Tablet Platforms Research Articles

FEASIBILITY OF INTEGRATED TECHNOLOGIES TO PROMOTE LEISURE ACTIVITY ENGAGEMENT AMONG ASSISTED LIVING RESIDENTS

Abstract Research suggests that advanced technologies, such as wearable technology and tablets, can serve an important role in the cost-effective, accessible delivery of health promotion that is individualized, immersive, and engaging for users. The present study was designed to test the feasibility and acceptability of two integrated technologies among assisted living facility residents: CareBand’s wearable technology and Eperture’s RememberStuff (R/S) tablet platform. The purpose of the qualitative component of the project was to provide preliminary information from the perspective of the assisted living facility participants on these two technologies. Another goal was to assess the challenges of their participation. Drawing on qualitative thematic analyses of data collected from semi-structured interviews with 16 participants (four staff members and 12 residents) prior to and following the 6-week integrated technology program, three themes emerged as positive outcomes of the technology experiences: (a) leisure activity engagement, (b) exploration of tablet features, and (c) cognitive stimulation. This finding suggests that these technologies may enhance leisure engagement and cognitive function. On the other hand, there were three challenges that participants experienced while participating in the program: (a) inability to grasp functionality, (b) need for continued education for the technology, and (c) negative stereotypes toward technology use. These challenges provide guidance for future protocol design in follow-up studies to further explore the integrated technology efficacy for older adult users. The practical implications of this study and suggestions for health professionals are discussed.

Successful Recruitment of Vietnamese Americans into the Asian Cohort for Alzheimer’s Disease (ACAD) Pilot Study at UC San Diego

AbstractBackgroundVietnamese Americans represent the 4th largest Asian American population in the United States with about 2.3 million people nationwide, yet research and literature on the recruitment of Vietnamese Americans in dementia research is limited. In addition to the cultural/linguistic barriers, the lack of Vietnamese language recruitment materials and cognitive assessments has made it difficult to enroll this underserved population into Alzheimer’s disease (AD) research.MethodTo facilitate the recruitment of Vietnamese Americans aged 60 and older into the Asian Cohort for Alzheimer’s Disease (ACAD) pilot study, recruitment methods were established to address physical, technological, linguistic, experiential (protection of identifiable data), and cultural challenges (war‐related trauma, dementia stigma). Localized data collection forms and outreach materials were developed and appropriately translated into Vietnamese with socio‐cultural/linguistic sensitivity. Trusted community advisors/partners and bilingual/bicultural Vietnamese‐English research staff were central to the successful recruitment of Vietnamese American participants. Remote assessments were conducted using a customized electronic tablet platform (Claris Companion ® ) via Zoom that allowed consent, cognitive interviews, and medical exams. Saliva samples were collected remotely with prepaid envelopes to mail‐in samples.ResultRemote assessments were well accepted by participants. This was critical in conducting this study given the technological, safety (during COVID‐19 pandemic), and socio‐economic limitations. Although time consuming on the front‐end, our methods resulted in the successful recruitment of the target sample of 25 participants, with no dropouts. ACAD community advisory board members referred 56% of participants, enrolled study participants referred 40%, and other sources, 4%. Mean age of participants was 73 years (median: 76; range: 60‐91), 52% female, and 100% foreign‐born. Most (80%) were interviewed in Vietnamese. Successful recruitment strategies included: (1) development of culturally/linguistically appropriate recruitment materials, (2) community connected bilingual/bicultural (Vietnamese‐English) research staff, (3) responsiveness to identified physical, technological, and language/cultural recruitment challenges, (4) community partnerships and participant referrals, and (5) appropriate technology/device for remote assessments.ConclusionTo facilitate successful research recruitment and participation in the ACAD pilot study and AD‐related research in the Vietnamese American community, recruitment methods and strategies require a thorough understanding of the specific linguistic, cultural, access, and historical/experiential challenges experienced in this population.

