Full-body motion-based game interaction for older adults

Older adults in nursing homes often lead sedentary lifestyles, which reduces their life expectancy. Full-body motion-control games provide an opportunity for these adults to remain active and engaged; these games are not designed with age-related impairments in mind, which prevents the games from being leveraged to increase the activity levels of older adults. In this paper, we present two studies aimed at developing game design guidelines for full-body motion controls for older adults experiencing age-related changes and impairments. Our studies also demonstrate how full-body motion-control games can accommodate a variety of user abilities, have a positive effect on mood and, by extension, the emotional well-being of older adults. Based on our studies, we present seven guidelines for the design of full-body interaction in games. The guidelines are designed to foster safe physical activity among older adults, thereby increasing their quality of life. Copyright 2012 ACM

Equilibrium topology of the intermediate state in type-I superconductors of different shapes

High-resolution magneto-optical technique was used to analyze flux patterns in the intermediate state of bulk Pb samples of various shapes - cones, hemispheres and discs. Combined with the measurements of macroscopic magnetization these results allowed studying the effect of bulk pinning and geometric barrier on the equilibrium structure of the intermediate state. Zero-bulk pinning discs and slabs show hysteretic behavior due to geometric barrier that results in a topological hysteresis -- flux tubes on penetration and lamellae on flux exit. (Hemi)spheres and cones do not have geometric barrier and show no hysteresis with flux tubes dominating the intermediate field region. It is concluded that flux tubes represent the equilibrium topology of the intermediate state in reversible samples, whereas laminar structure appears in samples with magnetic hysteresis (either bulk or geometric). Real-time video is available in http://www.cmpgroup.ameslab.gov/supermaglab/video/Pb.html NOTE: the submitted images were severely downsampled due to Arxiv's limitations of 1 Mb total size

Roll-to-roll dip coating of three different PIMs for Organic Solvent Nanofiltration

PIM-1, PIM-7, and PIM-8 composite membranes have been fabricated for Organic Solvent Nanofiltration (OSN) on two different support membranes. Both support membranes, PAN and crosslinked Ultem 1000, displayed pore sizes within the range of 20–25 nm as characterised by gas liquid porometry. PIM layers of < 500 nm thickness were formed from dip coating on a roll-to-roll pilot line. The resultant composite membranes exhibited typical MWCOs in the region of 500–800 g mol−1. The quality of coating obtained on the crosslinked Ultem 1000 support membrane was consistently higher for all three PIMs than that obtained on the PAN membrane. The PIM composite membranes coated on to crosslinked Ultem 1000 were stable in a wider range of solvents than those on the PAN support. OSN testing in a model system with isomeric alkane solutes verified that manipulated changes to the molecular architecture of the polymer backbone resulted in a higher separation factor between straight and branched alkane isomers

Protein-DNA charge transport: Redox activation of a DNA repair protein by guanine radical

DNA charge transport (CT) chemistry provides a route to carry out oxidative DNA damage from a distance in a reaction that is sensitive to DNA mismatches and lesions. Here, DNA-mediated CT also leads to oxidation of a DNA-bound base excision repair enzyme, MutY. DNA-bound Ru(III), generated through a flash/quench technique, is found to promote oxidation of the [4Fe-4S](2+) cluster of MutY to [4Fe-4S](3+) and its decomposition product [3Fe-4S](1+). Flash/quench experiments monitored by EPR spectroscopy reveal spectra with g = 2.08, 2.06, and 2.02, characteristic of the oxidized clusters. Transient absorption spectra of poly(dGC) and [Ru(phen)(2)dppz](3+) (dppz = dipyridophenazine), generated in situ, show an absorption characteristic of the guanine radical that is depleted in the presence of MutY with formation instead of a long-lived species with an absorption at 405 nm; we attribute this absorption also to formation of the oxidized [4Fe-4S](3+) and [3Fe4S](1+) clusters. In ruthenium-tethered DNA assemblies, oxidative damage to the 5'-G of a 5'-GG-3' doublet is generated from a distance but this irreversible damage is inhibited by MutY and instead EPR experiments reveal cluster oxidation. With ruthenium-tethered assemblies containing duplex versus single-stranded regions, MutY oxidation is found to be mediated by the DNA duplex, with guanine radical as an intermediate oxidant; guanine radical formation facilitates MutY oxidation. A model is proposed for the redox activation of DNA repair proteins through DNA CT, with guanine radicals, the first product under oxidative stress, in oxidizing the DNA-bound repair proteins, providing the signal to stimulate DNA repair

Computing a Knot Invariant as a Constraint Satisfaction Problem

We point out the connection between mathematical knot theory and spin glass/search problem. In particular, we present a statistical mechanical formulation of the problem of computing a knot invariant; p-colorability problem, which provides an algorithm to find the solution. The method also allows one to get some deeper insight into the structural complexity of knots, which is expected to be related with the landscape structure of constraint satisfaction problem.Comment: 6 pages, 3 figures, submitted to short note in Journal of Physical Society of Japa

Broadband dielectric spectroscopy on benzophenone: alpha relaxation, beta relaxation, and mode coupling theory

