bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Fatigue in the Automated Vehicle
Authors: Neubauer Catherine , Matthews Gerald , Saxby Dyani
Published: October 2014

As vehicle operation becomes increasingly automated, driver fatigue appears to be an increasingly pressing safety issue. Trivia games have been suggested as a fatigue countermeasure, but, like cell phone use, games may be distracting. The present study investigated whether secondary media devices impacted subjective responses and driver performance, during fatiguing drives. A manipulation of full and partial vehicle automation was used to induce fatigue during simulated driving. Participants were also assigned to one of three media device conditions (control, cell phone or trivia). Subjective state response, vehicle control and reaction time to a sudden event were recorded. The media devices did help minimize the loss of task engagement and elevated distress produced by vehicle automation. We also extended findings that the media devices helped improve concurrent driver performance. However, media usage was not associated with faster response time to subsequent events, suggesting that such devices may not lastingly enhance alertness.
Power Steering Assist Failures
Authors: Harbluk Joanne L. , Burns Peter C. , Malone Darryl , Hamilton Jeremy
Published: October 2014

Drivers learn to trust the systems in their vehicles and do not anticipate failures. The objective of this study was to investigate whether or not drivers can safely handle a vehicle when there is a sudden, unexpected shut down of power assisted steering. Forty drivers, ten in each of four vehicles, drove on a controlled road. Results indicated that the majority of drivers could not safely complete a low speed right turn when power assisted steering suddenly failed in a cornering scenario. Drivers viewed this as a dangerous safety issue and indicated that the risk of such a failure was unacceptable. Results highlight the importance of including real users in safety assessments to gain a more accurate understanding of the consequences of vehicle system failures. They also shed light on some potential challenges for automation failures on future vehicle systems.
Designing Unambiguous Auditory Crash Warning Systems
Authors: Lewis Bridget A. , Eisert Jesse L. , Roberts Daniel M. , Baldwin Carryl L.
Published: October 2014

A series of three studies examined the acoustic characteristics that contribute to a sound being unambiguously perceived as an urgent alarm within a vehicle context. In experiment 1, participants sorted a variety of sounds modeled after sounds currently in use in driver-vehicle interfaces (DVIs) into categories indicating highly critical warnings and alerts (or “alarms”), vehicle status sounds, or in vehicle social notifications. Results indicated that four criteria (peak-to-total time ratio, interburst interval, number of harmonics, and base frequency) explained 61% of the variance in categorization. From these criteria, cutoffs were determined and manipulated to create stimuli for an initial validation study. Experiment 2 results indicated that these criteria remained robust even when examined in a larger stimulus set and with different participants. Finally, Experiment 3 investigated rapid categorization under divided attention. Participants categorized alerts while driving in a desktop driving simulator and completing a secondary distracting task. Results indicate that previously defined parameter criteria and cutoffs are applicable in higher context and under load. Furthermore, sounds that met all criteria were responded to more quickly than those which met only some or no criteria, indicating that these criteria can be used to create sounds which are unambiguous and intuitive in an in-vehicle driving context.
Alerts and Alarms in Conventional and ERTMS Train Driving
Authors: Naghiyev Arzoo , Sharples Sarah , Ryan Brendan , Coplestone Anthony , Carey Mike
Published: October 2014

The introduction of the European Rail Traffic Management System (ERTMS) to the UK rail system has triggered a need to understand its impact on train driving. In particular it raised questions about the impact on train drivers’ allocation of visual attention. This study examines impact of alerts and alarms on visual allocation of attention from an eye-tracking field study with both conventional and ERTMS drivers. The results shows that the high standard deviations for some of the results imply that there was high variance and individual differences in attention allocation strategies. This shows that not all drivers have a uniform driving style and that there may be different driving styles and variability in both types of driving, which technology needs to accommodate and training programmes need to acknowledge. The implications of the results for general understanding of visual attention allocation strategies when presented with alerts and alarms are also discussed.
Variations on a theme
Authors: McLaurin Elease , McDonald Anthony D. , Lee John D. , Aksan Nazan , Dawson Jeffrey , Tippin Jon , Rizzo Matthew
Published: October 2014

This paper introduces Probabilistic Topic Modeling (PTM) as a promising approach to naturalistic driving data analyses. Naturalistic driving data present an unprecedented opportunity to understand driver behavior. Novel strategies are needed to achieve a more complete picture of these datasets than is provided by the local event-based analytic strategy that currently dominates the field. PTM is a text analysis method for uncovering word-based themes across documents. In this application, documents were represented by drives and words were created from speed and acceleration data using Symbolic Aggregate approximation (SAX). A twenty-topic Latent Dirichlet Allocation (LDA) topic model was developed using words from 10,705 documents (real-world drives) by 26 drivers. The resulting LDA model clustered the drives into meaningful topics. Topic membership probabilities were successfully used as features in subsequent analyses to differentiate between healthy drivers and those suffering from Obstructive Sleep Apnea.
Eye Glance Behavior Associated with Cell-Phone Use
Authors: Bao Shan , Flannagan Carol , Xiong Huimin , Sayer Jim
Published: October 2014