Remotely administered computerized cognitive test battery with older adults

AbstractBackgroundComputerized cognitive assessments are an efficient and sensitive method of identifying cognitive impairments in aging and cognitively impaired populations. The current study examines the feasibility and reliability of remote, home testing with a new tool, the California Cognitive Assessment Battery (CCAB).MethodThe CCAB runs on a remote tablet platform (Figure 1) and includes telemedical interaction with an examiner via video chat (Figure 2). Examiners administer a comprehensive set of cognitive tests, including verbal, visual, memory, and processing speed tasks, as well as psychological questionnaires (Figure 3). The tasks are scored automatically, including consensus automated speech recognition (CASR) for the transcription of responses on verbal tasks (e.g., list‐learning memory tasks, picture description, verbal fluency). For the current study, the CCAB was administered remotely to 185 healthy older military veterans (aged 60–89; 18% women) in their homes, with testing sessions under video and audio supervision and assistance. The battery was administered three times within one week to assess test‐retest reliability.ResultReaction times, word onset latency, response accuracy, error types, and speech samples were collected and analyzed. Participant experience was generally favorable: 98% of participants completed all three testing sessions, with 99% of all tests in those sessions completed successfully. Additionally, after a mid‐year software and examiner procedure reformulation of a small subset of CCAB tests, there was a 42% decrease in test failures and a 6% decrease in repeated tests. Individual test times were overall highly uniform across participants (Figure 4), with an entire CCAB battery having low daily test time variability. Also, compared to home noise levels, recorded speech levels were sufficient to support CASR transcript generation for scoring verbal tasks (Figure 5). Finally, in a subset of 50 participants, similar test battery characteristics were found when a CCAB session was repeated later under laboratory conditions.ConclusionThe CCAB shows promise as an objective, reliable automated digital assessment tool to evaluate cognitive functioning in adults both at home and in the laboratory or clinic.

Predicting pattern of coronavirus using X-ray and CT scan images.

Novel coronavirus is a disease that can propagate easily with very minute carelessness and with very little physical contact between people. Presently, the world’s central health institution called the World Health Organization has approved and advised the Reverse Transcription-Polymerase Chain Reaction (RT-PCR) swab test as the most important and effective diagnostic method to confirm if a patient has COVID-19 symptoms or not. This test takes at least a day for revealing the results, depending on the feasible resources in the neighborhood. Moreover, the RT-PCR test gives sometimes false positive results and slow in the process. To keep the potential virus carriers and potential causes of the disease quarantined as early as possible, there is still a requirement for a much faster and more accurate diagnostic process to supplement RT-PCR test of finding the patients affected by the virus. In this regard, radiological images such as X-ray and CT (Computerized Tomography) scan are found to be useful. The X-ray and CT scan have good screening modality; they are quick at capturing and finding and widely available around the world. Therefore, a deep learning model, which makes use of CT scan and X-ray images, has been proposed to automate and analyze the diagnostic process by utilizing Convolutional Neural Network (CNN). This model makes use of InceptionV3 deep learning model, a type of CNN. It is a lightweight deep learning model that is apt for mobile, laptop, and tablet platforms. The proposed model requires low memory space and gives an accuracy of about 96%, sensitivity of 93.48% for CXRs (Chest X-rays) and accuracy of 93%, sensitivity of 89.81 % for the CT scan images respectively. The proposed model is also compared with other deep learning models like VGG 16 (Visual Geometry Group), ResNet50V2 (Residual Network) and other existing deep learning models and it is found to be better in terms of accuracy and other performance parameters. Further, a web application has been developed from the proposed model. The web application is able to detect COVID-19 cases from the CT scan and X-ray images with significant accuracy.

Development of a Numerical Tablet Model in WLAN Band for SAR Study

This research proposes a numerical model for a tablet in the wireless local area network band for specific absorption rate (SAR) study. The design criteria, such as the tablet size, operating frequencies, antenna position, and target 1-g peak spatial-average SAR (psSAR) values in the flat phantom, are determined based on the SAR test reports of tablets distributed in South Korea from 2013 to 2017. An internal antenna is designed in a tablet platform to operate in dual bands of 2,450 MHz and 5,500 MHz. The numerical results illustrate that the 1-g psSAR values of the proposed numerical tablet model are within ±10% of the target values. Moreover, the return loss of the designed tablet model is larger than 10 dB, regardless of flat phantom, while its radiation efficiency is higher than 90% in free space.

