bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Recombinant Human Cytoglobin Prevents Atherosclerosis by Regulating Lipid Metabolism and Oxidative Stress
Authors: Ou Lingling , Li Xin , Chen Baihong , Ge Zhenhuang , Zhang Junyi , Zhang Ye , Cai Gaotai , Li Zhen , Wang Ping , Dong Wenqi
Published: September 2017

Atherosclerosis is a chronic inflammatory vascular disease characterized by lipid accumulation and endothelial dysfunction. Cytoglobin has been shown to exert protective effects under oxidative stress conditions. The aim of this study was to determine whether recombinant human cytoglobin (rhCYGB) has protective effects against atherosclerosis. We intraperitoneally injected rhCYGB (0, 4, or 7 mg/kg BW) into the atherosclerotic rats daily for 60 days. The rhCYGB injections reduced low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) levels and increased high-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels in a dose-dependent manner, rhCYGB (7 mg/kg) significantly attenuated atherosclerosis. Blood proteins were separated by 2-dimensional electrophoresis and analyzed by mass spectrometry, and the majority of the proteins in question were participated in oxidative stress pathways and cardiovascular diseases. Human hepatocellular liver carcinoma cell line (HepG2) cells were treated with oleic acid (0.3 mmol/L), and Human acute monocytic leukemia cell line (THP-1) cells were incubated with oxidized LDL (ox-LDL; 50 µg/mL) to induce foam cell (FC) formation in vitro. Treatment with different concentrations of rhCYGB (0, 5, 10, and 15 μg/mL) significantly decreased the lipid droplet levels in HepG2 cells and cholesterol ester levels in FCs. Moreover, rhCYGB significantly increased superoxide dismutase and glutathione peroxidase activity and decreased malondialdehyde and nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate oxidase activity in cells. In addition, rhCYGB decreased NO and Reactive oxygen species (ROS) levels in FCs by functioning as an NO dioxygenase enzyme and ROS scavenger. Taken together, our findings indicate that rhCYGB prevented atherosclerosis by regulating lipid metabolism and oxidative stress. Our study provides insights into the possible usefulness of rhCYGB as an antiatherosclerosis agent.
Inspecting the Investigators: An Analysis of Television Investigative Journalism and Factors Leading to Its Production
Authors: Abdenour Jesse
Published: September 2017

A nationwide content analysis of television stations showed low levels of investigative journalism quality and quantity. Most stories introduced as “investigative” were not investigative by definition. However, in an accompanying survey, about half of respondents said investigative quality and quantity had recently increased at their stations. Utilizing Shoemaker and Reese’s hierarchical model, organizational and social-institutional variables were used to predict investigative production. Stations in competitive markets and stations owned by publicly traded corporations produced more investigative journalism and were more likely to emphasize investigations. Stations emphasizing profit were less likely to emphasize investigative reporting.
An Application of a Multicriteria Model to Assess the Quality of Local Governance
Authors: F. da Cruz Nuno , Marques Rui Cunha
Published: September 2017

This article presents a method to assess the quality of local governance practices. The multicriteria decision analysis modeling approach is illustrated through a real application (Portuguese municipalities). To define the criteria, performance descriptors, and reference levels in each dimension of local governance, and to account for the differences in preference of scoring in each criterion, the judgments of legitimate stakeholders were considered through decision conferencing. The constructed “Municipal Governance Indicator” is calculated for the case of Lisbon to show the outputs of the model and its potential usefulness.
Biotechnological potential of agro-industrial waste in the synthesis of pectin lyase from Aspergillus brasiliensis
Authors: Pili Jonaina , Danielli Angélica , Nyari Nádia LD , Zeni Jamile , Cansian Rogério L , Backes Geciane T , Valduga Eunice
Published: September 2017

This study aims at investigating pectin lyase bioproduction in submerged fermentation with synthetic medium and agro-industrial residues, using the filamentous fungus Aspergillus brasiliensis. The maximum pectin lyase activity in a synthetic medium (42 g/l pectin, 40 g/l yeast extract, and 0.02 g/l iron sulfate) was 31 U/ml, and 46 U/ml in the agro-industrial medium (160 g/l orange peel, 150 g/l corn steep liquor, and 300 g/l parboiled rice water), obtained over 60 and 124 h of bioproduction, 180 r/min, 30 ℃, pHinitial 5.5, and 5·106 spores/ml, respectively. Partial characterization of pectin lyase crude enzyme extract obtained from the synthetic medium and the one made of agro-industrial residues showed optimum conditions at pH of 5.5 and 4.5 and temperatures of 37 and 55 ℃, respectively. The Ed obtained was 3.13 and 9.15 kJ/mol, and the half-life time (t1/2) was 5.71 and 80 h at 55 ℃ for pectin lyase produced in synthetic and agro-industrial medium, respectively.
Humanizing the Tenure Years for Faculty of Color: Reflections From STAR Mentors
Authors: Turner Jennifer D. , Haddix Marcelle M. , Gort Mileidis , Bauer Eurydice B.
Published: September 2017

