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Design and transparency evaluation of an upper limb rehabilitation robot for physical human-robot interaction
No full textOver the years, there has been a surge in the usage of robotic exoskeletons in clinics to treat patients with neurological impairments and other brain acquired injuries. For a comfortable and safe human-robot interaction, a harmony is required between the motion of exoskeleton and naturalistic movements of the user. To support natural coordination, exoskeletons must be transparent, ensuring natural human movements to proceed unimpeded. A biomimetic exoskeleton design, coupled with effective force control strategies, can help achieve transparency in motion. An upper limb rehabilitation robot is presented in this study to aid in the rehabilitation of upper limb disabilities. The proposed upper limb rehabilitation robot (ULRR) is designed to improve the transparency, incorporating shoulder, elbow, and wrist joints. The proposed ULRR provides six actuated degrees of freedom (DOF) out of which three are associated with the shoulder joint, one with the elbow joint, and two DOF for the wrist joint. The telescopic features at the upper and lower arm of the ULRR allow a close alignment between the elbow joint of the robot and the user. To evaluate the transparency of the ULRR, two comparative studies were conducted with ten healthy subjects. Firstly, the tests were conducted for the motions of the shoulder joint only in all three DOF individually. Later, a trajectory from the active daily life (ADL) was given as a reference and the ULRR was operated in patient-in-charge and robot-in-charge control modes. The force data collected during these experiments were analyzed to assess the transparency of the ULRR for human-robot interaction
Development of a Smartphone App for Women Living With Gestational Diabetes Mellitus:Qualitative Study
No full textBACKGROUND: Gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM), a type of blood glucose intolerance or hyperglycemia that occurs during pregnancy, is a common condition increasing in prevalence both globally and in Australia. Mobile health apps have been shown to be a useful resource for women with type 1 diabetes and could successfully contribute to GDM management by facilitating healthy behaviors.OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to seek the perspectives of health care consumers (HCCs) and health professionals (HPs) regarding the development of a smartphone app for women living with GDM.METHODS: A co-design process with 4 distinct phases underpinned the development of SugarMumma. Phase 1 involved a nonsystematic literature search followed by the creation of an app functions wish list. In phase 2, semistructured interviews with HCCs and HPs were undertaken and then thematically analyzed. In phase 3, a prototype was designed based on social cognitive theory and stakeholder recommendations. Agile project management methodology was used, followed by "user acceptance testing." During phase 4, a second round of individual interviews was undertaken with HCCs and HPs. The same qualitative methods outlined in phase 2 were used.RESULTS: In phase 2, individual and didactic interviews were undertaken with HCCs (n=2) and HPs (n=6). Two overarching themes encompassing recommendations for app development emerged: (1) functionality and (2) individualized care. SugarMumma was created in phase 3. Phase 4 involved a second round of individual interviews with HCCs (n=1) and HPs (n=5), resulting in the final theme (3) future directions.CONCLUSIONS: With increasing numbers of people using smartphones, mobile health apps can help manage chronic conditions such as GDM. SugarMumma was designed following extensive stakeholder input. Good functionality, regular notifications, appealing visual aids, positive feedback, relevant dietary advice, and exporting information to HPs are important features to include.</p
Nurses' learning about professional interpersonal communication:Findings from an integrative review
No full textBackground: Effective communication, a cognitive and social skill, is pivotal in quality care delivery. It is important to explore how nurses learn about communication during their program of study, and more importantly the substance of what they have learnt regarding communicating with patients. This is of value given the changing context of health care, society and contemporary nursing. Aim: To explore learning and teaching practices of professional, interpersonal communication and the associated outcomes for student learning during pre-registration education. Design: Integrative review. Data sources: Four databases, Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature (CINAHL), Medline, Proquest and Scopus, were searched January 2000 through to December 2020. A subsequent rapid review of literature 2020 to 2023 was guided by Dobbin's method. Review method: Whittemore and Knafl's framework guided this review. It included 1. problem identification, 2. literature search, 3. data evaluation, 4. data analysis, and 5. presentation. The PRISMA protocol informed screening of literature. The quality of included articles was assessed using the Mixed Method Appraisal Tool (MMAT). Results: Of the initial eligible 46 articles critiqued, 26 remained; A rapid review found one further article. Twenty-seven articles were included in the final analysis. We derived a comprehensive understanding of curricula that included conceptual approaches, teaching techniques, student outcomes, and novel innovations. Conceptional approaches described self-efficacy based on Bandura's social learning theory. Teaching techniques to advance social and active learning though varied, were dominantly active experiential learning. Student outcomes were forthcoming across all described modes of learning and teaching that involved good education practices that actively engaged learners. Finally, we specifically identified novel practices that included immersion, repetition of deliberate practice, scaffolding and coaching. The specific unique contribution of these practices was the capacity to acknowledge and embrace existing innate student capacities. Conclusion: Current literature advocates students learning of professional communication is forthcoming from appropriately designed courses. Research and evaluation of student learning remains rudimentary. The contribution of factors such as students' life skills and innate communication ability to their learning of professional interpersonal communication is largely absent. Further research is needed regarding the best focus for learning and teaching of professional interpersonal communication.</p
