Salina Mohamed

Initial response of autistic children in human-robot interaction therapy with humanoid robot NAO

The overall context proposed in this paper is part of our long-standing goal to contribute to a group of community that suffers from Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD); a lifelong developmental disability. The objective of this paper is to present the development of our pilot experiment protocol where children with ASD will be exposed to the humanoid robot NAO. This fully programmable humanoid offers an ideal research platform for human-robot interaction (HRI). This study serves as the platform for fundamental investigation to observe the initial response and behavior of the children in the said environment. The system utilizes external cameras, besides the robots own visual system. Anticipated results are the real initial response and reaction of ASD children during the HRI with the humanoid robot. This shall leads to adaptation of new procedures in ASD therapy based on HRI, especially for a non-technical-expert person to be involved in the robotics intervention during the therapy session.

Perceived distress and its association with depression and anxiety in breast cancer patients

Background Breast cancer patients often experience a high level of distress. Psychological distress is a broad construct encompass both depression and anxiety. Previous studies in examining which of these psychological symptoms (either anxiety or depression) were more significantly associated with the distress level in breast cancer patients is lacking. This study aims to compare the level of depression and anxiety between patients with different level of distress. The correlation between the changes in distress level with depression or anxiety over 12 months was also examined. Methods This study is from the MyBCC cohort study. Two hundred and twenty one female breast cancer patients were included into the study. They were assessed at the time of diagnosis, 6 months and 12 month using Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) and distress thermometer. The information on age, ethnicity, treatment types and staging of cancer were collected. Results 50.2%, 51.6% and 40.3% of patients had perceived high level of distress at baseline, 6 months and 1 year after diagnosis. Those with high perceived level of distress had significant higher anxiety scores even after adjusted for the underlying depressive scores (Adjusted OR at baseline = 1.28, 95% CI = 1.13–1.44; adjusted OR at 6 months = 1.27, 95% CI = 1.11–1.45; adjusted OR at 12 months = 1.51, 95% CI = 1.29–1.76). There were no significant differences in the depressive scores between the subjects with either low or high distress level. There was reduction in perceived level of distress, anxiety and depression scores at 12 months after the diagnosis. The decrease of distress was positively correlated with the reduction of anxiety scores but not the changes of depressive scores (r’ = 0.25). Conclusion Anxiety is a more significant psychological state that contributed to the feeling of distress in breast cancer as compared with depression. Levels of anxiety at diagnosis in this study would justify screening for anxiety, early identification and therapy for maintaining the psychological well-being of breast cancer patients. Further studies will be needed to measure the effectiveness of therapeutic interventions.

Anxiety and Depression in Cancer Patients: The Association with Religiosity and Religious Coping.

There is a lack of studies looking into religiosity and religious coping in cancer patient. In this cross-sectional study, we examined the religiosity using Duke University Religion Index, religious coping using Brief Religious Coping Scale, anxiety and depression based on Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale among 200 cancer patients. The association between religiosity and religious coping with anxiety and depression was studied. The findings showed that subjects with anxiety or depression used more negative religious coping and had lower non-organization religiosity. Hence, measurements in reducing negative religious coping and encouraging religious activities could help to reduce psychological distress in cancer patients.

Logical circuit gate sizing using PSO guided by Logical Effort — An examination of the 4-stage half adder circuit

Automated Complementary Metal Oxide Semiconductor (CMOS) logic circuit design leads to the reduction in costs associated with manpower and manufacturing time. Conventional methods use repetitive manual testing guided by Logical Effort (LE). LE provides an easy way to compare and select circuit topologies, choose the best number of stages for path and estimate path delay. In this paper, we propose the Particle Swarm Optimization (PSO) algorithm as a method to automate the process of CMOS circuit design by approaching the design process as an optimization problem. In our work, we choose gate widths inside the circuit as parameters to be optimized in order to achieve the target delay, and its fitness is guided by the LE method. Various parameters, such as swarm size and iterations were tested under different initialization conditions to verify PSOs performance on a 12-stage ripple carry adder circuit. Results have indicated that the PSO algorithm was an effective method to apply to the circuit design problem, with high convergence rates observed.

Comparison of Psychotropic Prescriptions between Oncology and Cardiology Inpatients: Result from a Pharmacy Database in a Teaching Hospital in Malaysia.

OBJECTIVE To examine the prescription rates in cancer patients of three common psychotropic drugs: anxiolytic/ hypnotic, antidepressant and antipsychotic. MATERIALS AND METHODS In this retrospective cohort study, data were extracted from the pharmacy database of University Malaya Medical Center (UMMC) responsible for dispensing records of patients stored in the pharmacys Medication Management and Use System (Ascribe). We analyzed the use of psychotropics in patients from the oncology ward and cardiology from 2008 to 2012. Odds ratios (ORs) were adjusted for age, gender and ethnicity. RESULTS A total of 3,345 oncology patients and 8,980 cardiology patients were included. Oncology patients were significantly more often prescribed psychotropic drugs (adjusted OR: anxiolytic/hypnotic=5.55 (CI: 4.64-6.63); antidepressants=6.08 (CI: 4.83-7.64) and antipsychotics=5.41 (CI: 4.17-7.02). Non-Malay female cancer patients were at significantly higher risk of anxiolytic/hypnotic use. CONCLUSIONS Psychotropic drugs prescription is common in cancer patients. Anxiolytic/hypnotic prescription rates are significantly higher in non-Malay female patients in Malaysia.

