Natural Environment Illumination: Coherent Interactive Augmented Reality for Mobile and Non-Mobile Devices.

PubMed

Rohmer, Kai; Jendersie, Johannes; Grosch, Thorsten

2017-11-01

Augmented Reality offers many applications today, especially on mobile devices. Due to the lack of mobile hardware for illumination measurements, photorealistic rendering with consistent appearance of virtual objects is still an area of active research. In this paper, we present a full two-stage pipeline for environment acquisition and augmentation of live camera images using a mobile device with a depth sensor. We show how to directly work on a recorded 3D point cloud of the real environment containing high dynamic range color values. For unknown and automatically changing camera settings, a color compensation method is introduced. Based on this, we show photorealistic augmentations using variants of differential light simulation techniques. The presented methods are tailored for mobile devices and run at interactive frame rates. However, our methods are scalable to trade performance for quality and can produce quality renderings on desktop hardware.

Virtual Immunology: Software for Teaching Basic Immunology

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Berçot, Filipe Faria; Fidalgo-Neto, Antônio Augusto; Lopes, Renato Matos; Faggioni, Thais; Alves, Luiz Anastácio

2013-01-01

As immunology continues to evolve, many educational methods have found difficulty in conveying the degree of complexity inherent in its basic principles. Today, the teaching-learning process in such areas has been improved with tools such as educational software. This article introduces "Virtual Immunology," a software program available…

An Examination of Assessment Scores between Students Who Attend Public Schools and Students Who Were Homeschooled Prior to Entering a Virtual Charter School

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wilson, Catherine

2010-01-01

Virtual charter schools, emerging in the 1990s, are a recent development in the education field and reflect today's technology-oriented society. This study examined existing data to evaluate what, if any, difference existed between students who attended public school and those who were homeschooled prior to entering the virtual charter school. …

Imagining Tomorrow's Future Today

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

St. George, Art

2007-01-01

Today, at the end of 2007, there are evident consolidations in wireless, storage, and virtualization and the path forward seems clearer now than previously. Trends from last year continue strongly, particularly Web 2.0 and the shift to user-driven environments and Internet sites where significant data and video processing is available to those…

The Evolution of the Reference Librarian

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Johnson, Wendell G.

2011-01-01

The job of the contemporary reference librarian has a virtual component unimaginable a generation ago. Today's library professional can obtain an MLS (or equivalent) online with a minimal residency requirement. Not only the degree, but also library sources, and indeed patrons, have become virtual. Both books and periodicals can be consulted by…

Changing Instructor's Roles in Virtual Worlds

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Berge, Zane L.

2008-01-01

Berge's Instructor's Roles Model categorized the instructor's roles as pedagogical, social, managerial, and technical. Developed more than a decade ago, this model described changing roles for instructors as they transitioned from in-person classrooms to teaching online. Today, as virtual worlds emerge and are being used as educational platforms,…

Beyond Blackboard and into Virtual Communities

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cleaver, Samantha

2008-01-01

Online learning is evolving into much more than discussions via Blackboard. Today's online learners are spending time engaged in discussions, meeting in virtual classrooms, and combining online and on-the-ground learning, even if they live time zones away from campus. In response, universities are adjusting their curriculum, learning expectations,…

The Virtual Library

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Valenza, Joyce Kasman

2006-01-01

Today's school libraries must meet student needs as both a physical and virtual space. Existing both offline and online, they must offer around-the-clock access as well as instruction and guidance that support the face-to-face interactions of students with librarians and classroom teachers. Although students are often technologically proficient,…

Characteristics Leading to Student Success: A Study of Online Learning Environments

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Crawford, Deborah L.

2006-01-01

Background: Virtual learning has exploded with the growth in broadband connectivity. The challenge for today's educational leaders is to integrate the research indicating cognitive changes in today's students with online K-12 offerings in order to fully maximize technological advances and close access and academic gaps. Purpose: To inform both…

Designing a Virtual Grand Tour

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hansen, Per Skafte

2004-01-01

The Virtual Grand Tour (VGT) is a paradigm for integrating a presentation of an overview of a larger subject with the possibility of launching at any time an exploratory study of a given sub-topic. The name derives from the paradigm's emulation of those 18th-century travels intended to educate (especially) young, affluent British men; today, with…

The Participatory Design of a (Today and) Future Digital Entomology Lab

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hai-Jew, Shalin

2011-01-01

This article showcases a virtual interactive participatory design activity for building a digital entomology lab. Conceptualized as a virtual complement to a general entomology course at Kansas State University, the lab would allow learners to explore morphological aspects of insects--their various forms and functions--in order to understand…

A "Second Life" for Educators

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Waters, John K.

2009-01-01

In this article, the author talks about the 3D virtual world known as Second Life and its potential as a learning platform. In the last few years, many colleges, universities, and libraries have established resources in what has become the preeminent multiuser virtual environment. Today, more than 100 Second Life "regions" are used for educational…

Monster High as a Virtual Dollhouse: Tracking Play Practices across Converging Transmedia and Social Media

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wohlwend, Karen E.

2017-01-01

Background: Today, children play in transmedia franchises that bring together media characters, toys, and everyday consumer goods with games, apps, and websites in complex mergers of childhood cultures, digital literacies, consumer practices, and corporate agendas. Recent research on youth videogames and virtual worlds suggests the productive…

Virtual Learning Environments in Teacher Education: A Journal, a Journey

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Clarke, Linda

2013-01-01

Virtual Learning Environments (VLEs) in teacher education have a short history which is little longer than that of this journal. Twenty years ago they were the province of early adopters only and limited to email and, more unusually, asynchronous conferencing. Today, VLEs are widespread and mainstream, sophisticated and officially sanctioned…

Impacts of a Redesigned Virtual Internship Program on Preservice Teachers' Skills and Attitudes

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Faucette, Nell; Nugent, Peg

2015-01-01

An important issue in teacher education is how to design and implement effective virtual internships for future educators. Today, these experiences should reflect best practices (as found in more traditional programs) by infusing constructivist values and strategies into the process. Interns can develop needed content knowledge and delivery skills…

Food for Thought: The Role of Manipulatives in The Teaching of Fractions

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Day, Lorraine; Hurrell, Derek

2017-01-01

The proliferation of computers, tablets, and internet access has brought the use of virtual manipulatives into the majority of classrooms in the developed world. In responding to the needs of today's students, many of whom are adept at accessing and manipulating technology devices, virtual manipulatives provide a variety of classroom…

Considering the Virtual Classroom: A Call to Middle Level Education Programs

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Eisenbach, Brooke B.

2016-01-01

Today's classrooms are changing and moving beyond the walls of a traditional school environment. With each passing year, a growing population of middle level learners are logging into full-time or blended learning virtual courses. However, teachers often lack the training and experience necessary to address the developmental needs of middle level…

Analysis of Use of Virtual Reality Technologies in History Education: A Case Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Yildirim, Gürkan; Elban, Mehmet; Yildirim, Serkan

2018-01-01

Today, many innovations have been experienced in technology. These innovations progressively take their places in education environments. Virtual reality environments are among activity areas that have been frequently discussed and used in education environments in the recent years. In this context, this study aimed to determine general opinions…

Virtual Charter Schools: Realities and Unknowns

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Torre, Daniela

2013-01-01

Virtual charter schools have emerged over the last decade as an increasingly popular alternative to traditional public schooling. Unlike their face-to-face counterparts, virtual charter schools educate students through blended or entirely online curricula. They present a host of new policy issues that should be scrutinized in order to ensure that…

Surveillance, Big Data Analytics and the Death of Privacy

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Doughty, Howard A.

2014-01-01

In this article, Howard Doughty examines how today's technological devices alter and increasingly substitute for one's body/mind, sociality and (a)morality. He claims that today, under the crushing weightlessness of virtuality, citizens are less confident, more willing to retreat into the idiocy of private life. He goes on to address the…

Virtual Speed Mentoring in the Workplace--Current Approaches to Personal Informal Learning in the Workplace: A Case Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hamilton, Chuck; Langlois, Kristen; Watson, Henry

2010-01-01

Informal learning is the biggest undiscovered treasure in today's workplace. Marcia Conner, author and often-cited voice for workplace learning, suggests that "Informal learning accounts for over 75% of the learning taking place in organizations today" (1997). IBM understands the value of the hyper-connected informal workplace and…

Weaving a Virtual Story--Creating Book Trailers 101

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bates, Naomi

2012-01-01

Book trailers are fast becoming today's marketing technique for newly published books. They have changed the way students select books, and trailers meet the expectations of today's teens who have been brought up on graphic visuals. Book trailers are also quite new, starting as a trend only about four years ago. Since then, they have proliferated,…

An Exploratory Study of Indian University Students' Use of Social Networking Web Sites: Implications for the Workplace

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Agarwal, Shailja; Mital, Monika

2009-01-01

Social networking Web sites (SNWs) are online tools that have transformed the virtual encounters of the past that were technical and impersonal to today's virtual socialization that is truly nontechnical, social, and interpersonal. This article presents an exploratory study of Indian University students' use of SNWs. The results indicated that…

Virtual Environment Interpersonal Trust Scale: Validity and Reliability Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Usta, Ertugrul

2012-01-01

The purpose of this study is in the process of interpersonal communication in virtual environments is available from the trust problem is to develop a measurement tool. Trust in the process of distance education today, and has been a factor to be investigated. People, who take distance education course, they could may remain within the process…

Development and Evaluation of a Virtual Campus on Second Life: The Case of SecondDMI

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

De Lucia, Andrea; Francese, Rita; Passero, Ignazio; Tortora, Genoveffa

2009-01-01

Video games and new communication metaphors are quickly changing today's young people habits. Considering the actual e-learning scenarios, embedded in a fully technological enabled environment it is crucial to take advantage of this kind of capabilities to let learning process gain best results. This paper presents a virtual campus created using…

Improving Virtual Team Collaboration Outcomes through Collaboration Process Structuring

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dittman, Dawn R.; Hawkes, Mark; Deokar, Amit V.; Sarnikar, Surendra

2010-01-01

The ability to collaborate in a virtual team is a necessary skill set for today's knowledge workers and students to be effective in their work. Past research indicates that knowledge workers and students need to establish a formal process to perform work, develop clear goals and objectives, and facilitate better communication among team members.…

The Users' Views on Different Types of Instructional Materials Provided in Virtual Reality Technologies

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Yildirim, Gürkan

2017-01-01

Today, it is seen that developing technologies are tried to be used continuously in the learning environments. These technologies have rapidly been diversifying and changing. Recently, virtual reality technology has become one of the technologies that experts have often been dwelling on. The present research tries to determine users' opinions and…

Teaching Mathematics to Young Children through the Use of Concrete and Virtual Manipulatives

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

D'Angelo, Frank; Iliev, Nevin

2012-01-01

The use of manipulatives is an essential key to teaching mathematics to young children. Throughout history, different types of manipulatives have been used to aid in comprehension of mathematical concepts including quipu, abaci and pattern blocks. Today, concrete and virtual manipulatives are the tools that early childhood teachers are using in…

Comparing the Effectiveness of Virtual and Concrete Manipulatives to Teach Algebra to Secondary Students with Learning Disabilities

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Satsangi, Rajiv; Bouck, Emily C.; Taber-Doughty, Teresa; Bofferding, Laura; Roberts, Carly A.

2016-01-01

A sizable body of literature exists studying various technologies and pedagogical practices for teaching secondary mathematics curriculum to students with a learning disability in mathematics. However, with the growing footprint of computer-based technologies in today's classrooms, some areas of study, such as the use of virtual manipulatives,…

Summary and synthesis: past and future changes in the Alaskan Boreal Forest.

Treesearch

F. Stuart Chapin; David McGuire; Roger W. Ruess; Marilyn W. Walker; Richard D. Boone; Mary E. Edwards; Bruce P. Finney; Larry D. Hinzman; Jeremy B. Jones; Glenn P. Juday; Eric S. Kasischke; Knut Kielland; Andrea H. Lloyd; Mark W. Oswood; Chien-Lu Ping; Eric Rexstad; Vladimir E. Romanovsky; Joshua P. Schimel; Elena B. Sparrow; Bjartmar Sveinbjörnsson; David W. Valentine; Keith Van Cleve; David L. Verbyla; Leslie A. Viereck; Richard A. Werner; Tricia L. Wurtz; John Yarie

2006-01-01

Historically the boreal forest has experienced major changes, and it remains a highly dynamic biome today. During cold phases of Quaternary climate cycles, forests were virtually absent from Alaska, and since the postglacial re-establishment of forests ca 13,000 years ago, here have been periods of both relative stability and rapid change (Chapter 5). Today, the...

Social Media--A Virtual Pandora's Box: Prevalence, Possible Legal Liabilities, and Policies

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jennings, Susan Evans; Blount, Justin R.; Weatherly, M. Gail

2014-01-01

With the increase in the use of mobile devices in the workplace, both employer supplied and personally owned, and the major role social media has begun to play in today's world, businesses face many new challenges with their employees. Social media may be seen by some employers as a virtual Pandora's Box. Though it may seem to hold bountiful…

Group-multicast capable optical virtual private ring with contention avoidance

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Peng, Yunfeng; Du, Shu; Long, Keping

2008-11-01

A ring based optical virtual private network (OVPN) employing contention sensing and avoidance is proposed to deliver multiple-to-multiple group-multicast traffic. The network architecture is presented and its operation principles as well as performance are investigated. The main contribution of this article is the presentation of an innovative group-multicast capable OVPN architecture with technologies available today.

Promoting Technology Uses in the Elementary Mathematics Classroom: Lessons in Pedagogy from Zoltan Dienes

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Connell, Michael; Abramovich, Sergei

2016-01-01

Today technology allows for the utilization of new classes of mathematical objects which are themselves subject to new modes of student interaction. A series of notable examples may be found in the National Library of Virtual Manipulatives. These virtual manipulatives draw much of their power from their physical embodiment in the form of hand-on…

One million years of glaciation and denudation history in west Greenland

PubMed Central

Strunk, Astrid; Knudsen, Mads Faurschou; Egholm, David L.; Jansen, John D.; Levy, Laura B.; Jacobsen, Bo H.; Larsen, Nicolaj K.

2017-01-01

The influence of major Quaternary climatic changes on growth and decay of the Greenland Ice Sheet, and associated erosional impact on the landscapes, is virtually unknown beyond the last deglaciation. Here we quantify exposure and denudation histories in west Greenland by applying a novel Markov-Chain Monte Carlo modelling approach to all available paired cosmogenic 10Be-26Al bedrock data from Greenland. We find that long-term denudation rates in west Greenland range from >50 m Myr−1 in low-lying areas to ∼2 m Myr−1 at high elevations, hereby quantifying systematic variations in denudation rate among different glacial landforms caused by variations in ice thickness across the landscape. We furthermore show that the present day ice-free areas only were ice covered ca. 45% of the past 1 million years, and even less at high-elevation sites, implying that the Greenland Ice Sheet for much of the time was of similar size or even smaller than today. PMID:28098141

Using SecondLife Online Virtual World Technology to Introduce Educators to the Digital Culture

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Jamison, John

2008-01-01

The rapidly changing culture resulting from new technologies and digital gaming has created an increasing language gap between traditional educators and today's learners (Natkin, 2006; Seely-Brown, 2000). This study seeks to use the online virtual world of SecondLife.com as a tool to introduce educators to this new environment for learning. This study observes the activities and perceptions of a group of educators given unscripted access to this virtual environment. The results 'suggest that although serious technology limitations do currently exist, the potential of this virtual world environment as a learning experience for educators is strong.

The Martian: Examining Human Physical Judgments across Virtual Gravity Fields.

PubMed

Ye, Tian; Qi, Siyuan; Kubricht, James; Zhu, Yixin; Lu, Hongjing; Zhu, Song-Chun

2017-04-01

This paper examines how humans adapt to novel physical situations with unknown gravitational acceleration in immersive virtual environments. We designed four virtual reality experiments with different tasks for participants to complete: strike a ball to hit a target, trigger a ball to hit a target, predict the landing location of a projectile, and estimate the flight duration of a projectile. The first two experiments compared human behavior in the virtual environment with real-world performance reported in the literature. The last two experiments aimed to test the human ability to adapt to novel gravity fields by measuring their performance in trajectory prediction and time estimation tasks. The experiment results show that: 1) based on brief observation of a projectile's initial trajectory, humans are accurate at predicting the landing location even under novel gravity fields, and 2) humans' time estimation in a familiar earth environment fluctuates around the ground truth flight duration, although the time estimation in unknown gravity fields indicates a bias toward earth's gravity.

Exploring the Relationship of Motivation, Anxiety, and Virtual Worlds in the Experiences of Two Spanish Language Learners: A Case Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wehner, Amy Katherine

2014-01-01

Virtual Worlds (VWs) in foreign language education are slowly becoming more popular. Many studies have looked at the affordances of these worlds and how they affect some aspects of language acquisition. However, it is still unknown to what extent, if any, these virtual worlds can play a role in affecting motivation and anxiety. The purpose of this…

Perfecting Scientists' Collaboration and Problem-Solving Skills in the Virtual Team Environment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jabro, A.; Jabro, J.

2012-04-01

PPerfecting Scientists' Collaboration and Problem-Solving Skills in the Virtual Team Environment Numerous factors have contributed to the proliferation of conducting work in virtual teams at the domestic, national, and global levels: innovations in technology, critical developments in software, co-located research partners and diverse funding sources, dynamic economic and political environments, and a changing workforce. Today's scientists must be prepared to not only perform work in the virtual team environment, but to work effectively and efficiently despite physical and cultural barriers. Research supports that students who have been exposed to virtual team experiences are desirable in the professional and academic arenas. Research supports establishing and maintaining established protocols for communication behavior prior to task discussion provides for successful team outcomes. Research conducted on graduate and undergraduate virtual teams' behaviors led to the development of successful pedagogic practices and assessment strategies.

Virtual collaboration in the online educational setting: a concept analysis.

PubMed

Breen, Henny

2013-01-01

This study was designed to explore the concept of virtual collaboration within the context of an online learning environment in an academic setting. Rodgers' method of evolutionary concept analysis was used to provide a contextual view of the concept to identify attributes, antecedents, and consequences of virtual collaboration. Commonly used terms to describe virtual collaboration are collaborative and cooperative learning, group work, group interaction, group learning, and teamwork. A constructivist pedagogy, group-based process with a shared purpose, support, and web-based technology is required for virtual collaboration to take place. Consequences of virtual collaboration are higher order thinking and learning to work with others. A comprehensive definition of virtual collaboration is offered as an outcome of this analysis. Clarification of virtual collaboration prior to using it as a pedagogical tool in the online learning environment will enhance nursing education with the changes in nursing curriculum being implemented today. Further research is recommended to describe the developmental stages of the collaborative process among nursing students in online education and how virtual collaboration facilitates collaboration in practice. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Immersive virtual reality platform for medical training: a "killer-application".

PubMed

2000-01-01

The Medical Readiness Trainer (MRT) integrates fully immersive Virtual Reality (VR), highly advanced medical simulation technologies, and medical data to enable unprecedented medical education and training. The flexibility offered by the MRT environment serves as a practical teaching tool today and in the near future the will serve as an ideal vehicle for facilitating the transition to the next level of medical practice, i.e., telepresence and next generation Internet-based collaborative learning.

Recent developments in virtual experience design and production

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fisher, Scott S.

1995-03-01

Today, the media of VR and Telepresence are in their infancy and the emphasis is still on technology and engineering. But, it is not the hardware people might use that will determine whether VR becomes a powerful medium--instead, it will be the experiences that they are able to have that will drive its acceptance and impact. A critical challenge in the elaboration of these telepresence capabilities will be the development of environments that are as unpredictable and rich in interconnected processes as an actual location or experience. This paper will describe the recent development of several Virtual Experiences including: `Menagerie', an immersive Virtual Environment inhabited by virtual characters designed to respond to and interact with its users; and `The Virtual Brewery', an immersive public VR installation that provides multiple levels of interaction in an artistic interpretation of the brewing process.

Development of a Virtual Museum Including a 4d Presentation of Building History in Virtual Reality

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kersten, T. P.; Tschirschwitz, F.; Deggim, S.

2017-02-01

In the last two decades the definition of the term "virtual museum" changed due to rapid technological developments. Using today's available 3D technologies a virtual museum is no longer just a presentation of collections on the Internet or a virtual tour of an exhibition using panoramic photography. On one hand, a virtual museum should enhance a museum visitor's experience by providing access to additional materials for review and knowledge deepening either before or after the real visit. On the other hand, a virtual museum should also be used as teaching material in the context of museum education. The laboratory for Photogrammetry & Laser Scanning of the HafenCity University Hamburg has developed a virtual museum (VM) of the museum "Alt-Segeberger Bürgerhaus", a historic town house. The VM offers two options for visitors wishing to explore the museum without travelling to the city of Bad Segeberg, Schleswig-Holstein, Germany. Option a, an interactive computer-based, tour for visitors to explore the exhibition and to collect information of interest or option b, to immerse into virtual reality in 3D with the HTC Vive Virtual Reality System.

Planar maneuvering control of underwater snake robots using virtual holonomic constraints.

PubMed

Kohl, Anna M; Kelasidi, Eleni; Mohammadi, Alireza; Maggiore, Manfredi; Pettersen, Kristin Y

2016-11-24

This paper investigates the problem of planar maneuvering control for bio-inspired underwater snake robots that are exposed to unknown ocean currents. The control objective is to make a neutrally buoyant snake robot which is subject to hydrodynamic forces and ocean currents converge to a desired planar path and traverse the path with a desired velocity. The proposed feedback control strategy enforces virtual constraints which encode biologically inspired gaits on the snake robot configuration. The virtual constraints, parametrized by states of dynamic compensators, are used to regulate the orientation and forward speed of the snake robot. A two-state ocean current observer based on relative velocity sensors is proposed. It enables the robot to follow the path in the presence of unknown constant ocean currents. The efficacy of the proposed control algorithm for several biologically inspired gaits is verified both in simulations for different path geometries and in experiments.

General Anisotropy Identification of Paperboard with Virtual Fields Method

Treesearch

J.M. Considine; F. Pierron; K.T. Turner; D.W. Vahey

2014-01-01

This work extends previous efforts in plate bending of Virtual Fields Method (VFM) parameter identification to include a general 2-D anisotropicmaterial. Such an extension was needed for instances in which material principal directions are unknown or when specimen orientation is not aligned with material principal directions. A new fixture with a multiaxial force...

Application of virtual surgical planning with computer assisted design and manufacturing technology to cranio-maxillofacial surgery.

PubMed

Zhao, Linping; Patel, Pravin K; Cohen, Mimis

2012-07-01

Computer aided design and manufacturing (CAD/CAM) technology today is the standard in manufacturing industry. The application of the CAD/CAM technology, together with the emerging 3D medical images based virtual surgical planning (VSP) technology, to craniomaxillofacial reconstruction has been gaining increasing attention to reconstructive surgeons. This article illustrates the components, system and clinical management of the VSP and CAD/CAM technology including: data acquisition, virtual surgical and treatment planning, individual implant design and fabrication, and outcome assessment. It focuses primarily on the technical aspects of the VSP and CAD/CAM system to improve the predictability of the planning and outcome.

Application of new technologies in the virtual library: Seminars in Turkey, Portugal, and Spain

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hunter, Judy F.; Cotter, Gladys A.

1994-01-01

This paper focuses on the technologies that are available today to support the concept of a virtual library. The concept of a 'virtual library' or a 'library without walls' is meant to convey the idea that information in any format should be available to the end-user from the desktop as if it were located on the local workstation. Discussed here are the background, trends, technology enablers, end-user requirements, and the NASA Access Mechanism (NAM) system, one example of how it is possible to apply existing technologies to the client server architecture to logically centralize geographically distributed applications and information.

The museum maze in oral pathology demystifed: part II.

PubMed

Patil, Shankargouda; Rao, Roopa S; Ganavi, Bs

2013-09-01

Museum technology is perpetually changing due to current requirements and added inventions for our comfort and furbished display of specimens. Hence numerous methods of specimen preservation have been put on trial by diverse people in the medical feld as are the inventions. But only few have caught people's interest and are popularized today. This part provides unique insights into specialized custom-made techniques, evolution of recent advances like plastination and virtual museum that have popularized as visual delights. Plastination gives handy, perennial life-like acrylic specimens, whereas virtual museum takes museum feld to the electronic era making use of computers and virtual environment.

Physical and virtual laboratories in science and engineering education.

PubMed

de Jong, Ton; Linn, Marcia C; Zacharia, Zacharias C

2013-04-19

The world needs young people who are skillful in and enthusiastic about science and who view science as their future career field. Ensuring that we will have such young people requires initiatives that engage students in interesting and motivating science experiences. Today, students can investigate scientific phenomena using the tools, data collection techniques, models, and theories of science in physical laboratories that support interactions with the material world or in virtual laboratories that take advantage of simulations. Here, we review a selection of the literature to contrast the value of physical and virtual investigations and to offer recommendations for combining the two to strengthen science learning.

From MUDs to MMORPGs: The History of Virtual Worlds

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bartle, Richard A.

Today's massively multiplayer online role-playing games are the direct descendants of the textual worlds of the 1980s, not only in design and implementation terms but also in the way they are evolving thematically.

Virtual drug discovery: beyond computational chemistry?

PubMed

Gilardoni, Francois; Arvanites, Anthony C

2010-02-01

This editorial looks at how a fully integrated structure that performs all aspects in the drug discovery process, under one company, is slowly disappearing. The steps in the drug discovery paradigm have been slowly increasing toward virtuality or outsourcing at various phases of product development in a company's candidate pipeline. Each step in the process, such as target identification and validation and medicinal chemistry, can be managed by scientific teams within a 'virtual' company. Pharmaceutical companies to biotechnology start-ups have been quick in adopting this new research and development business strategy in order to gain flexibility, access the best technologies and technical expertise, and decrease product developmental costs. In today's financial climate, the term virtual drug discovery has an organizational meaning. It represents the next evolutionary step in outsourcing drug development.

Don't LOL at virtual visits. Technology is allowing more doctors and patients to consult via e-mail, and insurance companies are reimbursing for it.

PubMed

Robeznieks, Andis

2007-10-15

In today's "I-gotta-know-now" society, many patients turn to e-mail to contact doctors on matters, as opposed to waiting for an in-person office visit. Now, some insurers are actually reimbursing doctors for their electronic time, which is also known as a "virtual visit." Internist Paul Tang, left, doesn't consider the practice mainstream yet. "No one is reimbursing us," he says.

E-Learning Gets Real: Call It Virtual, Distance, or Online Education. For Today's Curricula, It's No Longer a Question of Whether or Not to Try but when to Start Our Survey of Educators Who Already Use These Technologies Can Help the Uninitiated

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Livingston, Pamela

2008-01-01

For motivated students led by online-savvy teachers, amazing learning outside of the brick and-mortar school can take place and expand curricular possibilities. Unconstrained by place and time, students are learning and teachers are teaching, virtually and rigorously. This article describes the advantages and challenges in online education. The…

Understanding virtual water flows: A multiregion input-output case study of Victoria

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lenzen, Manfred

2009-09-01

This article explains and interprets virtual water flows from the well-established perspective of input-output analysis. Using a case study of the Australian state of Victoria, it demonstrates that input-output analysis can enumerate virtual water flows without systematic and unknown truncation errors, an issue which has been largely absent from the virtual water literature. Whereas a simplified flow analysis from a producer perspective would portray Victoria as a net virtual water importer, enumerating the water embodiments across the full supply chain using input-output analysis shows Victoria as a significant net virtual water exporter. This study has succeeded in informing government policy in Australia, which is an encouraging sign that input-output analysis will be able to contribute much value to other national and international applications.

Vehicle-to-Vehicle Communications for Safer Intersections : Virtual Traffic Lights

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2013-12-15

Increasing the use of information technology (IT) in future vehicles can solve or mitigate many of the fundamental problems we face today in transportation such as energy efficiency, reduced carbon footprint for cars, greener environment, and several...

OUT Success Stories: Advanced Airfoils for Wind Turbines

DOE R&D Accomplishments Database

Jones, J.; Green, B.

2000-08-01

New airfoils have substantially increased the aerodynamic efficiency of wind turbines. It is clear that these new airfoils substantially increased energy output from wind turbines. Virtually all new blades built in this country today use these advanced airfoil designs.

ChemScreener: A Distributed Computing Tool for Scaffold based Virtual Screening.

PubMed

Karthikeyan, Muthukumarasamy; Pandit, Deepak; Vyas, Renu

2015-01-01

In this work we present ChemScreener, a Java-based application to perform virtual library generation combined with virtual screening in a platform-independent distributed computing environment. ChemScreener comprises a scaffold identifier, a distinct scaffold extractor, an interactive virtual library generator as well as a virtual screening module for subsequently selecting putative bioactive molecules. The virtual libraries are annotated with chemophore-, pharmacophore- and toxicophore-based information for compound prioritization. The hits selected can then be further processed using QSAR, docking and other in silico approaches which can all be interfaced within the ChemScreener framework. As a sample application, in this work scaffold selectivity, diversity, connectivity and promiscuity towards six important therapeutic classes have been studied. In order to illustrate the computational power of the application, 55 scaffolds extracted from 161 anti-psychotic compounds were enumerated to produce a virtual library comprising 118 million compounds (17 GB) and annotated with chemophore, pharmacophore and toxicophore based features in a single step which would be non-trivial to perform with many standard software tools today on libraries of this size.

A game based virtual campus tour

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Razia Sulthana, A.; Arokiaraj Jovith, A.; Saveetha, D.; Jaithunbi, A. K.

2018-04-01

The aim of the application is to create a virtual reality game, whose purpose is to showcase the facilities of SRM University, while doing so in an entertaining manner. The virtual prototype of the institution is deployed in a game engine which eases the students to look over the infrastructure, thereby reducing the resources utilization. Time and money are the resources in concern today. The virtual campus application assists the end user even from a remote location. The virtual world simulates the exact location and hence the effect is created. Thus, it virtually transports the user to the university, with the help of a VR Headset. This is a dynamic application wherein the user can move in any direction. The VR headset provides an interface to get gyro input and this is used to start and stop the movement. Virtual Campus is size efficient and occupies minimal space. It is scalable against mobile gadgets. This gaming application helps the end user to explore the campus, while having fun too. It is a user friendly application that supports users worldwide.

The National Library of Medicine: 175 Years of Innovation | NIH MedlinePlus the Magazine

MedlinePlus

... this page please turn Javascript on. The National Library of Medicine 175 Years of Information Innovation Past ... than 40 years! Today, thanks to the National Library of Medicine, virtually any bit of information ever ...

Food Microbiology--Design and Testing of a Virtual Laboratory Exercise

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Flint, Steve; Stewart, Terry

2010-01-01

A web-based virtual laboratory exercise in identifying an unknown microorganism was designed for use with a cohort of 3rd-year university food-technology students. They were presented with a food-contamination case, and then walked through a number of diagnostic steps to identify the microorganism. At each step, the students were asked to select 1…

Why Some Teachers Easily Learn to Use a New Virtual Learning Environment: A Technology Acceptance Perspective

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rienties, Bart; Giesbers, Bas; Lygo-Baker, Simon; Ma, Hoi Wah Serena; Rees, Roger

2016-01-01

After a decade of virtual learning environments (VLEs) in higher education, many teachers still use only a minimum of its affordances. This study looked at how academic staff interacted with a new and unknown VLE in order to understand how technology acceptance and support materials influence (perceived and actual) task performance. In an…

The Unknown Story: Vocational Education for Adults in Sweden 1918-1968

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Nilsson, Anders

2014-01-01

Adult education is often defined to emphasise cultural and societal development. This paper proposes that the concept should be more inclusive and that vocational education and training for adults has played a bigger role than is usually recognised. This has not been subject to much research and basic facts are often virtually unknown. In this…

Distributed Administration of Online Learning Accounts

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gamrat, Betsy

2004-01-01

Distance learning is a vital part of today's educational environment. Using complex technology, schools are able to connect instructors and students across geographic, physical, and temporal boundaries. Sophisticated software and world-wide connectivity create virtual classrooms that span the globe. These large, accessible, asynchronous,…

The effect of extended sensory range via the EyeCane sensory substitution device on the characteristics of visionless virtual navigation.

PubMed

Maidenbaum, Shachar; Levy-Tzedek, Shelly; Chebat, Daniel Robert; Namer-Furstenberg, Rinat; Amedi, Amir

2014-01-01

Mobility training programs for helping the blind navigate through unknown places with a White-Cane significantly improve their mobility. However, what is the effect of new assistive technologies, offering more information to the blind user, on the underlying premises of these programs such as navigation patterns? We developed the virtual-EyeCane, a minimalistic sensory substitution device translating single-point-distance into auditory cues identical to the EyeCane's in the real world. We compared performance in virtual environments when using the virtual-EyeCane, a virtual-White-Cane, no device and visual navigation. We show that the characteristics of virtual-EyeCane navigation differ from navigation with a virtual-White-Cane or no device, and that virtual-EyeCane users complete more levels successfully, taking shorter paths and with less collisions than these groups, and we demonstrate the relative similarity of virtual-EyeCane and visual navigation patterns. This suggests that additional distance information indeed changes navigation patterns from virtual-White-Cane use, and brings them closer to visual navigation.

From planes to brains: parallels between military development of virtual reality environments and virtual neurological surgery.

PubMed

Schmitt, Paul J; Agarwal, Nitin; Prestigiacomo, Charles J

2012-01-01

Military explorations of the practical role of simulators have served as a driving force for much of the virtual reality technology that we have today. The evolution of 3-dimensional and virtual environments from the early flight simulators used during World War II to the sophisticated training simulators in the modern military followed a path that virtual surgical and neurosurgical devices have already begun to parallel. By understanding the evolution of military simulators as well as comparing and contrasting that evolution with current and future surgical simulators, it may be possible to expedite the development of appropriate devices and establish their validity as effective training tools. As such, this article presents a historical perspective examining the progression of neurosurgical simulators, the establishment of effective and appropriate curricula for using them, and the contributions that the military has made during the ongoing maturation of this exciting treatment and training modality. Copyright © 2012. Published by Elsevier Inc.

Accessing the scientific literature. The reality of virtual scholarship.

PubMed

Birrer, R B; Doherty, M

1997-01-01

The age-honored practice of plowing through the Index Medicus in a good medical library to meander through citations for treasured finds is an anachronism. Today, clinicians have the astonishing capacity to bring to bear existing knowledge almost effortlessly. Virtual scholarship makes available up-to-date medical citations and their abstracts. There can be access around the clock on any topic in the office, at the bedside, or from home. Computerized searches of the medical literature promote directed continuing education and may enhance clinical care of patients.

'Virtual' central business office: how UMMS improved revenue cycle performance.

PubMed

Henciak, Bill; Fontaine, Christine; Fields, Keith; Parks, Stacy

2010-06-01

Based on its experience with implementing a virtual central business office, UMMS recommends the following steps to ensure the success of such an initiative: Define the process flow for the organization's day-today revenue cycle operations prior to implementation. Then select best practices and milestones for managing accounts. Identify any possible technology issues that could arise during implementation prior to go live. Hold a midproject debriefing with staff. Develop an organizational chart that details who is responsible for handling issues that arise during implementation and afterward.

Beyond Minimum Technology Requirements: Course Characteristics for the Instructional Design of Virtual Programs at the Elementary Grade Levels

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Vytlacil, Kerrie A.

2013-01-01

With virtual public school initiatives in each of the 50 states, there is an impetus to develop and implement online programs for the elementary grades (Cavanaugh, 2004, pp. 262-266; Oliver et al., p. 56). Yet, learner usability characteristics for successful online schooling for the elementary grades are unknown and/or unspecified. The purpose of…

Virtual Estimator for Piecewise Linear Systems Based on Observability Analysis

PubMed Central

Morales-Morales, Cornelio; Adam-Medina, Manuel; Cervantes, Ilse; Vela-Valdés and, Luis G.; García Beltrán, Carlos Daniel

2013-01-01

This article proposes a virtual sensor for piecewise linear systems based on observability analysis that is in function of a commutation law related with the system's outpu. This virtual sensor is also known as a state estimator. Besides, it presents a detector of active mode when the commutation sequences of each linear subsystem are arbitrary and unknown. For the previous, this article proposes a set of virtual estimators that discern the commutation paths of the system and allow estimating their output. In this work a methodology in order to test the observability for piecewise linear systems with discrete time is proposed. An academic example is presented to show the obtained results. PMID:23447007

User-Centered Design Strategies for Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs)

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mendoza-Gonzalez, Ricardo, Ed.

2016-01-01

In today's society, educational opportunities have evolved beyond the traditional classroom setting. Most universities have implemented virtual learning environments in an effort to provide more opportunities for potential or current students seeking alternative and more affordable learning solutions. "User-Centered Design Strategies for…

Motivating Calculus-Based Kinematics Instruction with Super Mario Bros

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nordine, Jeffrey C.

2011-09-01

High-quality physics instruction is contextualized, motivates students to learn, and represents the discipline as a way of investigating the world rather than as a collection of facts and equations. Inquiry-oriented pedagogy, such as problem-based instruction, holds great promise for both teaching physics content and representing the process of doing real science.2 A challenge for physics teachers is to find instructional contexts that are meaningful, accessible, and motivating for students. Today's students are spending a growing fraction of their lives interacting with virtual environments, and these environments—physically realistic or not—can provide valuable contexts for physics explorations3-5 and lead to thoughtful discussions about decisions that programmers make when designing virtual environments. In this article, I describe a problem-based approach to calculus-based kinematics instruction that contextualizes students' learning within the Super Mario Bros. video game—a game that is more than 20 years old, but still remarkably popular with today's high school and college students.

Teaching cardiopulmonary auscultation in workshops using a virtual patient simulation technology - A pilot study.

PubMed

Pereira, D; Gomes, P; Faria, S; Cruz-Correia, R; Coimbra, M

2016-08-01

Auscultation is currently both a powerful screening tool, providing a cheap and quick initial assessment of a patient's clinical condition, and a hard skill to master. The teaching of auscultation in Universities is today reduced to an unsuitable number of hours. Virtual patient simulators can potentially mitigate this problem, by providing an interesting high-quality alternative to teaching with real patients or patient simulators. In this paper we evaluate the pedagogical impact of using a virtual patient simulation technology in a short workshop format for medical students, training them to detect cardiac pathologies. Results showed a significant improvement (+16%) in the differentiation between normal and pathological cases, although longer duration formats seem to be needed to accurately identify specific pathologies.

HPPD: ligand- and target-based virtual screening on a herbicide target.

PubMed

López-Ramos, Miriam; Perruccio, Francesca

2010-05-24

Hydroxyphenylpyruvate dioxygenase (HPPD) has proven to be a very successful target for the development of herbicides with bleaching properties, and today HPPD inhibitors are well established in the agrochemical market. Syngenta has a long history of HPPD-inhibitor research, and HPPD was chosen as a case study for the validation of diverse ligand- and target-based virtual screening approaches to identify compounds with inhibitory properties. Two-dimensional extended connectivity fingerprints, three-dimensional shape-based tools (ROCS, EON, and Phase-shape) and a pharmacophore approach (Phase) were used as ligand-based methods; Glide and Gold were used as target-based. Both the virtual screening utility and the scaffold-hopping ability of the screening tools were assessed. Particular emphasis was put on the specific pitfalls to take into account for the design of a virtual screening campaign in an agrochemical context, as compared to a pharmaceutical environment.

The HEPiX Virtualisation Working Group: Towards a Grid of Clouds

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cass, Tony

2012-12-01

The use of virtual machine images, as for example with Cloud services such as Amazon's Elastic Compute Cloud, is attractive for users as they have a guaranteed execution environment, something that cannot today be provided across sites participating in computing grids such as the Worldwide LHC Computing Grid. However, Grid sites often operate within computer security frameworks which preclude the use of remotely generated images. The HEPiX Virtualisation Working Group was setup with the objective to enable use of remotely generated virtual machine images at Grid sites and, to this end, has introduced the idea of trusted virtual machine images which are guaranteed to be secure and configurable by sites such that security policy commitments can be met. This paper describes the requirements and details of these trusted virtual machine images and presents a model for their use to facilitate the integration of Grid- and Cloud-based computing environments for High Energy Physics.

Minimal-Approximation-Based Decentralized Backstepping Control of Interconnected Time-Delay Systems.

PubMed

Choi, Yun Ho; Yoo, Sung Jin

2016-12-01

A decentralized adaptive backstepping control design using minimal function approximators is proposed for nonlinear large-scale systems with unknown unmatched time-varying delayed interactions and unknown backlash-like hysteresis nonlinearities. Compared with existing decentralized backstepping methods, the contribution of this paper is to design a simple local control law for each subsystem, consisting of an actual control with one adaptive function approximator, without requiring the use of multiple function approximators and regardless of the order of each subsystem. The virtual controllers for each subsystem are used as intermediate signals for designing a local actual control at the last step. For each subsystem, a lumped unknown function including the unknown nonlinear terms and the hysteresis nonlinearities is derived at the last step and is estimated by one function approximator. Thus, the proposed approach only uses one function approximator to implement each local controller, while existing decentralized backstepping control methods require the number of function approximators equal to the order of each subsystem and a calculation of virtual controllers to implement each local actual controller. The stability of the total controlled closed-loop system is analyzed using the Lyapunov stability theorem.

Electronic Campus Meets Today's Education Mission.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Swalec, John J.; And Others

Waubonsee Community College (WCC) employs electronic technology to meet the needs of its students and community in virtually every phase of campus operations. WCC's Information System Center, housing three mainframe computers, drives an online registration system, a computerized self-registration system that can be accessed by telephone from…

Evaluation of Virtual Microscopy in Medical Histology Teaching

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mione, Sylvia; Valcke, Martin; Cornelissen, Maria

2013-01-01

Histology stands as a major discipline in the life science curricula, and the practice of teaching it is based on theoretical didactic strategies along with practical training. Traditionally, students achieve practical competence in this subject by learning optical microscopy. Today, students can use newer information and communication…

Modeling the Global Workplace Using Emerging Technologies

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dorazio, Patricia; Hickok, Corey

2008-01-01

The Fall 2006 term of COM495, Senior Practicum in Communication, offered communication and information design students the privilege of taking part in a transatlantic intercultural virtual project. To emulate real world experience in today's global workplace, these students researched and completed a business communication project with German…

U.S. Forest Service termiticide tests

Treesearch

Terence Wagner

2003-01-01

The U.S. Forest Service has been testingchemicals for termite control since 1939. Today its termiticide testing program is nationally recognized for providing unbiased efficacy data for product registration using standardized tests, sites, and evaluation procedures. Virtually all termiticides undergo Forest Service testing before being registered by EPA. Termiticides...

Implementing the virtual reality learning environment: Second Life.

PubMed

Schmidt, Bonnie; Stewart, Stephanie

2009-01-01

Today, faculty members are challenged to find meaningful learning activities that enhance online nursing education. Second Life is an innovative Internet-based strategy that may be used to engage students in active learning. The authors discuss how this technology was implemented into an accelerated online nursing program.

Capturing the Magic of Classroom Training in Blended Learning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Laiken, Marilyn E.; Milland, Russ; Wagner, Jon

2014-01-01

Organizations today are faced with the challenges of expanding their traditional classroom-based approaches into blended learning experiences which integrate regular classrooms, virtual classrooms, social learning, independent reading, on the job learning and other methodologies. Our team converted a two-day classroom-based program, taught from…

Teaching Classic Literature with Comic Books and Virtual Lit Trips

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sardone, Nancy B.

2012-01-01

This article describes the assignments the author created to engage preservice teachers in designing instructional materials that befit today's students to help them overcome hurdles sometimes present when learning classic literature. Secondary and middle school English teachers may find these assignments useful as well so their students, too,…

Proactive Recruitment Strategies at CSUS Increase FCS Majors

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Malroutu, Y. Lakshmi; Tripp, Paula J.

2008-01-01

The profile and needs of today's undergraduate students have changed, and family and consumer sciences (FCS) departments will benefit from taking a proactive approach to adjust their recruitment strategies to meet those needs. California State University, Sacramento, implemented successful efforts in the areas of virtual contact, direct contact,…

Changing a Cultural Icon: The Academic Library as a Virtual Destination

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Campbell, Jerry D.

2006-01-01

Academic libraries today are complex institutions with multiple roles and a host of related operations and services developed over the years. Yet their fundamental purpose has remained the same: to provide access to trustworthy, authoritative knowledge. Consequently, academic libraries--along with their private and governmental counterparts--have…

VoiceThread: A Useful Program Evaluation Tool

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mott, Rebecca

2018-01-01

With today's technology, Extension professionals have a variety of tools available for program evaluation. This article describes an innovative platform called VoiceThread that has been used in many classrooms but also is useful for conducting virtual focus group research. I explain how this tool can be used to collect qualitative participant…

Space Strategies for the New Learning Landscape

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dugdale, Shirley

2009-01-01

The Learning Landscape is the total context for students' learning experiences and the diverse landscape of learning settings available today--from specialized to multipurpose, from formal to informal, and from physical to virtual. The goal of the Learning Landscape approach is to acknowledge this richness and maximize encounters among people,…

Supply chain quality.

PubMed

Feary, Simon

2009-01-01

As the development of complex manufacturing models and virtual companies become more prevalent in today's growing global markets, it is increasingly important to support the relationships between manufacturer and supplier. Utilising these relationships will ensure that supply chains operate more effectively and reduce costs, risks and time-to-market time frames, whilst maintaining product quality.

15th Annual Freight and Logistics Symposium : the future is front and center : the impacts of economic change on freight transportation.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2011-12-01

The U.S. transportation system stands at the center of virtually all economic : activity in the country today. Effects of a lengthy global recession are radically and : rapidly reshaping transportation priorities and needs. Now more than ever, freigh...

News Room | Argonne National Laboratory

Science.gov Websites

-friction dry lubricant that has hundreds of industrial applications and can be used virtually wherever two pieces of metal rub together in dry conditions. Left to right: Mathew Cherukara, Ali Erdemir, Badri dry lubricant Materials Today We need real scientific breakthroughs to build a clean energy economy

The Unrelenting Challenge of Young Black Male Unemployment

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Harris, Linda

2013-01-01

Today, young black men in many low income communities are finding themselves virtually locked out of employment opportunity. The confluence of poor schooling, low education attainment, lack of early work experience or career exposure, over-zealous arrests and incarceration, and employer reluctance to hire have rendered a substantial segment of…

Sustaining a Vision of Rigor

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Williamson, Ronald; Blackburn, Barbara R.

2010-01-01

Even with the best planning and supportive implementation, one's school will experience challenges to achieving its vision of increased rigor. One of today's most serious issues is how schools can improve when resources are stagnant or even declining. Virtually every school faces dwindling resources and is caught between the expectation that…

Improvisation as a Curricular Metaphor: Imagining Education for a Rural Creative Class

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Corbett, Michael

2013-01-01

Rural communities contain a largely unacknowledged innovative capacity founded on improvisational traditions. These traditions may be rooted in work practices in agriculture and other rurally-based productive activities but today they have expanded into other lifeworld locations, particularly virtual spaces that accelerate time-space compression.…

Beyond Library Walls: Embedding Librarians in Academic Departments

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Matava, Tobie; Coffey, Dan; Kushkowski, Jeffrey

2010-01-01

Today's academic library provides resources that users can access both physically in the library and virtually from academic offices. This increasing availability of online access means that information resources are no longer confined within library walls and librarians need to rethink how their constituents' information needs are being met.…

Time to Discover NFM

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Schaffer, Greg

2007-01-01

Managing resource usage and data delivery with virtualization devices is a staple of many of today's data infrastructures. By breaking the traditional direct physical access and inserting an abstraction layer, what one sees is what he/she gets, but the mechanics of delivery may be quite different. The reason for the increase in virtualization…

Fighting Baddies and Collecting Bananas: Teachers' Perceptions of Games-Based Literacy Learning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gerber, Hannah R.; Price, Debra P.

2013-01-01

This paper discusses how practicing teachers conceptualize commercial off the shelf (COTS) videogames within classroom-based English language arts instruction. Understanding how today's teachers perceive virtual worlds and videogames as an instructional tool for schema building within literacy development will help researchers better understand…

Translation Technologies: A Dilemma between Translation Industry and Academia

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bakul, Halil Ibrahim

2016-01-01

Today, physical and virtual borders are shrinking thanks to technology whose footprints are greater and faster than one can imagine. Beyond the shadow of a doubt, technology is associated with the areas for which it offers solutions such as education technologies, health technologies and translation technologies. Nowadays using translation…

Web Surveys to Digital Movies: Technological Tools of the Trade.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Fetterman, David M.

2002-01-01

Highlights some of the technological tools used by educational researchers today, focusing on data collection related tools such as Web surveys, digital photography, voice recognition and transcription, file sharing and virtual office, videoconferencing on the Internet, instantaneous chat and chat rooms, reporting and dissemination, and digital…

Virtual k -Space Modulation Optical Microscopy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kuang, Cuifang; Ma, Ye; Zhou, Renjie; Zheng, Guoan; Fang, Yue; Xu, Yingke; Liu, Xu; So, Peter T. C.

2016-07-01

We report a novel superresolution microscopy approach for imaging fluorescence samples. The reported approach, termed virtual k -space modulation optical microscopy (VIKMOM), is able to improve the lateral resolution by a factor of 2, reduce the background level, improve the optical sectioning effect and correct for unknown optical aberrations. In the acquisition process of VIKMOM, we used a scanning confocal microscope setup with a 2D detector array to capture sample information at each scanned x -y position. In the recovery process of VIKMOM, we first modulated the captured data by virtual k -space coding and then employed a ptychography-inspired procedure to recover the sample information and correct for unknown optical aberrations. We demonstrated the performance of the reported approach by imaging fluorescent beads, fixed bovine pulmonary artery endothelial (BPAE) cells, and living human astrocytes (HA). As the VIKMOM approach is fully compatible with conventional confocal microscope setups, it may provide a turn-key solution for imaging biological samples with ˜100 nm lateral resolution, in two or three dimensions, with improved optical sectioning capabilities and aberration correcting.

E-learning for laurea in biomedical laboratory technicians: presentation of a pilote study.

PubMed

Giansanti, D; Castrichella, L; Giovagnoli, M R

2007-01-01

The aim of the paper is to afford the design and construction of an e-learning model answering to these requirements for the LHCP in Technician of Biomedical Laboratory. The SCENARIO of work for the technician in biomedical laboratory (TBL) is radically changed and e-learning should answer to these new challenges. In particular today He or She should be able to mange in tele-pathology applications the tissue on the so called virtual glass. An architecture for the e-learning based on Web-Dav and a Light software for the virtual glass tele-pathology consultation has been designed with also a special care for the teachers' and students' platforms. At the moment we are investigating Telepathology platforms for the extranet consulting of virtual glasses.

Distributing Variable Star Data to the Virtual Observatory

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kinne, Richard C.; Templeton, M. R.; Henden, A. A.; Zografou, P.; Harbo, P.; Evans, J.; Rots, A. H.; LAZIO, J.