In this essay, some of the 2015-2017 STAR mentors (mentors of authors in this special issue) illustrate the importance for policymakers, professional organizations, school administrators, and state and system administrators to foster bidirectional relationships with early career scholars of Color. This Insight Column provides the field of language and literacy education, administrators, and state and federal policymakers with recommendations and implications on how to better prepare, serve, retain, and humanize early career scholars of Color.
Two-Year Outcomes of the Enabling Mothers to Prevent Pediatric Obesity Through Web-Based Education and Reciprocal Determinism (EMPOWER) Randomized Control Trial
Authors: Knowlden Adam P. , Conrad Eric
Published: September 2017

Background. Childhood overweight and obesity is a public health epidemic with far-reaching medical, economic, and quality of life consequences. Brief, web-based interventions have received increased attention for their potential to combat childhood obesity. The purpose of our study was to evaluate a web-based, maternal-facilitated childhood obesity prevention intervention dubbed Enabling Mothers to Prevent Pediatric Obesity Through Web-Based Education and Reciprocal Determinism (EMPOWER), for its capacity to elicit sustained effects at the 2-year postintervention follow-up mark. Method. Two interventions were evaluated using a randomized controlled trial design. The experimental, EMPOWER arm received a social cognitive theory intervention ( n = 29) designed to improve four maternal-facilitated behaviors in children (fruit and vegetable consumption, physical activity, sugar-free beverage intake, screen time). The active control arm received a knowledge-based intervention dubbed Healthy Lifestyles ( n = 28), which also targeted the same four behaviors. Results. We identified a significant group-by-time interaction of small effect size for child fruit and vegetable consumption ( p = .033; Cohen’s f = 0.139) in the EMPOWER group. The construct of maternal-facilitated environment was positively associated to improvements in child fruit and vegetable behavior. We also found significant main effects for child physical activity ( p = .024; Cohen’s f = 0.124); sugar-free beverage intake ( p < .001; Cohen’s f = 0.321); and screen time ( p < .001; Cohen’s f = 0.303), suggesting both groups improved in these behaviors over time. Conclusions. The EMPOWER arm of the trial resulted in an overall increase of 1.680 daily cups of fruits and vegetables consumed by children, relative to the comparison group ( p < .001, 95% confidence interval = [1.113, 2.248]). Web-based maternal-facilitated interventions can induce sustained effects on child behaviors.
A static analysis of three-dimensional sandwich beam structures by hierarchical finite elements modelling
Authors: Pietro Gabriele De , Giunta Gaetano , Belouettar Salim , Carrera Erasmo
Published: September 2017

A static analysis of three-dimensional sandwich beam structures using one-dimensional modelling approach is presented within this paper. A family of several one-dimensional beam elements is obtained by hierarchically expanding the displacements over the cross-section and letting the expansion order a free parameter. The finite element approximation order over the beam axis is also a formulation free parameter (linear, quadratic and cubic elements are considered). The principle of virtual displacements is used to obtain the problem weak form and derive the beam stiffness matrix and equivalent load vectors in a nuclear, generic form. Displacements and stresses are presented for different load and constraint configurations. Results are validated towards three-dimensional finite element solutions and experimental results. Sandwich beams present a three-dimensional stress state and higher-order models are necessary for an accurate description. Numerical investigations show that fairly good results with reduced computational costs can be obtained by the proposed finite element formulation.
Confirmatory Testing Prior to Initiating Onychomycosis Therapy Is Cost-Effective
Authors: Gupta Aditya K. , Versteeg Sarah G. , Shear Neil H.
Published: September 2017

Background:

Onychomycosis can be investigated by sampling. Information gleaned includes nail bed involvement, nail plate penetration, fungal viability, and species identification. Testing samples can confirm a diagnosis. While diagnostic testing is considered useful in directing therapy, a substantial number of clinicians do not confirm diagnosis prior to treatment.

Objectives:

The aim of this study is to quantify the benefit of confirmatory testing prior to treating toenail onychomycosis.

Methods:

The cost of mycological cure (negative potassium hydroxide and negative culture) and the cost-effectiveness of confirmatory testing were determined using the average cost of potassium hydroxide (KOH), culture, periodic acid–Schiff (PAS), efinaconazole, ciclopirox, terbinafine, and itraconazole. Costs were obtained through literature searches, public domain websites, and telephone surveys to local pharmacies and laboratories. To represent the potential risks of prescribing onychomycosis treatment, the costs associated with liver monitoring, potential life-threatening adverse events, and drug-drug interactions were obtained through public domain websites, published studies, and product inserts.

Results:

PAS was determined to be the most sensitive confirmatory test and KOH the least expensive. The overall cost of an incorrect diagnosis (no confirmatory test used) ranged between $350 and $1175 CAD per patient for treatment of 3 infected toenails. Comparatively, performing confirmatory testing prior to treatment decreases the overall cost to $320 to $930, depending on the therapy, physician, and test.