The purpose of this study is to examine eye-glance patterns of drivers engaged in cell phone related tasks. To observe eye-glance patterns, researchers used naturalistic driving data from the Integrated Vehicle-Based Safety Systems field operational test to construct and tabulate two datasets. One dataset included gaze data that were coded from cell phone conversation clips by fifty different drivers under different driving conditions. The second dataset was created in a similar way using video clips from twenty-four drivers who engaged in visual-manual tasks (e.g., texting and dialing). Mixed-model analyses were conducted. Results showed that drivers’ on-road gazes were longer when they were engaged in a cell phone conversation than when they were not engaged. Off-road gaze length was the same, regardless of task involvement. In contrast, drivers who engaged in visual-manual tasks had substantially shorter on-road gaze length compared to when those same drivers were not involved in visual-manual tasks.
On-Road Study of Fatigue Management Strategies in Long-Haul Truck Drivers
Authors: Sallinen Mikael , Pylkkönen Mia , Henelius Andreas , Hyvärinen Hanna-Kaisa , Puttonen Sampsa , Virkkala Jussi , Sihvola Maria
Published: October 2014

The current study investigated what strategies long-haul truck drivers use to mitigate fatigue at the wheel. A group of 52 truck drivers participated in the study in which drivers’ fatigue at the wheel was measured by a well-validated self-rating scale (the Karolinska Sleepiness Scale) and the use of fatigue countermeasures by a diary for a period of two consecutive workweeks including day and night-time trips. Results showed that the drivers more frequently used fatigue countermeasures while fatigued at the wheel but most of these countermeasures, with the exception of caffeine, can be regarded as inefficient (e.g., opening a window). The results indicate that long-haul truck drivers respond to fatigue at the wheel but the countermeasures they use are not optimal. It is likely that in addition to driver fatigue management training changes in shift and trip planning practices and sleeping facilities at rest stops are needed to improve the situation.
Effects of an Educational Intervention on Athletes’ Attitudes Toward Wearing Conspicuity-Enhancing Garments at Night
Authors: Borzendowski Stephanie A. Whetsel , Sewall Ashley A. Stafford , Fekety Drea K. , Tyrrell Richard A.
Published: October 2014

Most vehicle-into-pedestrian fatalities occur at night, and insufficient conspicuity of pedestrians’ clothing is a key causal factor. Marking pedestrians with retroreflective material can dramatically enhance their nighttime conspicuity, particularly when it is configured to present biological motion information to drivers. Although those who exercise outdoors at night are at particular risk and are therefore a key target audience for conspicuity-enhancing clothing, their willingness to obtain and use conspicuity aids has not been explored systematically. There is, however, evidence to suggest that pedestrians fail to appreciate visibility problems at night (e.g., typical pedestrians overestimate their own visibility and underestimate the benefits of wearing conspicuity-enhancing clothing.) The purpose of the current project was to measure the impact of an educational intervention on relevant attitudes of a sample of frequent outdoor exercisers. Results suggest that prior to the educational intervention the participants appreciated neither the magnitude of the nighttime conspicuity problem nor the benefits of biological motion configurations. We also found that a carefully designed lecture can result in a significantly improved understanding of nighttime conspicuity issues and a greater interest in (and willingness to purchase) conspicuity-enhancing athletic garments. The findings from this study are expected to be useful for encouraging pedestrians to take steps to enhance their own conspicuity at night.
Driver Engagement in Notifications
Authors: Giang Wayne C.W. , Hoekstra-Atwood Liberty , Donmez Birsen
Published: October 2014

Smartwatches and other wearables are being developed for the consumer market and will most likely be used by drivers, but there is little investigation into their influence on driver behaviour. Smartwatches are able to provide certain smartphone functionalities. For example, they can provide notifications, such as text mes-sages. Because watches are always “on-hand”, drivers may find it easier and be more compelled to interact with them in comparison to smartphones. We conducted an exploratory driving simulator study to compare a smartwatch and a smartphone in terms of time to engagement with the device and drivers’ glance patterns. The results show that participants (n=6) chose to engage with the smartwatch faster than with the smartphone, but took longer to read notifications. The smartwatch also led to a larger number of glances greater than 2 seconds than the smartphone. Further investigation of the effects on driving performance is required.
Auditory and Visual Peripheral Detection Tasks and the Lane Change Test with High and Low Cognitive Load
Authors: Chong Isis , Mirchi Tannaz , Silva Hector I. , Strybel Thomas Z.
Published: October 2014

