Computerized short-term memory treatment for older adults with aphasia

We report on a software prototype designed to deliver a novel term memory treatment for older adults with aphasia. We conducted a review of the prototype with 14 speech and language therapists, to elicit feedback on the potential usefulness of the ultimate application and, particularly, the prototype in terms of its main design features and use by older adults with aphasia. The clinicians’ feedback highlights a number of design considerations relating to the usability, training methods, and appeal of treatment software, which can help engage patients more fully in computerized treatments and improve treatment outcomes.

A grounded investigation of Chinese employees' psychological capital

Purpose – This paper explores the “Western” concept of psychological capital in the People's Republic of China (PRC) and highlights critical areas of divergence and notable dimensions of similarity. Design/methodology/approach – This is an empirical study conducted in a wide range of Chinese organisational forms, employing an inductive approach based on critical incident technique. Findings – This research showed that the concept of psychological capital appears to have a degree of applicability and salience in China. A series of dimensions common in Western organisations were found in our research, including Optimism, Creativity, Resiliency, Self-confidence, Forgiveness and Gratitude, Courage and Ambition (Hope). These were found to be common types of psychological capital both in China and in the West. However, the dimensions of Courtesy and Humility (Qian-gong-you-li in Chinese), Self-possession and Sincerity fell into the “different” category. Originality/value – This paper is a first attempt to examine psychological capital in a range of organisational forms and industrial sectors in China using a grounded theory approach. It not only reports various dimensions of Chinese psychological capital, some unique to this research, but also compares and contrasts these dimensions between China and the West, highlighting further research opportunities.

Smart-phone based electrocardiogram wavelet decomposition and neural network classification

This paper discusses ECG classification after parametrizing the ECG waveforms in the wavelet domain. The aim of the work is to develop an accurate classification algorithm that can be used to diagnose cardiac beat abnormalities detected using a mobile platform such as smart-phones. Continuous time recurrent neural network classifiers are considered for this task. Records from the European ST-T Database are decomposed in the wavelet domain using discrete wavelet transform (DWT) filter banks and the resulting DWT coefficients are filtered and used as inputs for training the neural network classifier. Advantages of the proposed methodology are the reduced memory requirement for the signals which is of relevance to mobile applications as well as an improvement in the ability of the neural network in its generalization ability due to the more parsimonious representation of the signal to its inputs.

On the application of optimal wavelet filter banks for ECG signal classification

This paper discusses ECG signal classification after parametrizing the ECG waveforms in the wavelet domain. Signal decomposition using perfect reconstruction quadrature mirror filter banks can provide a very parsimonious representation of ECG signals. In the current work, the filter parameters are adjusted by a numerical optimization algorithm in order to minimize a cost function associated to the filter cut-off sharpness. The goal consists of achieving a better compromise between frequency selectivity and time resolution at each decomposition level than standard orthogonal filter banks such as those of the Daubechies and Coiflet families. Our aim is to optimally decompose the signals in the wavelet domain so that they can be subsequently used as inputs for training to a neural network classifier.

TESSA - Toolkit for experimentation with multimodal sensory substitution and augmentation

TESSA is a toolkit for experimenting with sensory augmentation. It includes hardware and software to facilitate rapid prototyping of interfaces that can enhance one sense using information gathered from another sense. The toolkit contains a range of sensors (e.g. ultrasonics, temperature sensors) and actuators (e.g. tactors or stereo sound), designed modularly so that inputs and outputs can be easily swapped in and out and customized using TESSA’s graphical user interface (GUI), with “real time” feedback. The system runs on a Raspberry Pi with a built-in touchscreen, providing a compact and portable form that is amenable for field trials. At CHI Interactivity, the audience will have the opportunity to experience sensory augmentation effects using this system, and design their own sensory augmentation interfaces.

