Quality Assessment in Video Surveillance

Space scienc

Stereoscopic Medical Data Video Quality Issues

Stereoscopic medical videos are recorded, e.g., in stereo endoscopy or during video recording medical/dental operations. This paper examines quality issues in the recorded stereoscopic medical videos, as insufficient quality may induce visual fatigue to doctors. No attention has been paid to stereo quality and ensuing fatigue issues in the scientific literature so far. Two of the most commonly encountered quality issues in stereoscopic data, namely stereoscopic window violations and bent windows, were searched for in stereo endoscopic medical videos. Furthermore, an additional stereo quality issue encountered in dental operation videos, namely excessive disparity, was detected and fixed. The conducted experiments prove the existence of such quality issues in stereoscopic medical data and highlight the need for their detection and correction

Quality Measurements on Quantised Meshes

In computer graphics, triangle mesh has emerged as the ubiquitous shape rep- resentation for 3D modelling and visualisation applications. Triangle meshes, often undergo compression by specialised algorithms for the purposes of storage and trans- mission. During the compression processes, the coordinates of the vertices of the triangle meshes are quantised using fixed-point arithmetic. Potentially, that can alter the visual quality of the 3D model. Indeed, if the number of bits per vertex coordinate is too low, the mesh will be deemed by the user as visually too coarse as quantisation artifacts will become perceptible. Therefore, there is the need for the development of quality metrics that will enable us to predict the visual appearance of a triangle mesh at a given level of vertex coordinate quantisation

Eye quietness and quiet eye in expert and novice golf performance: an electrooculographic analysis

Quiet eye (QE) is the final ocular fixation on the target of an action (e.g., the ball in golf putting). Camerabased eye-tracking studies have consistently found longer QE durations in experts than novices; however, mechanisms underlying QE are not known. To offer a new perspective we examined the feasibility of measuring the QE using electrooculography (EOG) and developed an index to assess ocular activity across time: eye quietness (EQ). Ten expert and ten novice golfers putted 60 balls to a 2.4 m distant hole. Horizontal EOG (2ms resolution) was recorded from two electrodes placed on the outer sides of the eyes. QE duration was measured using a EOG voltage threshold and comprised the sum of the pre-movement and post-movement initiation components. EQ was computed as the standard deviation of the EOG in 0.5 s bins from –4 to +2 s, relative to backswing initiation: lower values indicate less movement of the eyes, hence greater quietness. Finally, we measured club-ball address and swing durations. T-tests showed that total QE did not differ between groups (p = .31); however, experts had marginally shorter pre-movement QE (p = .08) and longer post-movement QE (p < .001) than novices. A group × time ANOVA revealed that experts had less EQ before backswing initiation and greater EQ after backswing initiation (p = .002). QE durations were inversely correlated with EQ from –1.5 to 1 s (rs = –.48 - –.90, ps = .03 - .001). Experts had longer swing durations than novices (p = .01) and, importantly, swing durations correlated positively with post-movement QE (r = .52, p = .02) and negatively with EQ from 0.5 to 1s (r = –.63, p = .003). This study demonstrates the feasibility of measuring ocular activity using EOG and validates EQ as an index of ocular activity. Its findings challenge the dominant perspective on QE and provide new evidence that expert-novice differences in ocular activity may reflect differences in the kinematics of how experts and novices execute skills

Health professionals’ perception of distress in cancer patients and family members : measuring accuracy and examining the role of empathic skills