The current study measured driving performance using the Lane Change Test (LCT) and a Peripheral Detection Task (PDT), to determine if stimulus modality (visual and auditory) and stimulus eccentricity would affect performance on the PDT. The peripheral stimuli were either small white circles or broadband noise bursts located either 13o or 19o to the left or right of the center lane. Participants were instructed to respond with left or right key presses to the stimuli’s relative location while performing the LCT. The cognitive load of participants was also varied, either no load, low load or high load, produced by the n-back task (no n-back, 0-back, 1-or 2-back). The results indicate that higher cognitive load leads to poorer driving performance, increased reaction time of PDTs, and higher subjective workload. This study supports previous research indicating driving performance suffers in response to increased cognitive load due to cognitive or attentional tunneling.
EMG provides an earlier glimpse into the effects of cognitive distraction on brake motor response
Authors: D’Addario Pamela M. , Donmez Birsen , Ising Kurt W.
Published: October 2014

A driver’s ability to quickly perceive and respond to hazards is critical for traffic safety. With limited cognitive resources, any added distractions are likely to increase response times. This study analyzed the effect of two cognitive distraction tasks, 1-back and countdown, on total brake-response time and its subcomponents: perception and leg movement times (n=6). Participants sat in a stationary vehicle and responded to a light stimulus by moving their foot from the accelerator to the brake pedal as quickly as possible. Electromyography (EMG) recordings of the lower leg muscle provided earlier detection of movement onset compared to accelerator pedal motion. Performing a cognitive task was found to increase perception and total brake-response time compared to the baseline condition. There were no significant differences observed in leg movement time while performing either of the distraction tasks versus the baseline. Implications for areas of improvement and future works are discussed.
Using Occlusion to Measure the Effects of the NHTSA Participant Criteria on Driver Distraction Testing
Authors: Domeyer Joshua E. , Diptiman Tuhin , Hamada Hiroto
Published: October 2014

Recently the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration issued the final version of its voluntary Visual-Manual Distraction Guidelines and provided specific guidance on how to conduct driver distraction testing (NHTSA, 2013). The guidelines provide evaluation criteria for determining whether a task should be available while driving, including specifications for participants to consist of four age groups ranging from 18 to 75. The present study examines the age criteria from the NHTSA Guidelines to determine which groups will most often provide outcomes resulting in a task being unavailable while driving. Additionally, this study compares industry employees with participants from the general public to judge whether consistent results can be found between both samples. The results indicate that the 55+ age group will be the most likely to result in a task being unavailable to the driver while driving. It was also possible to obtain consistent results between non-interface design employees and the general public. The implications for testing procedures and conclusions are discussed.
Using Abstraction Hierarchy as a Structured Approach in Verifying Data Quality in Driving Research
Authors: Page Lenore T. , Velazquez Maria , Claudio David
Published: October 2014

Data lost or misconstrued due to malfunctioning research equipment affects accuracy, results and analyses that driving researchers report. Carefully studying the data collection system with an Abstraction Hierarchy gathers necessary information about the equipment location and capabilities which can highlight issues in the collected data where completeness and quality are lacking. Use of this structured method to describe the instrumented research vehicle information system is a new application; however, Abstraction Hierarchy has been used in complex systems such as power, chemical and nuclear industries in order to improve the reliability of the human-machine interfaces. In this application, the Abstraction Hierarchy identified potential operating temperature issues affecting the quality of the data, provided avenues to clearly define how behavioral variables were measured, equated input and output sampling rates to show potential problems in the system and used similar variables to cross-check the consistency of the data. This is the first step in developing a structured approach to verifying data quality.
Memory for a Hazard is Interrupted by Performance of a Secondary In-Vehicle Task
Authors: Borowsky Avinoam , Horrey William J. , Liang Yulan , Simmons Lucinda , Garabet Angela , Fisher Donald L.
Published: October 2014

Driver visual distraction is known to increase the likelihood of being involved in a crash, especially for long glances. Recent evidence further suggests that the detrimental impact of these glances carries over and disrupting the ongoing processing of information after the eyes return to the road. This study aimed at exploring the effect of different types of visual disruptions on the top-down processes that guide the detection and monitoring of road hazards. Using a driving simulator, 56 participants were monitored with an eye tracking system while they navigated various hazardous scenarios in one of four experimental conditions: (1) Visual interruptions comprised of spatial, driving unrelated, tasks; (2) visual interruptions comprised of non-spatial, driving unrelated, tasks; (3) visual interruptions with no tasks added; and (4) no visual interruptions. In the first three conditions drivers were momentarily interrupted (either with or without a task) prior to the hazard occurrence. The visual interruption was aimed to simulate a glance inside the vehicle either with or without the need to process driving irrelevant information. Results show that the various types of tasks had differential effects on hazard detection. Implications of this study are discussed.
Eye Glance and Head Turn Correspondence during Secondary Task Performance in Simulator Driving
Authors: Talamonti Walter J. , Kochhar Dev S. , Tijerina Louis
Published: October 2014

