Human Behavior

How CompanionMX Trained Its AI to Spot Signs of Depression – Built In

Signs of depression can be difficult to spot, even for atrained professional. But could youteach an AI to reliably pick up on subtle changes in mood and behavior?

CompanionMX, a Boston-based startup, has created a mental health tool to do exactly that. Its platform uses AI to help users suffering from depression track changes in their emotional state over time.

To do so, co-founder Skyler Place and his team had to overcome one of emotion AIs biggest hurdles building anaccurate dataset for training. Because at the end of the day, if you collect the wrong data or get sloppy with the labeling, the resulting algorithms canquickly cause more harm than good.

The trend of emotion AI has been met with skepticismby many, for exactly that reason. In some cases, these concerns tie back to the limitations of relying onfacial recognition, which some experts say results in a much-too-simplistic understanding of human emotions.

Holding PhDs in psychology and cognitive science, Place knows as well as anyone that a simplistic approach wont do.

To avoid bias and spurious correlations, CompanionMX rooted its analysis inknown symptoms of depression. Through the app, the user records a 30-second audio diary commenting on their day, which an algorithm uses to analyze their vocal patterns to determine their energy level. Meanwhile, the app collects data on their texting frequency and phone calls out, as well as distance traveled via GPS proxies for real-world behaviors like social engagement and physical activity.

Combined, these data pointsform a well-rounded picture of a patients mental state while minimizing the barrier to participation for users, Place said. Heres what his team learned from translating those data points into a reliable model.

Seven years ago, Place laid the foundation for how his team would collect emotional data.

At the time, CompanionMX and its parent company, Cogito, worked in partnership with DARPA to develop an algorithm that could track mental illness changes in veterans with PTSD. While the easiest and most affordable route to collect that data would be to conduct a self-report study, people tend to be unreliable in reporting on their own emotions, Place said.

How a person feels can change depending on the external factors around them that have nothing to do with their overall emotional state. For instance, the user might report higher levels of stress if theyre filling out a questionnaire while stuck in a long line at Starbucks. Moreover, if a person suffers from depression or trauma, they may be reluctant to talk about it.

If your source of truth is inaccurate or fuzzy, like a self-report, it doesnt matter how good your input data is, Place said. Its almost like youve created a situation where its impossible to win, and thats been a limitation in the field.

Instead, CompanionMX opted to conduct a clinical study. While Place said doing so required both time and money, it allowed them to gather a more accurate picture of their users emotions that psychologists would trust.

For the study, the team recruited 73 participants that represented a mix of gender, race and veteran and civilian status, who reported at least one symptom of PTSD or depression verified by medical professionals. They started with the theory that behavioral patterns could be identified in real time through vocal recordings and digital trace data logged on a smartphone.

That gave us a very robust, one-of-a-kind dataset to build some of the most accurate and predictive models of behaviors that relate to mental illness.

Each participant received a new phone, conducted a baseline questionnaire and had their clinical symptoms measured through a validated clinical interview with a trained clinician. For the next 12 weeks, participants recorded audio logs of how they were doing and had their phone data collected. The CompanionMX team tracked anything it felt could be linked to a users behavior state, including how many calls or texts went in and out, how the phone was handled using the gyroscope, the location of the device, screen time and battery status.

At the end, the participants went through a Structured Clinical Interview for Mental Disorders with a clinical psychologist, which is a standard method used in psychology to assess a persons mental health. By doing the study this way, the team received more than 50 million data points from a variety of inputs to go along with 20 different diagnoses and sub-symptoms of depression.

That gave us a very robust, one-of-a-kind dataset to build some of the most accurate and predictive models of behaviors that relate to mental illness, Place said.

How does phone usage change with depression? Thats one of the questions CompanionMX needed to answer to make sense of its data.

To sort through its trove of information, the team used a hypothesis-driven process called feature engineering, Place said. Based onwhat is known in psychology about depression, the team created theories for how typical symptoms would manifest through phone usage patterns. Important symptoms included depressed mood most of the day, diminished interest in activities, fatigue, and avoidance of activities, places and people.

For diminished interest, the team predicted that a person would send fewer text messages and travel less from their home. To measure fatigue, they hypothesized that a person would make fewer calls and send fewer texts.

Its a process where we try different features, evaluate their predictive power and eliminate the features that were not predictive.

In total, the team started with 14 of these input features based on the digital trace data. From there, CompanionMX began the trial-and-error process of building its algorithm models.

Thats where the model building runs through an evaluation and an iterative process, Place said. Its a process where we try different features, evaluate their predictive power and eliminate the features that were not predictive.

The initial approach predicted symptoms using all 12 weeks of data, but the results revealed that it would be more accurate to focus on data one week prior to the users clinical assessment, according to the report.

Through extensive data exploration, the team also identified additional features that didnt accurately represent user behavior. For example, the team eliminated any information regarding battery life and screen time because each device measured the information differently.

When youre designing your dataset, you need to ask yourself where the variability is coming from, Place said. Is the variability coming from human behavior, which youre trying to predict, or is it variability in some other attribute you cant control for? Screen off and on seem like simple data points, but it was actually being measured differently by different device manufacturers. So the same human behavior would lead to different outcomes.

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One of the final rules Place had for his team when it came time to build their algorithm was that it needed to use features that were based on patterns humans can easily recognize.

When youre working with millions of data points, it can be easy to create a model that is statistically accurate but impossible to explain. Since CompanionMX aimed to be a resource for psychologists and psychiatrists, Place said it was crucial that their model made sense to them.

One lesson we learned was that you dont need to jump to the most complicated inputs or throw the whole kitchen sink into it at the start, Place said. Working from data that is as clean as possible and that you understand can be beneficial to modeling outcomes.

The team landed on three digital trace features all easy to understand in relation to human behavior: text message count, distance traveledand phone calls out.

Working from data that is as clean as possible and that you understand can be beneficial to modeling outcomes.

What success looked like for us was not just having an accurate model, but having a model that we could explain to a psychologist in a way that they would feel comfortable and confident in using to make decisions about treating someone for mental illness, Place said.

To train its second algorithm, CompanionMX needed to label 847 audio diary clips of at least 30 seconds in length.

Within those recordings, the team focused on the rate at which a person talked and their energy level.

While the speaking rate could be quantified through a process that measures the number of syllables used per minute, interpreting energy levels required a team of data labelers. In order to reduce the risk of bias, CompanionMX compiled a mix of 10 data scientists, both men and women, with backgrounds in psychology and engineering, to label the data.

It gave us the data necessary to make corrections and adjustments to account for the variability in human perception and human performance.

The labelers listened to the vocal recordings, and ranked pitch variation and vocal effort on the Likert scale of one to five. Since the data required human interpretation, the scale helped labelers find high levels of inter-rater reliability among the ratings.

It gave us the data necessary to make corrections and adjustments to account for the variability in human perception and human performance, Place said.

With the data labeled, the team built an algorithm that could conclude from the audio diary the users mean pitch variance and mean vocal effort. That information is then used in the teams final model to identify whether the person exhibits a depressed mood most of the day.

