1,124 research outputs found
Increasing user motivation of neurological occupational therapy in virtual reality using gamification
Abstract. Neurological rehabilitation is a long process which requires a lot of work and motivation from the patient to be effective. Though patients might be motivated to partake in rehabilitation just to improve their own ability to live a more fulfilling life, it is beneficial for all parties involved to enhance patient motivation by other means as well. Gamification aims to increase user motivation with the introduction of game-like elements in a non-game context. In this study, the effectiveness of gamification techniques, common in fields such as education and life-style applications, are investigated on a virtual reality-based neurological rehabilitation software.
In this study a user study was conducted to evaluate the motivational aspect of gamification. Ten test subjects (six male and four female) aged 22–34 participated in two settings in a random predetermined order: a gamified environment and a simplified environment. After each play session, the participants filled a questionnaire and partook in a short semi-structured interview relating to the experience.
Mixed methods analysis was conducted, meaning results were analyzed both quantitatively and qualitatively. In quantitative analysis, the results showed that participants’ intrinsic motivation was greater during the gamified play session as opposed to the simplified one. Additionally, participant amotivation was somewhat higher in the simplified version. Qualitative analysis showed that the aesthetic elements combined with scoring system increased interest and motivation in the gamified environment. Though which independent elements contributed how much remained inconclusive.
Follow-up studies with larger sample sizes could confirm the findings in this study and even go as far as to compare different gamification methods to further improve the usefulness of gamification in rehabilitation context.Pelillistämisen hyödyntäminen motivaation kasvattamisessa virtuaalitodellisuudessa järjestettävässä neurologisessa kuntoutuksessa. Tiivistelmä. Neurologinen kuntoutus on pitkä prosessi, joka vaatii paljon työtä ja motivaatiota potilaalta vaikuttaakseen tehokkaasti. Vaikka potilaat voivat olla motivoituneita kuntoututumaan parantaakseen elämänlaatuaan ja toimintakykyään, on hyödyllistä tukea motivaatiota myös toisin keinoin. Tässä tutkimuksessa tutkittiin pelillistämisen, jota on käytetty muun muassa koulutusja elämäntapasovelluksissa, hyötyjä virtuaalitodellisuudessa järjestettävässä neurologisessa kuntoutussovelluksessa.
Kymmenen koehenkilöä (kuusi miestä ja neljä naista) iältään 22–34 ottivat osaa tutkimukseen, jossa he kokeilivat kahta satunnaisessa järjestyksessä valittua virtuaalitodellisuusympäristöä: pelillistettyä, sekä yksinkertaistettua. Molemman pelisession jälkeen osallistujat täyttivät kyselylomakkeen ja osallistuivat lyhyeen haastatteluun.
Tulokset analysoitiin monimenetelmä analyysillä, tarkoittaen että tulokset analysoitiin kvantitatiivisesti ja kvalitatiivisesti. Kvantitatiivisessa analyysissä tulokset osoittivat osallistujien kokeneen enemmän sisäistä motivaatiota pelillistetyssä ympäristössä kuin yksinkertaistetussa. Lisäksi koehenkilöt kokivat jokseenkin enemmän motivaation puutetta yksinkertaisessa versiossa ympäristöstä. Kvalitatiivinen analyysi osoitti, että esteettiset elementit sekä pisteiden lasku lisäsivät kiinnostusta ja motivaatiota pelillistettyyn version. Kuitenkin epäselväksi jäi, kuinka paljon yksittäiset elementit vaikuttivat tähän tuntemukseen.
Jatkotutkimukset suuremmalla osallistujamäärällä voisivat vahvistaa tämän tutkimuksen löytöjä. Lisäksi olisi mahdollista vertailla eri pelillistämismenetelmiä ja niiden hyötyjä neurologisessa kuntoutuksessa
Selecting asteroids for a targeted spectroscopic survey
Asteroid spectroscopy reflects surface mineralogy. There are few thousand
asteroids whose surfaces have been observed spectrally. Determining the surface
properties of those objects is important for many practical and scientific
applications, such as for example developing impact deflection strategies or
studying history and evolution of the Solar System and planet formation.
