform convolved by a parent filter is further processed by a pair of child filters that evenly split the parent filter's carried frequency response, with the higher-half child filter encoding the detail and lower-half child filter encoding the approximation. We further introduce an energy gain normalization to normalize sound loudness variance and spectrum overlap, and apply it to each intermediate parent waveform before feeding it to the two child filters. To better quantify sound counting difficulty level, we further design three polyphony-aware metrics: polyphony ratio, max polyphony and mean polyphony. We test DyDecNet on various datasets to show its superiority, and we further show dyadic decomposition network can be used as a general front-end to tackle other acoustic tasks.

Dual Self-Paced Cross-Modal Hashing

Cross-modal hashing~(CMH) is an efficient technique to retrieve relevant data across different modalities, such as images, texts, and videos, which has attracted more and more attention due to its low storage cost and fast query speed. Although existing CMH methods achieve remarkable processes, almost all of them treat all samples of varying difficulty levels without discrimination, thus leaving them vulnerable to noise or outliers. Based on this observation, we reveal and study dual difficulty levels implied in cross-modal hashing learning, \ie instance-level and feature-level difficulty. To address this problem, we propose a novel Dual Self-Paced Cross-Modal Hashing (DSCMH) that mimics human cognitive learning to learn hashing from ``easy'' to ``hard'' in both instance and feature levels, thereby embracing robustness against noise/outliers. Specifically, our DSCMH assigns weights to each instance and feature to measure their difficulty or reliability, and then uses these weights to automatically filter out the noisy and irrelevant data points in the original space. By gradually increasing the weights during training, our method can focus on more instances and features from ``easy'' to ``hard'' in training, thus mitigating the adverse effects of noise or outliers. Extensive experiments are conducted on three widely-used benchmark datasets to demonstrate the effectiveness and robustness of the proposed DSCMH over 12 state-of-the-art CMH methods.

The Vaccination Fear Scale (VFS-6): Adaptation, Cross-Cultural Validation, and Invariance among Genders and Six Different Cultures, Applying Classical Test Theory (CTT) and Item Response Theory (IRT).

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic had a meaningful impact on several areas of human activity. With respect to psychological assessment, the requirements to study the fear of vaccination as a means to diminish negative behaviour towards vaccination had been reported. This study aimed to evaluate the factorial invariance of the six-item Vaccination Fear Scale (VFS-6) across individuals and cultures. To achieve this goal, a sample of university students was recruited (n = 2535; mean age = 20.59, SD = 2.04; males: 26.75%, females: 73.25%) from Spain (n = 388; 15.3%), Italy (n = 376; 14.83%), Lebanon (n = 487; 19.21%), Nigeria (n = 561; 22.13%), Turkey (n = 410; 16.17%), and Ukraine (n = 313; 12.34%). The results showed that the most appropriate factorial structure, exhibiting excellent fit indices, was a model with two correlated factors (cognitive symptoms: items 1, 2, and 4; somatic symptoms: items 3, 5, and 6) for both the total sample and individual samples from each country and language (Spanish, Italian, Arabic, English, Turkish, and Ukrainian). Notably, the VFS-6 demonstrated configural, metric, scalar, and strict invariance across sex. Regarding countries and languages, configural invariance was observed between them. Also, metric invariance was observed between Spain, Italy, and Ukraine and between Lebanon, Nigeria, and Turkey, which indicates the presence of two well-differentiated groups of countries and the possibility of inferential analysis between them. Item Response Theory analysis suggested an appropriate level of discrimination and difficulty of the test. These significant findings lay the groundwork for future investigations into vaccination fear across diverse cultural backgrounds, providing valuable insights for addressing vaccination-related concerns worldwide.

Kernelized Normalizing Constant Estimation: Bridging Bayesian Quadrature and Bayesian Optimization

In this paper, we study the problem of estimating the normalizing constant through queries to the black-box function f, which is the integration of the exponential function of f scaled by a problem parameter lambda. We assume f belongs to a reproducing kernel Hilbert space (RKHS), and show that to estimate the normalizing constant within a small relative error, the level of difficulty depends on the value of lambda: When lambda approaches zero, the problem is similar to Bayesian quadrature (BQ), while when lambda approaches infinity, the problem is similar to Bayesian optimization (BO). More generally, the problem varies between BQ and BO. We find that this pattern holds true even when the function evaluations are noisy, bringing new aspects to this topic. Our findings are supported by both algorithm-independent lower bounds and algorithmic upper bounds, as well as simulation studies conducted on a variety of benchmark functions.

