Brain Activity Reflects Subjective Response to Delayed Input When Using an Electromyography-Controlled Robot

In various experimental settings, electromyography (EMG) signals have been used to control robots. EMG-based robot control requires intrinsic parameters for control, which makes it difficult for users to understand the input protocol. When a proper input is not provided, the response time of the system varies; as such, the user’s subjective delay should be investigated regardless of the actual delay. In this study, we investigated the influence of the subjective perception of delay on brain activation. Brain recordings were taken while subjects used EMG signals to control a robot hand, which requires a basic processing delay. We used muscle synergy for the grip command of the robot hand. After controlling the robot by grasping their hand, one of four additional delay durations (0 ms, 50 ms, 125 ms, and 250 ms) was applied in every trial, and subjects were instructed to answer whether the delay was natural, additional, or whether they were not sure. We compared brain activity based on responses (“sure” and “not sure”). Our results revealed a significant power difference in the theta band of the parietal lobe, and this time range included the interval in which the subjects could not feel the delay. Our study provides important insights that should be considered when constructing an adaptive system and evaluating its usability.

Weighted Shoes in the Wild: Initial Insights into the Relationship Between the Effort of Walking and the Amount of Walking Performed

Purpose: Walking comprises a large portion of active energy expenditure in humans. Interventions that increase or decrease the energy expended on each step, such as ankle weights or energy-saving orthoses, may therefore strongly impact fitness. The overall effect of increasing or decreasing per-step energy use is unclear, however, because people may choose to walk less or more, respectively, in response. Methods: In this study, healthy college students with normal body mass index wore weighted and unweighted shoes embedded with an inertial measurement unit for one week each. Community-based walking data were analyzed for number of steps, distance traveled and walking speed. Oxygen consumption using each set of shoes at a range of speeds were measured in a laboratory setting and used to estimate metabolic energy expended during community-based walking. A survey measured subjective response to each pair of shoes. Results: The weighted shoes increased per-step energy cost by about 26%. Subjects strongly disliked the weighted shoes (P = 0.001) and found them tiring (P = 0.003). Despite this dislike, subjects did not significantly reduce distance walked (P = 0.6), number of steps (P = 0.7), or average speed (P = 0.9) compared to normal shoes. This led to a small but not statistically significant increase in energy expended during walking over a five-day period (12.3 ± 9.6% increase, P = 0.2). On the final collection day this trend appeared to reverse, with fewer steps taken and lower metabolic energy expended with the weighted shoes. Twenty-four subjects were recruited but only ten completed the protocol, with dislike of the weighted shoe condition being the primary reason for dropout. Conclusions: Increasing the energy cost of each step led to greater energy expended through walking. However, there are indications that behavioral changes would be greater with a longer intervention or increased retention. For example, the large dropout rate suggests that some subjects avoided walking with the weighted shoes entirely, simply by leaving the study. Follow-on studies among patient groups may reveal a fitness benefit to either increasing or reducing the energy cost of walking.

Pilot Data on the Feasibility And Clinical Outcomes of a Nomegestrol Acetate Oral Contraceptive Pill in Women With Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder

BackgroundUp to 80% of reproductive-aged women experience premenstrual symptoms. Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder (PMDD) is a severe form, affecting 2-5% of women. Combined oral contraceptive pills (COCPs) are used in the treatment of PMDD. Clinical practice suggests that a newer COCP containing nomegestrol acetate (2.5mg) and 17-beta estradiol (1.5mg), may be a suitable treatment for mood symptoms in PMDD.Materials and MethodsThis was a clinical follow-up feasibility study of women who had attended the Monash Alfred Psychiatry research centre, Women’s Mental Health Clinic, with a diagnosis of PMDD. 67% of the sample also had concurrent cPTSD, 29% co-morbid anxiety, and 20% depression. They were recommended treatment with nomegestrol acetate/17-beta estradiol. Eligible women were contacted by telephone to answer a questionnaire to assess women’s subjective response to nomegestrol acetate/17-beta estradiol, acceptability and the Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scale-21 (DASS-21) after being recommended nomegestrol acetate/17-beta estradiol. The paired-sample t-test was used to determine if there were any statistically significant differences in the DASS-21 scores over the study observation period (before and after taking nomegestrol acetate/17-beta estradiol).Results35 (74.5%) women reported a subjective positive mood response to nomegestrol acetate/17-beta estradiol, 31 (63.3%) adhered to the medication, and only 10 (20.4%) women reported side effects as the main reason for discontinuing nomegestrol acetate/17-beta estradiol. There were statistically significant reductions (p<0.05) in the overall DASS-21 scores from before women commenced nomegestrol acetate/17-beta estradiol and after commencement of treatment.ConclusionsThis preliminary study supports the acceptability and effectiveness of nomegestrol acetate/17-beta estradiol as a treatment for mood symptoms in PMDD. Further research, particularly a randomized controlled trial, is required to elucidate the effect of nomegestrol acetate/17-beta estradiol treatment on mood in PMDD.