Le cancer est une expérience éprouvante pour les personnes touchées par cette maladie, qui doivent s’adapter à une variété de conséquences psychosociales. La gestion de la détresse psychologique chez les patients et chez leurs proches est un aspect fondamental des soins centrés sur la personne. De récentes avancées en recherche et en standards de pratique permettent un repérage plus précis de la détresse. L’administration systématique de tests de dépistage est devenue pratique courante. Cependant, plusieurs avenues intéressantes demeurent inexploitées. Le but principal de cette thèse était d'examiner les habiletés empathiques, notamment la prise de perspective, en tant que stratégies complémentaires pour améliorer le repérage de la détresse. L’objectif de la première étude était d’examiner la capacité empathique des médecins à repérer la dépression chez les adultes atteints d’un cancer avancé. La recherche existante suggère que les professionnels ont de la difficulté à repérer la détresse de leurs patients avec précision. Nous avons examiné l’accord médecin-patient sur le niveau de dépression des patients, et ce, à l’aide de mesures plus fidèles et plus valides que celles typiquement rapportées dans la littérature. Afin de fournir des renseignements plus détaillés sur la performance des médecins, les analyses ont été réalisées au niveau des symptômes, ainsi qu’au niveau des scores globaux. Des analyses de régression ont servi à examiner la relation entre des variables d’habileté empathique et l’accord médecin-patient. Les résultats suggèrent que les médecins ont de la difficulté à repérer les symptômes dépressifs, particulièrement ceux de nature plus subtile. La capacité auto-rapportée des médecins à faire preuve de compassion, la qualité de leur relation avec le patient et leur sentiment d'auto-efficacité ont prédit un meilleur accord avec les patients sur un ou plusieurs symptôme(s) dépressif(s). L’objectif de la deuxième étude était de comparer deux types de prise de perspective sur la capacité des soignants à repérer la détresse chez des parents d’enfants atteints d’un cancer. Une étude quasi-expérimentale a été conçue en intégrant des idées théoriques et méthodologies du domaine de la psychologie sociale. Divers professionnels en oncologie ont été aléatoirement répartis en deux groupes. Ils ont visionné une vidéo présentant des parents de patients pédiatriques. Les soignants du groupe imagine-self devaient s’imaginer comment ils se sentiraient et comment leur propre vie serait affectée s’ils se trouvaient dans les situations décrites par les parents. Les soignants du groupe imagine-other devaient s’imaginer comment les parents se sentaient et comment leur vie avait été affectée. En comparant les deux groupes, aucune différence significative n’a été obtenue pour l’accord soignant-parent sur les sentiments et les pensées des parents. Les soignants rapportant s’être mieux concentrés sur leurs propres sentiments, conformément à la perspective imagine-self, avaient tendance à obtenir un plus faible niveau d’accord. Le groupe imagine-self a rapporté significativement plus de détresse que le groupe imagine-other. Aucune association n'a été trouvée entre la détresse du soignant et l'accord soignant-parent. Les habiletés empathiques pourraient améliorer le repérage de la détresse en oncologie. Ce domaine de recherche a le potentiel d’influencer la formation des professionnels, la gestion des ressources et possiblement la prévention de l'épuisement professionnel. La réalisation d’études expérimentales sera nécessaire à élaboration de recommandations fondées empiriquement.Dealing with cancer and its treatment is an important life challenge for patients and family members, who must adapt to a variety of psychosocial consequences related to the illness. Managing psychological distress in persons affected by cancer is an important aspect of whole-patient and family-centred care. Recent advances in cancer care research and policy have allowed for more accurate detection of distress. Routine administration of screening tests is now common practice. However, many avenues are left unexploited. The principal aim of the present thesis was to examine empathic skills such as perspective taking as a complementary strategy for improving the detection of distress in adults affected by cancer. The objective of the first study was to examine physicians’ natural empathic ability to detect depression and general distress in adults with advanced cancer. Previous findings suggested that oncology professionals often struggle to accurately detect patient distress. We verified this phenomenon by employing more reliable and valid measures of patient-physician agreement than those most commonly reported in the literature. Analyses of agreement were conducted at both global and symptom levels in an effort to provide more detailed information on physicians’ performance. In addition, regression analyses were performed to examine variables of empathic ability as possible correlates of patient-physician agreement on depressive symptoms. The results suggest that physicians have difficulty detecting depressive symptoms, particularly those that are more subtle in nature. Physicians’ self-reported ability to provide compassionate care, quality of relationship with the patient, and self-efficacy in detecting patient distress, were all associated with higher patient-physician agreement on at least one depressive symptom. The main objective of the second study was to compare two types of perspective taking on clinician ability to detect distress in parents of children with cancer. A quasi-experimental study was designed through the integration of basic theory and methodology from social psychology research. Oncology professionals were randomly assigned to one of two groups, and were then shown a video featuring parents of children with cancer. In the imagine-self group, they were instructed to imagine the feelings and life consequences which they would experience if they were in each parent’s situation. In the imagine-other group, they were instructed to imagine the feelings and life consequences experienced by the parents. No significant group differences were found for parent-clinician agreement on parents’ negative thoughts and feelings. However, clinicians who, in accordance with the imagine-self perspective, reported being more concentrated on their own feelings tended to show lower agreement. Clinicians who were instructed to adopt an imagine-self perspective reported significantly more distress than those instructed to adopt an imagine-other perspective. No association was found between clinician distress and parent-clinician agreement. The findings of this thesis suggest that empathic skills could significantly contribute to accurate detection of distress in persons affected by cancer. This new line of research could have important implications for communication training, management of psychosocial resources, and possibly prevention professional burnout. More experimental research is needed before evidence-based guidelines can be elaborated

