Cotton morphological traits tracking through spatiotemporal registration of terrestrial laser scanning time-series data.

Understanding the complex interactions between genotype-environment dynamics is fundamental for optimizing crop improvement. However, traditional phenotyping methods limit assessments to the end of the growing season, restricting continuous crop monitoring. To address this limitation, we developed a methodology for spatiotemporal registration of time-series 3D point cloud data, enabling field phenotyping over time for accurate crop growth tracking.

Bridging model and experiment in systems neuroscience with Cleo: the Closed-Loop, Electrophysiology, and Optophysiology simulation testbed.

Systems neuroscience has experienced an explosion of new tools for reading and writing neural activity, enabling exciting new experiments such as all-optical or closed-loop control that effect powerful causal interventions. At the same time, improved computational models are capable of reproducing behavior and neural activity with increasing fidelity. Unfortunately, these advances have drastically increased the complexity of integrating different lines of research, resulting in the missed opportunities and untapped potential of suboptimal experiments.

Virtual fitness buddy ecosystem: a mixed reality precision health physical activity intervention for children.

6-11-year-old children provide a critical window for physical activity (PA) interventions. The Virtual Fitness Buddy ecosystem is a precision health PA intervention for children integrating mixed reality technology to connect people and devices. A cluster randomized, controlled trial was conducted across 19 afterschool sites over two 6-month cohorts to test its efficacy in increasing PA and decreasing sedentary behavior.

Sitting or Standing in VR: About Comfort, Conflicts, and Hazards.

This article examines the choices between sitting and standing in virtual reality (VR) experiences, addressing conflicts, challenges, and opportunities. It explores issues such as the risk of motion sickness in stationary users and virtual rotations, the formation of mental models, consistent authoring, affordances, and the integration of embodied interfaces for enhanced interactions. Furthermore, it delves into the significance of multisensory integration and the impact of postural mismatches on immersion and acceptance in VR.

Agreement between Fitbit and ActiGraph Estimates of Physical Activity in Young Children.

Physical activity (PA) estimates from the Fitbit Flex 2 were compared to those from the ActiGraph GT9X Link in 123 elementary school children. Steps and intensity-specific estimates of PA and 3-month PA change were calculated using two different ActiGraph cut-points (Evenson and Romanzini). Fitbit estimates were 35% higher for steps compared to the ActiGraph.

IEEE ISMAR 2022 Report: Toward Better Mixed Realities.

On October 21, 2022, the 21st IEEE International Symposium on Mixed and Augmented Reality (ISMAR 2022) was successfully completed in Singapore. ISMAR is the leading international conference in the fields of augmented reality, mixed reality, and virtual reality. This was the first time that ISMAR was held in Southeast Asia and the first time in hybrid mode.

Situated VR: Toward a Congruent Hybrid Reality Without Experiential Artifacts.

The vision of extended reality (XR) systems is living in a world where real and virtual elements seamlessly and contextually augment experiences of ourselves and the worlds we inhabit. While this integration promises exciting opportunities for the future of XR, it comes with the risk of experiential distortions and feelings of dissociation, especially related to virtual reality (VR). When transitioning from a virtual world to the real world, users report of experiential structures that linger on, as sort of after images, causing disruptions in their daily life.

Scaling the Virtual Fitness Buddy Ecosystem as a School-Based Physical Activity Intervention for Children.

Childhood obesity is a growing concern as it can lead to lifelong health problems that carry over into adulthood. A substantial contributing factor to obesity is the physical activity (PA) habits that are formed in early childhood, as these habits tend to sustain throughout adulthood. To aid children in forming healthy PA habits, we designed a mixed reality system called the Virtual Fitness Buddy ecosystem, in which children can interact with a virtual pet agent.

Propping Up Virtual Reality With Haptic Proxies.

Physical props serving as proxies for virtual objects (haptic proxies) offer a cheap, convenient, and compelling way of delivering a sense of touch in virtual reality (VR). To successfully use haptic proxies for VR, they have to be both similar to and colocated with their virtual counterparts. In this article, we introduce a taxonomy organizing techniques using haptic proxies for VR into eight categories based on when the techniques are deployed (offline or real-time), what reality is being manipulated (physical or virtual reality), and the purpose of the techniques (to affect object perception or the mapping between real and virtual objects).

Using virtual agents to increase physical activity in young children with the virtual fitness buddy ecosystem: Study protocol for a cluster randomized trial.

Background: Designing and implementing a truly self-determined physical activity (PA) intervention has required excessive amounts of labor and expenses that, until recently, have made it prohibitively costly to implement in the field at scale.

Methods: Guided by self-determination theory, and harnessing the power of consumer-grade interactive technologies, we developed the Virtual Fitness Buddy (VFB) Ecosystem. Designed to foster intrinsic motivation toward adopting PA as a lifestyle change in 6-10-year-old children, the Ecosystem features a mixed-reality kiosk which houses a personalized virtual pet for each user.

Using Virtual Agents and Activity Monitors to Autonomously Track and Assess Self-Determined Physical Activity Among Young Children: A 6-Week Feasibility Field Study.

The majority of youth fail to get the recommended amount of physical activity (PA), and there is a precipitous decline in PA among children as they get older. Guided by self-determination theory and social cognitive theory, we designed an interactive, mixed reality PA intervention for 6-10-year-old children. Capitalizing on the features of consumer-grade interactive communication technologies, the intervention features a kiosk-based system that houses a virtual agent programmed to encourage children to set self-determined PA goals.

Points-Based Reward Systems in Gamification Impact Children's Physical Activity Strategies and Psychological Needs.

