Reconfiguring and ramping-up ventilator production in the face of COVID-19: Can robots help?

As the COVID-19 pandemic expands, the shortening of medical equipment is swelling. A key piece of equipment getting far-out attention has been ventilators. The difference between supply and demand is substantial to be handled with normal production techniques, especially under social distancing measures in place. The study explores the rationale of human-robot teams to ramp up production using advantages of both the ease of integration and maintaining social distancing. The paper presents a model for faster integration of collaborative robots and design guidelines for workstations. The scenario is evaluated for an open source ventilator through continuous human-robot simulation and amplification of results in a discrete event simulation.     

Modeling and estimating the subjects’ diversity of opinions in video quality assessment: a neural network based approach

Subjective experiments are considered the most reliable way to assess the perceived visual quality. However, observers’ opinions are characterized by large diversity: in fact, even the same observer is often not able to exactly repeat his first opinion when rating again a given stimulus. This makes the Mean Opinion Score (MOS) alone, in many cases, not sufficient to get accurate information about the perceived visual quality. To this aim, it is important to have a measure characterizing to what extent the observed or predicted MOS value is reliable and stable. For instance, the Standard deviation of the Opinions of the Subjects (SOS) could be considered as a measure of reliability when evaluating the quality subjectively. However, we are not aware of the existence of models or algorithms that allow to objectively predict how much diversity would be observed in subjects’ opinions in terms of SOS. In this work we observe, on the basis of a statistical analysis made on several subjective experiments, that the disagreement between the quality as measured by means of different objective video quality metrics (VQMs) can provide information on the diversity of the observers’ ratings on a given processed video sequence (PVS). In light of this observation we: i) propose and validate a model for the SOS observed in a subjective experiment; ii) design and train Neural Networks (NNs) that predict the average diversity that would be observed among the subjects’ ratings for a PVS starting from a set of VQMs values computed on such a PVS; iii) give insights into how the same NN based approach can be used to identify potential anomalies in the data collected in subjective experiments.

     

Application of the QFD as a design approach to ensure comfort in using hand tools: Can the design team complete the House of Quality appropriately?

Quality Function Deployment is proposed as an effective design method to integrate ergonomics needs and comfort into hand tool design because it explicitly addresses the translation of customer needs into engineering characteristics. A crucial step during QFD concerns the linking of engineering characteristics to customer needs in the House of Quality by the design team. It is generally assumed (looking at all the QFD success stories) that design teams can accurately predict the correlations between customer needs and engineering characteristics (also referred to as “Whats”/“Hows” correlations). This paper explicitly tests this assumption by comparing the “Whats”/“Hows” correlations estimated by a design team with those observed in a systematic user evaluation study, which has not been done before. Testing the assumption is important, because inaccurate estimates may lead to ergonomically ineffective (re)design of hand tools and a waste of company resources. Results revealed that the design team's correlation estimates were not as accurate as is generally assumed. Twenty-five percent of the estimates differed significantly with those observed in the user evaluation study. Thus, QFD is a useful method to assist design teams in designing ergonomically more comfortable hand tools, but only on the condition that the correlations between customer needs and engineering characteristics are validated, preferably by means of a systematic user evaluation study.     

Dynamic testing: Can a robot as tutor be of help in assessing children's potential for learning?

This study examined whether computerized dynamic testing by utilizing a robot would lead to different patterns in children's (aged 6–9 years) potential for learning and strategy use when solving series‐completion tasks. The robot, in a “Wizard of Oz” setting, provided instructions and prompts during dynamic testing. It was found that a dynamic training resulted in greater accuracy and more correctly placed pieces at the post‐test than repeated testing only. Moreover, children who were dynamically trained appeared to use more heuristic strategies at the post‐test than their peers who were not trained. In general, observations showed that children were excited to work with the robot. All in all, the study revealed that computerized dynamic testing by means of a robot has much potential in tapping into children's potential for learning and strategy use. The implications of using a robot in educational assessment were stressed further in the discussion.     

Can the use of cognitive and metacognitive self-regulated learning strategies be predicted by learners’ levels of prior knowledge in hypermedia-learning environments?