With the final algorithms in place, CompanionMX measured its models accuracy through a process of 10-fold cross-validation area under the curve testing a commonly used method to measure an algorithms true positive rate.

The model cleared CompanionMXs 50-percent threshold, accurately identifying each of the four depression symptoms at a rate higher than 50 percent of the time. But Place didnt want to stop there. In order to earn the trust of clinical professionals, the team aims to prove its usefulness through a clinical trial.

Its going to be a tool thats going to allow your doctor and the patients to be able to make better, more informed decisions.

The results of the clinical trial havent been published yet, but the process involved testing its product with a group of doctors and patients against a control group. The team is also working on expanding CompanionMX to identify other mental health conditions, like bipolar disorder.

When it comes to understanding how you really feel, however, Place knows the only people equipped to answer that question are you and your doctor. CompanionMX is just there to provide another data point.

I dont think well be in a world where AI is going to replace your doctor, Place said. Its going to be a tool thats going to allow your doctor and the patients to be able to make better, more informed decisions.

Striking the Right ToneHow Grammarly's Tone Detector Uses AI to Analyze Your Written Communication

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How CompanionMX Trained Its AI to Spot Signs of Depression - Built In

Human Behavior

Excessive Sports in Case of Eating Disorders: Psychological Mechanisms Decoded – Global Health News Wire

Exercise promotes health. Excessive and obsessive exercise, however, may turn into an addiction in the extreme case and cause illness. (Photo: Markus Breig, KIT)

Excessive and obsessive exercise is very harmful to health, this being particularly pronounced for persons suffering from eating disorders. Based on electronic diaries, a team of researchers of Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) and the University of Freiburg has now uncovered for the first time psychological mechanisms underlying pathological exercise. Their results allow the conclusion to be drawn that persons with eating disorders use exercise to regulate depressive mood and negative thoughts relating to their eating disorders. The study is published inPsychotherapy and Psychosomatics.

It is undisputed that exercise promotes health. Excessive and obsessive exercise, however, may become an addiction in the extreme case and cause illness. There is sufficient evidence that this unhealthy exercise is particularly pronounced for persons suffering from eating disorders. For the first time, a team of researchers of KITs Institute of Sports and Sports Science (IfSS) and the University of Freiburg has now uncovered psychological daily mechanisms underlying this pathological form of exercise. The method used for the study is referred to as ambulatory assessment. It records human experience and behavior in daily life and has been developed and used by experts of IfSS. The main idea consists in the fact that we have to study the human species in its natural habitat in order to understand human behavior, says Professor Ulrich Ebner-Priemer, Head of the Mental mHealth Lab of KIT.

The study was based on specifically developed, activity-triggered electronic diaries on smartphones. With these electronic diaries, we studied the dynamic interaction of physical exercise and psychological variables in everyday life, explains Markus Reichert, who works in the group of Professor Ebner-Priemer at KIT and is the first author of the study together with Dr. Sabine Schlegel of the University of Freiburg. Thanks to this technology, it was possible to specifically request subjective self-reports in case of conspicuous exercise episodes and to generate a high statistical variance of data.

Using this method, physical activity of 29 patients with eating disorders and 35 healthy controls was recorded objectively and constantly by an accelerometer, e.g. movement sensor, in daily life for a period of seven days. The accelerometer was connected to a smartphone via bluetooth, an installed app triggered requests for reports when measurements were below or above certain activity thresholds. In addition, the test persons were asked to report their subjective state of condition before and after exercise.

The researchers found that exercise of patients with eating disorders was preceded by declining mood. This effect was not found for healthy controls, who rather felt full of energy prior to exercise. After exercise, patients with eating disorders had a better mood than the healthy controls and their average mood, they felt more relaxed, and less pressure of having to be slim. Altogether, they were more satisfied with their body. However, this effect persisted for a limited period of time ranging from one to three hours depending on the test person.

The results reported by the authors inPsychotherapy and Psychosomaticsallow the conclusion to be drawn that patients with eating disorders use exercise to regulate depressive moods and negative thoughts relating to their eating disorders. To cope with difficult emotional states and negative body experience, they get exercise, probably also due to lacking alternative strategies at such times, Markus Reichert explains. It is quite obvious that the positive effects of exercise enhance unhealthy exercise. Feeling relieved after sports leads to renewed exercise when the effect declines. This may result in a vicious circle, in which more and more exercise is needed to feel good, say Markus Reichert and Professor Almut Zeeck, coordinator of the study at the university hospital of Freiburg.

According to Zeeck, these findings have major implications for therapy and further research. In therapy, sports might be used specifically and in precise doses to positively influence the mood and body experience of people suffering from eating disorders. It will be of crucial importance, however, to convey alternative action strategies to the patients in order to prevent unhealthy, excessive exercise. Here, latest technologies, such as day-to-day intervention on smartphones, might help. This opens up new perspectives for therapeutic interventions that reach patients in their everyday life and may represent an important supplement to ambulatory psychotherapy, Zeeck says.

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Excessive Sports in Case of Eating Disorders: Psychological Mechanisms Decoded - Global Health News Wire

Human Behavior

How firms can meaningfully improve diversity, and why they should – InvestmentNews

While the financial advice industry publicly highlights efforts to increase racial and gender diversity, data show the needle hasnt moved meaningfully.

Women account for 14% of financial advisers, according to research firm Cerulli Associates latest survey of the industry.

InvestmentNews data show nearly two-thirds of advisers dont have any people of color in client-facing roles, and only 27% are making attempts to increase diversity through hiring.

[More: Fisher Investments launches diversity task force]

The problem is there are fewer pathways into the industry for women and people of color, as well as unique challenges facing those who do make it in, said Cerulli research analyst Marina Shtyrkov. Some of the reasons are structural and could be addressed with policy changes, while others are more subtle and will require years of persistent, coordinated efforts across the industry.

Changing human behavior and biases is a tremendous undertaking; it has taken decades to develop current perceptions and behaviors, and it may take decades to unwind them, Ms. Shtyrkov said in a statement. In order to create meaningful, lasting change, firms must be willing to make significant modifications to compensation, recruiting strategies, training programs, and leadership.

For example, public perception of the financial services industry as a male-dominated profession that doesnt work with minority communities contributes to keeping people from ever considering financial advice as a career. Even for those who consider it, the industrys focus on sales instead of relationships drive many away, Ms. Shtyrkov said.

Advisers can combat this message by more actively demonstrating financial advice as a career that can positively impact lives. Mr. Shtyrkov recommends firms partner with local non-profits, schools and universities to help spread the message.

Go out into your community and talk about what you do, Ms. Shtyrkov said in an interview with InvestmentNews, noting that many people have never seen an adviser who looks like them. They dont see themselves represented in the industry. Help them understand what the possibilities are.

Diversity goes beyond hiring; firms must also improve retention. The eat what you kill model that demands rookies quickly harvest clients and assets disadvantages people from less affluent backgrounds, Ms. Shtyrkov said. Firm culture, inadequate mentoring and limited training support all contribute to make women and people of color feel unwelcome in the industry.

By removing production or revenue requirements, if only for an advisers first few years, and instead focusing on technical training, such as building financial plans and meeting with clients, firms can better retain a diverse workforce of advisers.

