Usability and Accessibility of the ArtontheBrain™ Virtual Recreation Activity for Older Adults With Low Vision Due to Age-Related Macular Degeneration

Experiencing visual art can inspire, be an overall positive leisure activity, and has been linked to improved cognition, especially in older adults. Access to artwork in a museum environment can comprise a variety of barriers, including difficulties linked to its visual experience for persons that are visually impaired. The present study explored the barriers and facilitators experienced by 15 older adults (age 65 to 93) living with age-related macular degeneration when using an iPad to access ArtontheBrain™, a virtual art museum recreation experience created by members of this team. Using the Concurrent Think Aloud method, participants were asked to continuously comment on their experiences with the application while being audio/video recorded. Indeed, codes were determined by identifying frequently stated and emphasized ideas or behaviors of participants using the ArtontheBrain™ application. Transcripts underwent thematic analysis and indicated that the main access barriers were linked to control of the contrast, magnification, and the tactile interface on the tablet device. The learn and play activities as well as the text-to-speech feature were identified as facilitators for ArtontheBrain™ engagement. The present findings should also be considered in the larger context of application development, as this study provides insight pertaining to the needs of low vision individuals regarding usability and accessibility.

Integrated Pedal System for Data Driven Rehabilitation

We present a system capable of providing visual feedback for ergometer training, allowing detailed analysis and gamification. The presented solution can easily upgrade any existing ergometer device. The system consists of a set of pedals with embedded sensors, readout electronics and wireless communication modules and a tablet device for interaction with the users, which can be mounted on any ergometer, transforming it into a full analytical assessment tool with interactive training capabilities. The methods to capture the forces and moments applied to the pedal, as well as the pedal’s angular position, were validated using reference sensors and high-speed video capture systems. The mean-absolute error (MAE) for load is found to be 18.82 N, 25.35 N, 0.153 Nm for Fx, Fz and Mx respectively and the MAE for the pedal angle is 13.2°. A fully gamified experience of ergometer training has been demonstrated with the presented system to enhance the rehabilitation experience with audio visual feedback, based on measured cycling parameters.

Conditions to utilize video feedback using a tablet device in physical education classes

The use of ICT equipment in schools has not reached its full potential due to a number of limitations. Video feedback in physical education classes is one way that computer equipment is used and, according to Dr Saburo Nishimura, Heisei International University, this has proven to be effective and beneficial. However, there remains room for improvement and Nishimura and his team want to maximise its impact. The researchers are seeking to fulfil research gaps concerning the process of acquiring skill proficiency with the use of video feedback and how ICT equipment can be effectively used in physical education classes. As such, the team is working on a project that is seeking to elucidate the learning time that students require in order to grasp areas for improvement regarding physical movement by watching videos of their movements and also videos of the same movements being expertly performed. In addition, the researchers want to clarify the minimum number of trials (number of exercises) required to improve their skills. This work will involve the participation of high school students and Nishimura has already obtained consent for this from a number of high schools. It will also involve the use of tablets. The effect of video feedback will be analysed from two perspectives: eye movement analysis and motion analysis.

The Impact of E-learning During COVID-19 Pandemic on Body Aches Among Students in a Palestinian University

Background: Musculoskeletal system pain is a major concern in our life due to its negative effects on our ability to perform our daily functions. During the COVID-19 pandemic several countries around the world switched their teaching programs into e-learning programs, where students spend long hour using desktop/ laptop or tablet devices. The use of these devices was associated with several complains among the students like neck, shoulder and back pain. The aim of this study is to evaluate the degree of different body aches associated with e-learning on university students and to find a link between the most common body posture, the duration of usage of desktop/ laptop or tablet devices with the negative health outcome on these students. Methods: The subjects of this study were students from An-Najah university in Palestine. 385 questionnaires were filled using Google forms as a web-based questionnaire and all the subjects were using e-learning approach due to COVID-19 pandemic. Upon completion of the study, descriptive statistics, correlation statistics with Pearson coefficient and Chi square analysis were used to study the sample.Results: Our study showed that a large percentage of participants used the desktop/ laptop or tablet devices for e-learning during the pandemic. The Duration of these devices use was correlated with the duration and degree of pain among the participants, and also associated with the difficulty in their ability to perform several daily activities. In addition, most of the students used the sitting position with the supine bent forward during the device usage. When comparing the pain level and duration associated with desktop/ laptop or tablet device usage in both genders, female tend to have higher duration and more severe pain compared to male. Conclusion: The university students that participated in this study had an increase in body aches during the e-learning process, and the aches duration and severity increases if the duration of desktop/laptop or tablet usage increase.

