Virtual Reality & Gamification for Pre-Occupancy Training

The objective of this research is to analyze and compare user behavior and learning retention via gamified and non-gamified virtual reality for use in pre-occupancy training. After completing trials for both gamified and non-gamified virtual reality we issued a standardized post-experience survey to collect data on what the participants learned, then compared and analyzed the results. The benefits of virtual reality and gamification have both been extensively studied and both suggest they are independently effective teaching tools. In our trials we have found that participants who went through the gamified virtual reality training were 50% more likely to come away with the desired learning objectives than participants who went through the non-gamified virtual reality. The benefits of virtual reality and gamification can be effectively combined and retain the benefits of that learning method in this situation. Based on our small sample and our literature review this technology can be used to train a more informed population regarding the effective operation of passive building systems.https://pdxscholar.library.pdx.edu/research_based_design/1085/thumbnail.jp

EM-100 Precision Irrigators Network

Identifying best management practices (BMPs) promoting greater water use efficiency while maintaining crop yields is essential to the future of Texas cropping systems. Available water for irrigated crops is vital for sustaining crop production throughout the state. However, the availability of this water for irrigation is diminishing through competition by urban development and, in some regions such as the Edwards Aquifer, is falling under state regulation. The awareness and improvement of efficient irrigation and best management practices to conserve water while maintaining crop production will help preserve the aquifer levels and increase water savings to producers. One component of BMPs for conserving water use is the application of decision support systems (DSS) that are used as tools for implementing irrigation BMPs. This DSS guide was developed as a complement to TWDB Report 362, "Water Conservation Best Management Practices Guide," which is a more comprehensive report on water conservation including an "Agricultural Irrigation Water Use Management" BMPs section. The full TWDB Report 362 can be found at: http://www.twdb.state.tx.us/assistance/conservation/consindex.asp. DSS include the Texas High Plains Evapotranspiration Network (TXHPET), the Precision Irrigators Network (PIN) and the Crop Production Management (CroPMan) model. These DSS strive to promote grower awareness of water conservation strategies. Irrigation conservation strategies are proposed to result in savings of approximately 1.4 million acre-feet per year by 2060 (TWDB and TWRI). TXHPET operates 18 meteorological stations located in 15 counties across the Texas North Plains and Texas South Plains. The regional coverage of TXHPET is estimated at 4 million irrigated acres. The network offers insight to evapotranspiration (ET)-based crop water use that producers and agricultural consultants can reference when making decisions on when and how much to irrigate their crops. This information is available to data users via fax or online (http://txhighplainset.tamu.edu) and currently results in approximately 300,000 downloads or faxes annually. The PIN program was formed in 2004 with a goal of saving millions of gallons of water annually by reducing irrigation water use by as much as 20 percent over several years and currently supports several crops (corn, cotton, sorghum, wheat) in seven counties of South Central Texas. Cooperation of the PIN programs consists of area producers, Texas Agricultural Experiment Station researchers, Texas Cooperative Extension personnel, San Antonio Water System, Edwards Aquifer Authority, Texas Water Resources Institute, Texas Water Development Board, Uvalde County Underground Water Conservation District and Wintergarden Water Conservation District. The PIN database will allow producers to gain historical and real-time information for better management of irrigation scheduling. The PIN program estimates that when all irrigators in the Edwards Aquifer region implement limited irrigation scheduling, approximately 50,000 to 60,000 acre-feet of water can be saved per year and made available for purposes other than agriculture. CroPMan is a computer model designed to aid producers and agricultural consultants in optimizing crop management and maximizing production and profit through a production-risk approach. CroPMan will help growers identify limitations to crop yield, assist in making replant decisions and help recognize management practices that reduce the impact of agriculture on soil erosion and water quality. CroPMan is a Windows-based application program that can be downloaded from the CroPMan Web site (http://cropman.brc.tamus.edu)

Compressible flow structures interaction with a two-dimensional ejector: a cold-flow study

An experimental study has been conducted to examine the interaction of compressible flow structures such as shocks and vortices with a two-dimensional ejector geometry using a shock-tube facility. Three diaphragm pressure ratios ofP4 =P1 = 4, 8, and 12 have been employed, whereP4 is the driver gas pressure andP1 is the pressure within the driven compartment of the shock tube. These lead to incident shock Mach numbers of Ms = 1:34, 1.54, and 1.66, respectively. The length of the driver section of the shock tube was 700 mm. Air was used for both the driver and driven gases. High-speed shadowgraphy was employed to visualize the induced flowfield. Pressure measurements were taken at different locations along the test section to study theflow quantitatively. The induced flow is unsteady and dependent on the degree of compressibility of the initial shock wave generated by the rupture of the diaphragm

The views of older women towards mammographic screening: a qualitative and quantitative study