The relationships among working memory, state anxiety, and academic performance in Chinese undergraduates with SLD

AbstractProcessing efficiency theory can explain the relationship between anxiety and academic success; however, its application to adults with Specific Learning Disabilities (SLD) remains unclear, especially in a nonalphabetic language, such as Chinese. This study investigated the effects of working memory and processing speed on the relationships between state anxiety and academic performance of university students with and without SLD in Chinese. A sample of 223 s-year undergraduate students was recruited from universities in southern Taiwan; 123 were typical learners, while the remaining 100 were identified as having SLD. We found distinct profiles in the relationships between state anxiety, working memory, processing speed, and academic performance. The interaction between state anxiety and working memory was also predictive of the academic performance of university students with SLD, highlighting the negative impact of state anxiety on those students who performed poorly in working memory tasks. Our findings emphasize the importance of cognitive and psychological factors in contributing to the learning of students with SLD. Furthermore, the effects of working memory and state anxiety on academic performance, particularly in students with SLD, could inform the design of teaching materials and procedures, especially regarding the levels of difficulty and volumes of learning.

Addressing the generalization of 3D registration methods with a featureless baseline and an unbiased benchmark

Recent 3D registration methods are mostly learning-based that either find correspondences in feature space and match them, or directly estimate the registration transformation from the given point cloud features. Therefore, these feature-based methods have difficulties with generalizing onto point clouds that differ substantially from their training data. This issue is not so apparent because of the problematic benchmark definitions that cannot provide any in-depth analysis and contain a bias toward similar data. Therefore, we propose a methodology to create a 3D registration benchmark, given a point cloud dataset, that provides a more informative evaluation of a method w.r.t. other benchmarks. Using this methodology, we create a novel FAUST-partial (FP) benchmark, based on the FAUST dataset, with several difficulty levels. The FP benchmark addresses the limitations of the current benchmarks: lack of data and parameter range variability, and allows to evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of a 3D registration method w.r.t. a single registration parameter. Using the new FP benchmark, we provide a thorough analysis of the current state-of-the-art methods and observe that the current method still struggle to generalize onto severely different out-of-sample data. Therefore, we propose a simple featureless traditional 3D registration baseline method based on the weighted cross-correlation between two given point clouds. Our method achieves strong results on current benchmarking datasets, outperforming most deep learning methods. Our source code is available on github.com/DavidBoja/exhaustive-grid-search.

Arthroscopic Bankart versus Open Latarjet; Short-to-Mid-Term Outcomes of Recurrence and Patient-Reported Outcomes in Patients with Recurrent Anterior Shoulder Dislocation

Objectives This retrospective comparative study compared the short to mid-term outcomes of arthroscopic Bankart repair and open Latarjet procedures in patients with recurrent anterior shoulder instability. Methods Patients who underwent either arthroscopic Bankart repair or open Latarjet procedures between 2008 and 2020, with at least one year of follow-up, were included. Arthroscopic Bankart repairs were performed on shoulders with minimal glenoid bone loss (<15%), and the Latarjet procedure was performed if the preoperative computed tomography (CT) scan showed a 15% bone loss on the glenoid side or 30-40% humeral head bone loss. Their surgery results and patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs) were assessed using the Oxford Shoulder Score (OSS) and Shoulder Pain and Disability Index (SPADI). Results 133 patients were analyzed in Latarjet (n = 67) and Bankart groups (n = 66). Before surgery, the two groups of patients were similar regarding surgery side, hand dominance, education level, occupation difficulty level, and smoking (P>0.05). However, Latarjet’s patients were younger (32 vs. 35, P=0.04), had a higher proportion of males (96% vs. 82%, P=0.01), and had a significantly shorter follow-up period (3.2 vs. 6.4 years, P<0.001) than the Bankart group. There was no significant difference between the Latarjet and Bankart groups regarding the follow-up’s OSS score (37 vs. 36; P=0.94) and SPADI score (22 vs. 24, P=0.80). Dislocation was observed in only one patient (1.5%) in the Latarjet group (P=1.0). Subluxation was observed in 5 patients (7.5%) of the Latarjet group and three patients (4.5%) of the Bankart group (P=0.4). The overall instability rate was similar (P>0.05). Conclusion Our findings suggest that both arthroscopic Bankart repair and open Latarjet are reliable techniques in short to mid-term follow-up based on the glenoid bone loss cut-off of 15%. Level of Evidence Therapeutic Level III