Ms. Shtyrkov also recommended that firms consider adding new advisers to a team to help cushion any revenue losses.

Meredith Moore, founder and CEO of Artisan Financial Strategies, an affiliate of New York Life Securities, agreed that the pressure to produce can keep women out of financial advice, especially mothers.

If they are not on a salary and still have responsibilities at home, how do you balance that? Ms. Moore said, adding that it took years for her own practice to become profitable. There needs to be a longer period of time for people to be able to ramp up [their business].

But the more subtle barriers, such as unconscious bias against women and people of color, will just naturally take longer to overcome.

Slowly, over time, women are getting more comfortable around money, Ms. Moore said. For new people coming into the business, it wont feel like such an outside-the-box industry.

Many diversity initiatives are created in a vacuum and do little beyond pay lip service to diversity, Ms. Shtyrkov said. She believes a cohesive, collaborative strategy across the entire advice industry is more likely to result in change.

[More: Dont relegate diversity efforts as marketing]

Whats really lacking is one organization, one collective movement to bring firms together in understanding which strategies work, what are the successes and what are the learnings, she said.

In addition to positive publicity, diversity can help advisory firms deal with the growing talent shortage threatening the industry.

Cerulli estimates at least 111,500 advisers will retire over the next decade, and nearly a quarter of them dont have a succession plan. Meanwhile, less than 20,000 trainees entered the industry in 2019, and as many as 75% are expected to fail within their first five years.

Making efforts to improve diversity can help firms tap into a larger talent pool of prospective advisers.

Right now, firms are struggling to know where to pull new advisers from. There just arent enough new people coming into the industry, Ms. Shtyrkov said. If we start looking in more places, new places, if we understand what weve done in the past isnt enough for us firms can get more advisers to not only enter the industry but also stick it out.

Improving adviser diversity can also help firms scale their practice and the types of clients they serve, Ms. Moore said. In a white paper, Designing Your Economic Masterpiece In A Mans World, Ms. Moore looks at the fact that women are earning more than ever, but are not receiving the financial education or advice they need.

Ms. Moore also believes mentorship and sponsorship programs can play significant roles in making financial advice more inclusive, forging relationships with new clients and communities, and helping scale a practice.

I believe everybody deserves access to an adviser in some capacity, and youre going to be drawn to somebody that looks like you and shares common values, she said.

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How firms can meaningfully improve diversity, and why they should - InvestmentNews

Human Behavior

Nike is making footwear to improve athletes efficiency for the Tokyo Olympics – TechCrunch

Rae Witte is a New York-based freelance journalist covering music, style, sneakers, art and dating, and how they intersect with tech. You can find her writing on i-D, The Wall Street Journal, Esquire and Forbes, among others.

All it takes to win a gold medal at the Olympics is the best performance on the day of the event. Champions may be made in countless training hours, but championships, finals and even world title-representing gold medals are won in final seconds and millimeters through speed or accuracy and endurance in that final race, round or game.

To that end, Nike introduced innovation-led products with proven performance-enhancing results for Tokyo 2020.

By driving down into the minutiae of every Olympic event to find the best opportunities to improve design, the brand is ensuring its footwear directly caters to those crucial moments as much as athletes preparation for them.

We are innovating into the infinitesimal and little things that really matter, John Hoke, Nikes chief design officer, told me. Although hes held his position for the last decade, Hoke has actually been with Nike for about 30 years, and through seven Olympic games. We get to stop and slow down the game and sort of study and obsess over that. We are obsessing over those moment-of-truth moments.

This obsession resulted in a new line of shoes designed to enhance the moments of truth: the Nike Zoom Viperfly; Air Zoom BB for basketball; the Air Zoom Mercurial for soccer; and the long-awaited Nike Air Zoom Alphafly NEXT% for elite runners. The models contain innovations developed over months of research conducted in a lab in the Pacific Northwest.

In conjunction with a design team as elite as the athletes it caters to, the Nike Research Lab is an integral part of these advancements. Founded 40 years ago in Exeter, N.H., the lab is now located on Nikes Portland campus and focuses on biomechanics, physiology, perception and human behavior, and data science.

Athletes contribute performance insights to the lab through testing and verbal feedback that the researchers quantify into performance, movement and even fatigue data to improve the product. Researchers have been able to pinpoint the moments during competition when athletes are operating from a place of need or fatigue, thus providing a direction for designers to functionally improve apparel and footwear.

This resulted in a major focus on innovations for energy preservation and responsive technology.

Additionally, with such significant advancements following the release of 2017s Nike Zoom Vaporfly Elite, elite runners have been returning to Nike sneakers en masse.

In 2018, the addition of ZoomX foam and modern technology using carbon fiber plates allowed Nike ZoomX Vaporfly NEXT% to increase running efficiency by 4%, making wearers actually see significantly faster times.

However, this has raised questions about whether the shoes are offering an unfair advantage or are simply the most energy-efficient.

The shoes cushy foam midsole embedded with a single carbon fiber plate is advertised as giving athletes the sensation of being propelled forward. By lowering the energy expenditure, runners reduce fatigue, resulting in faster times. An independent study conducted by The New York Times found the technology actually improved runners efficiency 4% to 5%, which is more than what the brand claims.

In the past year, Eliud Kipchoge ran the first sub-two-hour marathon time in last falls INEOS 1:59 Challenge. Sifan Hassan became the first woman to win a gold medal in both the 1,500-meter and 10,000-meter events at a single World Championships or Olympic Games. Earlier last year, Britains middle-distance runner Laura Muir broke the British indoor mile record in a similar pair of Vaporfly prototype spikes, and Brigid Kosgei set a new womens marathon world record. And the five fastest-ever marathons times have been recorded by runners in iterations of Nikes with the new technology.

Leveraging learnings from the elite runners groundbreaking successes since the release of Nike Zoom Vaporfly Elite in 2017, the Nike design team approached spike design with a fresh set of eyes. The research lab found that most runners final 20 meters of a 100 meter race were the slowest, and that they were actually decelerating as they crossed the finish line. The goal is to shorten the deceleration time.

I constantly hear athletes talk about getting to a state of flow, which is this wonderful state where everything slows down and you cant wait to occupy that space, that time, that second so that you can do exactly what youve been trained to do, Hoke says.

His team is determined to provide athletes with products that allow their bodies to perform in that space.

The Nike Air Zoom Viperfly track spikes are crafted specifically for the 100-meter race. As most sprinters heels barely touch the ground throughout the race, the ultra-light footwear features denser knit through the body of the shoe for support and lighter knit through the heel.

More cushioning in the form of protective foam within the heel of the shoe compensates for the lighter knit, providing added protection without the weight specifically for times of deceleration.

Nike Air Zoom Viperfly track spikes

Similar to those final 20 meters of the 100-meter dash, examining basketball led researchers to determine that players experience the most fatigue in the fourth quarter, as one would expect, and that they run an average of three to four miles during gameplay. Sprinting in short, court-length bursts for three to four miles results in the most fatigue toward the end of a 40-minute Olympic basketball game.

Striving to provide a product for the most fundamentally proficient fourth quarter led the design team to the new Nike Air Zoom BB.

