Damping strategies for energy efficient pressure controllers of variable displacement pumps

In hydraulic-mechanically controlled variable displacement pumps, the actual pump controller produces additional power losses. Due to the low damping coefficients of all pump controller’s components, hydraulic-mechanically pressure controlled pumps use to oscillate while adjusting the pressure level in the hydraulic system. In several state-of-the-art variable pump controllers, a damping orifice connects the control actuator’s displacement chamber with the reservoir. This bypass dampens the movement of the control actuator but also leads to bypass losses during steady-state operation of the pump. A new concept for damping via feedback loops avoiding bypass losses is presented in t his paper

Testing Replicability and Generalizability of the Time on Task Effect

The time on task (ToT) effect describes the relationship of the time spent on a cognitive task and the probability of successful task completion. The effect has been shown to vary in size and direction across tests and even within tests, depending on the test taker and item characteristics. Specifically, investing more time has a positive effect on response accuracy for difficult items and low ability test-takers, but a negative effect for easy items and high ability test-takers. The present study sought to test the replicability of this result pattern of the ToT effect across samples independently drawn from the same populations of persons and items. Furthermore, its generalizability was tested in terms of differential correlations across ability tests. To this end, ToT effects were estimated for three different reasoning tests and one test measuring natural sciences knowledge in 10 comparable subsamples with a total N = 2640. Results for the subsamples were highly similar, demonstrating that ToT effects are estimated with sufficient reliability. Generally, faster answers tended to be more accurate, suggesting a relatively effortless processing style. However, with increasing item difficulty and decreasing person ability, the effect flipped to the opposite direction, i.e., higher accuracy with longer processing times. The within-task moderation of the ToT effect can be reconciled with an account on effortful processing or cognitive load. By contrast, the generalizability of the ToT effect across different tests was only moderate. Cross-test relations were stronger in relative terms if performance in the respective tasks was more strongly related. This suggests that individual differences in the ToT effect depend on test characteristics such as their reliabilities but also similarities and differences of their processing requirements

Sometimes More Is Better, and Sometimes Less Is Better: Task Complexity Moderates the Response Time Accuracy Correlation

This study addresses the relationship between item response time and item accuracy (i.e., the response time accuracy correlation, RTAC) in figural matrices tests. The dual processing account of response time effects predicts negative RTACs in tasks that allow for relatively automatic processing and positive RTACs in tasks that require controlled processing. Contrary to these predictions, several studies found negative RTACs for reasoning tests. Nevertheless, it was demonstrated that the RTAC is moderated by task complexity (i.e., the interaction between person ability and item difficulty) and that under conditions of high complexity (i.e., low ability and high difficulty) the RTAC was even slightly positive. The goal of this study was to demonstrate that with respect to task complexity the direction of the RTAC (positive vs. negative) can change substantially even within a single task paradigm (i.e., figural matrices). These predictions were tested using a figural matrices test that employs a constructed response format and has a broad range of item difficulties in a sample with a broad range of ability. Confirming predictions, strongly negative RTACs were observed when task complexity was low (i.e., fast responses tended to be correct). With increasing task complexity, the RTAC flipped to be strongly positive (i.e., slow responses tended to be correct). This flip occurred earlier for people with lower ability, and later for people with higher ability. Cognitive load of the items is suggested as an explanation for this phenomenon

SoundScript - Supporting the acquisition of character writing by multisensory integration

This work is introducing a new movement sonification method called 'SoundScript' to support the acquisition of character writing by children. SoundScript creates 'sound traces' from the writing trace in real-time during the process of handwriting. The structural correlation of both - optic and acoustic - traces leads to an integrated audio-visual perception of writing with the expected stimulation of multisensory integration sites of the CNS. Data of a pilot study are introduced indicating that the writing kinematics is reproduced more adequately if additional sound traces are available during writing. In the future SoundScript shall be applied to verify if the establishment of internal character representations can be accelerated, if the conciseness of the specific shape of the particular characters can be made stronger and if thereby the efficiency of the handwriting learning process can be enhanced

Indicating mate preferences by mixing survey and process-generated data: the case of attitudes and behaviour in online mate search

'Web-basierte prozess-generierte Daten werden durch soziales Handeln von Nutzern erzeugt und vom jeweiligen Anbieter ohne ursprünglich wissenschaftliches Interesse aufgezeichnet. Die Autoren veranschaulichen ihre Idee einer vorteilhaften Anwendung prozess-generierter Daten mittels eines Forschungsbeispiels aus dem Bereich der partnerschaftlichen Präferenzen, welches auf Emailkontaktierungen bei einer Onlinedating-Seite fußt. Dieser Ansatz folgt dem Paradigma der Präferenzindikation mit Hilfe der Beobachtung von Wahlakten. Vor- und Nachteile dieses Ansatzes werden im Vergleich mit dem Paradigma der 'angegebenen Präferenzen', wie sie traditionell bei der Fragebogenforschung verwendet werden, diskutiert. Beide Ansätze weisen unterschiedliche informationale Einschränkungen auf und induzieren unterschiedliche Validitätsprobleme. Die Autoren schließen mit einem Ausblick auf Forschungsstraegien, die die beiden quantitativen Paradigmen integrieren.' (Autorenreferat)'Web-based process-generated data is produced by social agency of users and recorded by the respective provider without any originally scientific purpose. The authors support their idea of advantageous applications of process-generated data by outlining a research example that uses data generated by email contacting on an online dating website for the investigation of mate preferences. This approach follows the paradigm of indicating or 'revealing' preferences by observing choosing acts. Advantages and disadvantages of this approach in comparison to the traditional 'stated preference'-paradigm of survey research are discussed. Both approaches suffer different informational restrictions and induce different problems of valid inference. In conclusion they offer an outlook towards research strategies of an integration of the two quantitative paradigms.' (author's abstract

