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Ambient Intelligence Perspectives II contains selected papers from the second international Ambient Intelligence Forum - AmIF 2009, held in Hradec Králové, Czech Republic. This book aims to point to a multifaceted nature of Ambient Intelligence. It presents Ambient Intelligence in five different perspectives. The first perspective focuses on general issues and discusses the concepts of Ambient Intelligence. Second perspective deals with Ambient Intelligence enablers that facilitate the development of concepts and approaches. Third perspective presents applications of Ambient Intelligence in various fields and activities. Fourth perspective is concerned with Ambient Intelligence as being materialized in intelligent environments integrating devices and knowledge in order to assists and support humans. The last perspective covers the cognitive aspects of Ambient Intelligence.

Objective: The aim of our study is to evaluate complications In patients who underwent a Transrectal Ultrasound Guided Prostate Biopsy (TRUS BP) at the Department of Urology of JFM CU and UHM in 2007-2008 and at the Department of Urology in Bojnice Hospital in 2009-2012. Methodology, disclosures: In our study, patients with positive digital rectal examination (DRE) and/or with hig- her prostate specific antigen (PSA) levels (>4 ng/ml) are included. We excluded patients with PSA levels greater than 50ng/ml. as well as patients with less than 8 biopsy cores. The number of examined patients fulfilling the criteria was 474. An average age of them was 66.3 years (SD±8.3years). As an antibacterial prophylaxis, the patients were given fluoroquinolons in a dose of 500mg twice a day during a 3-day course of antibiotics, while the first dose was given one day before the procedure. In high risk patients, we used a single intramuscular dose of gentamycin 160mg right before the procedure followed by fluoroquinolons for the next five days. Results: The most severe complication was vasovagal reaction, which occurred in 9 (1.9%) cases. Haematuria occurred in 122 (25.7%) cases up to 3 days and in 10 (2.1%) patients up to 7 days. Six patients (1.3%) required hospital admission for severe haematuria. Dysuria occurred in 71 patients (15%). Rectal bleeding occurred in 90 (19%) cases with an average 2 days of bleeding, from which 7 patients were admitted to hospital and administered haemostyptics. From the mentioned count. 2 (0.4%) patients underwent a rectal tamponade and one (0.2%) patient with arterial bleeding underwent an arterial ligation of a stricken artery. Haemospermia occurred in 71 (15%) cases. 23 (4.9%) patients suffered fever above 38°C. within whom in 7 (1.5%) cases was microscopicaly proven uri- nary tract infection requiring hospitalisation lasting 7 days on average. Sepsis occurred in 3 (0.6%) patients, symp- tomatic bacterial prostatitis in 6 (1.2%) cases and urinary retention occurred in one (0.2%) patient. There was not arty significant higher amount of complications in between 8-core and 10-core biopsy (P=0.26), not even in betwe- en 8-core and 12-core biopsy (P=0.32). Conclusion: TRUS PB is a sale procedure with quite a low risk of complications. An important moment is a close monitoring right after the procedure. The most of the complications may persist for around two weeks and are trea- ted conservatively without persistent effects. Prophylaxis with broad spectrum antibiotics may provide an adequa- te coverage and lowers the risk of infectious complications.

Background Multi-ingredient pre-workout dietary supplements (MIPS), which are combinations of different ingredients acting on different physiological mechanisms, can have a synergistic effect and improve performance. The aim of the study was to determine the acute effects of a multi-ingredient pre-workout supplement containing: beta-alanine, taurine, caffeine, L-tyrosine, and cayenne pepper (capsaicin) on anaerobic performance. Methods A randomized, crossover, single-blind study was designed. Twelve young, healthy, untrained men aged 22.4 ± 1.44 years participated in the study. The participants performed a supramaximal all-out test (20 s Wingate test) twice, day by day, in random order: test after placebo or MIPS consumption. In both trials, the following variables were measured in the exercise test: total work performed, peak power, mean power, time to reach peak power, and power decrease. Results MIPS was found to be effective in improving peak power ( p  = 0.009, ES = 0.77) and mean power ( p  = 0.04, ES = 0.62) in the Wingate test. However, the supplement consumption did not affect the amount of total work done ( p  = 0.10, ES = 0.48) in the test or power decrease ( p  = 0.07, ES = 0.53). The data indicate, that the improvement in anaerobic power was due to a significant improvement in pedaling speed, which was manifested in a significant improvement (i.e. shortening) in time to peak power ( p  = 0.003, ES = 0.88). Conclusion A multi-ingredient pre-workout dietary supplement was found to be effective in improving Wingate (anaerobic) performance. Trial registration NCT06363669, retrospectively registered on 11.04.2024 (ClinicalTrials.gov).

