Towards continuous and real-time attention monitoring at work: reaction time versus brain response

Continuous and objective measurement of the user attention state still represents a major challenge in the ergonomics research. Recently available wearable electroencephalography (EEG) opens new opportunities for objective and continuous evaluation of operators' attention, which may provide a new paradigm in ergonomics. In this study, wearable EEG was recorded during simulated assembly operation, with the aim to analyse P300 event-related potential component, which provides reliable information on attention processing. In parallel, reaction times (RTs) were recorded and the correlation between these two attention-related modalities was investigated. Negative correlation between P300 amplitudes and RTs has been observed on the group level (p lt .001). However, on the individual level, the obtained correlations were not consistent. As a result, we propose the P300 amplitude for accurate attention monitoring in ergonomics research. On the other hand, no significant correlation between RTs and P300 latency was found on group, neither on individual level. Practitioner Summary: Ergonomic studies of assembly operations mainly investigated physical aspects, while mental states of the assemblers were not sufficiently addressed. Presented study aims at attention tracking, using realistic workplace replica. It is shown that drops in attention could be successfully traced only by direct brainwave observation, using wireless electroencephalographic measurements.This is the peer-reviewed version of the article: Mijović, P.; Ković, V.; De Vos, M.; Macuzić, I.; Todorović, P.; Jeremić, B.; Gligorijević, I. Towards Continuous and Real-Time Attention Monitoring at Work: Reaction Time versus Brain Response. Ergonomics 2017, 60 (2), 241–254. [https://doi.org/10.1080/00140139.2016.1142121

Vasovagal syncope and infection: A new target approach in diagnostic and treatment

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Benefits of Instructed Responding in Manual Assembly Tasks: An ERP Approach

The majority of neuroergonomics studies are focused mainly on investigating the interaction between operators and automated systems. Far less attention has been dedicated to the investigation of brain processes in more traditional workplaces, such as manual assembly, which are still ubiquitous in industry. The present study investigates whether assembly workers' attention can be enhanced if they are instructed with which hand to initiate the assembly operation, as opposed to the case when they can commence the operation with whichever hand they prefer. For this aim, we replicated a specific workplace, where 17 participants in the study simulated a manual assembly operation of the rubber hoses that are used in vehicle hydraulic brake systems, while wearing wireless electroencephalography (EEG). The specific EEG feature of interest for this study was the P300 components' amplitude of the event-related potential (ERP), as it has previously been shown that it is positively related to human attention. The behavioral attention-related modality of reaction times (RTs) was also recorded. Participants were presented with two distinct tasks during the simulated operation, which were counterbalanced across participants. In the first task, digits were used as indicators for the operation initiation (Numbers task), where participants could freely choose with which hand they would commence the action upon seeing the digit. In the second task, participants were presented with arrows, which served as instructed operation initiators (Arrows task), and they were instructed to start each operation with the hand that corresponded to the arrow direction. The results of this study showed that the P300 amplitude was significantly higher in the instructed condition. Interestingly, the RTs did not differ across any task conditions. This, together with the other findings of this study, suggests that attention levels can be increased using instructed responses without compromising work performance or operators' well-being, paving the way for future applications in manual assembly task design

Do Micro-Breaks Increase the Attention Level of an Assembly Worker? An ERP Study

This study investigates the influence of micro-breaks on the attention of an assembly worker, by utilizing wireless electroencephalographic (EEG) measurements. The EEG feature of interest for this study was the P300 event-related potential (ERP) component and P3a and P3b sub-components, as these components reflects the ones attention level. Nine students participated the study and completed the simulated manual assembly task, replicated from one of our industrial partner. We used sustained attention to response task (SART), instead of real industrial information that indicates the beginning of the operation. SART paradigm is "go/no-go" task, and in this version of SART, participants are required to respond to all "go" stimuli, in sense of initiating the action of manual assembly operation, and to withhold the action otherwise. The "no-go" condition was considered as micro-break period, since the participants had approximately five seconds to rest during a continuous simulated working routine. Fifty ERPs preceding and following the "no-go" condition were compared. The results revealed that, on the group level, the values of the amplitude of the P3b sub-component, which is related to the higher-level attention processing, were significantly higher for the ERPs following than preceding the micro-break period. This finding indicates that the frequent micro-breaks increase the attention of the manual assembly workers

Beneficial Effects of Polyphenol-Rich Chokeberry Juice Consumption on Blood Pressure Level and Lipid Status in Hypertensive Subjects

Epidemiological studies have shown a positive association between intake of foods rich in antioxidants and lower incidence of cardiovascular disease development. Polyphenols are considered the most abundant and important dietary antioxidants. The aim of this study was to evaluate effects of polyphenol-rich chokeberry juice consumption on 24-h ambulatory monitored blood pressure (BP) level in subjects with no pharmacologically treated high normal BP or grade I hypertension. Twenty-three subjects (12 men and 11 women) aged 33-67 were enrolled and instructed to consume 200mL of juice daily for 4 weeks. Participants were divided in two groups, based on prevalence of sympathetic or parasympathetic activity. Measurements of biochemical parameters and heart rate variability analysis were also applied. At the end of the intervention period, average 24-h and awake systolic and diastolic BP were significantly decreased (P lt .05). This was more pronounced in the group with prevalence of sympathetic activity. Significant reduction in triglyceride level (P lt .05) and a reducing effect on total and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol were also found. Obtained results indicate a positive impact of regular chokeberry juice consumption on BP and lipid status in pharmacologically untreated hypertensive subjects