SWADAPT1: assessment of an electric wheelchair-driving robotic module in standardized circuits: a prospective, controlled repeated measure design pilot study

Objectives The objective of this study is to highlight the effect of a robotic driver assistance module of powered wheelchair (PWC), using infrared sensors and accessorizing a commercial wheelchair) on the reduction of the number of collisions in standardized circuit in a population with neurological disorders by comparing driving performance with and without assistance. Methods This is a prospective, single-center, controlled, repeated measure design, single-blind pilot study including patients with neurological disabilities who are usual drivers of electric wheelchairs. The main criterion for evaluating the device is the number of collisions with and without the assistance of a prototype anti-collision system on three circuits of increasing complexity. Travel times, cognitive load, driving performance, and user satisfaction are also analyzed. Results 23 Patients, 11 women and 12 men with a mean age of 48 years old completed the study. There was a statistically significant reduction in the number of collisions on the most complex circuit: 61% experienced collisions without assistance versus 39% with assistance (p = 0.038). Conclusion This study concludes that the PWC driving assistance module is efficient in terms of safety without reducing the speed of movement in a population of people with disabilities who are habitual wheelchair drivers. The prospects are therefore to conduct tests on a target population with driving failure or difficulty who could benefit from this device so as to allow them to travel independently and safely.

Lower spinal postural variability during laptop-work in subjects with cervicogenic headache compared to healthy controls

Spinal postural variability (SPV) is a prerequisite to prevent musculoskeletal complaints during functional tasks. Our objective was to evaluate SPV in cervicogenic headache (CeH) since CeH is characterized by such complaints. A non-randomized repeated-measure design was applied to compare SPV between 18 participants with reporting CeH aged 29–51 years, and 18 matched controls aged 26–52 years during a 30-min-laptop-task. Habitual spinal postures (degrees) of the cervical, thoracic and lumbar spine were analysed using 3D-Vicon motion analysis. SPV, to express variation in mean habitual spinal posture, was deducted from the postural analysis. Mean SPV of each spinal segment was lower in the CeH-group compared to the control-group. Within the CeH-group, SPV of all except one spinal segment (lower-lumbar) was higher compared to the group’s mean SPV. Within the control-group, SPV was more comparable to the group’s mean SPV. SPV differed between groups. Averaging data resulted in decreased SPV in the CeH-group compared to the control-group during the laptop-task. However, the higher within-group-SPV in the CeH-group compared to the group’s mean SPV accentuated more postural heterogeneity. It should be further determined if addressing individual SPV is a relevant intervention.

Do re-ensiling time and application of Lactobacillus buchneri alter the characteristics of sugarcane silage?

This study aimed to examine the effects of re-ensiling time and Lactobacillus buchneri on the fermentation profile, chemical composition and aerobic stability of sugarcane silages. The experiment was set up as a repeated measure design consisting of four air-exposure periods (EP)(0, 6, 12, and 24 h) microbial additive (A) (L. buchneri; or lack of there), with five replicates. Sugarcane was ground through a stationary forage chopper and ensiled in four plastic drums of 200-L capacity. After 210 days of storage, the drums were opened and half of the silage mass was treated with L. buchneri at the concentration of 105 cfu/g of forage. Subsequently, the silages were divided into stacks. The re-ensiling process was started immediately, at 0, 6, 12 and 24-hour intervals, by transferring the material to PVC mini-silos. Silos were opened after 120 days of re-ensiling. The use of L. buchneri reduced butyrate concentration but did not change ethanol or acetic acid concentrations and aerobic stability. An interaction effect between L. buchneri and re-ensiling time was observed for dry matter (DM) losses and composition. Lactobacillus buchneri is not effective in improving aerobic stability in re-ensiled sugarcane silages. However, less DM is lost in silages treated with L. buchneri and exposed to air for 24 h. Re-ensiling sugar cane in up to 24 h of exposure to air does not change final product quality.

A Ramadan Induced Scarcity Mindset

Every year, during the month of Ramadan, people of Muslim faith fast by not eating or drinking between sunrise and sunset. This is likely to have physiological and psychological consequences for the individuals who fast, as well as societal and economic impacts on the wider population. Here we investigate whether food is perceived as a scarce resource during a voluntary and temporally limited fast, and reminders of it can impair the fasters’ reaction time and accuracy on a test of cognitive control. Prior research shows that increasing the salience of a resource can influence cognitive performance in people who experience a profound scarcity of that resource. Using a repeated measure design in a sample of Ramadan fasters (N=190), we find that people who respond to food-related questions before taking a cognitive control test are slower and less accurate during Ramadan compared to after. Control participants who responded to nonfood- related questions did not differ significantly across time. Moreover, food-reminded fasters were slower than control fasters if the controls’ last meal had occurred within the past eight hours; beyond eight hours, both groups were indistinguishably slow. These results have implications for people who fast for religious, health, or dietary reasons, and for research on cognition under scarcity.