The aim of this study is to develop a pre-selection method that can be
utilized in searching for asteroids of any taxonomic complex. The method could
then be utilized im multiple applications such as searching for the missing
V-types or looking for primitive asteroids.
We used the Bayes Naive Classifier combined with observations obtained in the
course of the Sloan Digital Sky Survey and the Wide-field Infrared Survey
Explorer surveys as well as a database of asteroid phase curves for asteroids
with known taxonomic type. Using the new classification method we have selected
a number of possible V-type candidates. Some of the candidates were than
spectrally observed at the Nordic Optical Telescope and South African Large
Telescope.
We have developed and tested the new pre-selection method. We found three
asteroids in the mid/outer Main Belt that are likely of differentiated type.
Near-Infrared are still required to confirm this discovery. Similarly to other
studies we found that V-type candidates cluster around the Vesta family and are
rare in the mid/oter Main Belt.
The new method shows that even largely explored large databases combined
together could still be further exploited in for example solving the missing
dunite problem.Comment: accepted to A
Quantum states of a mesoscopic SQUID measured using a small Josephson junction
We have experimentally studied the energy levels of a mesoscopic superconducting quantum interference device (SQUID) using inelastic Cooper-pair tunneling. The tunneling in a small Josephson junction depends strongly on its electromagnetic environment. We use this fact to do energy-level spectroscopy of a SQUID loop by coupling it to a small junction. Our samples with strong quasiparticle dissipation are well described by a model of a particle localized in one of the dips in a cosine potential, while in the samples with weak dissipation we can see formation of energy bands.Peer reviewe
Multiwalled carbon nanotube: Luttinger liquid or not?
We have measured IV-curves of multiwalled carbon nanotubes using end
contacts. At low voltages, the tunneling conductance obeys non-Ohmic power law,
which is predicted both by the Luttinger liquid and the
environment-quantum-fluctuation theories. However, at higher voltages we
observe a crossover to Ohm's law with a Coulomb-blockade offset, which agrees
with the environment-quantum-fluctuation theory, but cannot be explained by the
Luttinger-liquid theory. From the high-voltage tunneling conductance we
determine the transmission line parameters of the nanotubes.Comment: RevTeX, 4 pages, 2 EPS-figures, submitted to Phys. Rev. Let
Construction of a flocculent Saccharomyces cerevisiae strain secreting high levels of Aspergillus niger β-galactosidase
A flocculent Saccharomyces cerevisiae strain
secreting Aspergillus niger β-galactosidase activity was
constructed by transforming S. cerevisiae NCYC869-A3
strain with plasmid pVK1.1 harboring the A. niger β-galactosidase
gene, lacA, under the control of the ADH1
promoter and terminator. Compared to other recombinant
S. cerevisiae strains, this recombinant yeast has higher
levels of extracellular β-galactosidase activity. In shakeflask
cultures, the β-galactosidase activity detected in the
supernatant was 20 times higher than that obtained with
previously constructed strains (Domingues et al. 2000a).
In bioreactor culture, with cheese-whey permeate as substrate,
a yield of 878.0 nkat/gsubstrate was obtained. The
recombinant strain is an attractive alternative to other
fungal β-galactosidase production systems as the enzyme
is produced in a rather pure form. Moreover, the use of
flocculating yeast cells allows for enzyme production
with high productivity in continuous fermentation systems
with facilitated downstream processing.Instituto de Biotecnologia e Química Fina (IBQF).Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia (FCT) – PRAXIS XXI/BD/11306/97
Isomeric states close to doubly magic Sn studied with JYFLTRAP
The double Penning trap mass spectrometer JYFLTRAP has been employed to
measure masses and excitation energies for isomers in Cd,
Cd, Cd and Te, for isomers in In and
In, and for isomers in Sn and Sb. These first
direct mass measurements of the Cd and In isomers reveal deviations to the
excitation energies based on results from beta-decay experiments and yield new
information on neutron- and proton-hole states close to Sn. A new
excitation energy of 144(4) keV has been determined for Cd. A good
agreement with the precisely known excitation energies of Cd,
Sn, and Sb has been found.Comment: 10 pages, 6 figures, submitted to Phys. Rev.