The goal is to get them to the final 15 seconds without a dropped step, that they havent lost any ability to get to the basket or get to the ball and to keep efficient shooting form so theyre in perfect shape at the very end, Hoke shares.

Nike React foam, which first launched in basketball sneakers in June 2017, is known for offering runners cushioning and energy return while being lightweight and maintaining durability. Typically, designs have to sacrifice comfort for energy return or weight for durability and vice versa.

The new Nike Air Zoom BB leverages Nike React foam under the heel, allowing athletes to carry less weight and receive more energy return, turning the force from their body into momentum in each step.

Two Air Zoom units are positioned under the ball of the athletes feet pressure points consistent with basketball performance to absorb and return energy, which results in reduced fatigue.

Nike Air Zoom BB

And for the Nike soccer teams, the focus comes down to ball control and the shoes effect on catching and passing. This brings a few firsts for Nike soccer footwear.

If we marry these surfaces (the ball and the boot) in more of a symbiotic way, their touch radically goes up, Hoke says of the inspiration for the innovation. So that goes all the way up the leg into the brain, and they feel like theyre better connected to the ball.

The Air Zoom Mercurial features a 3D-printed Flyknit-like upper, known as Flyprint, for the first time. Weve used skinned Flyknit or Flyknit material with a skin on top of it. We have used multiple types of synthetic and natural leathers. Weve looked at covered canvases, Hoke says recalling other options that were considered. Flyprint is Nikes first 3D-printed textile upper in performance footwear and debuted on the Nike Zoom Vaporfly Elite Flyprint, worn by Kipchoge in 2017.

By thinking of the surface of the new Mercurials upper as a series of contoured terrains, 3D printing allows for the most precision.

And each surface can be done specifically for a striker, a midfielder or defender, he adds. 3D printing offers a completely new way of designing that surface.

The cleat also features Air Zoom technology, with a 4.5 millimeter bag focusing on responsiveness more than cushioning for fatigue reduction like the larger Air Zoom systems for other sports. When they plant their foot into the grass, and we have these cleats perfectly designed, they feel like they can push off in any direction.

Air Zoom Mercurial

With significantly larger cushioning specifically for comfort and energy return rather than sharp running patterns demanded of the Mercurial the long-awaited Nike Air Zoom Alphafly NEXT% has finally been released.

Two exposed Air Zoom bags sit side by side for extra cushioning. These are designed for impact protection and performance and include the freedom to expand in order to minimize energy loss and maximize responsiveness.

A modified carbon fiber plate (different fromthe three exhibited in the patent docs) allows Nike to maintain the cataclysmic sensation of propelling the runner forward.

Two exposed Air Zoom bags

The plate, which is embedded in the ZoomX foam of the Alphafly NEXT%, provides stability and increased stiffness in the forefoot. And its position within the entire system also reduces stress on the ankle joint.

But there were some questions in the lead-up to the shoes release.

World Athletics, thegoverning body of track and field competitors worldwide,announcedthat there would be an indefinite moratorium on shoes with a sole exceeding 40 millimeters and containing more than one ridged embedded plate of any material.

I believe these new rules strike the right balance by offering certainty to athletes and manufacturers as they prepare for the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games, while addressing the concerns that have been raised about shoe technology, said Sebastian Coe in a statement. If further evidence becomes available that indicates we need to tighten up these rules, we reserve the right to do that to protect our sport.

It was speculated that the combination height of the foam stack and the angle of the carbon plates could result in an unfair advantage. The stack height for the new Nike Air Zoom Alphafly NEXT% is set to increase to 39.5 millimeters, which is an increase from the 37 millimeters in the Nike ZoomX Vaporfly NEXT% that was released in 2017.

This means that the shoe wont be affected by Fridays World Athletics announcement.

Unseen since Kipchoge wore them in the INEOS Challenge, theyll be available to Nike Members this month, with broader distribution later in the spring.

In what is predicted to be the hottest Olympics in history, Nike footwear innovations are dedicated to causing the lowest level of energy expenditure as possible through diving deeply into the physics of sport.

We know that fatigue and the loss of control on space becomes where injury happens and where errors happen. Were just trying to give athletes just a little bit more of an advantage, a little bit more confidence through our designs, Hoke says.

After a ground-breaking year in elite running efficiency and subsequent better performance in athletes in Nikes, were ready to let this summers games begin.

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Nike is making footwear to improve athletes efficiency for the Tokyo Olympics - TechCrunch

Human Behavior

ABA therapist is here to help kids with autism – KeysNews.com

ContributedShine Bright Therapy owner Jennifer Borr works withchildren who have been diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder.

PLANTATION KEY Applied behavior analysis is a type of therapy focused on improving social, communication and learning skills through positive reinforcement. Shine Bright Therapy uses the science-based approach to help children who have been diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder.

ABA therapists are like scientists, said Shine Bright Therapy owner Jennifer Borr. ABA is the science of human behavior in a specific setting. If we can observe it and we can measure responses, we have the ability to act on it. We use reinforcement to increase behavior. We change the dimension of behaviors.

Borr, armed with a masters degree in science and a board-certification, has been helping children with autism for 16 years as the sole proprietor of her company. Shes now extending her services at her new Indian Mound office.

There is such a need for this service in the area, Borr said. Ive heard of parents having to drive their child up to Miami a few times a week. That in itself is a full-time job and can be prohibitive. If these kids arent getting the therapy that they need, then where does this leave them?

In 2018 the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention determined that approximately 1 in 59 children is diagnosed with an autism spectrum disorder, with boys being four times more likely to be diagnosed with autism than girls. The developmental disorder impairs the ability to communicate and interact.

Applied behavior analysis and therapies are the most commonly used behavioral interventions for autism. All ABA therapy programs are individualized and may be at times intensive, according to Borr.

I help set goals with the whole family. We want everyone to be in a happy home, so this is a long-term and comprehensive approach. We focus on the childs parents, the childs school, the teachers and community so they can uphold what theyve learned from us, she said.

We are helpful with kids who have tantrums or may be engaging in aggressive behaviors toward themselves or toward others. Its likely there are communication problems and the child just isnt able to get their needs met. If the parents dont want to play the guessing game, thats where we come in.

Shine Bright Therapy also helps in non-critical situations like if parents wish their children to become more independent.

Borr has been working with a child for the past seven years and takes him out to lunch every Wednesday.

He has to be accountable with his wallet, his money and for ordering his own meals. This is something he needs to practice so that he can be a little more independent in life, Borr said.

Early intervention with autism affords the best opportunity to support healthy development and deliver benefits across the lifespan, according to Autism Speaks.

Shine Bright Therapy is planning to offer speech and occupational therapy in the future.

I will eventually offer those so that well have a one-stop therapies shop. For now, Im focusing on ABA and am happy to be here and a part of the community, Borr said.

An evaluation with the parents is the initial step in signing up a child with Shine Bright Therapy.

