scholarly journals WiStress

Author(s):  
Unsoo Ha ◽  
Sohrab Madani ◽  
Fadel Adib

Stress plays a critical role in our lives, impacting our productivity and our long-term physiological and psychological well-being. This has motivated the development of stress monitoring solutions to better understand stress, its impact on productivity and teamwork, and help users adapt their habits toward more sustainable stress levels. However, today's stress monitoring solutions remain obtrusive, requiring active user participation (e.g., self-reporting), interfering with people's daily activities, and often adding more burden to users looking to reduce their stress. In this paper, we introduce WiStress, the first system that can passively monitor a user's stress levels by relying on wireless signals. WiStress does not require users to actively provide input or to wear any devices on their bodies. It operates by transmitting ultra-low-power wireless signals and measuring their reflections off the user's body. WiStress introduces two key innovations. First, it presents the first machine learning network that can accurately and robustly extract heartbeat intervals (IBI's) from wireless reflections without constraints on a user's daily activities. Second, it introduces a stress classification framework that combines the extracted heartbeats with other wirelessly captured stress-related features in order to infer a subject's stress level. We built a prototype of WiStress and tested it on 22 different subjects across different environments in both stress-induced and free-living conditions. Our results demonstrate that WiStress has high accuracy (84%-95%) in inferring a person's stress level in a fully-automated way, paving the way for ubiquitous sensing systems that can monitor stress and provide feedback to improve productivity, health, and well-being.

Healthcare ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 8 (2) ◽  
pp. 100 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yekta Said Can ◽  
Heather Iles-Smith ◽  
Niaz Chalabianloo ◽  
Deniz Ekiz ◽  
Javier Fernández-Álvarez ◽  
...  

Stress is an inescapable element of the modern age. Instances of untreated stress may lead to a reduction in the individual’s health, well-being and socio-economic situation. Stress management application development for wearable smart devices is a growing market. The use of wearable smart devices and biofeedback for individualized real-life stress reduction interventions has received less attention. By using our unobtrusive automatic stress detection system for use with consumer-grade smart bands, we first detected stress levels. When a high stress level is detected, our system suggests the most appropriate relaxation method by analyzing the physical activity-based contextual information. In more restricted contexts, physical activity is lower and mobile relaxation methods might be more appropriate, whereas in free contexts traditional methods might be useful. We further compared traditional and mobile relaxation methods by using our stress level detection system during an eight day EU project training event involving 15 early stage researchers (mean age 28; gender 9 Male, 6 Female). Participants’ daily stress levels were monitored and a range of traditional and mobile stress management techniques was applied. On day eight, participants were exposed to a ‘stressful’ event by being required to give an oral presentation. Insights about the success of both traditional and mobile relaxation methods by using the physiological signals and collected self-reports were provided.


2016 ◽  
Vol 78 (7-5) ◽  
Author(s):  
Awais Gul Airij ◽  
Rabia Bakhteri ◽  
Mohd Khalil-Hani

Vital sign monitoring is the process of recording human physiological signals in order to determine the mental stress level. High stress levels can prove to be dangerous especially for certain individuals such as autistic children who are not able to express mounting levels of stress before it leads to a full anxiety attack. This paper presents the prototype design of a real-time embedded device that accurately measures heart rate and galvanic skin response (GSR) in a non-invasive and non-intrusive way which is then used by the intelligent decision making module that uses fuzzy logic to determine the stress level of the user. Such a device could be used with autistic children in order to give early warning of an impending anxiety attack and help adults to prevent it from happening. The prototype was designed using Arduino mega platform and tested with 35 clinical patients in three experimental settings targeted to induce low stress, medium stress and high stress response. Initial results have shown that the device is capable of detecting and displaying the various stress levels efficiently. 


Author(s):  
Jiyoung Oh ◽  
Haengwoo Lee ◽  
Heykyung Park

Color is the most potent stimulating factor affecting human vision, and the environmental color of an indoor space is a spatial component that affects the environmental stress level. As one of the methods of assessing the physiological response of the autonomic nervous system that influences stress, heart rate variability (HRV) has been utilized as a tool for measuring the user’s stress response in color environments. This study aims to identify the effects of the changes of hue, brightness, and saturation in environmental colors on the HRV of two groups with different stress levels—the stress potential group (n = 15) and the healthy group (n = 12)—based on their stress level indicated by the Psychosocial Well-being Index (PWI). The ln(LF), ln(HF), and RMSSD values collected during the subjects’ exposure to 12 environments colors of red and yellow with adjusted saturation and brightness, were statistically analyzed using t-test and two-way ANOVA. The results show that the HRV values in the two groups did not significantly vary in response to the changes in hue, brightness and saturation. The two groups’ stress factors distinguished according to the stress levels by the PWI scale affected the In(LF) parameter, which demonstrates that the PWI index can be utilized as a reliable scale for measuring stress levels. The ultra-short HRV measurement record and the use of a sole In(LF) parameter for stress assessment are regarded as the limitations of this study.


2018 ◽  
Vol 20 (3) ◽  
pp. 99-110
Author(s):  
Na Zhang ◽  
Jingjing Li ◽  
Xing Bu ◽  
Zhenxing Gong ◽  
Gilal Faheem Gul

1981 ◽  
Vol 27 (97) ◽  
pp. 503-505 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ian J. Smalley

AbstractRecent investigations have shown that various factors may affect the shear strength of glacial till and that these factors may be involved in the drumlin-forming process. The presence of frozen till in the deforming zone, variation in pore-water pressure in the till, and the occurrence of random patches of dense stony-till texture have been considered. The occurrence of dense stony till may relate to the dilatancy hypothesis and can be considered a likely drumlin-forming factor within the region of critical stress levels. The up-glacier stress level now appears to be the more important, and to provide a sharper division between drumlin-forming and non-drumlin-forming conditions.


