Effect of Guided Tactical Breathing with Biofeedback on Acute Stress Attenuation and Marksmanship Performance of Novice Shooters

Author(s):  
Ramtin Lotfabadi ◽  
Joshua A. Granek ◽  
Jiayuan He ◽  
Ning Jiang ◽  
Fan He ◽  
...  

The current study introduced a novel approach to inducing stress, and examining effects of wearable and mobile technology-assisted tactical breathing with real-time heartrate biofeedback, on the attenuation of acute stress, post-stressor recovery and performance. 39 participants with no prior experience with firearms participated in a marksmanship task engaging stationary targets with a semi-automatic rifle, at a controlled indoor shooting range. Novice shooters applying guided tactical breathing with biofeedback following exposure to the shooting task, were able to maintain lower arousal (uninhibited parasympathetic system). Findings suggested significant effect of intervention with biofeedback on stress attenuation, however no significant improvement of marksmanship performance among novice shooters resulting from the intervention was found. This study provides insights into app-led tactical breathing training to control arousal levels during stress, recommending strategies on further evaluation of the effectiveness of mobile and wearable technologies on stress attenuation for varying levels of marksmanship skill and individual difference.

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Florian Krause ◽  
Nikolaos Kogias ◽  
Martin Krentz ◽  
Michael Luehrs ◽  
Rainer Goebel ◽  
...  

It has recently been shown that acute stress affects the allocation of neural resources between large-scale brain networks, and the balance between the executive control network and the salience network in particular. Maladaptation of this dynamic resource reallocation process is thought to play a major role in stress-related psychopathology, suggesting that stress resilience may be determined by the retained ability to adaptively reallocate neural resources between these two networks. Actively training this ability could hence be a potentially promising way to increase resilience in individuals at risk for developing stress-related symptomatology. Using real-time functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging, the current study investigated whether individuals can learn to self-regulate stress-related large-scale network balance. Participants were engaged in a bidirectional and implicit real-time fMRI neurofeedback paradigm in which they were intermittently provided with a visual representation of the difference signal between the average activation of the salience and executive control networks, and tasked with attempting to self-regulate this signal. Our results show that, given feedback about their performance over three training sessions, participants were able to (1) learn strategies to differentially control the balance between SN and ECN activation on demand, as well as (2) successfully transfer this newly learned skill to a situation where they (a) did not receive any feedback anymore, and (b) were exposed to an acute stressor in form of the prospect of a mild electric stimulation. The current study hence constitutes an important first successful demonstration of neurofeedback training based on stress-related large-scale network balance - a novel approach that has the potential to train control over the central response to stressors in real-life and could build the foundation for future clinical interventions that aim at increasing resilience.


2015 ◽  
Vol 18 (1) ◽  
pp. 91-103 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ilkka Ruokosenmäki ◽  
Tapio T. Rantala

AbstractApplicability of Feynman path integral approach to numerical simulations of quantum dynamics of an electron in real time domain is examined. Coherent quantum dynamics is demonstrated with one dimensional test cases (quantum dot models) and performance of the Trotter kernel as compared with the exact kernels is tested. Also, a novel approach for finding the ground state and other stationary sates is presented. This is based on the incoherent propagation in real time. For both approaches the Monte Carlo grid and sampling are tested and compared with regular grids and sampling. We asses the numerical prerequisites for all of the above.


1997 ◽  
Vol 36 (8-9) ◽  
pp. 19-24 ◽  
Author(s):  
Richard Norreys ◽  
Ian Cluckie

Conventional UDS models are mechanistic which though appropriate for design purposes are less well suited to real-time control because they are slow running, difficult to calibrate, difficult to re-calibrate in real time and have trouble handling noisy data. At Salford University a novel hybrid of dynamic and empirical modelling has been developed, to combine the speed of the empirical model with the ability to simulate complex and non-linear systems of the mechanistic/dynamic models. This paper details the ‘knowledge acquisition module’ software and how it has been applied to construct a model of a large urban drainage system. The paper goes on to detail how the model has been linked with real-time radar data inputs from the MARS c-band radar.


