Objective vs. Subjective Measurements of Sleep in Depressed Insomniacs: First Night Effect or Reverse First Night Effect?

The execution of manual material handling activities in the workplace exposes workers to large lumbar loads that increase the risk of musculoskeletal disorders and low back pain. In particular, the redesign of the workplace is making the execution of pulling activities more common, as an alternative to lifting and carrying tasks. The biomechanical analysis of the task revealed a substantial activation of the spinal muscles. This suggests that the user may benefit from the assistance of a back-support exoskeleton that reduces the spinal muscle activity and their contribution to lumbar compression. This work addresses this challenge by exploiting the versatility of an active back-support exoskeleton. A control strategy was specifically designed for assisting pulling that modulates the assistive torques using the forearm muscle activity. These torques are expected to adapt to the user’s assistance needs and the pulled object mass, as forearm muscle activity is considered an indicator of grip strength. We devised laboratory experiments to assess the feasibility and effectiveness of the proposed strategy. We found that, for the majority of the subjects, back muscle activity reductions were associated with the exoskeleton use. Furthermore, subjective measurements reveal advantages in terms of perceived support, comfort, ease of use, and intuitiveness.

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Hyaluronic Acid Fillers for Midface Augmentation: A Systematic Review

Facial Plastic Surgery ◽

10.1055/s-0041-1724122 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Lily N. Trinh ◽

Amar Gupta

Keyword(s):

Systematic Review ◽

Hyaluronic Acid ◽

Subcutaneous Tissue ◽

Age Groups ◽

Medical Subject Headings ◽

Mesh Terms ◽

Full Text Review ◽

Filler Injections ◽

Subjective Measurements ◽

Meta Analyses

AbstractInjectable fillers represent one of the most requested minimally invasive treatments to rejuvenate the aging face, and its popularity is steadily rising. A vast majority of filler treatments are with hyaluronic acid (HA). The aim of this systematic review is to evaluate patient outcomes, safety profile, and administration techniques of various HA fillers for malar augmentation. A systematic review of the published literature was conducted in accordance with the PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses) guidelines and included PubMed, Embase, and Science Direct databases. Medical Subject Headings (MeSH) terms used were “cheek” OR “midface” OR “malar” and “filler” OR “hyaluronic acid” OR “Juvederm” OR “Restylane” OR “Perlane” OR “Belotero.” The initial search identified 699 articles; 256 duplicates were removed. Additional 12 studies were identified from reference lists. A total of 455 were screened by title and abstract and 387 studies were eliminated based on criteria. Also, 68 articles underwent full-text review, and 18 articles were included in the final review and involved seven different HA formulations. Men and women from many age groups were highly satisfied with their results following HA treatment for midface augmentation up to 24 months. The most common adverse events included bruising, swelling, and tenderness, and typically lasted no more than 2 weeks. Upper cheek filler injections near the zygoma should be placed in the submuscular plane while lower cheek injections should be placed in the subcutaneous tissue. HA is an attractive choice for midface augmentation due to its high patient satisfaction, long-lasting effects, and low side-effect profile. Due to the variability in technique, level of expertise, and subjective measurements across studies, one optimal regimen could not be concluded. However, midface augmentation treatment should be personalized to each patient. Additional clinical trials are required to more conclusively determine the most appropriate approach for this procedure.

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Effect of Virtual Reality Graded Exposure on Heart Rate and Self-Reported Anxiety Levels of Performing Saxophonists

Journal of Research in Music Education ◽

10.2307/3345657 ◽

2003 ◽

Vol 51 (4) ◽

pp. 302-315 ◽

Cited By ~ 10

Author(s):

Evelyn K. Orman

Keyword(s):