Pharmacy, nursing, and physician assistant studies student self-report and perceptions regarding classroom etiquette

Introduction: The study aimed to investigate pharmacy, physician assistant studies, and nursing students’ self-report regarding their classroom etiquette and perceptions regarding classroom etiquette. Methods: A survey regarding classroom etiquette was administered to first year pharmacy, physician assistant studies, and nursing students. Statistical analysis was performed to determine differences among various student behaviours and perceptions, and among students of the three academic programmes. Results: Most students (>84%) indicated that arriving late to class, leaving the classroom during lecture without returning, initiating a conversation with a peer during lecture, and conducting non-class-related activities with electronic devices during lecture are unprofessional. Students self-reported that tardiness and leaving and returning to the classroom during lecture are not rare. Most students (52%) indicated that it is acceptable to have a conversation with a peer while the professor is teaching if the conversation is directly related to the lecture material. Some students (27%) indicated that the non-class-related activities that they conduct during lecture using their laptop or tablet device affected their academic performance. More students reported their academic performance is adversely affected by non-academic use of laptop or tablet device compared to the use of cell phones. Conclusion: This study suggests there are opportunities to improve student classroom etiquette in various academic settings. Moreover, it may bring a greater awareness to the issue of classroom etiquette, and thereby encourage faculty and administration to evaluate, and/or better enforce policies related to classroom etiquette.

Using Technology to Identify Children With Autism Through Motor Abnormalities

Autism is a neurodevelopmental disorder typically assessed and diagnosed through observational analysis of behavior. Assessment exclusively based on behavioral observation sessions requires a lot of time for the diagnosis. In recent years, there is a growing need to make assessment processes more motivating and capable to provide objective measures of the disorder. New evidence showed that motor abnormalities may underpin the disorder and provide a computational marker to enhance assessment and diagnostic processes. Thus, a measure of motor patterns could provide a means to assess young children with autism and a new starting point for rehabilitation treatments. In this study, we propose to use a software tool that through a smart tablet device and touch screen sensor technologies could be able to capture detailed information about children’s motor patterns. We compared movement trajectories of autistic children and typically developing children, with the aim to identify autism motor signatures analyzing their coordinates of movements. We used a smart tablet device to record coordinates of dragging movements carried out by 60 children (30 autistic children and 30 typically developing children) during a cognitive task. Machine learning analysis of children’s motor patterns identified autism with 93% accuracy, demonstrating that autism can be computationally identified. The analysis of the features that most affect the prediction reveals and describes the differences between the groups, confirming that motor abnormalities are a core feature of autism.

A COVID-19 Emergency Response for Remote Control of a Dialysis Machine with Mobile HRI

Healthcare workers face a high risk of contagion during a pandemic due to their close proximity to patients. The situation is further exacerbated in the case of a shortage of personal protective equipment that can increase the risk of exposure for the healthcare workers and even non-pandemic related patients, such as those on dialysis. In this study, we propose an emergency, non-invasive remote monitoring and control response system to retrofit dialysis machines with robotic manipulators for safely supporting the treatment of patients with acute kidney disease. Specifically, as a proof-of-concept, we mock-up the touchscreen instrument control panel of a dialysis machine and live-stream it to a remote user’s tablet computer device. Then, the user performs touch-based interactions on the tablet device to send commands to the robot to manipulate the instrument controls on the touchscreen of the dialysis machine. To evaluate the performance of the proposed system, we conduct an accuracy test. Moreover, we perform qualitative user studies using two modes of interaction with the designed system to measure the user task load and system usability and to obtain user feedback. The two modes of interaction included a touch-based interaction using a tablet device and a click-based interaction using a computer. The results indicate no statistically significant difference in the relatively low task load experienced by the users for both modes of interaction. Moreover, the system usability survey results reveal no statistically significant difference in the user experience for both modes of interaction except that users experienced a more consistent performance with the click-based interaction vs. the touch-based interaction. Based on the user feedback, we suggest an improvement to the proposed system and illustrate an implementation that corrects the distorted perception of the instrumentation control panel live-stream for a better and consistent user experience.