PainFormer:a Vision Foundation Model for Automatic Pain Assessment
No full textPain is a manifold condition that impacts a significant percentage of the population. Accurate and reliable pain evaluation for the people suffering is crucial to developing effective and advanced pain management protocols. Automatic pain assessment systems provide continuous monitoring and support decision-making processes, ultimately aiming to alleviate distress and prevent functionality decline. This study introduces PainFormer, a vision foundation model based on multi-task learning principles trained simultaneously on 14 tasks/datasets with a total of 10.9 million samples. Functioning as an embedding extractor for various input modalities, the foundation model provides feature representations to the Embedding-Mixer, a transformer-based module that performs the final pain assessment. Extensive experiments employing behavioral modalities–including RGB, synthetic thermal, and estimated depth videos–and physiological modalities such as ECG, EMG, GSR, and fNIRS revealed that PainFormer effectively extracts high-quality embeddings from diverse input modalities. The proposed framework is evaluated on two pain datasets, BioVid and AI4Pain, and directly compared to 75 different methodologies documented in the literature. Experiments conducted in unimodal and multimodal settings demonstrate state-of-the-art performances across modalities and pave the way toward general-purpose models for automatic pain assessment.</p
Teaching marketing communication practice-based learning online during and post COVID-19 lockdown
No full textSince the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic disrupted the teaching and learning environment, teachers are increasingly adopting online pedagogy. Even though online pedagogy has been advancing and uncovering students' experience and engagement patterns, little study has been made on studying online pedagogy in the Marketing Communication (MarComm) discipline. This study attempts to contribute to the literature by examining the critical pedagogical and heutagogical factors associated with teaching practice-based learning online during a crisis and online pedagogical experiences of MarComm students at the University of Canberra. The study adopted both co-operative inquiry of seven educational technologists, academics and students and online written semi-structured interviews of 23 MarComm students at the University of Canberra. The thematic analysis identifies two pedagogical and heutagogical factors vital for educating during a crisis. They are responsiveness and critical reflection. Data further demonstrate that effective use of technology supported online pedagogy, while students with low IT skills are less enthralled with online pedagogy. Our study demonstrates the need for technology access, human critical reflection and planning in understanding the unrelenting evolution of contemporary pedagogy and heutagogy. In this instance, we recommend hyflex pedagogies in MarComm programmes.</p
Correction:Transforming Water Research Through Human Rights-Based Approaches: A Framework for Implementation (Water, (2025), 17, 10, (1418), 10.3390/w17101418)
Get PDFThere were errors in the original publication [1]. In the original publication, references [16,21,23,29,39] were added mistakenly. We have rectified and corrected this issue. Below are the correct references: Wilson, N.J.; Harris, L.M.; Nelson, J.; Shah, S.H. Re-theorizing politics in water governance. Water 2019, 11, 1470. https://doi.org/10.3390/w11071470. Gready, P. Human Rights and Development in the New Millennium: Towards a Theory of Change; Routledge: London, UK, 2014. Zwarteveen, M.; Boelens, R. Defining, researching and struggling for water justice: Some conceptual building blocks for research and action. Water Int. 2014, 39, 143–158. https://doi.org/10.1080/02508060.2014.891168. Gready, P.; Ensor, J. Reinventing Development: Translating Rights-Based Approaches from Theory into Practice; Zed Books: London, UK, 2005. Smith, R. Human rights-based approaches to research. In Research Methods in Human Rights; Routledge: London, UK, 2018; pp. 6–23. Wilson, N.J.; Harris, L.M.; Nelson, J.; Shah, S.H. Re-theorizing politics in water governance. Water 2019, 11, 1470. https://doi.org/10.3390/w11071470. Gready, P. Human Rights and Development in the New Millennium: Towards a Theory of Change; Routledge: London, UK, 2014. Zwarteveen, M.; Boelens, R. Defining, researching and struggling for water justice: Some conceptual building blocks for research and action. Water Int. 2014, 39, 143–158. https://doi.org/10.1080/02508060.2014.891168. Gready, P.; Ensor, J. Reinventing Development: Translating Rights-Based Approaches from Theory into Practice; Zed Books: London, UK, 2005. Smith, R. Human rights-based approaches to research. In Research Methods in Human Rights; Routledge: London, UK, 2018; pp. 6–23. Also, references [43,45,52,58,60,62] are duplicate ones; we have deleted these references. With this correction, the order of some of the references has been adjusted accordingly. The authors state that the scientific conclusions of the paper are unaffected. This correction was approved by the Academic Editor. The original publication has also been updated.</p
Traditional place-based diets and their effects on healthy and sustainable food transitions:a systematic literature review
