Facial thermography for assessment of workload in safety critical environments

The fast changing modern world is placing humans in positions we have not had time to evolve and adapt to by natural means, we are thus faced with the task of understanding our abilities and limitations, at both a physical and mental levels and design the world around us with these in mind. This is in line with the aim of the discipline of ergonomics (or human factors), to "optimize human well-being and overall system performance by contributing to the design and evaluation of task, jobs, products, environments and systems" (International Ergonomics Association 2014). This is a large task, spanning multiple other disciplines. The research presented in this thesis is in the area of workload, a concept used to describe the interaction between a task and an operator in terms of demand, perception of task and performance. Many tools and methods have been developed aiming at measuring workload, ranging from subjective measures, primary and secondary task measures, task analysis and physiological measures. The main focus of this research is on physiological methods of assessing workload in safety critical environments. Within the domain of physiological methods for workload assessment, many techniques have been explored over the years and will be presented in the thesis with their advantages and disadvantages. Despite all the efforts made to develop a reliable physiological measurement assessment method for workload, further research is needed; the research presented here focuses on facial thermography as a non-invasive, real-time assessment method for workload, coupled with other physiological measures such as heart rate, breathing rate and pupil diameter. The human physiological response to changes in workload has been examined in three studies which also explore the use of multiple physiological measures as a means of estimating the level of workload. While two of the studies were performed in laboratory conditions having students as participants, a third study was performed in an ecologically valid helicopter simulator in order to test the physiological reactions of highly trained individuals to changes in workload. The results indicate that facial thermography, especially nose area temperatures, as well as pupil diameter respond well to changes in workload and could be used as a noninvasive, real-time method of estimating workload. The flight simulator study revealed that even highly trained individuals have similar responses to changes in demand as the general public. This thesis contributes to the measurement and assessment of workload by using physiological measures, especially facial thermography and presenting the relative contribution of each of the measures in both laboratory and real-life scenarios

Physiological Indicators of Task Demand, Fatigue, and Cognition in Future Digital Manufacturing Environments

As Digital Manufacturing transforms traditionally physical work into more system-monitoring tasks, new methods are required for understanding people's mental workload and prolonged capacity for focused attention. Many physiological measures have shown promise for detecting changes in cognitive state, and recent advances in sensor technology offer minimally-invasive ways to monitor our cognitive activity. Previous research in functional near-infrared spectroscopy, for example, has observed changes in cerebral hemodynamic response during periods of high demand within tasks. This work investigated the relationships among task demand, fatigue, and attention degradation in a sustained attention task, and their effect on heart rate, breathing rate, nose temperature and hemodynamic response in the prefrontal cortex and middle temporal gyrus. Analysis revealed a small but significant effect of fatigue on heart rate relative to baseline, breathing rate and hemodynamic response. Task demand had a small but significant effect on breathing rate and nose temperature, both relative to baseline, but no difference between levels of demand was observed in heart rate or hemodynamic response. Our results provide insight into what physiological data can tell us about cognitive state, ability to focus, and the impact of fatigue over time

Exploring Machine Learning Approaches for Classifying Mental Workload using fNIRS Data from HCI Tasks

Functional Near-Infrared Spectroscopy (fNIRS) has shown promise for being potentially more suitable (than e.g. EEG) for brain-based Human Computer Interaction (HCI). While some machine learning approaches have been used in prior HCI work, this paper explores different approaches and configurations for classifying Mental Workload (MWL) from a continuous HCI task, to identify and understand potential limitations and data processing decisions. In particular, we investigate three overall approaches: a logistic regression method, a supervised shallow method (SVM), and a supervised deep learning method (CNN). We examine personalised and gen-eralised models, as well as consider different features and ways of labelling the data. Our initial explorations show that generalised models can perform as well as personalised ones and that deep learning can be a suitable approach for medium size datasets. To provide additional practical advice for future brain-computer interaction systems, we conclude by discussing the limitations and data-preparation needs of different machine learning approaches. We also make recommendations for avenues of future work that are most promising for the machine learning of fNIRS data

