The study examined the psychometric characteristics of three automated working memory span tasks: operational, reading, and symmetry span task, administered in groups of participants. For each task, the metric characteristics of six scoring procedures were evaluated: partial, absolute, partial non-weighted, absolute non-weighted, partial weighted, and absolute weighted scoring. Metric characteristics of all measures were compared across two parallel analyses: with and without application of a typical 85% accuracy criterion on the processing component of the tasks. The study demonstrates that the group administration of span tasks does not compromise their psychometric characteristics. All the tasks had an adequate internal consistency with Cronbach’s αs equal to or above .70; the exception being all types of the symmetry span task absolute scores with α values close to .60. Furthermore, all tasks have satisfactory convergent construct validity as well as criterion validity estimated in relation to measures of fluid intelligence. Omitting the 85% accuracy criterion on the processing component of the span tasks did not impair their psychometric properties. Thus, it is recommended that researchers discard this accuracy criterion as a criterion for filtering the results for further statistical analyses.

Robots are expected to become ubiquitous in the near future, working with people in various environments, including homes, schools, hospitals, and offices. As physically and socially interactive technologies, robots present new opportunities for embodied interaction and active as well as passive sensing in these contexts. They have also been shown to psychologically impact individuals, affect group and organizational dynamics, and modify our concepts and experiences of work, care, and social relationships. Designing robots for increasingly ubiquitous everyday use requires understanding how robots are perceived, and can be adopted and supported in open-ended, natural social circumstances. This, in turn, calls for design and evaluation methodologies that go beyond the dyadic and small group interactions in laboratories that have largely been the focus of research in human-robot interaction. In this talk, I will present alternative perspectives on the design and evaluation of socially interactive robotic technologies in real-world contexts, focusing on several case studies of socially assistive robots in eldercare. I will first discuss how older adults make sense of robots for use in their homes, in relation to the broader social contexts in which they live, as part of collaborative design activities, and in the course of month-long implementations of robots in their homes. These in-home studies bring up various issues relating to the types of data older adults and the clinicians who work with them would like to collect, related privacy concerns, impacts on other people in the home, and how robot designs can support the relationships older adults hope to have with and through robots. Secondly, I will explore the institutional and community-based use and design of robots in different eldercare facilities, including a nursing home, a retirement community, and an intergenerational daycare. These studies bring out how robots fit into and affect the institutional and group dynamics of interaction, and also allow us to explore how robots might be envisioned as technologies that can support not only individual, but community-level goals. Through these case studies of robots, as emerging ubiquitous interactive technologies, I will bring out themes that can inform the design and study of pervasive systems more broadly, including collaborative design, the use of data collected during social interactions with and around technologies, related ethical concerns, and the need for incorporating the aims of groups, institutions, and communities in the design of intelligent interactive technologies.

Human-Robot Interaction (HRI) research in public spaces often encounters delays and restrictions due to several factors, including the need for sophisticated technology, regulatory approvals, and public or community support. To remedy these concerns, we suggest HRI can apply the core philosophy of Tactical Urbanism, a concept from urban planning, to catalyze HRI in public spaces, provide community feedback and information on the feasibility of future implementations of robots in the public, and also create social impact and forge connections with the community while spreading awareness about robots as a public resource. As a case study, we share tactics used and strategies followed to conduct a pop-up style study of 'A robotic mailbox to support and raise awareness about homelessness.' We discuss benefits and challenges of the pop-up approach and recommend using it to enable the social studies of HRI not only to match but to precede, the fast-paced technological advancement and deployment of robots.

It is certain that the first steps of the vehicle drives each individual person were made in karting vehicle. Additional adrenaline and increase driving pleasure gives extremely high noise and the smell of combustion products that may still endure when the ride takes place on an open track during sunny days. However, for many years karting rides take place indoors where it is necessary to provide a special ventilation system for undesirable combustion products. In order to avoid problems of air pollution indoors, reduce noise, and raise awareness of young generations in terms of preservation of the environment, today is increasingly use of electric karting. Having in mind the multiple benefits of electric drive, a reconstruction of karting vehicle with petrol engine into electric karting is presented in the paper. A special attention was paid to the selection of the electric powertrain and battery storage units for electricity, as well as dynamic characteristics of the reconstructed electric vehicle.

The Pehare Viaduct is located on the 2nd subsection of the Zenica Bypass Motorway at Corridor Vc which is under construction. Based on engineering geological mapping and performed investigation works, it was found that the viaduct is placed in two completely different geological zones (chalk flysch and oligomiocene sediments) separated by the fault zone. The oligomiocene complex is characterized as a landslide. During the preparation of Geotechnical Performance Study Mission G31, an additional investigation works were carried out on piers location, and inclinometers were installed. The results of the measurements on the inclinometers have shown that there are significant displacements at higher depths, resulting in a change of the foundation construction compared to the solution given in the main design. The problem of terrain stability on the one part of theviaduct and the foundation in two different geological zones with fault between them, emphasises this viaduct as one of the most complex on this subsection. This paper describes the structure of the viaduct, viaduct foundations based on the determined sliding zones, and a review of the geotechnical analysis with the risk analysis.

