Words Per Minute Research Articles

Effects of Script Training to Improve Discourse in a Patient With Chronic Aphasia

Purpose: Script training is a well-known treatment designed to improve functional communication in patients with aphasia. In this clinical study, we examined the effects of low-tech script training for J.W., a 73-year-old patient with chronic nonfluent aphasia acquired at age 60 years. Method: Using a single-subject, multiple-baseline design across three scripts, we assessed the effects of script training on percent script correct (PSC) and words per minute (WPM). The study took place in a university-based outpatient clinic and consisted of six training sessions plus 15 min of recommended daily homework. We adapted standard procedures in accordance with J.W.'s individual strengths, limitations, and preferences. Results: J.W. reached criterion (PSC = 80%) within two to three training sessions across three scripts (pretreatment: M = 17%, posttreatment: M = 83%). Moreover, he improved in communication effectiveness, nearly doubling his rate of speech from pre- ( M = 31.53 WPM) to posttreatment ( M = 59.59 WPM) sessions. Conclusions: We conclude that a brief script training intervention improved the ability to communicate effectively and efficiently for this patient with chronic aphasia. Anecdotally, J.W. also reported using the scripts successfully outside of the therapy room on a regular basis and expressed an interest in using script training in the future. Although methodological limitations of this clinical study must be considered, low-tech script training appears to have benefited this patient's ability to engage in functional discourse even 13 years poststroke.

Do typing skills matter? Investigating university students’ typing speed and performance in online exams

ABSTRACT In response to COVID-19, universities worldwide experienced drastic and sudden changes including the need to shift to online teaching and assessment. Following previous research suggesting that individual differences in typing skills could influence text quantity and quality, we investigated whether university students’ typing speed is related to their performance in an online written exam, considering that low typing skills could potentially be disadvantageous. To this end, first-year university students participated in a copy-typing task immediately after completing a graded online exam. Results show a trend toward a triangular relationship between typing speed, text length and exam performance. Despite coefficients being small, this approach allows unique insights into externally valid data of university students’ typed free text production in an authentic online exam situation. Our findings emphasize the need for more research into this highly variable skill in order to understand and minimize unwanted interindividual differences that could possibly influence exam outcomes.

Multi objective optimization of emission and performance characteristics in a spark ignition engine with a novel hydrogen generator

This study applies a novel approach using Taguchi, ANOVA, and Grey relational analysis to investigate performance in terms of engine torque, engine power, and emission rates of an SI engine supported by a novel hydrogen generator. The analysis focused on fuel type, engine speed (rpm), engine torque (Nm), engine power (kW), specific fuel consumption (gr/kWh), carbon monoxide (%), hydrocarbon emissions (ppm), carbon dioxide emissions (%), and nitrogen oxides emissions (ppm). There are four distinct fuels used in the experiment: pure gasoline, a blend of 95 % gasoline and 5 % ethanol by volume, pure gasoline combined with a mixture of hydrogen and oxygen, and a blend of 95 % gasoline and 5 % ethanol combined with a mix of hydrogen and oxygen. Additionally, the experiment involves testing these fuels at four different engine speeds: 200, 2500, 3000, and 3500 rpm. The results obtained from the experiments were interpreted in two distinct ways. The Taguchi method was first employed to identify each objective's optimal fuel type and engine speed. Among these parameters, the most influential one was determined. Using ANOVA analysis, the impacts of these factors were calculated as the contribution ratio, thus confirming the findings of the Taguchi analysis.