Research on self-regulated learning (SRL) in hypermedia-learning environments is a growing area of interest, and prior knowledge can influence how students interact with these systems. One hundred twelve (N = 112) undergraduate students’ interactions with MetaTutor, a multi-agent, hypermedia-based learning environment, were investigated, including how prior knowledge affected their use of SRL strategies. We expected that students with high prior knowledge would engage in significantly more cognitive and metacognitive SRL strategies, engage in different sequences of SRL strategies, spend more time engaging in SRL processes, and visit more pages that were relevant to their sub-goals than students with low prior knowledge. Results showed significant differences in the total use of SRL strategies between prior knowledge groups, and more specifically, revealed significant differences in the use of each metacognitive strategy (e.g., judgment of learning), but not each cognitive strategy (e.g., taking notes) between prior knowledge groups. Results also revealed different sequences of use of SRL strategies between prior knowledge groups, and that students spent different amounts of time engaging in SRL processes; however, all students visited similar numbers of relevant pages. These results have important implications on designing multi-agent, hypermedia environments; we can design pedagogical agents that adapt to students’ learning needs, based on their prior knowledge levels.     

Exploring the positive side of personal internet use at work: Does it help in managing the border between work and nonwork?

Many employees use the internet at work for personal reasons, and it has been suggested that this behavior can be understood as an attempt to manage the border between work and nonwork. Using data from 190 office workers, the study aims to test how well work/family border theory can explain personal internet use. The results only partly support work/family border theory, as only the amount of private demands and identification with work at work were significant predictors of personal internet use (which was found to be unrelated to work–nonwork balance). These findings suggest that work/family border theory offers only a limited perspective for the explanation of why people use the internet at work for personal business.     

Can differences in learning strategies explain the benefits of learning from static and dynamic visualizations?

The effects of dynamic and static visualizations in understanding physical principles of fish locomotion were investigated. Seventy-five students were assigned to one of three conditions: a text-only, a text with dynamic visualizations, or a text with static visualizations condition. During learning, subjects were asked to think aloud. Learning outcomes were measured by tests assessing verbal factual knowledge, pictorial recall as well as transfer. Learners in the two visualization conditions outperformed those in the text-only condition for transfer and pictorial recall tasks, but not for verbal factual knowledge tasks. Analyses of the think-aloud protocols revealed that learners had generated more inferences in the visualization conditions as opposed to the text-only condition. These results were mirrored by students’ self-reported processing demands. No differences were observable between the dynamic and the static condition concerning any of the learning outcome measures. However, think-aloud protocols revealed an illusion of understanding when learning with dynamic as opposed to static visualizations. Furthermore, learners with static visualizations tended to play the visualizations more often. The results stress the importance of not only using outcome-oriented, but also process-oriented approaches to gain deeper insight into learning strategies when dealing with various instructional materials.     

Unlocking the shopping myth: Can smartphone dependency relieve shopping anxiety? – A mixed-methods approach in UK Omnichannel retail

Digital technologies have enriched various consumer shopping patterns across multiple contexts and channels. Smartphones, as the most daily dependent device, have altered and assisted individual shopping decisions in omnichannel retailing. Drawing on the uses and gratifications theory, this research investigates emerging smartphone uses and consumers’ corresponding gratifications in shopping centers. Following a sequential mixed-methods approach, we first conducted semi-structured interviews with forty-three shoppers followed by a targeted survey in the similar fields. The findings allowed us to group nine specific smartphone uses into utilitarian, hedonic and social gratifications; moreover, both utilitarian and hedonic gratifications reduce state anxiety whereas social gratifications do not impact perceived anxiety. Consequently, a reduced level of state anxiety from achieved gratifications will significantly enhance consumer's purchase intentions. We offer insightful theoretical contributions and implications to marketing practitioners.     

Video game playing in the general adult population of Germany: Can higher gaming time of males be explained by gender specific genre preferences?

BackgroundPrior studies observed involvement with video games to vary between different sociodemographic strata with considerable higher gaming time in males compared to females. However, empirical evidence explaining the gender gap in gaming time is still scarce. The present study aims to evaluate if the higher gaming time can be attributed to gender specific game genre preferences.MethodsA nationwide representative survey comprising 3073 participants aged 16–93 years (M = 49.1; SD = 18.2) was conducted. Video game use and genre preferences were assessed via a written questionnaire. OLS regression and subsequent mediation analyses were used to determine significant predictors of gaming time and to evaluate the contribution of genre preferences.ResultsHigher age, high education and employment predicted lower gaming time whereas male gender and the preference of certain game genres predicted higher gaming time. Mediation analyses revealed that the higher gaming time of males is fully mediated by the higher preference of role-playing and shooter games among this gender group.ConclusionThe higher gaming time of men is fully accounted for by the male specific preference for certain game genres. Future research should address the functional connection between genre preferences and gaming behavior in further detail.     

