Whole-hand perceptual maps of joint location

Spatial selection of relevant information has been proposed to reflect an emergent feature of stimulus processing within an integrated network of perceptual areas. Stimulus-based and intention-based sources of information might converge in a common stage when spatial maps are generated. This approach appears to be inconsistent with the assumption of distinct mechanisms for stimulus-driven and top-down controlled attention. In two experiments, the common ground of stimulus-driven and intention-based attention was tested by means of event-related potentials (ERPs) in the human EEG. In both experiments, the processing of a single transient was compared to the selection of a physically comparable stimulus among distractors. While single transients evoked a spatially sensitive N1, the extraction of relevant information out of a more complex display was reflected in an N2pc. The high similarity of the spatial portion of these two components (Experiment 1), and the replication of this finding for the vertical axis (Experiment 2) indicate that these two ERP components might both reflect the spatial representation of relevant information as derived from the organization of perceptual maps, just at different points in time.

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Development of a Deep Neural Network Model for Estimating Joint Location of Occupant Indoor Activities for Providing Thermal Comfort

Energies ◽

10.3390/en14030696 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 14 (3) ◽

pp. 696

Author(s):

Eun Ji Choi ◽

Jin Woo Moon ◽

Ji-hoon Han ◽

Yongseok Yoo

Keyword(s):

Neural Network ◽

Thermal Comfort ◽

Deep Neural Network ◽

Mean Squared Error ◽

Thermal Environment ◽

The Body ◽

Estimation Accuracy ◽

Accurate Estimation ◽

Body Parts ◽

Joint Location

The type of occupant activities is a significantly important factor to determine indoor thermal comfort; thus, an accurate method to estimate occupant activity needs to be developed. The purpose of this study was to develop a deep neural network (DNN) model for estimating the joint location of diverse human activities, which will be used to provide a comfortable thermal environment. The DNN model was trained with images to estimate 14 joints of a person performing 10 common indoor activities. The DNN contained numerous shortcut connections for efficient training and had two stages of sequential and parallel layers for accurate joint localization. Estimation accuracy was quantified using the mean squared error (MSE) for the estimated joints and the percentage of correct parts (PCP) for the body parts. The results show that the joint MSEs for the head and neck were lowest, and the PCP was highest for the torso. The PCP for individual activities ranged from 0.71 to 0.92, while typing and standing in a relaxed manner were the activities with the highest PCP. Estimation accuracy was higher for relatively still activities and lower for activities involving wide-ranging arm or leg motion. This study thus highlights the potential for the accurate estimation of occupant indoor activities by proposing a novel DNN model. This approach holds significant promise for finding the actual type of occupant activities and for use in target indoor applications related to thermal comfort in buildings.

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Using perceptual maps to communicate concepts of Sustainable Forest Management – Collaborative research with the Office of the Wet'suwet'en Nation in British Columbia

The Forestry Chronicle ◽

10.5558/tfc81381-3 ◽

2005 ◽

Vol 81 (3) ◽

pp. 381-386

Author(s):

S. Denise Allen

Keyword(s):

British Columbia ◽

Forest Management ◽

Collaborative Research ◽

Sustainable Forest Management ◽

Software Tool ◽

Decision Makers ◽

North Central ◽

Criteria And Indicators ◽

Perceptual Maps ◽

Forest Resources Management

This article discusses collaborative research with the Office of the Wet'suwet'en Nation on their traditional territories in north-central British Columbia, Canada, a forest-dependent region where contemporary and traditional forest resources management regimes overlap. In-depth personal interviews with the hereditary chiefs and concept mapping were used to identify social-ecological linkages in Wet'suwet'en culture to inform the development of culturally sensitive social criteria and indicators of sustainable forest management (SFM) in this region. The preliminary results demonstrate how the CatPac II software tool can be applied to identify key component concepts and linkages in local definitions of SFM, and translate large volumes of (oral) qualitative data into manageable information resources for forest managers and decision-makers. Key words: social criteria and indicators, sustainable forest management, qualitative research, Wet'suwet'en

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Paired Comparisons or Sorting? Comparing Web-Based Methods for Collecting Similarity Data for Large Stimulus Sets for Destination Image Positioning

Journal of Travel Research ◽

10.1177/0047287516646220 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 56 (4) ◽

pp. 482-495

Author(s):

Ilona Pezenka

Keyword(s):

Data Collection ◽

Rating Scale ◽

Destination Image ◽

Alternative Methods ◽

Paired Comparisons ◽

Large Stimulus ◽

Web Based ◽

Perceptual Maps ◽

Perceived Difficulty ◽

Collection Methods

Destination image is among the most studied constructs in tourism research. Many researchers are still convinced that the rating scale method is the most accurate for assessing destination image. This study presents alternative methods of data collection, namely, free-sorting and reduced paired comparisons, and investigates their applicability in a Web-based environment. The study then subjects these data collection methods to empirical analysis and compares the judgment task’s effects on perceived difficulty, fatigue, and boredom, on data quality, and on perceptual maps derived with MDS. The findings demonstrate that these methods are more accurate whenever a large number of objects have to be judged, which is particularly the case for positioning and competitiveness studies.

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