Purpose: Mammographic screening has improved breast cancer survival in the screened age group. This improved survival has not been seen in older women (>70 years) where screening uptake is low. This study explores the views, knowledge and attitudes of older women towards screening. Methods: Women (>70) were interviewed about breast screening. Interview findings informed the development of a questionnaire which was sent to 1000 women (>70) to quantify their views regarding screening. Results: Twenty-six women were interviewed and a questionnaire designed. The questionnaire response rate was 48.3% (479/992). Over half (52.9%, 241/456) of respondents were unaware they could request mammography by voluntary self-referral and were unaware of how to arrange this. Most (81.5% 383/470) had not attended breast screening since turning 70. Most (75.6%, 343/454) felt screening was beneficial and would attend if invited. Most, (90.1%, 412/457) felt screening should be offered to all women regardless of age or health. Conclusions: There is a lack of knowledge about screening in older women. The majority felt that invitation to screening should be extended to the older age group regardless of age or health. The current under-utilised system of voluntary self referral is not supported by older women

HPV-Related Cancer Prevention and Control Programs at Community-Based HIV/AIDS Service Organizations: Implications for Future Engagement

People living with human immunodeficiency virus/acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (HIV/AIDS) and, men who have sex with men (MSM) are disproportionately affected by genital warts and cancers caused by human papillomavirus (HPV). We assessed community-based HIV/AIDS service organizations\u27 (ASOs) staff awareness, knowledge, attitudes, and beliefs about HPV and effective cancer prevention tools, namely HPV vaccination, Pap, and HPV tests. The potential engagement of ASO staff in future efforts to reduce the disproportionate burden of genital warts and HPV-related cancers among HIV-positive women and MSM was explored. In May-June 2016, staff were recruited from three ASOs located in the South United States Census region-a geographical area disproportionately affected by HIV/AIDS. Participants completed a 30-min self-administered, 118-item paper and pencil survey about HPV and cancer. Data analysis was conducted using Stata/SE 14.2. ASO staff ( = 30) were 83% non-Hispanic Black, 40% lesbian/gay, and worked with people living with HIV for an average of 11.4 ± 7.7 years. All reported hearing of HPV and 77% had heard of the HPV vaccine ( = 23). While all knew HPV can cause cervical cancer, only 67% knew HPV can cause anal cancer. Most (61%) thought the HPV vaccine could prevent cervical cancer. Fewer (39-48%) thought the HPV vaccine could prevent anal, oral, penile, vaginal, and vulvar cancers. All were willing to encourage MSM and female clients to talk to a healthcare provider about HPV vaccination. Almost all were willing to promote HPV vaccination to clients (91-95%) and navigate clients to adult safety net HPV vaccine providers (86-95%). More than half (59-67%) thought they could positively influence their MSM and female clients\u27 HPV vaccine decision-making. HPV vaccination and the Pap and HPV tests are effective cancer prevention tools that can reduce the disproportionate burden of genital warts and HPV-related cancers among HIV-positive women and MSM. Engaging ASO staff in cancer prevention efforts may increase HPV vaccination rates and early detection of HPV-related cancers among HIV-positive women and MSM. Exploring ASOs as community-based settings for promoting effective cancer prevention tools may foster opportunities to reduce the disproportionate burden of genital warts and HPV-related cancers among HIV-positive women and MSM

HPV-Related Cancer Prevention and Control Programs at Community-Based HIV/AIDS Service Organizations: Implications for Future Engagement

Background: People living with human immunodeficiency virus/acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (HIV/AIDS) and, men who have sex with men (MSM) are disproportionately affected by genital warts and cancers caused by human papillomavirus (HPV). We assessed community-based HIV/AIDS service organizations' (ASOs) staff awareness, knowledge, attitudes, and beliefs about HPV and effective cancer prevention tools, namely HPV vaccination, Pap, and HPV tests. The potential engagement of ASO staff in future efforts to reduce the disproportionate burden of genital warts and HPV-related cancers among HIV-positive women and MSM was explored.Methods: In May-June 2016, staff were recruited from three ASOs located in the South United States Census region—a geographical area disproportionately affected by HIV/AIDS. Participants completed a 30-min self-administered, 118-item paper and pencil survey about HPV and cancer. Data analysis was conducted using Stata/SE 14.2.Results: ASO staff (n = 30) were 83% non-Hispanic Black, 40% lesbian/gay, and worked with people living with HIV for an average of 11.4 ± 7.7 years. All reported hearing of HPV and 77% had heard of the HPV vaccine (n = 23). While all knew HPV can cause cervical cancer, only 67% knew HPV can cause anal cancer. Most (61%) thought the HPV vaccine could prevent cervical cancer. Fewer (39–48%) thought the HPV vaccine could prevent anal, oral, penile, vaginal, and vulvar cancers. All were willing to encourage MSM and female clients to talk to a healthcare provider about HPV vaccination. Almost all were willing to promote HPV vaccination to clients (91–95%) and navigate clients to adult safety net HPV vaccine providers (86–95%). More than half (59–67%) thought they could positively influence their MSM and female clients' HPV vaccine decision-making.Conclusion: HPV vaccination and the Pap and HPV tests are effective cancer prevention tools that can reduce the disproportionate burden of genital warts and HPV-related cancers among HIV-positive women and MSM. Engaging ASO staff in cancer prevention efforts may increase HPV vaccination rates and early detection of HPV-related cancers among HIV-positive women and MSM. Exploring ASOs as community-based settings for promoting effective cancer prevention tools may foster opportunities to reduce the disproportionate burden of genital warts and HPV-related cancers among HIV-positive women and MSM