2013-01-01

Effective distribution of data is a core element of effective astronomy today. The AAVSO is the home of several different unique databases. The AAVSO International Database (AID) contains over a century of photometric and time-series data on thousands of individual variable stars comprising over 22 million observations. The AAVSO Photometric All-Sky Survey (APASS) is a new photometric catalog containing calibrated photometry in Johnson B, V and Sloan g', r' and i' filters for stars with magnitudes of 10 < V < 17. The AAVSO is partnering with researchers and technologists at the Virtual Astronomical Observatory (VAO) to solve the data distribution problem for these datasets by making them available via various VO tools. We give specific examples of how these data can be accessed through Virtual Observatory (VO) toolsets and utilized for astronomical research.

Anesthesiology training using 3D imaging and virtual reality

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Blezek, Daniel J.; Robb, Richard A.; Camp, Jon J.; Nauss, Lee A.

1996-04-01

Current training for regional nerve block procedures by anesthesiology residents requires expert supervision and the use of cadavers; both of which are relatively expensive commodities in today's cost-conscious medical environment. We are developing methods to augment and eventually replace these training procedures with real-time and realistic computer visualizations and manipulations of the anatomical structures involved in anesthesiology procedures, such as nerve plexus injections (e.g., celiac blocks). The initial work is focused on visualizations: both static images and rotational renderings. From the initial results, a coherent paradigm for virtual patient and scene representation will be developed.

Virtual reality simulators for gastrointestinal endoscopy training

PubMed Central

Triantafyllou, Konstantinos; Lazaridis, Lazaros Dimitrios; Dimitriadis, George D

2014-01-01

The use of simulators as educational tools for medical procedures is spreading rapidly and many efforts have been made for their implementation in gastrointestinal endoscopy training. Endoscopy simulation training has been suggested for ascertaining patient safety while positively influencing the trainees’ learning curve. Virtual simulators are the most promising tool among all available types of simulators. These integrated modalities offer a human-like endoscopy experience by combining virtual images of the gastrointestinal tract and haptic realism with using a customized endoscope. From their first steps in the 1980s until today, research involving virtual endoscopic simulators can be divided in two categories: investigation of the impact of virtual simulator training in acquiring endoscopy skills and measuring competence. Emphasis should also be given to the financial impact of their implementation in endoscopy, including the cost of these state-of-the-art simulators and the potential economic benefits from their usage. Advances in technology will contribute to the upgrade of existing models and the development of new ones; while further research should be carried out to discover new fields of application. PMID:24527175

A virtual therapeutic environment with user projective agents.

PubMed

Ookita, S Y; Tokuda, H

2001-02-01

Today, we see the Internet as more than just an information infrastructure, but a socializing place and a safe outlet of inner feelings. Many personalities develop aside from real world life due to its anonymous environment. Virtual world interactions are bringing about new psychological illnesses ranging from netaddiction to technostress, as well as online personality disorders and conflicts in multiple identities that exist in the virtual world. Presently, there are no standard therapy models for the virtual environment. There are very few therapeutic environments, or tools especially made for virtual therapeutic environments. The goal of our research is to provide the therapy model and middleware tools for psychologists to use in virtual therapeutic environments. We propose the Cyber Therapy Model, and Projective Agents, a tool used in the therapeutic environment. To evaluate the effectiveness of the tool, we created a prototype system, called the Virtual Group Counseling System, which is a therapeutic environment that allows the user to participate in group counseling through the eyes of their Projective Agent. Projective Agents inherit the user's personality traits. During the virtual group counseling, the user's Projective Agent interacts and collaborates to recover and increase their psychological growth. The prototype system provides a simulation environment where psychologists can adjust the parameters and customize their own simulation environment. The model and tool is a first attempt toward simulating online personalities that may exist only online, and provide data for observation.

The use of the virtual source technique in computing scattering from periodic ocean surfaces.

PubMed

Abawi, Ahmad T

2011-08-01

In this paper the virtual source technique is used to compute scattering of a plane wave from a periodic ocean surface. The virtual source technique is a method of imposing boundary conditions using virtual sources, with initially unknown complex amplitudes. These amplitudes are then determined by applying the boundary conditions. The fields due to these virtual sources are given by the environment Green's function. In principle, satisfying boundary conditions on an infinite surface requires an infinite number of sources. In this paper, the periodic nature of the surface is employed to populate a single period of the surface with virtual sources and m surface periods are added to obtain scattering from the entire surface. The use of an accelerated sum formula makes it possible to obtain a convergent sum with relatively small number of terms (∼40). The accuracy of the technique is verified by comparing its results with those obtained using the integral equation technique.

Climate Golden Age or Greenhouse Gas Dark Age Legacy?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Carter, P.

2016-12-01

Relying on the IPCC Assessments, this paper assesses legacy from total committed global warming over centuries, correlated with comprehensive projected impacts. Socio-economic inertia, climate system inertia, atmospheric greenhouse gas (GHG) concentrations, amplifying feedback emissions, and unmasking of cooling aerosols are determinants. Stabilization of global temperature (and ocean acidification for CO2) requires emissions of "long lived greenhouse gases" to be "about zero," including feedbacks. "The feedback … is positive" this century; many large feedback sources tend to be self- and inter-reinforcing. Only timely total conversion of all fossil fuel power to clean, virtually zero-carbon renewable power can achieve virtual zero carbon emissions. This results in multiple, increasing benefits for the entire world population of today's and all future generations, as laid out here. Conversions of methane- and nitrous oxide-emitting sources have large benefits. Without timely conversion to virtual zero emissions, the global climate and ocean disruptions are predicted to become progressively more severe and practically irreversible. "Continued emission of greenhouse gases will increase the likelihood of severe, pervasive and irreversible impacts for people and ecosystems." Crop yields in all main food-producing regions are projected to decline progressively with rising temperature (as proxy to multiple adverse effects) (AR5). Ocean heating, acidification, and de-oxygenation are projected to increase under all scenarios, as is species extinction. The legacy for humanity depends on reducing long-lived global emissions fast enough to virtual zero. Today's surface warming with unprecedented and accelerating atmospheric GHG concentrations requires an immediate response. The only IPCC scenario to possibly meet this and not exceed 2ºC by and after 2100 is the best-case RCP2.6, which requires CO2 eq. emissions to peak right away and decline at the latest by 2020.

Victims of Cyberbullying in the Region of Murcia: A Growing Reality

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

González-Calatayud, Víctor

2018-01-01

The fact that technologies have become a normal part of our lives has meant that bullying and other problems have shifted towards the virtual, hence complicating possible solutions. While before peer harassment occurred mainly at school, today Information and Communications Technology (ICT) means that children now have no place to "hide"…

Bread and Butter

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

DiConsiglio, John

2010-01-01

Annual giving is the number one indicator that someone will make a major or planned gift. Annual funds are the meat and potatoes of fundraising. But if the annual fund has recently taken a backseat to major and megagifts, the recession made a bad situation even worse. Today, most annual fund performance indicators have plummeted. Virtually all…

Using Wikis to Investigate Communication, Collaboration and Engagement in Capstone Engineering Design Projects

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Berthoud, L.; Gliddon, J.

2018-01-01

In today's global Aerospace industry, virtual workspaces are commonly used for collaboration between geographically distributed multidisciplinary teams. This study investigated the use of wikis to look at communication, collaboration and engagement in 'Capstone' team design projects at the end of an engineering degree. Wikis were set up for teams…

Marketing 2.0

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Germain, Carol Anne

2008-01-01

There is no doubt that today's student is much more savvy with using computers than the students of years gone by. This tech generation eagerly embraces the Internet, online searching, and the newer Web 2.0 technologies. This latter platform provides users with the ability to interact in a large virtual world, share/take (upload/download)…

Ten Questions about Tuition and Financial Aid

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dickmeyer, Nathan

2004-01-01

The questions "How much does it cost this institution to provide an education?" and "How much should students pay for that education?" are difficult to answer. In virtually all private institutions, and most public ones, today's students actually are paying a variety of prices, depending on the aid they receive and the financing methods they…

Louisiana forests

Treesearch

Herbert S. Sternitzke

1965-01-01

The total amount of forest land in Louisiana is virtually the same today as it was a decade ago. But its distribution has changed noticeably. In the Delta, for example, forest acreage is still declining; between 1954 and 1964, it dropped some 7 percent, thus closely paralleling trends in the Delta sections of neighboring Arkansas and Mississippi. Outside the Delta,...

Necessity Fuels Creativity: Adapting Long-Distance Collaborative Methods for the Classroom

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sopoci Drake, Katie; Larson, Eliza; Rugh, Rachel; Tait, Barbara

2016-01-01

Improved technology has made it possible to virtually bridge distance between dance makers, rendering physical location another choreographic device to be manipulated. Long-distance collaboration as an artistic process is not only a fertile new ground for creation and necessary for many practicing dance artists in the field today, but there is…

Scientific Habits of Mind in Virtual Worlds

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Steinkuehler, Constance; Duncan, Sean

2008-01-01

In today's increasingly "flat" world of globalization (Friedman 2005), the need for a scientifically literate citizenry has grown more urgent. Yet, by some measures, we have done a poor job at fostering "scientific habits of mind" in schools. Recent research on informal games-based learning indicates that such technologies and the communities they…

The Rising Cost of "Not" Going to College

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Morin, Rich; Brown, Anna; Fry, Rick

2014-01-01

For those who question the value of college in this era of soaring student debt and high unemployment, the attitudes and experiences of today's young adults--members of the so-called Millennial generation--provide a compelling answer. On virtually every measure of economic well-being and career attainment--from personal earnings to job…

Digital Photography and Its Impact on Instruction.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lantz, Chris

Today the chemical processing of film is being replaced by a virtual digital darkroom. Digital image storage makes new levels of consistency possible because its nature is less volatile and more mutable than traditional photography. The potential of digital imaging is great, but issues of disk storage, computer speed, camera sensor resolution,…

Virtual Learning Worlds as a Bridge between Arts and Humanities and Science and Technology

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dunning, Jeremy; Bhattacharya, Sunand; Daniels, David; Dunning, Katherine

2007-01-01

Science and technology, when applied to educational excellence, have become part of the arts and humanities of tomorrow. The interactive multimedia technology tools available to educators today provide an opportunity to build into the distance or traditional course through learning objects, highly interactive experiential exercises that allow the…

Educational Games and Virtual Reality as Disruptive Technologies

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Psotka, Joseph

2013-01-01

New technologies often have the potential for disrupting existing established practices, but nowhere is this so pertinent as in education and training today. And yet, education has been glacially slow to adopt these changes in a large scale way, and innovations seem to be imposed mainly by students' and their changing social lifestyles than…

Faculty Perceptions about Virtual World Technology: Affordances and Barriers to Adoption

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wood, Linda W.

2011-01-01

Providing instruction using different instructional delivery methods allows the learner to absorb content in a way that fits the individual learner. Today's students have grown up immersed in digital technology. However, many higher education faculty are still not speaking the same digital language as their students. The issue may be that the…

From Closed to Open Classes--Repositioning Schools to Sustain Rural Communities

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Stevens, Ken

2010-01-01

Schools have always been central to rural communities, but today they are critical to the sustainability of social and economic life for people who live beyond major centres of population. The development of virtual structures and processes that enhance classes in and between rural schools has provided extended educational and, indirectly,…

Working in the Virtual Stacks: The New Library and Information Science

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kane, Laura Townsend, Ed.

2011-01-01

Thanks in part to technology, the boundaries of library positions are dissolving. It is no longer practical to discuss the profession in terms of traditional library types, and in today's library, the relationship between librarians and technology is stronger than ever. In this informative volume, veteran author Laura Townsend Kane interviews…

Formulating Mental Health Treatment Paridigms for Military Filipino Amerasians: A Social Work Education Challenge

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kutschera, P. C.; Caputi, Marie A.; Pelayo, Jose Maria G., III

2013-01-01

Virtually no formal treatment protocol exists for the health/mental health care of biracial Filipino Amerasians in the Philippines. Today this large group comprises a mostly socioeconomically at risk diaspora. A recent 3-year study found depression, elevated anxiety, joblessness, social isolation, substance and alcohol abuse, and housing…

A Changed Economy with Unchanged Universities? A Contribution to the University of the Future

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cunha, Maria Manuela; Putnik, Goran D.

2007-01-01

Individualised open and distance learning at the university continuing education and post-graduate education levels is a central issue of today. The advanced information and communication technologies together with several applications offer new perspectives, such as the so-called virtual university. Simultaneously, to gain market share, several…

Transforming the Classroom for Collaborative Learning in the 21st Century

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Christen, Amy

2009-01-01

Today's hyper-connected students live in a world of instant interpersonal communications and virtually infinite access to information and educational resources. But this networked world, and the powerful learning tools it offers, has yet to penetrate the typical classroom. In many ways educational institutions are spinning their curricular wheels,…

Effects of Group Reflection Variations in Project-Based Learning Integrated in a Web 2.0 Learning Space

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kim, Paul; Hong, Ji-Seong; Bonk, Curtis; Lim, Gloria

2011-01-01

A Web 2.0 environment that is coupled with emerging multimodal interaction tools can have considerable influence on team learning outcomes. Today, technologies supporting social networking, collective intelligence, emotional interaction, and virtual communication are introducing new forms of collaboration that are profoundly impacting education.…

A Virtual Graduation Ceremony for Online Distance Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mon, Lorri

2010-01-01

Many of today's colleges and universities are venturing into online education, with distance education enrollments in the United States having increased from 1.6 million students in 1998 to over 3.9 million in 2007. However, concerns over student frustrations and high attrition rates in online learning have led many educators to research and…

Helping Students Cross the Threshold: Implications from a University Writing Assessment

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Brockman, Elizabeth; Taylor, Marcy; Crawford, MaryAnn K.; Kreth, Melinda

2010-01-01

Some "English Journal" ("EJ") readers may fondly (or not so fondly) remember reading lists for college-bound students, which were once routinely distributed to promote the reading of "The Scarlet Letter," "Pride and Prejudice," "The Pearl," and other noteworthy classics. Today, virtually any English teacher would recognize that a focus on solely…

VIRTOPSY - the Swiss virtual autopsy approach.

PubMed

Thali, Michael J; Jackowski, Christian; Oesterhelweg, Lars; Ross, Steffen G; Dirnhofer, Richard

2007-03-01

The aim of the VIRTOPSY project () is utilizing radiological scanning to push low-tech documentation and autopsy procedures in a world of high-tech medicine in order to improve scientific value, to increase significance and quality in the forensic field. The term VIRTOPSY was created from the terms virtual and autopsy: Virtual is derived from the Latin word 'virtus', which means 'useful, efficient and good'. Autopsy is a combination of the old Greek terms 'autos' (=self) and 'opsomei' (=I will see). Thus autopsy means 'to see with ones own eyes'. Because our goal was to eliminate the subjectivity of "autos", we merged the two terms virtual and autopsy - deleting "autos" - to create VIRTOPSY. Today the project VIRTOPSY combining the research topics under one scientific umbrella, is characterized by a trans-disciplinary research approach that combines Forensic Medicine, Pathology, Radiology, Image Processing, Physics, and Biomechanics to an international scientific network. The paper will give an overview of the Virtopsy change process in forensic medicine.

DWTP: a basis for networked VR on the Internet

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Broll, Wolfgang; Schick, Daniel

1998-04-01

Shared virtual worlds are one of today's major research topics. While limited to particular application areas and high speed networks in the past, they become more and more available to a large number of users. One reason for this development was the introduction of VRML (the Virtual Reality Modeling Language), which has been established as a standard of the exchange of 3D worlds on the Internet. Although a number of prototype systems have been developed to realize shared multi-user worlds based on VRML, no suitable network protocol to support the demands of such environments has yet been established. In this paper we will introduce our approach of a network protocol for shared virtual environments: DWTP--the Distributed Worlds Transfer and communication Protocol. We will show how DWTP meets the demands of shared virtual environments on the Internet. We will further present SmallView, our prototype of a distributed multi-user VR system, to show how DWTP can be used to realize shared worlds.

Extending the reach of health care for obesity and diabetes using virtual worlds.

PubMed

Morie, Jacquelyn Ford; Chance, Eric

2011-03-01

Today's epidemic of obesity and diabetes poses challenges to health care similar to those facing soldiers who return with postdeployment mental health issues. These include geographic barriers, social stigma, and the need for behavioral change. Researchers at University of Southern California's Institute for Creative Technologies are adapting their extensive experience in technological solutions for training to techniques that can aid veterans in need. These techniques show promise for concerns in the growing crisis of "diabesity." Virtual reality (VR) has already demonstrated itself as an impactful treatment method for several behavioral and mental health domains. Virtual worlds, the successor technology of original VR, inherited many of its predecessor's strengths but also presents the new affordances of accessibility, social connectivity, and avatar usage, which pave the way toward future treatment options on a broader scale. © 2011 Diabetes Technology Society.

Toward a hydro-political water cycle: virtual water,hydrology and international political economy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Greco, Francesca

2014-05-01

At the light of global food trade, no water cycle can be considered "closed" under a political point of view. While the hydrological cycle is a circular closed environment, if we open up our perspectives to social sciences, we will demonstrate how, thanks to virtual water, it is today possible to elaborate how much water 'enters or leave' any water body under the form crop-export, in terms of " water used for the production of agri-food products'. This new 'hydro-political cycle' will be discussed at the light of different theoretical perspectives: food trade theories, hydrology, international water law, socio-economic metabolism, material flow analysis.

System-Level Virtualization Research at Oak Ridge National Laboratory

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Scott, Stephen L; Vallee, Geoffroy R; Naughton, III, Thomas J

2010-01-01

System-level virtualization is today enjoying a rebirth as a technique to effectively share what were then considered large computing resources to subsequently fade from the spotlight as individual workstations gained in popularity with a one machine - one user approach. One reason for this resurgence is that the simple workstation has grown in capability to rival that of anything available in the past. Thus, computing centers are again looking at the price/performance benefit of sharing that single computing box via server consolidation. However, industry is only concentrating on the benefits of using virtualization for server consolidation (enterprise computing) whereas ourmore » interest is in leveraging virtualization to advance high-performance computing (HPC). While these two interests may appear to be orthogonal, one consolidating multiple applications and users on a single machine while the other requires all the power from many machines to be dedicated solely to its purpose, we propose that virtualization does provide attractive capabilities that may be exploited to the benefit of HPC interests. This does raise the two fundamental questions of: is the concept of virtualization (a machine sharing technology) really suitable for HPC and if so, how does one go about leveraging these virtualization capabilities for the benefit of HPC. To address these questions, this document presents ongoing studies on the usage of system-level virtualization in a HPC context. These studies include an analysis of the benefits of system-level virtualization for HPC, a presentation of research efforts based on virtualization for system availability, and a presentation of research efforts for the management of virtual systems. The basis for this document was material presented by Stephen L. Scott at the Collaborative and Grid Computing Technologies meeting held in Cancun, Mexico on April 12-14, 2007.« less

Stepping into the virtual unknown: feasibility study of a virtual reality-based test of ocular misalignment.

PubMed

Nesaratnam, N; Thomas, P; Vivian, A

2017-10-01

IntroductionDissociated tests of strabismus provide valuable information for diagnosis and monitoring of ocular misalignment in patients with normal retinal correspondence. However, they are vulnerable to operator error and rely on a fixed head position. Virtual reality headsets obviate the need for head fixation, while providing other clear theoretical advantages, including complete control over the illumination and targets presented for the patient's interaction.PurposeWe compared the performance of a virtual reality-based test of ocular misalignment to that of the traditional Lees screen, to establish the feasibility of using virtual reality technology in ophthalmic settings in the future.MethodsThree patients underwent a traditional Lees screen test, and a virtual reality headset-based test of ocular motility. The virtual reality headset-based programme consisted of an initial test to measure horizontal and vertical deviation, followed by a test for torsion.ResultsThe pattern of deviation obtained using the virtual reality-based test showed agreement with that obtained from the Lees screen for patients with a fourth nerve palsy, comitant esotropia, and restrictive thyroid eye disease.ConclusionsThis study reports the first use of a virtual reality headset in assessing ocular misalignment, and demonstrates that it is a feasible dissociative test of strabismus.

A Lightweight Intelligent Virtual Cinematography System for Machinima Production

DTIC Science & Technology

2007-01-01

portmanteau of machine and cinema , machinima refers to the innovation of leveraging video game technology to greatly ease the creation of computer...selecting camera angles to capture the action of an a priori unknown script as aesthetically appropriate cinema . There are a number of challenges therein...Proc. of the 4th International Conf. on Autonomous Agents. Young, R.M. and Riedl, M.O. 2003. Towards an Architecture for Intelligent Control of Narrative in Interactive Virtual Worlds. In Proc. of IUI 2003.

The intentional brain--a short history of neuropsychiatry.

PubMed

Trimble, Michael

2016-06-01

Neuropsychiatry has had different meanings at different times in the history of clinical neuroscience. In this article, the origins of what has become today's neuropsychiatry are briefly explored, hopefully revealing a number of pioneers of the discipline, some of the names being familiar to many readers, others however being less recognized or even unknown to those who today would wish to carry the moniker of a neuropsychiatrist. It explores the rise of what I refer to as modern or today's neuropsychiatry, and empathizes a phenomenological approach to clinical understanding, and the fact that neuropsychiatry it is a discipline in its own right and not just a wing of psychiatry or a bridge between neurology and psychiatry.

Applying Gaming and Simulation Techniques to the Design of Online Instruction

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Rude-Parkins, Carolyn; Miller, Karen Hughes; Ferguson, Karen; Bauer, Robert

2006-01-01

Critical in virtually all educational arenas, gaming and simulation techniques and distance learning are major areas of interest in today's U.S. Army training. The U.S. Army Armor School at Ft. Knox, KY contracted with the University of Louisville and Northrop Grumman Mission Systems in 2003 to develop online training for Army Captains. They…

Public Relations Opportunities for Schools Utilizing Innovations in Virtual Communities

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

O'Reilly, Frances L.; Matt, John J.

2013-01-01

With the dawn of the Information Age, schools, along with other organizations, must take note of the varied ways individuals and groups in society are communicating. Today, with the many forms of communication, most information is made public in real time. In a qualitative national study in the United States, respondents identified positive and…

Implementing International Virtual Elementary Classroom Activities for Public School Students in the U.S. and Korea

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

O'Neill, Eunhee Jung

2007-01-01

In today's global society, individuals with an understanding of different cultures that have the ability to apply this understanding to real world problem solving are more likely to become leaders. Preparing students for a global society is becoming a significant part of education. While many international online exchange projects have been…

Teaching and Learning Competent Historical Documentary Making: Lessons from National History Day Winners

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Fehn, Bruce R.; Schul, James E.

2011-01-01

Today's students grow up in a technological milieu of hand-held computers with high storage capacities, internet access, and the ability to shoot high definition photographs and video. As such, they are empowered to construct representations of the past virtually "on the run." In this article, the authors investigated the historical "and"…

Disrupting the Discussion: The Story of Disruptive Students in the Online Classroom

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cowden, Belle Doyle

2011-01-01

Many online classrooms today are designed based on learner-centered principles. Implicit with this design perspective is the goal to create and facilitate a virtual learning community in which students learn from and share with each other through discussion-based computer conferencing. In the current literature, little has been shared on what…

Do It Yourself in Education: Leadership for Learning across Physical and Virtual Borders

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Domingo-Coscollola, María; Arrazola-Carballo, Judith; Sancho-Gil, Juana María

2016-01-01

Today more than ever, educational institutions need educational leaders who are able to promote profound, substantive and sustainable change. This paper is based on the efforts and results of the first stage of a European project implemented in universities and primary and secondary schools in Spain, Finland and the Czech Republic. The project…

Preparation of Speciality-Integrated Assignments in Informatics Study Courses at the Higher Education Level

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Vitinš, Maris; Rasnacs, Oskars

2012-01-01

Information and communications technologies today are used in virtually any university course when students prepare their papers. ICT is also needed after people are graduated from university and enter the job market. This author is an instructor in the field of informatics related to health care and social sciences at the Riga Stradins…

An Investigation of Self-Regulatory Mechanisms in Learning to Program Visual Basic

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Kuo, Feng-Yang; Wu, Wen-Hsiung; Lin, Cathy S.

2013-01-01

Today, information technology (IT) has permeated virtually every aspect of our society and the learning of software programming is becoming increasingly important to the creation and maintenance of the IT infrastructure critical to our daily life. In this article, we report the results of a study that demonstrates how the self-regulation paradigm…

Tele-Intervention: The Wave of the Future Fits Families' Lives Today

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Behl, Diane D.; Houston, K. Todd; Guthrie, W. Spencer; Guthrie, Nancy K.

2010-01-01

This article provides information on providing early intervention services virtually using distance communication technologies. It describes "tele-intervention," a new method of providing services to children and their families, and how it is used in a family with a deaf child. Tele-intervention has proven to be a viable service delivery model for…

The Thesis Black Market: Present State and Background

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gang, Wang

2007-01-01

The superficial reason for the existence of the thesis black market is the glut of theses and the shortage of publishing space; behind that is the skewed academic assessment system. Today, the following circumstances can be found in virtually all institutions of higher education in China: (1) A master's degree student must, during the two or…

Challenges and Solutions of Adopting Public Electronic Services for the Needs of Z Generation

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sabaityte, Jolanta; Davidavicius, Sigitas

2017-01-01

Today's society consists of individuals who belong to different generations. Natural change will lead to the fact that a new generation of individuals will take up most of the society's structure, at the same time raising questions about behaviour in virtual space changes. Assimilation of new technologies in society greatly depends on consumer…

Teaching Students of Today: The Buddha's Way

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Liu, Ong Puay; Tee, Ong Puay

2014-01-01

21st century students are living on the highway of rapid information technology, residing in homes equipped with modern gadgets that allow them to stay connected through virtual media. The fact that students' mind-sets are changing means that there is a need for corresponding changes in pedagogy. The Buddha is known as "Teacher of gods and…

Gaming as Extramural English L2 Learning and L2 Proficiency among Young Learners

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Sylven, Liss Kerstin; Sundqvist, Pia

2012-01-01

Today, playing digital games is an important part of many young people's everyday lives. Claims have been made that certain games, in particular massively multiplayer online role-playing games (MMORPGs) provide L2 English learners with a linguistically rich and cognitively challenging virtual environment that may be conducive to L2 learning, as…

California's Perfect Storm

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bacon, David

2010-01-01

The United States today faces an economic crisis worse than any since the Great Depression of the 1930s. Nowhere is it sharper than in the nation's schools. Last year, California saw a perfect storm of protest in virtually every part of its education system. K-12 teachers built coalitions with parents and students to fight for their jobs and their…

Outstanding Science Trade Books for Students K-12

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Texley, Juliana

2009-01-01

Today's classrooms have no real walls! Students explore the world on field trips, during virtual journeys on the world wide web, and through the books they read. These pathways help them fly to the ends of the universe to satisfy their scientific curiosity. Again this year, the professionals of the NSTA/CBC Review Panel for Outstanding Science…

Defense.gov Special Report: Travels With Panetta - March 2012

Science.gov Websites

technology and growing expertise in the use of cyber warfare," he said. "The danger is, I think , [that] the capabilities are available in cyber to virtually cripple this nation: to bring down the power Operation Atlantic Resolve Sexual Assault Prevention Asia-Pacific Rebalance Cyber Strategy News Today in DOD

Is Race Really Controversial in the University Classroom?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Philion, Stephen

2009-01-01

Today, even though "social justice" programs exist as a virtual growth industry on US campuses and many universities have incorporated classes on race and racism into their curricula, everyone continues to be faced with the perception that race is a "controversial" topic that has to be broached with care due to its "sensitive nature". This is even…

Using Virtual Role-Play to Enhance Teacher Candidates' Skills in Responding to Bullying

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Schussler, Deborah; Frank, Jennifer; Lee, Tsan-Kuang; Mahfouz, Julia

2017-01-01

Nearly one in three students in the United States today is negatively impacted by bullying. Teachers can play a critical role in stopping bullying-related violence, but many struggle with how to engage students in difficult conversations. Traditional classroom-based pedagogy used to teach communication skills (e.g., modeling & role-play) is…

Product development cycle time reduction

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Farran, Robin

1992-05-01

We are facing here today the key issues that face us in the competitive environment. North American companies are struggling to compete in the global marketplace. Gone are the days when presence ensured success. Then, sales and earnings were guaranteed. Today the competition is intense. Many manufacturing and service companies are no longer competitive. Traditionally, manufacturing companies have created the most wealth for the community and economy. Losing this ability to create wealth is tragic and unnecessary. A company can only be successful by focusing on customer satisfaction at competitive costs. Revenue growth and earnings growth require a continuous stream of products that anticipate the customers' needs, result from shorter and shorter innovation cycles, continually improve in quality, and are produced at improved costs on each cycle. The best opportunities for increased quality and decreased costs are with new products. Sure, work on quality and costs everyday. The biggest changes, however, will come through the new product development cycle. We must improve our development processes to provide leadership products which result in high levels of customer satisfaction. This is a prerequisite for business success. When presence in the marketplace was a virtual guarantee of success for a North American company, technology tended to drive the products, and the customers bought virtually everything that was produced. Functional excellence was stressed within companies ... and that was enough. Effective planning processes were not a prerequisite for success. Today success demands highly developed business research and planning processes, and functional excellence combined with organizational capabilities that ensure commercialization excellence.

Triassic-Jurassic climate in continental high-latitude Asia was dominated by obliquity-paced variations (Junggar Basin, Ürümqi, China).

PubMed

Sha, Jingeng; Olsen, Paul E; Pan, Yanhong; Xu, Daoyi; Wang, Yaqiang; Zhang, Xiaolin; Yao, Xiaogang; Vajda, Vivi

2015-03-24

Empirical constraints on orbital gravitational solutions for the Solar System can be derived from the Earth's geological record of past climates. Lithologically based paleoclimate data from the thick, coal-bearing, fluvial-lacustrine sequences of the Junggar Basin of Northwestern China (paleolatitude ∼60°) show that climate variability of the warm and glacier-free high latitudes of the latest Triassic-Early Jurassic (∼198-202 Ma) Pangea was strongly paced by obliquity-dominated (∼40 ky) orbital cyclicity, based on an age model using the 405-ky cycle of eccentricity. In contrast, coeval low-latitude continental climate was much more strongly paced by climatic precession, with virtually no hint of obliquity. Although this previously unknown obliquity dominance at high latitude is not necessarily unexpected in a high CO2 world, these data deviate substantially from published orbital solutions in period and amplitude for eccentricity cycles greater than 405 ky, consistent with chaotic diffusion of the Solar System. In contrast, there are indications that the Earth-Mars orbital resonance was in today's 2-to-1 ratio of eccentricity to inclination. These empirical data underscore the need for temporally comprehensive, highly reliable data, as well as new gravitational solutions fitting those data.

Human-machine interface hardware: The next decade

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Marcus, Elizabeth A.

1991-01-01

In order to understand where human-machine interface hardware is headed, it is important to understand where we are today, how we got there, and what our goals for the future are. As computers become more capable, faster, and programs become more sophisticated, it becomes apparent that the interface hardware is the key to an exciting future in computing. How can a user interact and control a seemingly limitless array of parameters effectively? Today, the answer is most often a limitless array of controls. The link between these controls and human sensory motor capabilities does not utilize existing human capabilities to their full extent. Interface hardware for teleoperation and virtual environments is now facing a crossroad in design. Therefore, we as developers need to explore how the combination of interface hardware, human capabilities, and user experience can be blended to get the best performance today and in the future.

MyCoach: In Situ User Evaluation of a Virtual and Physical Coach for Running

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Biemans, Margit; Haaker, Timber; Szwajcer, Ellen

Running is an enjoyable exercise for many people today. Trainers help people to reach running goals. However, today’s busy and nomadic people are not always able to attend running classes. A combination of a virtual and physical coach should be useful. A virtual coach (MyCoach) was designed to provide this support. MyCoach consists of a mobile phone (real time) and a web application, with a focus on improving health and well-being. A randomised controlled trial was performed to evaluate MyCoach. The results indicate that the runners value the tangible aspects on monitoring and capturing their exercise and analysing progress. The system could be improved by incorporating running schedules provided by the physical trainer and by improving its usability. Extensions of the system should focus on the real-time aspects of information sharing and “physical” coaching at a distance.

Polymer-based actuators for virtual reality devices

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bolzmacher, Christian; Hafez, Moustapha; Benali Khoudja, Mohamed; Bernardoni, Paul; Dubowsky, Steven

2004-07-01

Virtual Reality (VR) is gaining more importance in our society. For many years, VR has been limited to the entertainment applications. Today, practical applications such as training and prototyping find a promising future in VR. Therefore there is an increasing demand for low-cost, lightweight haptic devices in virtual reality (VR) environment. Electroactive polymers seem to be a potential actuation technology that could satisfy these requirements. Dielectric polymers developed the past few years have shown large displacements (more than 300%). This feature makes them quite interesting for integration in haptic devices due to their muscle-like behaviour. Polymer actuators are flexible and lightweight as compared to traditional actuators. Using stacks with several layers of elatomeric film increase the force without limiting the output displacement. The paper discusses some design methods for a linear dielectric polymer actuator for VR devices. Experimental results of the actuator performance is presented.

Versatile, immersive, creative and dynamic virtual 3-D healthcare learning environments: a review of the literature.

PubMed

Hansen, Margaret M

2008-09-01

The author provides a critical overview of three-dimensional (3-D) virtual worlds and "serious gaming" that are currently being developed and used in healthcare professional education and medicine. The relevance of this e-learning innovation for teaching students and professionals is debatable and variables influencing adoption, such as increased knowledge, self-directed learning, and peer collaboration, by academics, healthcare professionals, and business executives are examined while looking at various Web 2.0/3.0 applications. There is a need for more empirical research in order to unearth the pedagogical outcomes and advantages associated with this e-learning technology. A brief description of Roger's Diffusion of Innovations Theory and Siemens' Connectivism Theory for today's learners is presented as potential underlying pedagogical tenets to support the use of virtual 3-D learning environments in higher education and healthcare.

A national-scale authentication infrastructure.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Butler, R.; Engert, D.; Foster, I.

2000-12-01

Today, individuals and institutions in science and industry are increasingly forming virtual organizations to pool resources and tackle a common goal. Participants in virtual organizations commonly need to share resources such as data archives, computer cycles, and networks - resources usually available only with restrictions based on the requested resource's nature and the user's identity. Thus, any sharing mechanism must have the ability to authenticate the user's identity and determine if the user is authorized to request the resource. Virtual organizations tend to be fluid, however, so authentication mechanisms must be flexible and lightweight, allowing administrators to quickly establish andmore » change resource-sharing arrangements. However, because virtual organizations complement rather than replace existing institutions, sharing mechanisms cannot change local policies and must allow individual institutions to maintain control over their own resources. Our group has created and deployed an authentication and authorization infrastructure that meets these requirements: the Grid Security Infrastructure. GSI offers secure single sign-ons and preserves site control over access policies and local security. It provides its own versions of common applications, such as FTP and remote login, and a programming interface for creating secure applications.« less

A Virtual Environment for People Who Are Blind – A Usability Study

PubMed Central

Lahav, O.; Schloerb, D. W.; Kumar, S.; Srinivasan, M. A.

2013-01-01

For most people who are blind, exploring an unknown environment can be unpleasant, uncomfortable, and unsafe. Over the past years, the use of virtual reality as a learning and rehabilitation tool for people with disabilities has been on the rise. This research is based on the hypothesis that the supply of appropriate perceptual and conceptual information through compensatory sensorial channels may assist people who are blind with anticipatory exploration. In this research we developed and tested the BlindAid system, which allows the user to explore a virtual environment. The two main goals of the research were: (a) evaluation of different modalities (haptic and audio) and navigation tools, and (b) evaluation of spatial cognitive mapping employed by people who are blind. Our research included four participants who are totally blind. The preliminary findings confirm that the system enabled participants to develop comprehensive cognitive maps by exploring the virtual environment. PMID:24353744

Understanding Glocal Learning Spaces. An Empirical Study of Languaging and Transmigrant Positions in the Virtual Classroom

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Messina Dahlberg, Giulia; Bagga-Gupta, Sangeeta

2014-01-01

The use of digital tools like computers and tablets in institutional learning arenas give rise to forms of flexibility where time and space boundaries become diffuse. Online learning sites are understood as being crucial today, especially in large parts of the Global North, where anyone anywhere potentially can become a student and have access to…

I Phone, You Phone, We All Phone with iPhone: Trademark Law and Ethics from an International and Domestic Perspective

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Cowart, Tammy W.; Chumney, Wade M.

2011-01-01

In today's Internet-based and global business environment, the legal issues companies face will often involve issues of intellectual property. Virtually every product people purchase is protected by a trademark, a patent, and/or copyrights. Thus, basic concepts of intellectual property are a natural component in any business law or legal…

On the Changing Nature of Learning Context: Anticipating the Virtual Extensions of the World

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Westera, Wim

2011-01-01

Contextual learning starts from the premise that learning cannot take place in a vacuum, but should somehow be connected with real world attributes to make sense to learners. Today, digital media tend to bring about new dimensions of context: internet connections and mobile devices enable learners to overcome restrictions of time and location, and…

Cognitive Authority in Everyday Life: From Small Worlds to Virtual Worlds

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Meyers, Eric M.

2010-01-01

The very nature of information seeking in today's world suggests that credibility is an important factor in how one goes about seeking and using information. The proliferation of Web-based resources and the ability for nearly anyone to publish on the Web force individuals to make judgments of quality and authority as they flow on- and offline in…

Users' Perspectives on Tour-Guide Training Courses Using 3D Tourist Sites

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Chen, Yu-Fen; Mo, Huai-en

2014-01-01

Taiwan is currently attempting to develop itself into a twenty-first century tourist hub to take advantage of today's thriving global tourism economy. In the coming years, Taiwan anticipates an urgent demand for tour guides, and there is a clear need for training solutions that can serve a rapidly growing population. Computer-mediated virtual 3D…

Develop Training Standards for Undergraduate Students with Major Public Administration at King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Al-Sehiemy, Zainab Abdul-Rahman; Gheith, Nervana Abdul-Rahman

2015-01-01

Recently, public administration graduates are exposed to new set of challenges because of globalization, virtual world and using modern technology as a base of all today's dealings. It imposes PAD at faculty of economic and administration faculty to prepare its students to confront these changes in organizations in the community. Therefore, the…

Using Virtual Servers to Teach the Implementation of Enterprise-Level DBMSs: A Teaching Note

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Wagner, William P.; Pant, Vik

2010-01-01

One of the areas where demand has remained strong for MIS students is in the area of database management. Since the early days, this topic has been a mainstay in the MIS curriculum. Students of database management today typically learn about relational databases, SQL, normalization, and how to design and implement various kinds of database…

Teaching, Learning, and Sharing: How Today's Higher Education Faculty Use Social Media

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Moran, Mike; Seaman, Jeff; Tinti-Kane, Hester

2011-01-01

Faculty are big users of and believers in social media. Virtually all higher education teaching faculty are aware of the major social media sites; more than three-quarters visited a social media site within the past month for their personal use; and nearly one-half posted content. Even more impressive is their rate of adoption of social media in…

The Academic and Social Implications of Virtual Learning Environments for Gifted High School Students with an Autism Spectrum Disorder

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bryant, Lorna Elizabeth

2011-01-01

In public schools today, students who are identified as individuals with gifts and talents are generally confronted with education that is not fitted to their learning needs and self-regulatory potentials (Colangelo, Assouline, & Gross, 2004). The mismatch between needs and services is particularly true of those students who, in addition to…

Skills-O-Mat: Computer Supported Interactive Motion- and Game-Based Training in Mixing Alginate in Dental Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hannig, Andreas; Lemos, Martin; Spreckelsen, Cord; Ohnesorge-Radtke, Ulla; Rafai, Nicole

2013-01-01

The training of motor skills is a crucial aspect of medical education today. Serious games and haptic virtual simulations have been used in the training of surgical procedures. Otherwise, however, a combination of serious games and motor skills training is rarely used in medical education. This article presents Skills-O-Mat, an interactive serious…

Making Web3D Less Scary: Toward Easy-to-Use Web3D e-Learning Content Development Tools for Educators

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

de Byl, Penny

2009-01-01

Penny de Byl argues that one of the biggest challenges facing educators today is the integration of rich and immersive three-dimensional environments with existing teaching and learning materials. To empower educators with the ability to embrace emerging Web3D technologies, the Advanced Learning and Immersive Virtual Environment (ALIVE) research…

Experiential Fidelity: Leveraging the Mind to Improve the VR Experience

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Beckhaus, Steffi; Lindeman, Robert W.

Much of Virtual Reality (VR) is about creating environments that are believable. But though the visual and audio experiences we provide today are already of a rather high sensory fidelity, there is still something lacking; something hinders us from fully buying into the worlds we experience through VR technology. We introduce the notion of Experiential Fidelity, which is an attempt to create a deeper sense of presence by carefully designing the user experience. We suggest to guide the users' frame of mind in a way that their expectations, attitude, and attention are aligned with the actual VR experience, and that the user's own imagination is stimulated to complete the experience. This work was inspired by a collection of personal magic moments and factors that were named by leading researchers in VR. We present those magic moments and some thoughts on how we can tap into experiential fidelity. We propose to do this not through technological means, but rather through the careful use of suggestion and allusion. By priming the user's mind prior to exposure to our virtual worlds, we can assist her in entering a mental state that is more willing to believe, even using the limited actual fidelity available today.

Virtual World Astrosociology

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bainbridge, William Sims

2010-01-01

This essay introduces the opportunity for theory development and even empirical research on some aspects of astrosociology through today's online virtual worlds. The examples covered present life on other planets or in space itself, in a manner that can be experienced by the user and where the user's reactions may simulate to some degree future human behavior in real extraterrestrial environments: Tabula Rasa, Anarchy Online, Entropia Universe, EVE Online, StarCraft and World of Warcraft. Ethnographic exploration of these computerized environments raises many questions about the social science both of space exploration and of direct contact with extraterrestrials. The views expressed in this essay do not necessarily represent the views of the National Science Foundation or the United States.

Design of a DNA chip for detection of unknown genetically modified organisms (GMOs).

PubMed

Nesvold, Håvard; Kristoffersen, Anja Bråthen; Holst-Jensen, Arne; Berdal, Knut G

2005-05-01

Unknown genetically modified organisms (GMOs) have not undergone a risk evaluation, and hence might pose a danger to health and environment. There are, today, no methods for detecting unknown GMOs. In this paper we propose a novel method intended as a first step in an approach for detecting unknown genetically modified (GM) material in a single plant. A model is designed where biological and combinatorial reduction rules are applied to a set of DNA chip probes containing all possible sequences of uniform length n, creating probes capable of detecting unknown GMOs. The model is theoretically tested for Arabidopsis thaliana Columbia, and the probabilities for detecting inserts and receiving false positives are assessed for various parameters for this organism. From a theoretical standpoint, the model looks very promising but should be tested further in the laboratory. The model and algorithms will be available upon request to the corresponding author.

Virtual Reality as an Educational and Training Tool for Medicine.

PubMed

Izard, Santiago González; Juanes, Juan A; García Peñalvo, Francisco J; Estella, Jesús Mª Gonçalvez; Ledesma, Mª José Sánchez; Ruisoto, Pablo

2018-02-01

Until very recently, we considered Virtual Reality as something that was very close, but it was still science fiction. However, today Virtual Reality is being integrated into many different areas of our lives, from videogames to different industrial use cases and, of course, it is starting to be used in medicine. There are two great general classifications for Virtual Reality. Firstly, we find a Virtual Reality in which we visualize a world completely created by computer, three-dimensional and where we can appreciate that the world we are visualizing is not real, at least for the moment as rendered images are improving very fast. Secondly, there is a Virtual Reality that basically consists of a reflection of our reality. This type of Virtual Reality is created using spherical or 360 images and videos, so we lose three-dimensional visualization capacity (until the 3D cameras are more developed), but on the other hand we gain in terms of realism in the images. We could also mention a third classification that merges the previous two, where virtual elements created by computer coexist with 360 images and videos. In this article we will show two systems that we have developed where each of them can be framed within one of the previous classifications, identifying the technologies used for their implementation as well as the advantages of each one. We will also analize how these systems can improve the current methodologies used for medical training. The implications of these developments as tools for teaching, learning and training are discussed.

Advanced Maintenance Simulation by Means of Hand-Based Haptic Interfaces

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nappi, Michele; Paolino, Luca; Ricciardi, Stefano; Sebillo, Monica; Vitiello, Giuliana

Aerospace industry has been involved in virtual simulation for design and testing since the birth of virtual reality. Today this industry is showing a growing interest in the development of haptic-based maintenance training applications, which represent the most advanced way to simulate maintenance and repair tasks within a virtual environment by means of a visual-haptic approach. The goal is to allow the trainee to experiment the service procedures not only as a workflow reproduced at a visual level but also in terms of the kinaesthetic feedback involved with the manipulation of tools and components. This study, conducted in collaboration with aerospace industry specialists, is aimed to the development of an immersive virtual capable of immerging the trainees into a virtual environment where mechanics and technicians can perform maintenance simulation or training tasks by directly manipulating 3D virtual models of aircraft parts while perceiving force feedback through the haptic interface. The proposed system is based on ViRstperson, a virtual reality engine under development at the Italian Center for Aerospace Research (CIRA) to support engineering and technical activities such as design-time maintenance procedure validation, and maintenance training. This engine has been extended to support haptic-based interaction, enabling a more complete level of interaction, also in terms of impedance control, and thus fostering the development of haptic knowledge in the user. The user’s “sense of touch” within the immersive virtual environment is simulated through an Immersion CyberForce® hand-based force-feedback device. Preliminary testing of the proposed system seems encouraging.

Biologic effects of interferons.

PubMed

Gresser, I

1990-12-01

If one were to review articles on IFN published between 1957 and 1967 it would become apparent that virtually none of the tenets held then are still valid today. Whereas IFN was long considered to be a specific antiviral substance without any effect on normal cellular metabolism, we accept today that it affects normal cell division and many specialized cellular functions. In this respect it is not unique; IFN is a prototype of a family of similar substances now called cytokines that all appear to function as regulatory molecules. It was held that the production of IFN constituted a specific response to a viral infection. Today we believe that IFN is an integral part of a cytokine network and that they and other cytokines may be produced constitutively at low levels. These substances exert multiple effects on virtually all cells. They play an important role in host defense against viral and parasitic infections, and in the resistance to experimental tumors. IFN can be shown to exert effects on the immune system and on lymphocyte circulation. Lastly, because of the multiplicity of their biologic effects, they may even contribute to the pathogenesis of certain diseases. Thus, when large amounts of IFN are administered or induced in newborn mice they can cause liver, kidney, and pulmonary disease. The field of IFN and cytokine research continues to expand and there is an increasing number of therapeutic applications. Twenty years from now, scientists and clinicians may be surprised that we understood so little of how IFN act and how inadequately we used them to treat disease.

Overcoming the Critical Shortage of STEM - Prepared Secondary Students Through Modeling and Simulation

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Spencer, Thomas; Berry, Brandon

2012-01-01

In developing understanding of technological systems - modeling and simulation tools aid significantly in the learning and visualization processes. In design courses we sketch , extrude, shape, refine and animate with virtual tools in 3D. Final designs are built using a 3D printer. Aspiring architects create spaces with realistic materials and lighting schemes rendered on model surfaces to create breathtaking walk-throughs of virtual spaces. Digital Electronics students design systems that address real-world needs. Designs are simulated in virtual circuits to provide proof of concept before physical construction. This vastly increases students' ability to design and build complex systems. We find students using modeling and simulation in the learning process, assimilate information at a much faster pace and engage more deeply in learning. As Pre-Engineering educators within the Career and Technical Education program at our school division's Technology Academy our task is to help learners in their quest to develop deep understanding of complex technological systems in a variety of engineering disciplines. Today's young learners have vast opportunities to learn with tools that many of us only dreamed about a decade or so ago when we were engaged in engineering and other technical studies. Today's learner paints with a virtual brush - scenes that can aid significantly in the learning and visualization processes. Modeling and simulation systems have become the new standard tool set in the technical classroom [1-5]. Modeling and simulation systems are now applied as feedback loops in the learning environment. Much of the study of behavior change through the use of feedback loops can be attributed to Stanford Psychologist Alfred Bandura. "Drawing on several education experiments involving children, Bandura observed that giving individuals a clear goal and a means to evaluate their progress toward that goal greatly increased the likelihood that they would achieve it."

Virtual Inertia: Current Trends and Future Directions

DOE PAGES

Tamrakar, Ujjwol; Shrestha, Dipesh; Maharjan, Manisha; ...

2017-06-26

The modern power system is progressing from a synchronous machine-based system towards an inverter-dominated system, with a large-scale penetration of renewable energy sources (RESs) like wind and photovoltaics. RES units today represent a major share of the generation, and the traditional approach of integrating themas grid following units can lead to frequency instability. Many researchers have pointed towards using inverters with virtual inertia control algorithms so that they appear as synchronous generators to the grid, maintaining and enhancing system stability. Our paper presents a literature review of the current state-of-the-art of virtual inertia implementation techniques, and explores potential research directionsmore » and challenges. The major virtual inertia topologies are compared and classified. Through literature review and simulations of some selected topologies it has been shown that similar inertial response can be achieved by relating the parameters of these topologies through time constants and inertia constants, although the exact frequency dynamics may vary slightly. The suitability of a topology depends on system control architecture and desired level of detail in replication of the dynamics of synchronous generators. We present a discussion on the challenges and research directions which points out several research needs, especially for systems level integration of virtual inertia systems.« less

Virtual Inertia: Current Trends and Future Directions

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Tamrakar, Ujjwol; Shrestha, Dipesh; Maharjan, Manisha

The modern power system is progressing from a synchronous machine-based system towards an inverter-dominated system, with a large-scale penetration of renewable energy sources (RESs) like wind and photovoltaics. RES units today represent a major share of the generation, and the traditional approach of integrating themas grid following units can lead to frequency instability. Many researchers have pointed towards using inverters with virtual inertia control algorithms so that they appear as synchronous generators to the grid, maintaining and enhancing system stability. Our paper presents a literature review of the current state-of-the-art of virtual inertia implementation techniques, and explores potential research directionsmore » and challenges. The major virtual inertia topologies are compared and classified. Through literature review and simulations of some selected topologies it has been shown that similar inertial response can be achieved by relating the parameters of these topologies through time constants and inertia constants, although the exact frequency dynamics may vary slightly. The suitability of a topology depends on system control architecture and desired level of detail in replication of the dynamics of synchronous generators. We present a discussion on the challenges and research directions which points out several research needs, especially for systems level integration of virtual inertia systems.« less

The effect of viewing a virtual environment through a head-mounted display on balance.