Crystal structure of the Z-ring associated cell division protein ZapC from Escherichia coli

AbstractBacterial cell division involves a contractile ring that organises downstream proteins at the division site and which contains the tubulin homologue FtsZ. ZapC has been discovered as a non-essential regulator of FtsZ. It localises to the septal ring and deletion of zapC leads to a mild phenotype, while overexpression inhibits cell division. Interference with cell division is facilitated by an interaction with FtsZ. Here, we present the 2.9Å crystal structure of ZapC from Escherichia coli. ZapC forms a dimer and comprises two domains that belong to the Royal superfamily of which many members bind methylated arginines or lysines. ZapC contains an N-terminal chromo-like domain and a Tudor-like C-terminal domain. We show by ITC that ZapC binds the C-terminal tail of FtsZ

TicTacToes: Assessing Toe Movements as an Input Modality

From carrying grocery bags to holding onto handles on the bus, there are a variety of situations where one or both hands are busy, hindering the vision of ubiquitous interaction with technology. Voice commands, as a popular hands-free alternative, struggle with ambient noise and privacy issues. As an alternative approach, research explored movements of various body parts (e.g., head, arms) as input modalities, with foot-based techniques proving particularly suitable for hands-free interaction. Whereas previous research only considered the movement of the foot as a whole, in this work, we argue that our toes offer further degrees of freedom that can be leveraged for interaction. To explore the viability of toe-based interaction, we contribute the results of a controlled experiment with 18 participants assessing the impact of five factors on the accuracy, efficiency and user experience of such interfaces. Based on the findings, we provide design recommendations for future toe-based interfaces.Comment: To appear in Proceedings of the 2023 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems (CHI 23), April 23-28, 2023, Hamburg, Germany. ACM, New York, NY, USA, 17 page

Wer nutzt Internetkontaktbörsen in Deutschland?

'Der Aufsatz stellt die Frage, wer in Deutschland die Möglichkeit der internetgestützten Partnersuche nutzt. Ausgehend von der Debatte um digitale Ungleichheiten werden in Auseinandersetzung mit den Erkenntnissen der soziologischen Partnerwahlforschung theoretische Hypothesen formuliert, nach welchen sozialstrukturellen Merkmalen die Teilnahme am Onlinedating variiert. Diese Überlegungen werden auf Basis der Daten der ARD/ ZDF-Onlinestudie 2007, einer für Deutschland repräsentativen Erhebung zur Internetnutzung, empirisch geprüft. Verglichen mit der Gesamtbevölkerung zeigt sich, dass die Onlinedater eher männlich, jünger und höher gebildet sind, sowie tendenziell in Haushalten mit höherem Einkommen leben. Verglichen mit den Internetnutzern sind die Onlinedater wiederum eher männlich, jünger und alleinwohnend; allerdings sind hier niedriger gebildete Personen leicht überrepräsentiert. In Erweiterung zu früheren Untersuchungen zeigen unsere Ergebnisse, dass die Neigung von Männern und Frauen, am Onlinedating teilzunehmen, von ihren jeweiligen Perspektiven am Heiratsmarkt abhängig ist. Vor allem höher gebildete Frauen und niedrig gebildete Männer gehören dabei zu den Gruppen, die durch die Nutzung von Online-Kontaktbörsen ihre Partnersuche ausweiten.' (Autorenreferat)'This paper seeks to identify, who is using online dating sites in Germany. Theoretically, it is drawn on the debate about the digital divide of society and the findings of sociological mate selection research. Several hypotheses are presented on how individuals using internet dating vary in socioeconomic and demographic characteristics. These considerations are then tested empirically, using the data of the ARD/ ZDF-Online Study 2007, a representative national sample of internet behaviour in Germany. Compared to the total population, the results show that online daters are rather male, younger, higher educated and live in households with a higher income. Compared to all internet users, online daters are also rather male, younger and living in single households; however, lower educated individuals are slightly overrepresented. Our work contributes to the research by showing that the propensity of men and women to participate in online dating depends on their individual perspectives at the marriage market. Particularly higher educated women and lower educated men belong to those groups that try to extend their pool of partners by using dating sites.' (author's abstract