Development and evaluation of an ergonomic software package for predicting multiple-task human performance and mental workload in human–machine interface design and evaluation

Predicting human performance and mental workload in multiple task situations at an early stage of system design can save a significant amount of time and cost. However, existing modeling tools either can only predict human performance or require users of tools to learn a new programming language. Queueing Network-Model Human Processor (QN-MHP) is a new cognitive architecture for modeling both human performance and mental workload in multiple tasks. This paper describes the development of a Visual Basic Application in Excel (VBA) software package and an illustrative case study to evaluate its effectiveness. The software package has an easy-to-use user interface for QN-MHP that assists users of the modeling tool to simulate a dual task including definition of the tasks and interfaces by clicking buttons to select options and filling texts in a table, with no need to learn a simulation language. It allows the model user to intuitively observe the information processing state of the model during simulation, and conveniently compare the simulated human performance and mental workload for different designs. The illustrative case study showed that naïve users without prior simulation language programming experience can model human performance and mental workload in a complex multitask situation within 3 min; and this software package can save 71% of modeling time and reduce 30% of modeling errors. Further developments of the VBA software package of QN-MHP are also discussed on how to make it a comprehensive proactive ergonomic design and analysis tool.     

Self-report measures for the assessment of human–machine interfaces in automated driving

Cognition, Technology & Work - For a successful market introduction of Level 3 Automated Driving Systems (L3 ADS), a careful evaluation of human–machine interfaces (HMIs) is necessary....     

How to make the most of your human: design considerations for human–machine interactions

Cognition, Technology & Work - Reconsidering the function allocation between automation and the pilot in the flight deck is the next step in improving aviation safety. The current allocation,...     

A mixed integer programming (MIP) model for evaluating navigation and task planning of human–robot interactions (HRI)

Intelligent Service Robotics - Exercise of robotics in many applications brings in concerns of human–robot interaction. This paper offers a mathematical model-based mission planning tool for...     

Agent–cellular automata model for the dynamic fluctuation of EV traffic and charging demands based on machine learning algorithm

Neural Computing and Applications - Electric vehicles (EV) comprise one of the foremost components of the smart grid and tightly link the power system with the road network. Spatial and temporal...     

Joining the blunt and the pointy end of the spear: towards a common framework of joint action,human–machine cooperation,cooperative guidance and control,shared, traded and supervisory control

To introduce this special issue of shared and cooperative control, we will look into history of tools in cooperation between humans and aim to unify the plethora of related concepts and definitions that have been proposed in recent years, such as shared control, human–machine cooperation and cooperative guidance and control. Concretely, we provide definitions to relate these concepts and sketch a unifying framework of shared and cooperative control that sees the different concepts as different perspectives or foci on a common design space of shared intentionality, control and cooperation between humans and machines. One working hypothesis which the article explores is that shared control can be understood as cooperation at the control layer, while human–machine cooperation can include shared control, but can also extend towards cooperation at higher layers, e.g., of guidance and navigation, of maneuvers and goals. The relationship between shared control and human–machine cooperation is compared to the relationship between the sharp, pointy tip and the (blunt) shaft of a spear. Shared control is where cooperation comes sharply into effect at the control layer, but to be truly effective it should be supported by cooperation on all layers beyond the operational layer, e.g., on the tactical and strategic layer. A fourth layer addresses the meta-communication about the cooperation and supports the other three layers in a traversal way.

     

Investigating the influence of the most commonly used external variables of TAM on students’ Perceived Ease of Use (PEOU) and Perceived Usefulness (PU) of e-portfolios

Engagement with e-portfolios has been shown to improve students’ learning. However, what influences students to accept e-portfolios is a question that needs careful study. The purpose of this study is to investigate the influence of Self-Efficacy, Subjective Norm, Enjoyment, Computer Anxiety and Experience on students’ Perceived Ease of Use (PEOU) and Perceived Usefulness (PU) of an e-portfolio system and their Behavioural Intention (BI) to use the system for learning. To do this, the study tested and used the General Extended Technology Acceptance Model for E-Learning (GETAMEL) in the context of e-portfolios. Valid data were collected from 242 UK undergraduate students who had been introduced to e-portfolios. The data set was analysed using SPSS software. Results showed that the best predictor of student’s Perceived Ease of Use of the e-portfolio is Experience, followed by Enjoyment, Self-Efficacy and Subjective Norm. The best predictor of student’s Perceived Usefulness of the e-portfolio is Perceived Ease of Use followed by Enjoyment. Both Perceived Ease of Use and Perceived Usefulness predict student’s Behavioural Intention to Use the e-portfolio. The findings improve understanding regarding acceptance of e-portfolio systems and this work is therefore of particular interest to researchers, developers and practitioners of e-portfolios.     