Interactive sensory objects for and by people with learning disabilities

This project engages people with learning disabilities as co-researchers and co-designers in the development of multisensory interactive artworks, with the aim of making museums or heritage sites more interesting, meaningful, and fun. This article describes our explorations, within this context, of a range of technologies including squishy circuits, littleBits, and easy-build websites, and presents examples of objects created by the co-researchers such as “sensory boxes” and interactive buckets, baskets, and boots. Public engagement is an important part of the project and includes an annual public event and seminar day, a blog rich with photos and videos of the workshops, and an activities book to give people ideas for creating their own sensory explorations of museums and heritage sites.

littleBits go LARGE: making electronics more accessible to people with learning disabilities

The “littleBits go LARGE" project extends littleBits electronic modules, an existing product that is aimed at simplifying electronics for a wide range of audiences. In this project we augment the littleBits modules to make them more accessible to people with learning disabilities. We will demonstrate how we have made the modules easier to handle and manipulate physically, and how we are augmenting the design of the modules to make their functions more obvious and understandable.

Leveraging everyday technology for people living with dementia: a case study

– The purpose of this paper is to present the self-described “journey” of a person with dementia (Brian; author 3) in his re-learning of old technologies and learning of new ones and the impact this had on his life. Design/methodology/approach – This is a single case study detailing the participant's experiences collaborating with a researcher to co-create methods of facilitating this learning process, which he documented in the form of an online blog and diary entries. These were analysed using NVivo to reveal the key themes. Findings – Brian was able to relearn previously used technologies and learn two new ones. This lead to an overarching theme of positive outlook on life supported by person-centredness, identity and technology, which challenged negative perceptions about dementia. Research limitations/implications – The paper provides an example of how learning and technology improved the life of one person with dementia. By sharing the approach the authors hope to encourage others to embrace the challenge of designing and developing innovative solutions for people with a dementia diagnosis by leveraging both current mainstream technology and creating novel bespoke interventions for dementia. Originality/value – The personal perspective of a person with dementia and his experiences of (re-) learning provide a unique insight into the impact of technology on his life.

The validation of a computer-based food record for older adults: the Novel Assessment of Nutrition and Ageing (NANA) method

Dietary assessment in older adults can be challenging. The Novel Assessment of Nutrition and Ageing (NANA) method is a touch-screen computer-based food record that enables older adults to record their dietary intakes. The objective of the present study was to assess the relative validity of the NANA method for dietary assessment in older adults. For this purpose, three studies were conducted in which a total of ninety-four older adults (aged 65–89 years) used the NANA method of dietary assessment. On a separate occasion, participants completed a 4 d estimated food diary. Blood and 24 h urine samples were also collected from seventy-six of the volunteers for the analysis of biomarkers of nutrient intake. The results from all the three studies were combined, and nutrient intake data collected using the NANA method were compared against the 4 d estimated food diary and biomarkers of nutrient intake. Bland–Altman analysis showed a reasonable agreement between the dietary assessment methods for energy and macronutrient intake; however, there were small, but significant, differences for energy and protein intake, reflecting the tendency for the NANA method to record marginally lower energy intakes. Significant positive correlations were observed between urinary urea and dietary protein intake using both the NANA and the 4 d estimated food diary methods, and between plasma ascorbic acid and dietary vitamin C intake using the NANA method. The results demonstrate the feasibility of computer-based dietary assessment in older adults, and suggest that the NANA method is comparable to the 4 d estimated food diary, and could be used as an alternative to the food diary for the short-term assessment of an individual’s dietary intake.

Validation of the NANA (Novel Assessment of Nutrition and Ageing) touch screen system for use at home by older adults

Prospective measurement of nutrition, cognition, and physical activity in later life would facilitate early detection of detrimental change and early intervention but is hard to achieve in community settings. Technology can simplify the task and facilitate daily data collection. The Novel Assessment of Nutrition and Ageing (NANA) toolkit was developed to provide a holistic picture of an individual's function including diet, cognition and activity levels. This study aimed to validate the NANA toolkit for data collection in the community. Forty participants aged 65 years and over trialled the NANA toolkit in their homes for three 7-day periods at four-week intervals. Data collected using the NANA toolkit were compared with standard measures of diet (four-day food diary), cognitive ability (processing speed) and physical activity (self-report). Bland–Altman analysis of dietary intake (energy, carbohydrates, protein fat) found a good relationship with the food diary and cognitive processing speed and physical activity (hours) were significantly correlated with their standard counterparts. The NANA toolkit enables daily reporting of data that would otherwise be collected sporadically while reducing demands on participants; older adults can complete the daily reporting at home without a researcher being present; and it enables prospective investigation of several domains at once

Using virtual environments for trigger identification in addiction treatment

This paper presents a novel application of virtual environments to assist in encouraging behavior change in individuals who misuse drugs or alcohol. We describe the user-centered design of a series of scenes to engage users in the identification of triggers and to encourage discussions about relevant coping skills. Results from the initial testing of this application with six service users showed variation in user responses. Results also suggested that the system should encourage group discussion and that it was linked to a small improvement in users’ confidence in understanding and identifying triggers.