Construction, observation and knowledge abstraction for go endgames on small boards

A Go endgame database consists of optimal game values and moves for every legal arrangement of no more than S pieces on an N by N board. This paper describes methods for constructing such databases when 1<N≤5\\documentclass[12pt]{minimal} \\usepackage{amsmath} \\usepackage{wasysym} \\usepackage{amsfonts} \\usepackage{amssymb} \\usepackage{amsbsy} \\usepackage{mathrsfs} \\usepackage{upgreek} \\setlength{\\oddsidemargin}{-69pt} \\begin{document}$$1 < N \\le 5$$\\end{document} and S=N2\\documentclass[12pt]{minimal} \\usepackage{amsmath} \\usepackage{wasysym} \\usepackage{amsfonts} \\usepackage{amssymb} \\usepackage{amsbsy} \\usepackage{mathrsfs} \\usepackage{upgreek} \\setlength{\\oddsidemargin}{-69pt} \\begin{document}$$S = N^2$$\\end{document}. When cycles of plies with lengths greater than 4 are encountered, two rules, one allowing cycles and the other disallowing them, are implemented. Observations and knowledge are obtained for these endgames, which may elucidate the fundamental properties of the popular game Go. First, the optimal game values are different when N is even and odd, regardless of whether the repetition of positions is allowed. When N is odd, the first player can occupy the whole board, while this is not the case when N is even. Second, allowing cycles makes the first and second players equal in strength when N is even, whereas the first player always dominates when N is odd. Using the state-of-the-art open-source deep learning Go engine KataGo to correctly solve a given position as an indicator, factors affecting level of difficulty are found, including the distributions of the optimal game values among all legal plies and the cardinality and values of the true optimal plies. A simple formula is designed that works on more than 10% of the positions so that positions with a given level of difficulty can be found with a high probability.

Children’s Use of Moodle and the Obstacles faced while Distance Education: The Role of Parents’ Perceptions of Primary School Students in Amman

This study is conducted to identify parents’ perceptions of primary school students regarding their children's use of Moodle as a learning management system, and then to determine the challenges they face while using it. The researchers used a descriptive survey approach to conduct this research. Researchers distributed 384 questionnaires among parents, in order to achieve the study’s objectives. The findings of the study indicated that the level of satisfaction experienced by the parents of primary school students regarding the utilisation of Moodle in educational settings was of a moderate degree (3.19), and the level of difficulty experienced by primary school students in terms of the obstacles encountered by their parents while utilising Moodle in educational settings was of a mean value of (3.73). This study recommended that further research be conducted in this area, as well as policy-makers and school leaders have to pay attention to students’ age, training, and educating them on the distance education importance, and enhancing e-learning management systems’ uses with their multiple capabilities because of the many benefits that serve the educational process. Additionally, this study recommended that further research be conducted regarding this topic including experimental studies.

A usability study on mobile EMG-guided wrist extension training in subacute stroke patients-MyoGuide

BackgroundEffective stroke rehabilitation requires high-dose, repetitive-task training, especially during the early recovery phase. However, the usability of upper-limb rehabilitation technology in acute and subacute stroke survivors remains relatively unexplored. In this study, we introduce subacute stroke survivors to MyoGuide, a mobile training platform that employs surface electromyography (sEMG)-guided neurofeedback training that specifically targets wrist extension. Notably, the study emphasizes evaluating the platform’s usability within clinical contexts.MethodsSeven subacute post-stroke patients (1 female, mean age 53.7 years, mean time post-stroke 58.9 days, mean duration per training session 48.9 min) and three therapists (one for eligibility screening, two for conducting training) participated in the study. Participants underwent ten days of supervised one-on-one wrist extension training with MyoGuide, which encompassed calibration, stability assessment, and dynamic tasks. All training records including the Level of Difficulty (LoD) and Stability Assessment Scores were recorded within the application. Usability was assessed through the System Usability Scale (SUS) and participants’ willingness to continue home-based training was gauged through a self-developed survey post-training. Therapists also documented the daily performance of participants and the extent of support required.ResultsThe usability analysis yielded positive results, with a median SUS score of 82.5. Compared to the first session, participants significantly improved their performance at the final session as indicated by both the Stability Assessment Scores (p = 0.010, mean = 229.43, CI = [25.74–433.11]) and the LoD (p < 0.001; mean: 45.43, CI: [25.56–65.29]). The rate of progression differed based on the initial impairment levels of the patient. After training, participants expressed a keen interest in continuing home-based training. However, they also acknowledged challenges related to independently using the Myo armband and software.ConclusionsThis study introduces the MyoGuide training platform and demonstrates its usability in a clinical setting for stroke rehabilitation, with the assistance of a therapist. The findings support the potential of MyoGuide for wrist extension training in patients across a wide range of impairment levels. However, certain usability challenges, such as donning/doffing the armband and navigating the application, need to be addressed to enable independent MyoGuide training requiring only minimal supervision by a therapist.

