Perceived realism of haptic rendering methods for bimanual high force tasks: original and replication study.

Realistic haptic feedback is a key for virtual reality applications in order to transition from solely procedural training to motor-skill training. Currently, haptic feedback is mostly used in low-force medical procedures in dentistry, laparoscopy, arthroscopy and alike. However, joint replacement procedures at hip, knee or shoulder, require the simulation of high-forces in order to enable motor-skill training.

Two is Better Than One. Improved Attention Guiding in AR by Combining Techniques.

Search tasks in production environments have been shown to be significantly improved by attention guiding techniques in augmented reality (AR). In mobile use cases, head-mounted displays support context-sensitive and flexible search tasks. To improve search time and navigation efficiency, first concepts like attention funnel and spherical wave based guidance techniques have been tested successfully in comparison to simple arrow navigation.

Get a grip: multi-method evaluation of handles for tablets on the shop floor.

Tablets on the shop floor need handles because user requirements for handling differ from tablet usage in leisure time. The ergonomics of such handles is under-researched, resulting in a lack of methods for their design and evaluation. In this paper, we present a multi-method evaluation of handles for a shop floor tablet.

Mitigating passive fatigue during monotonous drives with thermal stimuli: Insights into the effect of different stimulation durations.

Driving on monotonous roads has been shown to cause passive fatigue as even non-sleep-deprived drivers suffer from the lack of stimuli. Consequently, alertness is reduced and the risk of accidents increases. To counteract this risk, measures need to be taken to mitigate driver fatigue.

Psychophysiological responses to short-term cooling during a simulated monotonous driving task.

For drivers on monotonous routes, cognitive fatigue causes discomfort and poses an important risk for traffic safety. Countermeasures against this type of fatigue are required and thermal stimulation is one intervention method. Surprisingly, there are hardly studies available to measure the effect of cooling while driving.

Evaluating dose ratio of subcutaneous to intravenous immunoglobulin therapy among patients with primary immunodeficiency disease switching to 20% subcutaneous immunoglobulin therapy.

Background: Current prescribing information recommends that physicians apply a dose ratio of 1.37:1 (1.53:1 prior to January 2015) in the United States (US) when switching patients with primary immunodeficiency disease (PI) from intravenous (IVIG) therapy to most subcutaneous therapy ([SCIG], except the 10% SCIG human hyaluronidase and immune globulin).

Coordination strategies of chimpanzees and human children in a Stag Hunt game.

Much of human cooperation takes place in mutualistic contexts in which the main challenge for individuals is how to coordinate decisions. In the current studies, we compared the abilities of chimpanzees and young children to coordinate with a partner in two versions of a Stag Hunt game. When risks were low (the hare was of low value) and information was cheap (the partner's behaviour was readily observable), partners of both species were able to successfully coordinate on the higher value stag more than 90% of the time.

Chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes) instrumentally help but do not communicate in a mutualistic cooperative task.

Chimpanzees cooperate in a variety of contexts, but communicating to influence and regulate cooperative activities is rare. It is unclear whether this reflects chimpanzees' general inability or whether they have found other means to coordinate cooperative activities. In the present study chimpanzees could help a partner play her role in a mutually beneficial food-retrieval task either by transferring a needed tool (transfer condition) or by visually or acoustically communicating the hiding-location of the needed tool (communication condition).

[Development and assessment of a sensory-motor scale for the neonate: a clinical tool at the bedside].

Introduction: Improved perinatal care has increased the survival of newborns. However, neonatal intensive care is a source of nociceptive stimuli that may have a negative long-term impact on the child's neurobehavioral development. During the period of maximal brain plasticity, supportive developmental care can therefore be beneficial.

Open innovation in health care: analysis of an open health platform.

Today, integration of the public in research and development in health care is seen as essential for the advancement of innovation. This is a paradigmatic shift away from the traditional assumption that solely health care professionals are able to devise, develop, and disseminate novel concepts and solutions in health care. The present study builds on research in the field of open innovation to investigate the adoption of an open health platform by patients, care givers, physicians, family members, and the interested public.

Different social motives in the gestural communication of chimpanzees and human children.

Both chimpanzees and human infants use the pointing gesture with human adults, but it is not clear if they are doing so for the same social motives. In two studies, we presented chimpanzees and human 25-month-olds with the opportunity to point for a hidden tool (in the presence of a non-functional distractor). In one condition it was clear that the tool would be used to retrieve a reward for the pointing subject (so the pointing was selfish or 'for-me'), whereas in the other condition it was clear that the tool would be used to retrieve the reward for the experimenter (so the pointing was helpful or 'for-you').

Experimental extracorporeal photopheresis inhibits the sensitization and effector phases of contact hypersensitivity via two mechanisms: generation of IL-10 and induction of regulatory T cells.

