Analysis and use of the emotional context with wearable devices for games and intelligent assistants

In this paper, we consider the use of wearable sensors for providing affect-based adaptation in Ambient Intelligence (AmI) systems. We begin with discussion of selected issues regarding the applications of affective computing techniques. We describe our experiments for affect change detection with a range of wearable devices, such as wristbands and the BITalino platform, and discuss an original software solution, which we developed for this purpose. Furthermore, as a test-bed application for our work, we selected computer games. We discuss the state-of-the-art in affect-based adaptation in games, described in terms of the so-called affective loop. We present our original proposal of a conceptual design framework for games, called the affective game design patterns. As a proof-of-concept realization of this approach, we discuss some original game prototypes, which we have developed, involving emotion-based control and adaptation. Finally, we comment on a software framework, that we have previously developed, for context-aware systems which uses human emotional contexts. This framework provides means for implementing adaptive systems using mobile devices with wearable sensors

Automated Affect and Emotion Recognition from Cardiovascular Signals - A Systematic Overview Of The Field

Currently, artificial intelligence is increasingly used to recognize and differentiate emotions. Through the action of the nervous system, the heart and vascular system can respond differently depending on the type of arousal. With the growing popularity of wearable devices able to measure such signals, people may monitor their states and manage their wellness. Our goal was to explore and summarize the field of automated emotion and affect recognition from cardiovascular signals. According to our protocol, we searched electronic sources (MEDLINE, EMBASE, Web of Science, Scopus, dblp, Cochrane Library, IEEE Explore, arXiv and medRxiv) up to 31 August 2020. In the case of all identified studies, two independent reviewers were involved at each stage: screening, full-text assessment, data extraction, and quality evaluation. All conflicts were resolved during the discussion. The credibility of included studies was evaluated using a proprietary tool based on QUADAS, PROBAST. After screening 4649 references, we identified 195 eligible studies. From artificial intelligence most used methods in emotion or affect recognition were Support Vector Machines (42.86%), Neural Network (21.43%), and k-Nearest Neighbors (11.67%). Among the most explored datasets were DEAP (10.26%), MAHNOB-HCI (10.26%), AMIGOS (6.67%) and DREAMER (2.56%). The most frequent cardiovascular signals involved electrocardiogram (63.16%), photoplethysmogram (15.79%), blood volume pressure (13.16%) and heart rate (6.58%). Sadness, fear, and anger were the most examined emotions. However, there is no standard set of investigated internal feelings. On average, authors explore 4.50 states (range from 4 to 24 feelings). Research using artificial intelligence in recognizing emotions or affect using cardiovascular signals shows an upward trend. There are significant variations in the quality of the datasets, the choice of states to detect, and the classifiers used for analysis. Research project supported by program Excellence initiative - research university for the University of Science and Technology. The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest

BIRAFFE : bio-reactions and faces for emotion-based personalization

In this paper we introduce the BIRAFFE data set which is the result of the experiment in affective computing we conducted in early 2019. The experiment is part of the work aimed at the development of computer models for emotion classification and recognition. We strongly believe that such models should be personalized by design as emotional responses of different persons are subject to individual differences due to their personality. In the experiment we assumed data fusion from both visual and audio stimuli both taken from standard public data bases (IADS and IAPS respectively). Moreover, we combined two paradigms. In the first one, subjects were exposed to stimuli, and later their bodily reactions (ECG, GSR, and face expression) were recorded. In the second one the subjects played basic computer games, with the same reactions constantly recorded. We decided to make the data set publicly available to the research community using the Zenodo platform. As such, the data set contributes to the development and replication of experiments in AfC

Can kama muta reduce homonegativity? The influence of feeling of being moved on attitudes towards homosexuality

Stereotypy, uprzedzenia i dyskryminacja mają znaczący wpływ na życie i codzienne funkcjonowanie wielu ludzi, w tym takich o tożsamości homoseksualnej. Celem tej pracy było zbadanie, czy wzruszenie może redukować homonegatywność. W eksperymencie zastosowano filmy i krótkie opisy w czterech warunkach (wzruszający / zaciekawiający * homoseksualna / heteroseksualna tożsamość głównego bohatera). Zastosowano metody samoopisowe: Skalę Nowoczesnej Homonegatywności, The KAma Muta MUltiplex Scale Two, Kama Muta Frequency Scale, autorską skalę wiarygodności bodźca, jednoitemową ocenę wywołanych stanów wewnętrznych oraz termometr uczuć do oceny nastawienia do gejów. W badaniu wzięło udział 730 osób, z czego przeanalizowano dane 239 uczestników. Wyniki pokazały, że nie ma różnic w homonegatywności i nastawieniu do gejów między warunkami w różnych konfiguracjach i interakcjach pomiędzy nimi. Zaobserwowano istotne różnice międzypłciowe w kontekście rozpatrywanych zmiennych. Ta praca pokazuje, że prawdopodobnie nie jest możliwe redukowanie uprzedzeń wobec orientacji seksualnych w oparciu o prostą manipulację eksperymentalną z wykorzystaniem wzruszających bodźców audiowizualnych.Stereotypes, prejudices and discrimination significantly impact the lives and everyday functioning of many people, including those with a homosexual identity. This study aimed to investigate whether it is possible to reduce homonegativity based on evoking a feeling of being touched. For stimulation, films and short descriptions were prepared under four conditions. Self-report methods were used: Modern Homonegativity Scale, The KAma Muta MUltiplex Scale Two, Kama Muta Frequency Scale, the author's stimulus credibility scale, a one-item assessment of induced internal states and a feeling thermometer to assess attitudes towards gay men. The study involved 730 people, of which the data of 239 participants were analysed. The results showed no difference in homonegativity and attitudes towards gay men between conditions in different configurations and interactions. Significant gender differences were observed in the analysed variables. This work shows that probably it is not possible to reduce prejudices towards sexual orientations based on simple experimental manipulation with touching audiovisual stimuli