Benchmarking human-robot collaborative assembly tasks

Manufacturing assembly tasks can vary in complexity and level of automation. Yet, achieving full automation can be challenging and inefficient, particularly due to the complexity of certain assembly operations. Human-robot collaborative work, leveraging the strengths of human labor alongside the capabilities of robots, can be a solution for enhancing efficiency. This paper introduces the CT benchmark, a benchmark and model set designed to facilitate the testing and evaluation of human-robot collaborative assembly scenarios. It was designed to compare manual and automatic processes using metrics such as the assembly time and human workload. The components of the model set can be assembled through the most common assembly tasks, each with varying levels of difficulty. The CT benchmark was designed with a focus on its applicability in human-robot collaborative environments, with the aim of ensuring the reproducibility and replicability of experiments. Experiments were carried out to assess assembly performance in three different setups (manual, automatic and collaborative), measuring metrics related to the assembly time and the workload on human operators. The results suggest that the collaborative approach takes longer than the fully manual assembly, with an increase of 70.8%. However, users reported a lower overall workload, as well as reduced mental demand, physical demand, and effort according to the NASA-TLX questionnaire.

Behavioural, developmental and psychological characteristics in children with germline PTEN mutations: a carer report study.

PTEN is primarily known as a tumour suppressor gene. However, research describes higher rates of difficulties including intellectual disability and difficulties relating to autism spectrum conditions (ASCs) in people with germline PTEN mutations. Other psychological characteristics/experiences are less often reported and are explored in this study. The parents of 20 children with PTEN mutations completed an online survey exploring adaptive behaviour, ASC-associated behaviours, anxiety, mood, hypermobility, behaviours that challenge, sensory experiences, quality of life and parental wellbeing. Published normative data and data from groups of individuals with other genetic neurodevelopmental conditions were used to contextualise findings. Overall levels of adaptive behaviour were below the 'typical' range, and no marked relative differences were noted between domains. Higher levels of ASC-related difficulties, including sensory experiences, were found in comparison with 'typically developing' children, with a possible peak in restrictive/repetitive behaviour; ASC and sensory processing atypicality also strongly correlated with reported joint hypermobility. A relative preservation of social motivation was noted. Anxiety levels were found to be elevated overall (and to relate to sensory processing and joint hypermobility), with the exception of social anxiety, which was comparable with normative data. Self-injurious behaviour was common. Results suggest a wide range of possible difficulties in children with PTEN mutations, including elevated anxiety. Despite elevated ASC phenomenology, social motivation may remain relatively strong. Firm conclusions are restricted by a small sample size and potential recruitment bias, and future research is required to further explore the relationships between such characteristics.

Understanding the alternative Mantel-Haenszel statistic: Factors affecting its robustness to detect non-uniform DIF

Test-item bias has become an increasingly challenging issue in statistics and education. A popular method, the Mantel-Haenszel test, is used for detecting non-uniform differential item functioning (DIF) but requires constructing several performance tiers to maintain robustness. The alternative Mantel-Haenszel (AMH) test was developed within the last three decades as a proxy procedure requiring only two scoring tiers. However, there needs to be more information on how essential factors like comparison group sizes and question discrimination affect its ability to detect bias. This study investigates how item difficulty and discrimination and the examined ratio between the focal and reference groups impact the likelihood of the AMH test detecting DIF. A comprehensive simulation study was conducted where the test scores were generated under three conditions. There are three commonly used difficulty levels (easy, medium, and hard), two discrimination levels (referred to as 'low’ and 'high’), and three group comparison ratios (1:1, 2:1, and 5:1). The simulation study showed the AMH test’s detection rates comparable to those of other standardized procedures like the Breslow-Day (BD) and even better. The current study aims to investigate and determine the factors that affect AMH test detection behavior. The study concludes with an application involving collegiate-level test data comparing students across genders and majors.

