Chun-Hsiang Chuang

A Dynamic Subspace Method for Hyperspectral Image Classification

Many studies have demonstrated that multiple classifier systems, such as the random subspace method (RSM), obtain more outstanding and robust results than a single classifier on extensive pattern recognition issues. In this paper, we propose a novel subspace selection mechanism, named the dynamic subspace method (DSM), to improve RSM on automatically determining dimensionality and selecting component dimensions for diverse subspaces. Two importance distributions are proposed to impose on the process of constructing ensemble classifiers. One is the distribution of subspace dimensionality, and the other is the distribution of band weights. Based on the two distributions, DSM becomes an automatic, dynamic, and adaptive ensemble. The real data experimental results show that the proposed DSM obtains sound performances than RSM, and that the classification maps remarkably produce fewer speckles.

Kinesthesia in a sustained-attention driving task

This study investigated the effects of kinesthetic stimuli on brain activities during a sustained-attention task in an immersive driving simulator. Tonic and phasic brain responses on multiple timescales were analyzed using time-frequency analysis of electroencephalographic (EEG) sources identified by independent component analysis (ICA). Sorting EEG spectra with respect to reaction times (RT) to randomly introduced lane-departure events revealed distinct effects of kinesthetic stimuli on the brain under different performance levels. Experimental results indicated that EEG spectral dynamics highly correlated with performance lapses when driving involved kinesthetic feedback. Furthermore, in the realistic environment involving both visual and kinesthetic feedback, a transitive relationship of power spectra between optimal-, suboptimal-, and poor-performance groups was found predominately across most of the independent components. In contrast to the static environment with visual input only, kinesthetic feedback reduced theta-power augmentation in the central and frontal components when preparing for action and error monitoring, while strengthening alpha suppression in the central component while steering the wheel. In terms of behavior, subjects tended to have a short response time to process unexpected events with the assistance of kinesthesia, yet only when their performance was optimal. Decrease in attentional demand, facilitated by kinesthetic feedback, eventually significantly increased the reaction time in the suboptimal-performance state. Neurophysiological evidence of mutual relationships between behavioral performance and neurocognition in complex task paradigms and experimental environments, presented in this study, might elucidate our understanding of distributed brain dynamics, supporting natural human cognition and complex coordinated, multi-joint naturalistic behavior, and lead to improved understanding of brain-behavior relations in operating environments.

An EEG-Based Fatigue Detection and Mitigation System

Research has indicated that fatigue is a critical factor in cognitive lapses because it negatively affects an individuals internal state, which is then manifested physiologically. This study explores neurophysiological changes, measured by electroencephalogram (EEG), due to fatigue. This study further demonstrates the feasibility of an online closed-loop EEG-based fatigue detection and mitigation system that detects physiological change and can thereby prevent fatigue-related cognitive lapses. More importantly, this work compares the efficacy of fatigue detection and mitigation between the EEG-based and a nonEEG-based random method. Twelve healthy subjects participated in a sustained-attention driving experiment. Each participants EEG signal was monitored continuously and a warning was delivered in real-time to participants once the EEG signature of fatigue was detected. Study results indicate suppression of the alpha- and theta-power of an occipital component and improved behavioral performance following a warning signal; these findings are in line with those in previous studies. However, study results also showed reduced warning efficacy (i.e. increased response times (RTs) to lane deviations) accompanied by increased alpha-power due to the fluctuation of warnings over time. Furthermore, a comparison of EEG-based and nonEEG-based random approaches clearly demonstrated the necessity of adaptive fatigue-mitigation systems, based on a subjects cognitive level, to deliver warnings. Analytical results clearly demonstrate and validate the efficacy of this online closed-loop EEG-based fatigue detection and mitigation mechanism to identify cognitive lapses that may lead to catastrophic incidents in countless operational environments.

