Automating the detection of breaks in continuous user experience with computer games

This paper describes an approach towards automating the identification of design problems with three-dimensional mediated or gaming environments through the capture and query of user-player behavior represented as a data schema that we have termed “immersidata”. Analysis of data from a study of an educational computer game that we are developing shows that this approach is an effective way to pinpoint potential usability or design problems occurring in unfolding situational and episodic events that can interrupt or break user experience. As well as informing redesign, a key advantage of this cost-effective approach is that it considerably reduces the time evaluators spend analyzing hours of videoed study material. Categories & Subject Descriptors

Screen Time Weight-loss Intervention Targeting Children at Home (SWITCH): process evaluation of a randomised controlled trial intervention

Abstract Background The Screen Time Weight-loss Intervention Targeting Children at Home (SWITCH) trial tested a family intervention to reduce screen-based sedentary behaviour in overweight children. The trial found no significant effect of the intervention on children’s screen-based sedentary behaviour. To explore these null findings, we conducted a pre-planned process evaluation, focussing on intervention delivery and uptake. Methods SWITCH was a randomised controlled trial of a 6-month family intervention to reduce screen time in overweight children aged 9–12 years (n = 251). Community workers met with each child’s primary caregiver to deliver the intervention content. Community workers underwent standard training and were monitored once by a member of the research team to assess intervention delivery. The primary caregiver implemented the intervention with their child, and self-reported intervention use at 3 and 6 months. An exploratory analysis determined whether child outcomes at 6 months varied by primary caregiver use of the intervention. Results Monitoring indicated that community workers delivered all core intervention components to primary caregivers. However, two thirds of primary caregivers reported using any intervention component “sometimes” or less frequently at both time points, suggesting that intervention uptake was poor. Additionally, analyses indicated no effect of primary caregiver intervention use on child outcomes at 6 months, suggesting the intervention itself lacked efficacy. Conclusions Poor uptake, and the efficacy of the intervention itself, may have played a role in the null findings of the SWITCH trial on health behaviour and body composition. Trial registration The trial was registered in the Australian and New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry (no. ACTRN12611000164998 ); registration date: 10/02/2011

Screen Time Weight-loss Intervention Targeting Children at Home (SWITCH): process evaluation of a randomised controlled trial intervention

Abstract Background The Screen Time Weight-loss Intervention Targeting Children at Home (SWITCH) trial tested a family intervention to reduce screen-based sedentary behaviour in overweight children. The trial found no significant effect of the intervention on children’s screen-based sedentary behaviour. To explore these null findings, we conducted a pre-planned process evaluation, focussing on intervention delivery and uptake. Methods SWITCH was a randomised controlled trial of a 6-month family intervention to reduce screen time in overweight children aged 9–12 years (n = 251). Community workers met with each child’s primary caregiver to deliver the intervention content. Community workers underwent standard training and were monitored once by a member of the research team to assess intervention delivery. The primary caregiver implemented the intervention with their child, and self-reported intervention use at 3 and 6 months. An exploratory analysis determined whether child outcomes at 6 months varied by primary caregiver use of the intervention. Results Monitoring indicated that community workers delivered all core intervention components to primary caregivers. However, two thirds of primary caregivers reported using any intervention component “sometimes” or less frequently at both time points, suggesting that intervention uptake was poor. Additionally, analyses indicated no effect of primary caregiver intervention use on child outcomes at 6 months, suggesting the intervention itself lacked efficacy. Conclusions Poor uptake, and the efficacy of the intervention itself, may have played a role in the null findings of the SWITCH trial on health behaviour and body composition. Trial registration The trial was registered in the Australian and New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry (no. ACTRN12611000164998 ); registration date: 10/02/2011

Damage to the Superficial Peroneal Nerve in Operative Treatment of Fibula Fractures: Straight to the Bone? Case Report and Review of the Literature

Ankle fractures are a significant part of the lower extremity trauma seen in the emergency department. Neurologic complications of ankle fracture surgery are infrequently described but account for significant morbidity. The risk of nerve injury is increased for the Blair and Botte type B pattern of the intermediate cutaneous dorsal nerve branch, crossing the distal fibula from posterior to anterior (at 5 to 7 cm from malleolar tip). This pattern is present in about 10% to 15% of patients. Injuries to the superficial peroneal nerve and its branches negatively influence the outcome. Early recognition and protection might reduce the incidence of superficial peroneal nerve injuries during open reduction and internal fixation of lateral malleolus fractures. We describe 2 surgically treated ankle fractures with superficial peroneal nerve branch (intermediate cutaneous dorsal nerve) involvement and review the current literature

Center for Interdisciplinary Remotely-Piloted Aircraft Studies (CIRPAS)

A remotely piloted aircraft research facility is described that will provide new capabilities for atmospheric and oceanographic measurements. The aircraft can fly up to 24 h over remote ocean regions, at low or high altitude, and in various other challenging mission scenarios. The aircraft will fly research missions at speeds of 40 m s^(−1) and provide high spatial resolution measurements. Data will be transmitted in real time to a ground station for analysis and decision-making purposes. The facility will expand the opportunities for universities to participate in field measurement programs

