Development and Evaluation of BenchBalance: A System for Benchmarking Balance Capabilities of Wearable Robots and Their Users

Recent advances in the control of overground exoskeletons are being centered on improving balance support and decreasing the reliance on crutches. However, appropriate methods to quantify the stability of these exoskeletons (and their users) are still under development. A reliable and reproducible balance assessment is critical to enrich exoskeletons’ performance and their interaction with humans. In this work, we present the BenchBalance system, which is a benchmarking solution to conduct reproducible balance assessments of exoskeletons and their users. Integrating two key elements, i.e., a hand-held perturbator and a smart garment, BenchBalance is a portable and low-cost system that provides a quantitative assessment related to the reaction and capacity of wearable exoskeletons and their users to respond to controlled external perturbations. A software interface is used to guide the experimenter throughout a predefined protocol of measurable perturbations, taking into account antero-posterior and mediolateral responses. In total, the protocol is composed of sixteen perturbation conditions, which vary in magnitude and location while still controlling their orientation. The data acquired by the interface are classified and saved for a subsequent analysis based on synthetic metrics. In this paper, we present a proof of principle of the BenchBalance system with a healthy user in two scenarios: subject not wearing and subject wearing the H2 lower-limb exoskeleton. After a brief training period, the experimenter was able to provide the manual perturbations of the protocol in a consistent and reproducible way. The balance metrics defined within the BenchBalance framework were able to detect differences in performance depending on the perturbation magnitude, location, and the presence or not of the exoskeleton. The BenchBalance system will be integrated at EUROBENCH facilities to benchmark the balance capabilities of wearable exoskeletons and their users.

Brief Training and Intensive Mentoring Guide Postdoctoral Scholars to Student-Centered Instruction

The Science Teaching Experience Program-Working in Science Education (STEP-WISE) provides mentorship, practice, and feedback for research postdocs who are learning and applying inclusive, evidence-based pedagogies. The program is successful and sustainable for institutions. Its salient components are outlined here.

Brief inductive learning but not explicit instruction of a new grammar can produce a Whorfian effect

It is known that brief training on new vocabulary and metaphors can shift how we represent concepts and categorize stimuli even when we are not using the language. But it remains unknown whether brief training on grammar can also produce such ‘Whorfian’ effects. Besides, previous studies have neglected how the way in which the language was learned might be a factor. To fill these gaps, Mandarin native speakers learned a new grammatical marker of transitivity through either inductive training or explicit instruction. In subsequent non-verbal matching task the inductively trained group based their judgments on the number of entities involved in motion events to a greater extent than controls naïve to the grammar, but the explicitly trained group did not, despite showing equivalent knowledge of the grammar in a grammaticality judgment task. We interpret the effects in terms of dynamic and unconscious top-down feedback from grammar to lower-level perceptual processes.

Feasibility of oral HIV self-testing in female sex workers in Gaborone, Botswana

Background Oral HIV self-testing (HIVST) may be useful for increasing testing in persons at elevated risk of acquiring HIV. Methods We conducted a pilot study to evaluate the feasibility (defined by uptake) of HIVST among FSW in Gaborone, Botswana. FSW age 18 years and above were recruited through a non-governmental organization serving FSW. FSW with unknown or negative HIV status at screening performed HIVST in the study clinic following brief training. FSW testing HIV-negative were each given two test kits to take home: one kit to perform unassisted HIVST and another to share with others. Feasibility (use) of HIVST (and sharing of test kits with others) was assessed in these women at a study visit four months later. Results Two hundred FSW were screened. Their average age was 34 years (range 18–59), and 115 (58%) were HIV-positive. Eighty-five (42%) tested HIV-negative at entry and were eligible to take part in the HIVST pilot study. All 85 (100%) agreed to take home HIVST kits. Sixty-nine (81%) of these 85 participants had a follow-up visit, 56 (81%) of whom reported performing HIVST at a mean of three and half months after the initial visit. All 56 participants who performed HIVST reported negative HIVST results. Fifty (73%) of the 69 participants who took HIVST kits home shared them with others. Of the 50 women sharing HIVST kits, 25 (50%) shared with their non-client partners, 15 with a family member, 8 with friends, and 3 with a client. One participant did not test herself but shared both her test kits. Most participants 53/56 (95%) found oral HIVST very easy to use whilst 3/56 (5%) felt it was fairly easy. Conclusion Oral HIVST is feasible among FSW in Gaborone, Botswana. The majority of FSW used the HIVST kits themselves and also shared extra HIVST kits with other individuals.