Perceptions of Older People with Cognitive Impairment, Caregivers, and Professionals about ehcoBUTLER (Tablet Health Care Platform): A Qualitative Focus Group Study.

EhcoBUTLER is a tablet platform mainly aimed at the elderly with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) to promote their well-being and health. The main objective of this study was to explore the perceptions and feedback level of the ehcoBUTLER potential users and stakeholders to improve its development. Through this exploration, the secondary objective was to contribute to the development of software/apps that promote their integral health. Focus groups were conducted (13 elderly with MCI, 13 with dementia, 12 caregivers, 11 professionals). The content and feedback level were analyzed. Participants liked the appearance of ehcoBUTLER, would like to use it, and were mainly interested in the emotional, healthy lifestyle, cognitive, and ergonomic tools. It is necessary to have prior training, more intuitive/customizable apps, low-price/free, offline/USB content, and add other activities/features. EhcoBUTLER is well-oriented to meet the needs and preferences of potential users. However, improvements in its usability, accessibility, and sustainability are needed. The participants’ perspectives provided a comprehensive view to improve ehcoBUTLER, so that in the future, it can benefit the elderly to be active agents in their health; support caregivers in their role and to have a respite; and professionals to have a multi-intervention platform. The present findings can contribute to the development of tablet software/apps that promote the integral well-being of this population.

Gold Tablets: Gold Nanoparticles Encapsulated into Dextran Tablets and Their pH-Responsive Behavior as an Easy-to-Use Platform for Multipurpose Applications.

Many applications using gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) require (i) their functionalization with a biopolymer to increase their stability and (ii) their transformation into an easy-to-handle material, which provide them with specific properties. In this research, a portable tablet platform is presented based on dextran-encapsulated gold nanoparticles (AuNPs-dTab) by a ligand exchange reaction between citrate-capped gold nanoparticles (AuNPs-Cit) and dextran. These newly fabricated tablets were characterized utilizing ultraviolet–visible spectroscopy (UV–vis), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy–attenuated total reflectance (FTIR–ATR), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), dynamic light scattering (DLS), X-ray diffraction spectroscopy (XRD), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), and atomic force microscopy (AFM) techniques. The results showed that dextran-capped gold nanoparticles in a tablet platform (AuNPs-dTab) were well-dispersed and highly stable for at least a year at room temperature. In addition to particle and surface characterization of AuNPs-dTab, the tablet morphology in terms of thickness, diameter, density, and opacity was also measured using 6 and 10% dextran with 2, 4 and 8 nM AuNPs-Cit. We further investigated the pH-responsive behavior of AuNPs-dTab in the presence and absence of sodium chloride. Results showed that neutral and alkaline environments were suitable to render AuNPs dispersed in a tablet, while an acidic condition controls the aggregation rate of AuNPs as confirmed by concentration-dependent aggregation phenomena. Besides the easy fabrication, these tablets were portable and low-cost (approx. 1.22 CAD per 100 tablets of a 100 μL solution of dextran-capped gold nanoparticles (AuNPs-dSol)). The biocompatible nature of dextran along with the acidic medium trigger nature of AuNPs makes our proposed tablet a potential candidate for cancer therapy due to the acidic surrounding of tumor tissues as compared to normal cells. Also, our proposed tablet approach paves the way for the fabrication of portable and easy-to-use optical sensors based on the AuNPs embedded in a natural polymeric architecture that would serve as a colorimetric recognition indicator for detecting analytes of interest.

Evaluating the Taste Masking Ability of Two Novel Dispersible Tablet Platforms Containing Zinc Sulfate and Paracetamol Reconstituted in a Breast Milk Substitute.