Weight loss referrals for adults in primary care (WRAP): protocol for a multi-centre randomised controlled trial comparing the clinical and cost-effectiveness of primary care referral to a commercial weight loss provider for 12 weeks, referral for 52 weeks, and a brief self-help intervention [ISRCTN82857232]

Background: Recent trials demonstrate the acceptability and short term efficacy of primary care referral to a commercial weight loss provider for weight management. Commissioners now need information on the optimal duration of intervention and the longer term outcomes and cost effectiveness of such treatment to give best value for money. Methods/Design. This multicentre, randomised controlled trial with a parallel design will recruit 1200 overweight adults (BMI ≥28 kg/m2) through their primary care provider. They will be randomised in a 2:5:5 allocation to: Brief Intervention, Commercial Programme for 12 weeks, or Commercial Programme for 52 weeks. Participants will be followed up for two years, with assessments at 0, 3, 12 and 24 months. The sequential primary research questions are whether the CP interventions achieve significantly greater weight loss from baseline to 12 months than BI, and whether CP52 achieves significantly greater weight loss from baseline to 12 months than CP12. The primary outcomes will be an intention to treat analysis of between treatment differences in body weight at 12 months. Clinical effectiveness will be also be assessed by measures of weight, fat mass, and blood pressure at each time point and biochemical risk factors at 12 months. Self-report questionnaires will collect data on psychosocial factors associated with adherence, weight-loss and weight-loss maintenance. A within-trial and long-term cost-effectiveness analysis will be conducted from an NHS perspective. Qualitative methods will be used to examine the participant experience. Discussion. The current trial compares the clinical and cost effectiveness of referral to a commercial provider with a brief intervention. This trial will specifically examine whether providing longer weight-loss treatment without altering content or intensity (12 months commercial referral vs. 12 weeks) leads to greater weight loss at one year and is sustained at 2 years. It will also evaluate the relative cost-effectiveness of the three interventions. This study has direct implications for primary care practice in the UK and will provide important information to inform the decisions of practitioners and commissioners about service provision

False memory guided eye movements::insights from a DRM-Saccade paradigm

The Deese-Roediger and McDermott (DRM) paradigm and visually guided saccade tasks are both prominent research tools in their own right. This study introduces a novel DRM-Saccade paradigm, merging both methodologies. We used rule-based saccadic eye movements whereby participants were presented with items at test and were asked to make a saccade to the left or right of the item to denote a recognition or non-recognition decision. We measured old/new recognition decisions and saccadic latencies. Experiment 1 used a pro/anti saccade task to a single target. We found slower saccadic latencies for correct rejection of critical lures, but no latency difference between correct recognition of studied items and false recognition of critical lures. Experiment 2 used a two-target saccade task and also measured corrective saccades. Findings corroborated those from Experiment 1. Participants adjusted their initial decisions to increase accurate recognition of studied items and rejection of unrelated lures but there were no such corrections for critical lures. We argue that rapid saccades indicate cognitive processing driven by familiarity thresholds. These occur before slower source-monitoring is able to process any conflict. The DRM-saccade task could effectively track real-time cognitive resource use during recognition decisions

The Astropy Problem

The Astropy Project (http://astropy.org) is, in its own words, "a community effort to develop a single core package for Astronomy in Python and foster interoperability between Python astronomy packages." For five years this project has been managed, written, and operated as a grassroots, self-organized, almost entirely volunteer effort while the software is used by the majority of the astronomical community. Despite this, the project has always been and remains to this day effectively unfunded. Further, contributors receive little or no formal recognition for creating and supporting what is now critical software. This paper explores the problem in detail, outlines possible solutions to correct this, and presents a few suggestions on how to address the sustainability of general purpose astronomical software

Dwarf galaxies imply dark matter is heavier than 2.2×10−21 eV\mathbf{2.2 \times 10^{-21}} \, \mathbf{eV}

Folk wisdom dictates that a lower bound on the dark matter particle mass, $m$, can be obtained by demanding that the de Broglie wavelength in a given galaxy must be smaller than the virial radius of the galaxy, leading to $m\gtrsim 10^{-22}\text{ eV}$ when applied to typical dwarf galaxies. This lower limit has never been derived precisely or rigorously. We use stellar kinematical data for the Milky Way satellite galaxy Leo II to self-consistently reconstruct a statistical ensemble of dark matter wavefunctions and corresponding density profiles. By comparison to a data-driven, model-independent reconstruction, and using a variant of the maximum mean discrepancy as a statistical measure, we determine that a self-consistent description of dark matter in the local Universe requires $m>2.2 \times 10^{-21}\,\mathrm{eV}\;\mathrm{(CL>95\%)}$. This lower limit is free of any assumptions pertaining to cosmology, microphysics (including spin), or dynamics of dark matter, and only assumes that it is predominantly composed of a single bosonic particle species.Comment: 5 pages, 3 figures. The jaxsp library is available at https://github.com/timzimm/jaxs