Farmers’ perceptions of exoskeleton use on farms: Finding the right tool for the work(er)

Despite the promising impact that exoskeletons might have on reducing MSDs, on-farm investigations of exoskeletons are limited. This study explored farmers' perceptions of the feasibility and practicality of exoskeleton use in Canadian prairie grain and livestock farm operations. Fifteen farm workers (age 25–70 years) used a passive back-supporting exoskeleton during standardized and unique tasks at their own farms. They then participated in semi-structured interviews regarding their experiences during the trials, advantages and disadvantages of exoskeleton use, suggested improvements, and speculation about feasibility of exoskeleton use on farms. Interview analysis revealed seven overlapping and inter-related themes: ‘safety’, ‘comfort’, ‘jobs & timing’, ‘health’, ‘mobility’, ‘ease of use’, and ‘productivity’. Interviews showed diversity in farmers' perceptions of exoskeleton performance within these themes, demonstrating that successful implementation on farms will require alignment between the exoskeleton design, the users, and the tasks being performed. Findings can facilitate development of future designs as well as appropriate implementation strategies for the farm environment, with the ultimate goal of improving the health, quality of life, and productivity of farmers and workers facing similar ergonomic hazards.     

Can proactively induced organisational citizenship behaviour (OCB) foster positive work attitudes? Theorising the mediating role of ‘meaning of work’ for IT professionals

Given the high employee turnover rates among information technology (IT) professionals, firms are on the lookout for ways to retain them. With this end in view, to keep their professionals committed and satisfied, many IT firms are making proactive efforts to induce a favourable organisational environment by encouraging employees towards extra-role organizational citizenship behaviors (OCBs). However, there is scant evidence as to whether orchestrating proactively induced OCB results in positive work attitudes. Our study contributes by theorising the mechanisms through which OCB fosters positive work attitudes among IT professionals, which is expected to lower their turnover rates. Grounding our research in self-perception and self-determination theories, we hypothesize the relationships between IT professionals' OCB and their affective attitudes towards their organisation and job, as being mediated by their cognitive evaluations of the ‘meaning of their IT work’. We test the theorised model with data collected through a large-scale two-wave survey design from a multinational IT-services company. The results offer a nuanced understanding of the relationship between OCB and positive work attitudes for IT professionals, which have significant implications for research and practice.     

Lithological discrimination of the Phenaimata felsic–mafic complex,Gujarat, India,using the Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer (ASTER)

This study deals with an evaluation of the efficacy of an Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer (ASTER) image for lithological mapping. ASTER level-1B data in the visible near-infrared (VNIR), short wave infrared (SWIR) and thermal infrared (TIR) regions have been processed to generate a lithological map of the study area in and around the Phenaimata igneous complex, in mainland Gujarat, India. ASTER band combinations, band ratio images and spectral angle mapper (SAM) processing techniques were evaluated for mapping various lithologies. The reflectance and emissivity spectra of rock samples collected from the study area were obtained in the laboratory and were used as reference spectra for ASTER image analysis. The original data in the scaled digital number (DN) values were converted to radiance and then to relative reflectance by using a scene-derived correction technique prior to SAM classification. The SAM classification in the VNIR–SWIR region is found to be effective in differentiating felsic and mafic lithologies. The relative band depth (RBD) images were generated from the continuum-removed images of ASTER VNIR–SWIR bands. Four RBD combinations (3, 5, 6 and 8) were used to identify Al-OH (aluminium hydroxide), Fe-OH (iron hydroxide), Mg-OH (magnesium hydroxide) and CO₃ (carbonate) absorption from various lithological components. ASTER TIR spectral emittance data and the laboratory emissivity measurements show the presence of a number of discrete Si-O spectral features that can differentiate mafic and felsic rock types reflecting the lithological diversity around the regions of Phenaimata igneous complex. SAM classification using emittance data failed to distinguish the felsic and mafic lithology due to the wider spectral bandwidth. The felsic class comprises the granitoid composition of rocks. RBD12 and 13 images in the TIR region were used to derive the mafic index (MI) and the silica index (SI). The MI shows the highest value in regions of gabbro–basalt occurrence, while the SI indicates regions of high silica content. The MI is lowest in regions where granophyres occur. The complimentary attributes based on the spectral reflectance and emittance data resulted in the discrimination of silica-rich and silica-poor lithologies.     