This paper and its findings serve as a fundamental characterization of the interaction between the head and eye as a function of task demand and duration while driving. These findings have potential use in future vehicle active safety, and the design of driver assistance and/or HMI systems and features. Our findings show that head position and eye-point-of regard for certain task locations have dependence and may be suited to characterize task engagement while driving.
Sensitivity of a Voluntary Interruption of Occlusion Measure to Cognitive Distraction During a Pedal Tracking Task
Authors: Mizobuchi Sachi , Chignell Mark , Delange Tamara , Ho Wilson
Published: October 2014

We conducted an experiment with 16 participants to investigate the effect of cognitive distraction on performance of a 1-D tracking task that simulated gap control in driving. Participants operated the tracking task with a foot pedal while performing a secondary task (an auditorily presented N-back task) under eight conditions involving all possible (2x2x2) combinations of degree of secondary task difficulty (1-back vs. 2-back), pedal tracking difficulty (hard vs. easy amounts of lag) and presence vs. absence of visual occlusion. In conditions involving occlusion participants could press a button to get rid of the occlusion for a short period of time, i.e., they used Voluntary Interruption of Occlusion (VIO). Our results showed that use of VIO is associated with updating ability and that it trades off against pedal tracking performance. We also found evidence that cognitive distraction due to the impact of updating requirements in the secondary N-Back task affects performance on the primary, pedal tracking, task.
The U.S. Army Acquisition Process and Close MANPRINT Encounters of the “Early” & “Agile” Kind
Authors: Savage-Knepshield Pamela , Paulillo Christopher , Thomas Jeffrey , Davis James , Quarles Diane , Gaither Napoleon , Mitchell Diane
Published: October 2014

Fiscal reform initiatives and a desire to increase human-system performance and effectiveness at the user interface have not only created challenges for ARL HRED human factors/ergonomics (HF/E) practitioners, but have also created opportunities to demonstrate the impact and return-on-investment (ROI) that earlier engagement brings to the acquisition process. A panel of multidisciplinary HF/E practitioners discusses the tools, techniques, and environments in which they have worked when engaging in “early” acquisition activities prior to Milestone (MS) B, which marks the formal start of an Army system’s acquisition program. They will take a retrospective look at what has worked well and what has not when influencing design decisions post-MS B and how these lessons learned may be applied prior to MS B. They will also share insights gleaned from a program that was initiated to apply HF/E early in the deliberate acquisition process that is currently in its second year of a 2-year program as well as their involvement in the Agile process. We seek audience participation as we discuss the extent to which we have been successful in meeting our objectives and how we can best frame what we have learned in terms of ROI. Our panelists, who have previous experience in industry and military services other than the Army, draw from their expertise in HF/E and varied experience with a wide range of commodity-oriented systems. Panel discussions will reveal critical insights that are generalizable across a wide range of industry sectors as well as those that warrant future implementation and further investigation.
Computer-Aided Usability Evaluation of In-Vehicle Infotainment Systems
Authors: Feng Fred , Liu Yili , Chen Yifan , Filev Dimitar , To Curtis
Published: October 2014

This paper reports the development of a computer-aided engineering (CAE) software for human machine interface (HMI) designers to predict and benchmark the usability of in-vehicle infotainment systems. At the front end of the software a graphic user interface (GUI) was developed that allows HMI designers to create digital mockups of designs and setup the tasks for simulation. At the back end a digital driver was created for simulating the driver cognition and performance based on the cognitive architecture of QN-MHP (Queuing Network-Model Human Processor). The software is able to simulate a driver performing in-vehicle secondary tasks (e.g., tuning radios) while steering a vehicle, make quantitative predictions of the driver’s task performance and workload. To validate the software outputs, an experiment was conducted on a driving simulator with two typical in-vehicle infotainment systems (a physical panel and a touch screen), and a radio tuning task was used as a test case. The results show that the software is able to generate task performance and workload estimates that are similar to the empirical data from human participants.
Using a Game to Evaluate Passenger Screener Fatigue and Sleepiness at Airport Screening Checkpoints
Authors: Johnston Matthew , McNeil Mike , Del Giudice Katherine , Kudrick Bonnie
Published: October 2014

The sensitivity of a game-based neurocognitive test to detect sleepiness and fatigue among workers at an airport passenger screening checkpoint (screeners) was examined. Screener fatigue and sleepiness was evaluated using both the game-based test and self-reports over the course of an eight-hour shift. Fatigue and sleepiness using the game-based test was evaluated utilizing differences in pre- and post—shift performance on four games targeting fatigue-mediated cognitive processes including simple reaction time, spatial processing, logical relations, and mathematical processing. Self-reports of fatigue and sleepiness were also collected pre-and post-shift using a previously validated tool. Results revealed that screeners at the checkpoint experienced a significant increase in fatigue and sleepiness from pre- to post-shift, indicated by both performance on the game and the self-report tool. The results suggest that the game-based tool could be used to evaluate the impact of countermeasures to reduce screener fatigue at screening checkpoints.
Association between the Level of Blurring and Depth of Field in Watching Stereoscopic Images
Authors: Honda Yuma , Kojima Takehito , Sugiura Akihiro , Yoshikawa Kazuki , Yamakawa Tatsuya , Yoshikawa Takeya , Miyao Masaru
Published: October 2014