Impact of Laptop Usage, Typing Skills, and Ergonomics on Musculoskeletal Pain among Medical Resident Doctors – An Observational Study

Background: In today’s era of digital learning, the utility of laptops has drastically been increased. Sustained postural strain resulting from poor ergonomics while using laptops may lead to musculoskeletal discomforts (MSD). This study aimed to determine touch-typing skills of medical students, quantitative assessment of their postural ergonomics, and implications of their efforts while typing on the prevalence of MSD. Methods: Sixty medical students were asked to take an online typing test (www.ratatype.com) and their typing speed in words per minute (WPM) and accuracy (%) were noted. The lateral pictures of the students were taken while performing the typing test and objective ergonomics analysis using craniovertebral angle (CVA) and rapid upper limb assessment (RULA) scoring system. Results: None of the students demonstrated touch typing proficiency. The average typing speed (WPM) and accuracy (%) were observed to be 27.893 and 94.768, respectively. The mean CVA was 33.17, much lower than the average norm. The mean final RULA score was 5.62, indicating a high degree of MSD risk. Moderate-to-severe laptop users (≥4 h/day) showed higher prevalence of MSDs (P < 0.05) as compared to normal-to-mild users. A significant negative correlation was found between CVA and RULA scores. Conclusion: The study concluded average typing speed and accuracy, poor ergonomics (low CVA), and moderate-to-high MSD risk (based on RULA score) were seen among students. A high MSD prevalence was reported in laptop usage of ≥ 4 h/day, which can be ascribed to postural strain from improper typing habits and poor ergonomics.

IMPROVING MOBILITY IN KEDIRI CITY WITH MKJI ANALYSIS 1997 AND TIME SLICE AT SIMPANG EMPAT DHOHO PLAZA

The city of Kediri, as the third largest city in East Java, has cultural heritage, history and natural beauty that attracts visitors from various regions. However, population growth and motorized vehicles cause traffic jams. Signalized intersections, which are a solution to control intersection conflicts, require knowledge of intersection saturation flows to plan efficient traffic management. Analysis methods such as MKJI 1997 and Time Slice with Vehicle Operating Cost (BOK) calculations help design effective solutions. This research shows that adjusting cycle times, increasing effective width, and optimizing signals can improve transportation system performance and reduce congestion in Kediri City. Cycle time analysis taking into account factors such as vehicle type, traffic volume, and vehicle speed resulted in a cycle time of 90.7 seconds. The impact can be seen in the Degree of Saturation (DS) at various intersection arms, with service variations from E to F. Research also shows a decrease in waiting time/queuing for signal lights from 135 seconds to 118 seconds, which results in a decrease in the degree of saturation (DS) and changes in time cycle. The use of Smart Traffic Lights and traffic engineering, such as immediate left turns on the east arm and additional signs, is required. Evaluation of congestion cost efficiency shows that changing the value of side barriers can save Rp. 22,679,183 in the next five years.

Light-Occlusion Text Entry in Mixed Reality

Text entry is a recurring task in mixed reality (MR) applications, and the ability of eyes-free text entry methods to allow users to enter text without focusing on the input device is ideal and compelling. However, existing eyes-free text entry methods leave much to be desired regarding efficiency and accuracy. In this paper, we propose a new light-occlusion text entry method in MR environment that uses dual thumb typing on a touchscreen. We design a partially visible keyboard as visual feedback to improve user performance. In addition, we optimize the underlying keyboard by collecting eyes-free typing data through a user study. The results show that our method has high typing speed, low error rate, and is very novice-friendly. After a short training period, the average typing speed of the novice group can reach 26.23 WPM (words per minute), while the average typing speed of the potential expert group can reach 30.62 WPM.

Research on AIS Signal Frequency Statistics based on SpringBoot+Vue

With the rapid development of global industry, AIS (automatic identification system) has become an important tool for ship management and safety monitoring. In order to better display the frequency distribution of AIS signals, this paper graphically displays the data in the AIS signals, allowing users to fully understand the data in the AIS signals, including ship type distribution, speed range, and signal frequencies in different areas. It uses Kafka and Flink technology to receive, clean and analyze the sent data, and finally stores it in MySQL and Redis data. It reads the data through Spring Boot + MyBatis, and uses Vue + Echarts chart tool and AutoNavi Map API for display and analysis. To gain an in-depth understanding of its importance and application prospects in the field of epidemics.

Ergonomic Design and Assessment of an Adjustable Laptop Stand Used in the Typing Task.