Shine Bright Therapy is located at 89240 Overseas Highway, Suite 5. Office hours are 9:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Monday through Friday. Most insurances are accepted. For more information, follow Shine Bright Therapy on Instagram, visit shinebrighttherapy.com or call the office at 305-854-2462.

tjava@keysnews.com

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ABA therapist is here to help kids with autism - KeysNews.com

Human Behavior

Study links racism with signs of depression in Black teens – Science News for Students

Sadly, racial discrimination happens every day. Indeed,for some U.S. kids, its a five-times-a-day thing. Thats the finding of a smallsurvey of Black teens. Moreover, these kids showed worse signs of depression after two weeks ofsuch experiences. Mental-health researchers worry that over time, such ongoingracism will cause more and more emotional harm.

Devin English works at the Rutgers University Schoolof Public Health in Newark, N.J. As a psychologist, he studies human behavior,the mind and emotional health. He and other researchers wondered how commondifferent types of discrimination are for Black teens. They also wanted to see whetherracism affects teensmental health. To find out, he and some colleagues surveyed 101 Black students,aged 13 to 17, in Washington, D.C.

Team members first asked teens 20 questions aboutsigns of possible depression. For instance, did these kids have troublesleeping? Did they have trouble keeping their mind on what they were doing? Hadthey lost interest in some of their usual activities?

Then the team asked the teens to complete daily surveysfor two weeks. The 15 survey questions changed each day. In all, the surveysasked about more than 60 types of experiences that might indicate racism. Theseranged from physical assaults and bullying to insults andother nasty behaviors.

But the incidents didnt have to have been aimedat the teens directly. Racism experienced by a family member, neighbor orfriend can have broad impacts. This type of secondhand or vicarious experience can hurt kids as well. Teens also can face racism online.

Then there are smaller micro aggressions. These can be seemingly small slights orinsults. A store clerk might first help customers who came in after a Blackteen. Or a teacher might not bother to say a students name correctly. The personbehind the microaggression might not mean to give harm. But the student canstill sense the persons prejudice and feel hurt.

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If a Black teen feels upset by racism, forexample, a White person might say, Get over it. That downplays the teensexperience and suggests it shouldnt hurt even if it truly does. Or, someonemight ask a person of color to speak for all members of his or her race orethnic group. That wrongly suggests that everyone in that group is alike.

Other microaggressions take the form of teasing.Some teens might say something they claim is being done in fun but isnt funat all to the targeted student. Teasing and other microaggressions make usfeel that were not normal and we dont belong, explains English atRutgers.

Teens in the new study completed 1,139 dailysurveys and reported 5,606 experiences of discrimination. That comes to anaverage of almost five events a day. The three most common forms were individualand vicarious online incidents and race-related offline teasing.

Researchers asked again about signs of depressionat the end of the study. After the two weeks, symptoms had worsened in studentswho experienced more frequent real-world (offline) discrimination. Targeted incidentsof racism online also made symptoms worse.

The worsening of symptoms was small but worrisome.This is over a two-week period for young people, English says. And ifdiscrimination is causing someone to feel worse about themselves over a short periodof time and thats happening over and over and over again you would expectthat its leading to things like more serious mental-health symptoms.

Those impacts will add up over time, Englishexpects. Its like a backpack that keeps getting more books, keys, pencils andother things tossed into it. Over time, if we dont have the resources and supportto help unload some of those things from the backpack, it becomes really,really heavy, he says. And eventually, he says, it starts to weigh us down.

His teams new study appears in theJanuary-February 2020 issue of Journal of Applied Developmental Psychology.Future studies will test if similar results show up in other cities. We knowthat Black communities are extremely diverse, English notes.

I wish I could say the findings were a completesurprise to me. They werent, says Roxanne Donovan. Shes a psychologyprofessor at Kennesaw State University in Georgia. In a study seven years ago, hergroup surveyed Black women college students. Nearly all of them 96 percent said they faced racial microaggressions at least a few times per year.

What did surprise me was the high number ofevents that teens in the new study had to deal with, Donovan says. She applaudsthis studys method of asking teens for daily reports. She also commends thefocus on multiple types of discrimination.

Sadly, too many young people are treated badly becauseof their race. But, English stresses, its not about a problem with them. Rather,he says, society is the problem.

Teens can do something about racism. If a situation isnt dangerous, speak up and say how you feel. In anycase, talk with parents and other trusted people at school or in yourcommunity. Teens and families also can encourage schools to take a no-tolerancestance against racist actions, including teasing and bullying.

Teens who arent people of color can and should speakout against racism, Donovan and others say. These teens also can try to recognizeand curb their own biases. Think about what racial experiences have shaped howyou see yourself and others, English suggests. Also think about how you mayhave enjoyed some privileges based on your race. Its really important that weexplore that, he says, and that we are honest with ourselves.

If someone talks with you about an experience ofracial discrimination, theyre putting a lot of confidence in you, and theyretrusting you, English adds. Its really important to listen to that. Meanwhile,society still has a long way to go to fight racism.

Five discrimination experiences daily is fivetoo many, Donovan says. These teens deserve better from our society.

Continue reading here:
Study links racism with signs of depression in Black teens - Science News for Students

Human Behavior

New EMA Research Examines the Detection and Prevention of Automated Bot Attacks – Supply and Demand Chain Executive

Enterprise Management Associates released a new research report titled The Imitation Game: Detecting and Thwarting Automated Bot Attacks based on criteria defined by Paula Musich, research director of security and risk management at EMA.

Over 20% of all website requests are made by bad bots conducting a range of nefarious activities, including the more ubiquitous application distributed denial of service (DDoS) attacks, as well as price scraping, web fraud, account hijacking, and more. In late 2019, EMA surveyed 209 respondents representing organizations primarily serving North America to learn how defenders are responding to this increasingly virulent attack vector. The research sought respondents primarily in IT and IT security roles representing organizations with at least 500 employees.

52% of respondents indicated that their organizations public-facing applications had experienced DDoS attacks in the last year, followed by 38% of respondents reporting fake account creation and vulnerability scanning/reconnaissance attacks over that same time period. Depending on the type and size of the organization, the frequency of these attacks ranged anywhere from less than one per day to over 500 times per day.

Attackers continue to up their game by increasing the level of sophistication in their campaigns. The use of simple Python or Perl scripts to mimic the behavior of valid website visitors has given way to the use of Javascript and cookies to appear legitimate. More sophisticated bots even have their own moniker: advanced persistent bots (APBs). These APBs, which make up the lions share of all bad bots, can mimic human behavior, seek to bypass CAPTCHAs, hide behind anonymous peer-to-peer proxies, and dynamically rotate IP addresses. Increasingly, attackers try to determine how their bots are initially detected and then reconfigure and relaunch the attack in an effort to evade those detections.

Defenders are responding by turning to a range of different bot detection and mitigation providers, including dedicated bot mitigation vendors, web application firewall providers, content delivery networking services, and others. Such providers are raising the stakes by adding a wider range of telemetry to their solutions and adding new detections that employ machine learning techniques, behavioral analysis, and more on top of existing signatures, challenges, and IP reputation detections.

Automated bot attacks can cost victim organizations from thousands to millions of dollars annually in lost business, product theft, increased infrastructure costs, and more, says Musich. In the cat and mouse game between attackers and defenders, though, defenders appear to be gaining the upper hand through the use of more sophisticated detection and prevention tools.