Milk is often used as a dispersion medium for medicines administration in young children but its taste-masking ability is unknown. A human taste panel was conducted to assess the potential of infant formula milk (Aptamil® 1) to mask the taste of two model WHO priority medicines, zinc sulfate and paracetamol, manufactured as dispersible tablets. Simultaneously, the palatability of powder blends of the tablet platforms was assessed. Twenty healthy adult volunteers performed a swirl-and-spit assessment of placebos and API-containing blends in either a lactose-based or a mannitol-based dispersible tablet platform, reconstituted in 10 mL of either water or Aptamil® 1. Eighteen samples were rated for aversion using a 100-mm Visual Analogue Scale, grittiness using a 5-point Likert scale, and “acceptability-as-a-medicine” evaluated as: “Would you find this sample acceptable to swallow as a medicine?” with binary answers of Yes/No. The API-containing formulations were more aversive than the placebos; the paracetamol-containing samples being more aversive than zinc sulfate samples. The platforms themselves were not aversive. Non-gritty samples had four-fold greater odds of being acceptable as a medicine. Aptamil® 1 masked the taste of zinc sulfate in the mannitol-based formulation but did not mask the taste of paracetamol in either platform, suggesting a limited taste-masking ability, which may be API and formulation dependent.

A Forensic Approach on Data Retrieval from IC/eMMC of Damaged Windows Mobile Phone using Easy JTagPlus Box tool and Magnet Forensic Axiom

The digital world is dominated and ruled by the IOS and Android operating systems on mobile as well as tablet platforms. Together they share a whopping 99% (till 2021) of the share market. The Windows Phones (WP) are occupants of that less than 1% platform that they share with other subsidiary operating systems. Due to the lack of commercial popularity and production of such Windows devices, the process of data extraction and analysis of such devices is unique and challenging for forensic experts. The standard forensic data retrieving software and hardware do not support advanced requisition techniques except the direct extraction. Thus, in cases with locked WP devices, the software/ hardware is unable to support the device’s physical extraction or lock bypass facility. As observed in several digital cases, these portable devices contain details of an individual’s most private life including communications, contacts, browsing history, and location specifics at any given time. Although the operating systems of Microsoft and Windows mobile devices are similar in certain ways, specialized skill sets and tools are required while dealing with location, examination, and interpretation of the digital evidence on these systems. In this research paper, the authors are discussing the reliability and success of data extraction of a Windows mobile device from IC/eMMC using specialized hardware/software with the Windows device.

Collecting Objective Measures of Visual and Auditory Function in a National in-Home Survey of Older Adults

Maintenance of visual and auditory function is important for preventing the onset of activity limitations and preserving quality of life in later life. To date, national panel studies focused on health and aging have mostly collected subjective (self-reported) measures of visual and auditory function. The National Health and Aging Trends Study (NHATS), a study of Medicare beneficiaries ages sixty-five and older, recently developed a protocol for measuring objective visual and auditory function for its annual, in-home data collection conducted by trained interviewers. The protocol includes three vision tests-distance and near acuity and contrast sensitivity-and one hearing test-pure-tone audiometry-conducted using a tablet platform with results recorded in a scannable booklet. To identify operational issues and evaluate data quality for the proposed set of vision and hearing tests, NHATS incorporated a pilot study into its 2019 round (N = 417 participants and N = 9 interviewers). Using these pilot study data, the objectives of this paper are to: (1) describe the NHATS protocols to collect objective measures of visual and auditory function; (2) evaluate the quality of the data collected; and (3) assess whether results are influenced by interviewers. We found that respondents were highly likely to participate, with cooperation rates for each test about 90 percent. Data were high quality, with low rates of missingness, test results significantly associated with age and self-reported items, and percentages with poor vision or hearing consistent with prior population-based studies. Objective measures were more likely than self-reports to classify participants as having visual and auditory impairments and had stronger relationships with demographic correlates. Interviewer effects were small and not statistically significant in this small sample. Results of this study have demonstrated that objective visual and auditory functioning can be successfully incorporated into an interviewer-administered home-based protocol.

Overview and Methods for the Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System - United States, 2019.