PubMed

Robert, Maxime T; Ballaz, Laurent; Lemay, Martin

2016-07-01

In the next few years, several head-mounted displays (HMD) will be publicly released making virtual reality more accessible. HMD are expected to be widely popular at home for gaming but also in clinical settings, notably for training and rehabilitation. HMD can be used in both seated and standing positions; however, presently, the impact of HMD on balance remains largely unknown. It is therefore crucial to examine the impact of viewing a virtual environment through a HMD on standing balance. To compare static and dynamic balance in a virtual environment perceived through a HMD and the physical environment. The visual representation of the virtual environment was based on filmed image of the physical environment and was therefore highly similar. This is an observational study in healthy adults. No significant difference was observed between the two environments for static balance. However, dynamic balance was more perturbed in the virtual environment when compared to that of the physical environment. HMD should be used with caution because of its detrimental impact on dynamic balance. Sensorimotor conflict possibly explains the impact of HMD on balance. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Suck It Up, Walk It Off, Be a Man: A Controversial Look at Bullying in Today's Schools

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Simplicio, Joseph

2013-01-01

The latest issue to permeate the educational collective mind is that of bullying. In fact, it has become the flavor of the month in education. It has been explored through virtually every medium including documentaries, writings, and oral stories, on the local, state, national, and international levels. It has caused changes in school curricula,…

Jefferson's Views on Education: Implications for Today's Social Studies

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Carpenter, James J.

2004-01-01

It is virtually impossible to find a U.S. civics or government textbook that does not cite Thomas Jefferson's faith in a well-educated citizenry as the great defense against tyranny. It is also common to open a U.S. history textbook for middle or high school students and find a reference to Jefferson and the value he put on education. Because the…

The benefits of 3D modelling and animation in medical teaching.

PubMed

Vernon, Tim; Peckham, Daniel

2002-12-01

Three-dimensional models created using materials such as wax, bronze and ivory, have been used in the teaching of medicine for many centuries. Today, computer technology allows medical illustrators to create virtual three-dimensional medical models. This paper considers the benefits of using still and animated output from computer-generated models in the teaching of medicine, and examines how three-dimensional models are made.

Bringing 21st Century Learning to the High School Classroom: Program Evaluation on Pedagogical Change

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Travis, Michael G.

2013-01-01

Children today are born into a world with endless amounts of information at their fingertips, the ability to instantly connect with others, and smartphones with an app for virtually everything. It is a world that is vastly different than that of their parents or grandparents. As these students sit in classrooms all over the world, their teachers…

Educating Students for Their Futures: Three Trends for Schools in the Conceptual Age

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Duffy, Elizabeth A.

2014-01-01

In this article, the author points out that schools have been designed, among other purposes, to prepare students for work, and that the dominant work paradigm of each era has influenced the design of schools. In today's era of technology, virtual schools, and massive open online courses (MOOCs), education in this country has at least in part…

Implementation Fest: The Last Decade

DTIC Science & Technology

2010-08-01

architectures New Learning Technologies  Simulations, games, and virtual world  Mobile systems  Performance support, S1000D tech manuals  Intelligent...Darwars Ambush (ECS) Gator 6 (Will Interactive) Games Today 22 VBS2 Enhanced Learning Environment using Creative Technology – Bilateral Negotiations...5f. WORK UNIT NUMBER 7. PERFORMING ORGANIZATION NAME(S) AND ADDRESS(ES) Advanced Decision Learning (ADL),1901 N. Beauregard Street Suite 600

Virtual reality to simulate large lighting with high efficiency LEDs

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Blandet, Thierry; Coutelier, Gilles; Meyrueis, Patrick

2011-05-01

When a city or a local authority wishes to emphasize its historical heritage, for the lighting of its streets, setting up lights during the festive season, they call upon the skills of a lighting designer. The lighting designer proposes concepts, ideas, lighting, and to be able to present them, he makes use of simulation. On the other hand lighting technologies are evolving very rapidly and new lighting systems offer features that lighting designers are now integrating their projects. The street lights consume lot of energy; light projects are now taking into account the energy saving aspect. Lighting systems based on LEDs today provide good lighting needs, taking into account sustainable development issues while enabling new creative dimension. The lighting simulation can handle these parameters. Images or video simulation are no longer sufficient: stereoscopy and virtual reality techniques allow better communication and better understanding of projects. Virtual reality offers new possibilities of interaction, the freedom of movement in a scene, the presentation of variants or interactive simulations.

HEPCloud, a New Paradigm for HEP Facilities: CMS Amazon Web Services Investigation

DOE PAGES

Holzman, Burt; Bauerdick, Lothar A. T.; Bockelman, Brian; ...

2017-09-29

Historically, high energy physics computing has been performed on large purpose-built computing systems. These began as single-site compute facilities, but have evolved into the distributed computing grids used today. Recently, there has been an exponential increase in the capacity and capability of commercial clouds. Cloud resources are highly virtualized and intended to be able to be flexibly deployed for a variety of computing tasks. There is a growing interest among the cloud providers to demonstrate the capability to perform large-scale scientific computing. In this paper, we discuss results from the CMS experiment using the Fermilab HEPCloud facility, which utilized bothmore » local Fermilab resources and virtual machines in the Amazon Web Services Elastic Compute Cloud. We discuss the planning, technical challenges, and lessons learned involved in performing physics workflows on a large-scale set of virtualized resources. Additionally, we will discuss the economics and operational efficiencies when executing workflows both in the cloud and on dedicated resources.« less

Virtual immunology: software for teaching basic immunology.

PubMed

Berçot, Filipe Faria; Fidalgo-Neto, Antônio Augusto; Lopes, Renato Matos; Faggioni, Thais; Alves, Luiz Anastácio

2013-01-01

As immunology continues to evolve, many educational methods have found difficulty in conveying the degree of complexity inherent in its basic principles. Today, the teaching-learning process in such areas has been improved with tools such as educational software. This article introduces "Virtual Immunology," a software program available free of charge in Portuguese and English, which can be used by teachers and students in physiology, immunology, and cellular biology classes. We discuss the development of the initial two modules: "Organs and Lymphoid Tissues" and "Inflammation" and the use of interactive activities to provide microscopic and macroscopic understanding in immunology. Students, both graduate and undergraduate, were questioned along with university level professors about the quality of the software and intuitiveness of use, facility of navigation, and aesthetic organization using a Likert scale. An overwhelmingly satisfactory result was obtained with both students and immunology teachers. Programs such as "Virtual Immunology" are offering more interactive, multimedia approaches to complex scientific principles that increase student motivation, interest, and comprehension. © 2013 by The International Union of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology.

Space and Time Partitioning with Hardware Support for Space Applications

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pinto, S.; Tavares, A.; Montenegro, S.

2016-08-01

Complex and critical systems like airplanes and spacecraft implement a very fast growing amount of functions. Typically, those systems were implemented with fully federated architectures, but the number and complexity of desired functions of todays systems led aerospace industry to follow another strategy. Integrated Modular Avionics (IMA) arose as an attractive approach for consolidation, by combining several applications into one single generic computing resource. Current approach goes towards higher integration provided by space and time partitioning (STP) of system virtualization. The problem is existent virtualization solutions are not ready to fully provide what the future of aerospace are demanding: performance, flexibility, safety, security while simultaneously containing Size, Weight, Power and Cost (SWaP-C).This work describes a real time hypervisor for space applications assisted by commercial off-the-shell (COTS) hardware. ARM TrustZone technology is exploited to implement a secure virtualization solution with low overhead and low memory footprint. This is demonstrated by running multiple guest partitions of RODOS operating system on a Xilinx Zynq platform.

Similarity searching and scaffold hopping in synthetically accessible combinatorial chemistry spaces.

PubMed

Boehm, Markus; Wu, Tong-Ying; Claussen, Holger; Lemmen, Christian

2008-04-24

Large collections of combinatorial libraries are an integral element in today's pharmaceutical industry. It is of great interest to perform similarity searches against all virtual compounds that are synthetically accessible by any such library. Here we describe the successful application of a new software tool CoLibri on 358 combinatorial libraries based on validated reaction protocols to create a single chemistry space containing over 10 (12) possible products. Similarity searching with FTrees-FS allows the systematic exploration of this space without the need to enumerate all product structures. The search result is a set of virtual hits which are synthetically accessible by one or more of the existing reaction protocols. Grouping these virtual hits by their synthetic protocols allows the rapid design and synthesis of multiple follow-up libraries. Such library ideas support hit-to-lead design efforts for tasks like follow-up from high-throughput screening hits or scaffold hopping from one hit to another attractive series.

Dots and dashes: art, virtual reality, and the telegraph

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ruzanka, Silvia; Chang, Ben

2009-02-01

Dots and Dashes is a virtual reality artwork that explores online romance over the telegraph, based on Ella Cheever Thayer's novel Wired Love - a Romance in Dots and Dashes (an Old Story Told in a New Way)1. The uncanny similarities between this story and the world of today's virtual environments provides the springboard for an exploration of a wealth of anxieties and dreams, including the construction of identities in an electronically mediated environment, the shifting boundaries between the natural and machine worlds, and the spiritual dimensions of science and technology. In this paper we examine the parallels between the telegraph networks and our current conceptions of cyberspace, as well as unique social and cultural impacts specific to the telegraph. These include the new opportunities and roles available to women in the telegraph industry and the connection between the telegraph and the Spiritualist movement. We discuss the development of the artwork, its structure and aesthetics, and the technical development of the work.

HEPCloud, a New Paradigm for HEP Facilities: CMS Amazon Web Services Investigation

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Holzman, Burt; Bauerdick, Lothar A. T.; Bockelman, Brian

Historically, high energy physics computing has been performed on large purpose-built computing systems. These began as single-site compute facilities, but have evolved into the distributed computing grids used today. Recently, there has been an exponential increase in the capacity and capability of commercial clouds. Cloud resources are highly virtualized and intended to be able to be flexibly deployed for a variety of computing tasks. There is a growing interest among the cloud providers to demonstrate the capability to perform large-scale scientific computing. In this paper, we discuss results from the CMS experiment using the Fermilab HEPCloud facility, which utilized bothmore » local Fermilab resources and virtual machines in the Amazon Web Services Elastic Compute Cloud. We discuss the planning, technical challenges, and lessons learned involved in performing physics workflows on a large-scale set of virtualized resources. Additionally, we will discuss the economics and operational efficiencies when executing workflows both in the cloud and on dedicated resources.« less

Freeform object design and simultaneous manufacturing

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, Wei; Zhang, Weihan; Lin, Heng; Leu, Ming C.

2003-04-01

Today's product design, especially the consuming product design, focuses more and more on individuation, originality, and the time to market. One way to meet these challenges is using the interactive and creationary product design methods and rapid prototyping/rapid tooling. This paper presents a novel Freeform Object Design and Simultaneous Manufacturing (FODSM) method that combines the natural interaction feature in the design phase and simultaneous manufacturing feature in the prototyping phase. The natural interactive three-dimensional design environment is achieved by adopting virtual reality technology. The geometry of the designed object is defined through the process of "virtual sculpting" during which the designer can touch and visualize the designed object and can hear the virtual manufacturing environment noise. During the designing process, the computer records the sculpting trajectories and automatically translates them into NC codes so as to simultaneously machine the designed part. The paper introduced the principle, implementation process, and key techniques of the new method, and compared it with other popular rapid prototyping methods.

Implementation of virtual models from sheet metal forming simulation into physical 3D colour models using 3D printing

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Junk, S.

2016-08-01

Today the methods of numerical simulation of sheet metal forming offer a great diversity of possibilities for optimization in product development and in process design. However, the results from simulation are only available as virtual models. Because there are any forming tools available during the early stages of product development, physical models that could serve to represent the virtual results are therefore lacking. Physical 3D-models can be created using 3D-printing and serve as an illustration and present a better understanding of the simulation results. In this way, the results from the simulation can be made more “comprehensible” within a development team. This paper presents the possibilities of 3D-colour printing with particular consideration of the requirements regarding the implementation of sheet metal forming simulation. Using concrete examples of sheet metal forming, the manufacturing of 3D colour models will be expounded upon on the basis of simulation results.

The intrinsic circadian clock within the cardiomyocyte directly regulates myocardial gene expression, metabolism, and contractile function

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Virtually every mammalian cell, including cardiomyocytes, possesses an intrinsic circadian clock. The role of this transcriptionally based molecular mechanism in cardiovascular biology remains unknown. We hypothesized that circadian clock within the cardiomyocyte plays a role in regulating myocardia...

The intrinsic circadian clock within the cardiomyocyte directly regulates myocardial gene expression, metabolism, and contractile function

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Virtually every mammalian cell, including cardiomyocytes, possesses an intrinsic circadian clock. The role of this transcriptionally based molecular mechanism in cardiovascular biology remains unknown. We hypothesized that the circadian clock within the cardiomyocyte plays a role in regulating myo...

Human-machine interface for a VR-based medical imaging environment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Krapichler, Christian; Haubner, Michael; Loesch, Andreas; Lang, Manfred K.; Englmeier, Karl-Hans

1997-05-01

Modern 3D scanning techniques like magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) or computed tomography (CT) produce high- quality images of the human anatomy. Virtual environments open new ways to display and to analyze those tomograms. Compared with today's inspection of 2D image sequences, physicians are empowered to recognize spatial coherencies and examine pathological regions more facile, diagnosis and therapy planning can be accelerated. For that purpose a powerful human-machine interface is required, which offers a variety of tools and features to enable both exploration and manipulation of the 3D data. Man-machine communication has to be intuitive and efficacious to avoid long accustoming times and to enhance familiarity with and acceptance of the interface. Hence, interaction capabilities in virtual worlds should be comparable to those in the real work to allow utilization of our natural experiences. In this paper the integration of hand gestures and visual focus, two important aspects in modern human-computer interaction, into a medical imaging environment is shown. With the presented human- machine interface, including virtual reality displaying and interaction techniques, radiologists can be supported in their work. Further, virtual environments can even alleviate communication between specialists from different fields or in educational and training applications.

Application of physics engines in virtual worlds

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Norman, Mark; Taylor, Tim

2002-03-01

Dynamic virtual worlds potentially can provide a much richer and more enjoyable experience than static ones. To realize such worlds, three approaches are commonly used. The first of these, and still widely applied, involves importing traditional animations from a modeling system such as 3D Studio Max. This approach is therefore limited to predefined animation scripts or combinations/blends thereof. The second approach involves the integration of some specific-purpose simulation code, such as car dynamics, and is thus generally limited to one (class of) application(s). The third approach involves the use of general-purpose physics engines, which promise to enable a range of compelling dynamic virtual worlds and to considerably speed up development. By far the largest market today for real-time simulation is computer games, revenues exceeding those of the movie industry. Traditionally, the simulation is produced by game developers in-house for specific titles. However, off-the-shelf middleware physics engines are now available for use in games and related domains. In this paper, we report on our experiences of using middleware physics engines to create a virtual world as an interactive experience, and an advanced scenario where artificial life techniques generate controllers for physically modeled characters.

Evaluating virtual hosted desktops for graphics-intensive astronomy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Meade, B. F.; Fluke, C. J.

2018-04-01

Visualisation of data is critical to understanding astronomical phenomena. Today, many instruments produce datasets that are too big to be downloaded to a local computer, yet many of the visualisation tools used by astronomers are deployed only on desktop computers. Cloud computing is increasingly used to provide a computation and simulation platform in astronomy, but it also offers great potential as a visualisation platform. Virtual hosted desktops, with graphics processing unit (GPU) acceleration, allow interactive, graphics-intensive desktop applications to operate co-located with astronomy datasets stored in remote data centres. By combining benchmarking and user experience testing, with a cohort of 20 astronomers, we investigate the viability of replacing physical desktop computers with virtual hosted desktops. In our work, we compare two Apple MacBook computers (one old and one new, representing hardware and opposite ends of the useful lifetime) with two virtual hosted desktops: one commercial (Amazon Web Services) and one in a private research cloud (the Australian NeCTAR Research Cloud). For two-dimensional image-based tasks and graphics-intensive three-dimensional operations - typical of astronomy visualisation workflows - we found that benchmarks do not necessarily provide the best indication of performance. When compared to typical laptop computers, virtual hosted desktops can provide a better user experience, even with lower performing graphics cards. We also found that virtual hosted desktops are equally simple to use, provide greater flexibility in choice of configuration, and may actually be a more cost-effective option for typical usage profiles.

Engagement of neural circuits underlying 2D spatial navigation in a rodent virtual reality system.

PubMed

Aronov, Dmitriy; Tank, David W

2014-10-22

Virtual reality (VR) enables precise control of an animal's environment and otherwise impossible experimental manipulations. Neural activity in rodents has been studied on virtual 1D tracks. However, 2D navigation imposes additional requirements, such as the processing of head direction and environment boundaries, and it is unknown whether the neural circuits underlying 2D representations can be sufficiently engaged in VR. We implemented a VR setup for rats, including software and large-scale electrophysiology, that supports 2D navigation by allowing rotation and walking in any direction. The entorhinal-hippocampal circuit, including place, head direction, and grid cells, showed 2D activity patterns similar to those in the real world. Furthermore, border cells were observed, and hippocampal remapping was driven by environment shape, suggesting functional processing of virtual boundaries. These results illustrate that 2D spatial representations can be engaged by visual and rotational vestibular stimuli alone and suggest a novel VR tool for studying rat navigation.

Virtual plane-wave imaging via Marchenko redatuming

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Meles, Giovanni Angelo; Wapenaar, Kees; Thorbecke, Jan

2018-04-01

Marchenko redatuming is a novel scheme used to retrieve up- and down-going Green's functions in an unknown medium. Marchenko equations are based on reciprocity theorems and are derived on the assumption of the existence of functions exhibiting space-time focusing properties once injected in the subsurface. In contrast to interferometry but similarly to standard migration methods, Marchenko redatuming only requires an estimate of the direct wave from the virtual source (or to the virtual receiver), illumination from only one side of the medium, and no physical sources (or receivers) inside the medium. In this contribution we consider a different time-focusing condition within the frame of Marchenko redatuming that leads to the retrieval of virtual plane-wave responses. As a result, it allows multiple-free imaging using only a one-dimensional sampling of the targeted model at a fraction of the computational cost of standard Marchenko schemes. The potential of the new method is demonstrated on 2D synthetic models.

Active Dentate Granule Cells Encode Experience to Promote the Addition of Adult-Born Hippocampal Neurons

PubMed Central

Kirschen, Gregory W.; Shen, Jia; Wang, Jia; Man, Guoming; Wu, Song

2017-01-01

The continuous addition of new dentate granule cells (DGCs), which is regulated exquisitely by brain activity, renders the hippocampus plastic. However, how neural circuits encode experiences to affect the addition of adult-born neurons remains unknown. Here, we used endoscopic Ca2+ imaging to track the real-time activity of individual DGCs in freely behaving mice. For the first time, we found that active DGCs responded to a novel experience by increasing their Ca2+ event frequency preferentially. This elevated activity, which we found to be associated with object exploration, returned to baseline by 1 h in the same environment, but could be dishabituated via introduction to a novel environment. To transition seamlessly between environments, we next established a freely controllable virtual reality system for unrestrained mice. We again observed increased firing of active neurons in a virtual enriched environment. Interestingly, multiple novel virtual experiences increased the number of newborn neurons accumulatively compared with a single experience. Finally, optogenetic silencing of existing DGCs during novel environmental exploration perturbed experience-induced neuronal addition. Our study shows that the adult brain conveys novel, enriched experiences to increase the addition of adult-born hippocampal neurons by increasing the firing of active DGCs. SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT Adult brains are constantly reshaping themselves from synapses to circuits as we encounter novel experiences from moment to moment. Importantly, this reshaping includes the addition of newborn hippocampal neurons. However, it remains largely unknown how our circuits encode experience-induced brain activity to govern the addition of new hippocampal neurons. By coupling in vivo Ca2+ imaging of dentate granule neurons with a novel, unrestrained virtual reality system for rodents, we discovered that a new experience increased firing of active dentate granule neurons rapidly and robustly. Exploration in multiple novel virtual environments, compared with a single environment, promoted dentate activation and enhanced the addition of new hippocampal neurons accumulatively. Finally, silencing this activation optogenetically during novel experiences perturbed experience-induced neuronal addition. PMID:28373391

Marine light attack helicopter close air support trainer for situation awareness

DTIC Science & Technology

2017-06-01

environmental elements outside the aircraft. The initial environment elements included in the trainer are those relating directly to the CAS execution...ambient environmental elements. These elements were limited the few items required to create a virtual environment . The terrain is simulated to...words) In today’s dynamic combat environment , the importance of Close Air Support (CAS) has increased significantly due to a greater need to avoid

Online Instruction and Virtual Schools for Middle and High School Students: Twenty-First-Century Fads or Progressive Teaching Methods for Today's Pupils?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Morgan, Hani

2015-01-01

Online education in K-12 settings has increased considerably in recent years, but there is little research supporting its use at this level. Online courses help students learn at their own pace, select different locations to do their work, and choose flexible times to complete assignments. However, some students learn best in a face-to-face…

Introduction

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ahonen, Pasi; Alahuhta, Petteri; Daskala, Barbara; Delaitre, Sabine; Hert, Paul De; Lindner, Ralf; Maghiros, Ioannis; Moscibroda, Anna; Schreurs, Wim; Verlinden, Michiel

The brave new world of ambient intelligence is almost upon us. Ambient intelligence is the phrase coined to describe a world in which "intelligence" is embedded in virtually everything around us. It has been called an Internet of things, where radio frequency identification (RFID) tags are attached to all products. It is a world of smart dust with networked sensors and actuators so small as to be virtually invisible, where the clothes you wear, the paint on your walls, the carpets on your floor, and the paper money in your pocket have a computer communications capability. It is a 4G world where today's mobile phone is transformed into a terminal capable of receiving television, accessing the Internet, downloading music, reading RFIDs, taking pictures, enabling interactive video telephony, and much more. It is a world of convergence, where heterogeneous devices are able to communicate seamlessly across today's disparate networks, a world of machine learning and intelligent software, where computers monitor our activities, routines and behaviours to predict what we will do or want next. In the brave new world of ambient intelligence, we will never have to worry about losing track of our children because they will have a location device implanted under the skin or, if they are squeamish about that, then at least they will have one in their wristwatch.

Searching molecular structure databases with tandem mass spectra using CSI:FingerID

PubMed Central

Dührkop, Kai; Shen, Huibin; Meusel, Marvin; Rousu, Juho; Böcker, Sebastian

2015-01-01

Metabolites provide a direct functional signature of cellular state. Untargeted metabolomics experiments usually rely on tandem MS to identify the thousands of compounds in a biological sample. Today, the vast majority of metabolites remain unknown. We present a method for searching molecular structure databases using tandem MS data of small molecules. Our method computes a fragmentation tree that best explains the fragmentation spectrum of an unknown molecule. We use the fragmentation tree to predict the molecular structure fingerprint of the unknown compound using machine learning. This fingerprint is then used to search a molecular structure database such as PubChem. Our method is shown to improve on the competing methods for computational metabolite identification by a considerable margin. PMID:26392543

America's Poisoned Playgrounds: Children and Toxic Chemicals.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Freedberg, Louis

Next to chemical and farm workers, today's children are at the greatest risk from toxic chemicals. Through their normal play activities, children are exposed to a frightening array of toxic hazards, including lead, pesticides, arsenic, and unknown dangers from abandoned landfills and warehouses. Through a series of documented examples, the author…

JPRS Report: Near East and South Asia.

DTIC Science & Technology

1990-10-15

we could justifiably be proud of our fully home-grown, tended by nature, traitors. Today, in the era of DAP [expansion unknown], urea, pesticides...Islamabad THE MUSLIM in English 18 Aug 90 p 4 [Article by Anjum Ibrahim : "Social Justice Versus the Rural Elite" quotation marks as published

Mary Abigail Dodge: Journalist & Anti-Feminist.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Beasley, Maurine

Mary Abigail Dodge, a Washington, D.C., correspondent before and after the United States Civil War, was one of the most acclaimed women journalists of the nineteenth century. Unknown today, Dodge wrote on politics, religion, and contemporary issues for newspapers and magazines and commented prolifically on the role of women in society. After…

Participation Bias among Suicidal Adults in a Randomized Controlled Trial

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Stirman, Shannon Wiltsey; Brown, Gregory K.; Ghahramanlou-Holloway, Marjan; Fox, Allison J.; Chohan, Mariam Zahid; Beck, Aaron T.

2011-01-01

Although individuals who attempt suicide have poor compliance rates with treatment recommendations, the nature and degree of participation bias in clinical treatment research among these individuals is virtually unknown. The purpose of this study was to examine participation bias by comparing the demographic and diagnostic characteristics of adult…

Virtually Unknown: Teacher Engagement in an Online Conference

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Moore, Caroline; Fisher, Tony; Baber, Eric

2016-01-01

For several teacher associations, webinars and online conferences are an increasingly important mode of communication in a wide range of educational contexts. Yet, despite this growing popularity, relatively little is currently known about their inherent usefulness, what counts as successful participation, or how webinar sessions might best be…

Threshold friction velocity of soils within the Columbia Plateau

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Wind erosion only occurs when the friction velocity exceeds the threshold friction velocity (TFV) of the surface. The TFV of loessial soils commonly found across the Columbia Plateau region of the U.S. Pacific Northwest is virtually unknown even though these soils are highly erodible and a source of...

Gregor Mendel: Creationist Hero

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Numbers, Ronald L.

2015-01-01

In histories of twentieth-century Darwinism few developments loom larger than the turn-of-the-century rediscovery of Gregor Mendel's genetic research and the later application of Mendelian principles in constructing so-called Neo-Darwinism. Virtually unknown is the equally enthusiastic embrace of Mendel by antievolutionists, who as early as…

Use of display technologies for augmented reality enhancement

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Harding, Kevin

2016-06-01

Augmented reality (AR) is seen as an important tool for the future of user interfaces as well as training applications. An important application area for AR is expected to be in the digitization of training and worker instructions used in the Brilliant Factory environment. The transition of work instructions methods from printed pages in a book or taped to a machine to virtual simulations is a long step with many challenges along the way. A variety of augmented reality tools are being explored today for industrial applications that range from simple programmable projections in the work space to 3D displays and head mounted gear. This paper will review where some of these tool are today and some of the pros and cons being considered for the future worker environment.

Immersive Environments - A Connectivist Approach

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Loureiro, Ana; Bettencourt, Teresa

We are conducting a research project with the aim of achieving better and more efficient ways to facilitate teaching and learning in Higher Level Education. We have chosen virtual environments, with particular emphasis to Second Life® platform augmented by web 2.0 tools, to develop the study. The Second Life® environment has some interesting characteristics that captured our attention, it is immersive; it is a real world simulator; it is a social network; it allows real time communication, cooperation, collaboration and interaction; it is a safe and controlled environment. We specifically chose tools from web 2.0 that enable sharing and collaborative way of learning. Through understanding the characteristics of this learning environment, we believe that immersive learning along with other virtual tools can be integrated in today's pedagogical practices.

Tuning of temporo-occipital activity by frontal oscillations during virtual mirror exposure causes erroneous self-recognition.

PubMed

Serino, Andrea; Sforza, Anna Laura; Kanayama, Noriaki; van Elk, Michiel; Kaliuzhna, Mariia; Herbelin, Bruno; Blanke, Olaf

2015-10-01

Self-face recognition, a hallmark of self-awareness, depends on 'off-line' stored information about one's face and 'on-line' multisensory-motor face-related cues. The brain mechanisms of how on-line sensory-motor processes affect off-line neural self-face representations are unknown. This study used 3D virtual reality to create a 'virtual mirror' in which participants saw an avatar's face moving synchronously with their own face movements. Electroencephalographic (EEG) analysis during virtual mirror exposure revealed mu oscillations in sensory-motor cortex signalling on-line congruency between the avatar's and participants' movements. After such exposure and compatible with a change in their off-line self-face representation, participants were more prone to recognize the avatar's face as their own, and this was also reflected in the activation of face-specific regions in the inferotemporal cortex. Further EEG analysis showed that the on-line sensory-motor effects during virtual mirror exposure caused these off-line visual effects, revealing the brain mechanisms that maintain a coherent self-representation, despite our continuously changing appearance. © 2015 Federation of European Neuroscience Societies and John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Building the Virtual Reference Desk in a 24/7 World. OCLC/Library of Congress Symposium at ALA Midwinter 2001 (Washington, DC, January 12, 2001). Tape 1 [and] Tape 2. [Videotapes].

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Library of Congress, Washington, DC.

With the emergence of Web help services, libraries are no longer the lone providers of information. Today's researchers need to find quickly information that is usable, relevant, authoritative, and verifiable. To meet that need, libraries must adapt traditional strengths of acquiring, describing, and serving information to an environment that is…

New species from the Galoka and Kalabenono massifs: two unknown and severely threatened mountainous areas in NW Madagascar

PubMed Central

Callmander, Martin W.; Rakotovao, Charles; Razafitsalama, Jeremi; Phillipson, Peter B.; Buerki, Sven; Hong-Wa, Cynthia; Rakotoarivelo, Nivo; Andriambololonera, Sylvie; Koopman, Margaret M.; Johnson, David M.; Deroin, Thierry; Ravoahangy, Andriamandranto; Solo, Serge; Labat, Jean-Noël; Lowry, Porter P.

2011-01-01

The Galoka mountain chain, comprising principally the Galoka and Kalabenono massifs, situated at the northern edge of the Sambirano Region in NW Madagascar is an area that was virtually unknown botanically. It was visited three times between 2005 and 2007 as part of a floristic inventory. Both massifs contain the last remaining primary forests in the Galoka chain, which extends parallel to the coastline from South of Ambilobe to North of Ambanja. Several new species have been discovered amongst the collections, eight of which are described here. PMID:21857767

Visionary Expectations and Novice Designers--Prototyping in Design Education

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Schaeffer, Jennie Andersson; Palmgren, Marianne

2017-01-01

In information design education, we strive to find methods that provide students with opportunities to explore different ways of learning and designing. We seek to support development of contextual competences that will be helpful in navigating an unknown future of design in society. A challenge in today's design education is to formulate and use…

To Infinity and Beyond: Using a Narrative Approach to Identify Training Needs for Unknown and Dynamic Situations

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dachner, Alison M.; Saxton, Brian M.; Noe, Raymond A.; Keeton, Kathryn E.

2013-01-01

Training effectiveness depends on conducting a thorough needs assessment. Traditional needs assessment methods are insufficient for today's business environment characterized by rapid pace, risk, and uncertainty. To overcome the deficiencies of traditional needs assessment methods, a narrative-based unstructured interview approach with subject…

Using In Vitro High-Throughput Screening Data for Predicting Benzo[k]Fluoranthene Human Health Hazards

EPA Science Inventory

Today there are more than 80,000 chemicals in commerce and the environment. The potential human health risks are unknown for the vast majority of these chemicals as they lack human health risk assessments, toxicity reference values and risk screening values. We aim to use computa...

Adolescent Borderline Symptoms in the Community: Prognosis for Functioning over 20 Years

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Winograd, Greta; Cohen, Patricia; Chen, Henian

2008-01-01

Background: The long-term prognosis associated with adolescent symptoms of borderline personality disorder (BPD) in the general population is virtually unknown. In this study, the relationship of early borderline symptoms to subsequent psychosocial functioning and attainment was investigated based on data from the Children in the Community cohort.…

Spatial Learning Using Locomotion Interface to Virtual Environment

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Patel, K. K.; Vij, S.

2012-01-01

The inability to navigate independently and interact with the wider world is one of the most significant handicaps that can be caused by blindness, second only to the inability to communicate through reading and writing. Many difficulties are encountered when visually impaired people (VIP) need to visit new and unknown places. Current speech or…

Reciprocal Exchange: Understanding the Community Partner Perspective in Higher Education Service-Learning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Petri, Alexis Nicolle

2012-01-01

This study investigates service-learning from the community partners' perspective, especially in terms of reciprocity. As a central construct in the theory of service-learning, reciprocity for community partners is virtually unknown. Little scholarship exists that explains or explores the benefits and opportunity costs of service-learning. One…

Habitat relationships of eastern red-backed salamanders (Plethodon cinereus) in Appalachian agroforestry and grazing systems

Treesearch

Breanna L. Riedel; Kevin R. Russell; W. Mark Ford; Katherine P. O' Neill; Harry W. Godwin

2008-01-01

Woodland salamander responses to either traditional grazing or silvopasture systems are virtually unknown. An information-theoretic modelling approach was used to evaluate responses of red-backed salamanders (Plethodon cinereus) to silvopasture and meadow conversions in southern West Virginia. Searches of area-constrained plots and artificial...

6- And 8-Year-Olds' Performance Evaluations: Do They Differ between Self And Unknown Others?

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Destan, Nesrin; Spiess, Manuela A.; de Bruin, Anique; van Loon, Mariëtte; Roebers, Claudia M.

2017-01-01

The current study investigated kindergarteners and second graders' ability to monitor and evaluate their own and a virtual peer's performance in a paired-associate learning task. Participants provided confidence judgments (CJs) for their own responses and performance-based judgments (judgments provided "after" receiving feedback on their…

The Economic Value of Wilderness

Treesearch

Claire Payne; J. Michael Bowker; Patrick C. Reed

1991-01-01

Wilderness is an integral part of the Federal land system. Since its inception in 1964, the National Wilderness Preservation System (NWPS) has grown to more than ninety million acres. It presents a source of controversy to many in society, while to many others its existence is virtually unknown. Among those who have an explicit interest in wilderness, there...

Radical Connections: A Journey through Social Histories, Biography and Politics

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Martin, Jane

2010-01-01

This lecture will revisit nineteenth and twentieth century education policy and politics in the light of the experiences and struggles of a (nowadays) virtually unknown educator activist. Beautiful, tireless, courageous and principled, socialist school teacher Mary Bridges Adams (1855-1939) gave up her life for the Cause. Encouraged by William…

The Photogrammetric Survey Methodologies Applied to Low Cost 3d Virtual Exploration in Multidisciplinary Field

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Palestini, C.; Basso, A.

2017-11-01

In recent years, an increase in international investment in hardware and software technology to support programs that adopt algorithms for photomodeling or data management from laser scanners significantly reduced the costs of operations in support of Augmented Reality and Virtual Reality, designed to generate real-time explorable digital environments integrated to virtual stereoscopic headset. The research analyzes transversal methodologies related to the acquisition of these technologies in order to intervene directly on the phenomenon of acquiring the current VR tools within a specific workflow, in light of any issues related to the intensive use of such devices , outlining a quick overview of the possible "virtual migration" phenomenon, assuming a possible integration with the new internet hyper-speed systems, capable of triggering a massive cyberspace colonization process that paradoxically would also affect the everyday life and more in general, on human space perception. The contribution aims at analyzing the application systems used for low cost 3d photogrammetry by means of a precise pipeline, clarifying how a 3d model is generated, automatically retopologized, textured by color painting or photo-cloning techniques, and optimized for parametric insertion on virtual exploration platforms. Workflow analysis will follow some case studies related to photomodeling, digital retopology and "virtual 3d transfer" of some small archaeological artifacts and an architectural compartment corresponding to the pronaus of Aurum, a building designed in the 1940s by Michelucci. All operations will be conducted on cheap or free licensed software that today offer almost the same performance as their paid counterparts, progressively improving in the data processing speed and management.

Virtual Globes, where we were, are and will be

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dehn, J.; Webley, P. W.; Worden, A. K.

2016-12-01

Ten years ago, Google Earth was new, and the first "Virtual Globes" session was held at AGU. Only a few of us realized the potential of this technology at the time, but the idea quickly caught on. At that time a virtual globe came in two flavors, first a complex GIS system that was utterly impenetrable for the public, or a more accessible version with limited functionality and layers that was available on a desktop computer with a good internet connection. Google Earth's use of the Keyhole Markup Language opened the door for scientists and the public to share data and visualizations across disciplines and revolutionized how everyone uses geographic data. In the following 10 years, KML became more advanced, virtual globes moved to mobile and handheld platforms, and the Google Earth engine allowed for more complex data sharing among scientists. Virtual globe images went from a rare commodity to being everywhere in our lives, from weather forecasts, in our cars, on our smart-phones and shape how we receive and process data. This is a fantastic tool for education and with newer technologies can reach the the remote corners of the world and developing countries. New and emerging technologies allow for augmented reality to be merged with the globes, and for real-time data integration with sensors built into mobile devices or add-ons. This presentation will follow the history of virtual globes in the geosciences, show how robust technologies can be used in the field and classroom today, and make some suggestions for the future.

Virtual reality training for health-care professionals.

PubMed

Mantovani, Fabrizia; Castelnuovo, Gianluca; Gaggioli, Andrea; Riva, Giuseppe

2003-08-01

Emerging changes in health-care delivery are having a significant impact on the structure of health-care professionals' education. Today it is recognized that medical knowledge doubles every 6-8 years, with new medical procedures emerging everyday. While the half-life of medical information is so short, the average physician practices 30 years and the average nurse 40 years. Continuing education thus represents an important challenge to face. Recent advances in educational technology are offering an increasing number of innovative learning tools. Among these, Virtual Reality represents a promising area with high potential of enhancing the training of health-care professionals. Virtual Reality Training can provide a rich, interactive, engaging educational context, thus supporting experiential learning-by-doing; it can, in fact, contribute to raise interest and motivation in trainees and to effectively support skills acquisition and transfer, since the learning process can be settled within an experiential framework. Current virtual training applications for health-care differ a lot as to both their technological/multimedia sophistication and to the types of skills trained, varying for example from telesurgical applications to interactive simulations of human body and brain, to virtual worlds for emergency training. Other interesting applications include the development of immersive 3D environments for training psychiatrists and psychologists in the treatment of mental disorders. This paper has the main aim of discussing the rationale and main benefits for the use of virtual reality in health-care education and training. Significant research and projects carried out in this field will also be presented, followed by discussion on key issues concerning current limitations and future development directions.

Automotive Radar and Lidar Systems for Next Generation Driver Assistance Functions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rasshofer, R. H.; Gresser, K.

2005-05-01

Automotive radar and lidar sensors represent key components for next generation driver assistance functions (Jones, 2001). Today, their use is limited to comfort applications in premium segment vehicles although an evolution process towards more safety-oriented functions is taking place. Radar sensors available on the market today suffer from low angular resolution and poor target detection in medium ranges (30 to 60m) over azimuth angles larger than ±30°. In contrast, Lidar sensors show large sensitivity towards environmental influences (e.g. snow, fog, dirt). Both sensor technologies today have a rather high cost level, forbidding their wide-spread usage on mass markets. A common approach to overcome individual sensor drawbacks is the employment of data fusion techniques (Bar-Shalom, 2001). Raw data fusion requires a common, standardized data interface to easily integrate a variety of asynchronous sensor data into a fusion network. Moreover, next generation sensors should be able to dynamically adopt to new situations and should have the ability to work in cooperative sensor environments. As vehicular function development today is being shifted more and more towards virtual prototyping, mathematical sensor models should be available. These models should take into account the sensor's functional principle as well as all typical measurement errors generated by the sensor.

Of virtual victims and victimized virtues: differential effects of experienced aggression in video games on social cooperation.

PubMed

Rothmund, Tobias; Gollwitzer, Mario; Klimmt, Christoph

2011-01-01

Two experimental studies were used to investigate how interacting with aggressive virtual characters in video games affects trust and cooperation of players. Study 1 demonstrates that experiencing virtual aggression from a victim's perspective can impair players' investments in a subsequent common goods dilemma situation. This effect is mediated by reduced expectations of trust in the cooperativeness of interaction partners. In Study 2 the same effect was replicated by using a different cooperation task and by investigating the moderating role of justice sensitivity from a victim's perspective as a dispositional factor. Participants transferred less money to an unknown partner in a trust game after exposure to aggressive nonplayer characters in a video game. This effect was stronger for people high in victim sensitivity. Results of both studies can be interpreted in line with the sensitivity to mean intentions model and add to the body of research on violent media effects.

Center-defined unacceptable HLA antigens facilitate transplants for sensitized patients in a multi-center kidney exchange program.

PubMed

Baxter-Lowe, L A; Cecka, M; Kamoun, M; Sinacore, J; Melcher, M L

2014-07-01

Multi-center kidney paired donation (KPD) is an exciting new transplant option that has not yet approached its full potential. One barrier to progress is accurate virtual crossmatching for KPD waitlists with many highly sensitized patients. Virtual crossmatch results from a large multi-center consortium, the National Kidney Registry (NKR), were analyzed to determine the effectiveness of flexible center-specific criteria for virtual crossmatching. Approximately two-thirds of the patients on the NKR waitlist are highly sensitized (>80% CPRA). These patients have antibodies against HLA-A (63%), HLA-B (66%), HLA-C (41%), HLA-DRB1 (60%), HLA-DRB3/4/5 (18-22%), HLA-DQB1 (54%) and HLA-DPB1 (26%). With donors typed for these loci before activation, 91% of virtual crossmatches accurately predicted an acceptable cell-based donor crossmatch. Failed virtual crossmatches were attributed to equivocal virtual crossmatches (46%), changes in HLA antibodies (21%), antibodies against HLA-DQA (6%), transcription errors (6%), suspected non-HLA antibodies (5%), allele-specific antibodies (1%) and unknown causes (15%). Some failed crossmatches could be prevented by modifiable factors such as more frequent assessment of HLA antibodies, DQA1 typing of donors and auditing data entry. Importantly, when transplant centers have flexibility to define crossmatch criteria, it is currently feasible to use virtual crossmatching for highly sensitized patients to reliably predict acceptable cell-based crossmatches. © Copyright 2014 The American Society of Transplantation and the American Society of Transplant Surgeons.

Characterizing the Elastic Behaviour of a Press Table through Topology Optimization

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pilthammar, J.; Sigvant, M.; Hansson, M.; Pálsson, E.; Rutgersson, W.

2017-09-01

Sheet metal forming in the car industry is a highly competitive area. The use of digital techniques and numerical methods are therefore of high interest for reduced costs and lead times. One method for reducing the try-out phase is virtual rework of die surfaces. The virtual rework is based on Finite Element (FE) simulations and can reduce and support manual rework. The elastic behaviour of dies and presses must be represented in a reliable way in FE-models to be able to perform virtual rework. CAD-models exists for nearly all dies today, but not for press lines. A full geometrical representation of presses will also yield very large FE- models. This paper will discuss and demonstrate a strategy for measuring and characterizing a press table for inclusion in FE-models. The measurements of the elastic press deformations is carried out with force transducers and an ARAMIS 3D optical measurement system. The press table is then inverse modelled by topology optimization using the recorded results as boundary conditions. Finally, the press table is coupled with a FE-model of a die to demonstrate its influence on the deformations. This indicates the importance of having a reliable representation of the press deformations during virtual rework.

Automotive technicians' training as a community-of-practice: implications for the design of an augmented reality teaching aid.

PubMed

Anastassova, Margarita; Burkhardt, Jean-Marie

2009-07-01

The paper presents an ergonomic analysis carried out in the early phases of an R&D project. The purpose was to investigate the functioning of today's Automotive Service Technicians (ASTs) training in order to inform the design of an Augmented Reality (AR) teaching aid. The first part of the paper presents a literature review of some major problems encountered by ASTs today. The benefits of AR as technological aid are also introduced. Then, the methodology and the results of two case studies are presented. The first study is based on interviews with trainers and trainees; the second one on observations in real training settings. The results support the assumption that today's ASTs' training could be regarded as a community-of-practice (CoP). Therefore, AR could be useful as a collaboration tool, offering a shared virtual representation of real vehicle's parts, which are normally invisible unless dismantled (e.g. the parts of a hydraulic automatic transmission). We conclude on the methods and the technologies to support the automotive CoP.

Options in virtual 3D, optical-impression-based planning of dental implants.

PubMed

Reich, Sven; Kern, Thomas; Ritter, Lutz

2014-01-01

If a 3D radiograph, which in today's dentistry often consists of a CBCT dataset, is available for computerized implant planning, the 3D planning should also consider functional prosthetic aspects. In a conventional workflow, the CBCT is done with a specially produced radiopaque prosthetic setup that makes the desired prosthetic situation visible during virtual implant planning. If an exclusively digital workflow is chosen, intraoral digital impressions are taken. On these digital models, the desired prosthetic suprastructures are designed. The entire datasets are virtually superimposed by a "registration" process on the corresponding structures (teeth) in the CBCTs. Thus, both the osseous and prosthetic structures are visible in one single 3D application and make it possible to consider surgical and prosthetic aspects. After having determined the implant positions on the computer screen, a drilling template is designed digitally. According to this design (CAD), a template is printed or milled in CAM process. This template is the first physically extant product in the entire workflow. The article discusses the options and limitations of this workflow.

Grids, Clouds, and Virtualization

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Cafaro, Massimo; Aloisio, Giovanni

This chapter introduces and puts in context Grids, Clouds, and Virtualization. Grids promised to deliver computing power on demand. However, despite a decade of active research, no viable commercial grid computing provider has emerged. On the other hand, it is widely believed - especially in the Business World - that HPC will eventually become a commodity. Just as some commercial consumers of electricity have mission requirements that necessitate they generate their own power, some consumers of computational resources will continue to need to provision their own supercomputers. Clouds are a recent business-oriented development with the potential to render this eventually as rare as organizations that generate their own electricity today, even among institutions who currently consider themselves the unassailable elite of the HPC business. Finally, Virtualization is one of the key technologies enabling many different Clouds. We begin with a brief history in order to put them in context, and recall the basic principles and concepts underlying and clearly differentiating them. A thorough overview and survey of existing technologies provides the basis to delve into details as the reader progresses through the book.

An Argument for Partial Admissibility of Polygraph Results in Trials by Courts-Martial

DTIC Science & Technology

1990-04-01

FUNDAMENTALS OF THE POLYGRAPH TECHNIQUE 6 A. THE POLYGRAPH MACHINE 7 1. THE CARDIOSPHYMOGRAPH 8 2. THE PNEUMOGRAPH 9 3. THE GALVANOMETER 10 4. THE... Machine Anyone observing a polygraph machine for the first time could easily conclude it is a survivor of the Spanish Inquisition. The lengths of...wire and coils get the immediate attention of the subject. However, the various polygraph machines in use today cause virtually no discomfort. Several

The Integration of Virtual Public-Private Partnerships into Local Law Enforcement to Achieve Enhanced Intelligence-Led Policing

DTIC Science & Technology

2007-09-01

Empathy Training Program as a Function of Ego Development in Aggressive Adolesent Females ,” Adolescence ; Spring 1990: 25, 97: 61. 71 Ibid. 72 Duncan...information sharing, the capacity for an officer to listen empathically may be one of the most important, yet least recognized skills in policing today. Not...Pecukonis, Edward V. A Cognitive/Affective Empathy Training Program as a Function of Ego Development in Aggressive Adolescent Females , Adolescence

Workflow of CAD / CAM Scoliosis Brace Adjustment in Preparation Using 3D Printing.

PubMed

Weiss, Hans-Rudolf; Tournavitis, Nicos; Nan, Xiaofeng; Borysov, Maksym; Paul, Lothar

2017-01-01

High correction bracing is the most effective conservative treatment for patients with scoliosis during growth. Still today braces for the treatment of scoliosis are made by casting patients while computer aided design (CAD) and computer aided manufacturing (CAM) is available with all possibilities to standardize pattern specific brace treatment and improve wearing comfort. CAD / CAM brace production mainly relies on carving a polyurethane foam model which is the basis for vacuuming a polyethylene (PE) or polypropylene (PP) brace. Purpose of this short communication is to describe the workflow currently used and to outline future requirements with respect to 3D printing technology. Description of the steps of virtual brace adjustment as available today are content of this paper as well as an outline of the great potential there is for the future 3D printing technology. For 3D printing of scoliosis braces it is necessary to establish easy to use software plug-ins in order to allow adding 3D printing technology to the current workflow of virtual CAD / CAM brace adjustment. Textures and structures can be added to the brace models at certain well defined locations offering the potential of more wearing comfort without losing in-brace correction. Advances have to be made in the field of CAD / CAM software tools with respect to design and generation of individually structured brace models based on currently well established and standardized scoliosis brace libraries.

Artificial intelligence in medicine.

PubMed

Hamet, Pavel; Tremblay, Johanne

2017-04-01

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is a general term that implies the use of a computer to model intelligent behavior with minimal human intervention. AI is generally accepted as having started with the invention of robots. The term derives from the Czech word robota, meaning biosynthetic machines used as forced labor. In this field, Leonardo Da Vinci's lasting heritage is today's burgeoning use of robotic-assisted surgery, named after him, for complex urologic and gynecologic procedures. Da Vinci's sketchbooks of robots helped set the stage for this innovation. AI, described as the science and engineering of making intelligent machines, was officially born in 1956. The term is applicable to a broad range of items in medicine such as robotics, medical diagnosis, medical statistics, and human biology-up to and including today's "omics". AI in medicine, which is the focus of this review, has two main branches: virtual and physical. The virtual branch includes informatics approaches from deep learning information management to control of health management systems, including electronic health records, and active guidance of physicians in their treatment decisions. The physical branch is best represented by robots used to assist the elderly patient or the attending surgeon. Also embodied in this branch are targeted nanorobots, a unique new drug delivery system. The societal and ethical complexities of these applications require further reflection, proof of their medical utility, economic value, and development of interdisciplinary strategies for their wider application. Copyright © 2017. Published by Elsevier Inc.

Multidimensional Environmental Data Resource Brokering on Computational Grids and Scientific Clouds

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Montella, Raffaele; Giunta, Giulio; Laccetti, Giuliano

Grid computing has widely evolved over the past years, and its capabilities have found their way even into business products and are no longer relegated to scientific applications. Today, grid computing technology is not restricted to a set of specific grid open source or industrial products, but rather it is comprised of a set of capabilities virtually within any kind of software to create shared and highly collaborative production environments. These environments are focused on computational (workload) capabilities and the integration of information (data) into those computational capabilities. An active grid computing application field is the fully virtualization of scientific instruments in order to increase their availability and decrease operational and maintaining costs. Computational and information grids allow to manage real-world objects in a service-oriented way using industrial world-spread standards.

Definition of Intercultural Competence According to Undergraduate Students at an International University in Germany

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Odag, Özen; Wallin, Hannah R.; Kedzior, Karina K.

2016-01-01

University graduates are required to possess intercultural competence in addition to strong academic skills in today's globalized world. Although such competence has been defined in various theoretical models by intercultural scholars, it remains unknown how the recipients of higher education (the students) define this concept. A total of 130…

The Spaces between Us: A Queer?Intersectional Analysis of the Narratives of Black Gay International Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hubain, Bryan S.

2017-01-01

The experiences of international students along the lines of race and ethnicity, sexuality, gender, and nationality are virtually unknown. This study utilizes experience-centered narrative inquiry to explore the experiences of Black gay international students, and how they are racialized and sexualized in American higher education. Using a Queer…

Annual Fire, Mowing and Fertilization Effects on Two Cicada Species (Homoptera: Cicadidae) in Tallgrass Prairie

Treesearch

Mac A. Callaham; Matt R. Whiles; John M. Blair

2002-01-01

In tallgrass prairie, cicadas emerge annually, are abundant and their emergence can be an important flux of energy and nutrients. However, factors influencing the distribution and abundance of these cicadas are virtually unknown. We examined cicada emergence in plots from a long-term (13 y) experimental manipulation involving common tallgrass prairie management...

