Exploring the Potential of Conversational Interfaces for Care of Older Adults: Insights from Stakeholder Workshops.

This study aimed to explore the utilisation of conversational interfaces (CIs) by local care service providers (CSPs) and their potential applications in improving the quality of life for older adults. Two workshops were conducted with stakeholders to gather insights and requirements. Although currently not yet utilised by CSPs, stakeholders expressed their openness towards CIs and believed that older adults are very likely to appear receptive to them.

RelaxedCare - Connecting people in care situations: User involvement to collect informal caregivers needs.

"How is my mom doing right now?" Answering this question in a quick, clear way without the need of calling or stopping by could take away a lot of stress from informal caregivers. The RelaxedCare system aims to develop a solution built upon an existing AAL platform, using a multi-level pattern recognition approach to detect the current state of an assisted person, and then to communicate the state in a pervasive and unobtrusive way (i.e.

Multimodal recording of brain activity in term newborns during photic stimulation by near-infrared spectroscopy and electroencephalography.

In this study 14 healthy term newborns (postnatal mean age 2.1 days) underwent photic stimulation during sleep on two different days. Near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) and electroencephalography (EEG) was acquired simultaneously.

Reproducibility and sensitivity of detecting brain activity by simultaneous electroencephalography and near-infrared spectroscopy.

The aims were (1) to determine the sensitivity and reproducibility to detect the hemodynamic responses and optical neuronal signals to brain stimulation by near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) and evoked potentials by electroencephalography (EEG) and (2) to test the effect of novel filters on the signal-to-noise ratio. This was achieved by simultaneous NIRS and EEG measurements in 15 healthy adults during visual stimulation. Each subject was measured three times on three different days.

The effect of basic assumptions on the tissue oxygen saturation value of near infrared spectroscopy.

Tissue oxygen saturation (StO(2)), a potentially important parameter in clinical practice, can be measured by near infrared spectroscopy (NIRS). Various devices use the multi-distance approach based on the diffusion approximation of the radiative transport equation [1, 2]. When determining the absorption coefficient (μ (a)) by the slope over multiple distances a common assumption is to neglect μ (a) in the diffusion constant, or to assume the scattering coefficient (μ(s)) to be constant over the wavelength.

Cerebral hemodynamic changes in stroke during sleep-disordered breathing.

Background And Purpose: Sleep-disordered breathing (SDB) negatively impacts stroke outcome. Near-infrared spectroscopy showed the acute cerebral hemodynamic effects of SDB.

Methods: Eleven patients (7 men, age 61±13 years) with acute/subacute middle cerebral artery stroke (National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale score 10±7) and SDB (apnea-hypopnea index 32±28/hour) were assessed with nocturnal polysomnography and bilateral near-infrared spectroscopy recording.

Reproducibility of cerebral tissue oxygen saturation measurements by near-infrared spectroscopy in newborn infants.

Early detection of cerebral hypoxemia is an important aim in neonatology. A relevant parameter to assess brain oxygenation may be the cerebral tissue oxygen saturation (StO(2)) measured by near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS). So far the reproducibility of StO(2) measurements was too low for clinical application, probably due to inhomogeneities.

Precision of cerebral oxygenation and hemoglobin concentration measurements in neonates measured by near-infrared spectroscopy.

Background And Aim: One source of error with near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) is the assumption that the measured tissue is optically homogeneous. This is not always the case. Our aim is to assess the impact of tissue homogeneity (TH) on the precision of NIRS measurements in neonates.

Nocturnal cerebral hemodynamics in snorers and in patients with obstructive sleep apnea: a near-infrared spectroscopy study.

Study Objectives: Sleep disordered breathing (SDB) of the obstructive type causes hemodynamic consequences, leading to an increased cerebrovascular risk. The severity of SDB at which detrimental circulatory consequences appear is matter of controversy. Aim of the present study is the investigation of cerebral hemodynamics in patients with SDB of variable severity using near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS).

Periodic leg movements during sleep and cerebral hemodynamic changes detected by NIRS.

Objective: Periodic leg movements during sleep (PLMS) have been shown to be associated with changes in autonomic and hemispheric activities. Near infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) assesses hemodynamic changes linked to hemispheric/cortical activity. We applied NIRS to test whether cerebral hemodynamic alterations accompany PLMS.

Task complexity relates to activation of cortical motor areas during uni- and bimanual performance: a functional NIRS study.

Hand motor tasks are frequently used to assess impaired motor function in neurology and neurorehabilitation. Assessments can be varied by means of hand laterality, i.e.