A Spelling Paradigm With an Added Red Dot Improved the P300 Speller System Performance

The traditional P300 speller system uses the flashing row or column spelling paradigm. However, the classification accuracy and information transfer rate of the P300 speller are not adequate for real-world application. To improve the performance of the P300 speller, we devised a new spelling paradigm in which the flashing row or column of a virtual character matrix is covered by a translucent green circle with a red dot in either the upper or lower half (GC-RD spelling paradigm). We compared the event-related potential (ERP) waveforms with a control paradigm (GC spelling paradigm), in which the flashing row or column of a virtual character matrix was covered by a translucent green circle only. Our experimental results showed that the amplitude of P3a at the parietal area and P3b at the frontal–central–parietal areas evoked by the GC-RD paradigm were significantly greater than those induced by the GC paradigm. Higher classification accuracy and information transmission rates were also obtained in the GC-RD system. Our results indicated that the added red dots increased attention and visuospatial information, resulting in an amplitude increase in both P3a and P3b, thereby improving the performance of the P300 speller system.

The Color Nutrition Information Paradox: Effects of Suggested Sugar Content on Food Cue Reactivity in Healthy Young Women

Color nutrition information (CNI) based on a traffic light system conveys information about food quality with a glance. The color red typically indicates detrimental food characteristics (e.g., very high sugar content) and aims at inhibiting food shopping and consumption. Red may, however, also elicit cross-modal associations with sweet taste, which is a preferable food characteristic. We conducted two experiments. An eye-tracking study investigated whether CNI has an effect on cue reactivity (dwell time, saccadic latency, wanting/liking) for sweet foods. The participants were presented with images depicting sweets (e.g., cake). Each image was preceded by a colored circle that informed about the sugar content of the food (red = high, green = low, gray = unknown). It was tested whether the red circle would help the participants to direct their gaze away from the ‘high sugar’ item. A second experiment investigated whether colored prime circles (red, green, gray) without nutrition information would influence the assumed sweetness of a food. In Experiment 1, CNI had the opposite of the intended effect. Dwell time and saccadic latency were higher for food items preceded by a red compared to a green circle. This unintended response was positively associated with participants’ liking of sweet foods. CNI did not change the wanting/liking of the displayed foods. In Experiment 2, we found no evidence for color priming on the assumed sweetness of food. Our results question whether CNI is helpful to influence initial cue reactivity toward sweet foods.

Efek Penggunaan Produk Perawatan Gigi Dan Mulut Yang Dijual Bebas (Otc) Pada Mukosa Oral

Over-the-Counter (OTC) drug is a drug which is sold freely in the market and can be purchased without a prescription. Special markings on the packaging and etiquette of OTC drug is a green circle with a black edge. Over-TheCounter (OTC) Dental Care Products are dental care products sold directly to consumer without a prescription from the dentist. Nowadays, there has been a significant increase in the number of OTC products in the market for oral health such as mouth washes, breath fresheners, tooth whitening, tooth paste, denture cleaners etc. To find out the effect of inappropriate use of OTC dental care products on the oral mucosa. Many OTC dental products are freely sold, make easier for people to obtain the desired products without visiting the dentist. Besides those advantage, they may also cause undesirable effects due to the inappropriate use and indications which could actually risk the oral health of patients. Side effects that may occur in the oral cavity including altered taste, tooth staining, burning sensation, gingival irritation, desquamation, erosion, numbness and dryness of the oral mucosa. Discontinuing the use of these products usually will recover the oral mucosa conditions. The inappropriate use and indications of OTC dental care products could cause unwanted side effects.