Conclusions:

It is preferred to diagnose onychomycosis prior to treatment. Furthermore, there are cost savings when confirmatory testing is performed before initiating treatment with both topical and oral antifungals in Canada.
Analysis of live interactive teledermatologic consultations for prisoners in Korea for 3 years
Authors: Seol Jung Eun , Park So Hee , Kim Hyojin
Published: September 2017

Introduction

Teledermatology has contributed to the enhanced accessibility of underserved populations. This study investigated the prevalence and clinical outcomes of dermatologic diseases in prisoners in Korea through live interactive teledermatology (LITD)

Method

The medical records of patients in a Busan prison, who interacted with a dermatologist using LITD from July 2013 to August 2016, were reviewed retrospectively.

Results

The mean age of the 406 patients enrolled in the study was 39.0 years and 91.4% were male. Infectious disease (42.8%) was the most common type of disease, followed by eczematous disease (29.4%) and diseases of the skin appendages (14.5%). Among the 187 (38.2%) patients who had a follow-up consultation, 162 (86.7%) showed clinical improvement, whereas 21 showed either no change or a worse clinical outcome. Twenty patients were diagnosed with different types of dermatologic disease at follow-up consultations.

Discussion

LITD can contribute to a favourable clinical outcome and may thus be an effective alternative to face-to-face consultation in prisoners and other underserved populations.
Psychogenic non-epileptic seizures in children and adolescents: Part II – explanations to families, treatment, and group outcomes
Authors: Kozlowska Kasia , Chudleigh Catherine , Cruz Catherine , Lim Melissa , McClure Georgia , Savage Blanche , Shah Ubaid , Cook Averil , Scher Stephen , Carrive Pascal , Gill Deepak
Published: September 2017

Psychogenic non-epileptic seizures (PNES) – time-limited disturbances of consciousness and motor-sensory control, not accompanied by ictal activity on electroencephalogram (EEG) – are best conceptualized as atypical neurophysiological responses to emotional distress, physiological stressors and danger. Patients and families find the diagnosis of PNES difficult to understand; the transition from neurology (where the diagnosis is made) to mental health services (to which patients are referred for treatment) can be a bumpy one. This study reports how diagnostic formulations constructed for 60 consecutive children and adolescents with PNES were used to inform both the explanations about PNES that were given to them and their families and the clinical interventions that were used to help patients gain control over PNES. Families were able to accept the diagnosis of PNES and engage in treatment when it was explained how emotional distress, illness and states of high arousal could activate atypical defence responses in the body and brain – with PNES being an unwanted by-product of this process. Patients and their families made good use of therapeutic interventions. A total of 75% of children/adolescents (45/60) regained normal function and attained full-time return to school. Global Assessment of Functioning scores increased from 41 to 67 ( t(54) = 10.09; p < .001). Outcomes were less favourable in children/adolescents who presented with chronic PNES and in those with a chronic, comorbid mental health disorder that failed to resolve with treatment. The study highlights that prompt diagnosis, followed by prompt multidisciplinary assessment, engagement, and treatment, achieves improved outcomes in children/adolescents with PNES.
Psychogenic non-epileptic seizures in children and adolescents: Part I – Diagnostic formulations
Authors: Kozlowska Kasia , Chudleigh Catherine , Cruz Catherine , Lim Melissa , McClure Georgia , Savage Blanche , Shah Ubaid , Cook Averil , Scher Stephen , Carrive Pascal , Gill Deepak
Published: September 2017

Psychogenic non-epileptic seizures (PNES) are a nonspecific, umbrella category that is used to collect together a range of atypical neurophysiological responses to emotional distress, physiological stressors and danger. Because PNES mimic epileptic seizures, children and adolescents with PNES usually present to neurologists or to epilepsy monitoring units. After a comprehensive neurological evaluation and a diagnosis of PNES, the patient is referred to mental health services for treatment. This study documents the diagnostic formulations – the clinical formulations about the probable neurophysiological mechanisms – that were constructed for 60 consecutive children and adolescents with PNES who were referred to our Mind-Body Rehabilitation Programme for treatment. As a heuristic framework, we used a contemporary reworking of Janet’s dissociation model: PNES occur in the context of a destabilized neural system and reflect a release of prewired motor programmes following a functional failure in cognitive-emotional executive control circuitry. Using this framework, we clustered the 60 patients into six different subgroups: (1) dissociative PNES (23/60; 38%), (2) dissociative PNES triggered by hyperventilation (32/60; 53%), (3) innate defence responses presenting as PNES (6/60; 10%), (4) PNES triggered by vocal cord adduction (1/60; 2%), (5) PNES triggered by activation of the valsalva manoeuvre (1/60; 1.5%) and (6) PNES triggered by reflex activation of the vagus (2/60; 3%). As described in the companion article, these diagnostic formulations were used, in turn, both to inform the explanations of PNES that we gave to families and to design clinical interventions for helping the children and adolescents gain control of their PNES.
Reflexive Dialogues: Interaction and Writing as External Components of Personal Reflexivity
Authors: Caetano Ana
Published: September 2017

