Toward Functioning and Usable Brain Computer Interfaces (BCI): A literature review

PURPOSE: The aim of this paper is to provide an exhaustive review of the literature about brain-computer interfaces (BCIs) that could be used with these paralysed patients. The electroencephalography (EEG) is the best candidate for the continuous use in the environment of patients' houses, due to its portability and ease of use. For this reason, the present paper will focus on this kind of BCI. Moreover, it is our aim to focus more on the patients, regarding their active role in the modulation of the brain activity. This leads to a differentiation between studies that use an active regulation and studies that use a non-active regulation. METHOD: Relevant articles in the BCIs field were selected using MEDLINE and PsycINFO. RESULTS: Research through data banks produced 980 results, which were reduced to 127 after exclusion criteria selection. These references were divided in four categories, based on the use of active or non-active regulation, and on the event related potential used. CONCLUSIONS: In most of the examined works, the focus was on the development of systems and algorithms able to recognise and classify brain events. Although this kind of research is fundamental, a user-centred point of view was rarely adopted

Extracting neurophysiological signals reflecting users’ emotional and affective responses to BCI use: A systematic literature review

BACKGROUND: Brain–computer interfaces (BCIs) allow persons with impaired mobility to communicate and interact with the environment, supporting goal-directed thinking and cognitive function. Ideally, a BCI should be able to recognize a user’s internal state and adapt to it in real-time, to improve interaction. OBJECTIVE: Our aim was to examine studies investigating the recognition of affective states from neurophysiological signals, evaluating how current achievements can be applied to improve BCIs. METHODS: Following the PRISMA guidelines, we performed a literature search using PubMed and ProQuest databases. We considered peer-reviewed research articles in English, focusing on the recognition of emotions from neurophysiological signals in view of enhancing BCI use. RESULTS: Of the 526 identified records, 30 articles comprising 32 studies were eligible for review. Their analysis shows that the affective BCI field is developing, with a variety of combinations of neuroimaging techniques, selected neurophysiological features, and classification algorithms currently being tested. Nevertheless, there is a gap between laboratory experiments and their translation to everyday situations. CONCLUSIONS: BCI developers should focus on testing emotion classification with patients in ecological settings and in real-time, with more precise definitions of what they are investigating, and communicating results in a standardized way

Relations between feeding behaviour traits, growth traits and feed efficiency in Goland pigs. Proceedings of the 13th ASPA Congress, Piacenza, june 21-24, 1999. Recent progress in animal production science, 1, 558-560

In this paper the feeding behaviour in performance test (56 d) of 703 Goland pigs between 77 and 140 kg, utilizing a feeding equipment recording feeding time, number of visits and individual feed intake, was analized. At the beginning and at the end of the test, weight and backfat thickness variations were recorded. Data were utilized to calculate the residual feed intake as feeding efficiency index. On average, pigs visited the feeder 14 times, of about 5 min, with an average consumption of 280 g. The increase of meal size was associated with an increase of time spent per visit (r = 0.91) and with a reduction of the number of meals (r = - 0.80). The increase of eating rate was associated with the reduction of time per visit (r = -0.25), but not of number or dimension of meals. Pigs showing low rates of feed intake and small and frequent meals resulted more efficient. Phenotypic correlations between rate of eating, number and dimension of meals and residual feed intake were significant, but rather limited, respectively 0.29, - 0.13 and 0.2

Toward functioning and usable brain-computer interfaces (BCIs): a literature review.

In most of the examined works, the focus was on the development of systems and algorithms able to recognise and classify brain events. Although this kind of research is fundamental, a user-centred point of view was rarely adopted. [Box: see text]

Transpiration decrease in shaded hazelnuts: a green light for experimenting new orchard structures