Gamification is an increasingly popular form of health intervention but its efficacy remains elusive due to a lack of clarity in its conceptualization and operationalization. This study aimed to isolate and determine the direct causal effect of one of the most popular game elements used in gamified interventions, the points-based reward system, on physical activity (PA) in children. A 72-hour field study with children aged 9 to 13 ( N = 67) was conducted using a digital PA intervention featuring a virtual dog, with and without a points-based reward system.

Feeling the weight of calories: using haptic feedback as virtual exemplars to promote risk perception among young females on unhealthy snack choices.

Virtual simulations allow users to feel and manipulate objects as they would in the physical world. Guided by exemplification theory and risk communication research, a virtual exemplar was developed to allow users to feel the weight of the caloric density of unhealthy snacks (e.g.

Development and Use of an Interactive Computerized Dog Model to Evaluate Cranial Nerve Knowledge in Veterinary Students.

In veterinary medicine, the cognitive skills necessary to interpret neurological disorders from text-based case descriptions may not translate into the diagnostic capabilities required for clinical neurological patients. As live animals exhibiting certain specific neurological disorders are infrequent during a student's exposure to clinics, students may graduate without the experience necessary to make an accurate diagnosis in the field. To address this, we have developed a computerized simulated dog head that can exhibit cranial nerve dysfunctions and respond to specific testing procedures in a clinically accurate manner.

Using Virtual Pets to Increase Fruit and Vegetable Consumption in Children: A Technology-Assisted Social Cognitive Theory Approach.

A virtual pet in the form of a mid-sized dog was developed based on the framework of social cognitive theory and tested as a vehicle for promoting fruit and vegetable (F&V) consumption in children. Three groups of children (N = 68) between the ages of 7 and 13 years were studied: baseline (no treatment), computer only, and virtual dog. Children in the virtual dog condition interacted with the virtual dog for 3 days, setting F&V consumption goals and receiving evaluation and reinforcement based on whether they met their self-set goals.

Using Virtual Pets to Promote Physical Activity in Children: An Application of the Youth Physical Activity Promotion Model.

A virtual pet was developed based on the framework of the youth physical activity promotion model and tested as a vehicle for promoting physical activity in children. Children in the treatment group interacted with the virtual pet for three days, setting physical activity goals and teaching tricks to the virtual pet when their goals were met. The virtual pet became more fit and learned more sophisticated tricks as the children achieved activity goals.

Effects of tibial plateau angle and spacer thickness applied during in vitro canine total knee replacement on three-dimensional kinematics and collateral ligament strain.

Objective: To quantify the 3-D kinematics and collateral ligament strain of stifle joints in cadaveric canine limbs before and after cranial cruciate ligament transection followed by total knee replacement (TKR) involving various tibial plateau angles and spacer thicknesses.

Sample: 6 hemi-pelvises collected from clinically normal nonchondrodystrophic dogs (weight range, 25 to 35 kg).

Procedures: Hemi-pelvises were mounted on a modified Oxford knee rig that allowed 6 degrees of freedom of the stifle joint but prevented mechanical movement of the hip and tarsal joints.

Virtual patient simulations and optimal social learning context: a replication of an aptitude-treatment interaction effect.

Background: Virtual patients (VPs) offer valuable alternative encounters when live patients with rare conditions, such as cranial nerve (CN) palsies, are unavailable; however, little is known regarding simulation and optimal social learning context.

Aim: Compare learning outcomes and perspectives between students interacting with VPs in individual and team contexts.

Methods: Seventy-eight medical students were randomly assigned to interview and examine four VPs with possible CN damage either as individuals or in three-person teams, using Neurological Examination Rehearsal Virtual Environment (NERVE).

Mixed reality virtual pets to reduce childhood obesity.

Novel approaches are needed to reduce the high rates of childhood obesity in the developed world. While multifactorial in cause, a major factor is an increasingly sedentary lifestyle of children. Our research shows that a mixed reality system that is of interest to children can be a powerful motivator of healthy activity.

A portable palpation training platform with virtual human patient.

Palpation (the application of touch to the surface of the body) is an essential clinical skill. Correct palpation is part of a complete physical examination and it assists a clinician in making an accurate diagnosis, while poor palpatory skills can lead to diagnostic errors. As with any clinical skill, palpation is best learned through repetitive practice with constructive feedback.

Medical student satisfaction using a virtual patient system to learn history-taking communication skills.

Virtual patients (VPs) have the potential to augment existing medical school curricula to teach history-taking and communication skills. A goal of our current efforts to study virtual characters in health professions education is to develop a system that can be independently accessed and thus user satisfaction is an important factor in how readily this technology will be adopted. Twenty-three medical students participated in a study in which they interviewed a virtual patient and were asked to rate the educational value of the experience.

Do medical students respond empathetically to a virtual patient?

Background: Significant information exchange occurs between a doctor and patient through nonverbal communication such as gestures, body position, and eye gaze. In addition, empathy is an important trust-building element in a physician: patient relationship. Previous work validates the use of virtual patients (VP) to teach and assess content items related to history-taking and basic communication skills.

Comparing interpersonal interactions with a virtual human to those with a real human.

This paper provides key insights into the construction and evaluation of interpersonal simulators--systems that enable interpersonal interaction with virtual humans. Using an interpersonal simulator, two studies were conducted that compare interactions with a virtual human to interactions with a similar real human. The specific interpersonal scenario employed was that of a medical interview.

The use of virtual patients to teach medical students history taking and communication skills.

Background: At most institutions, medical students learn communication skills through the use of standardized patients (SPs), but SPs are time and resource expensive. Virtual patients (VPs) may offer several advantages over SPs, but little data exist regarding the use of VPs in teaching communication skills. Therefore, we report our initial efforts to create an interactive virtual clinical scenario of a patient with acute abdominal pain to teach medical students history-taking and communication skills.