On the controllability of the parameterized state matrix in “a continuation approach to eigenvalue assignment” by Harris,DeCarlo and Richter

This paper will investigate the controllability properties for systems parameterized as in Harns et al. (1983, Automatica, 19, 551–555). It will be shown that for systems of low dimensions this parameterization must be done carefully to guarantee that the system is controllable over the parameterization. The controllability property is key to the algorithms developed in Lefebvre et al. (1985, Int. J. Control, 41, 1273–1292), Richter and DeCarlo (1984, IEEE Trans. Aut. Control, AC-29), Harris et al. (1983, Automatica, 19, 551–555), Richter et al. (1981, Proc. 1981 Joint Aut. Control Conf.), Harris and DeCarlo (1982, Purdue School of EE, TR-EE 82-11) and Sebok and DeCarlo (1984, Proc. Allerton Conf. Communication, Control and Computing).     

Identification of the transition state for fast reactions: The trapping of hydroxyl and methyl radicals by DMPO—A DFT approach

Up to date, attempts to locate the transition state (TS) for the trapping reaction between OH and DMPO have been unsuccessful, and the lack of molecular mechanisms by which OH binds to the spin-trap constitutes a question still unsolved. Herein, we have taken a step forward on this task by describing the theoretical TS for the trapping of OH and CH₃ by DMPO and the intrinsic reaction coordinates. This work aims to provide new understandings on the molecular orbital (MO) interactions that rule these reaction paths. Besides we assessed the degree of involvement of weak interactions and the charge transfer (CT) phenomenon involved in such interactions. Regarding the trapping of OH, the beginning of the reaction would be ruled by weak interactions to then give way to stronger MO interactions conducive to the formation of the TS. For CH₃, the reaction is, instead, early ruled by significant MO interactions, and a relatively small contribution in the weak interactions range. At the TS, both reactions share the formation of an antibonding orbital responsible for hosting the unpaired electron, and two bonding orbitals between the radical and the spin-trap. Additionally, the charge is transferred primarily from DMPO to OH through β orbitals, while for CH₃, the CT occurs in both directions, so that while DMPO behaves like an α-acceptor/β-donor, CH₃ acts as a β-acceptor/α-donor. Finally, we provide evidence showing that the resultant theoretical models are in agreement with the hyperfine coupling constants as obtained from biological-ESR spin trapping experiments.     

Empirical Software Engineering Models: Can They Become the Equivalent of Physical Laws in Traditional Engineering?

Traditional engineering disciplines such as mechanical and electrical engineering are guided by physical laws. They provide the constraints for acceptable engineering solutions by enforcing regularity and thereby limiting complexity. Violations of physical laws can be experienced instantly in the lab. Software engineering is not constrained by physical laws. Consequently, we often create software artifacts which are too complex to be understood,tested or maintained. As too complex software solutions may even work initially, we are tempted to believe that no laws apply. We only learn about the violation of some form of "cognitive laws" late during development or during maintenance, when too high complexity inflicts follow-up defects or increases maintenance costs. Initial work by Barry Boehm (e.g., CoCoMo) aimed at predicting and controlling software project costs based on estimated software size. Through innovative life cycle process models (e.g., Spiral model) Barry Boehm also provided the basis for incremental risk evaluation and adjustment of such predictions. The proposal in this paper is to work towards a scientific basis for software engineering by capturing more such time-lagging dependencies among software artifacts in the form of empirical models and thereby making developers aware of so-called "cognitive laws" that must be adhered to. This paper attempts to answer the questions why we need software engineering laws and how they could look like, how we have to organize our discipline in order to build up software engineering laws, what such laws already exist and how we could develop further laws, how such laws could contribute to the maturing of science and engineering of software in the future, and what the remaining challenges are for teaching, research, and practice in the future.     

Observing Inequality: Can Ergonomic Observations Help Interventions Transform the Role of Gender in Work Activity?

Computer Supported Cooperative Work (CSCW) - Work activity ergonomics (sometimes called francophone ergonomics) draws heavily on observation in order to support transformation of work to arrive at...     

Dynamics of Change in the Aftermath of the 2001 UK Foot and Mouth Crisis: Were Lessons Learned?

This article investigates the UK animal health sector in the aftermath of the 2001 foot and mouth crisis. The article draws together perspectives from crisis management, policy and institutional change literatures in order to assess the extent of reforms since the epidemic. Interviews with government officials and parliamentarians and the analyses of official documentation indicate that lessons have been learned and there are successes in many areas; yet, there remains key aspects of crisis management that have yet to change, which leave the government vulnerable in the event of more wide‐scale foot and mouth outbreaks. The results of the study serve to suggest that post‐crisis change research should consider making more explicit links with the institutional literature on change dynamics.     

Correction to: Can search result summaries enhance the web search efficiency and experiences of the visually impaired users?