Laptops are ubiquitous tools in today's society; however, their prolonged use often leads to discomfort and musculoskeletal disorders due to their nonergonomic design. This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of an innovative adjustable laptop stand in enhancing comfort and productivity during typing tasks. A 2-phase experimental design was employed. Phase 1 involved the development of a novel laptop stand considering ergonomic principles and expert recommendations. In Phase 2, a total of 25 office workers-13 men and 12 women-participated in 3 randomized sessions of a 2-hour typing task. They used the newly designed stand, adjusted their laptop height using conventional methods, or completed the task without any height adjustment (control). The Local Subjective Discomfort Questionnaire (LPD), the Rapid Upper Limb Assessment (RULA), and speed and error rates were used to measure postural risk, subjective discomfort, and typing performance, respectively, during each session. SPSS Version 26 (IBM) was used for the analysis, and P ˂ 0.05 was considered statistically significant. The RULA scores were significantly lower with the newly designed stand compared with the other conditions. When using the stand, perceived discomfort in specific regions significantly decreased (P < 0.05). Moreover, the number of typing errors significantly reduced with the stand (P < 0.05), while no significant difference was observed in typing speed (P = 0.371). The novel adjustable laptop stand significantly reduced discomfort and improved typing accuracy during typing tasks, suggesting its potential to enhance user comfort and productivity. However, further longitudinal studies are needed to assess the long-term effects of this intervention.

Development of a new method for determination of bisphenol A based on stirrer-assisted switchable hydrophilic solvent-based liquid phase microextraction coupled with electrochemical sensor

In this work, a novel stirrer-assisted liquid-phase microextraction method using switchable hydrophilic solvents was developed for the extraction and preconcentration of bisphenol A from real samples prior to electrochemical analysis. For the first time, the effect of stirring while switching the extraction solvent (N,N-dipropylamine, DPA) was investigated, and the use of stirring instead of temperature change, which is a time-consuming process, hazardous acids (e.g., HCl), and dry ice was used for bisphenol A extraction based on switchable solvents. Various parameters such as solvent type, solvent volume, stirring time, and stirring speed were optimized. The optimized conditions were 100 μl DPA, 2 min extraction time, 30 s stirring time, 700 rpm stirring speed, and solution pH of 7.0. A theoretical study was also conducted to show the effects of stirring on the homogenization of the phases. The proposed method offers some advantages, such as simplicity, use of a small amount of inexpensive and less hazardous reagents, rapid extraction, and shorter analysis time. Under the optimized conditions for the developed method, LOQ and LOD were obtained to be 0.01 and 0.003 μM, respectively. Moreover, the calibration curves were linear in the range of 0.01–250 μM. The proposed method was used for the determination of bisphenol A in food and water samples.

Investigating the influence of keyboard inclinations on sitting and standing workstations

Given the growing global computer workforce, concerns exist about the escalation of computer related injury with Carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS) being one of the most reported work-related musculoskeletal disorders (WMSDs) among office workers. The optimal range of keyboard angles for sitting and standing positions based on wrist posture, forearm muscle activities and user preference as well as the keyboard location in relation to user position were analysed. 30 volunteers with an above 40 words per minute typing speed participated in this study. Result show that, although user prefer to use positive keyboard angle, the negatively tilted keyboard is more ergonomically friendly at both sitting and standing workstations, reducing muscle activity and awkward wrist posture while maintaining performance. The findings indicate that negative sloped keyboard might have the possibility to reduce the risk of developing CTS in office workers. Practitioner summary: This study determines the range of optimal slope of keyboard angle in a sit and stand workstation. Our results indicate a trend in the negative slope keyboard as an ergonomically friendly option for the intervention to Carpal tunnel pressure.