Zitkala-Sa and the Problem of Regionalism: Nations, Narratives, and Critical Traditions

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Totten, Gary

2005-01-01

Although Yankton Sioux writer Zitkala-Sa (Gertrude Bonnin, 1876-1938) was, as P. Jane Hafen notes, "virtually unknown for many decades," much critical work has appeared since Dexter Fisher's 1979 article,"Zitkala-Sa: Evolution of a Writer." Some critics desiring to bring Zitkala-Sa into the conversation about turn-of-the-century American women…

Determination of power system component parameters using nonlinear dead beat estimation method

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kolluru, Lakshmi

Power systems are considered the most complex man-made wonders in existence today. In order to effectively supply the ever increasing demands of the consumers, power systems are required to remain stable at all times. Stability and monitoring of these complex systems are achieved by strategically placed computerized control centers. State and parameter estimation is an integral part of these facilities, as they deal with identifying the unknown states and/or parameters of the systems. Advancements in measurement technologies and the introduction of phasor measurement units (PMU) provide detailed and dynamic information of all measurements. Accurate availability of dynamic measurements provides engineers the opportunity to expand and explore various possibilities in power system dynamic analysis/control. This thesis discusses the development of a parameter determination algorithm for nonlinear power systems, using dynamic data obtained from local measurements. The proposed algorithm was developed by observing the dead beat estimator used in state space estimation of linear systems. The dead beat estimator is considered to be very effective as it is capable of obtaining the required results in a fixed number of steps. The number of steps required is related to the order of the system and the number of parameters to be estimated. The proposed algorithm uses the idea of dead beat estimator and nonlinear finite difference methods to create an algorithm which is user friendly and can determine the parameters fairly accurately and effectively. The proposed algorithm is based on a deterministic approach, which uses dynamic data and mathematical models of power system components to determine the unknown parameters. The effectiveness of the algorithm is tested by implementing it to identify the unknown parameters of a synchronous machine. MATLAB environment is used to create three test cases for dynamic analysis of the system with assumed known parameters. Faults are introduced in the virtual test systems and the dynamic data obtained in each case is analyzed and recorded. Ideally, actual measurements are to be provided to the algorithm. As the measurements are not readily available the data obtained from simulations is fed into the determination algorithm as inputs. The obtained results are then compared to the original (or assumed) values of the parameters. The results obtained suggest that the algorithm is able to determine the parameters of a synchronous machine when crisp data is available.

The Importance of Postural Cues for Determining Eye Height in Immersive Virtual Reality

PubMed Central

Leyrer, Markus; Linkenauger, Sally A.; Bülthoff, Heinrich H.; Mohler, Betty J.

2015-01-01

In human perception, the ability to determine eye height is essential, because eye height is used to scale heights of objects, velocities, affordances and distances, all of which allow for successful environmental interaction. It is well understood that eye height is fundamental to determine many of these percepts. Yet, how eye height itself is provided is still largely unknown. While the information potentially specifying eye height in the real world is naturally coincident in an environment with a regular ground surface, these sources of information can be easily divergent in similar and common virtual reality scenarios. Thus, we conducted virtual reality experiments where we manipulated the virtual eye height in a distance perception task to investigate how eye height might be determined in such a scenario. We found that humans rely more on their postural cues for determining their eye height if there is a conflict between visual and postural information and little opportunity for perceptual-motor calibration is provided. This is demonstrated by the predictable variations in their distance estimates. Our results suggest that the eye height in such circumstances is informed by postural cues when estimating egocentric distances in virtual reality and consequently, does not depend on an internalized value for eye height. PMID:25993274

The importance of postural cues for determining eye height in immersive virtual reality.

PubMed

Leyrer, Markus; Linkenauger, Sally A; Bülthoff, Heinrich H; Mohler, Betty J

2015-01-01

In human perception, the ability to determine eye height is essential, because eye height is used to scale heights of objects, velocities, affordances and distances, all of which allow for successful environmental interaction. It is well understood that eye height is fundamental to determine many of these percepts. Yet, how eye height itself is provided is still largely unknown. While the information potentially specifying eye height in the real world is naturally coincident in an environment with a regular ground surface, these sources of information can be easily divergent in similar and common virtual reality scenarios. Thus, we conducted virtual reality experiments where we manipulated the virtual eye height in a distance perception task to investigate how eye height might be determined in such a scenario. We found that humans rely more on their postural cues for determining their eye height if there is a conflict between visual and postural information and little opportunity for perceptual-motor calibration is provided. This is demonstrated by the predictable variations in their distance estimates. Our results suggest that the eye height in such circumstances is informed by postural cues when estimating egocentric distances in virtual reality and consequently, does not depend on an internalized value for eye height.

Running a distributed virtual observatory: U.S. Virtual Astronomical Observatory operations

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

McGlynn, Thomas A.; Hanisch, Robert J.; Berriman, G. Bruce; Thakar, Aniruddha R.

2012-09-01

Operation of the US Virtual Astronomical Observatory shares some issues with modern physical observatories, e.g., intimidating data volumes and rapid technological change, and must also address unique concerns like the lack of direct control of the underlying and scattered data resources, and the distributed nature of the observatory itself. In this paper we discuss how the VAO has addressed these challenges to provide the astronomical community with a coherent set of science-enabling tools and services. The distributed nature of our virtual observatory-with data and personnel spanning geographic, institutional and regime boundaries-is simultaneously a major operational headache and the primary science motivation for the VAO. Most astronomy today uses data from many resources. Facilitation of matching heterogeneous datasets is a fundamental reason for the virtual observatory. Key aspects of our approach include continuous monitoring and validation of VAO and VO services and the datasets provided by the community, monitoring of user requests to optimize access, caching for large datasets, and providing distributed storage services that allow user to collect results near large data repositories. Some elements are now fully implemented, while others are planned for subsequent years. The distributed nature of the VAO requires careful attention to what can be a straightforward operation at a conventional observatory, e.g., the organization of the web site or the collection and combined analysis of logs. Many of these strategies use and extend protocols developed by the international virtual observatory community. Our long-term challenge is working with the underlying data providers to ensure high quality implementation of VO data access protocols (new and better 'telescopes'), assisting astronomical developers to build robust integrating tools (new 'instruments'), and coordinating with the research community to maximize the science enabled.

Extending the Body to Virtual Tools Using a Robotic Surgical Interface: Evidence from the Crossmodal Congruency Task

PubMed Central

Sengül, Ali; van Elk, Michiel; Rognini, Giulio; Aspell, Jane Elizabeth; Bleuler, Hannes; Blanke, Olaf

2012-01-01

The effects of real-world tool use on body or space representations are relatively well established in cognitive neuroscience. Several studies have shown, for example, that active tool use results in a facilitated integration of multisensory information in peripersonal space, i.e. the space directly surrounding the body. However, it remains unknown to what extent similar mechanisms apply to the use of virtual-robotic tools, such as those used in the field of surgical robotics, in which a surgeon may use bimanual haptic interfaces to control a surgery robot at a remote location. This paper presents two experiments in which participants used a haptic handle, originally designed for a commercial surgery robot, to control a virtual tool. The integration of multisensory information related to the virtual-robotic tool was assessed by means of the crossmodal congruency task, in which subjects responded to tactile vibrations applied to their fingers while ignoring visual distractors superimposed on the tip of the virtual-robotic tool. Our results show that active virtual-robotic tool use changes the spatial modulation of the crossmodal congruency effects, comparable to changes in the representation of peripersonal space observed during real-world tool use. Moreover, when the virtual-robotic tools were held in a crossed position, the visual distractors interfered strongly with tactile stimuli that was connected with the hand via the tool, reflecting a remapping of peripersonal space. Such remapping was not only observed when the virtual-robotic tools were actively used (Experiment 1), but also when passively held the tools (Experiment 2). The present study extends earlier findings on the extension of peripersonal space from physical and pointing tools to virtual-robotic tools using techniques from haptics and virtual reality. We discuss our data with respect to learning and human factors in the field of surgical robotics and discuss the use of new technologies in the field of cognitive neuroscience. PMID:23227142

Extending the body to virtual tools using a robotic surgical interface: evidence from the crossmodal congruency task.

PubMed

Sengül, Ali; van Elk, Michiel; Rognini, Giulio; Aspell, Jane Elizabeth; Bleuler, Hannes; Blanke, Olaf

2012-01-01

The effects of real-world tool use on body or space representations are relatively well established in cognitive neuroscience. Several studies have shown, for example, that active tool use results in a facilitated integration of multisensory information in peripersonal space, i.e. the space directly surrounding the body. However, it remains unknown to what extent similar mechanisms apply to the use of virtual-robotic tools, such as those used in the field of surgical robotics, in which a surgeon may use bimanual haptic interfaces to control a surgery robot at a remote location. This paper presents two experiments in which participants used a haptic handle, originally designed for a commercial surgery robot, to control a virtual tool. The integration of multisensory information related to the virtual-robotic tool was assessed by means of the crossmodal congruency task, in which subjects responded to tactile vibrations applied to their fingers while ignoring visual distractors superimposed on the tip of the virtual-robotic tool. Our results show that active virtual-robotic tool use changes the spatial modulation of the crossmodal congruency effects, comparable to changes in the representation of peripersonal space observed during real-world tool use. Moreover, when the virtual-robotic tools were held in a crossed position, the visual distractors interfered strongly with tactile stimuli that was connected with the hand via the tool, reflecting a remapping of peripersonal space. Such remapping was not only observed when the virtual-robotic tools were actively used (Experiment 1), but also when passively held the tools (Experiment 2). The present study extends earlier findings on the extension of peripersonal space from physical and pointing tools to virtual-robotic tools using techniques from haptics and virtual reality. We discuss our data with respect to learning and human factors in the field of surgical robotics and discuss the use of new technologies in the field of cognitive neuroscience.

[From the "screen" society to concern for future generations].

PubMed

Le Coz, Pierre

2015-01-01

The youth of today is evolving in an unprecedented sociocultural context marked by the rapid development of new virtual technologies. Young people are constantly looking at screens, big and small, tactile and digital, which have invaded their social sphere. Connected, logged on, overstimulated, the new generation lives surrounded by reactivity and electronic interactions. It is adults' responsibility to expand the range of their cultural and outdoor activities in order to avoid the risk of their capacity for personal expression wasting away.

USGS: providing scientific understanding of the sagebrush biome

USGS Publications Warehouse

,

2005-01-01

Early explorers wrote about the vast sea of sagebrush that stretched in front of them. Today, the consequences of land-use practices, invasion by exotic plants, and altered disturbance regimes have touched virtually all of these seemingly endless expanses. Increasing human populations in the western United States, the infrastructure necessary to support these populations, and a growing demand for natural resources exert a large influence. Changes within the biome have resulted in its designation as one of the most endangered ecosystems in North America.

Addressing tomorrow's DMO technical challenges today

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Milligan, James R.

2009-05-01

Distributed Mission Operations (DMO) is essentially a type of networked training that pulls in participants from all the armed services and, increasingly, allies to permit them to "game" and rehearse highly complex campaigns, using a mix of local, distant, and virtual players. The United States Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) is pursuing Science and Technology (S&T) solutions to address technical challenges associated with distributed communications and information management as DMO continues to progressively scale up the number, diversity, and geographic dispersal of participants in training and rehearsal exercises.

History of human papillomavirus, warts and cancer: what do we know today?

PubMed

Onon, Toli S

2011-10-01

Human papillomavirus has been a cause of infection in humans for thousands of years. The history of papillomaviruses, knowledge of their causative role in benign and malignant disease, and their structural characteristics have led to the development of vaccines to prevent cervical and anogenital cancers. Many questions remain unanswered before HPV vaccines can be optimised; however, the concept of virtual eradication of cervical cancer is not impossible, and remains a realistic aspiration. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Real World Audio

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

1998-01-01

Crystal River Engineering was originally featured in Spinoff 1992 with the Convolvotron, a high speed digital audio processing system that delivers three-dimensional sound over headphones. The Convolvotron was developed for Ames' research on virtual acoustic displays. Crystal River is a now a subsidiary of Aureal Semiconductor, Inc. and they together develop and market the technology, which is a 3-D (three dimensional) audio technology known commercially today as Aureal 3D (A-3D). The technology has been incorporated into video games, surround sound systems, and sound cards.

[Virtual reality therapy in anxiety disorders].

PubMed

Mitrousia, V; Giotakos, O

2016-01-01

During the last decade a number of studies have been conducted in order to examine if virtual reality exposure therapy can be an alternative form of therapy for the treatment of mental disorders and particularly for the treatment of anxiety disorders. Imaginal exposure therapy, which is one of the components of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, cannot be easily applied to all patients and in cases like those virtual reality can be used as an alternative or a supportive psychotherapeutic technique. Most studies using virtual reality have focused on anxiety disorders, mainly in specific phobias, but some extend to other disorders such as eating disorders, drug dependence, pain control and palliative care and rehabilitation. Main characteristics of virtual reality therapy are: "interaction", "immersion", and "presence". High levels of "immersion" and "presence" are associated with increased response to exposure therapy in virtual environments, as well as better therapeutic outcomes and sustained therapeutic gains. Typical devices that are used in order patient's immersion to be achieved are the Head-Mounted Displays (HMD), which are only for individual use, and the computer automatic virtual environment (CAVE), which is a multiuser. Virtual reality therapy's disadvantages lie in the difficulties that arise due to the demanded specialized technology skills, devices' cost and side effects. Therapists' training is necessary in order for them to be able to manipulate the software and the hardware and to adjust it to each case's needs. Devices' cost is high but as technology continuously improves it constantly decreases. Immersion during virtual reality therapy can induce mild and temporary side effects such as nausea, dizziness or headache. Until today, however, experience shows that virtual reality offers several advantages. Patient's avoidance to be exposed in phobic stimuli is reduced via the use of virtual reality since the patient is exposed to them as many times as he wishes and under the supervision of the therapist. The technique takes place in the therapist's office which ensures confidentiality and privacy. The therapist is able to control unpredicted events that can occur during patient's exposure in real environments. Mainly the therapist can control the intensity of exposure and adapt it to the patient's needs. Virtual reality can be proven particularly useful in some specific psychological states. For instance, patients with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) who prone to avoid the reminders of the traumatic events. Exposure in virtual reality can solve this problem providing to the patient a large number of stimuli that activate the senses causing the necessary physiological and psychological anxiety reactions, regardless of his willingness or ability to recall in his imagination the traumatic event.

In Pursuit of the Secret Shopper: Effective New Strategies for Finding and Engaging Prospective Students. Noel-Levitz White Paper

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Noel-Levitz, Inc, 2010

2010-01-01

Today, prospective students in ever greater numbers are secretly exploring colleges online on their own terms, using official and unofficial sources, without completing a college's response form. Many are withholding college entrance exam scores from colleges they might be interested in and remaining unknown to their institutions of choice until…

Teachers' Role in Fostering Reading Skill: Effective and Successful Reading

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Jose, G. Rexlin; Raja, B. William Dharma

2011-01-01

Reading bestows enjoyment and enlightenment. It unlocks the unknown. It is a complex cognitive activity that is indispensable for the kind of knowledge society. So the students of today's world must know how to learn from reading and to enter the present literate society. One who reads can lead others to light. People who read can be free because…

The Use of Pre-Recorded Lectures on Student Performance in Physiology

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hadgu, Rim Mekonnen; Huynh, Sophia Hoang-Vy; Gopalan, Chaya

2016-01-01

There has been an increase in reliance on pre-recorded lectures (PRL) as a source of learning in place of live-lectures (LL) in higher education today but whether PRL can effectively replace LL remains unknown. We tested how students performed in the exam questions when PRL replaced LL. While PRL+ group included those students who watched the…

Thinking-Aloud as Talking-in-Interaction: Reinterpreting How L2 Lexical Inferencing Gets Done

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Deschambault, Ryan

2012-01-01

There is a general consensus among second-language (L2) researchers today that lexical inferencing (LIF) is among the most common techniques that L2 learners use to generate meaning for unknown words they encounter in context. Indeed, claims about the salience and pervasiveness of LIF for L2 learners rely heavily upon data obtained via concurrent…

The national fire and fire surrogate study: early results and future challenges

Treesearch

Thomas A. Waldrop; James McIver

2006-01-01

Fire-adapted ecosystems today have dense plant cover and heavy fuel loads as a result of fire exclusion and other changes in land use practices. Mechanical fuel treatments and prescribed fire are powerful tools for reducing wildfire potential, but the ecological consequences of their use is unknown. The National Fire and Fire Surrogate Study examines the effects of...

Becoming Planetary Citizens: A Quest for Meaning

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Pierce, Chester M.

2017-01-01

We hear much talk that today it is more difficult than in the past to be young-whether as a kindergartner or as a college student. It is also more difficult to be older, because the task of guiding young people to conduct a still unknown future is an awesome charge. Theoretically, a person living in the age of Charlemagne could grow up believing…

The Best-Kept Secret in Town

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Perna, Mark C.

2006-01-01

In this article, the author describes how he has toured many impressive schools over the years and has heard one familiar statement that amazes him: "We are the best-kept secret in town." How can a school exist for any significant period of time and be virtually unknown to the community it serves? The truth is that if one considers his school to…

Nuclear power for the future: Implications of some crisis scenarios

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Turner, K.H.

1996-12-31

As energy issues have dropped from public awareness, electricity demand growth has remained low, deregulation has destabilized the utility decision process, and least-cost regulation has pointed utilities to gas-fired plants for those additions that are coming on-line, the nuclear power industry has begun to ask the question: What will cause nuclear energy to again compete as an option in new, domestic generating capacity additions? Since virtually all of today`s corporate and societal decisions are driven by short-term factors, the preceding question can be translated into: What crisis might occur that would project nuclear as the solution to an immediately perceivedmore » problem? Thus, an examination of scenarios that would project nuclear power into the country`s immediate consciousness is in order, along with an analysis of the implications for and challenges to the nuclear industry resulting therefrom. This paper undertakes such an analysis.« less

The impact of social media on children, adolescents, and families.

PubMed

O'Keeffe, Gwenn Schurgin; Clarke-Pearson, Kathleen

2011-04-01

Using social media Web sites is among the most common activity of today's children and adolescents. Any Web site that allows social interaction is considered a social media site, including social networking sites such as Facebook, MySpace, and Twitter; gaming sites and virtual worlds such as Club Penguin, Second Life, and the Sims; video sites such as YouTube; and blogs. Such sites offer today's youth a portal for entertainment and communication and have grown exponentially in recent years. For this reason, it is important that parents become aware of the nature of social media sites, given that not all of them are healthy environments for children and adolescents. Pediatricians are in a unique position to help families understand these sites and to encourage healthy use and urge parents to monitor for potential problems with cyberbullying, "Facebook depression," sexting, and exposure to inappropriate content.

Credibility judgments in web page design - a brief review.

PubMed

Selejan, O; Muresanu, D F; Popa, L; Muresanu-Oloeriu, I; Iudean, D; Buzoianu, A; Suciu, S

2016-01-01

Today, more than ever, knowledge that interfaces appearance analysis is a crucial point in human-computer interaction field has been accepted. As nowadays virtually anyone can publish information on the web, the credibility role has grown increasingly important in relation to the web-based content. Areas like trust, credibility, and behavior, doubled by overall impression and user expectation are today in the spotlight of research compared to the last period, when other pragmatic areas such as usability and utility were considered. Credibility has been discussed as a theoretical construct in the field of communication in the past decades and revealed that people tend to evaluate the credibility of communication primarily by the communicator's expertise. Other factors involved in the content communication process are trustworthiness and dynamism as well as various other criteria but to a lower extent. In this brief review, factors like web page aesthetics, browsing experiences and user experience are considered.

Credibility judgments in web page design – a brief review

PubMed Central

Selejan, O; Muresanu, DF; Popa, L; Muresanu-Oloeriu, I; Iudean, D; Buzoianu, A; Suciu, S

2016-01-01

Today, more than ever, knowledge that interfaces appearance analysis is a crucial point in human-computer interaction field has been accepted. As nowadays virtually anyone can publish information on the web, the credibility role has grown increasingly important in relation to the web-based content. Areas like trust, credibility, and behavior, doubled by overall impression and user expectation are today in the spotlight of research compared to the last period, when other pragmatic areas such as usability and utility were considered. Credibility has been discussed as a theoretical construct in the field of communication in the past decades and revealed that people tend to evaluate the credibility of communication primarily by the communicator’s expertise. Other factors involved in the content communication process are trustworthiness and dynamism as well as various other criteria but to a lower extent. In this brief review, factors like web page aesthetics, browsing experiences and user experience are considered. PMID:27453738

Poor Man's Virtual Camera: Real-Time Simultaneous Matting and Camera Pose Estimation.

PubMed

Szentandrasi, Istvan; Dubska, Marketa; Zacharias, Michal; Herout, Adam

2016-03-18

Today's film and advertisement production heavily uses computer graphics combined with living actors by chromakeying. The matchmoving process typically takes a considerable manual effort. Semi-automatic matchmoving tools exist as well, but they still work offline and require manual check-up and correction. In this article, we propose an instant matchmoving solution for green screen. It uses a recent technique of planar uniform marker fields. Our technique can be used in indie and professional filmmaking as a cheap and ultramobile virtual camera, and for shot prototyping and storyboard creation. The matchmoving technique based on marker fields of shades of green is very computationally efficient: we developed and present in the article a mobile application running at 33 FPS. Our technique is thus available to anyone with a smartphone at low cost and with easy setup, opening space for new levels of filmmakers' creative expression.

ViDI: Virtual Diagnostics Interface. Volume 1; The Future of Wind Tunnel Testing

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Fleming, Gary A. (Technical Monitor); Schwartz, Richard J.

2004-01-01

The quality of data acquired in a given test facility ultimately resides within the fidelity and implementation of the instrumentation systems. Over the last decade, the emergence of robust optical techniques has vastly expanded the envelope of measurement possibilities. At the same time the capabilities for data processing, data archiving and data visualization required to extract the highest level of knowledge from these global, on and off body measurement techniques have equally expanded. Yet today, while the instrumentation has matured to the production stage, an optimized solution for gaining knowledge from the gigabytes of data acquired per test (or even per test point) is lacking. A technological void has to be filled in order to possess a mechanism for near-real time knowledge extraction during wind tunnel experiments. Under these auspices, the Virtual Diagnostics Interface, or ViDI, was developed.

Virtual reality, augmented reality, and robotics applied to digestive operative procedures: from in vivo animal preclinical studies to clinical use

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Soler, Luc; Marescaux, Jacques

2006-04-01

Technological innovations of the 20 th century provided medicine and surgery with new tools, among which virtual reality and robotics belong to the most revolutionary ones. Our work aims at setting up new techniques for detection, 3D delineation and 4D time follow-up of small abdominal lesions from standard mecial images (CT scsan, MRI). It also aims at developing innovative systems making tumor resection or treatment easier with the use of augmented reality and robotized systems, increasing gesture precision. It also permits a realtime great distance connection between practitioners so they can share a same 3D reconstructed patient and interact on a same patient, virtually before the intervention and for real during the surgical procedure thanks to a telesurgical robot. In preclinical studies, our first results obtained from a micro-CT scanner show that these technologies provide an efficient and precise 3D modeling of anatomical and pathological structures of rats and mice. In clinical studies, our first results show the possibility to improve the therapeutic choice thanks to a better detection and and representation of the patient before performing the surgical gesture. They also show the efficiency of augmented reality that provides virtual transparency of the patient in real time during the operative procedure. In the near future, through the exploitation of these systems, surgeons will program and check on the virtual patient clone an optimal procedure without errors, which will be replayed on the real patient by the robot under surgeon control. This medical dream is today about to become reality.

Extending body space in immersive virtual reality: a very long arm illusion.

PubMed

Kilteni, Konstantina; Normand, Jean-Marie; Sanchez-Vives, Maria V; Slater, Mel

2012-01-01

Recent studies have shown that a fake body part can be incorporated into human body representation through synchronous multisensory stimulation on the fake and corresponding real body part - the most famous example being the Rubber Hand Illusion. However, the extent to which gross asymmetries in the fake body can be assimilated remains unknown. Participants experienced, through a head-tracked stereo head-mounted display a virtual body coincident with their real body. There were 5 conditions in a between-groups experiment, with 10 participants per condition. In all conditions there was visuo-motor congruence between the real and virtual dominant arm. In an Incongruent condition (I), where the virtual arm length was equal to the real length, there was visuo-tactile incongruence. In four Congruent conditions there was visuo-tactile congruence, but the virtual arm lengths were either equal to (C1), double (C2), triple (C3) or quadruple (C4) the real ones. Questionnaire scores and defensive withdrawal movements in response to a threat showed that the overall level of ownership was high in both C1 and I, and there was no significant difference between these conditions. Additionally, participants experienced ownership over the virtual arm up to three times the length of the real one, and less strongly at four times the length. The illusion did decline, however, with the length of the virtual arm. In the C2-C4 conditions although a measure of proprioceptive drift positively correlated with virtual arm length, there was no correlation between the drift and ownership of the virtual arm, suggesting different underlying mechanisms between ownership and drift. Overall, these findings extend and enrich previous results that multisensory and sensorimotor information can reconstruct our perception of the body shape, size and symmetry even when this is not consistent with normal body proportions.

Extending Body Space in Immersive Virtual Reality: A Very Long Arm Illusion

PubMed Central

Kilteni, Konstantina; Normand, Jean-Marie; Sanchez-Vives, Maria V.; Slater, Mel

2012-01-01

Recent studies have shown that a fake body part can be incorporated into human body representation through synchronous multisensory stimulation on the fake and corresponding real body part – the most famous example being the Rubber Hand Illusion. However, the extent to which gross asymmetries in the fake body can be assimilated remains unknown. Participants experienced, through a head-tracked stereo head-mounted display a virtual body coincident with their real body. There were 5 conditions in a between-groups experiment, with 10 participants per condition. In all conditions there was visuo-motor congruence between the real and virtual dominant arm. In an Incongruent condition (I), where the virtual arm length was equal to the real length, there was visuo-tactile incongruence. In four Congruent conditions there was visuo-tactile congruence, but the virtual arm lengths were either equal to (C1), double (C2), triple (C3) or quadruple (C4) the real ones. Questionnaire scores and defensive withdrawal movements in response to a threat showed that the overall level of ownership was high in both C1 and I, and there was no significant difference between these conditions. Additionally, participants experienced ownership over the virtual arm up to three times the length of the real one, and less strongly at four times the length. The illusion did decline, however, with the length of the virtual arm. In the C2–C4 conditions although a measure of proprioceptive drift positively correlated with virtual arm length, there was no correlation between the drift and ownership of the virtual arm, suggesting different underlying mechanisms between ownership and drift. Overall, these findings extend and enrich previous results that multisensory and sensorimotor information can reconstruct our perception of the body shape, size and symmetry even when this is not consistent with normal body proportions. PMID:22829891

Bridging the Gap Between Scientists and Classrooms: Scientist Engagement in the Expedition Earth and Beyond Program

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Graff, P. V.; Stefanov, W. L.; Willis, K. J.; Runco, S.

2012-01-01

Teachers in today s classrooms need to find creative ways to connect students with science, technology, engineering, mathematics (STEM) experts. These STEM experts can serve as role models and help students think about potential future STEM careers. They can also help reinforce academic knowledge and skills. The cost of transportation restricts teachers ability to take students on field trips exposing them to outside experts and unique learning environments. Additionally, arranging to bring in guest speakers to the classroom seems to happen infrequently, especially in schools in rural areas. The Expedition Earth and Beyond (EEAB) Program [1], facilitated by the Astromaterials Research and Exploration Science (ARES) Directorate Education Program at the NASA Johnson Space Center has created a way to enable teachers to connect their students with STEM experts virtually. These virtual connections not only help engage students with role models, but are also designed to help teachers address concepts and content standards they are required to teach. Through EEAB, scientists are able to actively engage with students across the nation in multiple ways. They can work with student teams as mentors, participate in virtual student team science presentations, or connect with students through Classroom Connection Distance Learning (DL) Events.

Real and virtual worlds alike: Adolescents' psychopathology is reflected in their videogame virtual behaviors.

PubMed

Segev, Aviv; Gabay-Weschler, Hila; Naar, Yossi; Maoz, Hagai; Bloch, Yuval

2017-01-01

Current research refers to videogames as a constant variable. However, games today are designed to be highly interactive and versatile: two players may be using the same videogame, but as a result of different using patterns, the game will not necessarily encompass the same content and gameplay. The current study examined the possible relationship between psychopathology and in-game playing patterns. We hypothesized that adolescents would play videogames differently, in a manner that would reflect their particular psychopathologies. We examined 47 male adolescents from three diagnostic groups: those suffering from externalizing psychopathologies, internalizing psychopathologies and controls. We performed a high-resolution examination of their gameplay, using in-game quantitative statistics mechanisms of two fundamentally different games, a structured racing game and an unstructured adventure game. While there was no difference in the groups' using patterns of the structured game, there was a high variability between the groups' using patterns when they were using a non-structured game. These findings suggest that virtual behavior in unstructured games is reflective of adolescent-players psychopathology, and might shed light on an unexplored facet of videogames research. Possible implications are discussed.

Real and virtual worlds alike: Adolescents' psychopathology is reflected in their videogame virtual behaviors

PubMed Central

Gabay-Weschler, Hila; Naar, Yossi; Maoz, Hagai; Bloch, Yuval

2017-01-01

Current research refers to videogames as a constant variable. However, games today are designed to be highly interactive and versatile: two players may be using the same videogame, but as a result of different using patterns, the game will not necessarily encompass the same content and gameplay. The current study examined the possible relationship between psychopathology and in-game playing patterns. We hypothesized that adolescents would play videogames differently, in a manner that would reflect their particular psychopathologies. We examined 47 male adolescents from three diagnostic groups: those suffering from externalizing psychopathologies, internalizing psychopathologies and controls. We performed a high-resolution examination of their gameplay, using in-game quantitative statistics mechanisms of two fundamentally different games, a structured racing game and an unstructured adventure game. While there was no difference in the groups' using patterns of the structured game, there was a high variability between the groups' using patterns when they were using a non-structured game. These findings suggest that virtual behavior in unstructured games is reflective of adolescent-players psychopathology, and might shed light on an unexplored facet of videogames research. Possible implications are discussed. PMID:28708879

A virtual reality-based system integrated with fmri to study neural mechanisms of action observation-execution: A proof of concept study

PubMed Central

Adamovich, S.V.; August, K.; Merians, A.; Tunik, E.

2017-01-01

Purpose Emerging evidence shows that interactive virtual environments (VEs) may be a promising tool for studying sensorimotor processes and for rehabilitation. However, the potential of VEs to recruit action observation-execution neural networks is largely unknown. For the first time, a functional MRI-compatible virtual reality system (VR) has been developed to provide a window into studying brain-behavior interactions. This system is capable of measuring the complex span of hand-finger movements and simultaneously streaming this kinematic data to control the motion of representations of human hands in virtual reality. Methods In a blocked fMRI design, thirteen healthy subjects observed, with the intent to imitate (OTI), finger sequences performed by the virtual hand avatar seen in 1st person perspective and animated by pre-recorded kinematic data. Following this, subjects imitated the observed sequence while viewing the virtual hand avatar animated by their own movement in real-time. These blocks were interleaved with rest periods during which subjects viewed static virtual hand avatars and control trials in which the avatars were replaced with moving non-anthropomorphic objects. Results We show three main findings. First, both observation with intent to imitate and imitation with real-time virtual avatar feedback, were associated with activation in a distributed frontoparietal network typically recruited for observation and execution of real-world actions. Second, we noted a time-variant increase in activation in the left insular cortex for observation with intent to imitate actions performed by the virtual avatar. Third, imitation with virtual avatar feedback (relative to the control condition) was associated with a localized recruitment of the angular gyrus, precuneus, and extrastriate body area, regions which are (along with insular cortex) associated with the sense of agency. Conclusions Our data suggest that the virtual hand avatars may have served as disembodied training tools in the observation condition and as embodied “extensions” of the subject’s own body (pseudo-tools) in the imitation. These data advance our understanding of the brain-behavior interactions when performing actions in VE and have implications in the development of observation- and imitation-based VR rehabilitation paradigms. PMID:19531876

Online security and cyberbystander relations in mobilizing sex abuse intervention.

PubMed

Palasinski, Marek

2012-10-01

Two studies examined men's interventions in a virtual reality situation involving child grooming. In Study 1, 92 men observed an online encounter between an apparent minor and a sex offender. The results suggest that the bystander effect was stronger under computerized rather than user-assisted surveillance, and when the fellow cyberbystander was unknown rather than known. In Study 2, where 100 men observed the same encounter, the effect also emerged under computerized surveillance as long as the number unknown cyberbystanders was increased. Thus, vesting more responsibility for security in the average netizen rather than just in the automated abuse-detection technology is cautiously suggested, the relevance of which lies in increasing minors' health and safety.

Virtual obstacle crossing: Reliability and differences in stroke survivors who prospectively experienced falls or no falls.

PubMed

Punt, Michiel; Bruijn, Sjoerd M; Wittink, Harriet; van de Port, Ingrid G; Wubbels, Gijs; van Dieën, Jaap H

2017-10-01

Stroke survivors often fall during walking. To reduce fall risk, gait testing and training with avoidance of virtual obstacles is gaining popularity. However, it is unknown whether and how virtual obstacle crossing is associated with fall risk. The present study assessed whether obstacle crossing characteristics are reliable and assessed differences in stroke survivors who prospectively experienced falls or no falls. We recruited twenty-nine community dwelling chronic stroke survivors. Participants crossed five virtual obstacles with increasing lengths. After a break, the test was repeated to assess test-retest reliability. For each obstacle length and trial, we determined; success rate, leading limb preference, pre and post obstacle distance, margins of stability, toe clearance, and crossing step length and speed. Subsequently, fall incidence was monitored using a fall calendar and monthly phone calls over a six-month period. Test-retest reliability was poor, but improved with increasing obstacle-length. Twelve participants reported at least one fall. No association of fall incidence with any of the obstacle crossing characteristics was found. Given the absence of height of the virtual obstacles, obstacle avoidance may have been relatively easy, allowing participants to cross obstacles in multiple ways, increasing variability of crossing characteristics and reducing the association with fall risk. These finding cast some doubt on current protocols for testing and training of obstacle avoidance in stroke rehabilitation. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

The Virtual Threat Effect: A Test of Competing Explanations for the Effects of Racial Stereotyping in Video Games on Players' Cognitions.

PubMed

Behm-Morawitz, Elizabeth; Hoffswell, Joseph; Chen, Szu-Wei

2016-05-01

Past research provides evidence that embodying a racially stereotyped African American video game character triggers stereotyped thinking among White players. However, the mechanisms through which virtual racial embodiment of a negatively stereotyped character in a video game impacts stereotyped thinking are still unknown. This study expands on past research and utilizes a between-subjects experimental design to test two possible theoretical explanations: the virtual threat effect and presence. On the one hand, embodying a negatively stereotyped African American character may elicit stereotyped thinking among White players due to the mere exposure to the threatening stereotype. According to this explanation, negative affective response to the threatening stimulus predicts stereotyping. On the other hand, the process of embodying, not just observing, the stereotyped African American character suggests that presence in the game may determine how impactful the game imagery is on White players' stereotyping of African Americans. In this case, level of presence would predict stereotyping. The findings of this study advance research by providing evidence of a psychological explanation for the negative effects of embodying a racially stereotyped video game character on players' race-related perceptions. We conceptualize the "virtual threat effect," which may be applied in additional contexts to understand how embodying stereotyped representations of outgroups in virtual environments may negatively affect individuals' perceptions and support of these groups.

The School Counselors' Ideas on Features, Determinant and Intervention on Child Negligence and Abuse Cases

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Usakli, Hakan

2012-01-01

It is sad to know that many of the child negligence and child abuse cases, which are being frequently encountered in the society today, still remains unknown. This perhaps is due to lack of information on the part of the administrators, school counselors and other related bodies in the management of such cases. In this study, 50 school counselors…

Remnants of Lost Geology

NASA Image and Video Library

2003-02-07

In this NASA Mars Odyssey image of eastern Arabia Terra, remnants of a once vast layered terrain are evident as isolated buttes, mesas, and deeply-filled craters. The origin of the presumed sediments that created the layers is unknown, but those same sediments, now eroded, may be the source of the thick mantle of dust that covers much of Arabia Terra today. http://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA04400

Simple force feedback for small virtual environments

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Schiefele, Jens; Albert, Oliver; van Lier, Volker; Huschka, Carsten

1998-08-01

In today's civil flight training simulators only the cockpit and all its interaction devices exist as physical mockups. All other elements such as flight behavior, motion, sound, and the visual system are virtual. As an extension to this approach `Virtual Flight Simulation' tries to subsidize the cockpit mockup by a 3D computer generated image. The complete cockpit including the exterior view is displayed on a Head Mounted Display (HMD), a BOOM, or a Cave Animated Virtual Environment. In most applications a dataglove or virtual pointers are used as input devices. A basic problem of such a Virtual Cockpit simulation is missing force feedback. A pilot cannot touch and feel buttons, knobs, dials, etc. he tries to manipulate. As a result, it is very difficult to generate realistic inputs into VC systems. `Seating Bucks' are used in automotive industry to overcome the problem of missing force feedback. Only a seat, steering wheel, pedal, stick shift, and radio panel are physically available. All other geometry is virtual and therefore untouchable but visible in the output device. In extension to this concept a `Seating Buck' for commercial transport aircraft cockpits was developed. Pilot seat, side stick, pedals, thrust-levers, and flaps lever are physically available. All other panels are simulated by simple flat plastic panels. They are located at the same location as their real counterparts only lacking the real input devices. A pilot sees the entire photorealistic cockpit in a HMD as 3D geometry but can only touch the physical parts and plastic panels. In order to determine task performance with the developed Seating Buck, a test series was conducted. Users press buttons, adapt dials, and turn knobs. In a first test, a complete virtual environment was used. The second setting had a plastic panel replacing all input devices. Finally, as cross reference the participants had to repeat the test with a complete physical mockup of the input devices. All panels and physical devices can be easily relocated to simulate a different type of cockpit. Maximal 30 minutes are needed for a complete adaptation. So far, an Airbus A340 and a generic cockpit are supported.

Archives, Documents, and Hidden History: A Course to Teach Undergraduates the Thrill of Historical Discovery Real and Virtual

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Roff, Sandra

2007-01-01

Treasures await students and researchers on the shelves of libraries and archives across the country, but unfortunately they often remain unknown to the "modern" researcher who limits his/her research to using the Internet. The process of physically going to the library stacks and browsing the shelves in a subject area is on the decline…

Coding into the Great Unknown: Analyzing Instant Messaging Session Transcripts to Identify User Behaviors and Measure Quality of Service

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Maximiek, Sarah; Rushton, Erin; Brown, Elizabeth

2010-01-01

After one year of providing virtual reference service through an instant messaging (IM) service, Binghamton University (BU) Libraries, under the purview of its Digital Reference Committee (DRC), undertook a study of collected session transcripts. The goals of this work were to determine who was using the IM service and why; if staffing for the…

What Happened to My Child? Unknown Causes of Developmental Disability and Research in Genetics

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Pevsner, Jonathan; Silverman, Wayne

2007-01-01

At one time or the other, virtually every parent has gone to the doctor concerned about his or her child. Thanks to the advances of modern medicine, the doctor can diagnose the problem most of the time and treat it successfully. Many potential problems, some life-threatening like diphtheria and neural tube defects, can even be prevented altogether…

World Wind: NASA's Virtual Globe

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hogan, P.

2007-12-01

Virtual globes have set the standard for information exchange. Once you've experienced the visually rich and highly compelling nature of data delivered via virtual globes with their highly engaging context of 3D, it's hard to go back to a flat 2D world. Just as the sawbones of not-too-long-ago have given way to sophisticated surgical operating theater, today's medium for information exchange is just beginning to leap from the staid chalkboards and remote libraries to fingertip navigable 3D worlds. How we harness this technology to serve a world inundated with information will describe the quality of our future. Our instincts for discovery and entertainment urge us on. There's so much we could know if the world's knowledge was presented to us in its natural context. Virtual globes are almost magical in their ability to reveal natural wonders. Anyone flying along a chain of volcanoes, a mid-ocean ridge or deep ocean trench, while simultaneously seeing the different depths to the history of earthquakes in those areas, will be delighted to sense Earth's dynamic nature in a way that would otherwise take several paragraphs of "boring" text. The sophisticated concepts related to global climate change would be far more comprehensible when experienced via a virtual globe. There is a large universe of public and private geospatial data sets that virtual globes can bring to light. The benefit derived from access to this data within virtual globes represents a significant return on investment for government, industry, the general public, and especially in the realm of education. Data access remains a key issue. Just as the highway infrastructure allows unimpeded access from point A to point B, an open standards-based infrastructure for data access allows virtual globes to exchange data in the most efficient manner possible. This data can be either free or proprietary. The Open Geospatial Consortium is providing the leadership necessary for this open standards-based data access infrastructure. The open-source community plays a crucial role in advancing virtual globe technology. This world community identifies, tracks and resolves technical problems, suggests new features and source code modifications, and often provides high-resolution data sets and other types of user-generated content, all while extending the functionality of virtual globe technology. NASA World Wind is one example of open source virtual globe technology that provides the world with the ability to build any desired functionality and make any desired data accessible.

JAVA PathFinder

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mehhtz, Peter

2005-01-01

JPF is an explicit state software model checker for Java bytecode. Today, JPF is a swiss army knife for all sort of runtime based verification purposes. This basically means JPF is a Java virtual machine that executes your program not just once (like a normal VM), but theoretically in all possible ways, checking for property violations like deadlocks or unhandled exceptions along all potential execution paths. If it finds an error, JPF reports the whole execution that leads to it. Unlike a normal debugger, JPF keeps track of every step how it got to the defect.

Psychotropics without borders: ethics and legal implications of internet-based access to psychiatric medications.

PubMed

Klein, Carolina A

2011-01-01

Medical practitioners are revisiting many of the ethics and the legal implications surrounding the clinical frameworks within which we operate. In today's world, distinguishing between virtual and physical reality continues to be increasingly difficult. The physician may be found grappling with the decision of whether to continue to treat a patient who may be obtaining psychotropic medications through the Internet. This article approaches some of the clinical and legal implications and the ethics regarding the availability of prescription psychotropics over the Internet.

The Greening of Global Security: The U.S. Military and International Environmental Security

DTIC Science & Technology

1993-12-16

the Cold War . Issues virtually ignored only five years ago now exhibit a new luster, a new importance, a new resonance among countries of the world ...America 283 298 363 0.8 Europe 511 515 516 0.2 Oceania 28 31 39 1.2 World 5420 6292 8545 1.7 Environmental problems are now causing sizable cutbacks in...direct participation and intercession can become blurred. With NATO’s new focus in today’s Post Cold War world --i.e., low intensity peacekeeping

Is it possible to use highly realistic virtual reality in the elderly? A feasibility study with image-based rendering.

PubMed

Benoit, Michel; Guerchouche, Rachid; Petit, Pierre-David; Chapoulie, Emmanuelle; Manera, Valeria; Chaurasia, Gaurav; Drettakis, George; Robert, Philippe

2015-01-01

Virtual reality (VR) opens up a vast number of possibilities in many domains of therapy. The primary objective of the present study was to evaluate the acceptability for elderly subjects of a VR experience using the image-based rendering virtual environment (IBVE) approach and secondly to test the hypothesis that visual cues using VR may enhance the generation of autobiographical memories. Eighteen healthy volunteers (mean age 68.2 years) presenting memory complaints with a Mini-Mental State Examination score higher than 27 and no history of neuropsychiatric disease were included. Participants were asked to perform an autobiographical fluency task in four conditions. The first condition was a baseline grey screen, the second was a photograph of a well-known location in the participant's home city (FamPhoto), and the last two conditions displayed VR, ie, a familiar image-based virtual environment (FamIBVE) consisting of an image-based representation of a known landmark square in the center of the city of experimentation (Nice) and an unknown image-based virtual environment (UnknoIBVE), which was captured in a public housing neighborhood containing unrecognizable building fronts. After each of the four experimental conditions, participants filled in self-report questionnaires to assess the task acceptability (levels of emotion, motivation, security, fatigue, and familiarity). CyberSickness and Presence questionnaires were also assessed after the two VR conditions. Autobiographical memory was assessed using a verbal fluency task and quality of the recollection was assessed using the "remember/know" procedure. All subjects completed the experiment. Sense of security and fatigue were not significantly different between the conditions with and without VR. The FamPhoto condition yielded a higher emotion score than the other conditions (P<0.05). The CyberSickness questionnaire showed that participants did not experience sickness during the experiment across the VR conditions. VR stimulates autobiographical memory, as demonstrated by the increased total number of responses on the autobiographical fluency task and the increased number of conscious recollections of memories for familiar versus unknown scenes (P<0.01). The study indicates that VR using the FamIBVE system is well tolerated by the elderly. VR can also stimulate recollections of autobiographical memory and convey familiarity of a given scene, which is an essential requirement for use of VR during reminiscence therapy.

Is it possible to use highly realistic virtual reality in the elderly? A feasibility study with image-based rendering

PubMed Central

Benoit, Michel; Guerchouche, Rachid; Petit, Pierre-David; Chapoulie, Emmanuelle; Manera, Valeria; Chaurasia, Gaurav; Drettakis, George; Robert, Philippe

2015-01-01

Background Virtual reality (VR) opens up a vast number of possibilities in many domains of therapy. The primary objective of the present study was to evaluate the acceptability for elderly subjects of a VR experience using the image-based rendering virtual environment (IBVE) approach and secondly to test the hypothesis that visual cues using VR may enhance the generation of autobiographical memories. Methods Eighteen healthy volunteers (mean age 68.2 years) presenting memory complaints with a Mini-Mental State Examination score higher than 27 and no history of neuropsychiatric disease were included. Participants were asked to perform an autobiographical fluency task in four conditions. The first condition was a baseline grey screen, the second was a photograph of a well-known location in the participant’s home city (FamPhoto), and the last two conditions displayed VR, ie, a familiar image-based virtual environment (FamIBVE) consisting of an image-based representation of a known landmark square in the center of the city of experimentation (Nice) and an unknown image-based virtual environment (UnknoIBVE), which was captured in a public housing neighborhood containing unrecognizable building fronts. After each of the four experimental conditions, participants filled in self-report questionnaires to assess the task acceptability (levels of emotion, motivation, security, fatigue, and familiarity). CyberSickness and Presence questionnaires were also assessed after the two VR conditions. Autobiographical memory was assessed using a verbal fluency task and quality of the recollection was assessed using the “remember/know” procedure. Results All subjects completed the experiment. Sense of security and fatigue were not significantly different between the conditions with and without VR. The FamPhoto condition yielded a higher emotion score than the other conditions (P<0.05). The CyberSickness questionnaire showed that participants did not experience sickness during the experiment across the VR conditions. VR stimulates autobiographical memory, as demonstrated by the increased total number of responses on the autobiographical fluency task and the increased number of conscious recollections of memories for familiar versus unknown scenes (P<0.01). Conclusion The study indicates that VR using the FamIBVE system is well tolerated by the elderly. VR can also stimulate recollections of autobiographical memory and convey familiarity of a given scene, which is an essential requirement for use of VR during reminiscence therapy. PMID:25834437

Representation of Patients’ Hand Modulates Fear Reactions of Patients with Spider Phobia in Virtual Reality

PubMed Central

Peperkorn, Henrik M.; Diemer, Julia E.; Alpers, Georg W.; Mühlberger, Andreas

2016-01-01

Embodiment (i.e., the involvement of a bodily representation) is thought to be relevant in emotional experiences. Virtual reality (VR) is a capable means of activating phobic fear in patients. The representation of the patient’s body (e.g., the right hand) in VR enhances immersion and increases presence, but its effect on phobic fear is still unknown. We analyzed the influence of the presentation of the participant’s hand in VR on presence and fear responses in 32 women with spider phobia and 32 matched controls. Participants sat in front of a table with an acrylic glass container within reaching distance. During the experiment this setup was concealed by a head-mounted display (HMD). The VR scenario presented via HMD showed the same setup, i.e., a table with an acrylic glass container. Participants were randomly assigned to one of two experimental groups. In one group, fear responses were triggered by fear-relevant visual input in VR (virtual spider in the virtual acrylic glass container), while information about a real but unseen neutral control animal (living snake in the acrylic glass container) was given. The second group received fear-relevant information of the real but unseen situation (living spider in the acrylic glass container), but visual input was kept neutral VR (virtual snake in the virtual acrylic glass container). Participants were instructed to touch the acrylic glass container with their right hand in 20 consecutive trials. Visibility of the hand was varied randomly in a within-subjects design. We found for all participants that visibility of the participant’s hand increased presence independently of the fear trigger. However, in patients, the influence of the virtual hand on fear depended on the fear trigger. When fear was triggered perceptually, i.e., by a virtual spider, the virtual hand increased fear. When fear was triggered by information about a real spider, the virtual hand had no effect on fear. Our results shed light on the significance of different fear triggers (visual, conceptual) in interaction with body representations. PMID:26973566

Representation of Patients' Hand Modulates Fear Reactions of Patients with Spider Phobia in Virtual Reality.

PubMed

Peperkorn, Henrik M; Diemer, Julia E; Alpers, Georg W; Mühlberger, Andreas

2016-01-01

Embodiment (i.e., the involvement of a bodily representation) is thought to be relevant in emotional experiences. Virtual reality (VR) is a capable means of activating phobic fear in patients. The representation of the patient's body (e.g., the right hand) in VR enhances immersion and increases presence, but its effect on phobic fear is still unknown. We analyzed the influence of the presentation of the participant's hand in VR on presence and fear responses in 32 women with spider phobia and 32 matched controls. Participants sat in front of a table with an acrylic glass container within reaching distance. During the experiment this setup was concealed by a head-mounted display (HMD). The VR scenario presented via HMD showed the same setup, i.e., a table with an acrylic glass container. Participants were randomly assigned to one of two experimental groups. In one group, fear responses were triggered by fear-relevant visual input in VR (virtual spider in the virtual acrylic glass container), while information about a real but unseen neutral control animal (living snake in the acrylic glass container) was given. The second group received fear-relevant information of the real but unseen situation (living spider in the acrylic glass container), but visual input was kept neutral VR (virtual snake in the virtual acrylic glass container). Participants were instructed to touch the acrylic glass container with their right hand in 20 consecutive trials. Visibility of the hand was varied randomly in a within-subjects design. We found for all participants that visibility of the participant's hand increased presence independently of the fear trigger. However, in patients, the influence of the virtual hand on fear depended on the fear trigger. When fear was triggered perceptually, i.e., by a virtual spider, the virtual hand increased fear. When fear was triggered by information about a real spider, the virtual hand had no effect on fear. Our results shed light on the significance of different fear triggers (visual, conceptual) in interaction with body representations.

The recycling dilemma for advanced materials use: Automobile materials substitution

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Field, F.R. III; Clark, J.P.