New tools to study water interactions of microfibril bundles: Molecular modelling based on nanoscale characterization
Virtuaalitodellisuuden hyödyntäminen neglect-oireyhtymän hoidossa ja diagnoosissa
Tiivistelmä. Työn tarkoituksena on selvittää virtuaalitodellisuuden hyötyjä neglect-oireyhtymän hoidossa ja diagnoosissa tämänhetkisenä ja tulevaisuuden työkaluna.
Menetelminä käytettiin Peili Vision Oy:n ohjelmistoa, jonka tutkimusmenetelmän keskeisimpänä osana neglect-oireyhtymälle suunniteltu harjoite Shoot Targets.
Terveen koehenkilön osumatarkkuus minuutin mittaisessa testissä oli täydet 100 %. Neglect-potilaan dataa ei voitu tämän työn aikana kerätä työn laajuuden ja potilastietojen aiheuttamien rajoitteiden vuoksi.
Virtuaaliympäristön mukanaan tuoma monipuolisuus ja teknologian nopeasti edistyvä kehitys ja helppokäyttöisyys luovat pohjan uusille hoitokeinoille ja diagnosointimenetelmille neglect-oireyhtymälle. Peili Visionin suunnittelema Shoot Targets -harjoite soveltuu hyvin neglect-potilaille avaruudellisen hahmottamisen kuntoutukseen ja testin helppous sekä datan selkeys helpottavat tekemään itsenäisiä harjoitteita, sekä seuraamaan kehitystä harjoitteiden välillä. Varsinaisen neglect-potilaan datan puute lopputyöstä jättää tilaa jatkotutkimuksille niin harjoitusmuodon tehokkuuden arviointiin, kuin diagnosointimenetelmän potentiaalin arviointiin.Virtual reality usage in the rehabilitation and diagnosis of neglect disorder. Abstract. Objective of the study is to evaluate virtual reality as a tool for treating and diagnosing neglect disorder now and in the future.
Peili Vision’s product for neurological rehabilitation was used to evaluate and gather data for the study. Shoot Targets exercise, which is designed for Neglect disorder, was used to gather data from a healthy test subject.
Healthy test subject got a perfect score of 100%. Because of the limitations of the thesis and patient record’s confidentiality I was unable to gather data from a neglect patient.
Current and future advancements in virtual reality technology brings a lot of possibilities for the rehabilitation and diagnosis of neglect disorder. Peili Vision’s Shoot Targets exercise is a good tool for evaluation and rehabilitation of neglect disorder because of its simplicity and easy to analyse data. The lack of a real patient data prevented further analysis of the effects of the rehabilitation technique and left an opening for further studies in the same field focusing on the aspects of the quality of rehabilitation and the possibilities in the diagnosis of neglect disorder
Q_EC values of the Superallowed beta-Emitters 10-C, 34-Ar, 38-Ca and 46-V
The Q_EC values of the superallowed beta+ emitters 10-C, 34-Ar, 38-Ca and
46-V have been measured with a Penning-trap mass spectrometer to be 3648.12(8),
6061.83(8), 6612.12(7) and 7052.44(10) keV, respectively. All four values are
substantially improved in precision over previous results.Comment: 9 pages, 7 figures, 5 table
Superconductor-insulator quantum phase transition in a single Josephson junction
The superconductor-to-insulator quantum phase transition in resistively
shunted Josephson junctions is investigated by means of path-integral Monte
Carlo simulations. This numerical technique allows us to directly access the
(previously unexplored) regime of the Josephson-to-charging energy ratios
E_J/E_C of order one. Our results unambiguously support an earlier theoretical
conjecture, based on renormalization-group calculations, that at T -> 0 the
dissipative phase transition occurs at a universal value of the shunt
resistance R_S = h/4e^2 for all values E_J/E_C. On the other hand,
finite-temperature effects are shown to turn this phase transition into a
crossover, which position depends significantly on E_J/E_C, as well as on the
dissipation strength and on temperature. The latter effect needs to be taken
into account in order to reconcile earlier theoretical predictions with recent
experimental results.Comment: 7 pages, 6 figure
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