3 Associations Between Exercise Type, Fluid Intelligence, and Processing Speed in the Oldest-Old

Objective:Exercise elicits a variety of physiological responses in the body. In the brain, exercise can modulate levels of neurotransmitters and other neurochemicals as well as sparking neurogenesis and structural changes. Downstream psychological effects of exercise include changes in mood and cognition. These changes vary depending on the type of exercise conducted (e.g., running versus strength training). While much is known about the effects of exercise in animals and adult humans, literature on the oldest-old (&gt;= 85 years old) is sparse. The present cross-sectional study explores the relationship between exercise and cognition in the oldest-old.Participants and Methods:The final sample includes 194 cognitively healthy participants (106 females, MoCA mean score = 24.75) aged 85 to 99 years old (mean = 88.48). Each participant completed the Community Healthy Activities Model Program for Seniors (CHAMPS) questionnaire and a cognitive battery comprising of the NIH Toolbox, digit coding, symbol search, verbal fluency, and Stroop task. Three groups (sedentary, cardio, and cardio plus strength training) were derived from responses on CHAMPS.Results:The cardio plus strength training group performed significantly better on the cognitive measures compared to the sedentary group. For two measures, digit coding and symbol search, the cardio plus strength training group also performed significantly better than the cardio group. Cardio group did not significantly differ from the sedentary group on the cognitive measures. All at p &lt; 0.05 and adjusted for multiple comparisons.Conclusions:Our findings suggest exercise in the oldest-old is linked with higher fluid intelligence and better performance on cognitive measures of processing speed and that there may be an additive effect of exercise types on cognition.

One Line Plus Soft Keyboard Layout for Smartwatches Text Entry

The "One Line Plus" soft keyboard layout inspired by One Line and T9 layouts. This innovative design condenses the button layout into a single line, maximizing button size for ease of use. The implementation includes essential features like enter and autocorrect buttons to enhance user experience. Performance testing involving 31 participants was conducted to evaluate the effectiveness of the layout. The results showed an average words per minute (WPM) of 8.8 and a total character count of 43.48, with the highest WPM of 16 and character count of 89, and the lowest WPM of 4 and character count of 16. The analysis grouped participants based on their background, experience with smartwatches, and typing intensity. Notably, the group with frequent typing experience on smartwatches achieved the highest WPM of 11.3 and character count of 53.4, indicating the layout's efficacy for proficient users. The System Usability Scale (SUS) evaluation yielded an average score of 89.35, indicating the layout's successful usability. These findings demonstrate the potential of the One Line Plus soft keyboard layout for enhancing text entry on smartwatches.

THE SPEECH RATE AND VOCABULARY PROFILE OF TED-ED VIDEOS AS EXTENSIVE LISTENING MATERIALS FOR EFL LEARNERS

Listening proficiency is essential in language acquisition, yet both its classroom time and research are overshadowed by other skills, such as speaking and reading. To tackle the issue of limited classroom time, extensive listening is one of the most convenient and effective solutions. Selecting the materials, however, needs an equally extensive effort; especially for the authentic ones. Therefore, this study aims to investigate the speech rate and vocabulary level of TED-Ed videos as one of the sources of authentic material for extensive listening to determine their suitability for EFL learners. The research used a quantitative descriptive design with purposive sampling. The data collection of Speech Rate is conducted by transcribing the sample videos and dividing the number of words by the length of the video, and the result is measured in terms of WPM (Word Per Minute). To get the vocabulary level, the video transcripts are put into the Vocabkitchen website to analyze the vocabulary CEFR level for each word. From the analysis, the average speech rate of TED-Ed videos is 147.4 WPM and it is suitable for all levels of EFL learners, including beginner level. Meanwhile, the CEFR level of the vocabulary is more suitable for intermediate EFL learners and beyond.

