Using fNIRS in usability testing: understanding the effect of web form layout on mental workload

Amongst the many tasks in our lives, we encounter web forms on a regular basis, whether they are mundane like registering for a website, or complex and important like tax returns. There are many aspects of Usability, but one concern for user interfaces is to reduce mental workload and error rates. Whilst most assessment of mental workload is subjective and retrospective reporting by users, we examine the potential of functional Near Infrared Spectroscopy (fNIRS) as a tool for objectively and concurrently measuring mental workload during usability testing. We use this technology to evaluate the design of three different form layouts for a car insurance claim process, and show that a form divided into subforms increases mental workload, contrary to our expectations. We conclude that fNIRS is highly suitable for objectively examining mental workload during usability testing, and will therefore be able to provide more detailed insight than summative retrospective assessments. Further, for the fNIRS community, we show that the technology can easily move beyond typical psychology tasks, and be used for more natural study tasks

Using fNIRS in usability testing: understanding the effect of web form layout on mental workload

Amongst the many tasks in our lives, we encounter web forms on a regular basis, whether they are mundane like registering for a website, or complex and important like tax returns. There are many aspects of Usability, but one concern for user interfaces is to reduce mental workload and error rates. Whilst most assessment of mental workload is subjective and retrospective reporting by users, we examine the potential of functional Near Infrared Spectroscopy (fNIRS) as a tool for objectively and concurrently measuring mental workload during usability testing. We use this technology to evaluate the design of three different form layouts for a car insurance claim process, and show that a form divided into subforms increases mental workload, contrary to our expectations. We conclude that fNIRS is highly suitable for objectively examining mental workload during usability testing, and will therefore be able to provide more detailed insight than summative retrospective assessments. Further, for the fNIRS community, we show that the technology can easily move beyond typical psychology tasks, and be used for more natural study tasks

TAIGA -- an advanced hybrid detector complex for astroparticle physics and high energy gamma-ray astronomy

The physical motivations, present status, main results in study of cosmic rays and in the field of gamma-ray astronomy as well future plans of the TAIGA-1 (Tunka Advanced Instrument for cosmic ray physics and Gamma Astronomy) project are presented. The TAIGA observatory addresses ground-based gamma-ray astronomy and astroparticle physics at energies from a few TeV to several PeV, as well as cosmic ray physics from 100 TeV to several EeV. The pilot TAIGA-1 complex is located in the Tunka valley, ~50 km west from the southern tip of the lake Baikal.Comment: Submission to SciPost Phys. Proc., 10 pages, 2 figure

Primary Cosmic Rays Energy Spectrum and Mean Mass Composition by the Data of the TAIGA Astrophysical Complex

The corrected dependence of the mean depth of the EAS maximum $X_{max}$ on the energy was obtained from the data of the Tunka-133 array for 7 years and the TAIGA-HiSCORE array for 2 year. The parameter $\langle\ln A\rangle$, characterizing the mean mass compositon was derived from these results. The differential energy spectrum of primary cosmic rays in the energy range of $2\cdot 10^{14}$ - $2\cdot 10^{16}$\,eV was reconstructed using the new parameter $Q_{100}$ the Cherenkov light flux at the core distance 100 m.}Comment: 6 pages, 3 figures, Submitted to SciPost Phys.Pro

Development of hybrid reconstruction techniques for TAIGA

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Informational text structures by contents of the specialised text

Text is de fined in text linguistics as a communicative occurrence which should necessarily meet the criteria of textuality. Theoretical knowledge in medicine is presented in a particular type of texts that con vey generally valid information about rules, principles and instructions, that is, in descriptive texts. Scripta Scientifica Medica 2008; 40(1):95-9

Size effects in monodomain magnetite based ferrofluids

Ferrofluids based on two types of hybrid particles Fe(3)O(4)/beta-cyclodextrin were prepared: Using monodomain (below 60 nm) magnetite nanoparticles with (A) non-superparamagnetic (non-SPM) behaviour and (B) with superparamagnetic (SPM) behaviour. We found a strong dependence of the hybrid particles' magnetic properties on their size and homogeneity. In both types of ferrofluids we observed hyperthermia upon applying an ac electromagnetic field with frequency 40 kHz and amplitude 30 kA/m. The maximal Delta T upon irradiation with duration of about 12 min for the non-SPM particles was 12 degrees C, while for the SPM ones it was 3.5 degrees C