2,127 research outputs found

    Modeling and Characterization of Acute Stress under Dynamic Task Conditions

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    Stress can be defined as the mental, physical, and emotional response of humans to stressors encountered in their personal or professional environment. Stressors are introduced in various activities, especially those found in dynamic task conditions when multiple task requirements must be performed. Stress and stressors have been described as activators and inhibitors of human performance. The ability to manage high levels of acute stress is an important determinant of successful performance in any occupation. In situations where performance is critical, personnel must be prepared to operate successfully under hostile or extreme stress conditions; therefore training programs and engineered systems must be tailored to assist humans in fulfilling these demands. To effectively design appropriate training programs for these conditions, it is necessary to quantitatively describe stress. A series of theoretical stress models have been developed in previous research studies; however, these do not provide quantification of stress levels nor the impact on human performance. By modeling acute stress under dynamic task conditions, quantitative values for stress and its impact on performance can be assessed. Thus, this research was designed to develop a predictive model for acute stress as a function of human performance and task demand. Initially, a four factor two level experimental design (2 (Noise) x 2 (Temperature) x 2 (Time Awareness) x 2 (Workload)) was performed to identify reliable physiological, cognitive and behavioral responses to stress. Next, multivariate analysis of variance (n=108) tests were performed, which showed statistically significant differences for physiological, cognitive and behavioral responses. Finally, fuzzy set theory techniques were used to develop a comprehensive stress index model. Thus, the resulting stress index model was constructed using input on physiological, cognitive and behavioral responses to stressors as well as characteristics inherent to the type of task performed and personal factors that interact as mediators (competitiveness, motivation, coping technique and proneness to boredom). Through using this stress index model to quantify and characterize the affects of acute stress on human performance, these research findings can inform proper training protocols and help to redesign tasks and working conditions that are prone to create levels of acute stress that adversely affect human performance

    Quantifying usability of domain-specific languages: An empirical study on software maintenance

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    A domain-specific language (DSL) aims to support software development by offering abstractions to a particular domain. It is expected that DSLs improve the maintainability of artifacts otherwise produced with general-purpose languages. However, the maintainability of the DSL artifacts and, hence, their adoption in mainstream development, is largely dependent on the usability of the language itself. Unfortunately, it is often hard to identify their usability strengths and weaknesses early, as there is no guidance on how to objectively reveal them. Usability is a multi-faceted quality characteristic, which is challenging to quantify beforehand by DSL stakeholders. There is even less support on how to quantitatively evaluate the usability of DSLs used in maintenance tasks. In this context, this paper reports a study to compare the usability of textual DSLs under the perspective of software maintenance. A usability measurement framework was developed based on the cognitive dimensions of notations. The framework was evaluated both qualitatively and quantitatively using two DSLs in the context of two evolving object-oriented systems. The results suggested that the proposed metrics were useful: (1) to early identify DSL usability limitations, (2) to reveal specific DSL features favoring maintenance tasks, and (3) to successfully analyze eight critical DSL usability dimensions.This work was funded by B. Cafeo CAPES PhD Scholarship, and CNPq scholarship grant number 141688/2013-0; A. Garcia FAPERJ - distinguished scientist grant (number E-26/102.211/2009), CNPq - productivity grants (number 305526/2009-0 and 308490/2012-6), Universal project grants (number 483882/2009-7 and 485348/2011-0), and PUC-Rio (productivity grant).info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

    A Review of Metrics and Modeling Techniques in Software Fault Prediction Model Development

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    This paper surveys different software fault predictions progressed through different data analytic techniques reported in the software engineering literature. This study split in three broad areas; (a) The description of software metrics suites reported and validated in the literature. (b) A brief outline of previous research published in the development of software fault prediction model based on various analytic techniques. This utilizes the taxonomy of analytic techniques while summarizing published research. (c) A review of the advantages of using the combination of metrics. Though, this area is comparatively new and needs more research efforts

    Effects of Sales Promotions on Consumer Preferences and Brand Equity Perception: with specific reference to FMCG Products

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    The Indian FMCG sector is the fourth largest sector in the economy with a total market size in excess of US$ 20.1 billion. It has a strong MNC presence and is characterized by a well-established distribution network, intense competition between the organized and unorganized segments and low operational cost. Availability of key raw materials, cheaper labour costs and presence across the entire value chain gives India a competitive advantage. Also, increase in the urban population, along with increase in income levels and the availability of new categories, would help the urban areas maintain their position in terms of consumption. At present, urban India accounts for 66% of total FMCG consumption, with rural India accounting for the remaining 34%. However, rural India accounts for more than 40% consumption in major FMCG categories such as personal care, fabric care, and hot beverages. newline Family income is one of the variables which should be considered while designing sales promotion schemes more specifically cash discount. There is significant difference between consumer preference of cash discount and free gift as sales promotion schemes. It is also very clear that consumers prefer cash discount as a sales promotion schemes compare to free gift as a sales promotion scheme. It is found that Consumer deal proneness differs according to marital status. Furthermore, it is also proved that married are more deal prone compare to Unmarried. Added to it Brand Equity perception differs according to employment categories. It is concluded that male prefers the newspaper and point of purchase material as a source to know sales promotion schemes over female. newline Overall, Sales promotion scheme on international brand, awareness spread out by word of mouth, Scheme is value added type with immediate benefit is preferred by the customer

    Statistical Science and Philosophy of Science: Whrer Do / Should They Meet in 2011 (and Beyond)?

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    philosophy of science, philosophy of statistics, decision theory, likelihood, subjective probability, Bayesianism, Bayes theorem, Fisher, Neyman and Pearson, Jeffreys, induction, frequentism, reliability, informativeness

    ePsychology: Designing Theory-Based Health Promotion Interventions

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    Persuasive technologies pervade much of our everyday lives today in areas from marketing to public health. In the latter case, persuasive technology represents a promising area of application. However, we know much too little about how to design effective interventions to support sustained behaviour change and improved well-being. The purpose of the present paper was to contribute in two ways. First, we want to contribute to current practice in designing such interventions. Second, we try to identify key research questions that could be a point of departure for a more detailed and comprehensive future research program. We do this by means of expressing 28 propositions. In sum, the propositions reflect that the construction of digital interventions should be seen as an iterative process which should take into account both content and design factors. However, we argue that intervention research and practical design experience is not just something that follows basic research at a polite distance, but rather is its inherent complement

    Sources of Data for Victimology

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    Prevention of Industrial Accidents and Childhood Injuries: A Meta-Analysis

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    Everybody to Count for One? Inclusion and Exclusion in Welfare-Consequentialist Public Policy

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    Which individuals should count in a welfare-consequentialist analysis of public policy? Some answers to this question are parochial, and others are more inclusive. The most inclusive possible answer is \u27everybody to count for one.\u27 In other words, all individuals who are capable of having welfare - including foreigners, the unborn, and non-human animals - should be weighed equally. This article argues that \u27who should count\u27 is a question that requires a two-level answer. On the first level, a specification of welfare-consequentialism serves as an ethical ideal, a claim about the attributes that the ideal policy would have. \u27Everybody to count for one\u27 might succeed on this level. However, on the second level is the welfare-consequentialist analysis procedure used by human analysts to give advice on real policy questions. For epistemic reasons, the analysis procedure should be more parochial than \u27everybody to count for one\u27
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