Objective: The general explanation for visual fatigue with stereoscopic technology is that a mismatch of accommodation and convergence occurs during stereoscopic vision. Our previous studies measured lens accommodation and convergence simultaneously while subjects viewed stereoscopic video clips, and we found no discrepancy in young subjects. Since lens accommodation adjusts to the position of the virtual stereoscopic image, then the focus is not adjusted to the display surface, but to the virtual position. The question is whether or not a stereoscopic image might be blurred. We know that blurring is related to the changes in the depth of field which in turn is related to pupil diameter. We manipulated the luminance of displays and the environmental illuminance to affect the subjects’ pupil diameter to evaluate the level of blurring as subjects looked a visual acuity chart. The subjects were then asked to look at the same chart with various convex lenses to check if they could see a blurred image. We repeated this with a dimmed cover over the convex lens to measure the effects of darker conditions.
An Ergonomic Study of Firefighters’ Postural Comfort Evaluation Based on EMG Method
Authors: Yang Lifang , Kang bo , Wang Tao , Zhao Tianjiao
Published: October 2014

This paper reports the ergonomic evaluation of firefighters’ postures during the firefighting procedure based on EMG method. Collecting EMG data of postures of different comfort level under the condition of the posture database has been established. Obtaining posture samples for comfort evaluation through signal denoising and feature extraction. Several classifiers are used to verify the effectiveness of EMG evaluation methodology. The conclusion is expected to provide operation instruments for firefighters as well as a reference for product design related to firefighting activities.
Heart Rate Correlates of Mental Workload in a Large-Scale Air-Combat Simulation Training Exercise
Authors: Strang Adam J. , Best Christopher , Funke Gregory J.
Published: October 2014

Automated and real-time measures of mental workload (MW) may benefit scenario management, performance assessment and feedback during simulation training. Heart rate (HR) metrics show promise as surrogates of MW and thus, could provide a basis for the development of such tools. The goal for this study was to explore the relationship between HR metrics and MW in operators during large-scale, multi-team, simulated air-combat missions. A number of significant correlations between HR metrics and MW were identified, all of which exhibited trends consistent with previous research. However, the relationships between HR metrics and MW ratings were different across different task roles, suggesting that individual differences and/or task-specific demands may be important for determining the HR metrics to serve as surrogates of MW in future real-time assessment. Finally, hierarchical linear regression demonstrated that collectively, HR metrics were predictive of MW, even with individual differences and repeated measures effects accounted for in the model. This implies that HR metrics are viable sources of information from which to build predictive MW models for operators performing command and control (C2) tasks.
Building Algorithms to Estimate Training Resource Requirements
Authors: Baumann Emily , Krokos Kelley J. , Hendrickson Cheryl
Published: October 2014

To provide job training efficiently and in a timely manner, organizations need to estimate the resources required for training accurately and in advance. This is true when developing training for existing jobs, but is particularly true when jobs are proposed to change significantly or when new jobs are planned. In these circumstances, the process of estimating training resources in advance is critical. This article describes a method for developing algorithms that can be used to estimate training costs throughout the instructional system design (ISD) cycle. Lessons learned from applying this process to an organization that was anticipating significant changes to a mission critical job are provided.
Measuring Diagnostic Skills through the Utilization of Cues
Authors: Wiggins Mark W.
Published: October 2014

The aim of this paper is to outline a theoretical and empirical case for the role of cue utilization in the cognitive process of diagnosis. Drawing on theories of skill acquisition, the case is made that the utilization of cues represents a critical precursor to the progression toward expertise but that the acquisition and utilization of cues is dependent upon a repertoire of cases and exemplars that have been acquired during the progression from novice to competence. Cases and exemplars form the basis of a mental model from which cues, in the form or feature-event or feature-object relationships, can be identified and retained in memory. The implications of a more sophisticated understanding of the role of cue utilization in skill acquisition will provide the foundation for more effective and more efficient industrial training systems in the future.
Using Learning Curves to Assess Resident Surgical Skill Acquisition
Authors: Kim Inki , Miller Scarlett R. , Freivalds Andris
Published: October 2014

