435,327 research outputs found

    An exploratory study of user-centered indexing of published biomedical images

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    User-centered image indexing—often reported in research on collaborative tagging, social classification, folksonomy, or personal tagging—has received a considerable amount of attention [1-7]. The general themes in more recent studies on this topic include user-centered tagging behavior by types of images, pros and cons of user-created tags as compared to controlled index terms; assessment of the value added by user-generated tags, and comparison of automatic indexing versus human indexing in the context of web digital image collections such as Flickr. For instance, Golbeck\u27s finding restates the importance of indexer experience, order, and type of images [8]. Rorissa has found a significant difference in the number of terms assigned when using Flickr tags or index terms on the same image collection, which might suggest a difference in level of indexing by professional indexers and Flickr taggers [9]. Studies focusing on users and their tagging experiences and user-generated tags suggest ideas to be implemented as part of a personalized, customizable tagging system. Additionally, Stvilia and her colleagues have found that tagger age and image familiarity are negatively related, while indexing and tagging experience were positively associated [10]. A major question for biomedical image indexing is whether the results of the aforementioned studies, all of which dealt with general image collections, are applicable to images in the medical domain. In spite of the importance of visual material in medical education and the prevalence of digitized images in formal medical practice and education, medical students have few opportunities to annotate biomedical images. End-user training could improve the quality of image indexing and so improve retrieval. In a pilot assessment of image indexing and retrieval quality by medical students, this study compared concept completion and retrieval effectiveness of indexing terms generated by medical students on thirty-nine histology images selected from the PubMed Central (PMC) database. Indexing instruction was only given to an intervention group to test its impact on the quality of end-user image indexing

    Evidence of disease severity, cognitive and physical outcomes of dance interventions for persons with Parkinson's disease : a systematic review and meta-analysis

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    Background: Patients with Parkinson’s Disease (PD) usually experience worsening of both motor and non-motor symptoms. Dancing has been postulated to help patients with Parkinson’s via several mechanisms that lead to improved physical, cognitive and social functions. Methods: This systematic review was conducted following Cochrane methodology and reported following the PRISMA guideline. Four databases (up to June 2021) were searched for RCTs comparing dance to standard or other physical therapy for improvements in disease severity, quality of life, cognitive and physical outcomes as well as adverse events in patients with PD. We synthesised data using RevMan and included certainty-of-evidence rating (GRADE) for major outcomes. Results: A total of 20 RCTs (N = 723) articles that evaluated Tango, Ballroom, Irish, Waltz-Foxtrot, Folk, Turo, mixed dances and a PD-tailored dance were included. Dancers (versus non-dancers) had better motor experience (MDS-UPDRS 3) (MD -6.01, 95 % CI -9.97 to -3.84; n = 148; 5 RCTs) and improved balance (MiniBest Test) (MD 4.47, 95 % CI 2.29 to 6.66; n = 95; 3 RCTs), with no consistent differences on gait, agility and cognitive outcomes. Small samples and methodological limitations resulted in low-certainty-evidence across outcomes. Conclusions: Apart from a suggestion that dance intervention modestly reduced motor disease severity and improved certain aspects of balance, there is insufficient evidence on all other outcomes, such as agility and motor function, cognitive, mood and social outcomes, quality of life as well as adverse events including the risk of fall. As evidence is insufficient to inform practice, evidence of benefits on motor disease severity and balance needs to be considered in the context of user-perception of benefit versus harm and acceptability in the development of practice guideline recommendations

    Augmented Reality to Facilitate Learning of the Acoustic Guitar

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    [Abstract] Many people wishing to learn a musical instrument opt to learn using alternative or informal methods instead of the traditional Master–Apprentice model that requires a greater cognitive load. This paper presents an augmented reality (AR)-based application designed to teach and train guitar chords, with the novelty that it is also used to teach short melodies consisting of four chord transitions so that users have to change hand and finger positions. The app uses high-quality 3D models of an acoustic guitar and animated hand to indicate correct finger positions and the movements required when changing from one chord to another. To follow the animated instructions, the learner overlaps the 3D model onto the neck of the physical guitar and his or her own hand. A system usability scale (SUS) questionnaire was used to measure the usability of the application. A score of 82.0 was obtained, which is higher than the average of 68 points that indicates the application is good from a user experience perspective, thus satisfying the purpose for which it was created. Having analysed the data for both groups—individuals with no prior experience of playing a musical instrument versus individuals with prior experience—it was concluded that the application provided a useful learning approach for all participants involved in the study, regardless of experience. That said, those possessing prior experience of playing an instrument learnt faster. It should be noted that the research revealed significant difference in learning by gender, with male participants learning faster than female participants. Similar results have been detected in other research performed in the field of music, as well as in other fields. As this study required spatial reasoning when viewing the 3D model, the differences identified this case may well have arisen as a consequence of differences in men and women’s spatial awareness, thereby leaving open an alternative line of research

    A smartphone agent for QoE evaluation and user classification over mobile networks