Application of artificial neural network (ANN)–self-organizing map (SOM) for the categorization of water,soil and sediment quality in petrochemical regions

The utilization of mathematical and computational tools for pollutant assessment frameworks has become increasingly valuable due to the capability to interpret integrated variable measurements. Artificial neural networks (ANNs) are considered as dependable and inexpensive techniques for data interpretation and prediction. The self-organizing map (SOM) is an unsupervised ANN used for data training to classify and effectively recognize patterns embedded in the input data space. Application of SOM–ANN is useful for recognizing spatial patterns in contaminated zones by integrating chemical, physical, ecotoxicological and toxicokinetic variables in the identification of pollution sources and similarities in the quality of the samples. Water (n = 11), soil (n = 38) and sediment (n = 54) samples from four areas in the Niger Delta (Nigeria) were classified based on their chemical, toxicological and physical variables applying the SOM. The results obtained in this study provided valuable assessment using the SOM visualization capabilities and highlighted zones of priority that might require additional investigations and also provide productive pathway for effective decision making and remedial actions.     

Annual anomalies and trends for TOMS reflectivities (1978–2005) in the Southern Hemisphere

Annual anomalies of Lambertian equivalent reflectivity (LER) retrieved from the total ozone mapping spectrometer spanning the period November 1978–November 2005 were studied in the Southern Hemisphere, in a region bounded by 0° S and 60° S, and their trends were estimated. With the exception of few regions where the variable may represent the contribution of both cloudiness and snow, trends in LER anomalies provided an evolution of total cloudiness. On average, the study region experienced a net increase in LER values of 0.78 reflectivity units (RU) decade^?1; if only significant trend values are considered this figure increased to 1.18 RU decade^?1. The region that showed the largest upward trend, up to 4 RU decade^?1, was located over the eastern Pacific, off the coasts of Chile and Peru, where the presence of marine stratocumulus is frequent. Despite the overall positive trend there were regions that yielded a negative one, most notably the tropical latitudes of South America and Africa. The yearly zonal means also showed a positive trend at all latitudes, but significance occurred beyond 20° S only. Correlation maps between LER anomalies and five different circulation indices were also introduced. The indices with the highest and lowest number of significant correlation values were the Madden–Julian oscillation at 70° E and the quasi-biennial Oscillation, respectively.     

Thermodynamic description of the Ag–(Ca,Li, Zn) and Ca–(In,Li) binary systems

Critical evaluations and thermodynamic modeling of the Ag-(Ca, Li, and Zn) and Ca-(In, Li) binary systems are presented. Thermodynamic optimization of the Ag–Li binary system was carried out in the present work at first. Thermodynamic re-optimizations of the Ag–Ca, Ag–Zn, Ca–In and Ca–Li binary systems were carried out in the present work, which presents improvements in comparison with previous works. The Modified Quasichemical Model in the Pair Approximation (MQMPA) was used for the liquid solution; this model is particularly suited for liquid which exhibits a high degree of short-range order. The intermetallic compounds are modeled with the Compound Energy Formalism (CEF), and terminal solid solutions are modeled with Bragg–Williams model (BWM) with sub-regular solution approximation. All available and reliable experimental data are reproduced within experimental error limits. A self-consistent thermodynamic database was constructed for the Ag–(Ca, Li, and Zn) and Ca–(In, Li) binary systems, which as a part of the thermodynamic database of the Mg–X (X: Ag, Ca, In, Li, Na, Sn, Sr, and Zn) multi-component system shall facilitate the development of Mg alloys for practical industrial purposes.     

Some Subsets of Monadic First-Order Logic (MFO) Used for the Specification and Synthesis of Σ-Automata

Two fragments, LP and LF, of first-order logic with bounded quantifiers are considered. These fragments are used for the specification of transducers. The fragment LP allows the characterization of the current behavior of a system on the basis of its past behavior, and LF allows doing this on the basis of its future behavior. Two kinds of semantics are defined for these logics, and properties of automata specified in these logics are investigated.     