While there has been a wealth of performance criteria proposed and validated for objective assessment of surgical skills, only less than one third of the metrics are adopted in clinical practice, and even fewer are used for medical examination. This is due in part to the fact that the evaluation criteria proposed are focused on the task-centered outcomes which are not generalizable to broader sets of emerging surgical procedures. With increasing pressure from the media, regulatory bodies, and patients, to scrutinize physician performance, generalized standard criteria for assessing surgical performance are needed. This can be realized only if Multivariate Performance Criteria (MPC) are defined with respect to inherent human capabilities, rather than to transient task conditions, and if these criteria become related and prioritized consistently. In light of this, the current study proposes a method for relating and prioritizing the multivariate criteria through the use of Learning Curves. To this end, ten desired capabilities were identified from a Task Analysis of the Central Venous Catheter (CVC) placement procedure. In the preliminary study, motion tracking of video footage for six medical residents, taken at the beginning, middle, and end of a three-months-long training session, was used to confirm learning of the desired capabilities. Specifically, the economy of motion, eye-hand coordination, motion stability, and visual detection were tracked and quantified according to the defined metrics. Among them, both economy of motion and eye-hand coordination had a statistically significant learning effect (p<0.05) with the different learning rates–eye-hand coordination needed more training to reach a plateau. Our results imply that eye-hand coordination is relatively more comprehensive capability and requires to set higher priority in training. The current method can contribute to establishing hierarchical structures in MPC based on learning curves, ultimately building a standard system of performance. The results of this proceeding have implications for using learning curves to assess medical skill performance in a systematic manner.
Training on Perceptual-Motor Tasks Using Simulated Construction Equipment
Authors: So Joey C. Y. , Proctor Robert W. , Dunston Phillip S.
Published: October 2014

A prior study addressed whether practicing on both an excavator and a loader result in poorer learning of excavator operation than practicing solely on the excavator. Performance of a controls familiarization task, requiring selection of a control action in response to a stimulus, showed no cost or benefit from inserting practice on a simulated loader between learning sessions on a simulated excavator. The present study sought to verify whether alternating between the excavator and loader yields a similar outcome for a more complex truck-loading task with multiple subgoals and requiring perceptual-motor coordination. The number of sessions was increased to examine the possible interference when participants continued alternating between the machines. The group whose excavator operating practice was interrupted by practice on the loader continued to show improvement on the excavator, with performance picking up where it had left off. These results imply that operators can train on two machines concurrently without disrupting learning.
The Effect of Navigational Tools and Related Experience on Task Performance in a Virtual Environment
Authors: Riggs Austin , Melloy Brian J. , Neyens David M.
Published: October 2014

One of the problems associated with using virtual environments, for the purpose of training and/or assessment, is that the effect of navigational tools and related experience on performance is generally unknown. In this study, three separate types of navigational assistance were provided (1) a recommended path embedded in the environment, (2) the user’s trail embedded in the environment and (3) none (a control condition). Three levels of related experience were also considered: novice, intermediate, and advanced. The virtual environment task was a safety-hazard identification task in a virtual manufacturing facility – a task with both search and decision-making components. Both objective and subjective measures were employed; the objective measures were task time, task accuracy, and distance traveled within the environment, and the subjective measures were dimensions of workload, presence, and usability. Statistically significant differences were found between the navigation tools for task time, accuracy, and immersion (a dimension of presence). The results suggest that both the type of navigation tool and the level of experience influence performance.
Cognitive Dynamics of Distributed Teams Performing Dynamic, Complex Tasks
Authors: Wong Jason H. , Wright Helen , Ogren Lauren
Published: October 2014

Traditional team training is conducted by physically co-locating students and accessing a common system. This method of training involves bringing the entire team to where the system is located. This can be made more efficient by allowing students to remotely access these systems from their duty station. However, the effects of conducting training in this distributed manner have not been investigated. This study identifies task and cognitive performance decrements of distributed teams. Teams of three people were trained on a complex, dynamic task and performed several scenarios. The key variable of interest was whether teams were seated next to each other (co-located) or were in separate spaces (distributed). Task performance metrics were collected, along with measures of workload, communications, and team cohesion. Results demonstrate that all teams had similar mission outcomes, but distributed teams reported higher team workload, lower group integration, and increased communications. This suggests that the act of distributing a team will impact training, but these impacts may not all be negative. Improvements to distributed training environments should be developed to increase performance and reduce workload in distributed teams.
Evaluating Operator Performance for Patient Telemetry Monitoring Stations Using Virtual Reality
Authors: Kohani Mehdi , Berman Jacob , Catacora Danny , Kim Byeol , Vaughn-Cooke Monifa
Published: October 2014

