Bigger data for Big Data: from Twitter to brain-computer interface

We are sympathetic with Bentley et al’s attempt to encompass the wisdom of crowds in a generative model, but posit that success at using Big Data will include more sensitive measurements, more and more varied sources of information, as well as build from the indirect information available through technology, from ancillary technical features to data from brain-computer interface

Cognitive appraisals affect both embodiment of thermal sensation and its mapping to thermal evaluation

The physical environment leads to a thermal sensation that is perceived and appraised by occupants. The present study focuses on the relationship between sensation and evaluation. We asked 166 people to recall a thermal event from their recent past. They were then asked how they evaluated this experience in terms of 10 different emotions (frustrated, resigned, dislike, indifferent, angry, anxious, liking, joyful, regretful, proud). We tested whether four psychological factors (appraisal dimensions) could be used to predict the ensuing emotions, as well as comfort, acceptability, and sensation. The four dimensions were: the Conduciveness of the event, who/what caused the event (Causality), who had control (Agency), and whether the event was expected (Expectations). These dimensions, except for Expectations, were good predictors of the reported emotions. Expectations, however, predicted the reported thermal sensation, its acceptability, and ensuing comfort. The more expected an event was, the more uncomfortable a person felt, and the less likely they reported a neutral thermal sensation. Together, these results support an embodied view of how subjective appraisals affect thermal experience. Overall, we show that appraisal dimensions mediate occupants' evaluation of their thermal sensation, which suggests an additional method for understanding psychological adaption

Sensing and seeing associated with overlapping occipitoparietal activation in simultaneous EEG-fMRI.

The presence of a change in a visual scene can influence brain activity and behavior, even in the absence of full conscious report. It may be possible for us to sense that such a change has occurred, even if we cannot specify exactly where or what it was. Despite existing evidence from electroencephalogram (EEG) and eye-tracking data, it is still unclear how this partial level of awareness relates to functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) blood oxygen level dependent (BOLD) activation. Using EEG, fMRI, and a change blindness paradigm, we found multi-modal evidence to suggest that sensing a change is distinguishable from being blind to it. Specifically, trials during which participants could detect the presence of a colour change but not identify the location of the change (sense trials), were compared to those where participants could both detect and localise the change (localise or see trials), as well as change blind trials. In EEG, late parietal positivity and N2 amplitudes were larger for localised changes only, when compared to change blindness. However, ERP-informed fMRI analysis found no voxels with activation that significantly co-varied with fluctuations in single-trial late positivity amplitudes. In fMRI, a range of visual (BA17,18), parietal (BA7,40), and mid-brain (anterior cingulate, BA24) areas showed increased fMRI BOLD activation when a change was sensed, compared to change blindness. These visual and parietal areas are commonly implicated as the storage sites of visual working memory, and we therefore argue that sensing may not be explained by a lack of stored representation of the visual display. Both seeing and sensing a change were associated with an overlapping occipitoparietal network of activation when compared to blind trials, suggesting that the quality of the visual representation, rather than the lack of one, may result in partial awareness during the change blindness paradigm

Mapping the big data landscape: technologies, platforms and paradigms for real-time analytics of data streams

The ‘Big Data’ of yesterday is the ‘data’ of today. As technology progresses, new challenges arise and new solutions are developed. Due to the emergence of Internet of Things applications within the last decade, the field of Data Mining has been faced with the challenge of processing and analysing data streams in real-time, and under high data throughput conditions. This is often referred to as the Velocity aspect of Big Data. Whereas there are numerous reviews on Data Stream Mining techniques and applications, there is very little work surveying Data Stream processing paradigms and associated technologies, from data collection through to pre-processing and feature processing, from the perspective of the user, not that of the service provider. In this paper, we evaluate a particular type of solution, which focuses on streaming data, and processing pipelines that permit online analysis of data streams that cannot be stored as-is on the computing platform. We review foundational computational concepts such as distributed computation, fault-tolerant computing, and computational paradigms/architectures. We then review the available technological solutions, and applications that pertain to data stream mining as case studies of these theoretical concepts. We conclude with a discussion of the field of data stream processing/analytics, future directions and research challenges

Abstract platforms of computation

Computational formalisms have been pushing the boundaries of the field of computing for the last 80 years and much debate has surrounded what computing entails; what it is, and what it is not. This paper seeks to explore the boundaries of the ideas of computation and provide a framework for enabling a constructive discussion of computational ideas. First, a review of computing is given, ranging from Turing Machines to interactive computing. Then, a variety of natural physical systems are considered for their computational qualities. From this exploration, a framework is presented under which all dynamical systems can be considered as instances of the class of abstract computational platforms. An abstract computational platform is defined by both its intrinsic dynamics and how it allows computation that is meaningful to an external agent through the configuration of constraints upon those dynamics. It is asserted that a platform’s computational expressiveness is directly related to the freedom with which constraints can be placed. Finally, the requirements for a formal constraint description language are considered and it is proposed that Abstract State Machines may provide a reasonable basis for such a language