As organizations build out and manage their defenses against automated bot attacks, they are seeing success in detecting and mitigating the most frequently used attack techniques. This is especially true for application-level DDoS attacks, which the largest percentage of respondents indicated were detected and mitigated in less than one day.

Ultimately, bot defense solutions are enabling users of the technology to limit the amount of damage automated bot attack campaigns are exacting. Respondents in the survey indicated that their use of bot defense technology enabled savings in both fraud resolution and web infrastructure costs.

Originally posted here:
New EMA Research Examines the Detection and Prevention of Automated Bot Attacks - Supply and Demand Chain Executive

Human Behavior

Data: All his best ever ‘Star Trek: The Next Generation’ moments – Film Daily

Never, in the history of pop culture, has a robot acted less like a robot than Data (Brent Spiner) from Star Trek: The Next Generation. We are including the entirety of all robots from television and film on this list, including R2-D2 from Star Wars, Number Six (Tricia Helfer) from SyFys Battlestar Galactica, and even the brave little toaster, from The Brave Little Toaster.

While Data opened every episode stressing his commitment to logic and reason, we have never seen a character embrace such a YOLO philosophy, outside of drunk frat boys in Southern Florida about to jump into a pool that has been drained for the season.

He lived like he died, like a trusty appliance that lasted way past its original warranty. In honor of this legend amongst men, here are all of his best moments from the best Star Trek show to ever air.

Measure of a Man is the episode you show to your friends to convince them that Star Trek is a great show. Like all great television, it takes place in a courtroom. It addresses themes of consent, slavery, artificial intelligence, and autonomy on a level that is rarely seen onscreen.

It all starts when cyberneticist Commander Bruce Maddox (Brian Brophy) comes snooping around the Enterprise. Maddox is after Datas positronic brain like the Wicked Witch of the West was after Dorothys ruby slippers, but Data rebuffs his request to study him out of concern it could be more dangerous than Maddox lets on.

This causes Maddox to turn to Starfleet to force him to comply with his request, out of the belief that Data has no autonomy as he is Starfleet property.

Obviously, Data was never going to lose this fight with his No. 1 boy Captain Jean-Luc Picard (Patrick Stewart) on his side, but it is a gripping hour of television that forces the viewer to consider at what point a machine with above-human intelligence could be considered human.

The greatest part of the episode comes from Maddox, rather than Data, when he refers to him as he rather than it. It establishes Data not just as a character, but as a man.

Star Trek: Generations is not a good movie. It has our favorite Star Trek characters from multiple franchises, but it would not even rank in the top 10 of our favorite franchise films (which is pretty bad when there are only 12 in total).

However.

Star Trek: Generations gets major points for a 22-second scene of Data in Ten Forward consuming alcohol. The robot truly speaks to the human condition in this one brief scene, as he tries alcohol for the first time.

Data: I hate this! It is revolting!Guinan (Whoopi Goldberg): More?Data: Please.

What we love about Data is his embrace of all of the human characteristics anyone else would feel nervous or embarrassed or ashamed about. He tries so hard to adopt human behaviors, without any of the emotions that go with them, and the end result is both hilarious and heartwarming.

In Season 6, Episode 5 Schisms, Data embraces the inner Literature and Classics major that resides within all of us to compose a poem to his cat Spot. Suffice to say, the rhyme and meter are technically perfect, but it bores most of the audience in Ten Forward to sleep. However, that is not an indictment of Datas poetry. That was the main macguffin of the episode.

We all know Noonian Soong (Brent Spiner) was a pervert.

It is a given. We knew Soong was a pervert even before we met him, even before we knew his name, even before we had a concept that Data was created by an outside source.

There was no need for Data to be fully functional, unless it was for pervert activities.

Which is exactly what Tasha Yar (Denise Crosby) used him for in Season 1, Episode 3 The Naked Now.

During the episode, the Enterprise was attempting to investigate the loss of the SS Tsiolkovsky. The ship had been observing the final days of a dying red supergiant and the entire crew was frozen in place in what looked like the last days of an orgy. They were drunk, they were horny, they were frozen in time as giant people popsicles and that same style of behavior soon infected the Enterprise crew.

Luckily, it turned out to just be complex water molecules accumulating carbon from the body in an imitation of drunkenness, and the A-plot was speedily resolved, but we are still haunted by Data being used as a mandroid version of Austin Powerss fembots.

In Season 2, Episode 6 The Schizoid Man, Data grows a beard. It really adds nothing to the plot or character or even the legacy of Star Trek, but we just love it and felt like adding it to the list.

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Data: All his best ever 'Star Trek: The Next Generation' moments - Film Daily

Human Behavior

Mood Food: 9 Foods That Can Really Boost Your Spirits – Healthline

When youre feeling down, it can be tempting to turn to food to lift your spirits. However, the sugary, high calorie treats that many people resort to have negative consequences of their own.

Thus, you may wonder whether any healthy foods can improve your mood.

Recently, research on the relationship between nutrition and mental health has been emerging. Yet, its important to note that mood can be influenced by many factors, such as stress, environment, poor sleep, genetics, mood disorders, and nutritional deficiencies (1, 2, 3).

Therefore, its difficult to accurately determine whether food can raise your spirits (4).

Nonetheless, certain foods have been shown to improve overall brain health and certain types of mood disorders.

Here are 9 healthy foods that may boost your mood.

Omega-3 fatty acids are a group of essential fats that you must obtain through your diet because your body cant produce them on its own.

Fatty fish like salmon and albacore tuna are rich in two types of omega-3s docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) and eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) that are linked to lower levels of depression (5, 6, 7).

Omega-3s contribute to the fluidity of your brains cell membrane and appear to play key roles in brain development and cell signaling (5, 6, 7).

While research is mixed, one review of clinical trials showed that in some studies, consuming omega-3s in the form of fish oil lower depression scores (8).

Although theres no standard dose, most experts agree that most adults should get at least 250500 mg of combined EPA and DHA per day (9).

Given that a 3.5-ounce (100-gram) serving of salmon provides 2,260 mg of EPA and DHA, eating this fish a few times per week is a great way to get these fats into your diet (10).

Fatty fish like salmon are rich in omega-3 fatty acids, which may lower your risk of depression.

Chocolate is rich in many mood-boosting compounds.

Its sugar may improve mood since its a quick source of fuel for your brain (11, 12).

Furthermore, it may release a cascade of feel-good compounds, such as caffeine, theobromine, and N-acylethanolamine a substance chemically similar to cannabinoids that has been linked to improved mood (11, 12).

However, some experts debate whether chocolate contains enough of these compounds to trigger a psychological response (11, 12).

Regardless, its high in health-promoting flavonoids, which have been shown to increase blood flow to your brain, reduce inflammation, and boost brain health, all of which may support mood regulation (11, 13).

Finally, chocolate has a high hedonic rating, meaning that its pleasurable taste, texture, and smell may also promote good mood (7, 8).

Because milk chocolate contains added ingredients like sugar and fat, its best to opt for dark chocolate which is higher in flavonoids and lower in added sugar. You should still stick to 12 small squares (of 70% or more cocoa solids) at a time since its a high calorie food.