Changing negative attitudes through sport sponsorship: a gender perspective in Brazil

Objective: This study assesses if a sport sponsorship is able to change a negative attitude towards a brand, also investigating the influence on consumption intentions and differences in terms of gender.Method: A questionnaire applied on Brazilians was structured based on a repeated measure design. The instrument was segmented in different scenarios, whose first one brought negative information about a sponsoring fictitious brand. After selecting only participants who had developed negative attitudes in the first context, they were submitted to subsequent sports sponsorship scenarios, having their attitudes and consumption intentions measured. The second scenario associated the brand with sponsorships to football, having the third one also linking with football, but focusing on a community perspective. The last context approached volleyball, contextualizing the sponsorship in an Olympic/Paralympic frame. Relevance: Authors have been defending that the impact of sports sponsorships on attitudes is an important gap to be more investigated, where a lack of similar studies is clear.Results: In terms of gender, the football scenarios had a bigger influence on the male group, however, the Olympic/Paralympic frame was more efficient in women. In particular, the Scenario 3 showed the highest capacity of changing negative evaluations of attitude and consumption intentions.Contribution: In resume, it was demonstrated that sports sponsorship can change (minimize) a negative attitude towards a sponsor, with subsequent positive impacts on purchase intentions.

Periprocedural anxiety associated with cardiac catheterisation and the monitored physiological measures

Objectives To describe, compare and examine self-reported anxiety levels and associated physiological responses of blood pressure, heart rate and respiratory rate of patients undergoing cardiac catheterisation (CATH). Methods Repeated measure design was used to assess a sample of 100 patients who had undergone cardiac catheterisation (CATH) in a major specialised heart institute in Jordan. Results Patients’ anxiety levels differed significantly across the three time periods (baseline, prior to and post CATH). The mean anxiety levels prior to CATH scored with State Anxiety Inventory (M = 52.14, SD = 6.0) was significantly higher than that at baseline (M = 48.35, SD = 5.6) and post CATH (M = 36.27, SD = 9.7). Conclusion Most patients experienced anxiety when scheduled for a CATH. The highest level of anxiety was within two hours prior to the procedure and the lowest was post procedure.

PERBEDAAN TUJUAN AUDITOR ATAS TINGKAT OVERCONFIDENCE PERTIMBANGAN AUDITOR (STUDI EKSPERIMENTAL)

Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk menguji dan mendapatkan bukti empiris mengenai adanya perbedaan tingkat overconfidence pertimbangan auditor ketika auditor bertujuan akurasi, direksional, dan kombinasi. Penelitian ini merupakan salah satu bentuk pengujian motivated reasoning theory pada bidang audit. Pengukuran tingkat overconfidence pertimbangan auditor dilakukan menggunakan metode kalibrasi. Metode kalibrasi dilakukan dengan mengukur tingkat keyakinan dan keakurasian pertimbangan auditor pada kasus persediaan usang perusahaan. Pengujian hipotesis pada penelitian ini menggunakan eksperimen laboratorium. Eksperimen laboratorium dilakukan dengan partisipan auditor yang menjadi mahasiswa join program Fakultas Ekonomi dan Bisnis Universitas Brawijaya. Desain eksperimen yang digunakan pada penelitian ini adalah repeated measure design, yaitu dilakukan dengan memberikan perlakuan tujuan akurasi (menghindari adanya risiko hukum dan sanksi), direksional (mempertahankan hubungan baik dengan klien) dan kombinasi (menghindari adanya risiko hukum dan mempertahankan hubungan baik dengan klien) pada masing-masing partisipan, kemudian dilanjutkan dengan mengukur tingkat overconfidence pada masing-masing tujuan. Pengujian statistik non-parametrik yang digunakan dalam pengujian hipotesis penelitian ini adalah tes cochran. Hasil pengujian menunjukkan bahwa auditor melakukan pertimbangan dengan tingkat overconfidence yang tidak berbeda pada ketiga tujuan (akurasi, direksional dan kombinasi). Penelitian ini menunjukkan adanya ketidakkonsistenan hasil penelitian dengan motivated reasoning theory.