There is a growing number of studies indicating the major consequences of the subjective perception of well-being on mental health and healthcare use. However, most of the cognitive training research focuses more on the preservation of cognitive function than on the implications of the state of well-being. This secondary analysis of data from a randomised controlled trial investigated the effects of individualised television-based cognitive training on self-rated well-being using the WHO-5 index while considering gender and education as influencing factors. The effects of cognitive training were compared with leisure activities that the elderly could be engaged in to pass time. Cognitively healthy participants aged 60 years or above screened using the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) and Major Depression Inventory (MDI) were randomly allocated to a cognitive training group or to an active control group in a single-blind controlled two-group design and underwent 24 training sessions. Data acquired from the WHO-5 questionnaire administered before and after intervention were statistically analysed using a mixed design model for repeated measures. The effect of individualised cognitive training was compared with leisure activities while the impact of gender and education was explored using estimated marginal means. A total of 81 participants aged 67.9 ± 5.59 [60-84] without cognitive impairments and absent of depression symptoms underwent the study. Participants with leisure time activities declared significantly higher scores compared to participants with cognitive training  = 73.48 ± 2.88, 95% CI [67.74-79.22] vs  = 64.13 ± 3.034, 95% CI [58.09-70.17] WHO-5 score. Gender and education were found to moderate the effect of cognitive training on well-being when compared to leisure activities. Females engaged in leisure activities in the control group reported higher by  = 9.77 ± 5.4, 95% CI [-0.99-20.54] WHO-5 scores than females with the cognitive training regimen. Participants with high school education declared leisure activities to increase WHO-5 scores by  = 14.59 ± 5.39, 95% CI [3.85-25.34] compared to individualised cognitive training. The findings revealed that individualised cognitive training was not directly associated with improvements in well-being. Changes in the control group indicated that involvement in leisure time activities, in which participants were partly free to choose from, represented more favourable stimulation to a self-perceived sense of well-being than individualised cognitive training. Results also supported the fact that gender and education moderated the effect of cognitive training on well-being. Females and participants with high school education were found to be negatively impacted in well-being when performance connected with cognitive training was expected.

Ambient Intelligence Perspectives contains selected papers from the first international ambient Intelligence Forum - AmIF 2008 in Hradec Králové, Czech Republic. The forum is intended as the beginning of a series of rather broadly oriented discussion opportunities for discussing interdisciplinary, if not transdisciplinary aspects of rapidly evolving areas of Ambient Intelligence. Its aims were to review and discuss recent advances and promising research trends in AmI technology, intelligent environments, methods, middleware development, as well as applications in areas such as healthcare, product lifecycle and transport services. The intention to provide an opportunity of a very broad interaction among a wide rank of authors coming from different surroundings means a great enrichment to all participants and gives ground to the success of the conference. Finally it led towards an interesting choice of three invited and twenty-five contributed papers, which are published in this book. All papers were carefully reviewed by the international program committee. Participants from twelve countries contributed to the scientific program and established a fruitful discussion atmosphere.

Emergency situations such as biological or chemical incidents require prompt decision making. The problem is that the authorized personnel responsible for conduction the response operations might lack the knowledge about the agent's biological, chemical and epidemiological characteristics that would influence the impact of the incident. Thus the effect of response operations on lives and assets could hardly be anticipated. The paper suggests simulation based approach to provide appropriate decision making support in such situations. The simulation would imitate the development of an emergency situation under various scenarios and help to determine the proper response operations by which the casualties and loss of assets would be minimized. The aim of the paper is to present the simulation of a spread of an agent in an environment and the corresponding impact on population. The simulation is based on a model with incorporated knowledge about environmental and agent characteristics such as weather conditions, transmission, fatality, incubation period combined also with demographic information. The provided simulation forms a part of the proposed non-military decision support framework for emergency response operations during biochemical incidents.

