Developing a Peer Mentorship Program in Human Factors Academia

Peer mentorship programs that pair more experienced students (i.e., mentors) with less experienced students (i.e., mentees) can have an effective, positive impact on university students’ personal, academic, and professional outcomes. The purpose of this paper is to describe the process and lessons learned in the creation of a peer mentorship program in a Human Factors and Ergonomics (HF/E) academic department. Through a combination of peer networking opportunities and skill development workshops, the mentorship program outlined in this paper aims to promote students’ academic and professional growth. Take-aways that can be utilized by other HF/E academia departments interested in starting or revamping their own peer mentorship programs are included

An agent-based intelligent tutoring system for nurse education

This report describes the development of a teaching environment that uses agents to support learning. An Intelligent Tutoring System will be described, that guides students during learning. This system is meant for nurse education in the first place, but it is generic in the sense that the core is separated from the exercise modules and user interfaces. This means that the system can also be used for other (non-nursing) exercises. Exercises can be provided to the system in the form of XML data-files. A user interface can be text-based or 2D, but it can also be a 3D virtual reality environment. An application of the teaching environment for nurse training is described

Typing In Mid-Air With Mixed Reality

The Microsoft HoloLens 2 is a mixed reality headset that has been described as the workplace of the future (Wright, 2018), that places virtual elements on top of the user’s physical environment. The HoloLens 2 gives users the freedom to check emails, search the web, and use other Microsoft applications while still maintaining awareness of their surroundings. With these features comes the need for text input on the device. Prior research on the HoloLens 1 showed that text input controlled by head movements and air-tap hand gestures was slow, fatiguing, and frustrating for users (Derby, Rarick, & Chaparro, 2019). The HoloLens 2 attempts to improve on these concerns by implementing direct interaction with a virtual keyboard similar to that of a traditional physical keyboard. This similarity is achieved through the incorporation of hand tracking and near interaction, in addition to the tap and hold gestures of the HoloLens 1 (Meijers, 2020). This study will be attempting to evaluate the efficiency, usability, and performance of these improved text input methods on the HoloLens 2, while comparing the results to that of past research done on the HoloLens 1 to validate changes between models. Derby, J.L, Rarick, C. T, & Chaparro, B.S. (2019). Text input performance with a mixed reality head-mounted display (HDM). Human Factors and Ergonomics Society, 1476-1480. DOI: 10.1177/1071181319631279 Wright, N. (2018, November 27). How Microsoft HoloLens could change the way we work [Blog post]. Retrieved from https://www.nigelfrank.com/blog/how-microsoft-hololens-could-change-the-way-we-work/ Meijers, A. (2020). HoloLens. Immersive Office 365 Bringing Mixed Reality and HoloLens into the Digital Workplace (1st ed. 2020.). Apress. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4842-5845-

Thinking Out-of-the-Box with Board Games

This study demonstrates the user experience measurement technique of Out-of-Box Experience (OOBE) with a commercially available strategy board game. This method of study explores a user’s first impressions with a product, and has yet to be tested on board games in current literature. Participants were observed as they used the board game for the first time in each of the following four stages: Unboxing, Setup, Initial Play, and Disassembly. Participants were also queried for their feedback and expectations during each phase. Analysis of this data revealed several themes contributing to overall user satisfaction. Players gravitated to the art style, look, and theme of the board and pieces. However, users were frustrated with the instructions, assembly, and fundamental mechanics of gameplay. These themes can be used for design recommendations and improvements for similar board games. These findings demonstrate how OOBE can be applied to different applications, facilitating unique and interesting data that researchers would otherwise be unable to achieve

Extreme magneto-transport of bulk carbon nanotubes in sorted electronic concentrations and aligned high performance fiber

We explored high-field (60T) magneto-resistance (MR) with two carbon nanotube (CNT) material classes: (1) unaligned single-wall CNTs (SWCNT) films with controlled metallic SWCNT concentrations and doping degree and (2) CNT fiber with aligned, long-length microstructure. All unaligned SWCNT films showed localized hopping transport where high-field MR saturation definitively supports spin polarization instead of a more prevalent wave function shrinking mechanism. Nitric acid exposure induced an insulator to metal transition and reduced the positive MR component. Aligned CNT fiber, already on the metal side of the insulator to metal transition, had positive MR without saturation and was assigned to classical MR involving electronic mobility. Subtracting high-field fits from the aligned fiber's MR yielded an unconfounded negative MR, which was assigned to weak localization. It is concluded that fluctuation induced tunnelling, an extrinsic transport model accounting for most of the aligned fiber's room temperature resistance, appears to lack MR field dependence