Robots as Adjunct Therapy: Reflections and Suggestions in Rehabilitation for People with Cognitive Impairments

The expanding function of robots in rehabilitation has allowed for new intervention methods that are accurate, motivating and repetitive. By analyzing current state-of-the-art evidences, this paper proposes considerable necessities for robots to take part in the rehabilitation environments. Suggestions focus specifically on intervention for people affected by autism, Cerebral Palsy (CP) and dementia. Overall, a robot in human shape present advantages over other types of robots in autism and CP therapy context as it is physically suitable in imitation-based therapy. However, for elderly people affected with dementia, so far only robots in animal shape have been utilized in therapy and succeed to improve their mental functions.

Robot-assisted learning for communication-care in autism intervention

Robot-based intervention for children with autism is an evolving research niche in human-robot interaction (HRI). Recent studies have covered the role of robots in clinical and experimental setting but not much on integrating them in educational setting. Our previous work had shown that interaction with a robot poses no adverse effects and that the robots specific interaction scenarios were associated with less autistic behavior. Extending this impact on school-going children, interactions that are in-tune with special education lessons are needed. This study aims to propose the integration of a robot into current learning environment for children with special needs, specifically autism. Six interaction scenarios had been designed based on the existing syllabus to teach communication skills, using the Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) technique as the framework. Development of the robotic experience for learning also covers the required set-up involving participation from teachers. The actual research conduct involving school children, teachers and robot shall take place in the next phase.

Stereotyped behavior of autistic children with lower IQ level in HRI with a humanoid robot

Robots present immense potential as adjunct therapeutic tool, particularly for children with autism. Autism is a developmental disability normally detected within the first 3 years of life, characterized by the differing degrees of impairments in stereotyped behavior, social interaction and communication. This paper highlights our findings in a pilot study where children with autism were exposed to a humanoid robot. The simple modules of interaction were designed based on the human-robot interaction (HRI) approach. Six children who participated were identified with lower IQ classification. Child-robot interaction session and the childrens interaction behavior in class (without robot) were recorded. A behavior score sheet referenced to GARS-2 was used to evaluate the videos in both set-ups. Initial responses of the children were analyzed specifically in the deficit area of stereotyped behavior. Overall results show that 5 out of the 6 children responded well in child-robot interaction. Comparison with in-class interaction portrays reduced percentage in stereotyped behavior during the child-robot interaction. However, strong proof to link the childrens responses with their IQ levels need to be supported with larger samples of children in the future.

Quality of life of patients with epilepsy in Malaysia

Introduction To determine the quality of life of patients with epilepsy and its relationship with depression, and the clinical and sociodemographic variables. Methods This was a cross-sectional study in which a total of 120 epilepsy patients were recruited from a neurology outpatient clinic. Sociodemographic and clinical variables were recorded. Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) and Mini International Neuropsychiatric Interview (M.I.N.I.) were used to screen and diagnose for depression, respectively. Quality of Life Inventory of Epilepsy (QOLIE-31) was used to assess quality of life. Results Patients with epilepsy with major depression had poorer quality life (36.4 ± 1.8) compared to those without depression (41.7 ± 3.8, P < 0.001). Depression, having one seizure or more per month and having seizures within one month of interview were correlated with poorer quality of life, P < 0.001. Multivariate linear regression analyses showed that depression and recent seizures predicted having poorer quality of life in patients with epilepsy. Discussion Depression and poor seizure control were predictors for poor quality of life in patients with epilepsy. Therefore, epilepsy patients should be regularly screened for depression and treatment for epilepsy must be optimized to minimize the negative impact of having epilepsy for these patients.To determine the quality of life of patients with epilepsy and its relationship with depression, and the clinical and sociodemographic variables.

A Qualitative method to analyze response in robotic intervention for children with autism

This paper presents a method to carry out qualitative analysis when evaluating the interaction between child and robot in autism intervention. The technique consists of 24-items of behavioral assessment which was referenced to the Gilliam Autism Rating Scale-Second Edition (GARS-2). GARS-2 is a screening instrument used to identify and diagnose autism. Preliminary results from a pilot study show that this method had allowed qualitative observation to be carried out to compare the behavior of autistic children with and without the presence of a robot. The feasibility of this technique will be further justified through future wide-spread studies involving a larger number of children spanning across the whole spectrum of autism.