Physiological parameter response to variation of mental workload

Previous studies have examined how individual physiological measures respond to changes in mental demand and subjective reports of mental workload. This study explores the response of multiple physiological parameters, measured simultaneously and quantifies the added value of each of the measures when estimating the level of demand. The study presented was conducted in laboratory conditions and required participants to perform a custom-designed visual-motor task that imposed varying levels of demand. The data collected consisted of: physiological measurements (heart inter-beat intervals, breathing rate, pupil diameter, facial thermography); subjective ratings of workload from the participants (ISA and NASA-TLX); and the performance measured within the task. Facial thermography and pupil diameter were demonstrated to be good candidates for non-invasive mental workload measurements; for 7 out of 10 participants, pupil diameter showed a strong correlation (with R values between 0.61 and 0.79 at a significance value of 0.01) with mean ISA normalized values. Facial thermography measures added on average 47.7% to the amount of variability in task performance explained by a regression model. As with the ISA ratings, the relationship between the physiological measures and performance showed strong inter-participant differences, with some individuals demonstrating a much stronger relationship between workload and performance measures than others. The results presented in this paper demonstrate that physiological monitoring can be used for non-invasive real-time measurement of workload, assuming models have been appropriately trained on previously recorded data from the user population. Facial thermography combined with measurement of pupil diameter are strong candidates for real-time monitoring of workload due to the availability and non-intrusive nature of current technology. The study also demonstrates the importance of identifying whether an individual is one who demonstrates a strong relationship between physiological measures and experienced workload measures before physiological measures are applied uniformly. This is a feasible proposition in a setting such as aircraft cockpits, where pilots are drawn from a relatively small, targeted and managed population

Чрезвычайные ситуации – проблема общественного здоровья с социально-экономическими последствиями

USMF Nicolae Testemiţanu, Centrul Republican de Instruire al Serviciului Protecţie Civilă şi Situaţii ExcepţionaleThe work is a study regarding the impact of emergency situations recorded inthe Republic of Moldova in 2010-2014. In order to consider the impact of emergency situations on public health, the economic losses inflicted by society were analysed. In this respect, the main information notifications issued by the Civil Protection and Emergency Situations Service of the Republic of Moldova have been assessed. The number of emergency situations in Moldova increased, the annual average of material injury caused by different disasters, including fi res is of 655.5 million lei, which represents a significant economic impact on Moldova’s budget. Adirect impact on public health is set for emergency situations, determined by biological and social disasters, technogenic disasters and fi res. Different categories of people, including children (13.1%), may be affected by emergency situations. Children are considered vulnerable persons in emergency situations, therate of mortality among children being rather high (14.2%), compared to similar rate in adults (8.8%). It is necessary to conduct studies directed to consider the direct impact on public health, determined by: psychological factor, which may worsen the health condition of victims of disasters by worsening chronic diseases; restricted access to qualitative food products and drinking water; no access to medical services and no condition to observe personal hygiene, etcСтатья представляет собой исследование отрицательного влияния чрезвычайных ситуаций на общественное здоровье. Были проанализированы основные документы, выданные Службой Гражданской Защиты и Чрезвычайных Ситуаций Республики Молдова. Установлен рост количества чрезвычайных ситуаций в Р. Молдова. Установлено прямое влияние на здоровье населения определенных стихийных бедствий и пожаров. В среднем, материальный ущерб как результат различных бедствий, в том числе пожаров, исчисляется в 655,5 млн. леев, что составляют существенные экономические потери для бюджета страны. Было установлено, что чрезвычайные ситуации могут затронуть различные категории людей, в том числе детей (13,1%). Доказано, что дети считаются наиболее уязвимыми при стихийных бедствиях, в том числе смертность значительно выше среди детей (14,2%), по сравнению с аналогичным показателем у взрослых (8,8%). Считается необходимым проведение исследований с целью оценки косвенного влияния катастроф на здоровье населения, в том числе: анализа психологического фактора, который может ухудшить состояние здоровья пострадавших как результат обострения хронических заболеваний; ограничение доступа к доброкачественным пищевым продуктам и питьевой воде; ограничение доступа к медицинским услугам и отсутствие условий соблюдения личной гигиены и т.