258 Blue Blockers’ Ability to Block Circadian-Active Light Emitted from a Tablet

Introduction Short-wavelength light emitted from electronic devices in the evening can harm circadian health by suppressing endogenous melatonin and phase-delaying the timing of the wake-sleep cycle. Blue-blocking glasses are one possible intervention to reduce this exposure. The present study evaluated the differential ability of commercially available blue-blockers to filter out the blue range of visible-spectrum light emitted by a common electronic device. Methods A calibrated spectroradiometer (Ocean Insight), cosine corrector, optic fiber, and software package were used to measure the absolute irradiance (uW/cm^2/nm) emitted from a commercially-available computer tablet (iPad) displaying a blank white screen in a closeted dark room. Thirty-one commercially-available blue-blockers were individually placed between the cosine corrector and the tablet. At a standardized distance and angle, the resulting intensity profile was measured and analyzed. Each lens was evaluated individually relative to the light source and then evaluated across subtypes, including red-tinted lenses (RTL), orange-tinted lenses (OTL), orange-tinted lenses with blue reflectivity (OBL), brown-tinted lenses (BTL), yellow-tinted lenses (YTL), and clear reflective blue lenses (RBL). Results There was significant variation in tablet-generated light-blocking across the full spectrum (one-way ANOVA, p < 0.0001) and for the 440-530nm range in particular (one-way ANOVA, p < 0.0001). RTL blocked 99%, OTL blocked 81%, OBL blocked 75%, BTL blocked 83%, YTL blocked 33%, and RBL blocked 17% of broadspectrum light (380-780nm). In the 440nm-530nm range, RTL, OTL, and OBL blocked 100% of the emission, while BTL blocked 81%, YTL blocked 47%, and RBL blocked 18% of it. Conclusion When using a popular tablet device, RTL, OTL and OBL blocked the most circadian photosensitive parts of the light exposure, indicating they can best preserve the timing of endogenous melatonin secretion in the presence of tablet light at night. By contrast, RBL demonstrated very little efficacy. Support (if any) R01MD011600, R01DA051321

The iPad as a Musical Instrument!

When used to make music, the tablet device is a musical instrument and has several things in common with traditional wind and string instruments: It can be played well, making wonderful music, and it can be played poorly, producing sounds that are wanting in terms of musicality. First, and foremost, a tablet will make no sound until a human touches it. Second, practice is required to perform correctly on a tablet, and the performer must build technique. The tablet, like an oboe or violin, will do nothing musical until a human being interacts with it, develops technique through practice, and makes musical decisions using it. It is possible to use tablets in live performance by examining real-life examples by an iPad ensemble that model learner-centered pedagogical principles. Taking into account the social and musical aspects of the musicians, the chapter discusses possible approaches to rehearsals, what performances might involve, including collaborations with other artists, and breaking down the artificial fourth wall that too often is placed between musicians and audience.

Musculoskeletal symptoms among adult smartphone and tablet device users: a retrospective study

Background Previous literature suggests the use of smartphones and tablet devices may result in various postural and musculoskeletal disorders, predominantly of the neck and upper extremities. However, factors that contribute to the symptoms have not been adequately explored. Methods This study aimed to investigate the prevalence and patterns (e.g. types, sites and temporal distributions) of musculoskeletal symptoms among adult smartphone and tablet device users. It also investigated device usage in terms of usage time, postures adopted during use, operational methods and purposes of device use in order to explain the symptom occurrences. Participants from eastern states of Australia retrospectively reported device usage and symptoms in the preceding two-week period, via an online survey. Data was analysed using Chi-square [χ2] analysis to determine the relationships between categorical variables; Mann-Whitney U tests to compare two groups (e.g. smartphone-only users versus tablet users) where dependant variables were ordinal; independent samples t-tests if dependent variables were continuous and approximated a normal distribution; and Spearman’s correlation analysis to assess the relationships between pairs of continuous or ordinal variables. Results Of the 207 participants, 59.9% reported musculoskeletal symptoms during or after device use; for 64.5% of these, symptoms began within the first 30 min (mostly between 15 and 30 min) of commencing usage. No statistically significant differences were observed between smartphone-only users and tablet device users in proportions reporting symptoms during device use (χ2 = .350, N = 207, p = .554). The most prevalent symptom was stiffness. The most prevalent symptom occurred in the neck (18.1% in smartphone-only users and 19.3% in tablet device users). Tablet users who were 18–24 year-old and used their device for more than 30 min in each usage session more often experienced symptoms (82.4% prevalence) than those who used a device for 30 min or less (52.2%) (χ2 = 4.723, N = 63, p = .030). Conclusion These findings suggest that user age, duration and frequency of usage, and type of device are important factors to consider in the formation of evidence-based guidelines to reduce experiences of musculoskeletal symptoms among smartphone and tablet device users. If usage was capped at < 15 min, the majority of smartphone and tablet device users would avoid symptoms.