Emotional experiences of cybersecurity breach victims

The present study investigated emotional reactions to cybersecurity breaches. Based on prior research, a context-specific instrument was developed. This new instrument covered all five emotion components identified by the componential emotion approach. In total, 145 participants that experienced a cybersecurity breach reported on their appraisals, action tendencies, bodily reactions, expressions, subjective feelings, and regulation attempts. A Principal Component Analysis on a total of 75 emotion reactions revealed a clear three-dimensional structure. The first dimension represented the extent to which the person was generally emotionally affected. The second dimension revealed constructive action tendencies and subjective feelings which were opposed to unconstructive action tendencies, expressions, and bodily reactions. The third dimension revealed cognitive motivational reactions which were opposed to affective reactions. The present study clearly indicated that cybersecurity breaches do not only form a challenge for engineers, but also have important psychological ramifications that need to be addressed. While some people have a tendency to react with constructive and proactive actions that are likely to limit the negative consequences of the cybersecurity breach, others experience a strong negative affective stress reaction and are unlikely to take the appropriate steps to deal with the security breach situation. These people, especially, can be expected to be vulnerable to psychological complaints and possibly psychopathology. The newly developed instrument uses a comprehensive approach to assess emotional reactions to cybersecurity threats and provides an efficient way to identify potentially problematic reactions

Directed motor-auditory EEG connectivity is modulated by music tempo

Beat perception is fundamental to how we experience music, and yet the mechanism behind this spontaneous building of the internal beat representation is largely unknown. Existing findings support links between the tempo (speed) of the beat and enhancement of electroencephalogram (EEG) activity at tempo-related frequencies, but there are no studies looking at how tempo may affect the underlying long-range interactions between EEG activity at different electrodes. The present study investigates these long-range interactions using EEG activity recorded from 21 volunteers listening to music stimuli played at 4 different tempi (50, 100, 150 and 200 beats per minute). The music stimuli consisted of piano excerpts designed to convey the emotion of “peacefulness”. Noise stimuli with an identical acoustic content to the music excerpts were also presented for comparison purposes. The brain activity interactions were characterized with the imaginary part of coherence (iCOH) in the frequency range 1.5–18 Hz (δ, θ, α and lower β) between all pairs of EEG electrodes for the four tempi and the music/noise conditions, as well as a baseline resting state (RS) condition obtained at the start of the experimental task. Our findings can be summarized as follows: (a) there was an ongoing long-range interaction in the RS engaging fronto-posterior areas; (b) this interaction was maintained in both music and noise, but its strength and directionality were modulated as a result of acoustic stimulation; (c) the topological patterns of iCOH were similar for music, noise and RS, however statistically significant differences in strength and direction of iCOH were identified; and (d) tempo had an effect on the direction and strength of motor-auditory interactions. Our findings are in line with existing literature and illustrate a part of the mechanism by which musical stimuli with different tempi can entrain changes in cortical activity

New journal for reproduction and replication results

International audienceNot only are replications studies "important", as explained in Nature 578, 489-490 (2020) [1], they also have a fundamental role for education. Students are typically involved in experiencing research first-hand. However, mirroring the world outside their curriculum, they also ambition to design novel experiments and hunt for significant, groundbreaking results, as their theoretical grasp and analytical skills are still developing. Reproductions (of methods) and replications (of results) [2], we posit, offer an opportunity to acquire a rounded experience of research, from pre-registration to publication, ultimately training better scientists. Perhaps more importantly, this exercise would show generations of scientists to come that it is okay to spend time learning by studying someone else's results. If most academic disciplines are now sensitive to issues of reproducibility, however, this has yet to translate into better structures: e.g. only about 3% of psychology journals state explicitly that they accept replications [3] and mistaking high-impact publications for measures of achievement plagues PhD training [4]. The successful incorporation of replication studies into daily routine, and embracing null results, require that this kind of work regains nobility, that incentive structures change, and scientists rediscover the joy of learning: learning for the sake of in-depth understanding and experiencing wonder. To host replication studies and null results, there exists a journal dedicated to the publication of computational replication (ReScience C) and a new journal for the publication of experimental reproduction and replication (ReScience X) will be launched during Summer 2020. These peer-reviewed outlets provide an ideal remit for high-quality student work, and an invaluable support to the foundation of scientific endeavor. Of course, in the best of all possible worlds, we would not need such initiatives; academic journals publishing a study would subsequently be responsible for publishing reproductions and replications of that study, the so-called Pottery Barn model