Does construction service provider\u27s response matter? Understanding the influence of anecdotal information on online consumer decisions

The home improvement service industry is growing rapidly, and the advancement in technology has made information about service providers, such as customer reviews, accessible with a few clicks. However, the impact of anecdotal information, like reviews and a service provider\u27s response to a review, have not been studied extensively in the home improvement service industry. Using the Data Frame Theory of Sensemaking, this study investigated the combined effect of these two variables on an online consumer\u27s decision. We recruited 360 participants through Qualtrics Research Services to participate in a 4∗3 between-subjects study. The findings suggest that when all reviews were either entirely positive or negative, i.e., consistent information, the service provider\u27s response did not influence the customer\u27s decision. However, when the reviews were inconsistent, the service provider\u27s response was influential. In addition, negative reviews created a lack of trust in the information, which is a potential area for future research

A task and performance analysis of endoscopic submucosal dissection (ESD) surgery

BACKGROUND: ESD is an endoscopic technique for en bloc resection of gastrointestinal lesions. ESD is a widely-used in Japan and throughout Asia, but not as prevalent in Europe or the US. The procedure is technically challenging and has higher adverse events (bleeding, perforation) compared to endoscopic mucosal resection. Inadequate training platforms and lack of established training curricula have restricted its wide acceptance in the US. Thus, we aim to develop a Virtual Endoluminal Surgery Simulator (VESS) for objective ESD training and assessment. In this work, we performed task and performance analysis of ESD surgeries. METHODS: We performed a detailed colorectal ESD task analysis and identified the critical ESD steps for lesion identification, marking, injection, circumferential cutting, dissection, intraprocedural complication management, and post-procedure examination. We constructed a hierarchical task tree that elaborates the order of tasks in these steps. Furthermore, we developed quantitative ESD performance metrics. We measured task times and scores of 16 ESD surgeries performed by four different endoscopic surgeons. RESULTS: The average time of the marking, injection, and circumferential cutting phases are 203.4 (σ: 205.46), 83.5 (σ: 49.92), 908.4 s. (σ: 584.53), respectively. Cutting the submucosal layer takes most of the time of overall ESD procedure time with an average of 1394.7 s (σ: 908.43). We also performed correlation analysis (Pearson's test) among the performance scores of the tasks. There is a moderate positive correlation (R = 0.528, p = 0.0355) between marking scores and total scores, a strong positive correlation (R = 0.7879, p = 0.0003) between circumferential cutting and submucosal dissection and total scores. Similarly, we noted a strong positive correlation (R = 0.7095, p = 0.0021) between circumferential cutting and submucosal dissection and marking scores. CONCLUSIONS: We elaborated ESD tasks and developed quantitative performance metrics used in analysis of actual surgery performance. These ESD metrics will be used in future validation studies of our VESS simulator

Endoscopic Submucosal Dissection: A Cognitive Task Analysis Framework Toward Training Design

Background: One of the major impediments to the proliferation of endoscopic submucosal dissection (ESD) training in Western countries is the lack of sufficient experts as instructors. One way to address this gap is to develop didactic systems, such as surgical simulators, to support the role of trainers. Cognitive task analysis (CTA) has been used in healthcare for the design and improvement of surgical training programs, and therefore can potentially be used for design of similar systems for ESD. Objective: The aim of the study was to apply a CTA-based approach to identify the cognitive aspects of performing ESD, and to generate qualitative insights for training. Materials and methods: Semi-structured interviews were designed based on the CTA framework to elicit knowledge of ESD practitioners relating to the various tasks involved in the procedure. Three observations were conducted of expert ESD trainers either while they performed actual ESD procedures or at a training workshop. Interviews were either conducted over the phone or in person. Interview participants included four experts and four novices. The observation notes and interviews were analyzed for emergent qualitative themes and relationships. Results: The qualitative analysis yielded thematic insights related to four main cognition-related categories: learning goals/principles, challenges/concerns, strategies, and decision-making. The specific insights under each of these categories were systematically mapped to the various tasks inherent to the ESD procedure. Conclusions: The CTA approach was applied to identify cognitive themes related to ESD procedural tasks. Insights developed based on the qualitative analysis of interviews and observations of ESD practitioners can be used to inform the design o