Margaret Archer’s work suggests that reflexivity is exercised through internal dialogues, in which subjects talk to themselves in order to clarify ideas, mull over problems, make plans, and take decisions. The present article argues that the exercise of reflexive competences is not limited to the privacy of individual minds, but that there is also an external component, which can lend the concept a broader analytical scope. Using the results of qualitative research focused on the social mechanisms of personal reflexivity, including biographical interviews, the article examines two other modalities of exercising reflexivity: external conversations in interaction contexts and writing practices (autobiographical, creative, communicational, and organisational). It also looks at the differential activation of reflexivity according to both the subjects’ different positions in social space and inter- and intra-contextual variations.
Europeanisation, Sovereignty and Contested States: The EU in northern Cyprus and Palestine
Authors: Bouris Dimitris , Kyris George
Published: September 2017

Combining the literature on sovereignty and Europeanisation, this article investigates the engagement and impact of the European Union (EU) on contested states (states lacking recognition) through a comparative study of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) and Palestine. We find that characteristics of contested statehood mediate EU engagement and impact: the lack of international recognition limits EU’s engagement but encourages development promotion, international integration and assistance of local civil society. Lack of territorial control limits engagement, but ineffective government offers opportunities for development promotion and state-building. As such, and in addition to offering a rich empirical account of two prominent contested states, the article contributes to the discussion of international engagement by developing an innovative conceptual framework for understanding EU’s impact on contested states—a topic neglected within a literature dominated by conventional statehood or conflict resolution themes but very important given extensive international engagement in contested states—and related conflicts.
The relationship between self-efficacy and transition to work or studies in young adults with disabilities
Authors: Andersén Åsa , Larsson Kjerstin , Pingel Ronnie , Kristiansson Per , Anderzén Ingrid
Published: September 2017

Aim: To investigate perceived self-efficacy in unemployed young adults with disabilities, and the association between self-efficacy and transition to work or studies. Methods: This prospective cohort study collected data through self-report questionnaires and registry data from a vocational rehabilitation project with young adults, aged 19–29 years. The Swedish Social Insurance Agency, the Swedish Public Employment Service and the participating municipalities identified potential participants for the study. A total of 531 participants were included in the study, of which 249 (47%) were available for analysis. Multinomial logistic regression models were carried out to estimate the associations between self-efficacy, demographic (age, country of birth, education level), health and employment status. The latter was coded as: ‘no transition to work or studies’, ‘transition to studies’, and ‘transition to work’. Results: A higher level of self-efficacy was associated with increased odds for ‘transition to work’ (OR = 2.37, p < 0.05). This finding remained consistent when adjusting for possible confounders. The mean value of self-efficacy was low, and participants with lower self-efficacy reported worse self-rated health ( p < 0.001) compared to participants with higher self-efficacy. Conclusions: The results from this study suggest that self-efficacy should be addressed in the vocational rehabilitation of young adults with disabilities in order to support their transition and integration into the labour market.
Tweets of surveillance: Traffic, Twitter, and securitization in Beirut, Lebanon
Authors: Monroe Kristin V.
Published: September 2017

More than a decade ago, Akhil Gupta and James Ferguson set out to define a research program with their essay ‘Spatializing States: Toward an Ethnography of Neoliberal Governmentality’ (2002). Exploring the relation between what they referred to as ‘the spatial and statist orders,’ they argued that conceptualizations of the nature of the state have not attended adequately to the ways in which states are spatialized and endeavored to show, through ethnography, how people come to experience the state as an entity with certain spatial characteristics and properties. Building on these ideas, but also moving beyond their taken-for-granted assumptions about the state’s spatiality, this essay makes use of one ethnographic case example in an effort to offer a fine-grained illustration of the spatial dimensions of the project of state securitization in the urban landscape. I do this by looking closely at the field of urban mobility in Beirut, Lebanon, and the Twitter account for the city’s Traffic Management Center, launched in late 2013 by the Ministry of Interior. Through my analysis of the spatial modes of statecraft that are produced through this Twitter account, I develop an argument about how the social media technology of Twitter serves as a portal through which to view how the state secures its legitimacy and naturalizes its authority in both virtual and physical space, while, at the same time, this technology – if only fleetingly – can be harnessed to issue challenges to this legitimacy and authority. What is at stake in the Traffic Management Center’s Twitter account, I suggest, is the production of the state as an entity that is not just powerful in the sense of being vertical to society and encompassing of urban space, but the very idea that the state offers security and protection to its citizens.
Static and dynamic mechanical behavior of microcapsule-reinforced dental composite
Authors: Sharma Akhil , Alam Sajid , Sharma Chetan , Patnaik Amar , Kumar Shiv Ranjan
Published: September 2017