1991-01-01

This paper discusses the difficulties associated with imposing recycling imperatives upon advanced materials development by examining the case of automotive materials substitution and its impacts upon the recyclability of the automobile. Parallels are drawn between today's issues, which focus upon the recyclability of the increasing polymeric fraction in automobile shredder fluff, and the junked automobile problem of the 1960's, when the problem of abandoned automobiles became a part of the environmental and legislative agenda in the US and overseas. In the 1960's, both the source and the resolution of the junk automobile problem arose through a confluence of technological andmore » economic factors, rather than through any set of regulatory influences. The rise of electric arc furnace steelmaking and the development of the automobile shredder were sufficient to virtually eliminate the problem - so much so that today's problems are incorrectly viewed as novelties. Today's automobile recycling problem again derives from technological and economic factors, but regulatory influences have spurred some of them. While there are no lack of technological solutions to the problem of automobile shredder fluff, none of these solutions yet provides scrap processors with the kind of profit opportunity necessary to implement them. In some ways, it is implicit in advanced materials markets that there is little to no demand for recycled forms of these materials, and, in the absence of these markets, there are few reasons to expect that the solution to today's problems will be quite so neat.« less

Dark energy from gravitoelectromagnetic inflation?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Membiela, F. A.; Bellini, M.

2008-02-01

Gravitoectromagnetic Inflation (GI) was introduced to describe in an unified manner, electromagnetic, gravitatory and inflaton fields from a 5D vacuum state. On the other hand, the primordial origin and evolution of dark energy is today unknown. In this letter we show using GI that the zero modes of some redefined vector fields $B_i=A_i/a$ produced during inflation, could be the source of dark energy in the universe.

Time Restored - The Harrison Timekeepers and R.T. Gould, the Man Who Knew (Almost) Everything

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Betts, Jonathan

2006-09-01

This is the story of Rupert T. Gould (1890-1948), the polymath and horologist. A remarkable man, Lt Cmdr Gould made important contributions in an extraordinary range of subject areas throughout his relatively short and dramatically troubled life. From antique clocks to scientific mysteries, from typewriters to the first systematic study of the Loch Ness Monster, Gould studied and published on them all. With the title The Stargazer, Gould was an early broadcaster on the BBC's Children's Hour when, with his encyclopaedic knowledge, he became known as The Man Who Knew Everything. Not surprisingly, he was also part of that elite group on BBC radio who formed The Brains Trust, giving on-the-spot answers to all manner of wide ranging and difficult questions. With his wide learning and photographic memory, Gould awed a national audience, becoming one of the era's radio celebrities. During the 1920s Gould restored the complex and highly significant marine timekeepers constructed by John Harrison (1693-1776), and wrote the unsurpassed classic, The Marine Chronometer, its History and Development . Today he is virtually unknown, his horological contributions scarcely mentioned in Dava Sobel's bestseller Longitude. The TV version of Longitude, in which Jeremy Irons played Rupert Gould, did at least introduce Gould's name to a wider public. Gould suffered terrible bouts of depression, resulting in a number of nervous breakdowns. These, coupled with his obsessive and pedantic nature, led to a scandalously-reported separation from his wife and cost him his family, his home, his job, and his closest friends. In this first-ever biography of Rupert Gould, Jonathan Betts, the Royal Observatory Greenwich's Senior Horologist, has given us a compelling account of a talented but flawed individual. Using hitherto unknown personal journals, the family's extensive collection of photographs, and the polymath's surviving records and notes, Betts tells the story of how Gould's early life, his naval career, and his celebrity status came together as this talented Englishman restored part of Britain's--and the world's--most important technical heritage: John Harrison's marine timekeepers.

A microbased shared virtual world prototype

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Pitts, Gerald; Robinson, Mark; Strange, Steve

1993-01-01

Virtual reality (VR) allows sensory immersion and interaction with a computer-generated environment. The user adopts a physical interface with the computer, through Input/Output devices such as a head-mounted display, data glove, mouse, keyboard, or monitor, to experience an alternate universe. What this means is that the computer generates an environment which, in its ultimate extension, becomes indistinguishable from the real world. 'Imagine a wraparound television with three-dimensional programs, including three-dimensional sound, and solid objects that you can pick up and manipulate, even feel with your fingers and hands.... 'Imagine that you are the creator as well as the consumer of your artificial experience, with the power to use a gesture or word to remold the world you see and hear and feel. That part is not fiction... three-dimensional computer graphics, input/output devices, computer models that constitute a VR system make it possible, today, to immerse yourself in an artificial world and to reach in and reshape it.' Our research's goal was to propose a feasibility experiment in the construction of a networked virtual reality system, making use of current personal computer (PC) technology. The prototype was built using Borland C compiler, running on an IBM 486 33 MHz and a 386 33 MHz. Each game currently is represented as an IPX client on a non-dedicated Novell server. We initially posed the two questions: (1) Is there a need for networked virtual reality? (2) In what ways can the technology be made available to the most people possible?

Gregor Mendel: Creationist Hero

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Numbers, Ronald L.

2015-01-01

In histories of twentieth-century Darwinism few developments loom larger than the turn-of-the-century rediscovery of Gregor Mendel's genetic research and the later application of Mendelian principles in constructing so-called Neo-Darwinism. Virtually unknown is the equally enthusiastic embrace of Mendel by antievolutionists, who as early as 1917 adopted the Austrian monk as their most celebrated scientific hero, a status he continues to hold down to the present day.

The impact of virtual reality functions of a hotel website on travel anxiety.

PubMed

Lee, Ook; Oh, Ji-Eun

2007-08-01

This study deals with the impact of virtual reality (VR) features that are embedded in a hotel website on travelers' anxiety. Having more information is thought to be a factor in relieving anxiety in travel. A hotel website can be a good place for gathering information about the accommodation. In this study, we posit that a hotel website with VR functions should lead to a reduction in travelers' anxiety about travel. We built a website of a hotel and used VR functions to show the exterior, the lobby, a guest room, and a restaurant through an interactive and spatial shot of the hotel images. The experiment was conducted with a premise that the subjects were about to embark on a journey to an unknown place and to stay at an unknown hotel whose website contained VR functions. The subjects were asked to play with VR functions of the hotel website and then to complete a survey with questions regarding the degree of anxiety on the travel and psychological relief that might have been perceived by the subjects. The result confirms our hypothesis that there is a statistically significant relationship between the degree of travel anxiety and psychological relief caused by the use of VR functions of a hotel website.

Deterministic transfer of an unknown qutrit state assisted by the low-Q microwave resonators

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Liu, Tong; Zhang, Yang; Yu, Chang-Shui; Zhang, Wei-Ning

2017-05-01

Qutrits (i.e., three-level quantum systems) can be used to achieve many quantum information and communication tasks due to their large Hilbert spaces. In this work, we propose a scheme to transfer an unknown quantum state between two flux qutrits coupled to two superconducting coplanar waveguide resonators. The quantum state transfer can be deterministically achieved without measurements. Because resonator photons are virtually excited during the operation time, the decoherences caused by the resonator decay and the unwanted inter-resonator crosstalk are greatly suppressed. Moreover, our approach can be adapted to other solid-state qutrits coupled to circuit resonators. Numerical simulations show that the high-fidelity transfer of quantum state between the two qutrits is feasible with current circuit QED technology.

Malignant Melanoma Presenting as a Mediastinal Malignant Melanoma Presenting as a Mediastinal Unknown Primary Origin?

PubMed

Pujani, Mukta; Hassan, Mohd Jaseem; Jetley, Sujata; Raina, Prabhat Kumar; Kumar, Mukesh

2017-01-01

The most common site of primary malignant melanoma is the skin, however, virtually any organ system may be involved. Metastatic melanoma of unknown primary origin accounts for approximately 2-6% of all melanoma cases. The mediastinum as the site for malignant melanoma is extremely rare, both as a primary or metastatic lesion. Primary malignant melanoma of mediastinum is very rare with only a handful of reports in the literature. We hereby report a rare case of malignant melanoma of mediastinum in a 31 year old male who was initially misdiagnosed on fine needle aspiration cytology as adenocarcinoma for which he received chemotherapy with clinical deterioration. Even on extensive meticulous search, no primary was discovered.

High-resolution NMR in magnetic fields with unknown spatiotemporal variations.

PubMed

Pelupessy, Philippe; Rennella, Enrico; Bodenhausen, Geoffrey

2009-06-26

Nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) experiments are usually carried out in homogeneous magnetic fields. In many cases, however, high-resolution spectra are virtually impossible to obtain because of the inherent heterogeneity of the samples or living organisms under investigation, as well as the poor homogeneity of the magnets (particularly when bulky samples must be placed outside their bores). Unstable power supplies and vibrations arising from cooling can lead to field fluctuations in time as well as space. We show how high-resolution NMR spectra can be obtained in inhomogeneous fields with unknown spatiotemporal variations. Our method, based on coherence transfer between spins, can accommodate spatial inhomogeneities of at least 11 gauss per centimeter and temporal fluctuations slower than 2 hertz.

Data-based virtual unmodeled dynamics driven multivariable nonlinear adaptive switching control.

PubMed

Chai, Tianyou; Zhang, Yajun; Wang, Hong; Su, Chun-Yi; Sun, Jing

2011-12-01

For a complex industrial system, its multivariable and nonlinear nature generally make it very difficult, if not impossible, to obtain an accurate model, especially when the model structure is unknown. The control of this class of complex systems is difficult to handle by the traditional controller designs around their operating points. This paper, however, explores the concepts of controller-driven model and virtual unmodeled dynamics to propose a new design framework. The design consists of two controllers with distinct functions. First, using input and output data, a self-tuning controller is constructed based on a linear controller-driven model. Then the output signals of the controller-driven model are compared with the true outputs of the system to produce so-called virtual unmodeled dynamics. Based on the compensator of the virtual unmodeled dynamics, the second controller based on a nonlinear controller-driven model is proposed. Those two controllers are integrated by an adaptive switching control algorithm to take advantage of their complementary features: one offers stabilization function and another provides improved performance. The conditions on the stability and convergence of the closed-loop system are analyzed. Both simulation and experimental tests on a heavily coupled nonlinear twin-tank system are carried out to confirm the effectiveness of the proposed method.

Fast grasping of unknown objects using principal component analysis

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lei, Qujiang; Chen, Guangming; Wisse, Martijn

2017-09-01

Fast grasping of unknown objects has crucial impact on the efficiency of robot manipulation especially subjected to unfamiliar environments. In order to accelerate grasping speed of unknown objects, principal component analysis is utilized to direct the grasping process. In particular, a single-view partial point cloud is constructed and grasp candidates are allocated along the principal axis. Force balance optimization is employed to analyze possible graspable areas. The obtained graspable area with the minimal resultant force is the best zone for the final grasping execution. It is shown that an unknown object can be more quickly grasped provided that the component analysis principle axis is determined using single-view partial point cloud. To cope with the grasp uncertainty, robot motion is assisted to obtain a new viewpoint. Virtual exploration and experimental tests are carried out to verify this fast gasping algorithm. Both simulation and experimental tests demonstrated excellent performances based on the results of grasping a series of unknown objects. To minimize the grasping uncertainty, the merits of the robot hardware with two 3D cameras can be utilized to suffice the partial point cloud. As a result of utilizing the robot hardware, the grasping reliance is highly enhanced. Therefore, this research demonstrates practical significance for increasing grasping speed and thus increasing robot efficiency under unpredictable environments.

Approximation-based adaptive tracking control of pure-feedback nonlinear systems with multiple unknown time-varying delays.

PubMed

Wang, Min; Ge, Shuzhi Sam; Hong, Keum-Shik

2010-11-01

This paper presents adaptive neural tracking control for a class of non-affine pure-feedback systems with multiple unknown state time-varying delays. To overcome the design difficulty from non-affine structure of pure-feedback system, mean value theorem is exploited to deduce affine appearance of state variables x(i) as virtual controls α(i), and of the actual control u. The separation technique is introduced to decompose unknown functions of all time-varying delayed states into a series of continuous functions of each delayed state. The novel Lyapunov-Krasovskii functionals are employed to compensate for the unknown functions of current delayed state, which is effectively free from any restriction on unknown time-delay functions and overcomes the circular construction of controller caused by the neural approximation of a function of u and [Formula: see text] . Novel continuous functions are introduced to overcome the design difficulty deduced from the use of one adaptive parameter. To achieve uniformly ultimate boundedness of all the signals in the closed-loop system and tracking performance, control gains are effectively modified as a dynamic form with a class of even function, which makes stability analysis be carried out at the present of multiple time-varying delays. Simulation studies are provided to demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed scheme.

Perceptual Fidelity vs. Engineering Compromises In Virtual Acoustic Displays

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wenzel, Elizabeth M.; Ahumada, Albert (Technical Monitor)

1997-01-01

Immersive, three-dimensional displays are increasingly becoming a goal of advanced human-machine interfaces. While the technology for achieving truly useful multisensory environments is still being developed, techniques for generating three-dimensional sound are now both sophisticated and practical enough to be applied to acoustic displays. The ultimate goal of virtual acoustics is to simulate the complex acoustic field experienced by a listener freely moving around within an environment. Of course, such complexity, freedom of movement and interactively is not always possible in a "true" virtual environment, much less in lower-fidelity multimedia systems. However, many of the perceptual and engineering constraints (and frustrations) that researchers, engineers and listeners have experienced in virtual audio are relevant to multimedia. In fact, some of the problems that have been studied will be even more of an issue for lower fidelity systems that are attempting to address the requirements of a huge, diverse and ultimately unknown audience. Examples include individual differences in head-related transfer functions, a lack of real interactively (head-tracking) in many multimedia displays, and perceptual degradation due to low sampling rates and/or low-bit compression. This paper discusses some of the engineering Constraints faced during implementation of virtual acoustic environments and the perceptual consequences of these constraints. Specific examples are given for NASA applications such as telerobotic control, aeronautical displays, and shuttle launch communications. An attempt will also be made to relate these issues to low-fidelity implementations such as the internet.

Perceptual Fidelity Versus Engineering Compromises in Virtual Acoustic Displays

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Wenzel, Elizabeth M.; Ellis, Stephen R. (Technical Monitor); Frey, Mary Anne (Technical Monitor); Schneider, Victor S. (Technical Monitor)

1997-01-01

Immersive, three-dimensional displays are increasingly becoming a goal of advanced human-machine interfaces. While the technology for achieving truly useful multisensory environments is still being developed, techniques for generating three-dimensional sound are now both sophisticated and practical enough to be applied to acoustic displays. The ultimate goal of virtual acoustics is to simulate the complex acoustic field experienced by a listener freely moving around within an environment. Of course, such complexity, freedom of movement and interactivity is not always possible in a 'true' virtual environment, much less in lower-fidelity multimedia systems. However, many of the perceptual and engineering constraints (and frustrations) that researchers, engineers and listeners have experienced in virtual audio are relevant to multimedia. In fact, some of the problems that have been studied will be even more of an issue for lower fidelity systems that are attempting to address the requirements of a huge, diverse and ultimately unknown audience. Examples include individual differences in head-related transfer functions, A lack of real interactively (head-tracking) in many multimedia displays, and perceptual degradation due to low sampling rates and/or low-bit compression. This paper discusses some of the engineering constraints faced during implementation of virtual acoustic environments and the perceptual consequences of these constraints. Specific examples are given for NASA applications such as telerobotic control, aeronautical displays, and shuttle launch communications. An attempt will also be made to relate these issues to low-fidelity implementations such as the internet.

Geometric morphometric methods for three-dimensional virtual reconstruction of a fragmented cranium: the case of Angelo Poliziano.

PubMed

Benazzi, S; Stansfield, E; Milani, C; Gruppioni, G

2009-07-01

The process of forensic identification of missing individuals is frequently reliant on the superimposition of cranial remains onto an individual's picture and/or facial reconstruction. In the latter, the integrity of the skull or a cranium is an important factor in successful identification. Here, we recommend the usage of computerized virtual reconstruction and geometric morphometrics for the purposes of individual reconstruction and identification in forensics. We apply these methods to reconstruct a complete cranium from facial remains that allegedly belong to the famous Italian humanist of the fifteenth century, Angelo Poliziano (1454-1494). Raw data was obtained by computed tomography scans of the Poliziano face and a complete reference skull of a 37-year-old Italian male. Given that the amount of distortion of the facial remains is unknown, two reconstructions are proposed: The first calculates the average shape between the original and its reflection, and the second discards the less preserved left side of the cranium under the assumption that there is no deformation on the right. Both reconstructions perform well in the superimposition with the original preserved facial surface in a virtual environment. The reconstruction by means of averaging between the original and reflection yielded better results during the superimposition with portraits of Poliziano. We argue that the combination of computerized virtual reconstruction and geometric morphometric methods offers a number of advantages over traditional plastic reconstruction, among which are speed, reproducibility, easiness of manipulation when superimposing with pictures in virtual environment, and assumptions control.

How to invest in social capital.

PubMed

Prusak, L; Cohen, D

2001-06-01

Business runs better when people within a company have close ties and trust one another. But the relationships that make organizations work effectively are under assault for several reasons. Building such "social capital" is difficult in volatile times. Disruptive technologies spawn new markets daily, and organizations respond with constantly changing structures. The problem is worsened by the virtuality of many of today's workplaces, with employees working off-site or on their own. What's more, few managers know how to invest in such social capital. The authors describe how managers can help their organizations thrive by making effective investments in social capital. For instance, companies that value social capital demonstrate a commitment to retention as a way of limiting workplace volatility. The authors cite SAS's extensive efforts to signal to employees that it sees them as human beings, not just workers. Managers can build trust by showing trust themselves, as well as by rewarding trust and sending clear signals to employees. They can foster cooperation by giving employees a common sense of purpose through good strategic communication and inspirational leadership. Johnson & Johnson's well-known credo, which says the company's first responsibility is to the people who use its products, has helped the company in time of adversity, as in 1982 when cyanide in Tylenol capsules killed seven people. Other methods of fostering cooperation include rewarding the behavior with cash and establishing rules that get people into the habit of cooperating. Social capital, once a given in organizations, is now rare and endangered. By investing in it, companies will be better positioned to seize the opportunities in today's volatile, virtual business environment.

Ancient water supports today's energy needs

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

D'Odorico, Paolo; Natyzak, Jennifer L.; Castner, Elizabeth A.; Davis, Kyle F.; Emery, Kyle A.; Gephart, Jessica A.; Leach, Allison M.; Pace, Michael L.; Galloway, James N.

2017-05-01

The water footprint for fossil fuels typically accounts for water utilized in mining and fuel processing, whereas the water footprint of biofuels assesses the agricultural water used by crops through their lifetime. Fossil fuels have an additional water footprint that is not easily accounted for: ancient water that was used by plants millions of years ago, before they were transformed into fossil fuel. How much water is mankind using from the past to sustain current energy needs? We evaluate the link between ancient water virtually embodied in fossil fuels to current global energy demands by determining the water demand required to replace fossil fuels with biomass produced with water from the present. Using equal energy units of wood, bioethanol, and biodiesel to replace coal, natural gas, and crude oil, respectively, the resulting water demand is 7.39 × 1013 m3 y-1, approximately the same as the total annual evaporation from all land masses and transpiration from all terrestrial vegetation. Thus, there are strong hydrologic constraints to a reliance on biofuel energy produced with water from the present because the conversion from fossil fuels to biofuels would have a disproportionate and unsustainable impact on the modern water. By using fossil fuels to meet today's energy needs, we are virtually using water from a geological past. The water cycle is insufficient to sustain the production of the fuel presently consumed by human societies. Thus, non-fuel-based renewable energy sources are needed to decrease mankind's reliance on fossil fuel energy without placing an overwhelming pressure on global freshwater resources.

The Heliophysics Data Environment Today

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Fung, Shing F.; McGuire, R.; Roberts, D. A.

2008-01-01

Driven by the nature of the research questions now most critical to further progress in heliophysics science, data-driven research has evolved from a model once centered on individual instrument Principal investigator groups and a circle of immediate collaborators into a more inclusive and open environment where data gathered ay great public cost must then be findable and useable throughout the broad national and international research community. In this paper and as an introduction to this special session, we will draw a picture of existing and evolving resources throughout the heliophyscs community, the capabilities and data now available to end users, and the relationships and complementarity of different elements in the environment today. We will cite the relative roles of mission and instrument data centers and resident archives, multi-mission data centers, and the growing importance of virtual discipline observatories and cross-cutting services including the evolution of a common data dictionary. We will briefly summarize our view of the most important challenges still faced by users and providers, and our vision in ow the efforts today can evolve into a more and more enabling data framework for the global research community to tap the widest range of existing missions and their data to address a full range of critical science questions from the scale of microphysics to the heliospheric system as a whole.

Real-Time Motion Tracking for Mobile Augmented/Virtual Reality Using Adaptive Visual-Inertial Fusion

PubMed Central

Fang, Wei; Zheng, Lianyu; Deng, Huanjun; Zhang, Hongbo

2017-01-01

In mobile augmented/virtual reality (AR/VR), real-time 6-Degree of Freedom (DoF) motion tracking is essential for the registration between virtual scenes and the real world. However, due to the limited computational capacity of mobile terminals today, the latency between consecutive arriving poses would damage the user experience in mobile AR/VR. Thus, a visual-inertial based real-time motion tracking for mobile AR/VR is proposed in this paper. By means of high frequency and passive outputs from the inertial sensor, the real-time performance of arriving poses for mobile AR/VR is achieved. In addition, to alleviate the jitter phenomenon during the visual-inertial fusion, an adaptive filter framework is established to cope with different motion situations automatically, enabling the real-time 6-DoF motion tracking by balancing the jitter and latency. Besides, the robustness of the traditional visual-only based motion tracking is enhanced, giving rise to a better mobile AR/VR performance when motion blur is encountered. Finally, experiments are carried out to demonstrate the proposed method, and the results show that this work is capable of providing a smooth and robust 6-DoF motion tracking for mobile AR/VR in real-time. PMID:28475145

A new vision for distance learning and continuing medical education.

PubMed

Harden, Ronald M

2005-01-01

Increasing demands on continuing medical education (CME) are taking place at a time of significant developments in educational thinking and new learning technologies. Such developments allow today's CME providers to better meet the CRISIS criteria for effective continuing education: convenience, relevance, individualization, self-assessment, independent learning, and a systematic approach. The International Virtual Medical School (IVIMEDS) provides a case study that illustrates how rapid growth of the Internet and e-learning can alter undergraduate education and has the potential to alter the nature of CME. Key components are a bank of reusable learning objects, a virtual practice with virtual patients, a learning-outcomes framework, and self-assessment instruments. Learning is facilitated by a curriculum map, guided-learning resources, "ask-the-expert" opportunities, and collaborative or peer-to-peer learning. The educational philosophy is "just-for-you" learning (learning customized to the content, educational strategy, and distribution needs of the individual physician) and "just-in-time" learning (learning resources available to physicians when they are required). Implications of the new learning technologies are profound. E-learning provides a bridge between the cutting edge of education and training and outdated procedures embedded in institutions and professional organizations. There are important implications, too, for globalization in medical education, for multiprofessional education, and for the continuum of education from undergraduate to postgraduate and continuing education.

Mixed reality ventriculostomy simulation: experience in neurosurgical residency.

PubMed

Hooten, Kristopher G; Lister, J Richard; Lombard, Gwen; Lizdas, David E; Lampotang, Samsun; Rajon, Didier A; Bova, Frank; Murad, Gregory J A

2014-12-01

Medicine and surgery are turning toward simulation to improve on limited patient interaction during residency training. Many simulators today use virtual reality with augmented haptic feedback with little to no physical elements. In a collaborative effort, the University of Florida Department of Neurosurgery and the Center for Safety, Simulation & Advanced Learning Technologies created a novel "mixed" physical and virtual simulator to mimic the ventriculostomy procedure. The simulator contains all the physical components encountered for the procedure with superimposed 3-D virtual elements for the neuroanatomical structures. To introduce the ventriculostomy simulator and its validation as a necessary training tool in neurosurgical residency. We tested the simulator in more than 260 residents. An algorithm combining time and accuracy was used to grade performance. Voluntary postperformance surveys were used to evaluate the experience. Results demonstrate that more experienced residents have statistically significant better scores and completed the procedure in less time than inexperienced residents. Survey results revealed that most residents agreed that practice on the simulator would help with future ventriculostomies. This mixed reality simulator provides a real-life experience, and will be an instrumental tool in training the next generation of neurosurgeons. We have now implemented a standard where incoming residents must prove efficiency and skill on the simulator before their first interaction with a patient.

Suitability of digital camcorders for virtual reality image data capture

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

D'Apuzzo, Nicola; Maas, Hans-Gerd

1998-12-01

Today's consumer market digital camcorders offer features which make them appear quite interesting devices for virtual reality data capture. The paper compares a digital camcorder with an analogue camcorder and a machine vision type CCD camera and discusses the suitability of these three cameras for virtual reality applications. Besides the discussion of technical features of the cameras, this includes a detailed accuracy test in order to define the range of applications. In combination with the cameras, three different framegrabbers are tested. The geometric accuracy potential of all three cameras turned out to be surprisingly large, and no problems were noticed in the radiometric performance. On the other hand, some disadvantages have to be reported: from the photogrammetrists point of view, the major disadvantage of most camcorders is the missing possibility to synchronize multiple devices, limiting the suitability for 3-D motion data capture. Moreover, the standard video format contains interlacing, which is also undesirable for all applications dealing with moving objects or moving cameras. Further disadvantages are computer interfaces with functionality, which is still suboptimal. While custom-made solutions to these problems are probably rather expensive (and will make potential users turn back to machine vision like equipment), this functionality could probably be included by the manufacturers at almost zero cost.

Real-Time Motion Tracking for Mobile Augmented/Virtual Reality Using Adaptive Visual-Inertial Fusion.

PubMed

Fang, Wei; Zheng, Lianyu; Deng, Huanjun; Zhang, Hongbo

2017-05-05

In mobile augmented/virtual reality (AR/VR), real-time 6-Degree of Freedom (DoF) motion tracking is essential for the registration between virtual scenes and the real world. However, due to the limited computational capacity of mobile terminals today, the latency between consecutive arriving poses would damage the user experience in mobile AR/VR. Thus, a visual-inertial based real-time motion tracking for mobile AR/VR is proposed in this paper. By means of high frequency and passive outputs from the inertial sensor, the real-time performance of arriving poses for mobile AR/VR is achieved. In addition, to alleviate the jitter phenomenon during the visual-inertial fusion, an adaptive filter framework is established to cope with different motion situations automatically, enabling the real-time 6-DoF motion tracking by balancing the jitter and latency. Besides, the robustness of the traditional visual-only based motion tracking is enhanced, giving rise to a better mobile AR/VR performance when motion blur is encountered. Finally, experiments are carried out to demonstrate the proposed method, and the results show that this work is capable of providing a smooth and robust 6-DoF motion tracking for mobile AR/VR in real-time.

The virtual library: Coming of age

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hunter, Judy F.; Cotter, Gladys A.

1994-01-01

With the high speed networking capabilities, multiple media options, and massive amounts of information that exist in electronic format today, the concept of a 'virtual' library or 'library without walls' is becoming viable. In virtual library environment, the information processed goes beyond the traditional definition of documents to include the results of scientific and technical research and development (reports, software, data) recorded in any format or media: electronic, audio, video, or scanned images. Network access to information must include tools to help locate information sources and navigate the networks to connect to the sources, as well as methods to extract the relevant information. Graphical User Interfaces (GUI's) that are intuitive and navigational tools such as Intelligent Gateway Processors (IGP) will provide users with seamless and transparent use of high speed networks to access, organize, and manage information. Traditional libraries will become points of electronic access to information on multiple medias. The emphasis will be towards unique collections of information at each library rather than entire collections at every library. It is no longer a question of whether there is enough information available; it is more a question of how to manage the vast volumes of information. The future equation will involve being able to organize knowledge, manage information, and provide access at the point of origin.

Haemophilia treatment in 2030.

PubMed

Berntorp, E

2016-07-01

Looking into the future is difficult and sometimes hazardous. A reliable look into haemophilia treatment in 2030 should be based on history and contemporary progress as well as dilemmas. Today, the issue of inhibitors overshadows the entire haemophilia community together with lack of treatment for large parts of the world's persons with haemophilia. The aim of this paper was to provide a perspective on haemophilia treatment in 2030 and its provenance. Literature review on history, treatment of haemophilia today as well as of emerging therapies give a base for the author's opinion on haemophilia treatment in 2030. Development of haemophilia treatment has virtually exploded during the last decade and a number of new clotting factor concentrates and alternative approaches are in the pipeline. The collection of treatment resources that we can see on the horizon gives hope that each person with haemophilia will get the care needed in 2030. The products used will be directed by individual needs and tailored to regional and local situations. © 2016 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

The advantages and disadvantages of using high technology in hand rehabilitation.

PubMed

Levanon, Yafi

2013-01-01

A brief review of the history of occupational therapy shows that the relationship between health and activity was of great concern to the founders of the Occupational Therapy (OT) field, and continues to be of concern to today's occupational therapists. Today, computers and Virtual Reality (VR) take the place of clay and the weaving loom. The goal of this article is to describe both known and innovative computerized equipment being used in interventions for hand rehabilitation and evaluations, as well as answer the question: 'what are the advantages and disadvantages of using technology in hand rehabilitation?' Our conclusion, based on clinical experience and supported by the literature, appears to emphasize that advanced technology can enrich treatment and help patients who are unable to visit the clinic regularly, to get appropriate treatment. However, advanced technology has not been found to be superior to traditional treatment and cannot replace the occupational therapist. Copyright © 2013 Hanley & Belfus. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Should there be greater exposure to interventional radiology in the undergraduate curriculum?

PubMed

Ojha, Utkarsh; Mohammed, Raihan; Vivekanantham, Sayinthen

2017-01-01

Medical imaging has been one of the most revolutionary innovations in medicine. Today, as health care professionals shift their focus toward more sophisticated technology and minimally invasive procedures, interventional radiology (IR) has become a rapidly expanding specialty. Despite these advances, there is a lack of doctors specializing in this field. A growing body of evidence suggests that the low number of applicants for posts may be due to poor exposure to the specialty at medical school. In this article, we outline the importance of IR in today's health care system. Next, we evaluate the evidence that there is a lack of knowledge of IR not only among medical students in the UK but globally. We further discuss how a more effective incorporation of IR in the undergraduate curriculum can enhance medical students' interest in the field and subsequently increase the number of doctors specializing in IR. Finally, we suggest alternative strategies to gauge medical students' interest in IR, including teaching via e-learning and virtual reality.

FORECAST - A cloud-based personalized intelligent virtual coaching platform for the well-being of cancer patients.

PubMed

Kyriazakos, Sofoklis; Valentini, Vincenzo; Cesario, Alfredo; Zachariae, Robert

2018-01-01

Well-being of cancer patients and survivors is a challenge worldwide, considering the often chronic nature of the disease. Today, a large number of initiatives, products and services are available that aim to provide strategies to face the challenge of well-being in cancer patients; nevertheless the proposed solutions are often non-sustainable, costly, unavailable to those in need, and less well-received by patients. These challenges were considered in designing FORECAST, a cloud-based personalized intelligent virtual coaching platform for improving the well-being of cancer patients. Personalized coaching for cancer patients focuses on physical, mental, and emotional concerns, which FORECAST is able to identify. Cancer patients can benefit from coaching that addresses their emotional problems, helps them focus on their goals, and supports them in coping with their disease-related stressors. Personalized coaching in FORECAST offers support, encouragement, motivation, confidence, and hope and is a valuable tool for the wellbeing of a patient.

Photorealistic scene presentation: virtual video camera

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Johnson, Michael J.; Rogers, Joel Clark W.

1994-07-01

This paper presents a low cost alternative for presenting photo-realistic imagery during the final approach, which often is a peak workload phase of flight. The method capitalizes on `a priori' information. It accesses out-the-window `snapshots' from a mass storage device, selecting the snapshots that deliver the best match for a given aircraft position and runway scene. It then warps the snapshots to align them more closely with the current viewpoint. The individual snapshots, stored as highly compressed images, are decompressed and interpolated to produce a `clear-day' video stream. The paper shows how this warping, when combined with other compression methods, saves considerable amounts of storage; compression factors from 1000 to 3000 were achieved. Thus, a CD-ROM today can store reference snapshots for thousands of different runways. Dynamic scene elements not present in the snapshot database can be inserted as separate symbolic or pictorial images. When underpinned by an appropriate suite of sensor technologies, the methods discussed indicate an all-weather virtual video camera is possible.

Virtual art revisited

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ruzanka, S.

2014-02-01

Virtual reality art at the turn of the millenium saw an explosion of creative exploration around this nascent technoloy. Though VR art has much in common with media art in general, the affordances of the technology gave rise to unique experiences, discourses, and artistic investigations. Women artists were at the forefront of the medium, shaping its aesthetic and technical development, and VR fostered a range of artistic concerns and experimentation that was largely distinct from closely related forms such as digital games. Today, a new wave of consumer technologies including 3D TV's, gestural and motion tracking interfaces, and headmount displays as viable, low-cost gaming peripherals drives a resurgence in interest in VR for interactive art and entertainment. Designers, game developers, and artists working with these technologies are in many cases discovering them anew. This paper explores ways of reconnecting this current moment in VR with its past. Can the artistic investigations begun in previous waves of VR be continued? How do the similarities and differences in contexts, communities, technologies, and discourses affect the development of the medium?

Working conditions and workplace health and safety promotion in home care: A mixed-method study from Swedish managers' perspectives.

PubMed

Gard, Gunvor; Larsson, Agneta

2017-11-02

Today, we can see a trend toward increased psychosocial strain at work among home-care managers and staff. The aim of this study is to describe home care managers' views on their own psychosocial working conditions and on how to promote workplace health and safety in a municipality in northern Sweden. A mixed-methods design was used, including questionnaire and qualitative focus group data. The qualitative data were analyzed by manifest content analysis. The results indicate that most managers perceived increased variety in work and opportunities for development at work, but at the same time increased demands. The managers suggested that workplace health and safety could be improved by risk assessment and improved communication, a clear communication chain by a real as well as a virtual platform for communication. In summary, workplace health and safety could be improved by risk assessments and by a physical as well as a virtual platform for communication.

New Web Server - the Java Version of Tempest - Produced

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

York, David W.; Ponyik, Joseph G.

2000-01-01

A new software design and development effort has produced a Java (Sun Microsystems, Inc.) version of the award-winning Tempest software (refs. 1 and 2). In 1999, the Embedded Web Technology (EWT) team received a prestigious R&D 100 Award for Tempest, Java Version. In this article, "Tempest" will refer to the Java version of Tempest, a World Wide Web server for desktop or embedded systems. Tempest was designed at the NASA Glenn Research Center at Lewis Field to run on any platform for which a Java Virtual Machine (JVM, Sun Microsystems, Inc.) exists. The JVM acts as a translator between the native code of the platform and the byte code of Tempest, which is compiled in Java. These byte code files are Java executables with a ".class" extension. Multiple byte code files can be zipped together as a "*.jar" file for more efficient transmission over the Internet. Today's popular browsers, such as Netscape (Netscape Communications Corporation) and Internet Explorer (Microsoft Corporation) have built-in Virtual Machines to display Java applets.

Use of Docker for deployment and testing of astronomy software

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Morris, D.; Voutsinas, S.; Hambly, N. C.; Mann, R. G.

2017-07-01

We describe preliminary investigations of using Docker for the deployment and testing of astronomy software. Docker is a relatively new containerization technology that is developing rapidly and being adopted across a range of domains. It is based upon virtualization at operating system level, which presents many advantages in comparison to the more traditional hardware virtualization that underpins most cloud computing infrastructure today. A particular strength of Docker is its simple format for describing and managing software containers, which has benefits for software developers, system administrators and end users. We report on our experiences from two projects - a simple activity to demonstrate how Docker works, and a more elaborate set of services that demonstrates more of its capabilities and what they can achieve within an astronomical context - and include an account of how we solved problems through interaction with Docker's very active open source development community, which is currently the key to the most effective use of this rapidly-changing technology.

Nursing education trends: future implications and predictions.

PubMed

Valiga, Theresa M Terry

2012-12-01

This article examines current trends in nursing education and proposes numerous transformations needed to ensure that programs are relevant, fully engage learners, reflect evidence-based teaching practices, and are innovative. Such program characteristics are essential if we are to graduate nurses who can practice effectively in today's complex, ambiguous, ever-changing health care environments and who are prepared to practice in and, indeed, shape tomorrow's unknown practice environments. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Evolving Educational Techniques in Surgical Training.

PubMed

Evans, Charity H; Schenarts, Kimberly D

2016-02-01

Training competent and professional surgeons efficiently and effectively requires innovation and modernization of educational methods. Today's medical learner is quite adept at using multiple platforms to gain information, providing surgical educators with numerous innovative avenues to promote learning. With the growth of technology, and the restriction of work hours in surgical education, there has been an increase in use of simulation, including virtual reality, robotics, telemedicine, and gaming. The use of simulation has shifted the learning of basic surgical skills to the laboratory, reserving limited time in the operating room for the acquisition of complex surgical skills". Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Self-study packets: an in-service strategy for today's emergency department.

PubMed

Macari, G H

1993-04-01

The self-study program has been a great success. Staff seized the opportunity for "hands-on," nonthreatening learning. The fear of asking questions and appearing less knowledgeable than peers in a group setting is removed, and new employees are grateful for the rapid accessibility of concise reference material. Everyone enjoys the freedom of fitting the in-service program into a routine day, rather than trying to adapt to a set time. Last, but not least, management reaps to the benefit of a program that satisfies the expectations of regulatory agencies and is virtually cost-free.

Simulated airline service experience with laminar-flow control leading-edge systems

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Maddalon, Dal V.; Fisher, David F.; Jennett, Lisa A.; Fischer, Michael C.

1987-01-01

The first JetStar leading edge flight test was made November 30, 1983. The JetStar was flown for more than 3 years. The titanium leading edge test articles today remain in virtually the same condition as they were in on that first flight. No degradation of laminar flow performance has occurred as a result of service. The JetStar simulated airline service flights have demonstrated that effective, practical leading edge systems are available for future commercial transports. Specific conclusions based on the results of the simulated airline service test program are summarized.

Deferred compensation for tax-exempt entities.

PubMed

Rich, C; Jenkins, G E

1993-10-01

Many executives in tax-exempt organizations, including healthcare executives, find their tax-advantaged savings opportunities dramatically reduced today compared to previous years. The benefit of employer-sponsored, "qualified" retirement and savings programs has been severely limited by ever-increasing tax restrictions on such plans when they are offered by tax-exempt organizations. And the opportunity for tax-sheltered personal investments has virtually disappeared. One of the last remaining opportunities for tax-advantaged savings in tax-exempt organizations is an employer-sponsored, non-qualified, deferred compensation plan, an option that appears increasingly attractive in light of the recently enacted increased personal tax rates.

Is counter-terrorism policy evidence-based? What works, what harms, and what is unknown.

PubMed

Lum, Cynthia; Kennedy, Leslie W; Sherley, Alison

2008-02-01

Is counter-terrorism policy evidence-based? What works, what harms, and what is unknown. One of the central concerns surrounding counter-terrorism interventions today, given the attention and money spent on them, is whether such interventions are effective. To explore this issue, we conducted a general review of terrorism literature as well as a Campbell systematic review on counter-terrorism strategies. In this article, we summarize some of our findings from these works. Overall, we found an almost complete absence of evaluation research on counter-terrorism strategies and conclude that counter-terrorism policy is not evidence-based. The findings of this review emphasise the need for government leaders, policy makers, researchers, and funding agencies to include and insist on evaluations of the effectiveness of these programs in their agendas.

Segeberg 1600 - Reconstructing a Historic Town for Virtual Reality Visualisation as AN Immersive Experience

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Deggim, S.; Kersten, T. P.; Tschirschwitz, F.; Hinrichsen, N.

2017-11-01

The 3D reconstruction of historic buildings and cities offers an opportunity to experience the history of relevant objects and their development over the centuries. Digital visualisations of such historic objects allow for a more natural view of history as well as showing information that is not possible in a real world setting. New presentation forms, such as the virtual reality (VR) system HTC Vive, can be used to disseminate information in another dimension and simplify the access by changing the user's viewpoint from a listener and viewer into being an integrated part of an interactive situation. In general, this approach is a combination of education and entertainment, also known as "edutainment" or "gamification", a term used in the education sector as describing where motivation to learn is encouraged through adding a competitive element. It is thus a step away from simple consumption of information towards experiencing information and a more literal interpretation of "living history". In this contribution, we present the development of a 3D reconstruction of the two towns Segeberg and Gieschenhagen (today: Bad Segeberg) in Schleswig-Holstein, Germany in the Early Modern Age around 1600. The historic landscape and its conversion from a reconstructed virtual town model into an interactive VR application is also described. The reconstruction is based on a recent digital terrain model as well as survey data of surviving buildings, historic visual information based on historic drawings and written accounts from that era. All datasets are combined to a single walkable virtual world that spans approximately 3 km2.

Training and Assessing Interprofessional Virtual Teams Using a Web-Based Case System.

PubMed

Dow, Alan W; Boling, Peter A; Lockeman, Kelly S; Mazmanian, Paul E; Feldman, Moshe; DiazGranados, Deborah; Browning, Joel; Coe, Antoinette; Selby-Penczak, Rachel; Hobgood, Sarah; Abbey, Linda; Parsons, Pamela; Delafuente, Jeffrey; Taylor, Suzanne F

2016-01-01

Today, clinical care is often provided by interprofessional virtual teams-groups of practitioners who work asynchronously and use technology to communicate. Members of such teams must be competent in interprofessional practice and the use of information technology, two targets for health professions education reform. The authors created a Web-based case system to teach and assess these competencies in health professions students. They created a four-module, six-week geriatric learning experience using a Web-based case system. Health professions students were divided into interprofessional virtual teams. Team members received profession-specific information, entered a summary of this information into the case system's electronic health record, answered knowledge questions about the case individually, then collaborated asynchronously to answer the same questions as a team. Individual and team knowledge scores and case activity measures--number of logins, message board posts/replies, views of message board posts--were tracked. During academic year 2012-2013, 80 teams composed of 522 students from medicine, nursing, pharmacy, and social work participated. Knowledge scores varied by profession and within professions. Team scores were higher than individual scores (P < .001). Students and teams with higher knowledge scores had higher case activity measures. Team score was most highly correlated with number of message board posts/replies and was not correlated with number of views of message board posts. This Web-based case system provided a novel approach to teach and assess the competencies needed for virtual teams. This approach may be a valuable new tool for measuring competency in interprofessional practice.

Korean Affairs Report, KULLOJA No. 8 August 1984.

DTIC Science & Technology

1985-04-19

brought about in the ideological and spiritual make-up and zest for life of the people, and that a golden age of national prosperity is unfolding in...developed at a new height. As a result, today our nation has entered a heretofore unknown golden age of prosperity. The glorious successes achieved...times and the revolution is the bringing about of epoch-making change in all sectors of revolution and construction so as to unfold a great golden age

Effectiveness of conventional versus virtual reality based vestibular rehabilitation in the treatment of dizziness, gait and balance impairment in adults with unilateral peripheral vestibular loss: a randomised controlled trial.

PubMed

Meldrum, Dara; Herdman, Susan; Moloney, Roisin; Murray, Deirdre; Duffy, Douglas; Malone, Kareena; French, Helen; Hone, Stephen; Conroy, Ronan; McConn-Walsh, Rory

2012-03-26

Unilateral peripheral vestibular loss results in gait and balance impairment, dizziness and oscillopsia. Vestibular rehabilitation benefits patients but optimal treatment remains unknown. Virtual reality is an emerging tool in rehabilitation and provides opportunities to improve both outcomes and patient satisfaction with treatment. The Nintendo Wii Fit Plus® (NWFP) is a low cost virtual reality system that challenges balance and provides visual and auditory feedback. It may augment the motor learning that is required to improve balance and gait, but no trials to date have investigated efficacy. In a single (assessor) blind, two centre randomised controlled superiority trial, 80 patients with unilateral peripheral vestibular loss will be randomised to either conventional or virtual reality based (NWFP) vestibular rehabilitation for 6 weeks. The primary outcome measure is gait speed (measured with three dimensional gait analysis). Secondary outcomes include computerised posturography, dynamic visual acuity, and validated questionnaires on dizziness, confidence and anxiety/depression. Outcome will be assessed post treatment (8 weeks) and at 6 months. Advances in the gaming industry have allowed mass production of highly sophisticated low cost virtual reality systems that incorporate technology previously not accessible to most therapists and patients. Importantly, they are not confined to rehabilitation departments, can be used at home and provide an accurate record of adherence to exercise. The benefits of providing augmented feedback, increasing intensity of exercise and accurately measuring adherence may improve conventional vestibular rehabilitation but efficacy must first be demonstrated. Clinical trials.gov identifier: NCT01442623.

Self-paced versus fixed speed walking and the effect of virtual reality in children with cerebral palsy.

PubMed

Sloot, Lizeth H; Harlaar, Jaap; van der Krogt, Marjolein M

2015-10-01

While feedback-controlled treadmills with a virtual reality could potentially offer advantages for clinical gait analysis and training, the effect of self-paced walking and the virtual environment on the gait pattern of children and different patient groups remains unknown. This study examined the effect of self-paced (SP) versus fixed speed (FS) walking and of walking with and without a virtual reality (VR) in 11 typically developing (TD) children and nine children with cerebral palsy (CP). We found that subjects walked in SP mode with twice as much between-stride walking speed variability (p<0.01), fluctuating over multiple strides. There was no main effect of SP on kinematics or kinetics, but small interaction effects between SP and group (TD versus CP) were found for five out of 33 parameters. This suggests that children with CP might need more time to familiarize to SP walking, however, these differences were generally too small to be clinically relevant. The VR environment did not affect the kinematic or kinetic parameters, but walking with VR was rated as more similar to overground walking by both groups (p=0.02). The results of this study indicate that both SP and FS walking, with and without VR, can be used interchangeably for treadmill-based clinical gait analysis in children with and without CP. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Observer-dependent sign inversions of polarization singularities.

PubMed

Freund, Isaac

2014-10-15

We describe observer-dependent sign inversions of the topological charges of vector field polarization singularities: C points (points of circular polarization), L points (points of linear polarization), and two virtually unknown singularities we call γ(C) and α(L) points. In all cases, the sign of the charge seen by an observer can change as she changes the direction from which she views the singularity. Analytic formulas are given for all C and all L point sign inversions.

Military Psychiatry: A Tri-Service Perspective.

DTIC Science & Technology

1987-01-01

Vietnam b6 conflict were virtually unknown, a contrast to World war II. Three percent of U. S. Air Force, 5% of U. S. Army, and 15% of U. S. Navy...of regression and separation from his task and group. Hypnosis and antipsychotic agents appear to be of little use in treatment. Hypnosis deprives the...conditions to mimic reality , indicated a 20% psychiatric casualty rate during a chemical warfare (CW) attack. In World war I, such cases were called

Microseismic source locations with deconvolution migration

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wu, Shaojiang; Wang, Yibo; Zheng, Yikang; Chang, Xu

2018-03-01

Identifying and locating microseismic events are critical problems in hydraulic fracturing monitoring for unconventional resources exploration. In contrast to active seismic data, microseismic data are usually recorded with unknown source excitation time and source location. In this study, we introduce deconvolution migration by combining deconvolution interferometry with interferometric cross-correlation migration (CCM). This method avoids the need for the source excitation time and enhances both the spatial resolution and robustness by eliminating the square term of the source wavelets from CCM. The proposed algorithm is divided into the following three steps: (1) generate the virtual gathers by deconvolving the master trace with all other traces in the microseismic gather to remove the unknown excitation time; (2) migrate the virtual gather to obtain a single image of the source location and (3) stack all of these images together to get the final estimation image of the source location. We test the proposed method on complex synthetic and field data set from the surface hydraulic fracturing monitoring, and compare the results with those obtained by interferometric CCM. The results demonstrate that the proposed method can obtain a 50 per cent higher spatial resolution image of the source location, and more robust estimation with smaller errors of the localization especially in the presence of velocity model errors. This method is also beneficial for source mechanism inversion and global seismology applications.

Simple, but not easy - Opportunities and challenges from teachers' and students' perspectives in the 21st century of veterinary parasitology teaching.

PubMed

Strube, Christina; Raue, Katharina; Janecek, Elisabeth

2018-03-15

One of the main goals in academia is, and has been, high quality education of students to provide theoretical and practical knowledge essential for professional life. Achieving this goal is highly dependent on teaching procedures and, consequently, on a constant adaptation of teaching styles to align to technical advances and cutting-edge topics. Technical advances can strongly influence teaching and learning in the complex subject area of veterinary parasitology. Today's students are provided with extensive, digital lecture notes, and e-learning offers including virtual microscope technology to independently obtain intensified theoretical knowledge and understanding. As veterinary parasitology is also highly reliant on proficient practical skills, lectures with integrated diagnostic exercises are mandatory. Nowadays, such practical skills, such as carrying out faecal examination procedures, can be strengthened by having access to clinical skills labs. Advances such as digital lecture notes, e-learning and virtual microscopes do not only provide new, innovative opportunities, but can also comprise challenges. In this context, provision of sufficient relevant studying material may discourage students to take on responsibilities for autonomous gathering of information. Besides technical advances, 'Zeitgeist' changes are shaping teaching contents, which are progressively expanding as zoonoses are increasingly being focused on. With the aim of adopting the one-health concept, students today are expected not only to bear responsibilities for animals, but also for their owners and public health. This article will cast light on some key challenges and opportunities in modern veterinary parasitology teaching from the teachers´ and the students´ perspectives. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

[German physicians' access to professional knowledge. Acceptance, quality and availability of professional information with special reference to electronic information media].

PubMed

Reng, Carl-Michael; Friedrich, Hans-Jürgen; Timmer, Antje; Schölmerich, Jürgen

2003-11-15

The growing relevance of continuous medical education is evident. Also information retrieval helping to solve clinical problems yet at the patient's bedside becomes more and more important. This study challenges common and coming methods of information retrieval applied by German physicians. It helps answering the question which advantage or disadvantage due to the chosen method of information acquisition may arise. It also shows which practical relevance and which grade of quality the information seeking doctor may anticipate. A questionnaire was sent out to all registered clinicians in hospital and practice in Germany. Not only traditional means of information retrieval were analyzed. Also, a lot of the questions posed focused on the acceptance and use of new media in the professional context. About 16,000 colleagues answered by filling in the complete form therewith allowing a deep insight into their informational needs and habits. While traditional media like books and scientific papers enjoy wide public confidence, the acceptance and estimated reliability of virtual sources of information today still remain restrained. The lack of transparency of the virtual sources and ways of information within the web according to often imprecise rules for quality assurance lead to major complaint. Information offered directly by the industry has a very low rate of acceptance. To gain higher confidence in electronic media presenting professional knowledge and advanced medical training, the development of technological advantages today seems to be less relevant. Work on the transparency of the informational structures including clear definition of resources and clear indication of possible conflicts of interest are just as important as a comprehensible quality of forthcoming medical content.

The RN-BSN student: developing a model of empowerment.