Author(s):  
Brij B. Gupta ◽  
Krishna Yadav ◽  
Imran Razzak ◽  
Konstantinos Psannis ◽  
Arcangelo Castiglione ◽  
...  

Author(s):  
Mark O Sullivan ◽  
Carl T Woods ◽  
James Vaughan ◽  
Keith Davids

As it is appreciated that learning is a non-linear process – implying that coaching methodologies in sport should be accommodative – it is reasonable to suggest that player development pathways should also account for this non-linearity. A constraints-led approach (CLA), predicated on the theory of ecological dynamics, has been suggested as a viable framework for capturing the non-linearity of learning, development and performance in sport. The CLA articulates how skills emerge through the interaction of different constraints (task-environment-performer). However, despite its well-established theoretical roots, there are challenges to implementing it in practice. Accordingly, to help practitioners navigate such challenges, this paper proposes a user-friendly framework that demonstrates the benefits of a CLA. Specifically, to conceptualize the non-linear and individualized nature of learning, and how it can inform player development, we apply Adolph’s notion of learning IN development to explain the fundamental ideas of a CLA. We then exemplify a learning IN development framework, based on a CLA, brought to life in a high-level youth football organization. We contend that this framework can provide a novel approach for presenting the key ideas of a CLA and its powerful pedagogic concepts to practitioners at all levels, informing coach education programs, player development frameworks and learning environment designs in sport.


Author(s):  
Rakesh Kumar ◽  
Gaurav Dhiman ◽  
Neeraj Kumar ◽  
Rajesh Kumar Chandrawat ◽  
Varun Joshi ◽  
...  

AbstractThis article offers a comparative study of maximizing and modelling production costs by means of composite triangular fuzzy and trapezoidal FLPP. It also outlines five different scenarios of instability and has developed realistic models to minimize production costs. Herein, the first attempt is made to examine the credibility of optimized cost via two different composite FLP models, and the results were compared with its extension, i.e., the trapezoidal FLP model. To validate the models with real-time phenomena, the Production cost data of Rail Coach Factory (RCF) Kapurthala has been taken. The lower, static, and upper bounds have been computed for each situation, and then systems of optimized FLP are constructed. The credibility of each model of composite-triangular and trapezoidal FLP concerning all situations has been obtained, and using this membership grade, the minimum and the greatest minimum costs have been illustrated. The performance of each composite-triangular FLP model was compared to trapezoidal FLP models, and the intense effects of trapezoidal on composite fuzzy LPP models are investigated.


Author(s):  
Afef Hfaiedh ◽  
Ahmed Chemori ◽  
Afef Abdelkrim

In this paper, the control problem of a class I of underactuated mechanical systems (UMSs) is addressed. The considered class includes nonlinear UMSs with two degrees of freedom and one control input. Firstly, we propose the design of a robust integral of the sign of the error (RISE) control law, adequate for this special class. Based on a change of coordinates, the dynamics is transformed into a strict-feedback (SF) form. A Lyapunov-based technique is then employed to prove the asymptotic stability of the resulting closed-loop system. Numerical simulation results show the robustness and performance of the original RISE toward parametric uncertainties and disturbance rejection. A comparative study with a conventional sliding mode control reveals a significant robustness improvement with the proposed original RISE controller. However, in real-time experiments, the amplification of the measurement noise is a major problem. It has an impact on the behaviour of the motor and reduces the performance of the system. To deal with this issue, we propose to estimate the velocity using the robust Levant differentiator instead of the numerical derivative. Real-time experiments were performed on the testbed of the inertia wheel inverted pendulum to demonstrate the relevance of the proposed observer-based RISE control scheme. The obtained real-time experimental results and the obtained evaluation indices show clearly a better performance of the proposed observer-based RISE approach compared to the sliding mode and the original RISE controllers.