Chest compression efficacy of child resuscitators

Background: Chest compression efficacy determines blood flow in cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and relies on body mechanics, so resuscitator weight matters. Individuals of insufficient weight are incapable of generating a sufficient downward chest compression force using traditional methods. Aims: This study investigated how a resuscitator's weight affects chest compression efficacy, determined the minimum weight required to perform chest compressions and, for children and adults below this minimum weight, examine alternate means to perform chest compressions. Methods: Volunteers aged 8 years and above were enrolled to perform video-recorded, music-facilitated, compression-only CPR on an audible click-confirming manikin for 2 minutes, following brief training. Subjects who failed this proceeded to alternate modalities: chest compressions by jumping on the lower sternum; and squat-bouncing (bouncing the buttocks on the chest). These methods were assessed via video review. Findings: There were 57 subjects. The 30 subjects above 40kg were all able to complete nearly 200 compressions in 2 minutes. Success rates declined in those who weighed less than 40kg. Below 30 kg, only one subject (29.9 kg weight) out of 14 could achieve 200 effective compressions. Nearly all of the 23 subjects who could not perform conventional chest compressions were able to achieve effective chest compressions using alternate methods. Conclusion: A weight below 40kg resulted in a declining ability to perform standard chest compressions effectively. For small resuscitators, the jumping and squat-bouncing methods resulted in sufficient compressions most of the time; however, chest recoil and injuries are concerns.

Lung ultrasound volume sweep imaging for respiratory illness: a new horizon in expanding imaging access

BackgroundRespiratory illness is a leading cause of morbidity in adults and the number one cause of mortality in children, yet billions of people lack access to medical imaging to assist in its diagnosis. Although ultrasound is highly sensitive and specific for respiratory illness such as pneumonia, its deployment is limited by a lack of sonographers. As a solution, we tested a standardised lung ultrasound volume sweep imaging (VSI) protocol based solely on external body landmarks performed by individuals without prior ultrasound experience after brief training. Each step in the VSI protocol is saved as a video clip for later interpretation by a specialist.MethodsDyspneic hospitalised patients were scanned by ultrasound naive operators after 2 hours of training using the lung ultrasound VSI protocol. Separate blinded readers interpreted both lung ultrasound VSI examinations and standard of care chest radiographs to ascertain the diagnostic value of lung VSI considering chest X-ray as the reference standard. Comparison to clinical diagnosis as documented in the medical record and CT (when available) were also performed. Readers offered a final interpretation of normal, abnormal, or indeterminate/borderline for each VSI examination, chest X-ray, and CT.ResultsOperators scanned 102 subjects (0–89 years old) for analysis. Lung VSI showed a sensitivity of 93% and a specificity of 91% for an abnormal chest X-ray and a sensitivity of 100% and a specificity of 93% for a clinical diagnosis of pneumonia. When any cases with an indeterminate rating on chest X-ray or ultrasound were excluded (n=38), VSI lung ultrasound showed 92% agreement with chest X-ray (Cohen’s κ 0.83 (0.68 to 0.97, p<0.0001)). Among cases with CT (n=21), when any ultrasound with an indeterminate rating was excluded (n=3), there was 100% agreement with VSI.ConclusionLung VSI performed by previously inexperienced ultrasound operators after brief training showed excellent agreement with chest X-ray and high sensitivity and specificity for a clinical diagnosis of pneumonia. Blinded readers were able to identify other respiratory diseases including pulmonary oedema and pleural effusion. Deployment of lung VSI could benefit the health of the global community.

Can a brief training intervention help improve mental health service delivery in South Africa?

Background: South Africa faces a number of significant challenges apropos mental health service delivery, including a large treatment gap, a high rate of readmission, over-burdened specialist tertiary facilities, and slow integration of mental health into general health services. The South African National Mental Health Education Programme implemented between February 2019 and December 2019, aimed to upskill health workers to diagnose and manage mental disorders at primary and secondary levels of care.Aim: This study aimed to assess the evolution of training participants’ self-reported competency in mental health care and the number of referrals made to higher levels of care as well as to reflect on the possible broader effects of the training.Setting: The programme and study were conducted in South Africa with Medical Officers and Professional Nurses working at public sector primary and secondary level health care facilities.Methods: A descriptive observational study collected data from training participants through a pre- and post-course, and 3-month follow-up survey.Results: The average confidence ratings for performing mental health care activities and managing mental health conditions increased from pre- to post-course, and was either maintained or increased further at 3-month follow-up. A decrease in the self-reported percentage of patients being referred to a higher level of care was observed 3-months after the training.Conclusion: The evaluation suggests that a brief training intervention such this can go a long way in increasing the confidence of primary and secondary level health care workers in managing common mental health conditions and adhering to the provisions of legislation.

Learning to Judge a Book by Its Cover: Rapid Acquisition of Facial Stereotypes

People are able to quickly and automatically evaluate faces on different traits, such as trustworthiness. There is a growing literature demonstrating that factors such as learning and experience play a role in shaping these judgments. In the current work, we assess the malleability of our trait evaluations by associating arbitrary facial features with trustworthy or untrustworthy behaviors. Across five studies, we demonstrate that this learning can impact trait evaluation and effectively form novel facial stereotypes, which exert effects on evaluations as strong as intrinsic facial trustworthiness. With only a brief training, participants’ rapidly acquired novel facial stereotypes, which were activated automatically and early on in processing, and which biased participants’ trust behavior and hiring decisions. These results suggest that our trait evaluations of faces are shaped by an implicit learning mechanism that abstracts the co-occurrence between facial features and trait-related behaviors, resulting in the creation of novel facial stereotypes.