No full textObjective: Traditional diets are culturally accepted and adapted to local environments, but globalisation has shifted towards unhealthy, unsustainable eating habits. This study aims to assess the literature on the effects of traditional, place-based diets on health and sustainability and examines the suitability of common tools used to evaluate them. Design: A systematic search was conducted using the PRISMA 2020 guidelines across seven databases (CINAHL, Cochrane Library, MEDLINE, Scopus, Web of Science, PubMed and Google Scholar), and the protocol was registered with PROSPERO (CRD42023445750). The inclusion criteria were traditional place-based diets, studies examining the nutritional, health benefits and sustainability impacts of traditional food consumption, published in English, with no date restriction. Results: Eleven studies from Spain, Romania, Portugal, Mexico, Chile, Japan, Uganda and India met the criteria. Assessment tools included carbon footprints (via LCA), nitrogen footprints, NRF9.3, Nutri-Score and EAT-Lancet; some incorporated qualitative methods. Mediterranean, Atlantic and Japanese diets aligned well with health and sustainability, whereas meat-heavy or nutrient-deficient patterns raised concerns. Most studies relied on standardised tools and secondary datasets, with limited use of region-specific environmental data or qualitative insights. Only one intervention study was identified. Conclusions: Traditional diets show promise as culturally appropriate models for sustainable and healthy eating. Current tools designed around standardised, reductionist frameworks often fail to capture the complexity of traditional food systems, including local practices, preparation methods and cultural meaning. To better assess traditional diets, future research should develop regionally adapted indicators and integrate quantitative measures with qualitative insights from local communities.</p
Quantum Enhanced Transformer Network for Learning Transactive Energy During Physical Human-Robot Interaction
No full textOptimizing energy transfer during physical human–robot interactions is important for enhancing neurotherapeutic outcomes and ensuring patient safety. Energy transfer dynamics are particularly complex, involving a delicate balance between kinetic and potential energies as the robot assists or resists movement, adapting to the patient’s needs in real time. Traditional methods, which often rely on predefined robot control strategies, often struggle in dynamic environments where the interplay of forces and motions becomes unpredictable. Therefore, this work integrates the computational intelligence of quantum computing with transformer models to estimate the dynamics of energy transfer between human and gait rehabilitation robot, specifically designed based on the Stephenson III six-bar linkage mechanism. The principles of quantum computing, such as superposition and entanglement, combined with the attention mechanisms of transformer models, explore a much larger solution space. It provides accurate predictions of the complex, nonlinear interactions of energy flows between the robot and the human lower limb. The quantum transformer network was trained on the experimental data obtained from the interaction of seven male and one female healthy human subjects with the gait rehabilitation robot operated at low and high impedance control modes.</p
Podcasting comparative and international education: reflecting, reframing, or reorienting the field?
No full textPodcasts have increased in popularity in recent years as a form of knowledge production and dissemination, but scant research has examined how academic podcasts relate to their cognate fields. This study analysed in detail one academic podcast – FreshEd – to examine its content and how it may reflect, reframe, and/or reorient the field of comparative and international education (CIE). Data were collected on 294 podcast episodes, first analysed descriptively by mapping key information about the researchers featured on each, then thematically by inductively coding their focal content. The study is significant because it (1) examines how an academic podcast reflects or reframes a field (i.e. CIE); (2) explores the possibilities for academic podcasting to reorient the types of knowledge produced, and our relationships to them; and (3) exemplifies innovative methodological avenues for analysing new forms of knowledge dissemination beyond traditional scholarly boundaries.<br/
Prevalence of pelvic floor dysfunction in male athletes and its dose-dependency in high-intensity exercise:A scoping review
No full textBackground: This scoping review summarises literature on the prevalence and types of male pelvic floor dysfunction linked to increasing exercise intensity, with a secondary aim of exploring whether a dose-dependent relationship exists between the two. Methods: A comprehensive search of CINAHL, PEDro, PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science databases was conducted up to January 2025 using MeSH terms and keywords relating to exercise and PFD. Results: The search yielded 6031 publications with 1199 duplicates removed prior to screening. After screening 4493 articles, 10 articles were eligible for inclusion. Substantial reporting differences of exercise-related variables were identified. Six studies reported prevalence rates of lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS), including urinary incontinence, ranging from 3.8 % to 18.8 %. Only one study examined multiple pelvic floor issues, identifying anorectal incontinence in 61.8 % of participants. Studies investigating erectile dysfunction (ED) and chronic prostatitis/pelvic pain (CP/CPPS) reported hazard and odds ratios. When reporting as ratios for ED, CP/CPPS, studies identified that higher weekly MET-minutes of physical activity were slightly more protective than sedentary or lower physical activity levels. The cross-sectional studies reporting LUTS as a sample percentage identified a dose-dependent relationship between weekly MET-minutes and the prevalence of male LUTS, based on both minimum and maximum weighted averages (R = 0.86 vs. R = 0.87). Conclusions: Athletic males may experience higher rates of LUTS than the general population. A dose-dependent relationship between MET-minutes per week and male LUTS indicates that men who exercise intensely at higher volumes may be at greater risk of symptomology, whereas risk of ED and CP/CPPS may be reduced.</p