Extracorporeal photopheresis (ECP) is used to treat immune-mediated diseases including transplant rejection and graft-vs-host-disease. An experimental murine model of ECP utilizing contact hypersensitivity (CHS) revealed that ECP inhibits the sensitization of CHS and induces regulatory T cells (Treg). In this study, we find that ECP inhibits not only the sensitization but also the effector phase of CHS, although Treg only inhibited sensitization.

Age-related changes in cognitive conflict processing: an event-related potential study.

Cognitive tasks involving conflicting stimuli and responses are associated with an early age-related decline in performance. Conflict and conflict-induced interference can be stimulus- or response-related. In classical stimulus-response compatibility tasks, such as the Stroop task, the event-related potential (ERP) usually reveals a greater negativity on incongruent versus congruent trials which has often been linked with conflict processing.

Cognitive ergonomics in virtual environments: development of an intuitive and appropriate input device for navigating in a virtual maze.

For patients suffering from mild cognitive impairments, the navigation through a virtual maze should be as intuitive and efficient as possible in order to minimize cognitive and physical strain. This paper discusses the appropriateness of interaction devices for being used for easy navigation tasks. Information gained from human centered evaluation was used to develop an intuitive and ergonomic interaction device.

Neurophysiological age differences during task-performance in a stereoscopic virtual environment.

In today's society, there is an increasing number of workplaces in virtual environments (VE). But, there are only a few reports dealing with occupational health issues or age effects. The question arises how VR generally interferes with cognitive processes.

Stimulation of cortisol during mental task performance in a provocative virtual environment.

Fully immersive and stereoscopic Virtual Environments (VE) represent a powerful multimedia tool for laboratory-based simulations of distinct scenarios including scenarios for evaluating stressful situations resembling reality. Thus far, cortisol secretion as a neuroendocrine parameter of stress has not been evaluated within a Virtual Reality (VR)-based paradigm. In this study 94 healthy volunteers were subjected to a provocative VR-paradigm and a cognitive stress task.

Modification of virtual reality combined with a mental task stimulates cortisol in volunteers.

Immersive, stereoscopic virtual reality (VR) systems provide a powerful multimedia tool for a laboratory simulation of distinct scenarios including stressful situations close to reality. Thus far, cortisol secretion as a neuroendocrine parameter of stress has not been evaluated within a VR paradigm. Ninety-four healthy subjects were subjected to a VR paradigm and a cognitive stress task.

The calming effect of a familiar odor on full-term newborns.

We assessed the effectiveness of an odor (familiar or unfamiliar) in soothing healthy full-term newborns undergoing a routine heel stick. Forty-four breast-fed newborns were randomly assigned to one of four groups: Before the heel stick, Group 1 was naturally familiarized with their mother's milk odor, Group 2 was familiarized with a vanilla smell, and Groups 3 and 4 did not receive any familiarization. During and after the heel stick, Group 1 was presented with their mother's milk odor, Group 2 was presented with the familiar vanilla, Group 3 was presented with an unfamiliar odor, and Group 4 was a control group.

Auditory distraction in young and middle-aged adults: a behavioural and event-related potential study.

Cognitive tasks involving distraction are associated with an early age-related decline in performance. Involuntary shifts in attention to irrelevant stimulus features and subsequent reorientation were studied in young and middle-aged subjects focussing on behavioural and event-related potential (ERP) measures. Subjects were asked to discriminate between equiprobable short and long auditory stimuli.

[Treatment of acrophobia in a virtual environment].

Specific phobias are one of the most frequent mental health problems and can lead to years of personal suffering. The most effective treatment is exposure therapy. Our aim was to proof the feasibility and efficacy of virtual environments in treating acrophobia patients using a manually guided exposure therapy.

Olfactory experience mediates response to pain in preterm newborns.

We assessed the effects of a familiar odor during routine blood draws in healthy preterm newborns. Infants were observed as they were undergoing either a capillary puncture on the heel (heelstick) or a venous puncture on the hand. During the procedure, one third of the infants were presented with an odor they had been familiarized with prior to the procedure, one third of the infants were presented with an odor, they had not been previously exposed to, and one third were presented with no odor.

Ethical codes and values in a virtual world.

Some members of the so-called virtual world deny that technology such as the virtual environment (VE) is value-laden. But there are a variety of complex issues which arise in VE that make it necessary to think about ethics and values in VE applications. Using VE in therapy and psychotherapy research or diagnostics leads to several ethical concerns.

Immersive virtual environments in cue exposure.

Cue reactivity to drug-related stimuli is a frequently observed phenomenon in drug addiction. Cue reactivity refers to a classical conditioned response pattern that occurs when an addicted subject is exposed to drug-related stimuli. This response consists of physiological and cognitive reactions.

Real-time monitoring of brain activity in patients with specific phobia during exposure therapy, employing a stereoscopic virtual environment.

Exposure therapy is a behavioral technique that is reported to be the most effective, long-lasting treatment for patients suffering from specific phobia. During the performance in enclosed spaces, the patients show a strong psychophysiological response to the phobic stimulus that is normally avoided. This psychophysiological response changes characteristically during the course of exposure.