A Platform Independent Architecture for Virtual Characters and Avatars

We have developed a Platform Independent Architecture for Virtual Characters and Avatars (PIAVCA), a character animation system that aims to be independent of any underlying graphics framework and so be easily portable. PIAVCA supports body animation based on a skeletal representation and facial animation based on morph targets

Forecasting in the lodging industry: Emphasizing regional economic factors

Budgeting and forecasting in the lodging industry may frequently involve the problems of inaccuracy and inefficiency, which may lead to a third problem, behavioral issues. To address these three common problems, this dissertation focuses on accuracy through quantitative analysis. Once accuracy is improved in budgeting and forecasting, efficiency would be expected to increase, and behavioral issues would be expected to decrease; The hotel revenues of all 50 states and the District of Columbia were tested for whether their hotel revenues were affected by the economic activity in three venues: the same state, the nation, or another state. Hotel revenues were represented by the lodging industry Gross State Product (GSP), or the economic value-added concept of each state for lodging. Economic activity was represented by the state GSP without hotel revenues, the U.S. GSP without the GSP of the state tested, and the GSP of another state. Correlation was used to identify the most likely explanatory variable. Regression was then used to test the validity and the strength of the explanatory variable. Each state was then categorized by which of these three economic factors (GSP) best explained hotel revenues of that state; This study demonstrates that economic factors can assist the lodging industry to increase accuracy in budgeting and forecasting, and a framework is provided for further testing

DOS 6.22 Alert; Technology Alert, December 1994

https://egrove.olemiss.edu/aicpa_news/2853/thumbnail.jp

Constructing a gazebo: supporting teamwork in a tightly coupled, distributed task in virtual reality

Many tasks require teamwork. Team members may work concurrently, but there must be some occasions of coming together. Collaborative virtual environments (CVEs) allow distributed teams to come together across distance to share a task. Studies of CVE systems have tended to focus on the sense of presence or copresence with other people. They have avoided studying close interaction between us-ers, such as the shared manipulation of objects, because CVEs suffer from inherent network delays and often have cumbersome user interfaces. Little is known about the ef-fectiveness of collaboration in tasks requiring various forms of object sharing and, in particular, the concurrent manipu-lation of objects. This paper investigates the effectiveness of supporting teamwork among a geographically distributed group in a task that requires the shared manipulation of objects. To complete the task, users must share objects through con-current manipulation of both the same and distinct at-tributes. The effectiveness of teamwork is measured in terms of time taken to achieve each step, as well as the impression of users. The effect of interface is examined by comparing various combinations of walk-in cubic immersive projection technology (IPT) displays and desktop devices

Optimizing Performance through Stress and Induction Levels in Virtual Reality Using Autonomic Responses

Virtual reality (VR) is now a consumer technology, but individuals' experience with systems or different applications varies enormously. This means that most consumer applications need to consider how to train naive users in the application's operation. We examine three different ways of imparting on-boarding instructions to users: first-person audio guidance, second-person non-player character (NPC) diegetic guidance or written instruction. Our primary hypothesis is that the second-person condition will induce a higher stress level on the user, given the perceived presence of a supervising NPC. Our secondary hypothesis is that there is a correlation between stress and performance, meaning that participants with elevated stress levels within a certain margin will complete their tasks faster and more successfully. By extension, participants whose stress levels are either above or below this optimal margin will under-perform on the same tasks. The tasks in question are an interaction test (IT), designed to test participants' abilities to pick up and manipulate virtual objects, and a mental rotation test (MRT), designed to place them under cognitive load. During these tasks we measure the users' level of stress from their bio signals via a mobile wearable device that tracks their heart rate (HR), galvanic skin response (GSR) and body temperature in real-time. Statistical significance was not found in the stress or performance levels between the instruction conditions, but the secondary hypothesis was supported and a correlation was found between stress and performance levels across the conditions in both HR and GSR

Compuserve Internet Access; Technology Alert, June 1995

https://egrove.olemiss.edu/aicpa_news/2857/thumbnail.jp

Plasma composition in a sigmoidal anemone active region

Using spectra obtained by the EIS instrument onboard Hinode, we present a detailed spatially resolved abundance map of an active region (AR)-coronal hole (CH) complex that covers an area of 359 arcsec x 485 arcsec. The abundance map provides first ionization potential (FIP) bias levels in various coronal structures within the large EIS field of view. Overall, FIP bias in the small, relatively young AR is 2-3. This modest FIP bias is a consequence of the AR age, its weak heating, and its partial reconnection with the surrounding CH. Plasma with a coronal composition is concentrated at AR loop footpoints, close to where fractionation is believed to take place in the chromosphere. In the AR, we found a moderate positive correlation of FIP bias with nonthermal velocity and magnetic flux density, both of which are also strongest at the AR loop footpoints. Pathways of slightly enhanced FIP bias are traced along some of the loops connecting opposite polarities within the AR. We interpret the traces of enhanced FIP bias along these loops to be the beginning of fractionated plasma mixing in the loops. Low FIP bias in a sigmoidal channel above the AR's main polarity inversion line where ongoing flux cancellation is taking place, provides new evidence of a bald patch magnetic topology of a sigmoid/flux rope configfiuration.Comment: For on-line animation, see http://www.mssl.ucl.ac.uk/~db2/fip_intensity.gif. Accepted by Ap

Model Retrieval by 3D Sketching in Immersive Virtual Reality

We describe a novel method for searching 3D model collections using free-form sketches within a virtual environment as queries. As opposed to traditional Sketch Retrieval, our queries are drawn directly onto an example model. Using immersive virtual reality the user can express their query through a sketch that demonstrates the desired structure, color and texture. Unlike previous sketch-based retrieval methods, users remain immersed within the environment without relying on textual queries or 2D projections which can disconnect the user from the environment. We show how a convolutional neural network (CNN) can create multi-view representations of colored 3D sketches. Using such a descriptor representation, our system is able to rapidly retrieve models and in this way, we provide the user with an interactive method of navigating large object datasets. Through a preliminary user study we demonstrate that by using our VR 3D model retrieval system, users can perform quick and intuitive search. Using our system users can rapidly populate a virtual environment with specific models from a very large database, and thus the technique has the potential to be broadly applicable in immersive editing systems