A Framework for Psychophysiological Classification within a Cultural Heritage Context Using Interest

This article presents a psychophysiological construct of interest as a knowledge emotion and illustrates the importance of interest detection in a cultural heritage context. The objective of this work is to measure and classify psychophysiological reactivity in response to cultural heritage material presented as visual and audio. We present a data processing and classification framework for the classification of interest. Two studies are reported, adopting a subject-dependent approach to classify psychophysiological signals using mobile physiological sensors and the support vector machine learning algorithm. The results show that it is possible to reliably infer a state of interest from cultural heritage material using psychophysiological feature data and a machine learning approach, informing future work for the development of a real-time physiological computing system for use within an adaptive cultural heritage experience designed to adapt the provision of information to sustain the interest of the visitor

The Influence of Task Types on User Experience after a Web Interface Update

Using cognitive script and cognitive lock-in theories, this paper presents the results of a user experience experiment that tested the user’s emotional and cognitive states when presented with a major redesign of a service provider’s website. A within-subject design involved 57 participants, who engaged in both informational and transactional tasks during four consecutive visits to a financial institution’s website, generating a total of 772 observations. Psychophysiological data were collected as measures of cognitive load, emotional valence, and emotional arousal during users’ website visits. Results suggest that repeat visits to an updated website lead to decreased cognitive load and increased arousal. They also offered support for the moderating role of task type on the relationship between task repetition and the users’ emotional and cognitive responses. Specifically, transactional tasks were associated with a greater cognitive cost and lower emotional valence than informational tasks during the initial visits to an updated site

Teaming Models with Intelligent Systems at the Workplace

Die Wirtschaftsinformatik (WI) hat sich einen festen Platz in den deutschsprachigen Hochschulen gesichert. Mit wachsendem Fachkräftemangel dürften ihre Beiträge zur Ausbildung von Fachleuten für automatische Systeme und zur diesbezüglichen Forschung noch wichtiger werden. In der Öffentlichkeit und z. T. auch in den Fachmedien entspricht ihr Bekanntheitsgrad nicht ihrer gesellschaftlichen Bedeutung. Beispielsweise werden von relativen Laien, z. B. in der Politik, traditionelle Gegenstände des Faches als Neuentwicklung dargestellt. Wir plädieren dafür, dass sich die WI mehr als bisher nicht nur als interdisziplinäres Fach zwischen BWL und Informatik begreift, sondern verstärkt auch auf Grenzgebieten wie Öffentlicher Verwaltung, Politik und Recht arbeitet. Wege dazu sind u. a. Übertragung von IT-Lösungen aus der Privatwirtschaft in die Öffentliche Verwaltung, Warnungen vor Übertreibung und Moden oder differenzierte Identifikation von Vor- und Nachteilen neuer Methoden im Vergleich zu bekannten. Im akademischen Umfeld ist zu hinterfragen, ob die aktuellen Anreizsysteme für Wissenschaftlerinnen und Wissenschaftler förderlich sind

Editorial : High Performance Cognition: Information-Processing in Complex Skills, Expert Performance, and Flow

Non peer reviewe

Enhancing Sustained Attention

Arguably, automation is fast transforming many enterprise business processes, transforming operational jobs into monitoring tasks. Consequently, the ability to sustain attention during extended periods of monitoring is becoming a critical skill. This manuscript presents a Brain-Computer Interface (BCI) prototype which seeks to combat decrements in sustained attention during monitoring tasks within an enterprise system. A brain-computer interface is a system which uses physiological signals output by the user as an input. The goal is to better understand human responses while performing tasks involving decision and monitoring cycles, finding ways to improve performance and decrease on-task error. Decision readiness and the ability to synthesize complex and abundant information in a brief period during critical events has never been more important. Closed-loop control and motivational control theory were synthesized to provide the basis from which a framework for a prototype was developed to demonstrate the feasibility and value of a BCI in critical enterprise activities. In this pilot study, the BCI was implemented and evaluated through laboratory experimentation using an ecologically valid task. The results show that the technological artifact allowed users to regulate sustained attention positively while performing the task. Levels of sustained attention were shown to be higher in the conditions assisted by the BCI. Furthermore, this increased cognitive response seems to be related to increased on-task action and a small reduction in on-task errors. The research concludes with a discussion of the future research directions and their application in the enterprise

Pharmacological inhibition of Caspase-8 limits lung tumor outgrowth

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Lung cancer is one of the leading causes of cancer death worldwide. Despite advances in therapy, conventional therapy is still the main treatment and has a high risk of chemotherapy resistance. Caspase-8 is involved in cell death and is a recognized marker for poor patient prognosis. EXPERIMENTAL APPROACH: To elucidate the role of caspase-8 in lung carcinoma, we used human samples of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) and a mouse model of carcinogen-induced lung cancer. KEY RESULTS: Healthy and cancerous NSCLC samples had similar levels of the active form of caspase-8. Similarly, lung tumour-bearing mice had high levels of the active form of caspase-8. Pharmacological inhibition of caspase-8 by z-IETD-FMK robustly reduced tumour outgrowth and this was closely associated with a reduction in the release of pro-inflammatory cytokines, IL-6, TNF-α, IL-18, IL-1α, IL-33, but not IL-1β. Furthermore, inhibition of caspase-8 reduced the recruitment of innate suppressive cells, such as myeloid-derived suppressor cells, but not of regulatory T cells to lungs of tumour-bearing mice. However, despite the well-known role of caspase-8 in cell death, the apoptotic cascade (caspase-3, caspase-9 and Bcl-2 dependent) was not active in lungs of z-IETD-treated tumour-bearing mice, but instead higher levels of the short segment of c-FLIP (c-FLIPs) were detected. Similarly, human healthy lung samples had higher levels of c-FLIPs than cancerous samples. CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS: Our data suggest that caspase-8 is an important orchestrator of cancer-associated inflammation and the presence of short segment of c-FLIP determines whether caspase-8 induces tumour proliferation or tumour arrest/regression in the lung

t(6;14)(p22;q32): a new recurrent IGH@ translocation involving ID4 in B-cell precursor acute lymphoblastic leukemia (BCP-ALL)

Translocations involving the immunoglobulin heavy chain locus (IGH@) at chromosome band 14q32 are common in mature B-cell neoplasms, but are rare in B-cell precursor acute lymphoblastic leukemia (BCP-ALL). Here, we report the translocation, t(6;14)(p22;q32), involving IGH@ as a novel recurrent translocation in 13 BCP-ALL patients. Fluorescence in situ hybridization and long-distance inverse polymerase chain reaction (PCR) identified ID4 as the partner gene. Breakpoints were scattered over a 19kb region centromeric of ID4. Quantitative real-time PCR showed up-regulation of ID4 mRNA. All patients had deletions of CDKN2A and PAX5 located on the short arm of chromosome 9, frequently as a result of an isochromosome, i(9)(q10) (9/13, 69%). This study defines a new subgroup of BCP-ALL characterized by ID4 over-expression and CDKN2A and PAX5 deletions. Preliminary survival data suggest that this subgroup may be associated with a good response to therapy