The doctoral research abstracts. Vol:10 2016 / Institute of Graduate Studies, UiTM

Foreword: Congratulations to Institute of Graduate Studies on the continuous efforts to publish the 10th issue of the Doctoral Research Abstracts which showcases the research carried out in the various disciplines range from science and technology, business and administration to social science and humanities. This issue captures the novelty of research contributed by seventy (70) PhD graduands receiving their scrolls in the UiTM’s 85th Convocation. As of October 2016, this year UiTM has produced 138 PhD graduates soaring from125 in the previous year (2015). It shows that UiTM is in the positive direction to achive the total of 1200 PhD graduates in 2020. To the 70 doctorates, I would like it to be known that you have most certainly done UiTM proud by journeying through the scholarly world with its endless challenges and obstacles, and by persevering right till the very end. This convocation should not be regarded as the end of your highest scholarly achievement and contribution to the body of knowledge but rather as the beginning of embarking into more innovative research from knowledge gained during this academic journey, for the community and country. This year marks UiTM’s 60th Anniversary and we have been producing many good quality graduates that have a major impact on the socio-economic development of the country and the bumiputeras. As alumni of UiTM, we hold you dear to our hearts. We sincerely wish you all the best and may the Almighty guide you to a path of excellence and success. As you leave the university as alumni we hope a new relationship will be fostered between you and the faculty in soaring UiTM to greater heights. “UiTM Sentiasa di Hati Ku” / Prof Emeritus Dato’ Dr Hassan Said Vice Chancellor Universiti Teknologi MAR

Mobile eye tracking applied as a tool for customer experience research in a crowded train station

Train stations have increasingly become crowded, necessitating stringent requirements in the design of stations and commuter navigation through these stations. In this study, we explored the use of mobile eye tracking in combination with observation and a survey to gain knowledge on customer experience in a crowded train station. We investigated the utilization of mobile eye tracking in ascertaining customers’ perception of the train station environment and analyzed the effect of a signalization prototype (visual pedestrian flow cues), which was intended for regulating pedestrian flow in a crowded underground passage. Gaze behavior, estimated crowd density, and comfort levels (an individual’s comfort level in a certain situation), were measured before and after the implementation of the prototype. The results revealed that the prototype was visible in conditions of low crowd density. However, in conditions of high crowd density, the prototype was less visible, and the path choice was influenced by other commuters. Hence, herd behavior appeared to have a stronger effect than the implemented signalization prototype in conditions of high crowd density. Thus, mobile eye tracking in combination with observation and the survey successfully aided in understanding customers’ perception of the train station environment on a qualitative level and supported the evaluation of the signalization prototype the crowded underground passage. However, the analysis process was laborious, which could be an obstacle for its practical use in gaining customer insights

Human experience in the natural and built environment : implications for research policy and practice

22nd IAPS conference. Edited book of abstracts. 427 pp. University of Strathclyde, Sheffield and West of Scotland Publication. ISBN: 978-0-94-764988-3