Resin-based dental composites were prepared by the addition of four different weight percentages (0–9 wt% microcapsules) of silane-treated microcapsules. The resin matrix was prepared by adding 50 wt% BisGMA, 48 wt% triethylene glycol dimethylacrylate, 0.4 wt% camphorquinone, and 1.6 wt% ethyl 4 dimethyl amino benzoate, respectively. In this study, the static mechanical properties in terms of micro-hardness, compressive strength, flexural strength, and dynamic mechanical analysis, in terms of storage modulus (E′), loss modulus (E″), and Tan delta (δ) as a function of temperature were evaluated systematically as per specific standards. The mechanical results indicated that the addition of 3 wt% of microcapsules increased both the hardness and flexural strength by 38% and 6%, respectively. On the other hand, addition of 3 wt% of microcapsules on the same resin based dental composite decreased the compressive strength by 35%. The dynamic mechanical results indicated that the storage modulus, loss modulus and glass transition temperatures was initially decreased with the addition of micro-capsules from 0 to 6 wt% and increased on further increase of microcapsules up to 9 wt%. Finally, Cole–Cole plot has been drawn for identification of the nature of the proposed dental composites.
Sleep Patterns of Crewmembers in Mission IV of the Hawaii Space Exploration Analog and Simulation (HI-SEAS): A Pilot Study
Authors: Matsangas Panagiotis , Lewis Shattuck Nita , Heinicke Christiane , Dunn Jocelyn
Published: September 2017

The Hawaii Space Exploration Analog and Simulation (HI-SEAS) conducts simulated Mars missions to study the biopsychosocial impacts of isolated and confined living conditions and to assess space-flight crew dynamics, behaviors, roles and performance. This pilot study assessed the sleep-related behaviors of crewmembers during one month of Mission IV. Participants (N=4) wore actigraphs and completed activity logs. We identified substantive individual differences in sleep-related behaviors, physical activity and exposure to light between the crewmembers. These factors are important determinants of human alertness, stress, and mood. Due to the small crew of astronauts on a Mars mission and the conditions in which they will have to live for extended periods of time, the effect of these stressors on team performance, cohesion, and resilience may be exacerbated. Recommendations are provided for the holistic sleep-related assessment of the crewmembers participating in the 8-month Mission V.
Managing Heart Failure On the Go: Usability Issues with mHealth Apps for Older Adults
Authors: Morey Stephanie A. , Barg-Walkow Laura H. , Rogers Wendy A.
Published: September 2017

Mobile apps for self-managing chronic health conditions are widely available for download from online app stores. Mobile health (mHealth) apps provide a convenient way of managing health conditions (e.g., congestive heart failure); however, little is known about their design specifications with respect to older adult users. We conducted a 3-phase assessment of human factors issues for common mHealth apps designed for managing congestive heart failure. In Phase 1, we identified two apps often used by older adults. In Phase 2, we evaluated these apps according to standard human factors principles. In Phase 3, we conducted usability testing of the apps with six older adults. We report design issues identified in the apps that limit usability by older adults. We encourage mHealth app designers to improve usability by: 1) providing easier navigation, 2) streamlining data entry processes, 3) providing clear recovery from errors, and 4) simplifying visualizations of data patterns.
Telepresence Heuristic Evaluation for Adults Aging with Mobility Impairment
Authors: Wu1 Xian , Thomas Rebecca C. , Drobina Emma C. , Mitzner Tracy L. , Beer Jenay M.
Published: September 2017

Mobility is a key component for older adults to maintain wellness and health while aging-in-place independently. However, older adults with mobility impairments may experience challenges in remaining socially connected. Telepresence systems hold much potential to help older adults with mobility impairments. However, telepresence systems are not specifically designed with this population’s capabilities and limitations in mind – creating many potential usability barriers. We conducted a heuristic evaluation of three telepresence systems. The results of the evaluation indicated a range of design issues. Issues related to the base height, un-adjustable screen height, camera resolution, microphone/speaker quality, and sensor sensitivity were categorized as hardware problems. Usability issues caused by poor network connectivity, lack of privacy settings, lack of notifications of the system status, and limited control of the system were identified as software problems. It is critical that designers consider and address these findings to ensure that telepresence systems are usable by individuals with a wide range of abilities.
A Taxonomy to Aid in the Design of Complex Physical Activities for Older Adults
Authors: Koon Lyndsie M. , Brustad Robert J. , Stellino Megan Babkes
Published: September 2017

Physical activity participation is a non-pharmaceutical intervention that can be utilized to maintain and improve cognitive function in aging adults. Although simple physical activities yield positive results in regards to cognitive function, cognitively and motorically complex physical activities may have an even greater benefit on neuroplasticity for older adults. Commercially available products such as physical activity apps or exergames offer this population a means to engage in regular physical activity on their own. However, a taxonomy is necessary to help distinguish simpler physical activities from more complex physical activities. The taxonomy proposed in this paper carefully considers the following characteristics: the stability or transport of the body, object manipulation, intertrial variability, the environmental context and the reaction or to others. The dimensions of the taxonomy are operationally defined and practical applications are provided.
Age Differences in Tornado Warning Responses and Emotions
Authors: O’Brien Marita A. , Peterson Clarke
Published: September 2017