Can arousing feedback rectify lapses in driving? Prediction from EEG power spectra

OBJECTIVE This study explores the neurophysiological changes, measured using an electroencephalogram (EEG), in response to an arousing warning signal delivered to drowsy drivers, and predicts the efficacy of the feedback based on changes in the EEG. APPROACH Eleven healthy subjects participated in sustained-attention driving experiments. The driving task required participants to maintain their cruising position and compensate for randomly induced lane deviations using the steering wheel, while their EEG and driving performance were continuously monitored. The arousing warning signal was delivered to participants who experienced momentary behavioral lapses, failing to respond rapidly to lane-departure events (specifically the reaction time exceeded three times the alert reaction time). MAIN RESULTS The results of our previous studies revealed that arousing feedback immediately reversed deteriorating driving performance, which was accompanied by concurrent EEG theta- and alpha-power suppression in the bilateral occipital areas. This study further proposes a feedback efficacy assessment system to accurately estimate the efficacy of arousing warning signals delivered to drowsy participants by monitoring the changes in their EEG power spectra immediately thereafter. The classification accuracy was up 77.8% for determining the need for triggering additional warning signals. SIGNIFICANCE The findings of this study, in conjunction with previous studies on EEG correlates of behavioral lapses, might lead to a practical closed-loop system to predict, monitor and rectify behavioral lapses of human operators in attention-critical settings.

Driver's cognitive state classification toward brain computer interface via using a generalized and supervised technology

Growing numbers of traffic accidents had become a serious social safety problem in recent years. The main factor of the high fatalities was the obvious decline of the drivers cognitive state in their perception, recognition and vehicle control abilities while being sleepy. The key to avoid the terrible consequents is to build a detecting system for ongoing assessment of drivers cognitive state. A quickly growing research, brain-computer interface (BCI), offers a solution offering great assistance to those who require alternative communicatory and control mechanisms. In this study, we propose an alertness/drowsiness classification system based on investigating electroencephalographic (EEG) brain dynamics in lane-keeping driving experiments in a virtual reality (VR) driving environment with a motion platform. The core of the classification system is composed of dimension reduction technique and classifier learning algorithm. In order to find the suitable method for better describing the data structure, we explore the performances using different feature extraction and feature selection methods with different classifiers. Experiment results show that the accuracy is over 80% in most combinations and even near 90% under Principal Component Analysis (PCA) and Nonparametric Weighted Feature Extraction (NWFE) going with Gaussian Maximum Likelihood classifier (ML) and k-Nearest-Neighbor classifier (kNN), respectively. In addition, this developed classification system can also solve the individual brain dynamic differences caused from different subjects and overcome the subject dependent limitation. The optimized solution with better accuracy performance out of all combinations can be considered to implement in the kernel brain-computer interface.

Brain Dynamics in Predicting Driving Fatigue Using a Recurrent Self-Evolving Fuzzy Neural Network

This paper proposes a generalized prediction system called a recurrent self-evolving fuzzy neural network (RSEFNN) that employs an on-line gradient descent learning rule to address the electroencephalography (EEG) regression problem in brain dynamics for driving fatigue. The cognitive states of drivers significantly affect driving safety; in particular, fatigue driving, or drowsy driving, endangers both the individual and the public. For this reason, the development of brain-computer interfaces (BCIs) that can identify drowsy driving states is a crucial and urgent topic of study. Many EEG-based BCIs have been developed as artificial auxiliary systems for use in various practical applications because of the benefits of measuring EEG signals. In the literature, the efficacy of EEG-based BCIs in recognition tasks has been limited by low resolutions. The system proposed in this paper represents the first attempt to use the recurrent fuzzy neural network (RFNN) architecture to increase adaptability in realistic EEG applications to overcome this bottleneck. This paper further analyzes brain dynamics in a simulated car driving task in a virtual-reality environment. The proposed RSEFNN model is evaluated using the generalized cross-subject approach, and the results indicate that the RSEFNN is superior to competing models regardless of the use of recurrent or nonrecurrent structures.