There are limited studies that are addressing the challenges of visually impaired (VI) users when viewing search results on a search engine interface by using a screen reader. This study investigates the effect of providing an overview of search results to VI users. We present a novel interactive search engine interface called InteractSE to support VI users during the results exploration stage in order to improve their interactive experience and web search efficiency. An overview of the search results is generated using an unsupervised machine learning approach to present the discovered concepts via a formal concept analysis that is domain-independent. These concepts are arranged in a multi-level tree following a hierarchical order and covering all retrieved documents that share maximal features. The InteractSE interface was evaluated by 16 legally blind users and compared with the Google search engine interface for complex search tasks. The evaluation results were obtained based on both quantitative (as task completion time) and qualitative (as participants’ feedback) measures. These results are promising and indicate that InteractSE enhances the search efficiency and consequently advances user experience. Our observations and analysis of the user interactions and feedback yielded design suggestions to support VI users when exploring and interacting with search results.

     

Insights into the structure–function relationship of disease resistance protein HCTR in maize (Zea mays L.): A computational structural biology approach

The disease resistance gene Hm1 of maize encodes a NADPH-dependent reductase enzyme, HC-toxin reductase (HCTR) that detoxifies the HC toxin secreted by the race specific fungus Cochliobolus carbonum race 1. HCTR enzyme shares 29.6% sequence identity with dihydroflavonol reductase (DFR) of grape, a key enzyme involved in flavonoid biosynthesis. Here we report the comparative modelling, molecular dynamics simulation and docking studies to explain the structure–function relationship and the mode of cofactor (NADPH) binding in HCTR enzyme at the molecular level. The nucleotide binding domain of modelled HCTR adopts a classic Rossmann fold and possesses a consensus glycine rich GxGxxG motif. Molecular simulation studies suggested that HCTR model retained stability throughout the simulation in aqueous solution. HCTR model showed considerable structural identities with the cofactor binding site of DFR, but significant difference in the catalytic site might be the reason of functional divergence between these families of proteins. Similarly electrostatic surface potential analysis of both HCTR and DFR revealed profound variations in the charge distribution over the substrate binding site, which can be correlated with the sequence variability and may suggest distinct substrate-binding patterns and differences in the catalytic mechanism. Docking results indicated Phe19, Gly21, Arg40, Thr90, Gly208, Arg218, Glu221 and Thr222 are important residues for cofactor (NADPH) binding through strong hydrogen bonding and electrostatic interactions. Alanine scanning and analysis of docking energies of mutant proteins suggested that Phe19, and Arg40 are two critical residues for the cofactor binding. The result from the present study is expected to pave the way for exploration of similar genes in other economically important crop varieties.     

Nonlinear Advection–Diffusion–Reaction Phenomena Involved in the Evolution and Pumping of Oil in Open Sea: Modeling,Numerical Simulation and Validation Considering the Prestige and Oleg Naydenov Oil Spill Cases

The main goal of this article is to improve upon a previous model used to simulate the evolution of oil spots in the open sea and the effect of a skimmer ship pumping oil out from the spots. The concentration of the pollutant is subject to the effects of wind and sea currents, diffusion, and the pumping action of a skimmer (i.e., cleaning) ship that follows a pre-assigned trajectory. This implies that the mathematical model is of the advection–diffusion–reaction type. A drawback of our previous model was that diffusion was propagating with infinite velocity; in this article, we use an improved model relying on a nonlinear diffusion term, implying that diffusion propagates with finite velocity. To reduce numerical diffusion when approximating the advection part of the model, we consider second order discretization schemes with nonlinear flux limiters. We consider also absorbing boundary conditions to insure accurate results near the boundary. To reduce CPU time we use an operator-splitting scheme for the time discretization. Finally, we also introduce the modeling of coastlines and dynamic sources of pollutant. The novel approach we advocate in this article is validated by comparing our numerical results with real life measurements from the Oleg Naydenov and the Prestige oil spills, which took place in Spain in 2015 and 2002, respectively.     

Explaining the split-attention effect: Is the reduction of extraneous cognitive load accompanied by an increase in germane cognitive load?

The phenomenon that the physical integration of verbal and pictorial information sources, compared to their physical separation, enhances learning is known as the split-attention effect. This paper investigates how the split-attention effect can be best explained against the background of cognitive load theory. In an experimental study, students learned about physiological processes with either an integrated or a split-source format. Secondary task performance was used to measure overall cognitive load, whereas subjective ratings were used to measure intrinsic, extraneous and germane load individually. Learners with split-source format achieved lower learning outcomes, but did not show worse secondary task performance than learners with integrated format. These results contradict the assumption that only an increase in extraneous load for learners with a split-source format mediates the split-attention effect. Mediation analyses of the subjective load ratings revealed that both, extraneous and germane load contributed to the split-attention effect. These results support the assumption that germane load also plays a crucial role in mediating the split-attention effect.