Empowering tornado-prone community residents to effectively prepare for and respond to tornado warnings is a significant challenge for public safety. Although several studies have investigated participant knowledge, response intentions and behavior to different warnings, few studies have evaluated actual responses to tornado warnings from a sufficiently large sample to reveal the greatest challenges and opportunities for increasing compliance. This study examined warning knowledge and tornado experiences of 30 college students and 30 older community residents in two tornado-prone states. Findings corroborated prior research but also highlighted the need to understand how information gathering supports individual judgments of warning relevance at specific times and locations. We also found age differences in the type of information utilized to make these judgments, highlighting the need for focused community education and communication. Analysis of tornado aftermath emotional experiences particularly supports the NWS’s proposal to exploit disaster aftermath priming to increase compliance.
Developing a Quick-Start Guide to Aid Older Adults in Interacting with Gesture-Based Video Games
Authors: Harrington Christina N. , Hare Kristin J. , Rogers Wendy A.
Published: September 2017

Interactive gesture-based video games, or exergames, provide an option for leisure and rehabilitative user engagement. For older adults, these games present a method of engaging in physical activity in the home, providing benefits such as increased physical movement and social interaction, and alleviating barriers of facility access and transportation that often inhibit an individual’s ability to exercise. Despite these benefits, many older adults perceive exergames as challenging, suggesting the need for instructional support for them to successfully use these systems. We followed a design process wherein we leveraged user research to identify design criteria, and then developed a paper-based quick-start guide to aid older adults in performing gestures associated with exergames played on the Xbox 360 with Kinect. Our prototype quick-start guide provides information on getting started, troubleshooting tips, and common gestures depicted through images, diagrams, and text. We discuss the evaluation of various formats of this guide as part of the iterative process to identify a quick-start guide most helpful in supporting gesture performance.
Three-Dimensional Multiple Object Tracking Speed Thresholds are Associated with Measures of Simulated Driving Performance in Older Drivers
Authors: Woods-Fry Heather , Deut Swanti , Collin Charles A. , Gagnon Sylvain , Faubert Jocelyn , Bédard Michel , Marshall Shawn
Published: September 2017

We assessed the relationship between three-dimensional multiple-object-tracking (3D-MOT) ability and older driver simulated driving performance. Participants included 30 older drivers from the local community who completed two experimental driving scenarios, as well as a three-dimensional multiple object tracking task, called the 3D-MOT task. The speed thresholds on the 3D-MOT task were strongly negatively associated with lane deviation and crash rates during a simulated highway drive. Our findings help to expand the existing knowledge regarding multiple object tracking and driving, as it is commonly assumed that some aspects of driving include the ability to track the movement of many objects. Our findings further elucidate the relationship that motion processing has with driving performance in the older driver population.
Adult Products That Kill and Injure Children
Authors: Pollack-Nelson Carol , Vredenburgh Alison G. , Zackowitz Ilene B. , Kalsher Michael J. , Miller James M.
Published: September 2017

Many of the most dangerous products killing and injuring children are not toys – they are adult products. Of the 150,000 products regulated by the CPSC, ATVs are responsible for more child deaths annually than any other. In many cases, the children injured or killed were riding adult ATVs. Products inside the home are also responsible for deaths and serious injuries. Dressers and televisions tip over and kill children at a rate of one every two weeks. Window covering cords have strangled at least one child every month for decades. And button batteries found in everything from remote control devices to bathroom scales are ingested by infants and young children, causing serious injuries and death. Finally, cell phone use by children has opened up a wide range of serious risks - not only driving and pedestrian accidents, but also risks associated with exposure to strangers and unsafe products. In this alternative format panel, experts address each of these products and explore how risk perception – by parents and children – affects their behavior and exposure to the hazard. Limitations of voluntary and mandatory regulations to mitigate product hazards are also discussed.
Using Cognitive Work Analysis to Design Communication Support Tools for Patients with Language Barriers
Authors: Benda1 Natalie C. , Higginbotham Jeffrey , Fairbanks Rollin J. , Lin Li , Bisantz Ann M.
Published: September 2017

Patients with language barriers face healthcare disparities associated with access to care, satisfactions with care, and the quality and safety of the care they receive. The central solution to addressing these barriers is through the use of professional interpreters but there are difficulties associated with consistently using these services. This study used cognitive work analysis to identify the goals, constraints and affordances associated with patient communication to develop support requirements for communicating with patients with language barriers. Specific communication support objectives discovered included: supporting various cultural background and levels of health literacy, identifying when information is not properly conveyed, and providing a means to convey the information in a different way to allow for subsequent checks in understanding. These objectives can be utilized as inputs for the development of tools to support communication with patients with language barriers.
Telephony Speech-To-Text: An Adequate Analog to Internet Protocol Caption Telephone Services
Authors: Payton Gaea M. , McLachlan Jen , Weiss Brandy , Rahman Mo
Published: September 2017