Dark chocolate is rich in compounds that may increase feel-good chemicals in your brain.

Fermented foods, which include kimchi, yogurt, kefir, kombucha, and sauerkraut, may improve gut health and mood.

The fermentation process allows live bacteria to thrive in foods that are then able to convert sugars into alcohol and acids (14).

During this process, probiotics are created. These live microorganisms support the growth of healthy bacteria in your gut and may increase serotonin levels (15, 16).

Its important to note that not all fermented foods are significant sources of probiotics, such as in the case of beer, some breads, and wine, due to cooking and filtering.

Serotonin is a neurotransmitter that affects many facets of human behavior, such as mood, stress response, appetite, and sexual drive. Up to 90% of your bodys serotonin is produced by your gut microbiome, or the collection of healthy bacteria in your gut (15, 16, 17, 18).

In addition, the gut microbiome plays a role in brain health. Research is beginning to show a connection between healthy gut bacteria and lower rates of depression (16, 18, 19).

Still, more research is needed to understand how probiotics may regulate mood (18).

Since up to 90% of your bodys serotonin is produced in your gut, a healthy gut may correspond to a good mood. Fermented foods like kimchi, yogurt, kefir, kombucha, and sauerkraut are rich in probiotics that support gut health.

Bananas may help turn a frown upside down.

Theyre high in vitamin B6, which helps synthesize feel-good neurotransmitters like dopamine and serotonin (20).

Furthermore, one large banana (136 grams) provides 16 grams of sugar and 3.5 grams of fiber (21).

When paired with fiber, sugar is released slowly into your bloodstream, allowing for stable blood sugar levels and better mood control. Blood sugar levels that are too low may lead to irritability and mood swings (22).

Finally, this ubiquitous tropical fruit, especially when still showing green on the peel, is an excellent source of prebiotics, a type of fiber that helps feed healthy bacteria in your gut. A robust gut microbiome is associated with lower rates of mood disorders (23).

Bananas are a great source of natural sugar, vitamin B6, and prebiotic fiber, which work together to keep your blood sugar levels and mood stable.

Oats are a whole grain that can keep you in good spirits all morning. You can enjoy them in many forms, such as overnight oats, oatmeal, muesli, and granola.

Theyre an excellent source of fiber, providing 8 grams in a single raw cup (81 grams) (24).

Fiber helps slow your digestion of carbs, allowing for a gradual release of sugar into the bloodstream to keep your energy levels stable.

In one study, those who ate 1.56 grams of fiber at breakfast reported better mood and energy levels. This was attributed to more stable blood sugar levels, which is important for controlling mood swings and irritability (22, 25).

Although other sources of whole grains can have this effect, oats may be especially advantageous, as theyre also a great source of iron, with 1 raw cup (81 grams) boasting 19% of your daily needs (24).

Iron deficiency anemia, one of the most common nutrient deficiencies, is associated with low iron intake. Its symptoms include fatigue, sluggishness, and mood disorders (26, 27).

Some research suggests that people experience improvements in these symptoms after eating iron-rich foods or supplementing with iron, but more research is needed (28).

Oats provide fiber that can stabilize your blood sugar levels and boost your mood. Theyre also high in iron, which may improve mood symptoms in those with iron deficiency anemia.

Curiously, eating more fruits and vegetables is linked to lower rates of depression (29, 30).

Although the mechanism isnt clear, a diet rich in antioxidants may help manage inflammation associated with depression and other mood disorders (31).

Berries pack a wide range of antioxidants and phenolic compounds, which play a key role in combatting oxidative stress an imbalance of harmful compounds in your body (31).

Theyre particularly high in anthocyanins, a pigment that gives certain berries their purple-blue color. One study associated a diet rich in anthocyanins with a 39% lower risk of depression symptoms (32).

If you cant find them fresh, try buying frozen berries which are frozen at their peak ripeness to retain the maximum amount of antioxidants (33).

Berries are rich in disease-fighting anthocyanins, which may lower your risk of depression.

Nuts and seeds are high in plant-based proteins, healthy fats, and fiber.

Additionally, they provide tryptophan, an amino acid responsible for producing mood-boosting serotonin. Almonds, cashews, peanuts, and walnuts, as well as pumpkin, sesame, and sunflower seeds, are excellent sources (34).

Moreover, nuts and seeds are a large component of both the MIND and Mediterranean diets, which may support a healthy brain. Each of these diets promotes fresh, whole foods and limits your intake of processed items (35, 36, 37, 38).

Whats more, a 10-year study in 15,980 people linked moderate nut intake to a 23% lower risk of depression (39).

Finally, certain nuts and seeds, such as Brazil nuts, almonds, and pine nuts, are good sources of zinc and selenium. Deficiency in these minerals, which are important for brain function, is associated with higher rates of depression although more research is needed (40).

Certain nuts and seeds are high in tryptophan, zinc, and selenium, which may support brain function and lower your risk of depression.

Coffee is the worlds most popular drink, and it may make the world a bit happier, too.

The caffeine in coffee prevents a naturally occurring compound called adenosine from attaching to brain receptors that promote tiredness, therefore increasing alertness and attention (41).

Moreover, it increases the release of mood-boosting neurotransmitters, such as dopamine and norepinephrine (42).

A study in 72 people found that both caffeinated and decaffeinated coffee significantly improved mood compared with a placebo beverage, suggesting that coffee contains other compounds that influence mood (42).

Researchers attributed this boost in attitude to various phenolic compounds, such as chlorogenic acid. Still, more research is needed (42).

Coffee provides numerous compounds, including caffeine and chlorogenic acid, that may boost your mood. Research suggests that decaf coffee may even have an effect.

In addition to being high in fiber and plant-based protein, beans and lentils are full of feel-good nutrients.

Theyre an excellent source of B vitamins, which help improve mood by increasing levels of neurotransmitters like serotonin, dopamine, norepinephrine, and gamma aminobutyric acid (GABA), all of which are important for regulating mood (43, 44, 45).

Furthermore, B vitamins play a key role in nerve signaling, which allows proper communication between nerve cells. Low levels of these vitamins, especially B12 and folate, have been linked to mood disorders, such as depression (45).

Finally, theyre a good source of zinc, magnesium, selenium, and non-heme iron, which may likewise elevate your spirits (43, 44, 45).

Beans and lentils are rich sources of mood-boosting nutrients, particularly B vitamins.

When feeling blue, you may crave calorie-rich, high sugar foods like ice cream or cookies to try to lift your spirits.

While this might give you a sugar rush, its unlikely to help you in the long term and may have negative consequences as well.

Instead, you should aim for wholesome foods that have been shown to not only boost your mood but also your overall health. Try out some of the foods above to kick-start your positivity routine.

Excerpt from:
Mood Food: 9 Foods That Can Really Boost Your Spirits - Healthline

Human Behavior

‘Gank Your Heart’: All the reasons we love Ji Xiang Kong – Film Daily

If youve started watching The Untamed, a Chinese BL drama available to stream on Netflix, its likely that youve contracted Wang Yibo Fever. The good news is, prior to filming The Untamed, the young actor had already completed several other acting projects. Fortunately for us, theyre available to watch through a variety of platforms in Western countries!