2021 ◽  
pp. 108602662110316
Author(s):  
Tiziana Russo-Spena ◽  
Nadia Di Paola ◽  
Aidan O’Driscoll

An effective climate change action involves the critical role that companies must play in assuring the long-term human and social well-being of future generations. In our study, we offer a more holistic, inclusive, both–and approach to the challenge of environmental innovation (EI) that uses a novel methodology to identify relevant configurations for firms engaging in a superior EI strategy. A conceptual framework is proposed that identifies six sets of driving characteristics of EI and two sets of beneficial outcomes, all inherently tensional. Our analysis utilizes a complementary rather than an oppositional point of view. A data set of 65 companies in the ICT value chain is analyzed via fuzzy-set comparative analysis (fsQCA) and a post-QCA procedure. The results reveal that achieving a superior EI strategy is possible in several scenarios. Specifically, after close examination, two main configuration groups emerge, referred to as technological environmental innovators and organizational environmental innovators.


2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (1) ◽  
pp. 336
Author(s):  
Jelena Maric ◽  
Djukic Aleksandra ◽  
Branislav Antonic ◽  
Danilo Furundzic ◽  
Vladimir Parezanin

Working people spend around 54% of their waking hours at a workplace, according to recent statistics. Work-related stress is unavoidable, and it can damage the health of employees and affect business performance. In this paper, we argue that open space inside the workplace environment can have a positive influence on reducing overall stress levels in all the categories of users. To our knowledge, there is a significant lack of research considering specific business districts and the gated complexes called business parks, especially in post-socialist Eastern European cities, where there they are still a novelty. Empirical research in this study is on the single case study of Business Park “Airport city” in Belgrade, Serbia. Its main focus is on the survey conducted with 235 participants based on a questionnaire, which examines the relation between workplace stress and workplace environments. The findings from the questionnaire show that the frequency, duration, and activity of open space usage influence the stress levels of employees in this specific workplace, while it is not visible relating to their age and gender. Additionally, final implications suggest that improved open space, such as well-expected greenery, but also the urban design non-associative to workspace and the socialization and exercise amenities customized for frequent and short work breaks, can facilitate the overall well-being of employees. They are innovative elements in relatively underdeveloped research on stress measures with open space usage characteristics in the specific (gated) workplace setting.


Author(s):  
Ace Dimitrievski ◽  
Sonja Filiposka ◽  
Francisco José Melero ◽  
Eftim Zdravevski ◽  
Petre Lameski ◽  
...  

Connected health is expected to introduce an improvement in providing healthcare and doctor-patient communication while at the same time reducing cost. Connected health would introduce an even more significant gap between healthcare quality for urban areas with physical proximity and better communication to providers and the portion of rural areas with numerous connectivity issues. We identify these challenges using user scenarios and propose LoRa based architecture for addressing these challenges. We focus on the energy management of battery-powered, affordable IoT devices for long-term operation, providing important information about the care receivers’ well-being. Using an external ultra-low-power timer, we extended the battery life in the order of tens of times, compared to relying on low power modes of the microcontroller.


Author(s):  
Mahnoosh Hassankhani ◽  
Mehdi Alidadi ◽  
Ayyoob Sharifi ◽  
Abolghasem Azhdari

COVID-19 shocked cities around the world and revealed the vulnerability of urban lives and functions. Most cities experienced a catastrophic disturbance that has lasted for a long time. Planning plays a critical role in responding efficiently to this crisis and enabling rapid functional recovery in the post-disaster era. Cities that have implemented digitalization initiatives and programs are likely to have more capacity to react appropriately. Specifically, digitalized cities could ensure the well-being of their residents and maintain continuity of urban functions. This research aims to analyze the role of technology in crisis management in the last two decades and provide appropriate policy recommendations for dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic. Systematic literature review and subjective content analysis are employed to investigate the effects of technology on community well-being and making cities more resilient in past crises. This study shows that different technology-driven policies and actions enable crisis management, enhance community well-being, and increase urban resilience. Technology has enhanced coping and recovery capacities by increasing participation and social connectedness, enhancing physical and mental health and maintaining the functionality of education and economic systems. These have been achieved through various solutions and technologies such as social media, telehealth, tracking and monitoring systems, sensors and locational applications, teleworking systems, etc. These solutions and technologies have also been used during the COVID-19 pandemic to enhance community well-being and sustain urban functions. However, technology deployment might have adverse effects such as social exclusion, digital divide, privacy and confidentiality violation, political bias and misinformation dissemination, and inefficient remote working and education. It is suggested that to mitigate these side effects, policymakers should liberate the process of digitalization, increase the accessibility to digital services, and enhance digital literacy.


2018 ◽  
Vol 21 (1A) ◽  
Author(s):  
Wojciech Giermaziak ◽  
Iwona Fryzowska-Chrobot

Animal-assisted therapy (AAT) – supports rehabilitation as well as therapy and care of patients by their contact with an animal. Fondling and hugging animals lead to endocrine system’s stimulation and producing endogenous substances, that relieve pain and influence patient’s well-being; it reduces stress levels because the cortisol and noradrenaline release – the hormones produced by the body in stress – is being reduced and the patient’s immune system is being stimulated. It has been proven that the company of animals hasten the recovery after a disease, calms stressed, hyperactive people and at the same time stimulates the activity of a person suffering from depression or apathy. In Poland the most popular is dog-assisted therapy, hippotherapy (horse-assisted therapy) and felinotherapy (cat-assisted therapy). In the world onotherapy (donkey or mule-assisted therapy) and dolphin therapy are known. In the article animal assisted therapies were discussed, showing the role that they play in treatment and rehabilitation of sick and disabled.


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