Hearing loss is an invisible but significant barrier in daily life, including telephone conversations. Internet Protocol Caption Telephone Services (IP CTS) is a telecommunications relay service for an individual who can speak, but who has difficulty hearing over the telephone. An individual can use a telephone and an IP-enabled device to listen to the other party and simultaneously read transcriptions of the other party’s words. This article presents the results from a usability assessment of IP CTS devices and alternative speech recognition technologies to provide qualitative and quantitative measures for device and caption performance. The results demonstrate that there is at least one automatic Speech-To-Text (STT) engine that is equivalent or better than three of the four currently available IP CTS devices at producing an accurate, expedient, and usable service.
De-Clutter Your Inbox: Transform Your Perspective to See Email as a Tool
Authors: Counts Virginia
Published: September 2017

What would you do with an additional 15 minutes every day? Could improved techniques for managing electronic communications wisely add hours to your workweek, allowing a more sustainable, enjoyable life and provide time for innovation? Perhaps you might use that extra time to meet one of the Grand Challenges head on? Qualitative data collection and analysis techniques utilized in this mixed methods study show that having a purposefully developed, individualized email and task management strategy used consistently may have a positive outcome in attitudes concerning the use of email, suggesting that how we work can change our perspective of email. The qualitative techniques employed this study, including carefully crafted questions to elicit emotions and stories, revealed the gem in this study showing a connection between commitment to a management strategy and participant perspective of email. This study contributes by showing this link between the participants view of email aligned with management strategy, supports adding the “few filer” category of email folder management aligned with use of today’s improved search capabilities and shows no support for enactment of the illusive “one touch” model.
Linguistic Coordination as an Unobtrusive, Dynamic Indicator of Rapport, Prosocial Team Processes, and Performance in Team Communication
Authors: Carmody Patrick C. , Mateo Julio C. , Bowers Drew , McCloskey Mike J.
Published: September 2017

Language style matching ( LSM; the extent to which individuals match others’ function or “filler” words in communication) has been investigated as a potential predictor of rapport and team processes (e.g., trust). We examined the potential of LSM as an unobtrusive bottom-up indicator of rapport, trust, cohesion, and performance using a distributed, team problem-solving task. We found a dynamic relationship between LSM and performance. The relationship changes over time as team interaction progresses, but LSM also interacts with trust and rapport to affect performance. We introduce a model to explain the relationship between LSM, rapport, trust, and performance in this context.
Characterizing Crowdsourced Data Collected Using DESIM (Descriptive to Executable Simulation Modeling)
Authors: Pfaff Mark S. , Klein Gary L. , Egeth Jill D.
Published: September 2017

Across many case studies, the Descriptive to Executable Simulation Modeling (DESIM) method has demonstrated the ability to capture and model qualitative knowledge from multiple subject-matter experts (SMEs), convert those models to an executable form using a crowdsourcing approach, and interactively visualize the outputs. This method helps decision makers leverage collective expertise to perform complex “What if?” analysis. This paper takes advantage of a large-scale multiple-model application of DESIM to illustrate the nature and interpretation of the data produced throughout its multiple phases. Lessons learned from this study provide direction toward future evaluation and improvements to this method.
Feedback Frequency Effect on Performance Time in Dynamic Decision Making Task
Authors: Choi Nakkyeong , Myung Rohae
Published: September 2017

Decision support such as feedback has been considered to be crucial for successful work in many important Dynamic Decision Making (DDM) tasks. However, previous research did not consider the effect of feedback frequency on the performance time which, in conjunction with accuracy, is an important measure of the task performance evaluation in DDM. Therefore, in order to accurately evaluate task performance in a DDM, not only the accuracy of performance, but also the time to perform the task should be considered. This paper will examine the effect of feedback frequency on the task performance time in DDM. Drawing from activation theory (Anderson, 2009), we hypothesized that frequent feedback induces cognitive overload, resulting in learning degradation, and thus producing a U-shaped relationship with performance time. In order to test this hypothesis, we have experimented with the DDM simulation where the frequency of feedback was manipulated. The results demonstrate that there is U-shaped relationship between feedback frequency and performance time ( R2= 0.746, p < 0.01). Our findings show that providing excessively frequent feedback to an operator negatively affects performance time.
How Analysts Think: Sense-making Strategies in the Analysis of Temporal Evolution and Criminal Network Structures and Activities
Authors: Haider Johanna Doppler , Seidler Patrick , Pohl Margit , Kodagoda Neesha , Adderley Rick , Wong B. L. William
Published: September 2017

Analysis of criminal activity based on offenders’ social networks is an established procedure in intelligence analysis. The complexity of the data poses an obstacle for analysts to gauge network developments, e.g. detect emerging problems. Visualization is a powerful tool to achieve this, but it is essential to know how the analysts’ sense-making strategies can be supported most efficiently. Based on a think aloud study we identified ten cognitive strategies on a general level to be useful for designers. We also provide some examples how these strategies can be supported through appropriate visualizations.
Making Brittle Technologies Useful
Authors: Rayo Michael , Smith Philip J. , Roth Emilie , Sarter Nadine , Mosier Kathleen L. , Miller Christopher A.
Published: September 2017