PubMed

Worrell, J D; McGinn, A; Black, E; Holloway, N; Ney, P

1996-03-01

Nursing practice is being redefined. Today's graduating nurse is practicing in a tomorrow full of unknowns. The relevancy of traditional nursing education is being questioned in today's health care climate of crisis. In an attempt to prepare the graduating RN-BSN student to cope with these changes, nurse educators developed a process of empowerment. The framework for this effort was derived from the curriculum revolution, adult learning theory and empowerment research. The faculty defined empowerment as both an interpersonal process and an outcome. A graphic model has been created consisting of the four elements of empowerment: collegiality, communication, autonomy and accountability. Learning experiences are selected based upon these four elements. Teaching strategies are identified. Positive changes in student behavior have been reported anecdotally. The faculty are beginning the next phase: designing a research project to investigate behavior changes related to this empowerment model.

Plant cell wall characterization using scanning probe microscopy techniques

PubMed Central

Yarbrough, John M; Himmel, Michael E; Ding, Shi-You

2009-01-01

Lignocellulosic biomass is today considered a promising renewable resource for bioenergy production. A combined chemical and biological process is currently under consideration for the conversion of polysaccharides from plant cell wall materials, mainly cellulose and hemicelluloses, to simple sugars that can be fermented to biofuels. Native plant cellulose forms nanometer-scale microfibrils that are embedded in a polymeric network of hemicelluloses, pectins, and lignins; this explains, in part, the recalcitrance of biomass to deconstruction. The chemical and structural characteristics of these plant cell wall constituents remain largely unknown today. Scanning probe microscopy techniques, particularly atomic force microscopy and its application in characterizing plant cell wall structure, are reviewed here. We also further discuss future developments based on scanning probe microscopy techniques that combine linear and nonlinear optical techniques to characterize plant cell wall nanometer-scale structures, specifically apertureless near-field scanning optical microscopy and coherent anti-Stokes Raman scattering microscopy. PMID:19703302

Extreme aridity and mild temperatures in the Middle East during the late Little Ice Age indicated by paired coral Sr/Ca and δ18O from the northern Red Sea

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Felis, T.; Ionita, M.; Rimbu, N.; Lohmann, G.; Kölling, M.

2016-12-01

Throughout the global deserts, annually resolved reconstructions of temperature that extend the short instrumental record are virtually absent, and proxy records of aridity are difficult to obtain. The Little Ice Age ( 1450-1850) is thought to have been characterized by generally cold conditions in many regions of the globe with little commonality regarding the hydroclimate. However, due to a lack of annually resolved natural archives in the Sahara and Arabian Desert, the precise characteristics of Middle Eastern climate during the Little Ice Age are unknown. Here we show, based on subseasonally resolved proxy records using corals from the northern Red Sea that the Middle East did not experience pronounced cooling during the late Little Ice Age (1751-1850). Instead, it was characterised by an even more arid climate than today. From our coral records and early instrumental data we conclude that Middle Eastern aridity resulted from a blocking-like atmospheric circulation over central Europe that weakened the moist Mediterranean westerlies and favoured the advection of dry continental air from Eurasia. We find that this extreme aridity terminated abruptly between 1850 and 1855 due to an atmospheric circulation change over the European-Middle East area at the end of the Little Ice Age with profound impacts on regional hydroclimate. Our results provide a hydroclimatic perspective on the resettlement of abandoned areas of the historical Fertile Crescent following the Little Ice Age. Furthermore, we speculate such an atmospheric blocking could have prevailed during other North Atlantic-European cold events of the Holocene epoch, and may explain the northern Mesopotamian aridification at 4,200 years ago that is thought to have led to the collapse of ancient civilizations.

NASA's Space Launch Initiative Targets Toxic Propellants

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Hurlbert, Eric; McNeal, Curtis; Davis, Daniel J. (Technical Monitor)

2001-01-01

When manned and unmanned space flight first began, the clear and overriding design consideration was performance. Consequently, propellant combinations of all kinds were considered, tested, and, when they lifted the payload a kilometer higher, or an extra kilogram to the same altitude, they became part of our operational inventory. Cost was not considered. And with virtually all of the early work being performed by the military, safety was hardly a consideration. After all, fighting wars has always been dangerous. Those days are past now. With space flight, and the products of space flight, a regular part of our lives today, safety and cost are being reexamined. NASA's focus turns naturally to its Shuttle Space Transportation System. Designed, built, and flown for the first time in the 1970s, this system remains today America's workhorse for manned space flight. Without its tremendous lift capability and mission flexibility, the International Space Station would not exist. And the Hubble telescope would be a monument to shortsighted management, rather than the clear penetrating eye on the stars it is today. But the Shuttle system fully represents the design philosophy of its period: it is too costly to operate, and not safe enough for regular long term access to space. And one of the key reasons is the utilization of toxic propellants. This paper will present an overview of the utilization of toxic propellants on the current Shuttle system.

[Badminton--unknown sport].

PubMed

Zekan-Petrinović, Lidija

2007-01-01

For a long time, badminton was considered to be only a slow and light game for children, a game that is played outdoors and is structurally undemanding.Today, it is not an unknown and unrecognised sport, especially after it was included into the Olympics Games in 1992. Badminton is one of the oldest sports in the world. It is suitable for all ages (for children and elderly equally), women and men and even handicapped persons. Beginners can start playing badminton matches early because the basics are learned quickly. As a recreational activity, badminton is very popular in Zagreb. In the last 10 years, a number of halls specialized for badminton or offering badminton as one of available sports activities have been opened in Zagreb. At present, there are over 70 professional playgrounds for training of top contestants but also for the citizens who can play recreational badminton.

Bone loss and human adaptation to lunar gravity

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Keller, T. S.; Strauss, A. M.

1992-01-01

Long-duration space missions and establishment of permanently manned bases on the Moon and Mars are currently being planned. The weightless environment of space and the low-gravity environments of the Moon and Mars pose an unknown challenge to human habitability and survivability. Of particular concern in the medical research community today is the effect of less than Earth gravity on the human skeleton, since the limits, if any, of human endurance in low-gravity environments are unknown. This paper provides theoretical predictions on bone loss and skeletal adaptation to lunar and other nonterrestrial-gravity environments based upon the experimentally derived relationship, density approximately (mass x gravity)(exp 1/8). The predictions are compared to skeletal changes reported during bed rest, immobilization, certrifugation, and spaceflight. Countermeasures to reduce bone losses in fractional gravity are also discussed.

A Study of Ignition Effects on Thruster Performance of a Multi-Electrode Capillary Discharge Using Visible Emission Spectroscopy Diagnostics

DTIC Science & Technology

2009-09-01

observed today, it is discussed further in Section 1.1. In addition to the work done in propulsion with coaxial electro thermal pulse plasma thrusters (PPTs...initial plasma conditions. The literature supported these findings for more basic laboratory capillaries, but the effect on a thruster device was unknown...An in- depth investigation of different ignition systems were conducted for a capillary discharge based pulsed plasma thruster. In addition to

An integrated pipeline to create and experience compelling scenarios in virtual reality

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Springer, Jan P.; Neumann, Carsten; Reiners, Dirk; Cruz-Neira, Carolina

2011-03-01

One of the main barriers to create and use compelling scenarios in virtual reality is the complexity and time-consuming efforts for modeling, element integration, and the software development to properly display and interact with the content in the available systems. Still today, most virtual reality applications are tedious to create and they are hard-wired to the specific display and interaction system available to the developers when creating the application. Furthermore, it is not possible to alter the content or the dynamics of the content once the application has been created. We present our research on designing a software pipeline that enables the creation of compelling scenarios with a fair degree of visual and interaction complexity in a semi-automated way. Specifically, we are targeting drivable urban scenarios, ranging from large cities to sparsely populated rural areas that incorporate both static components (e. g., houses, trees) and dynamic components (e. g., people, vehicles) as well as events, such as explosions or ambient noise. Our pipeline has four basic components. First, an environment designer, where users sketch the overall layout of the scenario, and an automated method constructs the 3D environment from the information in the sketch. Second, a scenario editor used for authoring the complete scenario, incorporate the dynamic elements and events, fine tune the automatically generated environment, define the execution conditions of the scenario, and set up any data gathering that may be necessary during the execution of the scenario. Third, a run-time environment for different virtual-reality systems provides users with the interactive experience as designed with the designer and the editor. And fourth, a bi-directional monitoring system that allows for capturing and modification of information from the virtual environment. One of the interesting capabilities of our pipeline is that scenarios can be built and modified on-the-fly as they are being presented in the virtual-reality systems. Users can quickly prototype the basic scene using the designer and the editor on a control workstation. More elements can then be introduced into the scene from both the editor and the virtual-reality display. In this manner, users are able to gradually increase the complexity of the scenario with immediate feedback. The main use of this pipeline is the rapid development of scenarios for human-factors studies. However, it is applicable in a much more general context.

Not virtual, but a real, live, online, interactive reference service.

PubMed

Jerant, Lisa Lott; Firestein, Kenneth

2003-01-01

In today's fast-paced environment, traditional medical reference services alone are not adequate to meet users' information needs. Efforts to find new ways to provide comprehensive service to users, where and when needed, have often included the use of new and developing technologies. This paper describes the experience of an academic health science library in developing and providing an online, real-time reference service. Issues discussed include selecting software, training librarians, staffing the service, and considering the future of the service. Use statistics, question type analysis, and feedback from users of the service and librarians who staff the service, are also presented.

Proactive Fault Tolerance for HPC with Xen Virtualization

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Nagarajan, Arun Babu; Mueller, Frank; Engelmann, Christian

2007-01-01

with thousands of processors. At such large counts of compute nodes, faults are becoming common place. Current techniques to tolerate faults focus on reactive schemes to recover from faults and generally rely on a checkpoint/restart mechanism. Yet, in today's systems, node failures can often be anticipated by detecting a deteriorating health status. Instead of a reactive scheme for fault tolerance (FT), we are promoting a proactive one where processes automatically migrate from “unhealthy” nodes to healthy ones. Our approach relies on operating system virtualization techniques exemplied by but not limited to Xen. This paper contributes an automatic and transparent mechanismmore » for proactive FT for arbitrary MPI applications. It leverages virtualization techniques combined with health monitoring and load-based migration. We exploit Xen's live migration mechanism for a guest operating system (OS) to migrate an MPI task from a health-deteriorating node to a healthy one without stopping the MPI task during most of the migration. Our proactive FT daemon orchestrates the tasks of health monitoring, load determination and initiation of guest OS migration. Experimental results demonstrate that live migration hides migration costs and limits the overhead to only a few seconds making it an attractive approach to realize FT in HPC systems. Overall, our enhancements make proactive FT a valuable asset for long-running MPI application that is complementary to reactive FT using full checkpoint/ restart schemes since checkpoint frequencies can be reduced as fewer unanticipated failures are encountered. In the context of OS virtualization, we believe that this is the rst comprehensive study of proactive fault tolerance where live migration is actually triggered by health monitoring.« less

Computational methods in drug discovery

PubMed Central

Leelananda, Sumudu P

2016-01-01

The process for drug discovery and development is challenging, time consuming and expensive. Computer-aided drug discovery (CADD) tools can act as a virtual shortcut, assisting in the expedition of this long process and potentially reducing the cost of research and development. Today CADD has become an effective and indispensable tool in therapeutic development. The human genome project has made available a substantial amount of sequence data that can be used in various drug discovery projects. Additionally, increasing knowledge of biological structures, as well as increasing computer power have made it possible to use computational methods effectively in various phases of the drug discovery and development pipeline. The importance of in silico tools is greater than ever before and has advanced pharmaceutical research. Here we present an overview of computational methods used in different facets of drug discovery and highlight some of the recent successes. In this review, both structure-based and ligand-based drug discovery methods are discussed. Advances in virtual high-throughput screening, protein structure prediction methods, protein–ligand docking, pharmacophore modeling and QSAR techniques are reviewed. PMID:28144341

Computational methods in drug discovery.

PubMed

Leelananda, Sumudu P; Lindert, Steffen

2016-01-01

The process for drug discovery and development is challenging, time consuming and expensive. Computer-aided drug discovery (CADD) tools can act as a virtual shortcut, assisting in the expedition of this long process and potentially reducing the cost of research and development. Today CADD has become an effective and indispensable tool in therapeutic development. The human genome project has made available a substantial amount of sequence data that can be used in various drug discovery projects. Additionally, increasing knowledge of biological structures, as well as increasing computer power have made it possible to use computational methods effectively in various phases of the drug discovery and development pipeline. The importance of in silico tools is greater than ever before and has advanced pharmaceutical research. Here we present an overview of computational methods used in different facets of drug discovery and highlight some of the recent successes. In this review, both structure-based and ligand-based drug discovery methods are discussed. Advances in virtual high-throughput screening, protein structure prediction methods, protein-ligand docking, pharmacophore modeling and QSAR techniques are reviewed.

Observations reveal external driver for Arctic sea-ice retreat

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Notz, Dirk; Marotzke, Jochem

2012-04-01

The very low summer extent of Arctic sea ice that has been observed in recent years is often casually interpreted as an early-warning sign of anthropogenic global warming. For examining the validity of this claim, previously IPCC model simulations have been used. Here, we focus on the available observational record to examine if this record allows us to identify either internal variability, self-acceleration, or a specific external forcing as the main driver for the observed sea-ice retreat. We find that the available observations are sufficient to virtually exclude internal variability and self-acceleration as an explanation for the observed long-term trend, clustering, and magnitude of recent sea-ice minima. Instead, the recent retreat is well described by the superposition of an externally forced linear trend and internal variability. For the externally forced trend, we find a physically plausible strong correlation only with increasing atmospheric CO2 concentration. Our results hence show that the observed evolution of Arctic sea-ice extent is consistent with the claim that virtually certainly the impact of an anthropogenic climate change is observable in Arctic sea ice already today.

Lung segment geometry study: simulation of largest possible tumours that fit into bronchopulmonary segments.

PubMed

Welter, S; Stöcker, C; Dicken, V; Kühl, H; Krass, S; Stamatis, G

2012-03-01

Segmental resection in stage I non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) has been well described and is considered to have similar survival rates as lobectomy but with increased rates of local tumour recurrence due to inadequate parenchymal margins. In consequence, today segmentectomy is only performed when the tumour is smaller than 2 cm. Three-dimensional reconstructions from 11 thin-slice CT scans of bronchopulmonary segments were generated, and virtual spherical tumours were placed over the segments, respecting all segmental borders. As a next step, virtual parenchymal safety margins of 2 cm and 3 cm were subtracted and the size of the remaining tumour calculated. The maximum tumour diameters with a 30-mm parenchymal safety margin ranged from 26.1 mm in right-sided segments 7 + 8 to 59.8 mm in the left apical segments 1-3. Using a three-dimensional reconstruction of lung CT scans, we demonstrated that segmentectomy or resection of segmental groups should be feasible with adequate margins, even for larger tumours in selected cases. Thieme Medical Publishers 333 Seventh Avenue, New York, NY 10001, USA.

Data-driven model reference control of MIMO vertical tank systems with model-free VRFT and Q-Learning.

PubMed

Radac, Mircea-Bogdan; Precup, Radu-Emil; Roman, Raul-Cristian

2018-02-01

This paper proposes a combined Virtual Reference Feedback Tuning-Q-learning model-free control approach, which tunes nonlinear static state feedback controllers to achieve output model reference tracking in an optimal control framework. The novel iterative Batch Fitted Q-learning strategy uses two neural networks to represent the value function (critic) and the controller (actor), and it is referred to as a mixed Virtual Reference Feedback Tuning-Batch Fitted Q-learning approach. Learning convergence of the Q-learning schemes generally depends, among other settings, on the efficient exploration of the state-action space. Handcrafting test signals for efficient exploration is difficult even for input-output stable unknown processes. Virtual Reference Feedback Tuning can ensure an initial stabilizing controller to be learned from few input-output data and it can be next used to collect substantially more input-state data in a controlled mode, in a constrained environment, by compensating the process dynamics. This data is used to learn significantly superior nonlinear state feedback neural networks controllers for model reference tracking, using the proposed Batch Fitted Q-learning iterative tuning strategy, motivating the original combination of the two techniques. The mixed Virtual Reference Feedback Tuning-Batch Fitted Q-learning approach is experimentally validated for water level control of a multi input-multi output nonlinear constrained coupled two-tank system. Discussions on the observed control behavior are offered. Copyright © 2018 ISA. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Education Through Exploration: Evaluating the Unknown

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Anbar, A. D.

2015-12-01

Mastery of the peculiar and powerful practices of science is increasingly important for the average citizen. With the rise of the Internet, most of human knowledge is at our fingertips. As content becomes a commodity, success and survival aren't about who knows the most, but who is better able to explore the unknown, actively applying and extending knowledge through critical thinking and hypothesis-driven problem-solving. This applies to the economic livelihoods of individuals and to society at large as we grapple with climate change and other science-infused challenges. Unfortunately, science is too often taught as an encyclopedic collection of settled facts to be mastered rather than as a process of exploration that embraces curiosity, inquiry, testing, and communication to reduce uncertainty about the unknown. This problem is exacerbated by the continued prevalence of teacher-centric pedagogy, which promotes learning-from-authority and passive learning. The initial wave of massively open online courses (MOOCs) generally mimic this teaching style in virtual form. It is hypothesized that emerging digital teaching technologies can help address this challenge at Internet scale in "next generation" MOOCs and flipped classroom experiences. Interactive simulations, immersive virtual field trips, gamified elements, rapid adaptive feedback, intelligent tutoring systems, and personalized pathways, should motivate and enhance learning. Through lab-like projects and tutorials, students should be able to construct knowledge from interactive experiences, modeling the authentic practice of science while mastering complex concepts. Freed from lecturing, teaching staff should be available for direct and intense student-teacher interactions. These claims are difficult to evaluate with traditional assessment instruments, but digital technologies provide powerful new ways to evaluate student learning and learn from student behaviors. We will describe ongoing experiences with such technologies, and future plans, drawing from the experiences of > 2500 students who have taken the Habitable Worlds fully online general education class at ASU, and as part of the new Inspark Science Teaching Network.

Stereoscopic augmented reality with pseudo-realistic global illumination effects

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

de Sorbier, Francois; Saito, Hideo

2014-03-01

Recently, augmented reality has become very popular and has appeared in our daily life with gaming, guiding systems or mobile phone applications. However, inserting object in such a way their appearance seems natural is still an issue, especially in an unknown environment. This paper presents a framework that demonstrates the capabilities of Kinect for convincing augmented reality in an unknown environment. Rather than pre-computing a reconstruction of the scene like proposed by most of the previous method, we propose a dynamic capture of the scene that allows adapting to live changes of the environment. Our approach, based on the update of an environment map, can also detect the position of the light sources. Combining information from the environment map, the light sources and the camera tracking, we can display virtual objects using stereoscopic devices with global illumination effects such as diffuse and mirror reflections, refractions and shadows in real time.

Sex determination using the Probabilistic Sex Diagnosis (DSP: Diagnose Sexuelle Probabiliste) tool in a virtual environment.

PubMed

Chapman, Tara; Lefevre, Philippe; Semal, Patrick; Moiseev, Fedor; Sholukha, Victor; Louryan, Stéphane; Rooze, Marcel; Van Sint Jan, Serge

2014-01-01

The hip bone is one of the most reliable indicators of sex in the human body due to the fact it is the most dimorphic bone. Probabilistic Sex Diagnosis (DSP: Diagnose Sexuelle Probabiliste) developed by Murail et al., in 2005, is a sex determination method based on a worldwide hip bone metrical database. Sex is determined by comparing specific measurements taken from each specimen using sliding callipers and computing the probability of specimens being female or male. In forensic science it is sometimes not possible to sex a body due to corpse decay or injury. Skeletalization and dissection of a body is a laborious process and desecrates the body. There were two aims to this study. The first aim was to examine the accuracy of the DSP method in comparison with a current visual sexing method on sex determination. A further aim was to see if it was possible to virtually utilise the DSP method on both the hip bone and the pelvic girdle in order to utilise this method for forensic sciences. For the first part of the study, forty-nine dry hip bones of unknown sex were obtained from the Body Donation Programme of the Université Libre de Bruxelles (ULB). A comparison was made between DSP analysis and visual sexing on dry bone by two researchers. CT scans of bones were then analysed to obtain three-dimensional (3D) virtual models and the method of DSP was analysed virtually by importing the models into a customised software programme called lhpFusionBox which was developed at ULB. The software enables DSP distances to be measured via virtually-palpated bony landmarks. There was found to be 100% agreement of sex between the manual and virtual DSP method. The second part of the study aimed to further validate the method by analysing thirty-nine supplementary pelvic girdles of known sex blind. There was found to be a 100% accuracy rate further demonstrating that the virtual DSP method is robust. Statistically significant differences were found in the identification of sex between researchers in the visual sexing method although both researchers identified the same sex in all cases in the manual and virtual DSP methods for both the hip bones and pelvic girdles. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Federico Delpino and the foundation of plant biology.

PubMed

Mancuso, Stefano

2010-09-01

In 1867, Federico Delpino, with his seminal work "Pensieri sulla biologia vegetale" (Thoughts on plant biology) established plant biology by defining it not in the broad general sense, namely as the science of living beings, but as a branch of natural science dedicated to the study of plant life in relation to the environment. Today, the figure and achievements of this outstanding plant scientist it is almost unknown. In the following pages, I will concisely describe the main realizations of Federico Delpino and outline the significance of his work for modern plant science.

Federico Delpino and the foundation of plant biology

PubMed Central

2010-01-01

In 1867, Federico Delpino, with his seminal work Pensieri sulla Biologia Vegetale (Thoughts on Plant Biology) established plant biology by defining it not in the broad general sense, namely as the science of living beings, but as a branch of natural science dedicated to the study of plant life in relation to the environment. Today, the figure and achievements of this outstanding plant scientist is almost unknown. In the following pages, I will concisely describe the main realizations of Federico Delpino and outline the significance of his work for modern plant science. PMID:21490417

Augmented Reality versus Virtual Reality for 3D Object Manipulation.

PubMed

Krichenbauer, Max; Yamamoto, Goshiro; Taketom, Takafumi; Sandor, Christian; Kato, Hirokazu

2018-02-01

Virtual Reality (VR) Head-Mounted Displays (HMDs) are on the verge of becoming commodity hardware available to the average user and feasible to use as a tool for 3D work. Some HMDs include front-facing cameras, enabling Augmented Reality (AR) functionality. Apart from avoiding collisions with the environment, interaction with virtual objects may also be affected by seeing the real environment. However, whether these effects are positive or negative has not yet been studied extensively. For most tasks it is unknown whether AR has any advantage over VR. In this work we present the results of a user study in which we compared user performance measured in task completion time on a 9 degrees of freedom object selection and transformation task performed either in AR or VR, both with a 3D input device and a mouse. Our results show faster task completion time in AR over VR. When using a 3D input device, a purely VR environment increased task completion time by 22.5 percent on average compared to AR ( ). Surprisingly, a similar effect occurred when using a mouse: users were about 17.3 percent slower in VR than in AR ( ). Mouse and 3D input device produced similar task completion times in each condition (AR or VR) respectively. We further found no differences in reported comfort.

Global Software Development with Cloud Platforms

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yara, Pavan; Ramachandran, Ramaseshan; Balasubramanian, Gayathri; Muthuswamy, Karthik; Chandrasekar, Divya

Offshore and outsourced distributed software development models and processes are facing challenges, previously unknown, with respect to computing capacity, bandwidth, storage, security, complexity, reliability, and business uncertainty. Clouds promise to address these challenges by adopting recent advances in virtualization, parallel and distributed systems, utility computing, and software services. In this paper, we envision a cloud-based platform that addresses some of these core problems. We outline a generic cloud architecture, its design and our first implementation results for three cloud forms - a compute cloud, a storage cloud and a cloud-based software service- in the context of global distributed software development (GSD). Our ”compute cloud” provides computational services such as continuous code integration and a compile server farm, ”storage cloud” offers storage (block or file-based) services with an on-line virtual storage service, whereas the on-line virtual labs represent a useful cloud service. We note some of the use cases for clouds in GSD, the lessons learned with our prototypes and identify challenges that must be conquered before realizing the full business benefits. We believe that in the future, software practitioners will focus more on these cloud computing platforms and see clouds as a means to supporting a ecosystem of clients, developers and other key stakeholders.

Rapid deceleration-driven wetting transition during pendant drop deposition on superhydrophobic surfaces.

PubMed

Kwon, Hyuk-Min; Paxson, Adam T; Varanasi, Kripa K; Patankar, Neelesh A

2011-01-21

A hitherto unknown mechanism for wetting transition is reported. When a pendant drop settles upon deposition, there is a virtual "collision" where its center of gravity undergoes rapid deceleration. This induces a high water hammer-type pressure that causes wetting transition. A new phase diagram shows that both large and small droplets can transition to wetted states due to the new deceleration driven and the previously known Laplace mechanisms, respectively. It is explained how the attainment of a nonwetted Cassie-Baxter state is more restrictive than previously known.

Rapid Deceleration-Driven Wetting Transition during Pendant Drop Deposition on Superhydrophobic Surfaces

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kwon, Hyuk-Min; Paxson, Adam T.; Varanasi, Kripa K.; Patankar, Neelesh A.

2011-01-01

A hitherto unknown mechanism for wetting transition is reported. When a pendant drop settles upon deposition, there is a virtual “collision” where its center of gravity undergoes rapid deceleration. This induces a high water hammer-type pressure that causes wetting transition. A new phase diagram shows that both large and small droplets can transition to wetted states due to the new deceleration driven and the previously known Laplace mechanisms, respectively. It is explained how the attainment of a nonwetted Cassie-Baxter state is more restrictive than previously known.

Real and Virtual Heritage - The Plate Archive of Sonneberg Observatory - Digitisation, Preservation and Scientific Programme

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kroll, Peter

The real heritage of Sonneberg Observatory consists of several buildings with seven domes, a number of telescopes for photographic and photoelectric measurements, a plate archive - which is the second-largest in the world - and a scientific library. While the instruments are today mainly used for public observing tours and to a limited degree for continuing sky patrol, the plate archive is systematically scanned in order to make the whole information stored in the emulsion of the plates accessible to the astronomical community and to allow the scientific study of all stars ever recorded. First pilot studies give a taste of what output can be expected from the digitized plate archive.

Low-cost replicable plastic HUD combiner element

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kress, Bernard; Raulot, Victorien; St. Hilaire, Pierre; Meyrueis, Patrick

2009-05-01

We present a novel technique to fabricate low cost mass replicable plastic HUDs for the transportation industry. HUD are implemented in numerous sectors today (in avionics, automobile, military, machinery,...). Typical implementations include an optical combiner which produces the desired virtual image while leaving the field mostly unaffected by the optics. Such combiners optics are usually implemented as cumbersome catadioptric devices in automobile, dichroic coated curved plates, or expensive volume holograms in commercial and military aviation. We propose a novel way to design, model and fabricate combiner masters which can be replicated in mass by UV casting in plastic. We review the various design techniques required for such elements and the novel mastering technology.

Social Engineering hits Social Commerce

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Degenhardt, Werner; Wiele, Johannes

Looking at social commerce, a bunch of bewildering phenomena attracts the attention of social psychologists. The way customers participate today shows attitudes and ethical behavior which cannot be explained from the inherent conditions of Web 2.0 environments alone. Fraud often succeeds, when you do not expect it, and honesty can be found under circumstances that do not support honesty at all. The current situation seems to result from customers assigning experience and ethics from real world business to virtual business environments. But there are indications that this situation may change. Social commerce could suffer as soon as customers would use its inherent weaknesses to their own advantage. The following article outlines first approaches to research into this topic.

Workforce and Leader Development: Learning From the Baldrige Winners in Health Care.

PubMed

Arnold, Edwin W; Goodson, Jane R; Duarte, Neville T

2015-01-01

It is ironic that perhaps the only constant in health care organizations today is change. To compete successfully in health care and position an organization for high performance amid continuous change, it is very important for managers to have knowledge of the best learning and development practices of high-performing organizations in their industry. The rapid increases in the rate of technological change and geometric increases in knowledge make it virtually imperative that human resources are developed effectively. This article discusses the best learning and development practices among the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award winners in the health care industry since 2002 when the industry had its first award-winning organization.

Future Reality: How Emerging Technologies Will Change Language Itself.

PubMed

Perlin, Ken

2016-01-01

Just as notebook computers once freed us to take our computers with us, smartphones freed us to walk around with computers in our pockets, and wearables will soon free us from needing to hold a screen at all. Today, as high-quality virtual and augmented reality begins to become available at consumer prices, the "screen" will soon be all around us. But the largest long-term impact here may not merely be one of form factor, but rather one of language itself. Once wearables become small enough, cheap enough, and therefore ubiquitous enough to be accepted as part of our everyday reality, our use of language will evolve in important ways.

Fast Markerless Tracking for Augmented Reality in Planar Environment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Basori, Ahmad Hoirul; Afif, Fadhil Noer; Almazyad, Abdulaziz S.; AbuJabal, Hamza Ali S.; Rehman, Amjad; Alkawaz, Mohammed Hazim

2015-12-01

Markerless tracking for augmented reality should not only be accurate but also fast enough to provide a seamless synchronization between real and virtual beings. Current reported methods showed that a vision-based tracking is accurate but requires high computational power. This paper proposes a real-time hybrid-based method for tracking unknown environments in markerless augmented reality. The proposed method provides collaboration of vision-based approach with accelerometers and gyroscopes sensors as camera pose predictor. To align the augmentation relative to camera motion, the tracking method is done by substituting feature-based camera estimation with combination of inertial sensors with complementary filter to provide more dynamic response. The proposed method managed to track unknown environment with faster processing time compared to available feature-based approaches. Moreover, the proposed method can sustain its estimation in a situation where feature-based tracking loses its track. The collaboration of sensor tracking managed to perform the task for about 22.97 FPS, up to five times faster than feature-based tracking method used as comparison. Therefore, the proposed method can be used to track unknown environments without depending on amount of features on scene, while requiring lower computational cost.

Flight Testing the X-36: The Test Pilots Perspective

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Walker, Laurence A.

1997-01-01

The X-36 is a 28% scale, remotely piloted research aircraft, designed to demonstrate tailless fighter agility. Powered by a modified Williams International F-112 jet engine, the X-36 uses thrust vectoring and a fly-by-wire control system. Although too small for an onboard pilot, a full-sized remote cockpit was designed to virtually place the test pilot into the aircraft using a variety of innovative techniques. To date, 22 flights have been flown, successfully completing the second phase of testing. Handling qualities have been matching predictions; the test operation is flown similarly to that for full sized manned aircraft. All takeoffs, test maneuvers and landings are flown by the test pilot, affording a greater degree of flexibility and the ability to handle the inevitable unknowns which may occur during highly experimental test programs. The cockpit environment, cues, and display techniques used in this effort have proven to enhance the 'virtual' test pilot's awareness and have helped ensure a successful RPV test program.

Virtual Exploration of the Ring Systems Chemical Universe.

PubMed

Visini, Ricardo; Arús-Pous, Josep; Awale, Mahendra; Reymond, Jean-Louis

2017-11-27

Here, we explore the chemical space of all virtually possible organic molecules focusing on ring systems, which represent the cyclic cores of organic molecules obtained by removing all acyclic bonds and converting all remaining atoms to carbon. This approach circumvents the combinatorial explosion encountered when enumerating the molecules themselves. We report the chemical universe database GDB4c containing 916 130 ring systems up to four saturated or aromatic rings and maximum ring size of 14 atoms and GDB4c3D containing the corresponding 6 555 929 stereoisomers. Almost all (98.6%) of these ring systems are unknown and represent chiral 3D-shaped macrocycles containing small rings and quaternary centers reminiscent of polycyclic natural products. We envision that GDB4c can serve to select new ring systems from which to design analogs of such natural products. The database is available for download at www.gdb.unibe.ch together with interactive visualization and search tools as a resource for molecular design.

Surface smoothing, decimation, and their effects on 3D biological specimens.

PubMed

Veneziano, Alessio; Landi, Federica; Profico, Antonio

2018-06-01

Smoothing and decimation filters are commonly used to restore the realistic appearance of virtual biological specimens, but they can cause a loss of topological information of unknown extent. In this study, we analyzed the effect of smoothing and decimation on a 3D mesh to highlight the consequences of an inappropriate use of these filters. Topological noise was simulated on four anatomical regions of the virtual reconstruction of an orangutan cranium. Sequential levels of smoothing and decimation were applied, and their effects were analyzed on the overall topology of the 3D mesh and on linear and volumetric measurements. Different smoothing algorithms affected mesh topology and measurements differently, although the influence on the latter was generally low. Decimation always produced detrimental effects on both topology and measurements. The application of smoothing and decimation, both separate and combined, is capable of recovering topological information. Based on the results, objective guidelines are provided to minimize information loss when using smoothing and decimation on 3D meshes. © 2018 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Along the Virtuality Continuum - Two Showcases on how xR Technologies Transform Geoscience Research and Education

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Klippel, A.; Zhao, J.; Masrur, A.; Wallgruen, J. O.; La Femina, P. C.

2017-12-01

We present work along the virtuality continuum showcasing both AR and VR environments for geoscience applications and research. The AR/VR project focusses on one of the most prominent landmarks on the Penn State campus which, at the same time, is a representation of the geology of Pennsylvania. The Penn State Obelisk is a 32" high, 51 ton monument composed of 281 rocks collected from across Pennsylvania. While information about its origins and composition are scattered in articles and some web databases, we compiled all the available data from the web and archives and curated them as a basis for an immersive xR experience. Tabular data was amended by xR data such as 360° photos, videos, and 3D models (e.g., the Obelisk). Our xR (both AR and VR) prototype provides an immersive analytical environment that supports interactive data visualization and virtual navigation in a natural environment (a campus model of today and of 1896, the year of the Obelisk's installation). This work-in-progress project can provide an interactive immersive learning platform (specifically, for K-12 and introductory level geosciences students) where learning process is enhanced through seamless navigation between 3D data space and physical space. The, second, VR focused application is creating and empirically evaluating virtual reality (VR) experiences for geosciences research, specifically, an interactive volcano experience based on LiDAR and image data of Iceland's Thrihnukar volcano. The prototype addresses the lack of content and tools for immersive virtual reality (iVR) in geoscientific education and research and how to make it easier to integrate iVR into research and classroom experiences. It makes use of environmentally sensed data such that interaction and linked content can be integrated into a single experience. We discuss our workflows as well as methods and authoring tools for iVR analysis and creation of virtual experiences. These methods and tools aim to enhance the utility of geospatial data from repositories such as OpenTopography.org through unlocking treasure-troves of geospatial data for VR applications. Their enhanced accessibility in education and research for the geosciences and beyond will benefit geoscientists and educators who cannot be expected to be VR and 3D application experts.

Virtual Water Transfers in U.S. Cities from Domestic Commodity Flows

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ahams, I. C.; Mejia, A.; Paterson, W.

2015-12-01

Cities have imported water into their boundaries for centuries but understanding how cities indirectly affect watersheds through the commodities which they import is fairly unknown. Thus, we present and discuss here a methodology for determining the virtual water transfers to and from U.S. cities associated with domestic commodity flows. For our methodology, we only consider agricultural and industrial commodities and, to represent the commodity flows, we use the Freight Analysis Framework (FAF) dataset from the U.S. Department of Transportation. Accordingly, we determine virtual water transfers for the 123 geographic regions in the FAF, which consists of 17 states, 73 metropolitan statistical areas (MSAs), and 33 remainders of states. Out of the 41 sectors that comprise the FAF data, we consider only the 29 sectors that account for the agricultural and industrial commodities. Using both water use data for macro-sectors and national water use coefficients for different industries, we determine a weighted water use coefficient for each of the 29 sectors considered. Ultimately, we use these weighted coefficients to estimate virtual water transfers and the water footprint for each city. Preliminary comparisons with other water footprint estimates indicate that our methodology yields reasonable results. In terms of the water footprint, we find that cities (i.e. MSAs) are net consumers, can consume a large proportion of their own production, and can have a large agricultural production. We also find that the per capita water footprint of industrial consumption decreases with increasing population in cities, suggesting that large cities may be more efficient.

The use of quality benchmarking in assessing web resources for the dermatology virtual branch library of the National electronic Library for Health (NeLH).

PubMed

Kamel Boulos, M N; Roudsari, A V; Gordon, C; Muir Gray, J A

2001-01-01

In 1998, the U.K. National Health Service Information for Health Strategy proposed the implementation of a National electronic Library for Health to provide clinicians, healthcare managers and planners, patients and the public with easy, round the clock access to high quality, up-to-date electronic information on health and healthcare. The Virtual Branch Libraries are among the most important components of the National electronic Library for Health. They aim at creating online knowledge based communities, each concerned with some specific clinical and other health-related topics. This study is about the envisaged Dermatology Virtual Branch Libraries of the National electronic Library for Health. It aims at selecting suitable dermatology Web resources for inclusion in the forthcoming Virtual Branch Libraries after establishing preliminary quality benchmarking rules for this task. Psoriasis, being a common dermatological condition, has been chosen as a starting point. Because quality is a principal concern of the National electronic Library for Health, the study includes a review of the major quality benchmarking systems available today for assessing health-related Web sites. The methodology of developing a quality benchmarking system has been also reviewed. Aided by metasearch Web tools, candidate resources were hand-selected in light of the reviewed benchmarking systems and specific criteria set by the authors. Over 90 professional and patient-oriented Web resources on psoriasis and dermatology in general are suggested for inclusion in the forthcoming Dermatology Virtual Branch Libraries. The idea of an all-in knowledge-hallmarking instrument for the National electronic Library for Health is also proposed based on the reviewed quality benchmarking systems. Skilled, methodical, organized human reviewing, selection and filtering based on well-defined quality appraisal criteria seems likely to be the key ingredient in the envisaged National electronic Library for Health service. Furthermore, by promoting the application of agreed quality guidelines and codes of ethics by all health information providers and not just within the National electronic Library for Health, the overall quality of the Web will improve with time and the Web will ultimately become a reliable and integral part of the care space.

Real Science for Real Science Teachers: Providing Astrobiology Science Content and Contemporary Pedagogy for Today's Educators Online

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Offerdahl, E. G.; Prather, E. E.; Slater, T. F.

2003-12-01

As teachers strive to improve the way science is taught in the classroom, many are turning to the interdisciplinary science of astrobiology as a way integrate inquiry effectively in the science classroom. However, it is generally recognized that teachers do not often have easy access to understandable and usable cutting-edge science to enrich their science lessons. Through the generous support of the NASA Astrobiology Institute (NAI), middle and high school teachers have the opportunity to learn current and provocative scientific results within the context of astrobiology as well as receive training in pedagogically sound methods of incorporating astrobiology appropriately in the classroom. In Astrobiology for Teachers, a 15-week on-line distance learning course co-sponsored by NAI, the National Science Teachers Association (NSTA) Professional Development Institute, National Teachers Enhancement Network (NTEN), Montana State University, and the Department of Astronomy at University of Arizona, teachers engage in a virtual classroom facilitated by an integrated teaching team of educators and scientists using a standards-based, inquiry curriculum. The collaborative nature of the course encourages, demonstrates, and enhances a professional exchange among scientists and educators which, in turn, fosters implementation of innovative science teaching in today's classroom.

Origins of the extraction controversey in American orthodontics (1880-1910).

PubMed

Zweihorn, Chaninah L

2003-07-01

Extraction of permanent teeth in the course of orthodontic treatment remains controversial. Today, opinions vary widely as to how frequently such extractions are necessary. Many dentists appreciate, however, that in the 1920s and 1930s, orthodontists virtually never prescribed extraction. The movement to abolish extraction therapy in orthodontics really began in the late Nineteenth Century. Led by Edward H. Angle, this "New School of Orthodontics," despite an explosion of activity during the first decade of the Twentieth Century, did not rapidly succeed in its mission. During the period considered in this study, dentists continued to extract teeth to treat orthodontic problems and even many experts in orthodontics continued to vociferously defend this practice. Claims of the extremists, whether in favor of or against extraction, did not benefit from true scientific evidence. Dentists based their theories on experience or mere conjecture. The situation today is not very different. Before taking an unqualified stand on the issue of extraction, one should realize that, historically, such stands have proven unconvincing. The fashion of a period may favor one side over the other only for the situation to reverse in the next period.

Novel and emerging approaches to combat adolescent obesity.

PubMed

Sharma, Manoj; Branscum, Paul

2010-01-01

Overweight and obesity continue to be health concerns facing today's adolescent population. Along with metabolic and physical problems associated with obesity, today's obese adolescents also face many psychological issues such as high rates of depression, anxiety, and social discrimination. Obesity is commonly recognized as having many causes, such as genetic, lifestyle and environmental. There are four major modalities for management of overweight and obesity in adolescents: dietary management, increasing physical activity, pharmacological therapy, and bariatric surgery. The purpose of this study was to conduct a review of novel and emerging approaches for preventing and managing adolescent obesity. It was found that while not always the case, theory driven approaches are being better utilized in newer interventions especially by those directed toward prevention. New theories that are being used are the theories of reasoned action, planned behavior, intervention mapping, and social marketing. Schools are found to be the most common place for such interventions, which is appropriate since virtually all children attend some form of private or public school. Limitations found in many studies include the underuse of process evaluations, the low number of studies attempted, environmental or policy changes, and that not all studies used a similar control group for comparison.

Cross-cultural use and development of virtual patients.

PubMed

Fors, Uno G H; Muntean, Valentin; Botezatu, Mihaela; Zary, Nabil

2009-08-01

Three major issues drive the cross-cultural use of virtual patients (VPs): an increased mobility of healthcare professionals, students and patients; limited resources for developing VPs; and emerging standards for the exchange of VPs across institutions. Many students are trained in countries other than where they were born. In addition, healthcare professionals often move between countries and are today meeting more and more patients from cultures different from their own. VPs can be used both for learning a new "medical" language as well as for illustrating different perspectives on illness in the new culture. Therefore, it may be important to develop cases reflecting patients from a wide variety of regions and cultures to prepare these professionals to understand both the background of these patients as well as the different medical conditions they may present. However, the benefits of using VPs may be limited at many universities by insufficient resources to develop all the VPs needed for their curricula. The option to acquire VPs from other universities may therefore be appealing, but as these may only be available in English, it is important to consider whether VPs reflecting the local illness panoramas and medical procedures are needed.

Stress history and fracture pattern in fault-related folds based on limit analysis: application to the Sub-Andean thrust belt of Bolivia

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Barbe, Charlotte; Leroy, Yves; Ben Miloud, Camille

2017-04-01

A methodology is proposed to construct the stress history of a complex fault-related fold in which the deformation mechanisms are essentially frictional. To illustrate the approach, fours steps of the deformation of an initially horizontally layered sand/silicone laboratory experiment (Driehaus et al., J. of Struc. Geol., 65, 2014) are analysed with the kinematic approach of limit analysis (LA). The stress, conjugate to the virtual velocity gradient in the sense of mechanicam power, is a proxy for the true statically admmissible stress field which prevailed over the structure. The material properties, friction angles and cohesion, including their time evolution are selected such that the deformation pattern predicted by the LA is consistent with the two main thrusting events, the first forward and the second backward once the layers have sufficiently rotated. The fractures associated to the stress field determined at each step are convected on today configuration to define the complete pattern which should be observed. The end results are presented along virtual vertical wells and could be used within the oil industry at an early phase of exploration to prepare drealing operations.

Routine clinical application of virtual reality in abdominal surgery.

PubMed

Sampogna, Gianluca; Pugliese, Raffaele; Elli, Marco; Vanzulli, Angelo; Forgione, Antonello

2017-06-01

The advantages of 3D reconstruction, immersive virtual reality (VR) and 3D printing in abdominal surgery have been enunciated for many years, but still today their application in routine clinical practice is almost nil. We investigate their feasibility, user appreciation and clinical impact. Fifteen patients undergoing pancreatic, hepatic or renal surgery were studied realizing a 3D reconstruction of target anatomy. Then, an immersive VR environment was developed to import 3D models, and some details of the 3D scene were printed. All the phases of our workflow employed open-source software and low-cost hardware, easily implementable by other surgical services. A qualitative evaluation of the three approaches was performed by 20 surgeons, who filled in a specific questionnaire regarding a clinical case for each organ considered. Preoperative surgical planning and intraoperative guidance was feasible for all patients included in the study. The vast majority of surgeons interviewed scored their quality and usefulness as very good. Despite extra time, costs and efforts necessary to implement these systems, the benefits shown by the analysis of questionnaires recommend to invest more resources to train physicians to adopt these technologies routinely, even if further and larger studies are still mandatory.

M3D (Media 3D): a new programming language for web-based virtual reality in E-Learning and Edutainment

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chakaveh, Sepideh; Skaley, Detlef; Laine, Patricia; Haeger, Ralf; Maad, Soha

2003-01-01

Today, interactive multimedia educational systems are well established, as they prove useful instruments to enhance one's learning capabilities. Hitherto, the main difficulty with almost all E-Learning systems was latent in the rich media implementation techniques. This meant that each and every system should be created individually as reapplying the media, be it only a part, or the whole content was not directly possible, as everything must be applied mechanically i.e. by hand. Consequently making E-learning systems exceedingly expensive to generate, both in time and money terms. Media-3D or M3D is a new platform independent programming language, developed at the Fraunhofer Institute Media Communication to enable visualisation and simulation of E-Learning multimedia content. M3D is an XML-based language, which is capable of distinguishing between the3D models from that of the 3D scenes, as well as handling provisions for animations, within the programme. Here we give a technical account of M3D programming language and briefly describe two specific application scenarios where M3D is applied to create virtual reality E-Learning content for training of technical personnel.

Can architectural design alter the physiological reaction to psychosocial stress? A virtual TSST experiment.

PubMed

Fich, Lars Brorson; Jönsson, Peter; Kirkegaard, Poul Henning; Wallergård, Mattias; Garde, Anne Helene; Hansen, Åse

2014-08-01

Is has long been established, that views to natural scenes can a have a dampening effect on physiological stress responses. However, as people in Europe, Canada and North America today spent 50-85% of their time indoors, attention might also be paid to how the artificial man-made indoor environment influences these mechanisms. The question that this study attempts to start addressing is therefore whether certain design, characteristics of indoor spaces can make a difference to the physiological stress response as well. Using a virtual version of the Trier Social Stress Test, in which the space is computer generated and properties of the space therefore can be systematically varied, we measured saliva cortisol and heart rate variability in participants in a closed room versus a room with openings. As shown by a significant linear contrast interaction between groups and TSST conditions, participants in the closed room responded with more pronounced cortisol reactivity to stress induction, and continued to show higher levels throughout recovery, compared to participants in the open room. No differences were found regarding any part of the autonomic nervous system. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

D Modeling for the Knowledge of Architectural Heritage and Virtual Reconstruction of its Historical Memory

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Campi, M.; di Luggo, A.; Scandurra, S.

2017-02-01

The object of this paper is one of the most ancient palaces of Naples, Palazzo Penne, a fourteenth-century residential building located on a small high ground which originally was in the outer fringe of the built up area in a privileged position enabling to enjoy the landscape and gulf beauty. This building, which today is in the heart of the historical center, was the subject of an extensive analysis and documentary research, as well as of metric laser scanner survey carried out by the group researchers working at the Interdepartmental Centre of Research Urban Eco of the University of Naples Federico II. Starting from scan to bim systems the creation of a parametric model of the current state of the building is completed, by bringing the point cloud elements back to objects to which historical and construction data can be associated. Moreover starting from acquired data, the 3D model shows the reconstructive hypothesis of the original structure and the virtual reconstruction of the building based on traces found on-site and on the comparison with coeval creations allowing to properly hypothesize the design of point features.

Consideration of using virtual reality for teaching neonatal resuscitation to midwifery students.

PubMed

Williams, Jessica; Jones, Donovan; Walker, Rohan

2018-05-28

Within the last decade, there has been significant change in the way tertiary midwifery education has been delivered to students. The use of blended teaching methods and the introduction of simulated learning experiences has been observed in the literature to improve students' self-confidence, competence, clinical judgement and decision-making abilities. Simulation is seen to be particularly important when practising skills that may be infrequently encountered in practice, such as clinical emergencies. Neonatal resuscitation is the most common neonatal emergency encountered within midwifery today, with up to 15% of babies requiring some form of resuscitation at birth. Recent research describes the benefits of using a multi-modal approach to teaching neonatal resuscitation, utilising both theory and simulated learning methods. One emerging method of simulation is that of virtual reality (VR), which has been recognised for its enormous educational potential in risk-free clinical skills training. Currently, however, there is limited research looking at the use of VR in emergency skills training. This article examines the literature to highlight the potential benefits that VR simulation could provide for emergency skills training, as well as the potential challenges that should be acknowledged. Crown Copyright © 2018. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Portable Virtual Training Units

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Malone, Reagan; Johnston, Alan

2015-01-01

The Mission Operations Lab initiated a project to design, develop, deliver, test, and validate a unique training system for astronaut and ground support personnel. In an effort to keep training costs low, virtual training units (VTUs) have been designed based on images of actual hardware and manipulated by a touch screen style interface for ground support personnel training. This project helped modernized the training system and materials by integrating them with mobile devices for training when operators or crew are unavailable to physically train in the facility. This project also tested the concept of a handheld remote device to control integrated trainers using International Space Station (ISS) training simulators as a platform. The portable VTU can interface with the full-sized VTU, allowing a trainer co-located with a trainee to remotely manipulate a VTU and evaluate a trainee's response. This project helped determine if it is useful, cost effective, and beneficial for the instructor to have a portable handheld device to control the behavior of the models during training. This project has advanced NASA Marshall Space Flight Center's (MSFC's) VTU capabilities with modern and relevant technology to support space flight training needs of today and tomorrow.

White water: Fifty years of snow research in WRR and the outlook for the future

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Sturm, Matthew

2015-07-01

Over the past 50 years, 239 papers related to snow have been published in Water Resources Research (WRR). Seminal papers on virtually every facet of snow physics and snow water resources have appeared in the journal. These include papers on drifting snow, the snow surface energy balance, the effect of grain size on albedo, chemical elution, water movement through snow, and canopy interception. In particular, papers in WRR have explored the distribution of snow across different landscapes, providing data, process knowledge, and the basis for virtually all of the distributed snow models in use today. In this paper, I review these key contributions and provide some personal thoughts on what is likely to be the focus and nature of papers published in the next few decades, a period that is likely to see an increasing ability to map snow cover in detail, which should serve as a basis for the further development and improvement of snow models. It will also be an uncertain future, with profound changes in snow climatology predicted. I expect WRR will continue to play a key role in documenting and understanding these important cryospheric changes.

Flores hominid: new species or microcephalic dwarf?