The High Magnetic Field Phase Diagram of a Quasi-One Dimensional Metal

We present a unique high magnetic field phase of the quasi-one dimensional organic conductor (TMTSF)$_2$ClO$_4$. This phase, termed "Q-ClO$_4$", is obtained by rapid thermal quenching to avoid ordering of the ClO$_4$ anion. The magnetic field dependent phase of Q-ClO$_4$ is distinctly different from that in the extensively studied annealed material. Q-ClO$_4$ exhibits a spin density wave (SDW) transition at $\approx$ 5 K which is strongly magnetic field dependent. This dependence is well described by the theoretical treatment of Bjelis and Maki. We show that Q-ClO$_4$ provides a new B-T phase diagram in the hierarchy of low-dimensional organic metals (one-dimensional towards two-dimensional), and describe the temperature dependence of the of the quantum oscillations observed in the SDW phase.Comment: 10 pages, 4 figures, preprin

Circular-Polarization Dependent Cyclotron Resonance in Large-Area Graphene in Ultrahigh Magnetic Fields

Using ultrahigh magnetic fields up to 170 T and polarized midinfrared radiation with tunable wavelengths from 9.22 to 10.67 um, we studied cyclotron resonance in large-area graphene grown by chemical vapor deposition. Circular-polarization dependent studies reveal strong p-type doping for as-grown graphene, and the dependence of the cyclotron resonance on radiation wavelength allows for a determination of the Fermi energy. Thermal annealing shifts the Fermi energy to near the Dirac point, resulting in the simultaneous appearance of hole and electron cyclotron resonance in the magnetic quantum limit, even though the sample is still p-type, due to graphene's linear dispersion and unique Landau level structure. These high-field studies therefore allow for a clear identification of cyclotron resonance features in large-area, low-mobility graphene samples.Comment: 9 pages, 3 figure

A cascade of magnetic field induced spin transitions in LaCoO3

We present magnetization and magnetostriction studies of the insulating perovskite LaCoO3 in magnetic fields approaching 100 T. In marked contrast with expectations from single-ion models, the data reveal two distinct first-order spin transitions and well-defined magnetization plateaux. The magnetization at the higher plateau is only about half the saturation value expected for spin-1 Co3+ ions. These findings strongly suggest collective behavior induced by strong interactions between different electronic -- and therefore spin -- configurations of Co3+ ions. We propose a model of these interactions that predicts crystalline spin textures and a cascade of four magnetic phase transitions at high fields, of which the first two account for the experimental data.Comment: 5 pages + supplementary materials, 5 figure

A Transition Model from Web of Things to Speech of Intelligent Things in a Smart Education System

Several terms have been used to describe Internet of Things; Web of Things (WoT) is a term which can be used interchangeability and it is referred to as the capability of devices to interconnect to the World Wide Web and sharing the information and data to one another. WoT has been mentioned in the literature to improve interconnection between devices at all times. In WoT, two different modes of communication which are generally mentioned in previous studies include person-to-thing (or thing-to-person) and thing-to-thing. This paper presents an architecture for transiting from WoT to speech-enabled WoT known as Speech of Intelligent Things (SoIT). The system employs a combination of technologies such as system design, server-side scripting, speech-based system tools, and data management in developing the SoIT prototype system as a third mode of communication. This paper illustrates a scenario whereby remote monitoring and controlling of WoT devices within the university campus might be difficult to manage by only using the modes discussed in the literature. An evolution of WoT to SoIT was realized using speech technology to provide a prototype system. Technical implications involve using a telephone by connecting an object telephone number (OTN) and dial WoT objects and establish a control mechanism. The research limitation is mainly the cost of dialing an OTN number. The contribution of this paper is to favor and encourage the use of speech technology to enhance the convenience of communication between WoT devices within the school campus