Health risk behaviors practiced during adolescence often persist into adulthood and contribute to the leading causes of morbidity and mortality in the United States. Youth health behavior data at the national, state, territorial, tribal, and local levels help monitor the effectiveness of public health interventions designed to promote adolescent health. The Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System (YRBSS) is the largest public health surveillance system in the United States, monitoring a broad range of health-related behaviors among high school students. YRBSS includes a nationally representative Youth Risk Behavior Survey (YRBS) and separate state, local school district, territorial, and tribal school–based YRBSs. This overview report describes the surveillance system and the 2019 survey methodology, including sampling, data collection procedures, response rates, data processing, weighting, and analyses presented in this MMWR Supplement. A 2019 YRBS participation map, survey response rates, and student demographic characteristics are included. In 2019, a total of 78 YRBSs were administered to high school student populations across the United States (national and 44 states, 28 local school districts, three territories, and two tribal governments), the greatest number of participating sites with representative data since the surveillance system was established in 1991. The nine reports in this MMWR Supplement are based on national YRBS data collected during August 2018–June 2019. A full description of 2019 YRBS results and downloadable data are available (https://www.cdc.gov/healthyyouth/data/yrbs/index.htm).Efforts to improve YRBSS and related data are ongoing and include updating reliability testing for the national questionnaire, transitioning to electronic survey administration (e.g., pilot testing for a tablet platform), and exploring innovative analytic methods to stratify data by school-level socioeconomic status and geographic location. Stakeholders and public health practitioners can use YRBS data (comparable across national, state, tribal, territorial, and local jurisdictions) to estimate the prevalence of health-related behaviors among different student groups, identify student risk behaviors, monitor health behavior trends, guide public health interventions, and track progress toward national health objectives.

Which are the patterns of video game use in Spanish school adolescents? Gender as a key factor

Video games are part of the technological revolution, and it is possible nowadays to play video games anytime and anywhere as a primary source of youth entertainment. The research question of this study refers to which are the patterns of video game usage by Spanish school adolescents. In particular, it analyzes the time and money spent on video games among Spanish teenage students of 11–19 years old (M = 13.98; SD ± 1.397), as well as the game platform and the type of video games used, according to type of day and, especially, gender of the player. A survey was applied to a representative sample of adolescent students (n = 1502) from Valencian Region (Spain). The results showed an average of 47.23 min/day dedicated to video games. Adolescents’ boys spent more time and money than girls did, and more time on weekends than on weekdays. Time on weekends increased much more in boys than in girls. Girls were often occasional players and boys predominantly moderate or frequent players. More boys, compared to girls, play on console and computers, while more girls, compared to boys, play on mobile and tablet platforms. Also, more boys played action, sports and simulation games than girls, while more girls played leisurely, educational and social interaction games. These findings reveal that video games are currently a male-dominated arena, although as a cultural phenomenon that is socially constructed this situation may change.

A Physiology-Based QoE Comparison of Interactive Augmented Reality, Virtual Reality and Tablet-Based Applications

The availability of affordable head-mounted display technology has facilitated new, potentially more immersive, interactive multimedia experiences. These technologies were traditionally focused on entertainment; however, academia and industry are now exploring applications in other domains such as health, learning and training. Key to the success of these new multimedia experiences is the understanding of a user's perceived quality of experience (QoE). Subjective user ratings have been the primary mechanism to capture insights into a user's experience. Such ratings have generally been captured post experience and reflected using a mean opinion score (MOS). However, user perception is multifactorial and subjective ratings alone do not express the true measure of an experience. As a result, recent efforts to capture QoE have included exploring the use of implicit metrics (e.g., physiological measures). This article presents the results of an experimental QoE evaluation and comparison of immersive applications delivered across three multimedia platforms. The platforms compared were augmented reality, tablet and virtual reality. The QoE methodology employed considered explicit (post-test questionnaire) and implicit (heart rate and electrodermal activity) assessment methods. The results indicate comparatively higher levels of QoE for users of the augmented reality and tablet platforms.