Adolescents’ understanding of the Nepalese version of HLS-CHILD-Q15: qualitative pre-testing in ninth-graders

IntroductionResearch on health literacy is still at an early stage, lacking a dedicated measurement instrument for assessing children’s and adolescents’ health literacy. Such tools are necessary to generate the evidence required for informed intervention development. This study translated the validated German HLS-Child-Q15 into the Nepalese context, creating the HLS-Child-Q22-NEP.MethodsThe research team initially created the HLS-Child-Q22-NEP using an additional item pool. We conducted thirteen one-on-one cognitive interviews with adolescent students from community schools in three districts of Nepal during the pre-test. We employed verbal probing techniques and deductively analysed the interviews based on Tourneau’s model, uncovering four main themes: (1) comprehension (with the two sub-categories: a) item comprehension and b) word comprehension); (2) retrieval; (3) judgement; and (4) response.ResultsOverall, participants responded positively to the HLS-Child-Q22-NEP. However, this study revealed comprehension challenges such as unfamiliarity, misunderstandings, and translation issues. Additionally, the study identified retrieval challenges and poor judgement, indicating limitations in the assessment. Participants experienced varying levels of difficulty with some items, emphasising the need for revised instructions. Subsequent revisions, guided by pretest insights, led to the development of the HLS-Child-Q24-NEP.ConclusionThe development of the HLS-Child-Q22-NEP is a significant step in addressing Nepali adolescents’ lack of health literacy measurement. Despite its generally positive reception, this study encountered challenges in comprehending the scale, prompting enhancements, and developing the HLS-Child-Q24-NEP. Further research, both qualitative and quantitative, is necessary to evaluate the validity and reliability of the modified items.

Diagnostic Discordance Among Histopathological Reviewers for Difficult-to-Diagnose Melanocytic Lesions

Purpose: Histopathological examination is adequate for most melanocytic neoplasms. However, there is a subset of lesions with uncertain malignant potential that are difficult-to-diagnose where utilization of ancillary tests may be considered to aid in providing a more definitive diagnosis.&#x0D; Study design: Under an IRB-approved protocol, 3,317 melanocytic lesions underwent independent diagnostic review by up to 9 unique board-certified dermatopathologists. Each lesion received ≥ 3 diagnoses via electronic whole slide images with zoom-in capability as benign, malignant, or unknown malignant potential (UMP). Lesions were subsequently binned according to the results of dermatopathology review in the following manner: concordant (all diagnoses of the same designation); conflicting (both benign and malignant designations); majority (a single designation with the highest number of diagnoses); and equivocal (equal number of different designations). Here we describe the identification of lesions suitable for ancillary testing.&#x0D; Results: 30% of lesions were concordant benign and 46.3% were concordant malignant, indicating 76.3% of all lesions were not difficult-to-diagnose. 23.7% of lesions had some level of diagnostic difficulty and/or ambiguity defined by disagreement between reviewers and would be suitable for ancillary testing. Within these ~24%, 7.3% of lesions were majority benign, 4.8% of lesions were majority malignant, 2.7% were majority UMP, 6.9% of lesions were conflicting, and 1.6% of lesions were equivocal.&#x0D; &#x0D; Conclusions: We demonstrate that in a large cohort of suspicious pigmented lesions, ~24% were difficult-to-diagnose, supporting the need for additional objective diagnostic tools. Patient care would benefit from ancillary testing to aid the diagnosing pathologist in identification of the most appropriate diagnosis to optimize patient management.&#x0D; Potential conflicts of interest: This study was supported by Castle Biosciences, Inc. GAH and JAP have served as consultants for Castle Biosciences, Inc. MSG is an employee shareholder of Castle Biosciences, Inc. SIE is a consultant and shareholder for Castle Biosciences, Inc. Editorial assistance was provided by Brooke H. Russell, PhD, and Jason H Rogers, MSc, both employee shareholders of Castle Biosciences, Inc.