An EEG-based perceptual function integration network for application to drowsy driving

Drowsy driving is among the most critical causes of fatal crashes. Thus, the development of an effective algorithm for detecting a drivers cognitive state demands immediate attention. For decades, studies have observed clear evidence using electroencephalography that the brains rhythmic activities fluctuate from alertness to drowsiness. Recognition of this physiological signal is the major consideration of neural engineering for designing a feasible countermeasure. This study proposed a perceptual function integration system which used spectral features from multiple independent brain sources for application to recognize the drivers vigilance state. The analysis of brain spectral dynamics demonstrated physiological evidenced that the activities of the multiple cortical sources were highly related to the changes of the vigilance state. The system performances showed a robust and improved accuracy as much as 88% higher than any of results performed by a single-source approach.

Identifying changes in EEG information transfer during drowsy driving by transfer entropy

Drowsy driving is a major cause of automobile accidents. Previous studies used neuroimaging based approaches such as analysis of electroencephalogram (EEG) activities to understand the brain dynamics of different cortical regions during drowsy driving. However, the coupling between brain regions responding to this vigilance change is still unclear. To have a comprehensive understanding of neural mechanisms underlying drowsy driving, in this study we use transfer entropy, a model-free measure of effective connectivity based on information theory. We investigate the pattern of information transfer between brain regions when the vigilance level, which is derived from the driving performance, changes from alertness to drowsiness. Results show that the couplings between pairs of frontal, central, and parietal areas increased at the intermediate level of vigilance, which suggests that an enhancement of the cortico-cortical interaction is necessary to maintain the task performance and prevent behavioral lapses. Additionally, the occipital-related connectivity magnitudes monotonically decreases as the vigilance level declines, which further supports the cortical gating of sensory stimuli during drowsiness. Neurophysiological evidence of mutual relationships between brain regions measured by transfer entropy might enhance the understanding of cortico-cortical communication during drowsy driving.

An EEG-based classification system of Passenger's motion sickness level by using feature extraction/selection technologies

Past studies reported that the main electrogastrography (EEG) dynamic changes related to motion sickness (MS) were occurred in occipital, parietal, and somatosensory brain area, especially in the power increasing of the alpha band (8–13 Hz) and theta band (4–7 Hz) which had positive correlation with the subjective MS level. Depend on these main findings correlated with MS, we attempt to develop an EEG based classification system to automatically classify subjects MS level and find the suitable EEG features via common feature extraction, selection and classifiers technologies in this study. If we can find the regulations and then develop an algorithm to predict MS occurring, it would be a great benefit to construct a safe and comfortable environment for all drivers and passengers when they are cruising in the car, bus, ship or airplane. EEG is one of the best methods for monitoring the brain dynamics induced by motion-sickness because of its high temporal resolution and portability. After collecting the EEG signals and subjective MS level in a realistic driving environment, we first do the data pre-processing part including ICA, component clustering analysis and time-frequency analysis. Then we adopt three common feature extractions and two feature selections (FE/FS) technologies to extract or select the correlated features such as principal component analysis (PCA), linear discriminate analysis (LDA), nonparametric weighted feature extraction (NWFE), forward feature selections (FFS) and backward feature selections (BFS) and feed the feature maps into three classifiers (Gaussian Maximum Likelihood Classifier (ML), k-Nearest-Neighbor Classifier (kNN) and Support Vector Machine (SVM)). Experimental results show that classification performance of all our proposed technologies can be reached almost over 95%. It means it is possible to apply the effective technology combination to predict the subjects MS level in the real life applications. The better combination in this study is using LDA and Gaussian based ML classifier. This advantage can be widely used in machine learning area for developing the prediction algorithms in the future.

Arousing feedback rectifies lapse in performance and corresponding EEG power spectrum

This study explores electroencephalographic (EEG) dynamics and behavioral changes in response to arousing auditory signals presented to individuals experiencing momentary cognitive lapses. Arousing auditory feedback was delivered to the subjects in half of the non-responded lane-deviation events during a sustained-attention driving task, which immediately agitated subjects responses to the events. The improved behavioral performance was accompanied by concurrent power suppression in the theta- and alpha-bands in the lateral occipital cortices. This study further explores the feasibility of estimating the efficacy of arousing feedback presented to the drowsy subjects by monitoring the changes in EEG power spectra.