Eye-shaped keyboard for dual-hand text entry in virtual reality

We propose an eye-shaped keyboard for high-speed text entry in virtual reality (VR), having the shape of dual eyes with characters arranged along the curved eyelids, which ensures low density and short spacing of the keys. The eye-shaped keyboard references the QWERTY key sequence, allowing the users to benefit from their experience using the QWERTY keyboard. The user interacts with an eye-shaped keyboard using rays controlled with both the hands. A character can be entered in one step by moving the rays from the inner eye regions to regions of the characters. A high-speed auto-complete system was designed for the eye-shaped keyboard. We conducted a pilot study to determine the optimal parameters, and a user study to compare our eye-shaped keyboard with the QWERTY and circular keyboards. For beginners, the eye-shaped keyboard performed significantly more efficiently and accurately with less task load and hand movement than the circular keyboard. Compared with the QWERTY keyboard, the eye-shaped keyboard is more accurate and significantly reduces hand translation while maintaining similar efficiency. Finally, to evaluate the potential of eye-shaped keyboards, we conducted another user study. In this study, the participants were asked to type continuously for three days using the proposed eye-shaped keyboard, with two sessions per day. In each session, participants were asked to type for 20min, and then their typing performance was tested. The eye-shaped keyboard was proven to be efficient and promising, with an average speed of 19.89 words per minute (WPM) and mean uncorrected error rate of 1.939%. The maximum speed reached 24.97 WPM after six sessions and continued to increase.

Typing speed and fluency as cues to uncertainty in the real-time production of written messages.

In spoken communicative contexts, speakers often convey uncertainty via intonation and through paralinguistic behaviours such as speech rate and gesture-and addressees can use these behaviours to generate inferences about the speaker's epistemic state. In text-based contexts, however, cues of this sort are more restricted. In this study, we examine the expression and reception of epistemic information in the context of real-time written message production. We hypothesised that real-time typing dynamics (like those available in text-based collaborative contexts, such as Google Docs) can function as a rich paralinguistic cue about a partner's epistemic state. In Experiment 1, we collected production data showing that manipulations of typist certainty, instantiated through both the ease of message formulation and repeated experience with the task, are reflected in measures of typing fluency and speed. Then, in Experiment 2, we presented select screen recordings of the typing behaviours from Experiment 1 to a group of independent observers who made epistemic judgements about the typist. Our results show that observable differences in typing speed and fluency contribute to perceptions of typist knowledge and confidence, which has implications for interfaces that enable real-time text-based collaboration.

Keystroke Biometrics as a Tool for the Early Diagnosis and Clinical Assessment of Parkinson's Disease.

(1) Background: Parkinson's disease (PD) is the second most common neurodegenerative disease. Early diagnosis and reliable clinical assessments are essential for appropriate therapy and improving patients' quality of life. Keystroke biometrics, which capture unique typing behavior, have shown potential for early PD diagnosis. This study aimed to evaluate keystroke biometric parameters from two datasets to identify indicators that can effectively distinguish de novo PD patients from healthy controls. (2) Methods: Data from natural typing tasks in Physionet were analyzed to estimate keystroke biometric parameters. The parameters investigated included alternating-finger tapping (afTap) and standard deviations of interkey latencies (ILSD) and release latencies (RLSD). Sensitivity rates were calculated to assess the discriminatory ability of these parameters. (3) Results: Significant differences were observed in three parameters, namely afTap, ILSD, and RLSD, between de novo PD patients and healthy controls. The sensitivity rates were high, with values of 83%, 88%, and 96% for afTap, ILSD, and RLSD, respectively. Correlation analysis revealed a significantly negative correlation between typing speed and number of words typed with the standard motor assessment for PD, UPDRS-III, in patients with early PD. (4) Conclusions: Simple algorithms utilizing keystroke biometric parameters can serve as effective screening tests in distinguishing de novo PD patients from healthy controls. Moreover, typing speed and number of words typed were identified as reliable tools for assessing clinical statuses in PD patients. These findings underscore the potential of keystroke biometrics for early PD diagnosis and clinical severity assessment.