Virtual pulmonary rehabilitation approaches in patients with post COVID syndrome: a pilot study

BackgroundThe characteristics of optimal virtual pulmonary rehabilitation (PR) for individuals with post-COVID syndrome (PCS) have not been identified. This study aimed to assess the feasibility, safety, and satisfaction associated with a virtual PR program with the exercise component delivered through group or self-directed sessions.MethodsAdults with PCS-respiratory symptoms were randomly assigned to the video conference (PRVC) or self-directed (PRSD) group and completed an exercise program (aerobic, strengthening, and breathing exercises) three times/week for eight weeks. PRVC sessions were led by a physiotherapist via Zoom, whereas the PRSD group exercised individually following a pre-recorded video. Both groups received personalized exercise recommendations, education related to the condition, and a weekly follow up call. Satisfaction was assessed through a patient survey. Lung function, dyspnea, fatigue, sit-to-stand capacity, health-related quality of life, and participation were assessed pre- and post-PR.ResultsFourteen PCS individuals (49 ± 9 years, 86% females) completed 83% of the sessions. All participants were satisfied with information provided by the therapist and frequency of data submission, whereas most were satisfied with the frequency and duration of exercise sessions (88% in PRVC and 83% in PRSD). A higher proportion of participants in the PRVC (88%) were satisfied with the level of difficulty of exercises compared with the PRSD (67%), and 84% of the sample reported a positive impact of the program on their health. No adverse events were reported. Significant changes in sit-to-stand capacity (p = 0.012, Cohen’s r = 0.67) and questions related to fatigue (p = 0.027, Cohen’s r = 0.58), neurocognitive (p = 0.045, Cohen’s r = 0.53), and autonomic (p = 0.024, Cohen’s r = 0.60) domains of the DePaul Symptom Questionnaire short-form were also found between groups.ConclusionVirtual PR with exercises delivered via video conference or pre-recorded video were feasible, safe, and well-received by individuals with PCS.Trial registrationNCT05003271 (first posted: 12/08/2021).

Effect of 2D/3D Visual and Haptic Cues for Fine Operation Tasks With Varying Difficulties

Fine operations exist in the form of teleoperation, human-machine cooperative work, and fine manual assembly. However, there is a lack of research that explores the characteristics of different assistive guidance methods and their use for fine operation tasks with different levels of difficulty. For this issue, this study first designed a prototype of a magnetic-based kinesthetic interaction device, and then using this device, a user study (n = 27) was designed and conducted. The experiment explored the performance of 2D and 3D visual cues as well as haptic cues when facing operation tasks with different levels of difficulty and analyzed the characteristics of each guidance modality and its reasons. The experimental results suggest that (1) visual cues are better suited than haptic cues to convey directional information in fine operations, (2) haptic cues can introduce an additional physical load, and (3) 2D visual cues’ missing depth information can affect operations in the view direction.

Behavioral and psychosocial correlates of hope among youth

IntroductionHope plays a crucial role in the well-being of youth, impacting various aspects of their lives. However, less is known about the role of hope in pre-adolescents. This study aims to explore the psychosocial and behavioral correlates of hope in 9–10-year-old pre-youth transitioning into adolescence. MethodsUsing data from the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development (ABCD) study, 4631 youth entered our study. The investigation follows these individuals for up to 36 months, specifically observing the initiation of marijuana and tobacco use. The methods employed include bivariate correlations. ResultsBaseline high hope offered protection against marijuana and tobacco use over the following 36 months. Elevated levels of hope could be seen in pre-youth with higher family income and those experienced lower levels of stressful life events and financial difficulties. High hope was also linked to lower behavioral problems, improved emotional function, lower impulsivity, lower sensation seeking, and higher cognitive function. Notably, hope was not correlated with parental education, neighborhood income, family conflict, blood pressure, body mass index, grade point average, prosocial behaviors, or puberty. ConclusionIn conclusion, the findings suggest a close interplay between hope and various dimensions of resilience including lower tobacco and marijuana use. Higher levels of hope, influenced by factors such as family income and life events, may be a mechanism that connects hope to enhanced emotional and cognitive functioning and acts as a protective factor against early initiation of substance use. These findings underscore the potential utility of fostering hope as a strategy to promote positive development and reduce tobacco and marijuana use.