Across a wide variety of systems, from aviation and ground transportation to energy and financial systems, there continues to be a move toward introducing more powerful technological support. Research and practice have clearly demonstrated that, for these complex systems, human centered designs are critical, especially when anomalous scenarios arise. As a result, one important focus of research in cognitive systems engineering has dealt with understanding how brittle technologies influence joint cognitive system performance. This panel will address three issues: 1) What do we know about how system design affects human performance when the competence envelope for the incorporated technology is exceeded? 2) What guidance is available for the design of joint cognitive systems so that they are robust or resilient when these competence envelopes are exceeded? 3) What important research questions need to be addressed to further extend our understanding regarding how to design and integrate cognitive tools into the work environment and to translate this understanding into effective system designs.
Integrated Multi-Method Probes as a Research Method in Cognitive Systems Engineering
Authors: Murphy Taylor , Balkin Asher , Rayo Michael , Woods D. D. , Zelik Dan
Published: September 2017

The continued development of Cognitive Systems Engineering (CSE) as both an academic discipline and as a field of practice requires constant and continuous reconsideration of the types of techniques used in research. Currently, all CSE research is conducted in one of three research settings: experimental/spartan laboratory studies, simulation/staged world studies, and in-situ observational techniques. We argue that rather than representing three discrete categories of techniques, these archetypes are instead points which exist on a continuum. By navigating the trade-offs between fidelity/external-validity and the control of variability, new hybrid research forms will emerge. These integrated multi-method probes which borrow from all three classic archetypes create more rigorous studies which provide both high quality data and contextual information. The authors present an exploration of the development of expertise of intelligence analysts involved in the ALFAA program as an example of this research tool set.
Social Facilitation with Non-Human Agents: Possible or not?
Authors: Hertz Nicholas , Wiese Eva
Published: September 2017

As interactions with non-human agents increase, it is important to understand and predict the consequences of human interactions with them. Social facilitation has a longstanding history within the realm of social psychology and is characterized by the presence of other humans having a beneficial effect on performance on easy tasks and inhibiting performance on difficult tasks. While social facilitation has been shown across task types and experimental conditions with human agents, very little research has examined whether this effect can also be induced by non-human agents and, if so, to what degree the level of humanness and embodiment of those agents influences that effect. In the current experiment, we apply a common social facilitation task (i.e., numerical distance judgments) to investigate to what extent the presence of agents of varying degrees of humanness benefits task performance. Results show a significant difference in performance between easy and difficult task conditions, but show no significant improvement in task performance in the social presence conditions compared to performing the task alone. This suggests that the presence of others did not have a positive effect on performance, at least not when social presence was manipulated via still images. Implications of this finding for future studies, as well as for human-robot interaction are discussed.
The Perception of Teamwork With an Autonomous Agent Enhances Affect and Performance Outcomes
Authors: Walliser James C. , Mead Patrick R. , Shaw Tyler H.
Published: September 2017

Among groups of humans, the team structure has been argued to be the most effective way for people to organize to accomplish work. Research suggests that humans and autonomous agents can be more effective when working together. However, the drive toward capable autonomous teammates has focused on design characteristics while ignoring the importance of social interactions between teammates. In the present study we created team structure though task interdependence and observed teamwork outcomes in the form of affect, behavior, and performance outcomes. A team structure resulted in improved affect and performance outcomes relative to a non-team structure. However, team structure did not elicit significant behavioral differences. Human partners received higher affect ratings and elicited significantly more communication from the participant than an autonomous partner. These findings suggest that social interactions between humans and autonomous teammates should be an important design consideration. While the current data is promising, team structure alone may not be sufficient to ensure effective teams, so further research should explore the utility of team development interventions between humans and autonomous agents.
Eliciting Knowledge from Helicopter Pilots: Recommendations for Revising the ACTA Method for Helicopter Landing Tasks
Authors: Minotra Dev , Feigh Karen
Published: September 2017

The task of landing helicopters on ships is cognitively complex and is bounded by several limitations for safe operation. To design technologies to support helicopter pilots in shipboard operations, a better understanding of cognitive processes underlying helicopter piloting in shipboard landing maneuvers is required. Limitations in prior work on ship-based helicopter pilots motivate more studies to better understand how pilots compensate for difficulties associated with ship motion, air turbulence among other factors. We report a preliminary study that used the Applied Cognitive Task Analysis (ACTA) method. We interviewed three participants who have ground-based helicopter piloting experience. The results indicate that ACTA can be used in eliciting knowledge from helicopter pilots. However, we have identified several caveats with the use of the method for this application. The revised method will be used to interview helicopter pilots with shipboard landing experience. Our study has identified a number of cognitive elements in the task which are associated with task management, divided attention, and noticing anomalies.