Naturally, we dived right in. Among our favorite Wang Yibo shows outside of The Untamed, is Gank Your Heart. A romantic comedy that leans on the side of drama, Gank Your Heart is the story of Ji Xiang Kong (Wang Yibo) & Qui Ying (Wang Zi Xuan). Hes a professional esports gamer & and shes an aspiring esports commentator. What could go wrong?

Plenty! The pair get off to a very rocky start, and its safe to say that this is definitely not one of these love at first sight kinds of stories, at least not for Ji Xiang Kong. Ji Xiang Kong is convinced that Qui Ying is trying to use her association with him for her own personal gain. Hes actually quite mean to her at the beginning of the series.

Initially, Ji Xiang Kong seems conceited & even a little vindictive, but his character development is impressive. Where his cockiness positions him as a bit of a jerk in the beginning, its really not long at all before Ji Xiang Kong will be metaphorically grabbing you by the neck as you ignite full-blown bingewatch mode.

So what is it about Ji Xiang Kong that will make you want to watch all 35 episodes of Gank Your Heart in one sitting? Come with us and fall in love with Ji Xiang Kong as we outline all the reasons why we stan!

Considering the hostile & aggressive nature in which his character starts out, its surprising to learn that Ji Xiang Kong is actually a hopeless romantic. There are many moments throughout the 35 episodes where Ji Xiang Kong made us go aww but our favorite moment happens towards the very end of their series and results in a very public declaration of his love for Qui Ying.

After all the drama that Qui Ying suffers at the hands of Ji Xiang Kongs ex-girlfriend, Mi Ya (Lu Yangyang), Ji Xiang Kong finally grows a pair and shows the entire world that he loves Qui Ying, not Mi Ya. Hes standing on the stage after a victorious win at the iConquer Championships & insists that Qui Ying come to the stage and share in his victory.

After everything he puts her through with Mi Ya, publicly acknowledging their relationship on stage in front of Mi Ya and everyone else who seems determined to bring them down is the least he can do. While he doesnt actually say that he loves her during this moment, his actions and his body language make that pretty clear.

This is just one moment on a long list of things Ji Xiang Kong does throughout the course of the series to woo Qui Ying. Lets not forget about the princess balloons he buys for her at Disneyland, or the fact that he zeros out the settlement amount between the two of them. Then there is the cake he organizes for her at the restaurant & the fireworks he took her to see because he knows she is dazzled by them.

Then finally, how he looks after her while shes drunk and completely out of control. He puts her in his bed in the privacy of his room, and he takes the couch in the communal room. This moment is particularly sweet as it is clear that he has feelings for her, even if he isnt able to articulate their depth and complexity just yet.

In episode 1, the Legends are in Vancouver competing in an international iConquer competition. The pressure is on the boys to bring the championship title back home to China with them. On the day of competition though, the teams captain Gu Fangs (Goa Tai Yu) hand is acting up. If he cant get it together, theyll most certainly lose. Ji Xiang Kong does everything he can to protect his captain.

Ji Xiang Kong suggests to their coach a change of tactic. While this might displease fans and be bad for their image, its definitely good for Gu Fung. He put his friends wellbeing, and whats best for the team before his own reputation. When Gu Fang finally leaves the team, Ji Xiang Kong pledges to bring home the Championship title for China if its the last thing he does.

The rest of the series is dedicated to watching Ji Xiang Jong go up against adversary after adversary as he attempts to uphold this promise. Hes shuffled between teams & his relationships are tested often before he forms his own team to finally carry out the task. However, he goes through a lot in the process.

Ji Xiang Kong was afforded many opportunities to put himself first, but he never does. Remember when Ji Xiang Kong sells his motorcycle to buy out Lin Yi Xuans (Ging Guan Sen) contract? What about when, while working with the second team he joins, Ji Xiang Kong has the opportunity to go back to his former team, but chooses to honor his current contract instead?

Then he is offered a role on the third most successful team in the world and he turns it down. He says, during this moment, that he wants to win the Championship for China. While he doesnt reiterate the exact words in this particular scene, its made clear throughout other episodes: he made a promise and he wont quit until he fulfills it.

Ji Xiang Kong is self-sacrificing in both the very best & worst ways. Just as things with Ji Xiang Kong & Qui Ying are getting off the ground, Ji Xiang Kongs ex-girlfriend rolls back into town after being gone for five years. Its clear from Mi Yas dramatic entrance that she was someone very important to him, that he never quite got over.

Mi Ya wants back into Ji Xiang Kongs life. She does a stand-up job of making sure that he, and everyone else around them, know it. Its clear hes impacted by her return, and although he stalls for a moment too long, he continues to pursue Qui Ying. It looks like Qui Ying is about to win the battle for Ji Xiang Kongs heart, too, when Mi Ya gets badly injured and Ji Xiang Kong rushes to her side.

Ji Xiang Kong makes Mi Ya his priority, because he feels like its the decent thing to do. He pays a price, though, and Qui Ying walks away from him and their relationship. Its clear Ji Xiang Kong is completely torn. Not a single part of him wants to lose Qui Ying, but he doesnt want to abandon a sick and injured person either. Especially when that person is someone he cared deeply about for a long time.

Lets get real: no one is #TeamMiYa in this situation. Ji Xiang Kongs acceptance of the terrible situation he finds himself in is both endearing and infuriating. When everyone around him seems to be engaging in bad human behavior just to get themselves ahead, Ji Xiang Kong lets the girl he loves go to serve another.

Its his downfall, because he ends up crushing Qui Ying in the process, but his intention is pure. Yet the strength of such an action takes is admirable and rare. This particular storyline of Gank Your Heart will incite quite a lot of emotion. We recommend stress balls, ice-cream, and chocolate to help you through this stressful part of the show!

One of the coolest things about Ji Xiang Kongs character is his innate ability to lead. His leadership skills are put on full display when he leaves legends and joins the rival team, VNG. His new teammates treat him badly but he works hard to build alliances where he can.

While he isnt able to win over absolutely everyone, he is able to put his own feelings about individuals aside and recognize the strengths they bring to the table. Although he meets many barriers to his success while he captains VNG, he is able to read his teammates and capitalize on their strengths. Something their former captain wasnt able to do.

After he is released from VNG, he goes on to form his own team, where his leadership skills clearly take the team to victory. He patiently waits to recruit just the right players. He makes sure that his recruits compliment each others skillsets, and he works hard to build a family his teammates want to buy into. He believes in them even when they dont believe in themselves.

He does all this with humble graciousness. It would be so easy for someone of Ji Xiang Kongs status & reputation to develop an arrogance about his abilities. He doesnt, though, and grows throughout the series with humility. As the final episode comes to a close, youll find yourself looking around for your very own version of Ji Xiang Kong.

The reality of the situation is, we came for Wang Yibo but we stayed for Ji Xiang Kong. He is so inspiring that hell even make you want to contemplate taking up gaming, if you dont already play! We dare you to watch this show and not fall stupidly in love with this character!

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'Gank Your Heart': All the reasons we love Ji Xiang Kong - Film Daily