Artificial intelligence for COVID-19 detection in medical imaging - diagnostic measures and wasting : a Systematic Umbrella Review

The COVID-19 pandemic has sparked a barrage of primary research and reviews. We investigated the publishing process, time and resource wasting, and assessed the methodological quality of the reviews on artificial intelligence techniques to diagnose COVID-19 in medical images. We searched nine databases from inception until 1 September 2020. Two independent reviewers did all steps of identification, extraction, and methodological credibility assessment of records. Out of 725 records, 22 reviews analysing 165 primary studies met the inclusion criteria. This review covers 174,277 participants in total, including 19,170 diagnosed with COVID-19. The methodological credibility of all eligible studies was rated as critically low: 95% of papers had significant flaws in reporting quality. On average, 7.24 (range: 0–45) new papers were included in each subsequent review, and 14% of studies did not include any new paper into consideration. Almost three-quarters of the studies included less than 10% of available studies. More than half of the reviews did not comment on the previously published reviews at all. Much wasting time and resources could be avoided if referring to previous reviews and following methodological guidelines. Such information chaos is alarming. It is high time to draw conclusions from what we experienced and prepare for future pandemics

Blockchain-Based Address Alias System

In recent years, blockchains systems have seen massive adoption in retail and enterprise environments. Cryptocurrencies become more widely adopted, and many online businesses have decided to add the most popular ones, like Bitcoin or Ethereum, next to Visa or Mastercard payments. Due to the decentralized nature of blockchain-based systems, there is no possible way to revert confirmed transactions. It may result in losses caused by human error or poor design of the user interface. We created a cryptocurrency wallet with a full on-chain solution for aliasing accounts and tokens to improve user experience and avoid unnecessary errors. The aliasing system consists of a number of smart contracts deployed on top of the blockchain network that give the ability to register aliases to accounts and tokens and use them instead of opaque addresses. Our solution shows how performant modern blockchains are and presents a way of building fully decentralized applications that can compete with centralized ones in terms of performance

Datasets for Automated Affect and Emotion Recognition from Cardiovascular Signals Using Artificial Intelligence— A Systematic Review

Our review aimed to assess the current state and quality of publicly available datasets used for automated affect and emotion recognition (AAER) with artificial intelligence (AI), and emphasising cardiovascular (CV) signals. The quality of such datasets is essential to create replicable systems for future work to grow. We investigated nine sources up to 31 August 2020, using a developed search strategy, including studies considering the use of AI in AAER based on CV signals. Two independent reviewers performed the screening of identified records, full-text assessment, data extraction, and credibility. All discrepancies were resolved by discussion. We descriptively synthesised the results and assessed their credibility. The protocol was registered on the Open Science Framework (OSF) platform. Eighteen records out of 195 were selected from 4649 records, focusing on datasets containing CV signals for AAER. Included papers analysed and shared data of 812 participants aged 17 to 47. Electrocardiography was the most explored signal (83.33% of datasets). Authors utilised video stimulation most frequently (52.38% of experiments). Despite these results, much information was not reported by researchers. The quality of the analysed papers was mainly low. Researchers in the field should concentrate more on methodology

Meeting the unmet needs of individuals with mental disorders : a scoping review on peer-to-peer online interactions

BACKGROUND: An increasing number of online support groups are providing advice and information on topics related to mental health. OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to investigate the needs that internet users meet through peer-to-peer interactions. METHODS: A search of 4 databases was performed until August 15, 2022. Qualitative or mixed methods (ie, qualitative and quantitative) studies investigating interactions among internet users with mental disorders were included. The φ coefficient was used and machine learning techniques were applied to investigate the associations between the type of mental disorders and web-based interactions linked to seeking help or support. RESULTS: Of the 13,098 identified records, 44 studies (analyzed in 54 study-disorder pairs) that assessed 82,091 users and 293,103 posts were included. The most frequent interactions were noted for people with eating disorders (14/54, 26%), depression (12/54, 22%), and psychoactive substance use disorders (9/54, 17%). We grouped interactions between users into 42 codes, with the empathy or compassion code being the most common (41/54, 76%). The most frequently coexisting codes were request for information and network (35 times; φ=0.5; P<.001). The algorithms that provided the best accuracy in classifying disorders by interactions were decision trees (44/54, 81%) and logistic regression (40/54, 74%). The included studies were of moderate quality. CONCLUSIONS: People with mental disorders mostly use the internet to seek support, find answers to their questions, and chat. The results of this analysis should be interpreted as a proof of concept. More data on web-based interactions among these people might help apply machine learning methods to develop a tool that might facilitate screening or even support mental health assessment