“Virtual laboratory environment” (VLE): a software environment oriented agent and object for modeling and simulation of complex systems

Our research relates to multi-agent and oriented object modeling and simulation of the complex systems. Our research interest itself more particularly with system where the spatial and temporal component make a great part of system to model (for example, ecosystems or systems of production). Within the framework of this article, we will be interested in the flexible production systems.The simulation of complex systems requires generally the integration and the coupling of heterogeneous models (multi-agent, mathematical, and so on). This heterogeneity is a consequence of the diversity of the disciplines and abilities of designers. The approach that we develop consists in the development of “virtual laboratories ”. Our platform “virtual laboratory environment” (VLE) enables us to specify, simulate and analyze spatial complex systems. VLE is based on the concepts of reactive agents, objects and spatial and temporal multi-scale systems.     

Yield estimation of winter wheat in the North China Plain using the remote-sensing–photosynthesis–yield estimation for crops (RS–P–YEC) model

The accurate prediction of crop yield is of great help for grain policy making. By assuming a horizontally homogeneous, vertically laminar structure and introducing a multilayer-two-big-leaf model, we develop a radiative-transfer equation for winter-wheat canopy and a model, named the remote-sensing–photosynthesis–yield estimation for crops (RS–P–YEC) model, for winter-wheat yield estimation. The yield is calculated by multiplying the net primary productivity (NPP) by the harvest index (HI). In this study, the yield of winter wheat in the North China Plain in 2006 is estimated using the RS–P–YEC model. The simulated yield is consistent with observations from 17 agro-meteorological stations, and the mean relative error is 4.6%. The results demonstrate that the RS–P–YEC model is a useful tool for winter-wheat yield estimation in the North China Plain with widely available remotely sensed imageries.     

Commentary on “Evaluating the criteria for human resource for science and technology (HRST) based on an integrated fuzzy AHP and fuzzy DEMATEL approach”

Chou et al. (Applied Soft Computing 12 (2012) 64–71) used combination of fuzzy AHP (Analytic Hierarchy Process) and fuzzy DEMATEL (Decision Making Trial and Evaluation Laboratory) in human resource for science and technology (HRST). For applying the fuzzy DEMATEL method there is a need to find the multiplicative inverse of a fuzzy matrix. In this paper, it is pointed out that the method, used by Chou et al. for evaluating the multiplicative inverse of a fuzzy matrix, is not valid. Hence, the method, proposed by Chou et al., is not valid. Furthermore, it is pointed out that this flaw can be resolved by using the existing method (International Journal of Computer Mathematics, 86 (8), (2009) 1433–1452) to find the multiplicative inverse of a fuzzy matrix.     

Assessment and improvement of the Cloud Emission and Scattering Index (CESI) – an algorithm for cirrus detection

This study evaluates and improves the cirrus detection of the middle and low peak Weighting Function (WF) Cloud Emission and Scattering Index (CESI) by using the Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite (VIIRS) cloud mask product. Results show that CESI-3 (peak WF about 890 hPa) accurately detect cirrus with the Probability of detection (POD) value reaching 0.69 during both at day and nighttimes. The CESI-1 (peak WF about 550 hPa) falsely detects cirrus in the Sahara Desert, south of the Saudi Arabia, north of Tibetan Plateau and in Australia during the ascending process. More false alarm rates (FARs) are detected in the northern mid-latitude around 60° N because of the surface type and seasonal effects. Furthermore, the thresholds of middle and low peak WF CESIs for cirrus detection are determined and the performance is satisfactory. In addition, Linear Discriminant Analysis (LDA) is employed to train four combination types (combining CESI-1 and CESI-2, combining CESI-1 and CESI-3, combining CESI-2 and CESI-3, and combining CESI-1, CESI-2, and CESI-3). Accordingly, results elucidate that Comb-1-3 (combining CESI-1 and CESI-3) is appropriate to detect cirrus for the ascending process, increasing the POD by 11.2% as compared to CESI-3. However, Comb-1-2-3 (combining CESI-1, CESI-2 with peak WF around 790 hPa, and CESI-3) is most suitable for cirrus detection in the descending process, increasing the PODs by 8.5%. We also find that the POD of cirrus detection over the land increases relatively higher than over the sea. The most significant improvement of cirrus detection occurs over the land in the summer in the daytime with a 35% POD increase from 0.57 to 0.76.     

Study of the Radio Frequency (RF) performance of a Wafer-Level Package (WLP) with Through Silicon Vias (TSVs) for the integration of RF-MEMS and micromachined waveguides in the context of 5G and Internet of Things (IoT) applications: Part 1—validation of the 3D modelling approach

Microsystem Technologies - Packaging of Radio Frequency MicroElectroMechanical-Systems (RF-MEMS) and other passive components is a delicate issue, especially in the riverbed of upcoming application...