X-Y Pen Plotter Design Accomplished from Older Drives

The paper describes the design and the implementation of a small, easily operable and flexible 2-axis CNC pen plotter (Computer Numerical Control). It is accomplished from two old and available CD-ROM (Compact Disc Read-Only Memory) drives using their stepper motors and the main hardware structure. The two stepper motors move the pen platform along X and Y axis. The plotter has been tested for printing different images and texts. Thus, the functional and graphical requirements were demonstrated, the conclusion being that this device is efficient and precise, and it can be easily achieved from available components

The Romanian National Breast Reconstruction Program - Results and Conclusions after 5 Years

The optimization of the breast reconstruction treatment protocols and the introduction of state-subsidized national programs are global priorities. The present paper presents the results obtained within the National Program of Breast Reconstruction at the „Bagdasar-Arseni” Emergency Clinical Hospital, highlighting the advantages and disadvantages of the surgical techniques used. Materials and Methods: The results obtained after 71 surgical interventions were used for the study. The methodology used involved the use of demographic data, patient history, and the description of the surgical methods and techniques that were used. Results: Among the main results, the paper highlights the fact that mammary reconstruction by using the ‘expander-implant’ surgical technique was 5 times more frequent than the „implant-myocutaneous flap” technique. Post-operative complications have been present in 57% of the patients who associate comorbidities. Breast reconstruction using the TRAM (transverse rectus abdominis muscle) flap was the rescue solution for severe complications. Conclusions: The TRAM flap was proven to be the best technique in the treatment of difficult cases. Carrying out these statistical analyzes related to projects of a national scale form the solid foundation of documented studies that bring a significant contribution to the development of the Romanian medical system

The future of manufacturing: Utopia or dystopia?

Digital Manufacturing Technologies (DMTs) have the potential to transform industry productivity, but their introduction into the workplace is often a complex process, requiring not only technical expertise but also an awareness of ethical and societal challenges surrounding human-system integration. Concerns about the introduction of new technology have been prevalent throughout history, and exploring public perceptions of these technologies can provide insight to help address such cultural anxieties. However, evaluating user perceptions of futuristic technology is difficult, requiring novel approaches to provide context and understanding. In order to explore users’ perceptions of future DMTs, we applied the ContraVision technique in a questionnaire-based study. Participants viewed films, representing fictionalised Utopic and Dystopic visions of what the future of these DMTs might involve, and a questionnaire probed the perceptions of the technologies afterwards. Findings showed that irrespective of the way technology was portrayed, participants had concerns about the ethical and responsible implementation of these tools. Participant responses were analysed to identify key challenges for policy surrounding DMT implementation in the future of manufacturing

Facial thermography for assessment of workload in safety critical environments

The fast changing modern world is placing humans in positions we have not had time to evolve and adapt to by natural means, we are thus faced with the task of understanding our abilities and limitations, at both a physical and mental levels and design the world around us with these in mind. This is in line with the aim of the discipline of ergonomics (or human factors), to "optimize human well-being and overall system performance by contributing to the design and evaluation of task, jobs, products, environments and systems" (International Ergonomics Association 2014). This is a large task, spanning multiple other disciplines. The research presented in this thesis is in the area of workload, a concept used to describe the interaction between a task and an operator in terms of demand, perception of task and performance. Many tools and methods have been developed aiming at measuring workload, ranging from subjective measures, primary and secondary task measures, task analysis and physiological measures. The main focus of this research is on physiological methods of assessing workload in safety critical environments. Within the domain of physiological methods for workload assessment, many techniques have been explored over the years and will be presented in the thesis with their advantages and disadvantages. Despite all the efforts made to develop a reliable physiological measurement assessment method for workload, further research is needed; the research presented here focuses on facial thermography as a non-invasive, real-time assessment method for workload, coupled with other physiological measures such as heart rate, breathing rate and pupil diameter. The human physiological response to changes in workload has been examined in three studies which also explore the use of multiple physiological measures as a means of estimating the level of workload. While two of the studies were performed in laboratory conditions having students as participants, a third study was performed in an ecologically valid helicopter simulator in order to test the physiological reactions of highly trained individuals to changes in workload. The results indicate that facial thermography, especially nose area temperatures, as well as pupil diameter respond well to changes in workload and could be used as a noninvasive, real-time method of estimating workload. The flight simulator study revealed that even highly trained individuals have similar responses to changes in demand as the general public. This thesis contributes to the measurement and assessment of workload by using physiological measures, especially facial thermography and presenting the relative contribution of each of the measures in both laboratory and real-life scenarios