Patient telemetry monitoring stations in hospitals have received considerable attention due to the widely reported incidents of patient deaths linked to operator error. Monitoring stations are one of the most critical environments in a healthcare setting, where telemetry technician delayed response or failure to respond may contribute to adverse patient events. The technician’s task is to monitor patient vital signs and respond to irregular patient vitals by communicating this event to the patient care team. Poorly designed monitoring stations can potentially increase technician cognitive workload and stress, and decrease performance (time to respond, accuracy of response). This paper introduces a novel approach to evaluate the impact of monitoring station design on telemetry technician performance through the use of neurophysiological measurement (heart rate, heart rate variability, blood pressure, electroencephalography, core temperature, eye tracking) in a virtual reality (VR) environment. VR provides several benefits over conventional 2D simulations and physical mock-ups by providing an immersive environment where design alternatives can be generated with greater flexibility and speed and also without interfering with daily operations in a safety-critical environment. A replicate model of a telemetry monitoring station at MedStar Washington Hospital Center was simulated in VR. Features such as monitor layout, the number of patients simultaneously monitored, and the graphical user interface design, will be modified to evaluate technician performance for each design alternative. The outcomes of this research can be used to inform telemetry room design across several hospital settings and ultimately reduce adverse patient events due to poor telemetry technician performance.
An Analysis of Expressed Cheating Behaviors in Video Games
Authors: Doherty Shawn M. , Liskey Devin , Via Christopher M. , Frederick Christina , Kring Jason P. , Liu Dahai
Published: October 2014

A series of 50 responses regarding reasons for cheating behavior in video games were provided by undergraduate students. These responses were sorted into a series of 13 categories by raters to investigate the most common reasons provided for cheating. An analysis of inter-rater agreement as well as frequency of category representation is provided. The most common outcomes were that players cheat to progress in a game as well as to gain advantage over others. The discussion compared this study’s results to an existing cheating taxonomy.
Using the Discrete Event System Specification to model Quantum Key Distribution system components
Authors: Morris Jeffrey D , Grimaila Michael R , Hodson Douglas D , McLaughlin Colin V , Jacques David R
Published: October 2014

In this paper, we present modeling a Quantum Key Distribution (QKD) system with its components using the Discrete Event System Specification (DEVS) formalism. The DEVS formalism assures the developed component models are composable and exhibit well-defined temporal behavior independent of the simulation environment. These attributes enable users to assemble a valid simulation using any collection of compatible components to represent complete QKD system architectures. To illustrate the approach, we introduce a prototypical “prepare and measure” QKD system, decompose one of its subsystems, and present the detailed modeling of the subsystem using the DEVS formalism. The developed models are provably composable and exhibit behavior suitable for the intended analytic purpose, thus improving the validity of the simulation. Finally, we examine issues identified during the verification of the conceptual DEVS model and discuss the impact of these findings on implementing a hybrid QKD simulation framework.
A survey of computer game development
Authors: Aktaş AZ , Orçun E
Published: October 2014

A computer game is special software to run on a computer for enjoyment and education. A computer game interacts with a user interface and generates audio-visual feedback.

In this article computer games and the relevant processes and methodologies for their development were surveyed. Basically a computer game consists of design elements and technical components. The players, stories, rules, objectives, procedures, conflicts and challenges are the design elements of a computer game. They all have conflicts and challenges and have effects over gameplay. In addition to design elements, there are technical components that may be grouped into four as ‘the render engine and rendering pipeline’, ‘physics engine and physics-related techniques’, ‘game codes’ and ‘artwork contents’. Fixed-function pipeline and flexible pipeline are the render engine and rendering pipeline. Physics engine and physics-related techniques are collision detection, ray casting, etc. Game codes are for game mechanics, artificial intelligence, scenario creation and management. Artwork contents have game level, three-dimensional models, two-dimensional maps for shaders, skeletal animation and audio assets.

The major objective of the study to be reported in this article was to apply all these methodologies, techniques and tools on a case problem after studying design elements and technical components.
Quantitative EEG and Current Source Density Analysis of Combined Antiepileptic Drugs and Dopaminergic Agents in Genetic Epilepsy
Authors: Emory Hamlin , Wells Christopher , Mizrahi Neptune
Published: October 2014

Two adolescent females with absence epilepsy were classified, one as attention deficit and the other as bipolar disorder. Physical and cognitive exams identified hypotension, bradycardia, and cognitive dysfunction. Their initial electroencephalograms (EEGs) were considered slightly slow, but within normal limits. Quantitative EEG (QEEG) data included relative theta excess and low alpha mean frequencies. A combined treatment of antiepileptic drugs with a catecholamine agonist/reuptake inhibitor was sequentially used. Both patients’ physical and cognitive functions improved and they have remained seizure free. The clinical outcomes were correlated with statistically significant changes in QEEG measures toward normal Z-scores in both anterior and posterior regions. In addition, low resolution electromagnetic tomography (LORETA) Z-scored source correlation analyses of the initial and treated QEEG data showed normalized patterns, supporting a neuroanatomic resolution. This study presents preliminary evidence for a neurophysiologic approach to patients with absence epilepsy and comorbid disorders and may provide a method for further research.
Social and Psychological Predictors of Initial Cigarette Smoking Experience
Authors: Menati Walieh , Nazarzadeh Milad , Bidel Zeinab , Würtz Morten , Menati Rostam , Hemati Rohollah , Yaghoubi Maryam , Zareimanesh Elham , Mohammadi Mohammad Sabour , Akhlaghi Ardekani Farzad , Tazval Jafar , Delpisheh Ali
Published: October 2014