Heart Rate ◽

Virtual Reality ◽

Virtual Environments ◽

Exposure Period ◽

Sense Of Presence ◽

Graded Exposure ◽

Subjective Measurements ◽

Anxiety Levels ◽

Exposure Sessions ◽

Virtual Reality Exposure

This study is an examination of the effect of computer-generated virtual reality graded exposure on the physiological and psychological responses of performing musicians. Eight university saxophone majors, five men and three women, participated in twelve 15- to 20-minute weekly practice sessions during which they were immersed in one of four different virtual environments designed to elicit various anxiety levels. Baseline heart rates and subjective measurements were taken prior to immersion and continued throughout the exposure period. In addition, heart rate and subjective measurements were recorded for three live performances given by each subject before beginning the virtual reality exposure and after completion of the sixth and the twelfth exposure sessions. Findings indicated that the virtual environments did elicit a sense of presence and may have provided the means for desensitization. Heart-rate readings and psychological indications of anxiety did not always correspond.

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Objective vs subjective measurements of dark vergence

Ophthalmic and Physiological Optics ◽

10.1111/j.1475-1313.2006.00448.x ◽

2007 ◽

Vol 27 (1) ◽

pp. 85-92 ◽

Cited By ~ 21

Author(s):

Wolfgang Jaschinski ◽

Stephanie Jainta ◽

Jörg Hoormann ◽

Nina Walper

Keyword(s):

Subjective Measurements

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Synthetic individual binaural audio delivery by pinna image processing

International Journal of Pervasive Computing and Communications ◽

10.1108/ijpcc-06-2014-0035 ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 10 (3) ◽

pp. 239-254 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Simone Spagnol ◽

Michele Geronazzo ◽

Davide Rocchesso ◽

Federico Avanzini

Keyword(s):

Sound Source ◽

Low Complexity ◽

Head Orientation ◽

Sound Sources ◽

Content Type ◽

Localization Test ◽

Subjective Measurements ◽

Head Related Transfer Function ◽

Practical Implications ◽

Better Than

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to present a system for customized binaural audio delivery based on the extraction of relevant features from a 2-D representation of the listener’s pinna. Design/methodology/approach – The most significant pinna contours are extracted by means of multi-flash imaging, and they provide values for the parameters of a structural head-related transfer function (HRTF) model. The HRTF model spatializes a given sound file according to the listener’s head orientation, tracked by sensor-equipped headphones, with respect to the virtual sound source. Findings – A preliminary localization test shows that the model is able to statically render the elevation of a virtual sound source better than non-individual HRTFs. Research limitations/implications – Results encourage a deeper analysis of the psychoacoustic impact that the individualized HRTF model has on perceived elevation of virtual sound sources. Practical implications – The model has low complexity and is suitable for implementation on mobile devices. The resulting hardware/software package will hopefully allow an easy and low-tech fruition of custom spatial audio to any user. Originality/value – The authors show that custom binaural audio can be successfully deployed without the need of cumbersome subjective measurements.

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Assessing Palmar and Pinch Forces in a Manufacturing Plant Using a Dynamic Pressure System

Proceedings of the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society Annual Meeting ◽

10.1177/154193120504901428 ◽

2005 ◽

Vol 49 (14) ◽

pp. 1395-1398 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Karin N. Barsness ◽

Nathan J. Anderson ◽

Paul E. Cassidy ◽

Holly S. Wick

Keyword(s):

Dynamic Pressure ◽

Pressure System ◽

Task Effects ◽

Work Tasks ◽

System Use ◽

Subjective Measurements ◽

Hand Force ◽

Analysis System ◽

Internal And External Validity ◽

Pressure Analysis

For work tasks requiring hand force and repetitive motions, risk increases directly proportional to an increase in force and repetition. Data on hand force exertion is generally collected by estimation of these forces by using subjective measurements, EMG recordings, or strain gauges. The objective of this study was to evaluate the use of a pressure pad system to quantify the ergonomic risk of a repetitive forceful manufacturing task. Effects of palmar and pinch forces and pressures associated with the current and proposed new work tasks were investigated by using a Novel Pliance dynamic pressure analysis system. Use of this system allowed the researchers to validate the reduction in forces associated with the tasks. This methodology has profound implications in that no compromise between internal and external validity is necessary, and allows quantification of ergonomic issues around forces, including tasks which requiring repetition and force exertions.

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