PubMed

Martin, Robert D; Maclarnon, Ann M; Phillips, James L; Dobyns, William B

2006-11-01

The proposed new hominid "Homo floresiensis" is based on specimens from cave deposits on the Indonesian island Flores. The primary evidence, dated at approximately 18,000 y, is a skull and partial skeleton of a very small but dentally adult individual (LB1). Incomplete specimens are attributed to eight additional individuals. Stone tools at the site are also attributed to H. floresiensis. The discoverers interpreted H. floresiensis as an insular dwarf derived from Homo erectus, but others see LB1 as a small-bodied microcephalic Homo sapiens. Study of virtual endocasts, including LB1 and a European microcephalic, purportedly excluded microcephaly, but reconsideration reveals several problems. The cranial capacity of LB1 ( approximately 400 cc) is smaller than in any other known hominid < 3.5 Ma and is far too small to derive from Homo erectus by normal dwarfing. By contrast, some associated tools were generated with a prepared-core technique previously unknown for H. erectus, including bladelets otherwise associated exclusively with H. sapiens. The single European microcephalic skull used in comparing virtual endocasts was particularly unsuitable. The specimen was a cast, not the original skull (traced to Stuttgart), from a 10-year-old child with massive pathology. Moreover, the calotte does not fit well with the rest of the cast, probably being a later addition of unknown history. Consideration of various forms of human microcephaly and of two adult specimens indicates that LB1 could well be a microcephalic Homo sapiens. This is the most likely explanation for the incongruous association of a small-brained recent hominid with advanced stone tools. (c) 2006 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

Applications of Intelligent Tutoring Systems to Human-Robotic Exploration of Mars

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Clancey, William J.

2004-01-01

Space missions with small crews extending over several years with time-delay preventing normal conversations with people on earth will raise many challenges for training. Of special interest are possible three-year missions to Mars, requiring refresher instruction and learning new skills based on unexpected problems with machines and environmental conditions. For example, the crew will be required to monitor and repair more complex life support systems for air and water recycling than we even know how to build today. Highly educated astronauts, often with several doctorate degrees, require a very different mode of interaction than we have developed for school children or even typical college students. Explanation methods may need to differ-using analogies and techniques from different domains-depending on whether the astronaut is an astrophysicist, a pilot, or a geologist.Virtual reality (e.g., for Hubble repair missions) and "integrated" simulations (involving role-playing and emphasizing failure scenarios) are the most common advanced forms of instruction used in space flight today. The emphasis is on collaborative, embodied interaction with the same workstations and tools used in practice (e.g., a cockpit simulator). Otherwise, computerized instructional technology used by NASA is not model-based or tutorial in nature. This discussion will review some of the key instructional methods used at NASA over the past two decades and consider why ITS methods have not been exploited. Some of the problems and opportunities for training for Mars missions are examined, including how using robots in exploration activities will help but raise new training problems. These ideas will be illustrated with examples from the BrahmsVE system in which a browser- based virtual reality display with avatars allows interacting with a distributed multiagent system, in which agents can be people, robots, or software programs. Using BrahmsVE may provide a way for astronauts to interact with proxies of people who serve as instructional coaches on Mars.

A Concept for Optimizing Behavioural Effectiveness & Efficiency

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Barca, Jan Carlo; Rumantir, Grace; Li, Raymond

Both humans and machines exhibit strengths and weaknesses that can be enhanced by merging the two entities. This research aims to provide a broader understanding of how closer interactions between these two entities can facilitate more optimal goal-directed performance through the use of artificial extensions of the human body. Such extensions may assist us in adapting to and manipulating our environments in a more effective way than any system known today. To demonstrate this concept, we have developed a simulation where a semi interactive virtual spider can be navigated through an environment consisting of several obstacles and a virtual predator capable of killing the spider. The virtual spider can be navigated through the use of three different control systems that can be used to assist in optimising overall goal directed performance. The first two control systems use, an onscreen button interface and a touch sensor, respectively to facilitate human navigation of the spider. The third control system is an autonomous navigation system through the use of machine intelligence embedded in the spider. This system enables the spider to navigate and react to changes in its local environment. The results of this study indicate that machines should be allowed to override human control in order to maximise the benefits of collaboration between man and machine. This research further indicates that the development of strong machine intelligence, sensor systems that engage all human senses, extra sensory input systems, physical remote manipulators, multiple intelligent extensions of the human body, as well as a tighter symbiosis between man and machine, can support an upgrade of the human form.

A virtual environment for modeling and testing sensemaking with multisensor information

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Nicholson, Denise; Bartlett, Kathleen; Hoppenfeld, Robert; Nolan, Margaret; Schatz, Sae

2014-05-01

Given today's challenging Irregular Warfare, members of small infantry units must be able to function as highly sensitized perceivers throughout large operational areas. Improved Situation Awareness (SA) in rapidly changing fields of operation may also save lives of law enforcement personnel and first responders. Critical competencies for these individuals include sociocultural sensemaking, the ability to assess a situation through the perception of essential salient environmental and behavioral cues, and intuitive sensemaking, which allows experts to act with the utmost agility. Intuitive sensemaking and intuitive decision making (IDM), which involve processing information at a subconscious level, have been cited as playing a critical role in saving lives and enabling mission success. This paper discusses the development of a virtual environment for modeling, analysis and human-in-the-loop testing of perception, sensemaking, intuitive sensemaking, decision making (DM), and IDM performance, using state-of-the-art scene simulation and modeled imagery from multi-source systems, under the "Intuition and Implicit Learning" Basic Research Challenge (I2BRC) sponsored by the Office of Naval Research (ONR). We present results from our human systems engineering approach including 1) development of requirements and test metrics for individual and integrated system components, 2) the system architecture design 3) images of the prototype virtual environment testing system and 4) a discussion of the system's current and future testing capabilities. In particular, we examine an Enhanced Interaction Suite testbed to model, test, and analyze the impact of advances in sensor spatial, and temporal resolution to a user's intuitive sensemaking and decision making capabilities.

[Case report - a dangerous intoxication after ingestion of alkyl nitrite ("poppers")].

PubMed

Bernasconi, Barbara; Konrad, Christoph; Fischer, Simon

2014-12-01

This case report describes the inadvertent poisoning of a young man with "poppers" after having ingested an unknown amout of the drug. "Poppers" (alkyl nitrite) were made famous in the 1960s as a party drug, and during certain sexual practices, and are still in use today. The drug's inhalation leads to a short-lived rush, vasodilation and relaxtion of smooth muscles. An accidental ingestion can lead to a significant build-up of methemoglobin with dire consequences. The therapy consists of the intravenous administration of methylene blue. © Georg Thieme Verlag Stuttgart · New York.

Discriminant analysis of Raman spectra for body fluid identification for forensic purposes.

PubMed

Sikirzhytski, Vitali; Virkler, Kelly; Lednev, Igor K

2010-01-01

Detection and identification of blood, semen and saliva stains, the most common body fluids encountered at a crime scene, are very important aspects of forensic science today. This study targets the development of a nondestructive, confirmatory method for body fluid identification based on Raman spectroscopy coupled with advanced statistical analysis. Dry traces of blood, semen and saliva obtained from multiple donors were probed using a confocal Raman microscope with a 785-nm excitation wavelength under controlled laboratory conditions. Results demonstrated the capability of Raman spectroscopy to identify an unknown substance to be semen, blood or saliva with high confidence.

M≡E and M=E Complexes of Iron and Cobalt that Emphasize Three-fold Symmetry (E = O, N, NR)

PubMed Central

Saouma, Caroline T.; Peters, Jonas C.

2011-01-01

Mid-to-late transition metal complexes that feature terminal, multiply bonded ligands such as oxos, imides, and nitrides have been invoked as intermediates in several catalytic transformations of synthetic and biological significance. Until about ten years ago, isolable examples of such species were virtually unknown. Over the past decade or so, numerous chemically well-defined examples of such species have been discovered. In this context, the presentreview summarizes the development of 4- and 5-coordinate Fe(E) and Co(E) species under local three-fold symmetry. PMID:21625302

Entropy and time: A search for Denning's resting place

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Beech, Martin

2013-04-01

The interminable scientific literature reveals William Frederick Denning (1848-1931) as one of the great practitioners of meteor astronomy: he wrote widely on the subject and dedicated innumerable hours to his observations. But who was Denning? What can we learn of his life, living and death. Glimpses of Denning the man do exist, but he is largely a man of translucency and unknowns. The journey recounted here reflects upon a recent search for Denning's final resting place, but, once again, it is found that time and circumstance have erased virtually all of the physical history.

Reference frames in virtual spatial navigation are viewpoint dependent

PubMed Central

Török, Ágoston; Nguyen, T. Peter; Kolozsvári, Orsolya; Buchanan, Robert J.; Nadasdy, Zoltan

2014-01-01

Spatial navigation in the mammalian brain relies on a cognitive map of the environment. Such cognitive maps enable us, for example, to take the optimal route from a given location to a known target. The formation of these maps is naturally influenced by our perception of the environment, meaning it is dependent on factors such as our viewpoint and choice of reference frame. Yet, it is unknown how these factors influence the construction of cognitive maps. Here, we evaluated how various combinations of viewpoints and reference frames affect subjects' performance when they navigated in a bounded virtual environment without landmarks. We measured both their path length and time efficiency and found that (1) ground perspective was associated with egocentric frame of reference, (2) aerial perspective was associated with allocentric frame of reference, (3) there was no appreciable performance difference between first and third person egocentric viewing positions and (4) while none of these effects were dependent on gender, males tended to perform better in general. Our study provides evidence that there are inherent associations between visual perspectives and cognitive reference frames. This result has implications about the mechanisms of path integration in the human brain and may also inspire designs of virtual reality applications. Lastly, we demonstrated the effective use of a tablet PC and spatial navigation tasks for studying spatial and cognitive aspects of human memory. PMID:25249956

Reference frames in virtual spatial navigation are viewpoint dependent.

PubMed

Török, Agoston; Nguyen, T Peter; Kolozsvári, Orsolya; Buchanan, Robert J; Nadasdy, Zoltan

2014-01-01

Spatial navigation in the mammalian brain relies on a cognitive map of the environment. Such cognitive maps enable us, for example, to take the optimal route from a given location to a known target. The formation of these maps is naturally influenced by our perception of the environment, meaning it is dependent on factors such as our viewpoint and choice of reference frame. Yet, it is unknown how these factors influence the construction of cognitive maps. Here, we evaluated how various combinations of viewpoints and reference frames affect subjects' performance when they navigated in a bounded virtual environment without landmarks. We measured both their path length and time efficiency and found that (1) ground perspective was associated with egocentric frame of reference, (2) aerial perspective was associated with allocentric frame of reference, (3) there was no appreciable performance difference between first and third person egocentric viewing positions and (4) while none of these effects were dependent on gender, males tended to perform better in general. Our study provides evidence that there are inherent associations between visual perspectives and cognitive reference frames. This result has implications about the mechanisms of path integration in the human brain and may also inspire designs of virtual reality applications. Lastly, we demonstrated the effective use of a tablet PC and spatial navigation tasks for studying spatial and cognitive aspects of human memory.

DNA fingerprinting, DNA barcoding, and next generation sequencing technology in plants.

PubMed

Sucher, Nikolaus J; Hennell, James R; Carles, Maria C

2012-01-01

DNA fingerprinting of plants has become an invaluable tool in forensic, scientific, and industrial laboratories all over the world. PCR has become part of virtually every variation of the plethora of approaches used for DNA fingerprinting today. DNA sequencing is increasingly used either in combination with or as a replacement for traditional DNA fingerprinting techniques. A prime example is the use of short, standardized regions of the genome as taxon barcodes for biological identification of plants. Rapid advances in "next generation sequencing" (NGS) technology are driving down the cost of sequencing and bringing large-scale sequencing projects into the reach of individual investigators. We present an overview of recent publications that demonstrate the use of "NGS" technology for DNA fingerprinting and DNA barcoding applications.

Can you go the distance? Attending the virtual classroom.

PubMed

Bigony, Lorraine

2010-01-01

Distance learning via the World Wide Web offers convenience and flexibility. Online education connects nurses geographically in a manner that the traditional face-to-face learning environment lacks. Delivered in both a synchronous (real time interaction) or asynchronous (delayed interaction) format, distance programs continue to provide nurses with choice, especially in the pursuit of advanced degrees. This article explores the pros and cons of distance education, in addition to the most popular platform used in distance learning today, the Blackboard Academic Suite. Characteristics of the potential enrollee to ensure a successful distance education experience are also discussed. Distance nursing programs are here to stay. Although rigorous, the ease of accessibility makes distance learning a viable alternative for busy nurses.

Protocols for the Design of Kinase-focused Compound Libraries.

PubMed

Jacoby, Edgar; Wroblowski, Berthold; Buyck, Christophe; Neefs, Jean-Marc; Meyer, Christophe; Cummings, Maxwell D; van Vlijmen, Herman

2018-05-01

Protocols for the design of kinase-focused compound libraries are presented. Kinase-focused compound libraries can be differentiated based on the design goal. Depending on whether the library should be a discovery library specific for one particular kinase, a general discovery library for multiple distinct kinase projects, or even phenotypic screening, there exists today a variety of in silico methods to design candidate compound libraries. We address the following scenarios: 1) Datamining of SAR databases and kinase focused vendor catalogues; 2) Predictions and virtual screening; 3) Structure-based design of combinatorial kinase inhibitors; 4) Design of covalent kinase inhibitors; 5) Design of macrocyclic kinase inhibitors; and 6) Design of allosteric kinase inhibitors and activators. © 2018 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Human identification based on cranial computed tomography scan — a case report

PubMed Central

Silva, RF; Botelho, TL; Prado, FB; Kawagushi, JT; Daruge Júnior, E; Bérzin, F

2011-01-01

Today, there is increasing use of CT scanning on a clinical basis, aiding in the diagnosis of diseases or injuries. This exam also provides important information that allows identification of individuals. This paper reports the use of a CT scan on the skull, taken when the victim was alive, for the positive identification of a victim of a traffic accident in which the fingerprint analysis was impossible. The authors emphasize that the CT scan is a tool primarily used in clinical diagnosis and may contribute significantly to forensic purpose, allowing the exploration of virtual corpses before the classic autopsy. The use of CT scans might increase the quantity and quality of information involved in the death of the person examined. PMID:21493883

Status of Solid State Lighting Product Development and Future Trends for General Illumination.

PubMed

Katona, Thomas M; Pattison, P Morgan; Paolini, Steve

2016-06-07

After decades of research and development on fabrication of efficient light-emitting diodes (LEDs) throughout the visible spectrum, LED-based lighting has reached unparalleled performance with respect to energy efficiency and has become the light source for virtually all new lighting products being designed today. The development of the core light sources and their subsequent integration into lighting systems continue to present unique challenges and opportunities for product designers. We review these systems and the current development status, as well as provide context for the trends in solid state lighting that are leading to the development of value-added lighting solutions that extend the domain of lighting beyond light generation, into fields as diverse as communications, healthcare, and agricultural production.

A Previously Unknown Path to Corpuscularism in the Seventeenth Century: Santorio’s Marginalia to the Commentaria in Primam Fen Primi Libri Canonis Avicennae (1625)

PubMed Central

Bigotti, Fabrizio

2017-01-01

This paper presents some of Santorio's marginalia to his Commentaria in primam fen primi libri Canonis Avicennae (Venice, 1625), which I identified in the Sloane Collection of the British Library in 2016, as well as the evidence for their authorship. The name of the Venetian physician Santorio Santori (1561–1636) is linked with the introduction of quantification in medicine and with the invention of precision instruments that, displayed for the first time in this work, laid down the foundations for what we today understand as evidence-based medicine. But Santorio's monumentale opus also contains evidence of many quantified experiments and displays his ideas on mixtures, structure of matter and corpuscles, which are in many cases clarified and completed by the new marginalia. These ideas testify to an early interest in chemistry within the Medical School of Padua which predates both Galileo and Sennert and which has hitherto been unknown. PMID:28350287

The Diary of Frances Jacobs: Astronomical Observations by a 19th-century Oregon Woman

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

McGown, R. D.

2002-12-01

This abstract summarizes my research, transcription and editing of Francis Jacob's 170-page handwritten astronomical diary. This diary is a unique example of a time in early Portland history, illustrating the mind of a young woman who was interested in science and astronomy. Reflected in her diary are the discoveries and mention of leading astronomers of the day like Emerson Bernard and Edward Pickering. Francis Jacobs lived in an era of the great refractors For example, ``The Leviathan," built by Lord Rosse in Ireland was completed in 1847. In this 72-inch telescope, stars of 18th magnitude could be seen. The first spiral nebulae to be revealed was M51 - known today as the Whirlpool Galaxy. The Earl was the first to suggest that these spirals could actually be rotating masses of stars. At the turn of the century, study of observational astronomy was rooted in naked eye observing, study of binary stars and nebula. This was a time when women were becoming interested in the sciences and had begun to play an important role in science and astronomy. It was an incredible inspiration for other women across the country to hear what was happening on the astronomical frontiers at Harvard. Some constellation asterisms used in Francis Jacob's diary were different than they are today. One asterism in particular, the Egyptian Cross, is relatively unknown now. The summer triangle and winter circle asterisms were used in her notes and obviously popular in her era, as today. Her written comments included some Messier catalogue numbers and in some case written on her sketches and diagrams nicknames, such as the 'Dumbbell' nebula. She also referred to M99 as `St. Katherine's Wheel', a nickname that is not in common use today.

Late Quaternary environments and biogeography in the Great Basin

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Thompson, R. S.; Mead, J. I.

1982-01-01

Plant and animal remains found in packrat ( Neotoma spp.) middens and cave fill from the eastern and southern Great Basin region reveal the presence of subalpine conifers and boreal mammals at relatively low elevations during the Late Wisconsin. Limber pine ( Pinus flexilis) and bristlecone pine ( P. longaeva) were important in the late Pleistocene plant communities throughout this region. Spruce ( Picea cf. engelmannii) and common juniper ( Juniperus communis) were present in some of the more northerly localities, and Douglas fir ( Pseudotsuga menziesii) and white fir ( Abies concolor) were present in southern and eastern localities. Single needle pinyon pine ( Pinus monophylla), common across this region today, was apparently not present north of the Sheep Range of southern Nevada during the Late Wisconsin. Pikas ( Ochotona cf. princeps), small boreal mammals present in only a few Great Basin mountain ranges today, were common throughout the region. Heather voles ( Phenacomys cf. intermedius) have been found in two cave fill deposits in Nevada, though they are unknown in the Great Basin today. Limber and bristlecone pines are generally restricted to rocky substrates in modern subalpine habitats in the Great Basin, and this may also have been the case when these plants grew at lower elevations during the Late Wisconsin. Subalpine conifers were present on the rock outcrops sampled by the packrat middens, but shrub communities, perhaps dominated by sagebrush ( Artemisia spp.), may have been present on alluvial valley-bottom substrates. Forested habitats would thus have been isolated habitat islands, as they are today. Boreal small mammals, including pikas and heather voles, were able to colonize the Great Basin mountain ranges during the late Pleistocene. We suggest that these mammals were able to survive in the intervening valley-bottoms under a cool-summer climatic regime, and that continuous forest or woodland corridors were not necessary for migration.

Distributed adaptive asymptotically consensus tracking control of uncertain Euler-Lagrange systems under directed graph condition.

PubMed

Wang, Wei; Wen, Changyun; Huang, Jiangshuai; Fan, Huijin

2017-11-01

In this paper, a backstepping based distributed adaptive control scheme is proposed for multiple uncertain Euler-Lagrange systems under directed graph condition. The common desired trajectory is allowed totally unknown by part of the subsystems and the linearly parameterized trajectory model assumed in currently available results is no longer needed. To compensate the effects due to unknown trajectory information, a smooth function of consensus errors and certain positive integrable functions are introduced in designing virtual control inputs. Besides, to overcome the difficulty of completely counteracting the coupling terms of distributed consensus errors and parameter estimation errors in the presence of asymmetric Laplacian matrix, extra information transmission of local parameter estimates are introduced among linked subsystem and adaptive gain technique is adopted to generate distributed torque inputs. It is shown that with the proposed distributed adaptive control scheme, global uniform boundedness of all the closed-loop signals and asymptotically output consensus tracking can be achieved. Copyright © 2017 ISA. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Formation tracker design of multiple mobile robots with wheel perturbations: adaptive output-feedback approach

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yoo, Sung Jin

2016-11-01

This paper presents a theoretical design approach for output-feedback formation tracking of multiple mobile robots under wheel perturbations. It is assumed that these perturbations are unknown and the linear and angular velocities of the robots are unmeasurable. First, adaptive state observers for estimating unmeasurable velocities of the robots are developed under the robots' kinematics and dynamics including wheel perturbation effects. Then, we derive a virtual-structure-based formation tracker scheme according to the observer dynamic surface design procedure. The main difficulty of the output-feedback control design is to manage the coupling problems between unmeasurable velocities and unknown wheel perturbation effects. These problems are avoided by using the adaptive technique and the function approximation property based on fuzzy logic systems. From the Lyapunov stability analysis, it is shown that point tracking errors of each robot and synchronisation errors for the desired formation converge to an adjustable neighbourhood of the origin, while all signals in the controlled closed-loop system are semiglobally uniformly ultimately bounded.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Branda, Steven S.; Lane, Todd W.; Misra, Milind

Bioweapons and emerging infectious diseases pose formidable and growing threats to our national security. Rapid advances in biotechnology and the increasing efficiency of global transportation networks virtually guarantee that the United States will face potentially devastating infectious disease outbreaks caused by novel ('unknown') pathogens either intentionally or accidentally introduced into the population. Unfortunately, our nation's biodefense and public health infrastructure is primarily designed to handle previously characterized ('known') pathogens. While modern DNA assays can identify known pathogens quickly, identifying unknown pathogens currently depends upon slow, classical microbiological methods of isolation and culture that can take weeks to produce actionable information.more » In many scenarios that delay would be costly, in terms of casualties and economic damage; indeed, it can mean the difference between a manageable public health incident and a full-blown epidemic. To close this gap in our nation's biodefense capability, we will develop, validate, and optimize a system to extract nucleic acids from unknown pathogens present in clinical samples drawn from infected patients. This system will extract nucleic acids from a clinical sample, amplify pathogen and specific host response nucleic acid sequences. These sequences will then be suitable for ultra-high-throughput sequencing (UHTS) carried out by a third party. The data generated from UHTS will then be processed through a new data assimilation and Bioinformatic analysis pipeline that will allow us to characterize an unknown pathogen in hours to days instead of weeks to months. Our methods will require no a priori knowledge of the pathogen, and no isolation or culturing; therefore it will circumvent many of the major roadblocks confronting a clinical microbiologist or virologist when presented with an unknown or engineered pathogen.« less

Virtual reality job interview training and 6-month employment outcomes for individuals with schizophrenia seeking employment.

PubMed

Smith, Matthew J; Fleming, Michael F; Wright, Michael A; Roberts, Andrea G; Humm, Laura Boteler; Olsen, Dale; Bell, Morris D

2015-08-01

Individuals with schizophrenia have low employment rates and the job interview presents a critical barrier for them to obtain employment. Virtual reality training has demonstrated efficacy at improving interview skills and employment outcomes among multiple clinical populations. However, the effects of this training on individuals with schizophrenia are unknown. This study evaluated the efficacy of virtual reality job interview training (VR-JIT) at improving job interview skills and employment outcomes among individuals with schizophrenia in a small randomized controlled trial (n=21 VR-JIT trainees, n=11 waitlist controls). Trainees completed up to 10h of virtual interviews using VR-JIT, while controls received services as usual. Primary outcome measures included two pre-test and two post-test video-recorded role-play interviews scored by blinded raters with expertise in human resources and self-reported interviewing self-confidence. Six-month follow-up data on employment outcomes were collected. Trainees reported that the intervention was easy-to-use, helpful, and prepared them for future interviews. Trainees demonstrated increased role-play scores between pre-test and post-test while controls did not (p=0.001). After accounting for neurocognition and months since prior employment, trainees had greater odds of receiving a job offer by 6month follow-up compared to controls (OR: 8.73, p=0.04) and more training was associated with fewer weeks until receiving a job offer (r=-0.63, p<0.001). Results suggest that VR-JIT is acceptable to trainees and may be efficacious for improving job interview skills in individuals with schizophrenia. Moreover, trainees had greater odds of receiving a job offer by 6-month follow-up. Future studies could evaluate the effectiveness of VR-JIT within community-based services. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

The Engelbourg's ruins: from 3D TLS point cloud acquisition to 3D virtual and historic models

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Koehl, Mathieu; Berger, Solveig; Nobile, Sylvain

2014-05-01

The Castle of Engelbourg was built at the beginning of the 13th century, at the top of the Schlossberg. It is situated on the territory of the municipality of Thann (France), at the crossroads of Alsace and Lorraine, and dominates the outlet of the valley of Thur. Its strategic position was one of the causes of its systematic destructions during the 17th century, and Louis XIV finished his fate by ordering his demolition in 1673. Today only few vestiges remain, of which a section of the main tower from about 7m of diameter and 4m of wide laying on its slice, unique characteristic in the regional castral landscape. It is visible since the valley, was named "the Eye of the witch", and became a key attraction of the region. The site, which extends over approximately one hectare, is for several years the object of numerous archaeological studies and is at the heart of a project of valuation of the vestiges today. It was indeed a key objective, among the numerous planned works, to realize a 3D model of the site in its current state, in other words, a virtual model "such as seized", exploitable as well from a cultural and tourist point of view as by scientists and in archaeological researches. The team of the ICube/INSA lab had in responsibility the realization of this model, the acquisition of the data until the delivery of the virtual model, thanks to 3D TLS and topographic surveying methods. It was also planned to integrate into this 3D model, data of 2D archives, stemming from series of former excavations. The objectives of this project were the following ones: • Acquisition of 3D digital data of the site and 3D modelling • Digitization of the 2D archaeological data and integration in the 3D model • Implementation of a database connected to the 3D model • Virtual Visit of the site The obtained results allowed us to visualize every 3D object individually, under several forms (point clouds, 3D meshed objects and models, etc.) and at several levels of detail. The 3D model integrated into a GIS is now a precious means of communication for the valuation of the site. Accessible to all, including to the distant people, he allows discover the castle and his history in an educational and relevant way. From an archaeological point of view, the 3D model brings an overall view and a backward movement on the constitution of the site, which a 2D document cannot easily offer. The 3D navigation and the integration of 2D data in the model allow analyze vestiges in another way, contributing to the faster establishment of new hypotheses. Complementary to other methods already exploited in archaeology, the analysis by the 3D vision is, for the scientists, a significant saving of time which they can so dedicate to the more thorough study of certain put aside hypotheses. In parallel, we created several panoramas, and set up a virtual and interactive visit of the site. In the optics to perpetuate this project, and to offer to the future users the ways to continue and to update this study, we tested and set up the methodologies of processing. We were so able to release procedures clear, orderly and applicable as well to the case of Engelbourg as to other similar studies. At least, some hypotheses permits to reconstruct virtually first versions of the original state of the castle.

Thomas Hodgkin: social activist.

PubMed

Rosenfeld, L

2000-04-01

Thomas Hodgkin's discovery of a lymph gland disorder is merely one event in a life of unusually varied public activities in the social reform and humanitarian movements of the mid-19th century. He wrote pamphlets on medical care for the working-class poor, public health, housing, sanitation, and the relief of cold, hunger, and unemployment. Hodgkin wrote about the problems arising from urban renewal and suburban development. His contributions to geographic explorations, anthropology, ethnology, and foreign affairs are virtually unknown today. Hodgkin's opposition to slavery and the slave trade involved him in the development of settlements in Africa for freed slaves and disputes with the abolitionists in America. He fought for social justice and human rights for native populations being oppressed by British foreign policy in South Africa and New Zealand. His criticism of the exploitation of Indians by the Hudson's Bay Company's fur trade contributed to a professional conflict in the highly politicized environment of Guy's Hospital and blocked advancement of his medical career. Closer to home he advocated reform of medical education and practice and sponsored adult education programs. As a member of its Senate, he helped in establishing London University, the first nonsectarian institution of higher learning in England. He lectured to working people on the means of preserving and promoting health and advocated prepaid medical care for the working poor. Concerned about unequal distribution of medical care, he opposed medical contracts to the lowest bidder and price-determined government plans for health care. He consistently maintained that the basic problems of the poor were not medical but socioeconomic. Since charity leaves nothing behind in exchange, Hodgkin was certain that greater benefits would result if charitable money was used to provide jobs. He denounced the evils of tobacco, practices of trade unions, and barbarous prize fights. On a trip to Jerusalem with Sir Moses Montefiore in 1866, Hodgkin contracted dysentery and died. He is buried in a protestant cemetery in Jaffa. His epitaph is fitting: "Nothing human was alien to him."

VPLS: an effective technology for building scalable transparent LAN services

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Dong, Ximing; Yu, Shaohua

2005-02-01

Virtual Private LAN Service (VPLS) is generating considerable interest with enterprises and service providers as it offers multipoint transparent LAN service (TLS) over MPLS networks. This paper describes an effective technology - VPLS, which links virtual switch instances (VSIs) through MPLS to form an emulated Ethernet switch and build Scalable Transparent Lan Services. It first focuses on the architecture of VPLS with Ethernet bridging technique at the edge and MPLS at the core, then it tries to elucidate the data forwarding mechanism within VPLS domain, including learning and aging MAC addresses on a per LSP basis, flooding of unknown frames and replication for unknown, multicast, and broadcast frames. The loop-avoidance mechanism, known as split horizon forwarding, is also analyzed. Another important aspect of VPLS service is its basic operation, including autodiscovery and signaling, is discussed. From the perspective of efficiency and scalability the paper compares two important signaling mechanism, BGP and LDP, which are used to set up a PW between the PEs and bind the PWs to a particular VSI. With the extension of VPLS and the increase of full mesh of PWs between PE devices (n*(n-1)/2 PWs in all, a n2 complete problem), VPLS instance could have a large number of remote PE associations, resulting in an inefficient use of network bandwidth and system resources as the ingress PE has to replicate each frame and append MPLS labels for remote PE. So the latter part of this paper focuses on the scalability issue: the Hierarchical VPLS. Within the architecture of HVPLS, this paper addresses two ways to cope with a possibly large number of MAC addresses, which make VPLS operate more efficiently.

Epidemiological bases and molecular mechanisms linking obesity, diabetes, and cancer.

PubMed

Gutiérrez-Salmerón, María; Chocarro-Calvo, Ana; García-Martínez, José Manuel; de la Vieja, Antonio; García-Jiménez, Custodia

2017-02-01

The association between diabetes and cancer was hypothesized almost one century ago. Today, a vast number of epidemiological studies support that obese and diabetic populations are more likely to experience tissue-specific cancers, but the underlying molecular mechanisms remain unknown. Obesity, diabetes, and cancer share many hormonal, immune, and metabolic changes that may account for the relationship between diabetes and cancer. In addition, antidiabetic treatments may have an impact on the occurrence and course of some cancers. Moreover, some anticancer treatments may induce diabetes. These observations aroused a great controversy because of the ethical implications and the associated commercial interests. We report an epidemiological update from a mechanistic perspective that suggests the existence of many common and differential individual mechanisms linking obesity and type 1 and 2 diabetes mellitus to certain cancers. The challenge today is to identify the molecular links responsible for this association. Classification of cancers by their molecular signatures may facilitate future mechanistic and epidemiological studies. Copyright © 2016 SEEN. Publicado por Elsevier España, S.L.U. All rights reserved.

Target and double spin asymmetries of deeply virtual π0 production with a longitudinally polarized proton target and CLAS

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kim, A.; Avakian, H.; Burkert, V.; Joo, K.; Kim, W.; Adhikari, K. P.; Akbar, Z.; Anefalos Pereira, S.; Badui, R. A.; Battaglieri, M.; Batourine, V.; Bedlinskiy, I.; Biselli, A. S.; Boiarinov, S.; Bosted, P.; Briscoe, W. J.; Brooks, W. K.; Bültmann, S.; Cao, T.; Carman, D. S.; Celentano, A.; Chandavar, S.; Charles, G.; Chetry, T.; Colaneri, L.; Cole, P. L.; Compton, N.; Contalbrigo, M.; Cortes, O.; Crede, V.; D'Angelo, A.; Dashyan, N.; De Vita, R.; De Sanctis, E.; Djalali, C.; Egiyan, H.; El Alaoui, A.; El Fassi, L.; Eugenio, P.; Fedotov, G.; Fersch, R.; Filippi, A.; Fleming, J. A.; Fradi, A.; Garc con, M.; Ghandilyan, Y.; Gilfoyle, G. P.; Giovanetti, K. L.; Girod, F. X.; Gohn, W.; Golovatch, E.; Gothe, R. W.; Griffioen, K. A.; Guo, L.; Hafidi, K.; Hanretty, C.; Hattawy, M.; Heddle, D.; Hicks, K.; Holtrop, M.; Ilieva, Y.; Ireland, D. G.; Ishkhanov, B. S.; Jenkins, D.; Jiang, H.; Jo, H. S.; Joosten, S.; Keller, D.; Khachatryan, G.; Khandaker, M.; Klein, A.; Klein, F. J.; Kubarovsky, V.; Kuhn, S. E.; Kuleshov, S. V.; Lanza, L.; Lenisa, P.; Lu, H. Y.; MacGregor, I. J. D.; Markov, N.; Mattione, P.; McCracken, M. E.; McKinnon, B.; Mokeev, V.; Movsisyan, A.; Munevar, E.; Nadel-Turonski, P.; Net, L. A.; Niccolai, S.; Osipenko, M.; Ostrovidov, A. I.; Paolone, M.; Park, K.; Pasyuk, E.; Phelps, W.; Pisano, S.; Pogorelko, O.; Price, J. W.; Prok, Y.; Ripani, M.; Rizzo, A.; Rosner, G.; Rossi, P.; Roy, P.; Salgado, C.; Schumacher, R. A.; Seder, E.; Sharabian, Y. G.; Skorodumina, Iu.; Smith, G. D.; Sokhan, D.; Sparveris, N.; Stepanyan, S.; Stoler, P.; Strakovsky, I. I.; Strauch, S.; Sytnik, V.; Taiuti, M.; Torayev, B.; Ungaro, M.; Voskanyan, H.; Voutier, E.; Watts, D. P.; Wei, X.; Weinstein, L. B.; Zachariou, N.; Zana, L.; Zhang, J.

2017-05-01

The target and double spin asymmetries of the exclusive pseudoscalar channel e → p → → epπ0 were measured for the first time in the deep-inelastic regime using a longitudinally polarized 5.9 GeV electron beam and a longitudinally polarized proton target at Jefferson Lab with the CEBAF Large Acceptance Spectrometer (CLAS). The data were collected over a large kinematic phase space and divided into 110 four-dimensional bins of Q2, xB, -t and ϕ. Large values of asymmetry moments clearly indicate a substantial contribution to the polarized structure functions from transverse virtual photon amplitudes. The interpretation of experimental data in terms of generalized parton distributions (GPDs) provides the first insight on the chiral-odd GPDs H˜T and ET, and complement previous measurements of unpolarized structure functions sensitive to the GPDs HT and EbarT. These data provide a crucial input for parametrizations of essentially unknown chiral-odd GPDs and will strongly influence existing theoretical calculations based on the handbag formalism.

Sparse-view photoacoustic tomography using virtual parallel-projections and spatially adaptive filtering

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Wang, Yihan; Lu, Tong; Wan, Wenbo; Liu, Lingling; Zhang, Songhe; Li, Jiao; Zhao, Huijuan; Gao, Feng

2018-02-01

To fully realize the potential of photoacoustic tomography (PAT) in preclinical and clinical applications, rapid measurements and robust reconstructions are needed. Sparse-view measurements have been adopted effectively to accelerate the data acquisition. However, since the reconstruction from the sparse-view sampling data is challenging, both of the effective measurement and the appropriate reconstruction should be taken into account. In this study, we present an iterative sparse-view PAT reconstruction scheme where a virtual parallel-projection concept matching for the proposed measurement condition is introduced to help to achieve the "compressive sensing" procedure of the reconstruction, and meanwhile the spatially adaptive filtering fully considering the a priori information of the mutually similar blocks existing in natural images is introduced to effectively recover the partial unknown coefficients in the transformed domain. Therefore, the sparse-view PAT images can be reconstructed with higher quality compared with the results obtained by the universal back-projection (UBP) algorithm in the same sparse-view cases. The proposed approach has been validated by simulation experiments, which exhibits desirable performances in image fidelity even from a small number of measuring positions.

Grid-cell representations in mental simulation

PubMed Central

Bellmund, Jacob LS; Deuker, Lorena; Navarro Schröder, Tobias; Doeller, Christian F

2016-01-01

Anticipating the future is a key motif of the brain, possibly supported by mental simulation of upcoming events. Rodent single-cell recordings suggest the ability of spatially tuned cells to represent subsequent locations. Grid-like representations have been observed in the human entorhinal cortex during virtual and imagined navigation. However, hitherto it remains unknown if grid-like representations contribute to mental simulation in the absence of imagined movement. Participants imagined directions between building locations in a large-scale virtual-reality city while undergoing fMRI without re-exposure to the environment. Using multi-voxel pattern analysis, we provide evidence for representations of absolute imagined direction at a resolution of 30° in the parahippocampal gyrus, consistent with the head-direction system. Furthermore, we capitalize on the six-fold rotational symmetry of grid-cell firing to demonstrate a 60° periodic pattern-similarity structure in the entorhinal cortex. Our findings imply a role of the entorhinal grid-system in mental simulation and future thinking beyond spatial navigation. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.7554/eLife.17089.001 PMID:27572056

Virtual reality training followed by box training improves the laparoscopic skills of novice surgeons.

PubMed

Sumitani, Daisuke; Egi, Hiroyuki; Tokunaga, Masakazu; Hattori, Minoru; Yoshimitsu, Masanori; Kawahara, Tomohiro; Okajima, Masazumi; Ohdan, Hideki

2013-06-01

The detailed influence of virtual reality training (VRT) and box training (BT) on laparoscopic performance is unknown; we aimed to determine the optimal order of imparting these training programs. This randomized controlled trial involved two groups, each with 20 participants without prior laparoscopic surgical experience: A BT-VRT group (60 min BT followed by 60 min VRT) and a VRT-BT group (60 min VRT followed by 60 min BT). We objectively assessed the laparoscopic skills with a motion-analysis system (Hiroshima University Endoscopic Surgical Assessment Device: HUESAD), which reliably assesses surgical dexterity. Skill assessment was performed before and after the training session. No inter-group differences were identified in the study measures at the pre-training assessment. In both groups, the performance on all tasks was significantly better at the post-training assessment than at the pre-training assessment. However, the outcome of the tests using the HUESAD was significantly better in the VRT-BT group than in the BT-VRT group at the post-training assessment. VRT followed by BT effectively improves the dexterity of novice surgeons during initial laparoscopic (combination) training.

Large short-term deviations from dipolar field during the Levantine Iron Age Geomagnetic Anomaly ca. 1050-700 BCE

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shaar, R.; Tauxe, L.; Ebert, Y.

2017-12-01

Continuous decadal-resolution paleomagnetic data from archaeological and sedimentary sources in the Levant revealed the existence a local high-field anomaly, which spanned the first 350 years of the first millennium BCE. This so-called "the Levantine Iron Age geomagnetic Anomaly" (LIAA) was characterized by a high averaged geomagnetic field (virtual axial dipole moments, VADM > 140 Z Am2, nearly twice of today's field), short decadal-scale geomagnetic spikes (VADM of 160-185 Z Am2), fast directional and intensity variations, and substantial deviation (20°-25°) from dipole field direction. Similar high field values in the time frame of LIAA have been observed north, and northeast to the Levant: Eastern Anatolia, Turkmenistan, and Georgia. West of the Levant, in the Balkans, field values in the same time are moderate to low. The overall data suggest that the LIAA is a manifestation of a local positive geomagnetic field anomaly similar in magnitude and scale to the presently active negative South Atlantic Anomaly. In this presentation we review the overall archaeomagnetic and sedimentary evidences supporting the local anomaly hypothesis, and compare these observations with today's IGRF field. We analyze the global data during the first two millennia BCE, which suggest some unexpected large deviations from a simple dipolar geomagnetic structure.

Formation Flying: The Future of Remote Sensing from Space

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Leitner, Jesse

2004-01-01

Over the next two decades a revolution is likely to occur in how remote sensing of Earth, other planets or bodies, and a range of phenomena in the universe is performed from space. In particular, current launch vehicle fairing volume and mass constraints will continue to restrict the size of monolithic telescope apertures which can be launched to accommodate only slightly more performance capability than is achievable today, such as by the Hubble Space Telescope. Systems under formulation today, such as the James Webb Space Telescope will be able to increase aperture size and, hence, imaging resolution, by deploying segmented optics. However, this approach is limited as well, by ow ability to control such segments to optical tolerances over long distances with highly uncertain structural dynamics connecting them. Consequently, for orders of magnitude improved resolution as required for imaging black holes, imaging planets, or performing asteroseismology, the only viable approach will be to fly a collection of spacecraft in formation to synthesize a virtual segmented telescope or interferometer with very large baselines. This presentation describes some of the strategic science missions planned in the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, and identifies some of the critical technologies needed to enable some of the most challenging space missions ever conceived which have realistic hopes of flying.

Spacecraft Formation Flying: An Overview of Missions and Technologies

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Leitner, Jesse

2007-01-01

Over the next two decades a revolution is likely to occur in how remote sensing of Earth, other planets or bodies, and a range of phenomena in the universe is performed from space. In particular, current launch vehicle fairing volume and mass constraints will continue to restrict the size of monolithic telescope apertures which can be launched to accommodate only slightly more performance capability than is achievable today, such as by the Hubble Space Telescope. Systems under formulation today, such as the James Webb Space Telescope, will be able to increase aperture size and, hence, imaging resolution, by deploying segmented optics. However, this approach is limited as well, by our ability to control such segments to optical tolerances over long distances with highly uncertain structural dynamics connecting them. Consequently, for orders of magnitude improved resolution as required for imaging black holes, imaging planets, or performing asteroseismology, the only viable approach will be to fly a collection of spacecraft in formation to synthesize a virtual segmented telescope or interferometer with very large baselines. This presentation highlights some of the strategic science missions planned in the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, and identifies some of the critical technologies needed to enable some of the most challenging space missions ever conceived which have realistic hopes of flying.

Advanced Divertor Design and Application under Modern Superconducting Tokamak Constraints

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Covele, Brent; Kotschenreuther, Mike; Mahajan, Swadesh; Valanju, Prashant

2013-10-01

With current ITER projections already predicting divertor exhaust heat loads in the 5-10 MW/m2 range, i.e. at the maximum tolerance, it is clear that the divertor heat load problem will only be exacerbated for future superconducting tokamaks, as well as perhaps some modern tokamaks today. Thus, an advanced divertor, such as the X-Divertor (XD), Super-X Divertor (SXD), or Snowflake (SF) will become a virtual necessity to reduce incident heat flux at the target plates. Using the 2D magnetic equilibrium code CORSICA, we explore the possibilities of creating an advanced divertor for a next-generation superconducting tokamak (Ip = 15 MA, BT = 5.3 T, R = 6.2 m) under nominal engineering constraints. Advanced divertors were achieved with no in-vessel PF coils, PF current densities below 30 MA/m2, and vertical maintenance access, all of which are favorable conditions for tokamaks today. Both the XD and SF divertors are readily achievable while maintaining core plasma performance, and the advantages and disadvantages of each are discussed in turn. Some thought is given as to how the divertor cassette will need to be modified to accommodate advanced divertors. Work supported under US-DOE projects DE-FG02-04ER54742 and DE-FG02-04ER54754.

Use of Emerging Grid Computing Technologies for the Analysis of LIGO Data

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Koranda, Scott

2004-03-01

The LIGO Scientific Collaboration (LSC) today faces the challenge of enabling analysis of terabytes of LIGO data by hundreds of scientists from institutions all around the world. To meet this challenge the LSC is developing tools, infrastructure, applications, and expertise leveraging Grid Computing technologies available today, and making available to LSC scientists compute resources at sites across the United States and Europe. We use digital credentials for strong and secure authentication and authorization to compute resources and data. Building on top of products from the Globus project for high-speed data transfer and information discovery we have created the Lightweight Data Replicator (LDR) to securely and robustly replicate data to resource sites. We have deployed at our computing sites the Virtual Data Toolkit (VDT) Server and Client packages, developed in collaboration with our partners in the GriPhyN and iVDGL projects, providing uniform access to distributed resources for users and their applications. Taken together these Grid Computing technologies and infrastructure have formed the LSC DataGrid--a coherent and uniform environment across two continents for the analysis of gravitational-wave detector data. Much work, however, remains in order to scale current analyses and recent lessons learned need to be integrated into the next generation of Grid middleware.

New trace element determinations in the fingernails of ALS patients

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Van Dalsem, D.J.; Ehmann, W.D.; Robinson, L.

1996-12-31

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) afflicts 2 of every 100,000 people in the United States each year. A well-known example of ALS today is Stephen Hawking. He is a theoretical physicist, the author of A Brief History of Time, and is virtually immobilized by ALS. Diseases that cause progressive paralysis because of motor neuron degeneration in the central nervous system are termed motor neuron disorders (MND). Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis is a common form of MND. Pain-free, progressive muscular weakness is the most common clinical symptom. There is chronic weakness with atrophy of the affected muscles by the time the disease ismore » diagnosed. Atrophy eventually results in wheelchair confinement and then only bed without the ability to speak or swallow. Death often occurs as a result of respiratory problems. Unlike other neurodegenerative diseases, in ALS the patient`s bladder and bowel control, eye movement, and mental faculties are preserved. The question today is whether or not certain trace elements are involved in the etiology or pathogenesis of ALS. A collaborative study was undertaken by the University of Kentucky and Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) using neutron activation analysis (NAA) to study trace element concentrations in ALS patients fingernails to determine if there existed statistically significant imbalances.« less

TRENCADIS - secure architecture to share and manage DICOM objects in a ontological framework based on OGSA.

PubMed

Blanquer, Ignacio; Hernandez, Vicente; Segrelles, Damià; Torres, Erik

2007-01-01

Today most European healthcare centers use the digital format for their databases of images. TRENCADIS is a software architecture comprising a set of services as a solution for interconnecting, managing and sharing selected parts of medical DICOM data for the development of training and decision support tools. The organization of the distributed information in virtual repositories is based on semantic criteria. Different groups of researchers could organize themselves to propose a Virtual Organization (VO). These VOs will be interested in specific target areas, and will share information concerning each area. Although the private part of the information to be shared will be removed, special considerations will be taken into account to avoid the access by non-authorized users. This paper describes the security model implemented as part of TRENCADIS. The paper is organized as follows. First introduces the problem and presents our motivations. Section 1 defines the objectives. Section 2 presents an overview of the existing proposals per objective. Section 3 outlines the overall architecture. Section 4 describes how TRENCADIS is architected to realize the security goals discussed in the previous sections. The different security services and components of the infrastructure are briefly explained, as well as the exposed interfaces. Finally, Section 5 concludes and gives some remarks on our future work.

Telemedical applications and grid technology

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Graschew, Georgi; Roelofs, Theo A.; Rakowsky, Stefan; Schlag, Peter M.; Kaiser, Silvan; Albayrak, Sahin

2005-11-01

Due to the experience in the exploitation of previous European telemedicine projects an open Euro-Mediterranean consortium proposes the Virtual Euro-Mediterranean Hospital (VEMH) initiative. The provision of the same advanced technologies to the European and Mediterranean Countries should contribute to their better dialogue for integration. VEMH aims to facilitate the interconnection of various services through real integration which must take into account the social, human and cultural dimensions. VEMH will provide a platform consisting of a satellite and terrestrial link for the application of medical e-learning, real-time telemedicine and medical assistance. The methodologies for the VEMH are medical-needs-driven instead of technology-driven. They supply new management tools for virtual medical communities and allow management of clinical outcomes for implementation of evidence-based medicine. Due to the distributed character of the VEMH Grid technology becomes inevitable for successful deployment of the services. Existing Grid Engines provide basic computing power needed by today's medical analysis tasks but lack other capabilities needed for communication and knowledge sharing services envisioned. When it comes to heterogeneous systems to be shared by different institutions especially the high level system management areas are still unsupported. Therefore a Metagrid Engine is needed that provides a superset of functionalities across different Grid Engines and manages strong privacy and Quality of Service constraints at this comprehensive level.

a Virtual Hub Brokering Approach for Integration of Historical and Modern Maps

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bruno, N.; Previtali, M.; Barazzetti, L.; Brumana, R.; Roncella, R.

2016-06-01

Geospatial data are today more and more widespread. Many different institutions, such as Geographical Institutes, Public Administrations, collaborative communities (e.g., OSM) and web companies, make available nowadays a large number of maps. Besides this cartography, projects of digitizing, georeferencing and web publication of historical maps have increasingly spread in the recent years. In spite of these variety and availability of data, information overload makes difficult their discovery and management: without knowing the specific repository where the data are stored, it is difficult to find the information required and problems of interconnection between different data sources and their restricted interoperability limit a wide utilization of available geo-data. This paper aims to describe some actions performed to assure interoperability between data, in particular spatial and geographic data, gathered from different data providers, with different features and referring to different historical periods. The article summarizes and exemplifies how, starting from projects of historical map digitizing and Historical GIS implementation, respectively for the Lombardy and for the city of Parma, the interoperability is possible in the framework of the ENERGIC OD project. The European project ENERGIC OD, thanks to a specific component - the virtual hub - based on a brokering framework, copes with the previous listed problems and allows the interoperability between different data sources.

Naive (commonsense) geography and geobrowser usability after ten years of Google Earth

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hamerlinck, J. D.

2016-04-01

In 1995, the concept of ‘naive geography’ was formally introduced as an area of cognitive geographic information science representing ‘the body of knowledge that people have about the surrounding geographic world’ and reflecting ‘the way people think and reason about geographic space and time, both consciously and subconsciously’. The need to incorporate such commonsense knowledge and reasoning into design of geospatial technologies was identified but faced challenges in formalizing these relationships and processes in software implementation. Ten years later, the Google Earth geobrowser was released, marking the beginning of a new era of open access to, and application of, geographic data and information in society. Fast-forward to today, and the opportunity presents itself to take stock of twenty years of naive geography and a decade of the ubiquitous virtual globe. This paper introduces an ongoing research effort to explore the integration of naive (or commonsense) geography concepts in the Google Earth geobrowser virtual globe and their possible impact on Google Earth's usability, utility, and usefulness. A multi-phase methodology is described, combining usability reviews and usability testing with use-case scenarios involving the U.S.-Canadian Yellowstone to Yukon Initiative. Initial progress on a usability review combining cognitive walkthroughs and heuristics evaluation is presented.

From toy to tool: the development of immersive virtual reality environments for psychotherapy of specific phobias.

PubMed

Bullinger, A H; Roessler, A; Mueller-Spahn, F

1998-01-01

Virtual Reality (VR) entered the mental health field some years ago. While the technology itself has been available for more than ten years now, there is still a certain amount of uncertainty among researchers and users as to whether VR will one day fulfill all it's promises. In this chapter we are giving an overview of the implementation of the technology in our mental health research facility in Basel, Switzerland. The development of two applications for use with claustrophobic and acrophobic patients perspectively serves just as an example within this context. Some may say, the chapter is too much based on technical considerations. Strictly speaking, VR is pure technology, even knowing that this special form of technology has sensory, psychological and even philosophical implications not known from other human computer interfaces so far. As far as we are concerned, the development of the technology for use within the mental health sector has merely just begun. As today's mostly used immersive output devices (Head-mounted Displays, shutter glasses) do not have a satisfactory resolution, do restrict movements and prevent multi-user-capabilities, there will be a soar of mental health applications the day some or at least the most important of these obstacles have been overcome.