Knowledge about social and psychological risk factors for initial cigarette smoking experience (ICSE) is sparse. The present study aimed to estimate the prevalence of ICSE and to examine the psychological and social factors related to ICSE. In a cross-sectional survey, 1,511 male college students were recruited using multistage sampling techniques from four universities located within the city of Ilam, Iran. Self-administered multiple-choice questionnaires were distributed to students from March to June 2013. Risk factors for ICSE were evaluated using logistic regression models. Participants were 22.3 ± 2.4 years of age. ICSE prevalence was 30.6%. In multivariable adjusted analysis, risk taking behavior (odds ratio [OR] = 1.61; 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.11-2.33), perceived peer smoking prevalence (OR = 2.48; 95% CI = 1.03-5.97), positive thoughts about smoking (OR = 1.06; 95% CI = 1.02-1.10), high self-efficacy ( OR = 0.95, 95% CI [0.93, 0.98]), presence in smokers’ gathering (OR = 4.45; 95% CI = 2.88-6.81), comity of smokers (OR = 2.56; 95% CI = 1.66, 3.92), very hard access to cigarettes (OR = 2.20; 95% CI = 1.16-4.16), close friends’ medium reaction toward smoking (OR = 1.38; 95% CI = 1.02-1.88), and sporting activity (OR = 0.74; 95% CI = 0.56-0.98) were significantly associated with ICSE. This study identified that a combination of psychological and social variables account for up to 78% of the probability of ICSE. The most important protective factor against ICSE was physical activity, whereas the most important risk factor for ICSE was frequent gathering in the presence of smokers.
The risk factors associated with subluxation of the distal interphalangeal joint in mallet fracture
Authors: Kim J. K. , Kim D. J.
Published: October 2014

Surgical fixation is recommended when a mallet fracture involves more than one-third of the articular surface of the distal phalanx. This recommendation originates from the idea that involvement of more than one-third of the base of the distal phalanx causes subluxation of the distal interphalangeal (DIP) joint. Eighty-six fingers of 85 patients with a mallet fracture involving more than one-third of the articular surface of the distal phalanx were enrolled in this study. Patients were allocated on the basis of subluxation of the DIP joint into a group with no subluxation or a group with subluxation. These two groups were compared with respect to age, sex, fracture size, fracture displacement, time to finger immobilizer application, and initial extensor lag of the DIP joint. Backward stepwise multiple logistic regression analysis was performed to identify the risk factors of DIP joint subluxation, and receiver operating curve analysis was used to calculate the optimal cut-off point for the risk factors. Half of our patients with a mallet fracture involving > one-third of the articular surface of the distal phalanx showed subluxation of the DIP joint. A significant intergroup difference was found for fracture size and time to application of a finger immobilizer, but no significant difference was observed for other parameters. The risk factors of DIP joint subluxation were fracture size and time to application of finger immobilizer. The optimal cut-off values for the development of DIP joint subluxation were 48% for the fracture size and 12.5 days for time to finger immobilizer application.

Level of Evidence: Prognosis, II
Patient preferences for disease-modifying drugs in multiple sclerosis therapy: a choice-based conjoint analysis
Authors: Utz Kathrin S. , Hoog Jana , Wentrup Andreas , Berg Sebastian , Lämmer Alexandra , Jainsch Britta , Waschbisch Anne , Lee De-Hyung , Linker Ralf A. , Schenk Thomas
Published: October 2014

Objectives:

With an increasing number of disease-modifying treatments (DMTs) for multiple sclerosis (MS), patient preferences will gain importance in the decision-making process. We assessed patients’ implicit preferences for oral versus parenteral DMTs and identified factors influencing patients’ treatment preference.

Methods:

Patients with relapsing–remitting MS ( n = 156) completed a questionnaire assessing treatment preferences, whereby they had to decide between pairs of hypothetical treatment scenarios. Based on this questionnaire a choice-based conjoint analysis was conducted.

Results:

Treatment frequency and route of administration showed a stronger influence on patient preference compared with frequency of mild side effects. The latter attribute was more important for treatment-naïve patients compared with DMT-experienced patients. The higher the Extended Disability Status Scale score, the more likely pills, and the less likely fewer side effects were preferred. Pills were preferred over injections by 93% of patients, when treatment frequency and frequency of side effects were held constant. However, preference switched to injections when pills had to be taken three times daily and injections only once per week. Injections were also preferred when pills were associated with frequent side effects.

Conclusions:

Our results suggest that route of administration and treatment frequency play an important role in the patients’ preference for a given DMT.