Typing Behavior is About More than Speed: Users' Strategies for Choosing Word Suggestions Despite Slower Typing Rates

Mobile word suggestions can slow down typing, yet are still widely used. To investigate the apparent benefits beyond speed, we analyzed typing behavior of 15,162 users of mobile devices. Controlling for natural typing speed (a confounding factor not considered by prior work), we statistically show that slower typists use suggestions more often but are slowed down by doing so. To better understand how these typists leverage suggestions -- if not to improve their speed -- we extract eight usage strategies, including completion, correction, and next-word prediction. We find that word characteristics, such as length or frequency, along with the strategy, are predictive of whether a user will select a suggestion. We show how to operationalize our findings by building and evaluating a predictive model of suggestion selection. Such a model could be used to augment existing suggestion algorithms to consider people's strategic use of word predictions beyond speed and keystroke savings.

The impact of solid/floc holdup on oxygen transfer in a rotating hollow fiber membrane bioreactor under endogenous conditions.

A set of oxygen transfer experiments in clean water and three different activated sludge concentrations were conducted with fine and coarse bubble aeration in a rotating hollow fiber membrane bioreactor to observe the impact of different rotational speeds on the oxygen transfer rate. The results showed that with increasing membrane rotational speed, the oxygen transfer coefficient enhanced while the α-factor showed similar values at comparable sludge concentrations and solid/floc holdups. The highest improvement rates occurred during the experiments with coarse bubble aeration at 50 rpm and the lowest specific airflow rate. The solid/floc holdup appears to universally impact oxygen transfer depletion regardless of what reactor type, diffuser setup and membrane rotational speed were used in the wastewater experiments.

MyoKey: Inertial Motion Sensing and Gesture-Based QWERTY Keyboard for Extended Realities

Usability challenges and social acceptance of textual input in a context of extended realities (XR) motivate the research of novel input modalities. We investigate the fusion of inertial measurement unit (IMU) control and surface electromyography (sEMG) gesture recognition applied to text entry using a QWERTY-layout virtual keyboard. We design, implement and evaluate our proposed multi-modal solution, MyoBoard, which is an IMU-driven and EMG-based text entry system based on the QWERTY keyboard layout for XR headsets. The user can select characters with a combination of arm movements and hand gestures. MyoBoard employs a light-weight convolutional neural network classifier that can be deployed on a mobile device with insignificant inference time. We demonstrate the practicality of interruption-free text entry in mobile scenarios with MyoBoard, by recruiting 12 participants and by testing three sets of grasp micro-gestures in three scenarios - empty hand text input, input holding a pen, and a large object, such as an umbrella. With MyoBoard, users achieve an average text entry rate of 9.33 words per minute (WPM), 8.76 WPM, and 8.35 WPM for the freehand, pen, and umbrella conditions, respectively.

Associations between physical exercise type, fluid intelligence, executive function, and processing speed in the oldest-old (85 +).

While much is known about the effects of physical exercise in adult humans, literature on the oldest-old (≥ 85years old) is sparse. The present study explored the relationship between self-reported engagement in physical exercise and cognition in the oldest-old. The sample included 184 cognitively healthy participants (98 females, MoCA mean score = 24.81) aged 85 to 99years old (mean = 88.49years). Participants completed the Community Healthy Activities Model Program for Seniors (CHAMPS) questionnaire and a cognitive battery including NIH-TB, Coding, Symbol Search, Letter Fluency, and Stroop task. Three groups of participants - sedentary (n = 58; MoCA mean score = 24; 36 females; mean age = 89.03), cardio (n = 60; MoCA mean score = 25.08; 29 females; mean age = 88.62), and cardio + strength training (n = 66; MoCA mean score = 25.28; 33 females; mean age = 87.91) - were derived from responses on CHAMPS. Analyses controlled for years of education, NIH-TB Crystallized Composite, and metabolic equivalent of tasks. The cardio + strength training group had the highest cognitive performances overall and scored significantly better on Coding (p < 0.001) and Symbol Search (p < 0.05) compared to the sedentary group. The cardio + strength training group scored significantly better on Symbol Search, Letter Fluency, and Stroop Color-Word compared to the cardio group (p < 0.05). Our findings suggest self-reported exercise in the oldest-old is linked to better performance on cognitive measures of processing speed and executive functioning, and that there may be a synergistic effect of combining aerobic and resistance training on cognition.