Development and validation of a Level A in-vitro in-vivo correlation for tofacitinib modified-release tablets using extrudable core system osmotic delivery technology

PurposeTo determine if a validated Level A in-vitro in-vivo correlation (IVIVC) could be achieved with the extrudable core system (ECS) osmotic tablet platform. Tofacitinib is an oral JAK inhibitor for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis. MethodsFast-, medium-, and slow-release modified-release formulations of 11 mg tofacitinib ECS tablets, and one formulation of 22 mg tofacitinib ECS tablet, were manufactured. In vitro dissolution of the tofacitinib ECS tablets was performed using USP Apparatus 2 (paddles) and in vivo pharmacokinetic (PK) data were obtained from a Phase 1 study in healthy volunteers. A 5 mg immediate-release formulation tablet was included to support deconvolution of the tofacitinib ECS PK tablet data to obtain the in vivo absorption profiles. A linear, piecewise correlation and a simple linear correlation were used to build and validate two IVIVC models. ResultsThe prediction errors (PEs) for the linear, piecewise correlation met the Food and Drug Administration's criteria for establishing a Level A IVIVC, with a maximum absolute individual internal PE of 4.6%, a maximum absolute average internal PE of 3.9%, and a maximum absolute external PE of 8.4% obtained. ConclusionsThis study demonstrates that the tofacitinib ECS osmotic tablet platform can achieve a Level A IVIVC, similar to other osmotic delivery systems.

Anchor of trust: towards collusion-resistant trusted indoor location for enterprise and industrial use

Reliable location estimation has been a key enabler of many applications in the UbiComp space. Much progress has been made on the development of accurate of indoor location systems, which form the foundation of many interesting applications, particularly in consumer scenarios. However, many location-based applications in enterprise settings also require addressing another facet of reliability: assurance. Without having strong guarantees of a location estimate’s legitimacy, stakeholders must explicitly balance the advantages offered with the risks of falsification. In this space, there are two key threats: replay attacks, where signal and sensor information is collected in one location and replayed in another to falsify a location estimation later in time; and wormhole attacks, where signal and sensor information is forwarded to a remote location by a colluding device to falsify location estimation in real-time. In this work, we improve upon the state of the art in wormhole-resistant location estimation techniques. Specifically, we present the Location Anchor, which leverages a combination of technical solutions and social contracts to provide high-assurance proofs of device location that are resistant to wormhole attacks. Unlike existing work, the Location Anchor has minimal hardware costs, supports a rich tapestry of applications, and is compatible with commodity smartphone and tablet platforms. We show that the Location Anchor can extend existing replay-resistant location systems into wormhole-resistant location systems, even in the face of very aggressive attacker assumptions. We describe the protocols underlying the Location Anchor, as well as report on the efficacy of a prototype implementation.

A tecnologia assistiva scala como recurso para produção de narrativas e registro de dados nas pesquisas em educação: uma experiência com pessoas adultas com transtorno do espectro autista

The present article aims to present the Alternative Communication System for Literacy of People with Autism (SCALA) as a resource for producing narratives and recording data in education research. This assistive technology was developed in 2009 by researchers from the Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul (UFRGS) and in the following years acquired new versions by adding a module of visual narratives for storytelling on the web and android / tablet platforms. Through the module of visual narratives it is possible that research participants, mainly with communication deficits, build stories related to several objects of research studies in education. This study was developed between April and May 2016, with four participants with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), aged between 30 and 36 years old, one female and three male. The results evidenced SCALA as a relevant research tool in education, especially in carrying out research involving students with ASD, since it allowed to know the participants' perceptions regarding teachers, school and friends, their interests and difficulties, positive and negative experiences and feelings Interruption of the schooling process.

Training Midwives to Perform Basic Obstetric Point-of-Care Ultrasound in Rural Areas Using a Tablet Platform and Mobile Phone Transmission Technology—A WFUMB COE Project