Immersive virtual reality used as a platform for perioperative training for surgical residents.

PubMed

Witzke, D B; Hoskins, J D; Mastrangelo, M J; Witzke, W O; Chu, U B; Pande, S; Park, A E

2001-01-01

Perioperative preparations such as operating room setup, patient and equipment positioning, and operating port placement are essential to operative success in minimally invasive surgery. We developed an immersive virtual reality-based training system (REMIS) to provide residents (and other health professionals) with training and evaluation in these perioperative skills. Our program uses the qualities of immersive VR that are available today for inclusion in an ongoing training curriculum for surgical residents. The current application consists of a primary platform for patient positioning for a laparoscopic cholecystectomy. Having completed this module we can create many different simulated problems for other procedures. As a part of the simulation, we have devised a computer-driven real-time data collection system to help us in evaluating trainees and providing feedback during the simulation. The REMIS program trains and evaluates surgical residents and obviates the need to use expensive operating room and surgeon time. It also allows residents to train based on their schedule and does not put patients at increased risk. The method is standardized, allows for repetition if needed, evaluates individual performance, provides the possible complications of incorrect choices, provides training in 3-D environment, and has the capability of being used for various scenarios and professions.

Ionizing radiation and aging: rejuvenating an old idea

PubMed Central

Richardson, Richard B.

2009-01-01

This paper reviews the contemporary evidence that radiation can accelerate aging, degenerative health effects and mortality. Around the 1960s, the idea that ionizing radiation caused premature aging was dismissed as the radiation-induced health effects appeared to be virtually confined to neoplasms. More recently, radiation has become associated with a much wider spectrum of age-related diseases, including cardiovascular disease; although some diseases of old age, such as diabetes, are notably absent as a radiation risk. On the basis of recent research, is there a stronger case today to be made linking radiation and aging? Comparison is made between the now-known biological mechanisms of aging and those of radiation, including oxidative stress, chromosomal damage, apoptosis, stem cell exhaustion and inflammation. The association between radiation effects and the free-radical theory of aging as the causative hypothesis seems to be more compelling than that between radiation and the nutrient-sensing TOR pathway. Premature aging has been assessed by biomarkers in calorie restriction studies; yet, biomarkers such as telomere erosion and p16INK4a are ambiguous for radiation-induced aging. Some animal studies suggest low dose radiation may even demonstrate hormesis health benefits. Regardless, there is virtually no support for a life span extending hypothesis for A-bomb survivors and other exposed subjects. PMID:20157573

Virtual Reality for Artificial Intelligence: human-centered simulation for social science.

PubMed

Cipresso, Pietro; Riva, Giuseppe

2015-01-01

There is a long last tradition in Artificial Intelligence as use of Robots endowing human peculiarities, from a cognitive and emotional point of view, and not only in shape. Today Artificial Intelligence is more oriented to several form of collective intelligence, also building robot simulators (hardware or software) to deeply understand collective behaviors in human beings and society as a whole. Modeling has also been crucial in the social sciences, to understand how complex systems can arise from simple rules. However, while engineers' simulations can be performed in the physical world using robots, for social scientist this is impossible. For decades, researchers tried to improve simulations by endowing artificial agents with simple and complex rules that emulated human behavior also by using artificial intelligence (AI). To include human beings and their real intelligence within artificial societies is now the big challenge. We present an hybrid (human-artificial) platform where experiments can be performed by simulated artificial worlds in the following manner: 1) agents' behaviors are regulated by the behaviors shown in Virtual Reality involving real human beings exposed to specific situations to simulate, and 2) technology transfers these rules into the artificial world. These form a closed-loop of real behaviors inserted into artificial agents, which can be used to study real society.

NASA, Building Tomorrow's Future

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Mango, Edward

2011-01-01

We, as NASA, continue to Dare Mighty Things. Here we are in October. In my country, the United States of America, we celebrate the anniversary of Christopher Columbus's arrival in the Americas, which occurred on October 12, 1492. His story, although happening over 500 years ago, is still very valid today. It is a part of the American spirit; part of the international human spirit. Columbus is famous for discovering the new world we now call America, but he probably never envisioned what great discoveries would be revealed many generations later. But in order for Columbus to begin his great adventure, he needed a business plan. Ho would he go about obtaining the funds and support necessary to build, supply, and man the ships required for his travels? He had a lot of obstacles and distractions. He needed a strong, internal drive to achieve his plans and recruit a willing crew of explorers also ready to risk their all for the unknown journey ahead. As Columbus set sail, he said "By prevailing over all obstacles and distractions, one may unfailingly arrive at his chosen goal or destination." Columbus may not have known he was on a journey for all human exploration. Recently, Charlie Bolden, the NASA Administrator, said, "Human exploration is and has always been about making life better for humans on Earth." Today, NASA and the U.S. human spaceflight program hold many of the same attributes as did Columbus and his contemporaries - a willing, can-do spirit. We are on the threshold of exciting new times in space exploration. Like Columbus, we need a business plan to take us into the future. We need to design the best ships and utilize the best designers, with their past knowledge and experience, to build those ships. We need funding and support from governments to achieve these goals of space exploration into the unknown. NASA does have that business plan, and it is an ambitious plan for human spaceflight and exploration. Today, we have a magnificent spaceflight laboratory, built over many years by the United States and other nations. Last month, the last man to step off the moon, Gene Cernan, told the U.S. Congress, "Today the International Space Station, the assembly of which may well go down in history as man's greatest engineering accomplishment of all time, circles the globe sixteen times every day - all in keeping with JFK's challenge to do the other things." The International Space Station (ISS) is a ship which provides an outstanding platform 'for performing spaceborne scientific, engineering, and Earth studies. Numerous nations utilize this unique cooperative partnership by sending scientists, engineers, astronauts, and cosmonauts to the ISS to spend time aboard the station in order to further scientific research, truly an asset for the entire planet.

The Use of Quality Benchmarking in Assessing Web Resources for the Dermatology Virtual Branch Library of the National electronic Library for Health (NeLH)

PubMed Central

Roudsari, AV; Gordon, C; Gray, JA Muir

2001-01-01

Background In 1998, the U.K. National Health Service Information for Health Strategy proposed the implementation of a National electronic Library for Health to provide clinicians, healthcare managers and planners, patients and the public with easy, round the clock access to high quality, up-to-date electronic information on health and healthcare. The Virtual Branch Libraries are among the most important components of the National electronic Library for Health . They aim at creating online knowledge based communities, each concerned with some specific clinical and other health-related topics. Objectives This study is about the envisaged Dermatology Virtual Branch Libraries of the National electronic Library for Health . It aims at selecting suitable dermatology Web resources for inclusion in the forthcoming Virtual Branch Libraries after establishing preliminary quality benchmarking rules for this task. Psoriasis, being a common dermatological condition, has been chosen as a starting point. Methods Because quality is a principal concern of the National electronic Library for Health, the study includes a review of the major quality benchmarking systems available today for assessing health-related Web sites. The methodology of developing a quality benchmarking system has been also reviewed. Aided by metasearch Web tools, candidate resources were hand-selected in light of the reviewed benchmarking systems and specific criteria set by the authors. Results Over 90 professional and patient-oriented Web resources on psoriasis and dermatology in general are suggested for inclusion in the forthcoming Dermatology Virtual Branch Libraries. The idea of an all-in knowledge-hallmarking instrument for the National electronic Library for Health is also proposed based on the reviewed quality benchmarking systems. Conclusions Skilled, methodical, organized human reviewing, selection and filtering based on well-defined quality appraisal criteria seems likely to be the key ingredient in the envisaged National electronic Library for Health service. Furthermore, by promoting the application of agreed quality guidelines and codes of ethics by all health information providers and not just within the National electronic Library for Health, the overall quality of the Web will improve with time and the Web will ultimately become a reliable and integral part of the care space. PMID:11720947

Innovation in engineering education through computer assisted learning and virtual university model

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Raicu, A.; Raicu, G.

2015-11-01

The paper presents the most important aspects of innovation in Engineering Education using Computer Assisted Learning. The authors propose to increase the quality of Engineering Education programs of study at European standards. The use of computer assisted learning methodologies in all studies is becoming an important resource in Higher Education. We intend to improve the concept of e-Learning using virtual terminals, online support and assisting special training through live seminars and interactive labs to develop a virtual university model. We intend to encourage computer assisted learning and innovation as sources of competitive advantage, to permit vision and learning analysis, identifies new sources of technology and ideas. Our work is based on our university datasets collected during last fifteen years using several e-Learning systems. In Constanta Maritime University (CMU), using eLearning and Knowledge Management Services (KMS) is very important and we apply it effectively to achieve strategic objectives, such as collaboration, sharing and good practice. We have experience in this field since 2000 year using Moodle as KMS in our university. The term KMS can be associated to Open Source Software, Open Standards, Open Protocols and Open Knowledge licenses, initiatives and policies. In CMU Virtual Campus we have today over 12500 active users. Another experience of the authors is the implementation of MariTrainer Wiki educational platform based on Dokeos and DekiWiki under MARICOMP and MEP Leonardo da Vinci Project. We'll also present in this paper a case study under EU funded project POSDRU, where the authors implemented other educational platform in Technological High Schools from Romania used over 1000 teachers. Based on large datasets the study tries to improve the concept of e-Learning teaching using the revolutionary technologies. The new concept present in this paper is that the teaching and learning will be interactive and live. The new and modern techniques are the flexible learning courses, the production of learning demonstrators and testing. All the information from the virtual educational platform remain open space, communication between participants and continued after graduation, so we can talk about creating and maintaining a community of graduates, a partnership with them. Every European University must have a department which aims to provide computer assisted learning using knowledge creation through learning, capture and explication, sharing and collaborative communication, access, use and reuse and knowledge archiving.

Cultural heritage conservation and communication by digital modeling tools. Case studies: minor architectures of the Thirties in the Turin area

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bruno, A., Jr.; Spallone, R.

2015-08-01

Between the end of the twenties and the beginning of the World war two Turin, as the most of the Italian cities, was endowed by the fascist regime of many new buildings to guarantee its visibility and to control the territory: the fascist party main houses and the local ones. The style that was adopted for these constructions was inspired by the guide lines of the Modern movement which were spreading by a generation of architects as Le Corbusier, Gropius, Mendelsohn. At the end of the war many buildings were reconverted to several functions that led heavy transformations not respectful of the original worth, other were demolished. Today it's possible to rebuild those lost architectures in their primal format as it was created by their architects on paper (and in their mind). This process can guarantee the three-dimensional perception, the authenticity of the materials and the placement into the Turin urban tissue, using static and dynamic digital representation systems. The "three-dimensional re-drawing" of the projects, thought as an heuristic practice devoted to reveal the original idea of the project, inserts itself in a digital model of the urban and natural context as we can live it today, to simulate the perceptive effects that the building could stir up today. The modeling skills are the basis to product videos able to explore the relationship between the environment and "re-built architectures", describing with the synthetic movie techniques, the main formal and perceptive roots. The model represents a scientific product that can be involved in a virtual archive of cultural goods to preserve the collective memory of the architectural and urban past image of Turin.

Enhanced Multi-Modal Access to Planetary Exploration

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Lamarra, Norm; Doyle, Richard; Wyatt, Jay

2003-01-01

Tomorrow's Interplanetary Network (IPN) will evolve from JPL's Deep-Space Network (DSN) and provide key capabilities to future investigators, such as simplified acquisition of higher-quality science at remote sites and enriched access to these sites. These capabilities could also be used to foster public interest, e.g., by making it possible for students to explore these environments personally, eventually perhaps interacting with a virtual world whose models could be populated by data obtained continuously from the IPN. Our paper looks at JPL's approach to making this evolution happen, starting from improved communications. Evolving space protocols (e.g., today's CCSDS proximity and file-transfer protocols) will provide the underpinning of such communications in the next decades, just as today's rich web was enabled by progress in Internet Protocols starting from the early 1970's (ARPAnet research). A key architectural thrust of this effort is to deploy persistent infrastructure incrementally, using a layered service model, where later higher-layer capabilities (such as adaptive science planning) are enabled by earlier lower-layer services (such as automated routing of object-based messages). In practice, there is also a mind shift needed from an engineering culture raised on point-to-point single-function communications (command uplink, telemetry downlink), to one in which assets are only indirectly accessed, via well-defined interfaces. We are aiming to foster a 'community of access' both among space assets and the humans who control them. This enables appropriate (perhaps eventually optimized) sharing of services and resources to the greater benefit of all participants. We envision such usage to be as automated in the future as using a cell phone is today - with all the steps in creating the real-time link being automated.

The medical students' societies and medical students' publications.

PubMed

Lim, K H

2005-07-01

The rich corporate life of the medical student and the medical students' societies at our medical school (at the present National University of Singapore) is generally unappreciated by its graduates and regrettably, even more unknown to the medical student of today. The present generation of medical students of NUS do not know of their rich history. We have published documentation of student activities from the founding of the medical school in 1905 till the establishment of the then University of Malaya in 1950, reviewed herein. Materials presented after 1950 were gathered from personal communications from key players in the students' societies and from editors of the medical students' publications.

Discriminant Analysis of Raman Spectra for Body Fluid Identification for Forensic Purposes

PubMed Central

Sikirzhytski, Vitali; Virkler, Kelly; Lednev, Igor K.

2010-01-01

Detection and identification of blood, semen and saliva stains, the most common body fluids encountered at a crime scene, are very important aspects of forensic science today. This study targets the development of a nondestructive, confirmatory method for body fluid identification based on Raman spectroscopy coupled with advanced statistical analysis. Dry traces of blood, semen and saliva obtained from multiple donors were probed using a confocal Raman microscope with a 785-nm excitation wavelength under controlled laboratory conditions. Results demonstrated the capability of Raman spectroscopy to identify an unknown substance to be semen, blood or saliva with high confidence. PMID:22319277

The Avignon Bridge: a 3d Reconstruction Project Integrating Archaeological, Historical and Gemorphological Issues

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Berthelot, M.; Nony, N.; Gugi, L.; Bishop, A.; De Luca, L.

2015-02-01

The history and identity of the Avignon's bridge is inseparable from that of the Rhône river. Therefore, in order to share the history and memory of the Rhône, it is essential to get to know this bridge and especially to identify and make visible the traces of its past, its construction, its interaction with the river dynamics, which greatly influenced his life. These are the objectives of the PAVAGE project that focuses on digitally surveying, modelling and re-visiting a heritage site of primary importance with the aim of virtually restoring the link between the two sides which, after the disappearance of the Roman bridge of Arles, constituted for a long time the only connection between Lyon or Vienna and the sea. Therefore, this project has an important geo-historical dimension for which geo-morphological and paleoenvironmental studies were implemented in connection with the latest digital simulation methods exploiting geographic information systems. By integrating knowledge and reflections of archaeologists, historians, geomorphologists, environmentalists, architects, engineers and computer scientists, the result of this project (which involved 5 laboratories during 4 years) is a 3D digital model covering an extension of 50 km2 achieved by integrating satellite imagery, UAV-based acquisitions, terrestrial laser scanning and photogrammetry, etc. Beyond the actions of scientific valorisation concerning the historical and geomorphological dimensions of the project, the results of this work of this interdisciplinary investigation and interpretation of this site are today integrated within a location-based augmented reality application allowing tourists to exploring the virtual reconstruction of the bridge and its environment through tablets inside the portion of territory covered by this project (between Avignon and Villeneuve-lez-Avignon). This paper presents the main aspects of the 3D virtual reconstruction approach.

Digitization of the human body in the present-day economy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

D'Apuzzo, Nicola

2004-12-01

In this paper we report on the historic development of human body digitization and on the actual state of commercially available technology. Complete systems for the digitization of the human body exist since more than ten years. One of the main users of this technology was the entertainment industry. Every new movie excited with attractive visual effects, but only few people knew that the most thrilling cuts were realized by using virtual persons. The faces and bodies of actors were digitized and the "virtual twin" replaced the actor in the movie. Nowadays, the state of the human body digitization is so high that it is not possible any more to distinguish the real actor from the virtual one. Indeed, for the rush technical development has to be thanked the movie industry, which was one of the strong economic motors for this technology. Today, with the possibility of a massive cost reduction given by new technologies, methods for digitization of the human body are used also in other fields of application, such as ergonomics, medical applications, computer games, biometry and anthropometrics. With the time, this technology becomes interesting also for sport, fitness, fashion and beauty. A large expansion of human body digitization is expected in the near future. To date, different technologies are used commercially for the measurement of the human body. They can be divided into three distinguished groups: laser-scanning, projection of light patterns, combination modeling and image processing. The different solutions have strengths and weaknesses that profile their suitability for specific applications. This paper gives an overview of their differences and characteristics and expresses clues for the selection of the adequate method. Practical examples of commercial exploitation of human body digitization are also presented and new interesting perspectives are introduced.

Augmented reality on poster presentations, in the field and in the classroom

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hawemann, Friedrich; Kolawole, Folarin

2017-04-01

Augmented reality (AR) is the direct addition of virtual information through an interface to a real-world environment. In practice, through a mobile device such as a tablet or smartphone, information can be projected onto a target- for example, an image on a poster. Mobile devices are widely distributed today such that augmented reality is easily accessible to almost everyone. Numerous studies have shown that multi-dimensional visualization is essential for efficient perception of the spatial, temporal and geometrical configuration of geological structures and processes. Print media, such as posters and handouts lack the ability to display content in the third and fourth dimensions, which might be in space-domain as seen in three-dimensional (3-D) objects, or time-domain (four-dimensional, 4-D) expressible in the form of videos. Here, we show that augmented reality content can be complimentary to geoscience poster presentations, hands-on material and in the field. In the latter example, location based data is loaded and for example, a virtual geological profile can be draped over a real-world landscape. In object based AR, the application is trained to recognize an image or object through the camera of the user's mobile device, such that specific content is automatically downloaded and displayed on the screen of the device, and positioned relative to the trained image or object. We used ZapWorks, a commercially-available software application to create and present examples of content that is poster-based, in which important supplementary information is presented as interactive virtual images, videos and 3-D models. We suggest that the flexibility and real-time interactivity offered by AR makes it an invaluable tool for effective geoscience poster presentation, class-room and field geoscience learning.

SSERVI Opportunities for the Next Generation of Planetary Researchers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bailey, B. E.; Day, B. H.; Minafra, J.; Baer, J.

2015-12-01

NASA's Solar System Exploration Research Virtual Institute (SSERVI) was founded as a virtual institute that provides interdisciplinary research centered on the goals of its supporting directorates: NASA Science Mission Directorate (SMD) and the Human Exploration & Operations Mission Directorate (HEOMD). SSERVI consists of a diverse set of domestic teams and (currently) nine international teams, ultimately represented by greater than 75 distinct research institutions and more than 450 individual researchers and EPO specialists. The decline in funding opportunities after the termination of the Apollo missions to the Moon in the early 1970's produced a large gap in both the scientific knowledge and experience of the original lunar Apollo researchers and the resurgent group of young lunar/NEA researchers that have emerged within the last 15 years. One of SSERVI's many goals is to bridge this gap through the many networking and scientific connections made between young researchers and established planetary principle investigators. To this end, SSERVI has supported the establishment of NextGen Lunar Scientists and Engineers group (NGLSE), a group of students and early-career professionals designed to build experience and provide networking opportunities to its members. SSERVI has also created the LunarGradCon, a scientific conference dedicated solely to graduate and undergraduate students working in the lunar field. Additionally, SSERVI produces monthly seminars and bi-yearly virtual workshops that introduce students to the wide variety of exploration science being performed in today's research labs. SSERVI also brokers opportunities for domestic and international student exchange between collaborating laboratories as well as internships at our member institutions. SSERVI provides a bridge that is essential to the continued international success of scientific, as well as human and robotic, exploration.

Evaluation of virtual microscopy in medical histology teaching.

PubMed

Mione, Sylvia; Valcke, Martin; Cornelissen, Maria

2013-01-01

Histology stands as a major discipline in the life science curricula, and the practice of teaching it is based on theoretical didactic strategies along with practical training. Traditionally, students achieve practical competence in this subject by learning optical microscopy. Today, students can use newer information and communication technologies in the study of digital microscopic images. A virtual microscopy program was recently introduced at Ghent University. Since little empirical evidence is available concerning the impact of virtual microscopy (VM) versus optical microscopy (OM) on the acquisition of histology knowledge, this study was set up in the Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences. A pretest-post test and cross-over design was adopted. In the first phase, the experiment yielded two groups in a total population of 199 students, Group 1 performing the practical sessions with OM versus Group 2 performing the same sessions with VM. In the second phase, the research subjects switched conditions. The prior knowledge level of all research subjects was assessed with a pretest. Knowledge acquisition was measured with a post test after each phase (T1 and T2). Analysis of covariance was carried out to study the differential gain in knowledge at T1 and T2, considering the possible differences in prior knowledge at the start of the study. The results pointed to non-significant differences at T1 and at T2. This supports the assumption that the acquisition of the histology knowledge is independent of the microscopy representation mode (VM versus OM) of the learning material. The conclusion that VM is equivalent to OM offers new directions in view of ongoing innovations in medical education technology. Copyright © 2013 American Association of Anatomists.

Digitization of the human body in the present-day economy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

D'Apuzzo, Nicola

2005-01-01

In this paper we report on the historic development of human body digitization and on the actual state of commercially available technology. Complete systems for the digitization of the human body exist since more than ten years. One of the main users of this technology was the entertainment industry. Every new movie excited with attractive visual effects, but only few people knew that the most thrilling cuts were realized by using virtual persons. The faces and bodies of actors were digitized and the "virtual twin" replaced the actor in the movie. Nowadays, the state of the human body digitization is so high that it is not possible any more to distinguish the real actor from the virtual one. Indeed, for the rush technical development has to be thanked the movie industry, which was one of the strong economic motors for this technology. Today, with the possibility of a massive cost reduction given by new technologies, methods for digitization of the human body are used also in other fields of application, such as ergonomics, medical applications, computer games, biometry and anthropometrics. With the time, this technology becomes interesting also for sport, fitness, fashion and beauty. A large expansion of human body digitization is expected in the near future. To date, different technologies are used commercially for the measurement of the human body. They can be divided into three distinguished groups: laser-scanning, projection of light patterns, combination modeling and image processing. The different solutions have strengths and weaknesses that profile their suitability for specific applications. This paper gives an overview of their differences and characteristics and expresses clues for the selection of the adequate method. Practical examples of commercial exploitation of human body digitization are also presented and new interesting perspectives are introduced.

The role of new information technology meeting the global need and gap of education in pediatric surgery.

PubMed

Ure, Benno; Zoeller, Christoph; Lacher, Martin

2015-06-01

Traditionally, pediatric surgical education consisted of exposure to patients, textbooks, lectures, team-based education, congresses, and workshops. Over the last decades, however, new information technology (IT) and the internet revolutionized the sharing of information and communication. IT has become relevant in particular for the younger generation of pediatric surgeons. Today, gaps in children's health and the quality of pediatric surgical education persist between countries and regions. Advances in health care are not shared equitably. The use of IT for resource libraries, teleconferences, virtual symposiums, and telementoring has great potential in closing this gap and meeting the global needs for pediatric surgical education. This article focuses on the potential role of IT in this respect. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

[Protein deficiency - a rare nutrient deficiency].

PubMed

Johansson, Gunnar

2018-05-21

There is a widespread myth that we have to be careful about what we eat so that we do not cause protein deficiency. We know today that it is virtually impossible to design a calorie-sufficient diet, whether it is based on meat, fish, eggs, various vegetarian diets or even unprocessed whole natural plant foods, which is lacking in protein and any of the amino acids. The body is capable of taking incomplete proteins and making them complete by utilizing the amino acid recycling mechanism. The majority of amino acids absorbed from the intestinal tract are derived from recycled body protein. Research shows that high levels of animal protein intake may significantly increase the risk of premature mortality from all causes, among them cardiovascular diseases, cancer and type 2 diabetes.

A Hybrid Solution for Simultaneous Transfer of Ultrastable Optical Frequency, RF Frequency, and UTC Time-Tags Over Optical Fiber.

PubMed

Krehlik, Przemyslaw; Schnatz, Harald; Sliwczynski, Lukasz

2017-12-01

We describe a fiber-optic solution for simultaneous distribution of all signals generated at today's most advanced time and frequency laboratories, i.e., an ultrastable optical reference frequency derived from an optical atomic clock, a radio frequency precisely linked to a realization of the SI-Second, and a realization of an atomic timescale, being the local representation of the virtual, global UTC timescale. In our solution both the phase of the optical carrier and the delay of electrical signals (10-MHz frequency reference and one-pulse-per-second time tags) are stabilized against environmental perturbations influencing the fiber link instability and accuracy. We experimentally demonstrate optical transfer stabilities of and for 100 s averaging period, for optical carrier and 10-MHz signals, respectively.

[Historical, social and cultural aspects of the deaf population].

PubMed

Duarte, Soraya Bianca Reis; Chaveiro, Neuma; Freitas, Adriana Ribeiro de; Barbosa, Maria Alves; Porto, Celmo Celeno; Fleck, Marcelo Pio de Almeida

2013-10-01

This work redeems, contextualizes and features the social, historical and cultural aspects of the deaf community that uses the Brazilian Sign Language focusing on the social and anthropological model. The scope of this study was to conduct a bibliographical review in scientific textbooks and articles available in the Virtual Health Library, irrespective of the date of publication. 102 articles and 53 books were located, including 33 textbooks and 26 articles (four from the Lilacs database and 22 from the Medline database) that constituted the sample. Today, in contrast with the past, there are laws that guarantee the right to communication and attendance by means of the Brazilian Sign Language. The repercussion, acceptance and inclusion in health policies of the decrees enshrined in Brazilian laws is a major priority.

Roles and challenges of the health information management educator: a national HIM faculty survey.

PubMed

Houser, Shannon H; Tesch, Linde; Hart-Hester, Susan; Dixon-Lee, Claire

2009-01-01

Health information technology initiatives created the framework for a national health information infrastructure that concomitantly fostered a need to build intellectual capacity within our current and future health information management (HIM) work force. Results from the 2008 HIM Educator Survey are discussed. Developed for voluntary electronic participation, the survey comprised a series of questions about educators' professional interests and responsibilities. Summary data from the 402 respondents are provided and highlight areas such as academic rank, teaching status, salary range, levels of interest in various issues, and use of virtual learning tools. Data from this survey provide insights into the concerns and challenges many HIM educators face in today's training institutions and suggest implications for future directions in work force training and professional development within the HIM field.

Population control II: The population establishment today.

PubMed

Hartmann, B

1997-01-01

Although population assistance represents a relatively small share of official development assistance, it influences many other aspects of development planning. The organizations that comprise the population establishment have a common purpose--the reduction of population growth in the Third World--but they are not homogeneous and sometimes have conflicting goals and strategies. National governments, multilateral agencies, nongovernmental organizations, foundations, academic centers, and pressure groups all contribute to creating and sustaining what has become a virtual population control industry. Through scholarships, travel grants, awards, and favorable publicity, Third World elites have been encouraged to join the population establishment. The World Bank, the U.S. Agency for International Development, and the U.N. Fund for Population Activities have pursued explicit strategies for pressuring Third World governments to design and implement population policies, most recently in Africa.

Assistive technology and learning disabilities: today's realities and tomorrow's promises.

PubMed

Lewis, R B

1998-01-01

Many forms of technology, both "high" and "low," can help individuals with learning disabilities capitalize on their strengths and bypass, or compensate for, their disabilities. This article surveys the current status of assistive technology for this population and reflects on future promises and potential problems. In addition, a model is presented for conceptualizing assistive technology in terms of the types of barriers it helps persons with disabilities to surmount. Several current technologies are described and the research supporting their effectiveness reviewed: word processing, computer-based instruction in reading and other academic areas, interactive videodisc interventions for math, and technologies for daily life. In conclusion, three themes related to the future success of assistive technology applications are discussed: equity of access to technology; ease of technology, use; and emergent technologies, such as virtual reality.

The internet of things for personalized health.

PubMed

Schreier, Günter

2014-01-01

Advances in information and communications technologies (ICT) enable new personalized health care concepts which are often characterized by four "P" terms, i.e. personalized, predictive, preventive and participatory. However, real world implementations of the complete 4P spectrum hardly exist today. The Internet of Things (IoT) has been defined as an extension to the current Internet that enables pervasive communication between the physical and the virtual world. Smart devices and enabling elements like Near Field Communication (NFC) and Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) technology already exist and increasingly will be a mainstream element of our lives. This future vision paper attempts to assess if and how the Internet of Things for personalized health (IoT4pH) can help to facilitate the 4P healthcare paradigm and discusses related challenges and opportunities.

Exploring Chemical Space for Drug Discovery Using the Chemical Universe Database

PubMed Central

2012-01-01

Herein we review our recent efforts in searching for bioactive ligands by enumeration and virtual screening of the unknown chemical space of small molecules. Enumeration from first principles shows that almost all small molecules (>99.9%) have never been synthesized and are still available to be prepared and tested. We discuss open access sources of molecules, the classification and representation of chemical space using molecular quantum numbers (MQN), its exhaustive enumeration in form of the chemical universe generated databases (GDB), and examples of using these databases for prospective drug discovery. MQN-searchable GDB, PubChem, and DrugBank are freely accessible at www.gdb.unibe.ch. PMID:23019491

Albus 1: A Very Bright White Dwarf Candidate

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Caballero, José Antonio; Solano, Enrique

2007-08-01

We have serendipitously discovered a previously unknown, bright source (BT=11.75+/-0.07 mag) with a very blue VT-Ks color, which we have named Albus 1. A photometric and astrometric study using Virtual Observatory tools has shown that it possesses an appreciable proper motion and magnitudes and colors very similar to those of the well-known white dwarf G191-B2B. We consider Albus 1 as a DA-type white dwarf located at about 40 pc. If its nature is confirmed, Albus 1 would be the sixth brightest isolated white dwarf in the sky, which would make it an excellent spectrophotometric standard.

On Borders: From Ancient to Postmodern Times

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bellezza, G.

2013-11-01

The article deals with the evolution of the concept of borders between human groups and with its slow evolution from the initial no men's land zones to the ideal single-dimension linear borders. In ancient times the first borders were natural, such as mountain ranges or large rivers until, with the development of Geodesy, astronomical borders based on meridians and parallels became a favourite natural base. Actually, Modern States adopted these to fix limits in unknown conquered territories. The postmodern thought led give more importance to cultural borders until, in the most recent times, is becoming rather impossible to fix borders in the virtual cyberspace.

Measurement of GEP/GMP to Q2 = 5.6 GEV2 via Recoil Polarization at Jefferson Lab

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Gayou, Olivier

2001-10-01

The measurement of the elastic form factors is a key ingredient to any complete understanding of the internal structure of the nucleons, and ultimately of the strong force. Precise data are essential to impose stringent tests on any QCD-based theory. The electromagnetic interaction provides a unique tool to investigate these form factors. In elastic electron scattering off a proton, the electron interacts with the nucleon exchanging a virtual photon. The electron-photon interaction is fully understood from QED, hence making the hadron vertex the only unknown of the reaction...

Amber from western Amazonia reveals Neotropical diversity during the middle Miocene

PubMed Central

Antoine, Pierre-Olivier; De Franceschi, Dario; Flynn, John J.; Nel, André; Baby, Patrice; Benammi, Mouloud; Calderón, Ysabel; Espurt, Nicolas; Goswami, Anjali; Salas-Gismondi, Rodolfo

2006-01-01

Tertiary insects and arachnids have been virtually unknown from the vast western Amazonian basin. We report here the discovery of amber from this region containing a diverse fossil arthropod fauna (13 hexapod families and 3 arachnid species) and abundant microfossil inclusions (pollen, spores, algae, and cyanophyceae). This unique fossil assemblage, recovered from middle Miocene deposits of northeastern Peru, greatly increases the known diversity of Cenozoic tropical–equatorial arthropods and microorganisms and provides insights into the biogeography and evolutionary history of modern Neotropical biota. It also strengthens evidence for the presence of more modern, high-diversity tropical rainforest ecosystems during the middle Miocene in western Amazonia. PMID:16950875

Older paternal age and fresh gene mutation: data on additional disorders.

PubMed

Jones, K L; Smith, D W; Harvey, M A; Hall, B D; Quan, L

1975-01-01

Older paternal age has previously been documented as a factor in sporadic fresh mutational cases of several autosomal dominant disorders. In this collaborative study, an older mean paternal age has been documented in sporadic cases of at least five additional dominantly inheritable disorders; the basal cell nevus syndrome, the Waardenburg syndrome, the Crouzon syndrome, the oculo-dental-digital sysdrome, and the Treacher-Collins syndrome. It was also found to be a factor in acrodysostosis and progeria, suggesting a fresh mutant gene etiology for these two conditions in which virtually all cases have been sporadic and the mode of genetic etiology has been unknown.

Vibrotactile sensory substitution for object manipulation: amplitude versus pulse train frequency modulation.

PubMed

Stepp, Cara E; Matsuoka, Yoky

2012-01-01

Incorporating sensory feedback with prosthetic devices is now possible, but the optimal methods of providing such feedback are still unknown. The relative utility of amplitude and pulse train frequency modulated stimulation paradigms for providing vibrotactile feedback for object manipulation was assessed in 10 participants. The two approaches were studied during virtual object manipulation using a robotic interface as a function of presentation order and a simultaneous cognitive load. Despite the potential pragmatic benefits associated with pulse train frequency modulated vibrotactile stimulation, comparison of the approach with amplitude modulation indicates that amplitude modulation vibrotactile stimulation provides superior feedback for object manipulation.

Real and virtual explorations of the environment and interactive tracking of movable objects for the blind on the basis of tactile-acoustical maps and 3D environment models.

PubMed

Hub, Andreas; Hartter, Tim; Kombrink, Stefan; Ertl, Thomas

2008-01-01

PURPOSE.: This study describes the development of a multi-functional assistant system for the blind which combines localisation, real and virtual navigation within modelled environments and the identification and tracking of fixed and movable objects. The approximate position of buildings is determined with a global positioning sensor (GPS), then the user establishes exact position at a specific landmark, like a door. This location initialises indoor navigation, based on an inertial sensor, a step recognition algorithm and map. Tracking of movable objects is provided by another inertial sensor and a head-mounted stereo camera, combined with 3D environmental models. This study developed an algorithm based on shape and colour to identify objects and used a common face detection algorithm to inform the user of the presence and position of others. The system allows blind people to determine their position with approximately 1 metre accuracy. Virtual exploration of the environment can be accomplished by moving one's finger on a touch screen of a small portable tablet PC. The name of rooms, building features and hazards, modelled objects and their positions are presented acoustically or in Braille. Given adequate environmental models, this system offers blind people the opportunity to navigate independently and safely, even within unknown environments. Additionally, the system facilitates education and rehabilitation by providing, in several languages, object names, features and relative positions.

Personality traits and virtual reality performance.

PubMed

Rosenthal, Rachel; Schäfer, Juliane; Hoffmann, Henry; Vitz, Martina; Oertli, Daniel; Hahnloser, Dieter

2013-01-01

Surgeons' personalities have been described as different from those of the general population, but this was based on small descriptive studies limited by the choice of evaluation instrument. Furthermore, although the importance of the human factor in team performance has been recognized, the effect of personality traits on technical performance is unknown. This study aimed to compare surgical residents' personality traits with those of the general population and to evaluate whether an association exists between their personality traits and technical performance using a virtual reality (VR) laparoscopy simulator. In this study, 95 participants (54 residents with basic, 29 with intermediate laparoscopic experience, and 12 students) underwent personality assessment using the NEO-Five Factor Inventory and performed five VR tasks of the Lap Mentor™ basic tasks module. The residents' personality traits were compared with those of the general population, and the association between VR performance and personality traits was investigated. Surgical residents showed personality traits different from those of the general population, demonstrating lower neuroticism, higher extraversion and conscientiousness, and male residents showed greater openness. In the multivariable analysis, adjusted for gender and surgical experience, none of the personality traits was found to be an independent predictor of technical performance. Surgical residents present distinct personality traits that differ from those of the general population. These traits were not found to be associated with technical performance in a virtual environment. The traits may, however, play an important role in team performance, which in turn is highly relevant for optimal surgical performance.

Quantifying Measurement; The tyranny of numbers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Williams, Jeffrey H.

2016-10-01

Measurements and experiments are made each and every day, in fields as disparate as particle physics, chemistry, economics and medicine, but have you ever wondered why it is that a particular experiment has been designed to be the way it is. Indeed, how do you design an experiment to measure something whose value is unknown, and what should your considerations be on deciding whether an experiment has yielded the sought after, or indeed any useful result? These are old questions, and they are the reason behind this volume. We will explore the origins of the methods of data analysis that are today routinely applied to all measurements, but which were unknown before the mid-19th Century. Anyone who is interested in the relationship between the precision and accuracy of measurements will find this volume useful. Whether you are a physicist, a chemist, a social scientist, or a student studying one of these subjects, you will discover that the basis of measurement is the struggle to identify the needle of useful data hidden in the haystack of obscuring background noise.

Finite-time tracking control for multiple non-holonomic mobile robots based on visual servoing

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ou, Meiying; Li, Shihua; Wang, Chaoli

2013-12-01

This paper investigates finite-time tracking control problem of multiple non-holonomic mobile robots via visual servoing. It is assumed that the pinhole camera is fixed to the ceiling, and camera parameters are unknown. The desired reference trajectory is represented by a virtual leader whose states are available to only a subset of the followers, and the followers have only interaction. First, the camera-objective visual kinematic model is introduced by utilising the pinhole camera model for each mobile robot. Second, a unified tracking error system between camera-objective visual servoing model and desired reference trajectory is introduced. Third, based on the neighbour rule and by using finite-time control method, continuous distributed cooperative finite-time tracking control laws are designed for each mobile robot with unknown camera parameters, where the communication topology among the multiple mobile robots is assumed to be a directed graph. Rigorous proof shows that the group of mobile robots converges to the desired reference trajectory in finite time. Simulation example illustrates the effectiveness of our method.

D Virtual Reconstruction of the Middle Stoa in the Athens Ancient Agora

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kontogianni, G.; Georgopoulos, A.; Saraga, N.; Alexandraki, E.; Tsogka, K.

2013-02-01

Reconstruction is an action that re-builds a ruin or a non-existing structure trying to reproduce its form and shape at a given moment of its past. Reconstruction of Cultural Heritage monuments used to be common practice during the 19th and 20th centuries. However, contemporary ways of thinking and approaching the issue of reviving the past have introduced a lot of scepticism as far as reconstructions are concerned. An attractive alternative is virtual reconstruction, which does not involve any intervention to the existing relics, while it offers all advantages to the curator. In this paper the virtual reconstruction of a non-existing building of the Athenian Agora is described, presented and visualized. All data collected were evaluated and used appropriately for the final product. It is evident that, on one hand, the data collected do not all belong to the target period and, on the other, not all the data necessary to built up the model are available today. Therefore, one needs to carefully select the data corresponding to the period of study and complete them with suitable hypotheses. It is imperative that both tasks must be done in collaboration of the archaeologists and architects responsible for the monument. In this context a hierarchy of the data was developed, based on their reliability as far as their "correctness" is concerned. The data were categorized for their reliability after careful evaluation. The accuracy of the data depends on the source; hence the data which originate from a drawing or from one study of the 3D reconstructed monument are considered more accurate than data which come from a source referring to architectural elements of other monuments or written reports of travelers. Sometimes the data appear in more than one source, in this case they must be checked for their reliability. In cases of remaining artifacts that could be found in the museum and belonged to the building a different approach was followed. They were used to produce 3D models and these were later attached to the final 3D model. From the final virtual reconstruction a short video has also been produced for the better visualization of the result.

New Thermal Taste Actuation Technology for Future Multisensory Virtual Reality and Internet.

PubMed

Karunanayaka, Kasun; Johari, Nurafiqah; Hariri, Surina; Camelia, Hanis; Bielawski, Kevin Stanley; Cheok, Adrian David

2018-04-01

Today's virtual reality (VR) applications such as gaming, multisensory entertainment, remote dining, and online shopping are mainly based on audio, visual, and touch interactions between humans and virtual worlds. Integrating the sense of taste into VR is difficult since humans are dependent on chemical-based taste delivery systems. This paper presents the 'Thermal Taste Machine', a new digital taste actuation technology that can effectively produce and modify thermal taste sensations on the tongue. It modifies the temperature of the surface of the tongue within a short period of time (from 25°C to 40 °C while heating, and from 25°C to 10 °C while cooling). We tested this device on human subjects and described the experience of thermal taste using 20 known (taste and non-taste) sensations. Our results suggested that rapidly heating the tongue produces sweetness, fatty/oiliness, electric taste, warmness, and reduces the sensibility for metallic taste. Similarly, cooling the tongue produced mint taste, pleasantness, and coldness. By conducting another user study on the perceived sweetness of sucrose solutions after the thermal stimulation, we found that heating the tongue significantly enhances the intensity of sweetness for both thermal tasters and non-thermal tasters. Also, we found that faster temperature rises on the tongue produce more intense sweet sensations for thermal tasters. This technology will be useful in two ways: First, it can produce taste sensations without using chemicals for the individuals who are sensitive to thermal taste. Second, the temperature rise of the device can be used as a way to enhance the intensity of sweetness. We believe that this technology can be used to digitally produce and enhance taste sensations in future virtual reality applications. The key novelties of this paper are as follows: 1. Development of a thermal taste actuation technology for stimulating the human taste receptors, 2. Characterization of the thermal taste produced by the device using taste-related sensations and non-taste related sensations, 3. Research on enhancing the intensity for sucrose solutions using thermal stimulation, 4. Research on how different speeds of heating affect the intensity of sweetness produced by thermal stimulation.

[Simulation training in surgical education - application of virtual reality laparoscopic simulators in a surgical skills course].

PubMed

Lehmann, K S; Gröne, J; Lauscher, J C; Ritz, J-P; Holmer, C; Pohlen, U; Buhr, H-J

2012-04-01

Training and simulation are gaining importance in surgical education. Today, virtual reality surgery simulators provide sophisticated laparoscopic training scenarios and offer detailed assessment methods. This also makes simulators interesting for the application in surgical skills courses. The aim of the current study was to assess the suitability of a virtual surgery simulator for training and assessment in an established surgical training course. The study was conducted during the annual "Practical Course for Visceral Surgery" (Warnemuende, Germany). 36 of 108 course participants were assigned at random for the study. Training was conducted in 15 sessions over 5 days with 4 identical virtual surgery simulators (LapSim) and 2 standardised training tasks. The simulator measured 16 individual parameters and calculated 2 scores. Questionnaires were used to assess the test persons' laparoscopic experience, their training situation and the acceptance of the simulator training. Data were analysed with non-parametric tests. A subgroup analysis for laparoscopic experience was conducted in order to assess the simulator's construct validity and assessment capabilities. Median age was 32 (27 - 41) years; median professional experience was 3 (1 - 11) years. Typical laparoscopic learning curves with initial significant improvements and a subsequent plateau phase were measured over 5 days. The individual training sessions exhibited a rhythmic variability in the training results. A shorter night's sleep led to a marked drop in performance. The participants' different experience levels could clearly be discriminated ( ≤ 20 vs. > 20 laparoscopic operations; p ≤ 0.001). The questionnaire showed that the majority of the participants had limited training opportunities in their hospitals. The simulator training was very well accepted. However, the participants severely misjudged the real costs of the simulators that were used. The learning curve on the simulator was successfully mastered during the course. Construct validity could be demonstrated within the course setting. The simulator's assessment system can be of value for the assessment of laparoscopic training performance within surgical skills courses. Acceptance of the simulator training is high. However, simulators are currently too expensive to be used within a large training course. © Georg Thieme Verlag KG Stuttgart · New York.

A Risk-Based Multi-Objective Optimization Concept for Early-Warning Monitoring Networks

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bode, F.; Loschko, M.; Nowak, W.

2014-12-01

Groundwater is a resource for drinking water and hence needs to be protected from contaminations. However, many well catchments include an inventory of known and unknown risk sources which cannot be eliminated, especially in urban regions. As matter of risk control, all these risk sources should be monitored. A one-to-one monitoring situation for each risk source would lead to a cost explosion and is even impossible for unknown risk sources. However, smart optimization concepts could help to find promising low-cost monitoring network designs.In this work we develop a concept to plan monitoring networks using multi-objective optimization. Our considered objectives are to maximize the probability of detecting all contaminations and the early warning time and to minimize the installation and operating costs of the monitoring network. A qualitative risk ranking is used to prioritize the known risk sources for monitoring. The unknown risk sources can neither be located nor ranked. Instead, we represent them by a virtual line of risk sources surrounding the production well.We classify risk sources into four different categories: severe, medium and tolerable for known risk sources and an extra category for the unknown ones. With that, early warning time and detection probability become individual objectives for each risk class. Thus, decision makers can identify monitoring networks which are valid for controlling the top risk sources, and evaluate the capabilities (or search for least-cost upgrade) to also cover moderate, tolerable and unknown risk sources. Monitoring networks which are valid for the remaining risk also cover all other risk sources but the early-warning time suffers.The data provided for the optimization algorithm are calculated in a preprocessing step by a flow and transport model. Uncertainties due to hydro(geo)logical phenomena are taken into account by Monte-Carlo simulations. To avoid numerical dispersion during the transport simulations we use the particle-tracking random walk method.

The value of haptic feedback in conventional and robot-assisted minimal invasive surgery and virtual reality training: a current review.

PubMed

van der Meijden, O A J; Schijven, M P

2009-06-01

Virtual reality (VR) as surgical training tool has become a state-of-the-art technique in training and teaching skills for minimally invasive surgery (MIS). Although intuitively appealing, the true benefits of haptic (VR training) platforms are unknown. Many questions about haptic feedback in the different areas of surgical skills (training) need to be answered before adding costly haptic feedback in VR simulation for MIS training. This study was designed to review the current status and value of haptic feedback in conventional and robot-assisted MIS and training by using virtual reality simulation. A systematic review of the literature was undertaken using PubMed and MEDLINE. The following search terms were used: Haptic feedback OR Haptics OR Force feedback AND/OR Minimal Invasive Surgery AND/OR Minimal Access Surgery AND/OR Robotics AND/OR Robotic Surgery AND/OR Endoscopic Surgery AND/OR Virtual Reality AND/OR Simulation OR Surgical Training/Education. The results were assessed according to level of evidence as reflected by the Oxford Centre of Evidence-based Medicine Levels of Evidence. In the current literature, no firm consensus exists on the importance of haptic feedback in performing minimally invasive surgery. Although the majority of the results show positive assessment of the benefits of force feedback, results are ambivalent and not unanimous on the subject. Benefits are least disputed when related to surgery using robotics, because there is no haptic feedback in currently used robotics. The addition of haptics is believed to reduce surgical errors resulting from a lack of it, especially in knot tying. Little research has been performed in the area of robot-assisted endoscopic surgical training, but results seem promising. Concerning VR training, results indicate that haptic feedback is important during the early phase of psychomotor skill acquisition.

[Computational chemistry in structure-based drug design].

PubMed

Cao, Ran; Li, Wei; Sun, Han-Zi; Zhou, Yu; Huang, Niu

2013-07-01

Today, the understanding of the sequence and structure of biologically relevant targets is growing rapidly and researchers from many disciplines, physics and computational science in particular, are making significant contributions to modern biology and drug discovery. However, it remains challenging to rationally design small molecular ligands with desired biological characteristics based on the structural information of the drug targets, which demands more accurate calculation of ligand binding free-energy. With the rapid advances in computer power and extensive efforts in algorithm development, physics-based computational chemistry approaches have played more important roles in structure-based drug design. Here we reviewed the newly developed computational chemistry methods in structure-based drug design as well as the elegant applications, including binding-site druggability assessment, large scale virtual screening of chemical database, and lead compound optimization. Importantly, here we address the current bottlenecks and propose practical solutions.

Micropropagation and organogenesis of Anthurium andreanum Lind cv Rubrun.

PubMed

Maira, Oropeza; Alexander, Mejías; Vargas, Teresa Edith

2010-01-01

Tissue culture techniques are routinely used for mass propagation and the establishment of disease free stock material. Virtually all pot type Anthuriums available in the market today are produced by tissue culture. In this chapter, we describe an efficient protocol to obtain Anthurium andreanum cv Rubrun vitro plants through micropropagation and organogenesis. Seeds from plant spadixes were germinated on MS medium supplemented with 0.5 mg/L BA. Micro-cuttings from in vitro germinated seedlings were subcultured on MS medium containing 2 mg/L BA and 0.5 mg/L NAA. Four-week-old in vitro plants obtained from microcuttings, showed callus proliferation at the stem base. The development of shoots and plantlets was observed from callus tissue. We also describe a detailed method for the histological analysis of callus tissue and a vitro plants acclimatization protocol.

Enhancing audiovisual experience with haptic feedback: a survey on HAV.

PubMed

Danieau, F; Lecuyer, A; Guillotel, P; Fleureau, J; Mollet, N; Christie, M

2013-01-01

Haptic technology has been widely employed in applications ranging from teleoperation and medical simulation to art and design, including entertainment, flight simulation, and virtual reality. Today there is a growing interest among researchers in integrating haptic feedback into audiovisual systems. A new medium emerges from this effort: haptic-audiovisual (HAV) content. This paper presents the techniques, formalisms, and key results pertinent to this medium. We first review the three main stages of the HAV workflow: the production, distribution, and rendering of haptic effects. We then highlight the pressing necessity for evaluation techniques in this context and discuss the key challenges in the field. By building on existing technologies and tackling the specific challenges of the enhancement of audiovisual experience with haptics, we believe the field presents exciting research perspectives whose financial and societal stakes are significant.

The self in cyberspace. Identity formation in postmodern societies and Jung's Self as an objective psyche.

PubMed

Roesler, Christian

2008-06-01

Jung's concept of the Self is compared with current theories of identity formation in post-modern society concerning the question: is the self constituted through experience and cultural influences--as it is argued by current theories in the social sciences--or is it already preformed inside the person, as Jung argues? The impact of communication media on the formation of identity in today's societies is discussed with a focus on internet communication and virtual realities. The resulting types of identities are conceptualized as polycentric which has surprising parallels to Jung's idea of the Self. The epistemology of constructivism and parallels in Jung's thought are demonstrated. Jung's work in this respect often appears contradictory in itself but this can be dealt with by a postmodern approach which accepts a plurality of truths.

Restocking the optical designers' toolbox for next-generation wearable displays (Presentation Recording)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kress, Bernard C.

2015-09-01

Three years ago, industry and consumers learned that there was more to Head Mounted Displays (HMDs) than the long-lasting but steady market for defense or the market for gadget video player headsets: the first versions of Smart Glasses were introduced to the public. Since then, most major consumer electronics companies unveiled their own versions of Connected Glasses, Smart Glasses or Smart Eyewear, AR (Augmented Reality) and VR (Virtual Reality) headsets. This rush resulted in the build-up of a formidable zoo of optical technologies, each claiming to be best suited for the task on hand. Today, the question is not so much anymore "will the Smart Glass market happen?" but rather "which optical technologies will be best fitted for the various declinations of the existing wearable display market," one of the main declination being the Smart Glasses market.