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    The continuous growth of mobile users and bandwidth-consuming applications and the shortage of radio resources put a serious challenge on how to efficiently exploit existing networks and contemporary improve Quality of Experience. One of the most relevant problem for network operators is thus to find an explicit relationship between QoS and QoE, for the purpose of maximizing the latter while saving precious resources. In order to accomplish this challenging task, we present TeleAbarth, an innovative Android application entirely developed at TelecomItalia Laboratories, able to contemporary collect network measurements and end-users quality feedback regarding the use of smartphone applications. We deployed TeleAbarth in a field experimentation in order to study the relationship between QoS and QoE for video streaming applications, in terms of downstream bandwidth and video loading time. On the basis of the results obtained, we propose a technique to classify user behavior through his or her reliability, sensibility and fairness

    Is More Information Better? An Economic Analysis of Group-Buying Platforms

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    Group buying as a new form of e-commerce has experienced rapid development over the past few years. Group-buying platforms offer a new channel for local small- to medium-sized companies to promote themselves, and also provide consumers with the opportunity to experience new products and services at deep discounts. In this paper, we examine merchants’ pricing strategies and consumers’ purchasing decisions when diïŹ€erent types of information are available on a group-buying platform. Consumers purchasing deals from group-buying platforms face a high level of quality uncertainty, due to lack of experience with the products and incomplete information about the products and merchants on group-buying platforms. The lack of face-to-face communication between customers and merchants before redeeming the deals also intensiïŹes the uncertainty between the transacting parties. Group-buying platforms seek to alleviate such uncertainty by designing a rich user interface that contains various types of information about the merchants or the deals. We use a game-theoretic model to capture the interactions between merchants and consumers under three cases, contextualized by a simple, moderate, or complex information environment. We show that merchants benefit when the environment moves from a simple to moderate information environment, but further movement from a moderate to a complex information environment leads to a more intriguing eïŹ€ect on merchants’ discount strategies. In particular, very high-quality merchants or very low-quality merchants benefit from larger discounts in the context of complex information versus a moderate information environment; therefore, such merchants are disadvantaged when more than a moderate amount of information is provided. Our analysis shows that providing more information can harm merchants under certain conditions; we oïŹ€er implications for merchants as well as for the group-buying platforms concerning their information strategies

    User Experience Evaluation in BCI: Filling the Gap

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    Brain-computer interface (BCI) systems can improve the user experience (UX) when used in entertainment technologies. Improved UX can enhance user acceptance, improve quality of life and also increase the system performance of a BCI system. Therefore, the evaluation of UX is essential in BCI research. However, BCI systems are generally evaluated according to the system aspect only so there is no methodology to evaluate UX in BCI systems. This paper gives an overview of such methods from the human-computer interaction field and discusses their possible uses in BCI research

    Survey of transfemoral amputee experience and priorities for the user-centered design of powered robotic transfemoral prostheses

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    BACKGROUND: Transfemoral amputees experience a complex host of physical, psychological, and social challenges, compounded by the functional limitations of current transfemoral prostheses. However, the specific relationships between human factors and prosthesis design and performance characteristics have not yet been adequately investigated. The present study aims to address this knowledge gap. METHODS: A comprehensive single-cohort survey of 114 unilateral transfemoral amputees addressed a broad range of demographic and clinical characteristics, functional autonomy, satisfaction and attitudes towards their current prostheses, and design priorities for an ideal transfemoral prosthesis, including the possibility of active assistance from a robotic knee unit. The survey was custom-developed based on several standard questionnaires used to assess motor abilities and autonomy in activities of daily living, prosthesis satisfaction, and quality of life in lower-limb amputees. Survey data were analyzed to compare the experience (including autonomy and satisfaction) and design priorities of users of transfemoral prostheses with versus without microprocessor-controlled knee units (MPKs and NMPKs, respectively), with a subsequent analyses of cross-category correlation, principal component analysis (PCA), cost-sensitivity segmentation, and unsupervised K-means clustering applied within the most cost-sensitive participants, to identify functional groupings of users with respect to their design priorities. RESULTS: The cohort featured predominantly younger (< 50 years) traumatic male amputees with respect to the general transfemoral amputee population, with pronounced differences in age distribution and amputation etiology (traumatic vs. non-traumatic) between MPK and NMPK groups. These differences were further reflected in user experience, with MPK users reporting significantly greater overall functional autonomy, satisfaction, and sense of prosthesis ownership than those with NMPKs, in conjunction with a decreased incidence of instability and falls. Across all participants, the leading functional priorities for an ideal transfemoral prosthesis were overall stability, adaptability to variable walking velocity, and lifestyle-related functionality, while the highest-prioritized general characteristics were reliability, comfort, and weight, with highly variable prioritization of cost according to reimbursement status. PCA and user clustering analyses revealed the possibility for functionally relevant groupings of prosthesis features and users, based on their differential prioritization of these features—with implications towards prosthesis design tradeoffs. CONCLUSIONS: This study’s findings support the understanding that when appropriately prescribed according to patient characteristics and needs in the context of a proactive rehabilitation program, advanced transfemoral prostheses promote patient mobility, autonomy, and overall health. Survey data indicate overall stability, modularity, and versatility as key design priorities for the continued development of transfemoral prosthesis technology. Finally, observed associations between prosthesis type, user experience, and attitudes concerning prosthesis ownership suggest both that prosthesis characteristics influence device acceptance and functional outcomes, and that psychosocial factors should be specifically and proactively addressed during the rehabilitation process. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12984-021-00944-x
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