Investigating music tempo as a feedback mechanism for closed-loop BCI control

The feedback mechanism used in a brain-computer interface (BCI) forms an integral part of the closed-loop learning process required for successful operation of a BCI. However, ultimate success of the BCI may be dependent upon the modality of the feedback used. This study explores the use of music tempo as a feedback mechanism in BCI and compares it to the more commonly used visual feedback mechanism. Three different feedback modalities are compared for a kinaesthetic motor imagery BCI: visual, auditory via music tempo, and a combined visual and auditory feedback modality. Visual feedback is provided via the position, on the y-axis, of a moving ball. In the music feedback condition, the tempo of a piece of continuously generated music is dynamically adjusted via a novel music-generation method. All the feedback mechanisms allowed users to learn to control the BCI. However, users were not able to maintain as stable control with the music tempo feedback condition as they could in the visual feedback and combined conditions. Additionally, the combined condition exhibited significantly less inter-user variability, suggesting that multi-modal feedback may lead to more robust results. Finally, common spatial patterns are used to identify participant-specific spatial filters for each of the feedback modalities. The mean optimal spatial filter obtained for the music feedback condition is observed to be more diffuse and weaker than the mean spatial filters obtained for the visual and combined feedback conditions.

Automated identification of neural correlates of continuous variables

Background: The electroencephalogram (EEG) may be described by a large number of different feature types and automated feature selection methods are needed in order to reliably identify features which correlate with continuous independent variables. New method: A method is presented for the automated identification of features that differentiate two or more groups inneurologicaldatasets basedupona spectraldecompositionofthe feature set. Furthermore, the method is able to identify features that relate to continuous independent variables. Results: The proposed method is first evaluated on synthetic EEG datasets and observed to reliably identify the correct features. The method is then applied to EEG recorded during a music listening task and is observed to automatically identify neural correlates of music tempo changes similar to neural correlates identified in a previous study. Finally,the method is applied to identify neural correlates of music-induced affective states. The identified neural correlates reside primarily over the frontal cortex and are consistent with widely reported neural correlates of emotions. Comparison with existing methods: The proposed method is compared to the state-of-the-art methods of canonical correlation analysis and common spatial patterns, in order to identify features differentiating synthetic event-related potentials of different amplitudes and is observed to exhibit greater performance as the number of unique groups in the dataset increases. Conclusions: The proposed method is able to identify neural correlates of continuous variables in EEG datasets and is shown to outperform canonical correlation analysis and common spatial patterns.

Neural correlates of emotional responses to music: an EEG study

This paper presents an EEG study into the neural correlates of music-induced emotions. We presented participants with a large dataset containing musical pieces in different styles, and asked them to report on their induced emotional responses. We found neural correlates of music-induced emotion in a number of frequencies over the pre-frontal cortex. Additionally, we found a set of patterns of functional connectivity, defined by inter-channel coherence measures,to be significantly different between groups of music-induced emotional responses.

Low complexity equalization of HCM systems with DPFFT demodulation over doubly-selective channels

To mitigate the inter-carrier interference (ICI) of doubly-selective (DS) fading channels, we consider a hybrid carrier modulation (HCM) system employing the discrete partial fast Fourier transform (DPFFT) demodulation and the banded minimum mean square error (MMSE) equalization in this letter. We first provide the discrete form of partial FFT demodulation, then apply the banded MMSE equalization to suppress the residual interference at the receiver. The proposed algorithm has been demonstrated, via numerical simulations, to be its superior over the single carrier modulation (SCM) system and circularly prefixed orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) system over a typical DS channel. Moreover, it represents a good trade-off between computational complexity and performance.