Cycling around a curve : the effect of cycling speed on steering and gaze behavior

Although it is generally accepted that visual information guides steering, it is still unclear whether a curvature matching strategy or a 'look where you are going' strategy is used while steering through a curved road. The current experiment investigated to what extent the existing models for curve driving also apply to cycling around a curve, and tested the influence of cycling speed on steering and gaze behavior. Twenty-five participants were asked to cycle through a semicircular lane three consecutive times at three different speeds while staying in the center of the lane. The observed steering behavior suggests that an anticipatory steering strategy was used at curve entrance and a compensatory strategy was used to steer through the actual bend of the curve. A shift of gaze from the center to the inside edge of the lane indicates that at low cycling speed, the 'look where you are going' strategy was preferred, while at higher cycling speeds participants seemed to prefer the curvature matching strategy. Authors suggest that visual information from both steering strategies contributes to the steering system and can be used in a flexible way. Based on a familiarization effect, it can be assumed that steering is not only guided by vision but that a short-term learning component should also be taken into account

The Impact of Cultural Symbols and Spokesperson Identity on Attitudes and Intentions

In today’s multicultural societies, ethnic targeting is increasingly important for marketing. Two main approaches to target ethnic minorities have emerged: messaging consumers when their ethnic identity is most salient, and featuring spokespeople who have the same heritage as the target. We conduct replications of two articles representative of these research streams: Forehand and Deshpandé (2001) and Deshpandé and Stayman (1994). Our findings identify generational status as an important boundary condition for these ethnic targeting strategies

Traditional high jump Gusimbuka Urukiramende : could early 20th century African athletes beat Olympic champions?

During the first half of the 20th century, extraordinary high jumping performances of East-African athletes were observed. These athletes used a specific native jumping style called Gusimbuka Urukiramende. Eye-witnesses believed that these performances could have been world-records and that these athletes could have competed at the Olympics. However, these athletes never participated in international competitions and there is no other proof to support these performance claims. We have analysed historical photos and cine sequences of these jumps, documented the movement analysis of this technique, quantified performance and compared it to contemporaneous elite performances. Our analyses demonstrate that Gusimbuka Urukiramende athletes did not jump as high as the world record. Nevertheless, even though they used a suboptimal jump technique (because they had to lift their bodies higher to cross the bar) they could cross bar heights of 188 cm or 135% body height and as such their performance still was worthy of participation to the Olympics

To what extent does body height affect the use and satisfaction of electrically-assisted bicycles for postal purpose?

To investigate to what extent body height affects the use and satisfaction of electrically-assisted bicycles (EB) among postal workers, 1115 EB users filled in a questionnaire and 28 postal workers were observed during their distribution round. We aimed to provide a framework to estimate the possible effects of providing multiple frame sizes to postal workers. Although the body height of postal workers affected how they reached for mail and delivered it, it hardly affected their satisfaction with the current EB. Accessibility of the front carrier seemed to be the main issue that could be coped with by providing different frames. Ironically, postal workers for whom the front carrier was most accessible (tallest group) reported the highest physical load. The relevance of these results with respect to the availability of multiple frame sizes and other changes to the EB that might be beneficial from an ergonomic point of view is discussed

Odyssey 2 : A mission toward Neptune and Triton to test General Relativity

Odyssey 2 will be proposed in December 2010 for the next call of M3 missions for Cosmic Vision 2015-2025. This mission, under a Phase 0 study performed by CNES, will aim at Neptune and Triton. Two sets of objectives will be pursued. The first one is to perform a set of gravitation experiments at the Solar System scale. Experimental tests of gravitation have always shown good agreement with General Relativity. There are however drivers to continue testing General Relativity, and to do so at the largest possible scales. From a theoretical point of view, Einstein's theory of gravitation shows inconsistencies with a quantum description of Nature and unified theories predict deviations from General Relativity. From an observational point of view, as long as dark matter and dark energy are not observed through other means than their gravitational effects, they can be considered as a manifestation of a modification of General Relativity at cosmic scales. The scientific objectives are to: (i) test the gravitation law at the Solar System scale; (ii) measure the Eddington parameter; and (iii) investigate the navigation anomalies during fly-bys. To fulfil these objectives, the following components are to be on board the spacecraft: (i) the Gravity Advanced Package (GAP), which is an electrostatic accelerometer to which a rotating stage is added; (ii) radio-science; (iii) laser ranging, to improve significantly the measure of the Eddington parameter. The second set of objectives is to enhance our knowledge of Neptune and Triton. Several instruments dedicated to planetology are foreseen: camera, spectrometer, dust and particle detectors, and magnetometer. Depending on the ones kept, the mission could provide information on the gravity field, the atmosphere and the magnetosphere of the two bodies as well as on the surface geology of Triton and on the nature of the planetary rings around Neptune.Comment: 61st International Astronautical Congress (Prague, Czech Republic - September 2010), 7 page

Offshore exposure experiments on cuttlefish indicate received sound pressure and particle motion levels associated with acoustic trauma

Recent findings on cephalopods in laboratory conditions showed that exposure to artificial noise had a direct consequence on the statocyst, sensory organs, which are responsible for their equilibrium and movements in the water column. The question remained about the contribution of the consequent near-field particle motion influence from the tank walls, to the triggering of the trauma. Offshore noise controlled exposure experiments (CEE) on common cuttlefish (Sepia officinalis), were conducted at three different depths and distances from the source and particle motion and sound pressure measurements were performed at each location. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) revealed injuries in statocysts, which severity was quantified and found to be proportional to the distance to the transducer. These findings are the first evidence of cephalopods sensitivity to anthropogenic noise sources in their natural habitat. From the measured received power spectrum of the sweep, it was possible to determine that the animals were exposed at levels ranging from 139 to 142¿dB re 1¿µPa2 and from 139 to 141 dB re 1¿µPa2, at 1/3 octave bands centred at 315¿Hz and 400¿Hz, respectively. These results could therefore be considered a coherent threshold estimation of noise levels that can trigger acoustic trauma in cephalopods.Postprint (published version

Secure Spontaneous Emergency Access to Personal Health Record

ABSTRACT We propose a system which enables access to the user's Personal Health Record (PHR) in the event of emergency. The access typically occurs in an ad-hoc and spontaneous manner and the user is usually unconscious, hence rendering the unavailability of the user's password to access the PHR. The proposed system includes a smart card carried by the user at all time and it is personalized with a pseudo secret, an URL to the PHR Server, a secret key shared with the PHR Server and a number of redemption tokens generated using a hash chain. In each emergency session, a one-time use redemption token is issued by the smart card, allowing the emergency doctor to retrieve the user's PHR upon successful authentication of his credentials and validation of the redemption token. The server returns the PHR encrypted with a one-time session key which can only be decrypted by the emergency doctor. The devised interaction protocol to facilitate emergency access to the user's PHR is secure and efficient