Effect of transfer of implicit knowledge of artificial grammar under sensorimotor activity

The article is addressed on research aimed to discover effect of transfer of implicit knowledge of artificial grammar on sensorimotor tasks solving. Meaning of implicit knowledge in actual cognitive activity has been considered. 40 volunteers took part in experiment, ages 18 to 43 years. Participants of experiment implicit learned the rule of artificial grammar. The task of control phase was to solve the sensorimotor task — to react by pressing of certain key under appearance of green or yellow circle. In experimental group, always before presentation of green circle a grammatical sequence appeared, before presentation of yellow circle — ungrammatical. In control group, color of circle was not dependent on grammatically of sequence. The results have shown that significant reduction of reaction time was discovered in experimental group. Thus, transfer of implicitly learned knowledge of artificial grammar leads to increase of effectiveness of sensorimotor activity. Implicit knowledge acquired meaning prim-stimulation.

Investigation of Alternative Bicycle Pavement Markings with the Use of a Bicycle Simulator

The past decade has seen increased public interest in sustainable transportation modes in the United States. However, there is a relative lack of guidance regarding standards and specifications for bicycle facilities compared with the highway mode. This project sought to address this deficiency through the investigation of alternative pavement markings for bicycle wayfinding and proper bicycle placement at signalized intersections as part of the federal Nonmotorized Transportation Pilot Program in Columbia, Missouri. This evaluation was accomplished with a bicycle simulator study and postsimulator survey with 27 participants. A network of 37 intersections with characteristics similar to intersections in Columbia was created with the ZouSim simulator. The survey included questions regarding bicycling habits and preferences for the alternative markings. For wayfinding, two alternative types of pavement markings and the signage recommended by the Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices (MUTCD) were evaluated. Both the survey and the simulator results indicated that the Type 2 wayfinding markings with a green circle performed better with respect to visibility and delineating the bicycle route. The bicycle placement portion of the study investigated three alternative types of markings as well as the MUTCD markings and signage to help riders position their bicycle at the correct location to receive a green signal. The bicycle placement results indicated that the Type 1 and Type 2 experimental detector markings resulted in the fewest number of missed detections, while the Type 1 marking was the preferred alternative of the survey participants.

Understanding Consumers and Green Product Purchase Decision in Malaysia: A Structural Equation Modeling - Partial Least Square (SEM-PLS) Approach

The purpose of this paper is to explore the consumers’ decision to purchase green products in Malaysia. Self-administered questionnaires were conducted to obtain meaningful data from 230 consumers at major shopping malls in Melaka, Malaysia from September 2015 until February 2016. Based on the analysis of SEM-PLS, the proposed model explained 92 percent of the variance of green product purchase decision. The results have shown positive significant effects between green awareness, green commitment, green companies and green product purchase decision. However, green experience and green circle produced insignificant results. Generally, the results from this study confirmed that the proposed model concisely explained the consumers’ decision to purchase green products in Malaysia. This study adds another literature to the area of green marketing. The model combined the past consumer behavioural theories and models to identify the key factors that stimulate the consumers’ purchase behaviour. Findings from this study have strong implications to both individual and marketing managers. It brings into light the perception of Malaysian consumers about green products and readiness to accept green products as their future way of life.

Effects of Automation Failure in a Luggage Screening Task: A Comparison between Direct and Indirect Cueing

The present study investigated the use of two automated aids of different reliabilities in a luggage screening task. A Direct Cue consisting of a green circle around a potential target directs attention to a specific part of the luggage image, while an Indirect Cue, consisting of a green border around an image determined to have a target, does not. Direct Cues offer an advantage in visual inspection tasks because they guide attention to specific areas of the visual image but this can also cause attentional tunneling. Furthermore, the reliance on automation may negatively impact manual performance after the aid is removed or is no longer available. Thus, two issues were investigated in the current study: (1) how do failures in Direct and Indirect Cues affect reliance and (2) how does a complete failure affect performance after operators had the use of an automated aid? Results suggest that reliance patterns were more optimal with the Direct Cue than with the Indirect Cue and performance with a more reliable Indirect Cue was not much better than a less reliable one. The results also suggest that manual performance, when the aid was removed, was better for participants who had used the automated aids compared to control participants who did not have any use of the aid previously. The advantage of previously aided performance on subsequent manual performance was greatest for those who had used the more reliable Direct Cue. Explanations and implications are discussed.