The aim of the study was an experimental determination of some morphological and mechanical properties of human liver and spleen (amount of collagen in organ capsules, their critical tension and density), followed by a definition of the threshold of critical acceleration, above which the organs can be injured during a car crash. Experiments were done on 33 fresh cadavers (18 males, 15 females; age 3 months to 88 years), and completed by sled tests on dummies testing the loads of both hypochondrial regions protected by air bags and/or seat belts. Results obtained were the following: (1). liver: capsule collagen 14-35%, critical tension 0.066-0.386 MPa, density 0.92-1.19 g/ml, critical acceleration 48-155 g; (2). spleen: capsule collagen 1.8-24.4%, critical tension 0.022-0.652 MPa, density 0.85-1.25 g/ml, critical acceleration 33-149 g. Loads of both hypochondrial regions measured on dummies during a predefined sled test were 34-67 g. Results obtained were evaluated qualitatively and discussed from the point of view of their possible use in future passive safety engineering and design calculations.

In 2001, IST Advisory Group, as an advisory body of the European Commission in the field of information and communication technology, introduced four scenarios of the future development in information society forming an Ambient Intelligence (Ami) environment. This vision is a relatively new concept that is being developed at both theoretical and practical level. The problem is that although the concept of AmI has a strong technological orientation, there are also social, psychological, ethical or legislative dimensions that have to be taken in to consideration. Successful application of AmI requires entwining technological, managerial and other aspects to a complex soft system. In order to design and create appropriate architecture of this intelligent environment, which will match given requirements, it is necessary to acquire qualitative description of future stakeholders’ needs. One needs appropriate tools or techniques to be able to comprehend such complexity and people in general usually do not possess needed skills or tools. Therefore, the role of education is of a crucial importance here. The paper describes the AmI concept and outlines its relation with educational issues. Experience obtained while implementing of so-called learner-directed educational approach together with achieved findings and lessons learned are introduced.

This trial was conducted to evaluate the safety and immunogenicity of two virosome formulated malaria peptidomimetics derived from Plasmodium falciparum AMA-1 and CSP in malaria semi-immune adults and children. The design was a prospective randomized, double-blind, controlled, age-deescalating study with two immunizations. 10 adults and 40 children (aged 5-9 years) living in a malaria endemic area were immunized with PEV3B or virosomal influenza vaccine Inflexal®V on day 0 and 90. No serious or severe adverse events (AEs) related to the vaccines were observed. The only local solicited AE reported was pain at injection site, which affected more children in the Inflexal®V group compared to the PEV3B group (p = 0.014). In the PEV3B group, IgG ELISA endpoint titers specific for the AMA-1 and CSP peptide antigens were significantly higher for most time points compared to the Inflexal®V control group. Across all time points after first immunization the average ratio of endpoint titers to baseline values in PEV3B subjects ranged from 4 to 15 in adults and from 4 to 66 in children. As an exploratory outcome, we found that the incidence rate of clinical malaria episodes in children vaccinees was half the rate of the control children between study days 30 and 365 (0.0035 episodes per day at risk for PEV3B vs. 0.0069 for Inflexal®V; RR  = 0.50 [95%-CI: 0.29-0.88], p = 0.02). These findings provide a strong basis for the further development of multivalent virosomal malaria peptide vaccines. ClinicalTrials.gov NCT00513669.

Digital television broadcasting has become a reality in most countries in the European Union (EU) as well as in other developed countries outside the EU. Interactive digital television (iDTV), as a relatively easy way to use technology, brings many challenges and opportunities into the field of education, i.e. formation and utilization of learning via TV, called t-learning. T-learning has many characteristics (i.e. technological or pedagogical aspects) that differentiate this type of education from other well elaborated approaches (e-learning, face-to-face learning, classroom learning, etc.). These characteristics include learners’ motivation, lean back interactivity, and combination of education and entertainment known as edutainment. The main attention is paid to interactive applications (iAV applications) that have to contain relevant study content and to be based on appropriate principles. Therefore, comparative analysis, analogy, generalization and other methods were used while studying different problems related to t-learning. The paper presents results and outcomes of the international scientific project Enhanced Learning Unlimited that were achieved in areas such as human-television interaction, learner-centered education or iAV applications development.