Tools used in Naturalistic Decision Making (NDM) and in Resilience Engineering (RE)

This memo contains an initial listing of NDM and RE tools, for use by practitioners and colleagues. The memo is intended merely as a quick survey, and not an exhaustive list. By “tool,” we mean something you can use to get a job done

Use of a Mobile Biofeedback App to Provide Health Coaching for Stress Self-management: Pilot Quasi-Experiment

BackgroundMental health is an increasing concern among vulnerable populations, including college students and veterans. ObjectiveThe purpose of this study was to determine if mobile health technology combined with health coaching can better enable a user to self-manage their mental health. MethodsThis study evaluated the mobile app “Biofeedback” that provided health coaching on stress self-management for college student veterans’ mental health concerns. Twenty-four college student veterans were recruited from a large public university in Texas during the spring 2020 semester, impacted by COVID-19. Ten participants were assigned to the intervention group where they used the mobile Biofeedback app on their smartphones and smartwatches, and 14 were assigned to the control group without the app; assignment was based on mobile phone compatibility. Both groups participated in one initial lab session where they learned a deep-breathing exercise technique. The intervention group was then asked to use the mobile Biofeedback app during their daily lives and a smartwatch, and the control group was asked to perform the breathing exercises on their own. Both groups filled out Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9) and Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD-7) self-assessments at 2-week intervals. At the end of the semester, both groups were given an exit interview to provide user experience and perceived benefits of health coaching via the mobile biofeedback app. ResultsThe deep-breathing exercise in the initial lab session reduced stress in both groups. Over the course of the study, the app recorded 565 coached breathing exercises with a significant decrease (approximately 3 beats per minute) in participants’ heart rate during the 6-minute time period immediately after conducting the breathing exercises (Spearman rank correlation coefficient –0.61, P<.001; S=9,816,176). There was no significant difference between the two groups for PHQ-9 and GAD-7 scores over the course of the semester. Exit interview responses indicated that participants perceived that the mobile Biofeedback app improved their health and helped them address stress challenges. All participants reported that the intervention helped them manage their stress better and expressed that health coaching via a mobile device would improve their overall health. ConclusionsParticipants reported a positive perception of the app for their mental health self-management during a stressful semester. Future work should examine long-term effects of the app with a larger sample size balanced between male and female participants, randomized participant allocation, real-time detection of mental health symptoms, and additional features of the app

User-Preferred Position of Computer Displays: Effects of Display Size

Objective: Effects of display size and dual display setting on preferred display and keyboard positions were evaluated. Background: User-preferred display position may vary as its size changes or when multiple displays are used. It is also not known whether the use of larger displays or multiple displays would influence positioning of the keyboard. Method: Participants (N = 19) who had normal visual acuity (20/30 or better) determined preferred positions of the display and the keyboard during a data entry task in four display setups (19, 24, 27.5, and dual 19 in.). The size of capital characters (3.2 mm high) was kept consistent between setups. Results: Preferred viewing distance ranged from 0.68 m (19-in. display) to 0.76 m (27.5-in. display). No significant differences in viewing distance and display height were found between the single 19-in. display and dual 19-in. displays setups. The preferred position of the keyboard was consistent between display setups. Conclusion: Participants placed larger displays farther and lower while maintaining the display top at or near eye height. Preferred position of the dual displays in landscape setting did not differ from that of a single display. It appears that the preferred display position varies with the vertical dimension of the overall viewable area of the display. Application: The results of this study can be used to determine the dimensions or adjustability of computer workstations for larger displays or multiple displays settings.close6