'To live and die [for] Dixie': Irish civilians and the Confederate States of America

Around 20,000 Irishmen served in the Confederate army in the Civil War. As a result, they left behind, in various Southern towns and cities, large numbers of friends, family, and community leaders. As with native-born Confederates, Irish civilian support was crucial to Irish participation in the Confederate military effort. Also, Irish civilians served in various supporting roles: in factories and hospitals, on railroads and diplomatic missions, and as boosters for the cause. They also, however, suffered in bombardments, sieges, and the blockade. Usually poorer than their native neighbours, they could not afford to become 'refugees' and move away from the centres of conflict. This essay, based on research from manuscript collections, contemporary newspapers, British Consular records, and Federal military records, will examine the role of Irish civilians in the Confederacy, and assess the role this activity had on their integration into Southern communities. It will also look at Irish civilians in the defeat of the Confederacy, particularly when they came under Union occupation. Initial research shows that Irish civilians were not as upset as other whites in the South about Union victory. They welcomed a return to normalcy, and often 'collaborated' with Union authorities. Also, Irish desertion rates in the Confederate army were particularly high, and I will attempt to gauge whether Irish civilians played a role in this. All of the research in this paper will thus be put in the context of the Drew Gilpin Faust/Gary Gallagher debate on the influence of the Confederate homefront on military performance. By studying the Irish civilian experience one can assess how strong the Confederate national experiment was. Was it a nation without a nationalism

Rethinking the politics of gender and agency: an encounter with the ‘otherness’ of medieval Japan

This article engages with recent debates within feminism itself to rethink women, gender, body, and agency as conceptual categories for reading medieval Japanese literary/Buddhist texts. It questions the unreflexive transposition of contemporary understandings of concepts to the past, on the grounds that this produces anachronistic readings of the worlds we seek to understand. It argues that in medieval Japanese texts gender did not function as a ‘social’ category posited against the ‘natural’ fact of sex, and that gender was a kind of script and that it was the specificity of the gendered performance, rather than the sexual attributes and reproductive functions of the body, that gave substance to the categories ‘male’ and ‘female.’ The article also offers a critique of contemporary uses of the term agency in analyses of women and Buddhism in medieval Japan, arguing that agency here is defined as something possessed by autonomous individuals with free will, whose natural inclination is to strive to resist against the oppressive conditions of their lives. This modern liberal conception of agency, which is secular in nature, grants agency to humans alone. This anthropocentric view of the world necessitates the evisceration of the agency of gods, buddhas, dreams and material objects, all of whom are central actors in the cosmological/social world of medieval Japan

The efficacy of steroids in reducing morbidity and mortality from extreme hyperthermia and heatstroke – a systematic review

Severe hyperthermia from classical or exertional heatstroke, or from drug ingestion or other non-infective pyrogens, is associated with a high mortality and morbidity. A systemic pro-inflammatory response occurs during heatstroke, characterised by elevated cytokines with endotoxaemia from elevated lipopolysaccharide (LPS) levels. Corticosteroids reduce LPS and cytokine levels, suggesting that they may improve outcome. A systematic review searching Embase, MEDLINE and PubMed from the earliest date available until September 2019 was conducted, according to the PRISMA guidelines, with five papers identified. In four studies, systemic steroids administered before or at the onset of heat stress improved mortality or reduced organ dysfunction. Survival time was greatest when steroid administration preceded heat stress. In one study, a non-significant increase in mortality was seen. A dose response was observed, with higher doses extending survival time. Animal studies suggest that steroids improve mortality and/or organ dysfunction after an episode of heat stress or extreme hyperthermia

Drama, performance and touch in the medieval convent and beyond

In this analysis we explore the sensory performances of the performer, rather than the spectator, in medieval convent drama, particularly the tactile experiences of clothing, props, wigs, and beards worn by female performers presenting male and female characters