MIDAS-FAST: Design and Validation of a Model-Based Tool to Predict Operator Performance with Robotic Arm Automation

The Coalition for Aerospace and Science (CAS) is hosting an exhibition on Capitol Hill on June 14, 2017, to highlight the contributions of CAS members to NASAs portfolio of activities. This exhibition represents an opportunity for an HFES members ground breaking work to be displayed and to build on support within Congress for NASAs human research program including in those areas that are of specific interest to the HFE community. The intent of this poster presentation is to demonstrate the positive outcome that comes from funding HFE related research on a project like the one exemplified by MIDAS-FAST

The influence of driver’s mood on car following and glance behaviour: Using cognitive load as an intervention

Driving safety relies on a driver’s ability to maintain their attentional focus and that mood is one of the factors which influences this ability. This driving simulator study used mind wandering theory to understand the changes in car following behaviour and driver glance patterns when affected by neutral, happy, sad and angry moods during car following. Two types of cognitive load were used to investigate ways of disengaging drivers from the mind wandering state. The moods were induced via music and mental imagery and assessed via self-reports and physiological measures. The results show that mood valence and arousal have different effects on driving safety, with negative moods resulting in the most dangerous driving, regardless of arousal. The cognitive load, in some cases, disengaged drivers from mood-related mind wandering. However, more detailed research is needed to understand the amount of load necessary for this disengagement in different moods. The importance of using driving-related measures together with glance patterns in mood research was highlighted to overcome ambiguities resulting from conclusions based on single measurements

Validation of the Inflammatory Bowel Disease Disability Index in a population-based cohort

International audienceIBDs are chronic destructive disorders that negatively affect the functional status of patients. Recently, the Inflammatory Bowel Disease Disability Index (IBD-DI) was developed according to standard WHO processes. The aims of the current study were to validate the IBD-DI in an independent patient cohort, to develop an index-specific scoring system and to describe the disability status of a well-defined population-based cohort of French patients with IBD. From February 2012 to March 2014, the IBD-DI questionnaire was administered to a random sample of adult patients with an established diagnosis of IBD issued from a French population-based registry. The IBD-DI consists of 28 items that evaluate the four domains of body functions, activity participation, body structures and environmental factors. Validation included item reduction and data structure, construct validity, internal consistency, interobserver and intraobserver reliability evaluations. 150 patients with Crohn's disease (CD) and 50 patients with UC completed the IBD-DI validation phase. The intraclass correlation coefficient for interobserver reliability was 0.91 and 0.54 for intraobserver reliability. Cronbach's α of internal consistency was 0.86. IBD-DI scores varied from 0 to 100 with a mean of 35.3 (Q1=19.6; Q3=51.8). IBD-DI scores were highly correlated with Inflammatory Bowel Disease Questionnaire (-0.82; p<0.001) and SF-36 (-0.61; p<0.05) scores. Female gender (p<0.001), clinical disease activity (p<0.0001) and disease duration (p=0.02) were associated with higher IBD-DI scores. The IBD-DI has been validated for use in clinical trials and epidemiological studies. The IBD-DI showed high internal consistency, interobserver reliability and construct validity, and a moderate intraobserver reliability. It comprises 14 questions and ranges from 0 to 100. The mean IBD-DI score was 35.3 and was associated with gender, clinical disease activity and disease duration. Further research is needed to confirm the structural validity and to assess the responsiveness of IBD-DI. 2011-A00877-34

Stress and re-stress increases conditioned taste aversion learning in rats: possible frontal cortical and hippocampal muscarinic receptor involvement

Symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder are often precipitated by sensory cues in the form of visual, auditory, olfactory and gustatory “flashbacks” resulting in enhanced fear-memory consolidation and the characteristic symptoms of re-experiencing, avoidance and hyper-arousal. Single prolonged stress with and without re-stress have been used to explore the neurobiology of this disorder, particularly with respect to contextual conditioning and spatial memory impairment. However, less work has been done regarding associative sensory-related memories linked to aversive events. Although growing evidence supports a role for cholinergic pathways in stress, this has not been studied in the above animal models. We studied the effects of single prolonged stress with and without re-stress on conditioned taste aversion learning in rats, together with differential analysis of frontal cortical and hippocampal [3H]-quinuclidinyl benzylate ([3H]-QNB) muscarinic receptor binding. Single prolonged stress with and without re-stress both enhanced associative sensory aversion learning 7 days after stressor-taste pairing, although re-stress did not strengthen this response. Increased cortical and hippocampal muscarinic receptor density (Bmax) was found 7 days after single prolonged stress with re-stress, although receptor affinity remained unaltered. Frontal cortical and hippocampal muscarinic receptor changes may thus underlie conditioned taste aversion learning in rats exposed to stress and re-stress. These data suggest that it may be useful to study the role of cholinergic pathways in mediating associative memory in psychiatric disorders such as posttraumatic stress disorde