Author(s):  
Negin Yousefpour ◽  
Steve Downie ◽  
Steve Walker ◽  
Nathan Perkins ◽  
Hristo Dikanski

Bridge scour is a challenge throughout the U.S.A. and other countries. Despite the scale of the issue, there is still a substantial lack of robust methods for scour prediction to support reliable, risk-based management and decision making. Throughout the past decade, the use of real-time scour monitoring systems has gained increasing interest among state departments of transportation across the U.S.A. This paper introduces three distinct methodologies for scour prediction using advanced artificial intelligence (AI)/machine learning (ML) techniques based on real-time scour monitoring data. Scour monitoring data included the riverbed and river stage elevation time series at bridge piers gathered from various sources. Deep learning algorithms showed promising in prediction of bed elevation and water level variations as early as a week in advance. Ensemble neural networks proved successful in the predicting the maximum upcoming scour depth, using the observed sensor data at the onset of a scour episode, and based on bridge pier, flow and riverbed characteristics. In addition, two of the common empirical scour models were calibrated based on the observed sensor data using the Bayesian inference method, showing significant improvement in prediction accuracy. Overall, this paper introduces a novel approach for scour risk management by integrating emerging AI/ML algorithms with real-time monitoring systems for early scour forecast.


Author(s):  
Gaurav Chaurasia ◽  
Arthur Nieuwoudt ◽  
Alexandru-Eugen Ichim ◽  
Richard Szeliski ◽  
Alexander Sorkine-Hornung

We present an end-to-end system for real-time environment capture, 3D reconstruction, and stereoscopic view synthesis on a mobile VR headset. Our solution allows the user to use the cameras on their VR headset as their eyes to see and interact with the real world while still wearing their headset, a feature often referred to as Passthrough. The central challenge when building such a system is the choice and implementation of algorithms under the strict compute, power, and performance constraints imposed by the target user experience and mobile platform. A key contribution of this paper is a complete description of a corresponding system that performs temporally stable passthrough rendering at 72 Hz with only 200 mW power consumption on a mobile Snapdragon 835 platform. Our algorithmic contributions for enabling this performance include the computation of a coarse 3D scene proxy on the embedded video encoding hardware, followed by a depth densification and filtering step, and finally stereoscopic texturing and spatio-temporal up-sampling. We provide a detailed discussion and evaluation of the challenges we encountered, as well as algorithm and performance trade-offs in terms of compute and resulting passthrough quality.;AB@The described system is available to users as the Passthrough+ feature on Oculus Quest. We believe that by publishing the underlying system and methods, we provide valuable insights to the community on how to design and implement real-time environment sensing and rendering on heavily resource constrained hardware.


Author(s):  
Yugo Hayashi

AbstractResearch on collaborative learning has revealed that peer-collaboration explanation activities facilitate reflection and metacognition and that establishing common ground and successful coordination are keys to realizing effective knowledge-sharing in collaborative learning tasks. Studies on computer-supported collaborative learning have investigated how awareness tools can facilitate coordination within a group and how the use of external facilitation scripts can elicit elaborated knowledge during collaboration. However, the separate and joint effects of these tools on the nature of the collaborative process and performance have rarely been investigated. This study investigates how two facilitation methods—coordination support via learner gaze-awareness feedback and metacognitive suggestion provision via a pedagogical conversational agent (PCA)—are able to enhance the learning process and learning gains. Eighty participants, organized into dyads, were enrolled in a 2 × 2 between-subject study. The first and second factors were the presence of real-time gaze feedback (no vs. visible gaze) and that of a suggestion-providing PCA (no vs. visible agent), respectively. Two evaluation methods were used: namely, dialog analysis of the collaborative process and evaluation of learning gains. The real-time gaze feedback and PCA suggestions facilitated the coordination process, while gaze was relatively more effective in improving the learning gains. Learners in the Gaze-feedback condition achieved superior learning gains upon receiving PCA suggestions. A successful coordination/high learning performance correlation was noted solely for learners receiving visible gaze feedback and PCA suggestions simultaneously (visible gaze/visible agent). This finding has the potential to yield improved collaborative processes and learning gains through integration of these two methods as well as contributing towards design principles for collaborative-learning support systems more generally.


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