Global yields of cereals and fruit trees are projected to decrease as a consequence of the increasing air vapour pressure deficit (VPD) (Hsiao et al. 2019). VPD synthesize the effect of relative humidity and temperature of the air, which is unceasingly increasing due to anthropogenic global warming since 30 years of 0.2\ub0C (IPCC 2018). Mediterranean regions are among the most affected areas by this change. At the same time, VPD is one of the most significant parameter affecting plant physiology because it controls stomata aperture and carbon inflow into leaves. Long term exposure to high VPD leads to reduced growth (Sangin\ue9s de C\ue1rcer et al. 2018) and tree mortality even more than just high temperature rise (Eamus et al. 2013). Still, some food trees are more sensitive to high VPD than others are. Hazelnut (Corylus avellana L.) is one of these. Although it is a temperate forest species, it is cultivated since centuries for the nut production in the whole Europe. In recent years, its cultivated surface is rising significantly. Italy plans to reach 20.000 hectares of hazelnut orchards at national level. In the last years, the research on hazelnut eco-physiology highlighted the sensitivity of the species to VPD rise. Hazelnut resulted shade-tolerant, it barely stands wind (Baldwin et al. 2003), stomata closure occurs above 10hPa VPD thus reducing carbon assimilation. This leads to the hypothesis that decoupling hazelnut trees from the atmosphere prevents water loss in case of VPD rise. During summer 2019, we set an experimental study in the University of Padova (45\ub020\u201955\u2019\u2019N, 11\ub056\u201959\u2019\u2019E, 5 m a.s.l.) hazelnut orchard, located in Legnaro (PD), Italy. Three 12 years old hazelnuts were covered with a polypropylene net in mid-June, while three other net-free individuals served as a control. Trees were rain-fed for the entire growing season. In each treatment, we measured carbon assimilation (An), stomatal conductance (gs) and light saturation curve at leaf level with a porometer from DOY 203 to 262. In parallel, we installed in all trees TDP probes to measure the sap flow. Sap flow measurements, together with meteorological parameters and soil water content were recorded by a datalogger with a 15 minutes record frequency. Diurnal sap flow data and VPD were used to calculate the canopy conductance G in the two treatments with G = k*EL/VPD (mm s-1), where k=115.8+0.4226*T\ub0C (m3kPa\ub0C kg-1), EL= transpiration per unit of LAI (g m-2s-1) as described in Tang et al. (2006). At the leaf level, the light saturation curve showed that 48% of the CO2 assimilation was reached already at 100 \u3bcmol m-2s-1 of PAR and remained stable for PAR > 500 \u3bcmol m-2s-1, close to what found by Tombesi et al. (2015). The shading net did not change the response to light. Daily An resulted slightly higher in control respect to shaded treatment, especially between 7 and 8AM and between 3 and 5PM. The shading net provided 10% decrease in mean daily VPD compared to the control. This caused a decrease in the canopy transpiration per unit of leaf area (EL) of 13.9% (max 30.5%) in shaded compared to control treatment (0.024 and 0.028 g m-2s-1 respectively). The whole tree canopy conductance (i.e. gas exchange capacity) between the two treatments was 8% higher in control respect to shaded trees (0.16 2 and 0.14 mol m-2s-1 respectively). The cover net shifted the maximum G from 6 to 10hPa, but the response of G to VPD remained similar in the two treatments (Wilcoxon test, p>0.05). Even if the leaf carbon assimilation is negatively affected by shade only in the early morning and some afternoon hours, the relative gain in whole tree conductance remained lower in control respect to the amount of water saved by shading the trees. Indeed, it is possible to design agroforestry systems where hazelnut grows with other non-shade tolerant species (e.g. Populus spp.) as dominant trees. These partner trees can benefit from the water saved from the new hazelnut orchard layout, and on its turn, provide shelter from wind, heat waves or VPD increase in the long term. Still, more research is needed to include the effect of shade on nut yield, which is though difficult in hazelnut due to its alternate bearing of fruits. Still, this work suggests that hazelnut can tolerate the coexistence of dominant trees with water savings that might compensate carbon assimilation losses

SigMate: A Comprehensive Software Package for Extracellular Neuronal Signal Processing and Analysis

none6noneMAHMUD M; BERTOLDO A; GIRARDI S; MASCHIETTO M; PASQUALOTTO E; S. VASSANELLIMahmud, Mufti; Bertoldo, Alessandra; Girardi, Stefano; Maschietto, Marta; Pasqualotto, E; Vassanelli, Stefan

Usability Evaluation of BCIs

Aim of the BCIs is to give paralyzed people a way to communicate. BCIs should be considered assistive technologies facilitating life activities. Therefore, an assessment process avoiding dissatisfaction and abandonment is required. In this study we aim to assess the usability of two BCIs measuring the predisposition to and the interaction with the systems