Different Methods to Detect Stress in Knowledge Workers: A Pilot Study for Long-term Monitoring.

Stress is a common part of working life, but knowledge is lacking on how to identify it early and with little effort on the part of the employee. We investigated whether simple stress reports and computer usage data could be useful tools for long-term assessment of stress in real life. 38 experts responded to a baseline questionnaire on need for recovery (NFR) and psychological distress (General Health Questionnaire, GHQ12).

Effects of overnight military training and acute battle stress on the cognitive performance of soldiers in simulated urban combat.

Understanding the effect of stress, fatigue, and sleep deprivation on the ability to maintain an alert and attentive state in an ecologically valid setting is of importance as lapsing attention can, in many safety-critical professions, have devastating consequences. Here we studied the effect of close-quarters battle (CQ battle) exercise combined with overnight military training with sleep deprivation on cognitive performance, namely sustained attention and response inhibition. In addition, the effect of the CQ battle and overnight training on cardiac activity [heart rate and root mean square of the successive differences (RMSSD)] during the cognitive testing and the relationship between cardiac activity and cognitive performance were examined.

Annoyance, perception, and physiological effects of wind turbine infrasound.

Even though some individuals subjectively associate various symptoms with infrasound, there are very few systematic studies on the contribution of infrasound to the perception, annoyance, and physiological reactions elicited by wind turbine sound. In this study, sound samples were selected among long-term measurement data from wind power plant and residential areas, both indoors and outdoors, and used in laboratory experiments. In the experiments, the detectability and annoyance of both inaudible and audible characteristics of wind turbine noise were determined, as well as autonomic nervous system responses: heart rate, heart rate variability, and skin conductance response.

Implementing and evaluating novel safety training methods for construction sector workers: Results of a randomized controlled trial.

Introduction: The construction industry is regarded as one of the most unsafe occupational fields worldwide. Despite general agreement that safety training is an important factor in preventing accidents in the construction sector, more studies are needed to identify effective training methods. To address the current research gap, this study evaluated the impact of novel, participatory safety training methods on construction workers' safety competencies.

Evaluation of the efficacy of a virtual reality-based safety training and human factors training method: study protocol for a randomised-controlled trial.

Background: The construction industry has a high risk of occupational accidents and injuries. More randomised controlled trials are needed to identify effective techniques for improving the occupational safety of construction sector workers. New technologies such as virtual reality (VR) offer the potential to develop engaging learning tools for safety training.

Probabilistic Approach to Robust Wearable Gaze Tracking.

This paper presents a method for computing the gaze point using camera data captured with a wearable gaze tracking device. The method utilizes a physical model of the human eye, advanced Bayesian computer vision algorithms, and Kalman filtering, resulting in high accuracy and low noise. Our C++ implementation can process camera streams with 30 frames per second in realtime.

Forest, Trees, Dynamics: Results from a Novel Wisconsin Card Sorting Test Variant Protocol for Studying Global-Local Attention and Complex Cognitive Processes.

Background: Recognition of objects and their context relies heavily on the integrated functioning of global and local visual processing. In a realistic setting such as work, this processing becomes a sustained activity, implying a consequent interaction with executive functions.

Motivation: There have been many studies of either global-local attention or executive functions; however it is relatively novel to combine these processes to study a more ecological form of attention.

Feasibility of an electrodermal activity ring prototype as a research tool.

Electrodermal activity is an indicator of sympathetic activation and a useful tool for investigating psychological and physiological arousal. Novel wearable skin conductivity sensors offer portable low-cost solutions for long-term monitoring. In this article we compare the similarity of signals between a prototype of the wearable Moodmetric EDA Ring and a laboratory-grade skin conductance sensor in a psychophysiological experiment.

A novel approach to sports concussion assessment: Computerized multilimb reaction times and balance control testing.

Introduction: Mild traumatic brain injuries (MTBI) or concussions often result in problems with attention, executive functions, and motor control. For better identification of these diverse problems, novel approaches integrating tests of cognitive and motor functioning are needed. The aim was to characterize minor changes in motor and cognitive performance after sports-related concussions with a novel test battery, including balance tests and a computerized multilimb reaction time test.

Algorithm for automatic analysis of electro-oculographic data.

Background: Large amounts of electro-oculographic (EOG) data, recorded during electroencephalographic (EEG) measurements, go underutilized. We present an automatic, auto-calibrating algorithm that allows efficient analysis of such data sets.

Methods: The auto-calibration is based on automatic threshold value estimation.

Estimating brain load from the EEG.

Modern work requires cognitively demanding multitasking and the need for sustained vigilance, which may result in work-related stress and may increase the possibility of human error. Objective methods for estimating cognitive overload and mental fatigue of the brain on-line, during work performance, are needed. We present a two-channel electroencephalography (EEG)-based index, theta Fz/alpha Pz ratio, potentially implementable into a compact wearable device.

A system for tracking gaze on handheld devices.

Many of the current gaze-tracking systems require that a subject's head be stabilized and that the interface be fixed to a table. This article describes a prototype system for tracking gaze on the screen of mobile, handheld devices. The proposed system frees the user and the interface from previous constraints, allowing natural freedom of movement within the operational envelope of the system.