BackgroundThe focus of this study is to identify particular microRNA (miRNA) signatures in exosomes derived from plasma of 435 human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2)-positive and triple-negative (TN) subtypes of breast cancer (BC).MethodsFirst, miRNA expression profiles were determined in exosomes derived from the plasma of 15 TNBC patients before neoadjuvant therapy using a quantitative TaqMan real-time PCR-based microRNA array card containing 384 different miRNAs. Forty-five miRNAs associated with different clinical parameters were then selected and mounted on microRNA array cards that served for the quantification of exosomal miRNAs in 435 BC patients before therapy and 20 healthy women. Confocal microscopy, Western blot, and ELISA were used for exosome characterization.ResultsQuantification of 45 exosomal miRNAs showed that compared with healthy women, 10 miRNAs in the entire cohort of BC patients, 13 in the subgroup of 211 HER2-positive BC, and 17 in the subgroup of 224 TNBC were significantly deregulated. Plasma levels of 18 exosomal miRNAs differed between HER2-positive and TNBC subtypes, and 9 miRNAs of them also differed from healthy women. Exosomal miRNAs were significantly associated with the clinicopathological and risk factors. In uni- and multivariate models, miR-155 (p = 0.002, p = 0.003, respectively) and miR-301 (p = 0.002, p = 0.001, respectively) best predicted pathological complete response (pCR).ConclusionOur findings show a network of deregulated exosomal miRNAs with specific expression patterns in exosomes of HER2-positive and TNBC patients that are also associated with clinicopathological parameters and pCR within each BC subtype.

Specific microRNAs (miRNAs) are packaged in exosomes that regulate processes in tumor development and progression. The current study focuses on the influence of exosomal miRNAs in the pathogenesis of epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC). MiRNA profiles were determined in exosomes from plasma of 106 EOC patients, eight ovarian cystadenoma patients, and 29 healthy women by TaqMan real‐time PCR‐based miRNA array cards containing 48 different miRNAs. In cell culture experiments, the impact of miR‐200b and miR‐320 was determined on proliferation and apoptosis of ovarian cancer cell lines. We report that miR‐21 (P = 0.0001), miR‐100 (P = 0.034), miR‐200b (P = 0.008), and miR‐320 (P = 0.034) are significantly enriched, whereas miR‐16 (P = 0.009), miR‐93 (P = 0.014), miR‐126 (P = 0.012), and miR‐223 (P = 0.029) are underrepresented in exosomes from plasma of EOC patients as compared to those of healthy women. The levels of exosomal miR‐23a (P = 0.009, 0.008) and miR‐92a (P = 009, 0.034) were lower in ovarian cystadenoma patients than in EOC patients and healthy women, respectively. The exosomal levels of miR‐200b correlated with the tumor marker CA125 (P = 0.002) and patient overall survival (P = 0.019). MiR‐200b influenced cell proliferation (P = 0.0001) and apoptosis (P < 0.008). Our findings reveal specific exosomal miRNA patterns in EOC and ovarian cystadenoma patients, which are indicative of a role of these miRNAs in the pathogenesis of EOC.

Introduction: Dry needling is a therapeutic procedure using the insertion of thin needles through the skin into myofascial trigger points (MTrPs), muscular or connective tissue with the aim to reduce pain intensity. The objective of this systematic review is to analyze the literature for the efficacy of the dry needle technique in pain reduction in conditions of musculoskeletal pain caused by MTrPs. Reference Sources: Web of Science, Scopus and EBSCOhost database were searched for studies and e-books published from January 2010 to December 2018. Studies Selection: We included randomized controlled studies, prospective and longitudinal studies, and case studies which analyzed the efficacy of dry needling for musculoskeletal pain reduction. Data Extraction Method: The studies, which satisfied criteria for inclusion were further analyzed. The primary instrument of the evaluation was pain intensity analyses. Results: Dry needling treatment is efficient in pain intensity reduction in patients who suffer musculoskeletal pain and is more efficient compared to sham dry needling treatment. In addition, different techniques of dry needling are efficient in the treatment of myofascial pain syndrome. Conclusion: Based on systematic review of the literature, dry needling, independently or as an addition to other intervention, is recommended for treatment of musculoskeletal pain conditions caused by myofascial trigger points. Various techniques of dry needling treatment are almost equally efficient in myofascial pain intensity reduction.

In recent years, noticeable progress has been made in the development of quantum equipment, reflected through the number of successful demonstrations of Quantum Key Distribution (QKD) technology. Although they showcase the great achievements of QKD, many practical difficulties still need to be resolved. Inspired by the significant similarity between mobile ad-hoc networks and QKD technology, we propose a novel quality of service (QoS) model including new metrics for determining the states of public and quantum channels as well as a comprehensive metric of the QKD link. We also propose a novel routing protocol to achieve high-level scalability and minimize consumption of cryptographic keys. Given the limited mobility of nodes in QKD networks, our routing protocol uses the geographical distance and calculated link states to determine the optimal route. It also benefits from a caching mechanism and detection of returning loops to provide effective forwarding while minimizing key consumption and achieving the desired utilization of network links. Simulation results are presented to demonstrate the validity and accuracy of the proposed solutions.