Point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS) has become a topical subject and can be applied in a variety of ways with differing outcomes. The cost of all diagnostic procedures including obstetric ultrasound examinations is a major factor in the developing world and POCUS is only useful if it can be equated to good outcomes at a lower cost than a routine obstetric examination. The aim of this study was to assess a number of processes including accuracy of images and reports generated by midwives, performance of a tablet-sized ultrasound scanner, training of midwives to complete ultrasounds, teleradiology solution transmissions of images via internet, review of images by a radiologist, communication between midwife and radiologist, use of this technique to identify high-risk patients and improvement of the education and teleradiology model components. The midwives had no previous experience in ultrasound. They were stationed in rural locations where POCUS was available for the first time. After scanning the patients, an interim report was generated by the midwives and sent electronically together with all images to the main hospital for validation. Unique software was used to send lossless images by mobile phone using a modem. Transmission times were short and quality of images transmitted was excellent. All reports were validated by two experienced radiologists in our department and returned to the centers using the same transmission software. The transmission times, quality of scans, quality of reports and other parameters were recorded and monitored. Analysis showed excellent correlation between provisional and validated reports. Reporting accuracy of scans performed by the midwives was 99.63%. Overall flow turnaround time (from patient presentation to validated report) was initially 35 min but reduced to 25 min. The unique mobile phone transmission was faultless and there was no degradation of image quality. We found excellent correlation between final outcomes of the pregnancies and diagnoses on the basis of reports generated by the midwives. Only 1 discrepancy was found in the midwives' reports. Scan results versus actual outcomes revealed 2 discrepancies in the 20 patients identified as high risk. In conclusion, we found that it is valuable to train midwives in POCUS to use an ultrasound tablet device and transmit images and reports via the internet to radiologists for review of accuracy. This focus on the identification of high-risk patients can be valuable in a remote healthcare facility.

Training Midwives to Perform Basic Obstetric PoCUS in Rural Areas Using a Tablet Platform and Mobile Phone Transmission Technology

Training Midwives to Perform Basic Obstetric PoCUS in Rural Areas Using a Tablet Platform and Mobile Phone Transmission Technology

The Use of Stereoscopy in a Neurosurgery Training Virtual Environment

We have previously investigated the effectiveness of a custom-built virtual environment in assisting training of a ventriculostomy procedure, which is a commonly performed procedure by a neurosurgeon and a core task for trainee surgeons. The training tool (called VCath) was initially developed as a low-fidelity app for a tablet platform to provide easy access and availability to trainees. Subsequently, we have developed a high-fidelity version of VCath that uses a stereoscopic display to immerse the trainee in the virtual environment. This article reports on two studies that have been carried out to compare the low- and high-fidelity versions of VCath, particularly to assess the value of stereoscopy. Study 1 was conducted at the second annual boot camp organized for all year-one trainees in neurosurgery in the UK. Study 2 was performed on lay people, with no surgical experience. Our hypothesis was that using stereoscopy in the training task would be beneficial. Results from Study 1 demonstrated that performance improved for both the control group and the group trained with the tablet version of VCath. The group trained on the high-fidelity version of VCath with a stereoscopic display showed no performance improvement. The indication is that our hypothesis is false. In Study 2, six different conditions were investigated that covered the use of training with VCath on a tablet, a mono display at two different sizes, a stereo display at two different sizes, and a control group who received no training. Results from this study with lay people show that stereoscopy can make a significant improvement to the accuracy of needle placement. The possible reasons for these results and the apparent contradiction between the two studies are discussed.

Adaptive tracking of people and vehicles using mobile platforms

Tracking algorithms have important applications in detection of humans and vehicles for border security and other areas. For large-scale deployment of such algorithms, it is critical to provide methods for their cost- and energy-efficient realization. To this end, commodity mobile devices have significant potential for use as prototyping and testing platforms due to their low cost, widespread availability, and integration of advanced communications, sensing, and processing features. Prototypes developed on mobile platforms can be tested, fine-tuned, and demonstrated in the field and then provide reference implementations for application-specific disposable sensor node implementations that are targeted for deployment. In this paper, we develop a novel, adaptive tracking system that is optimized for energy-efficient, real-time operation on off-the-shelf mobile platforms. Our tracking system applies principles of dynamic data-driven application systems (DDDAS) to periodically monitor system operating characteristics and apply these measurements to dynamically adapt the specific classifier configurations that the system employs. Our resulting adaptive approach enables powerful optimization of trade-offs among energy consumption, real-time performance, and tracking accuracy based on time-varying changes in operational characteristics. Through experiments employing an Android-based tablet platform, we demonstrate the efficiency of our proposed tracking system design for multimode detection of human and vehicle targets.