Emoji Essence: Detecting User Emotional Response on Visual Centre Field with Emoticons

User experience is understood in so many ways, like a one on one interaction (subjective views), online surveys and questionnaires. This is simply so get the user’s implicit response, this paper demonstrates the underlying user emotion on a particular interface such as the webpage visual content based on the context of familiarisation to convey users’ emotion on the interface using emoji, we integrated physiological readings and eye movement behaviour to convey user emotion on the visual centre field of a web interface. The physiological reading is synchronised with the eye tracker to obtain correlating user interaction, and emoticons are used as a form of emotion conveyance on the interface. The eye movement prediction is obtained through a control system’s loop and is represented by different color display of gaze points (GT) that detects a particular user’s emotion on the webpage interface. These are interpreted by the emoticons. Result shows synchronised readings which correlates to area of interests (AOI) of the webpage and user emotion. These are prototypical instances of authentic user response execution for a computer interface and to easily identify user response without user subjective response for better and easy design decisions.

Electrodermal Response to Mirror Exposure in Relation to Subjective Emotional Responses, Emotional Competences and Affectivity in Adolescent Girls With Restrictive Anorexia and Healthy Controls

Objective: Body image disturbances and the attendant negative emotions are two of the major clinical symptoms of eating disorders. The objective of the present experimental study was to shed more light on the degree of association or dissociation between the physiological and emotional response to mirror exposure in patients with restrictive mental anorexia, and on the relationships between the physiological response and characteristics connected with emotional processing.Materials and Methods: Thirty adolescent girls with the restrictive type of anorexia and thirty matched healthy controls underwent bilateral measurement of skin conductance (SC) during rest, neutral stimulus exposure, and mirror exposure, and completed a set of measures focused on emotion regulation competencies, affectivity, and eating disorder pathology.Results: Compared to healthy controls, girls with restrictive anorexia rated mirror exposure as a subjectively more distressful experience. Differences in skin conductance response (SCR) were not significant; however, variance in SCR was substantially greater in the group of anorexia patients as compared to healthy controls. The overall skin conductance level (SCL) was lower in anorexia patients. Increase in SCR during mirror exposure, as opposed to exposure to neutral stimuli, was positively related to the tendency to experience negative emotions, interoceptive sensitivity, body dissatisfaction and suppression, but not to other symptoms of eating pathology or emotional awareness. A post hoc analysis suggested that physiological reactivity might be associated with interoceptive sensitivity to mirror exposure especially in anorectic patients.Conclusion: The study seems to demonstrate some degree of dissociation between psychophysiological reactivity and subjective response to body exposure in patients with restrictive anorexia. Factors affecting differences in psychophysiological responsiveness to body exposure in anorectic patients require further exploration.

Red cell transfusion benefits in oncology, haematology and palliative medicine populations: a narrative review

Due to the heterogenous nature of the palliative medicine patient population, assessment of benefit, and thus choice of appropriate patient for consideration of transfusion, can be challenging. This can be confounded by the use of both liberal and restrictive transfusion thresholds. The multifactorial nature of many symptoms of anaemia, particularly in patients with advanced malignancy, can further complicate. As such, there is a paucity of data supporting the subjective, objective and clinical benefit of red cell transfusion in the palliative medicine setting. This narrative review summarises the research and evidence surrounding the benefits of red cell transfusion, with a particular emphasis on the oncological, haematological and palliative medicine population. There is a lack of a validated, reproducible patient-reported outcome measures (PROM) to assess response to red cell transfusions in the palliative medicine population with outcome measures varying from objective improvement in haemoglobin level post-transfusion, to subjective response in primary symptom(s). Further investigation is required regarding the development of effective PROMs assessing response to red cell transfusion in the palliative medicine population, to ensure judicious use of this scarce and valuable resource.