We have performed a detailed dielectric investigation of the relaxational dynamics of glass-forming benzophenone. Our measurements cover a broad frequency range of 0.1 Hz to 120 GHz and temperatures from far below the glass temperature well up into the region of the small-viscosity liquid. With respect to the alpha relaxation this material can be characterized as a typical molecular glass former with rather high fragility. A good agreement of the alpha relaxation behavior with the predictions of the mode coupling theory of the glass transition is stated. In addition, at temperatures below and in the vicinity of Tg we detect a well-pronounced beta relaxation of Johari-Goldstein type, which with increasing temperature develops into an excess wing. We compare our results to literature data from optical Kerr effect and depolarized light scattering experiments, where an excess-wing like feature was observed in the 1 - 100 GHz region. We address the question if the Cole-Cole peak, which was invoked to describe the optical Kerr effect data within the framework of the mode coupling theory, has any relation to the canonical beta relaxation detected by dielectric spectroscopy.Comment: 11 pages, 7 figures; revised version with new Fig. 5 and some smaller changes according to referees' demand

Effectiveness of Tactile and Auditory Stimulation on Physiological Parameters among Preterm Neonates

INTRODUCTION : Prematurity is defined as babies born alive before 37 weeks of gestation. Since preterm neonates offers less time of growth or development in the uterus of mother the internal organs are not matured fully. Due to this, it will take few more weeks to the preterm neonates in the NICU for further maturation of organs to lead a life without medical care .So the infant needs special care in the NICU until the organs have developed enough to keep the baby alive without medical support. This may take weeks to months. In the NICU preterm neonates are repeatedly subjected to painful, intrusive procedures develop touch aversion and exposed to noisy monitor sounds develop noise aversion. Gentle tactile and auditory stimulation reduce infant morbidity and mortality rates and helps to maintain the normal physiological parameters. The aim of the study was to evaluate the effect of tactile and auditory stimulation among preterm neonates and those who received it will experiences more significant weight gain, stable temperature, stable heart rate, stable respiratory rate, oxygen saturation, improved feeding pattern, increased sleeping time, decreased crying spells and increased urination compared to control group. OBJECTIVES : 1. To assess the pre and post intervention physiological parameters among experimental group of preterm neonates who had tactile & auditory stimulation 2. To assess the pre and post intervention physiological parameters among control group of preterm neonates 3. To evaluate the effectiveness of tactile & auditing stimulation on physiological parameters among preterm neonates. 4. To find out the association between the physiological parameters after tactile & auditory stimulation & selected demographic variables such as gestation weeks, age, sex, birth weight of the baby, APGAR score and mode of delivery. METHODOLOGY : A quantitative research approach with true experimental research design was adopted for this study. 120 preterm neonates who got admission and present in the NICU or postnatal unit of KKMCH, whose age is between 10 to 24 days, with 5 minute Apgar score of 6 or more, physically stable preterm babies with the birth weight of 1000 gram to 2000 gram were selected as study samples. Among them 60 preterm neonates were assigned in experimental group and 60 preterm neonates were assigned to control group randomly. Preterm neonates in experimental group received tactile stimulation by using coconut oil along with auditory stimulation in the form of lullaby by using Neelambari raga for 10 minutes twice a day for 5 consecutive days. The changes in physiological parameters were assessed before, during (3rd day) and after (5th day) the intervention period in both groups. The tool was developed, validated by experts and checked for its reliability (Physiological parameters: Weight: r = .705, Temperature: r = .658, Heart rate: r = .845, Respiratory rate: r = .736, Oxygen saturation: r = .622, Structured Interview Schedule: r = .746 and the internal consistency of the tool (r = 0.95)) before applied to collect data from samples. RESULTS : The results found that the preterm neonates, who received tactile and auditory stimulation achieved weight gain (t = 35.368), stable temperature (t = 55.865), stable heart rate (t = 40.948), stable respiratory rate (t = 41.078), stable oxygen saturation (t =43.937), increased feeding pattern (X2 = 26.612), increased sucking pattern (X2 = 30.572), increased duration per sleep (X2 = 43.364), increased sleeping pattern (X2 = 56.885), decreased crying pattern (X2 = 48.553) and increased urination pattern (X2 = 58.989) than control group preterm neonates. These results were statistically significant at 0.05 level. The present study findings concluded that the tactile and auditory stimulation had positive effects on growth and maturation in preemies. CONCLUSIONS : The following conclusions are drawn from the study: • The selected physiological parameters (weight, temperature, heart rate, respiratory rate, oxygen saturation, frequency of feeding per day, duration of sucking per feed, duration per sleep, duration of sleep per day, cries per day and passing urine per day) score in the experimental group was significantly improved after tactile and auditory stimulation than before tactile and auditory stimulation. • The selected physiological parameters (weight, temperature, heart rate, respiratory rate, oxygen saturation, frequency of feeding per day, duration of sucking per feed, duration per sleep, duration of sleep per day, cries per day and passing urine per day) score in the experimental group was higher than the post intervention physiological parameter score in the control group. • The findings of this studies suggest that music & massage interventions may have positive effects on preterm infants in the NICU including increased oxygen saturation levels, reduced heart rates, increased levels of quiet alert or quiet sleep states, improved parent-infant interaction, improved weight gain, and reduced length of hospitalization. • There is significant association between the weight gain and the selected demographic variables such as gestational age, age of the preterm neonates in the experimental group. Recommendations : Tactile and auditory stimulation can be used in any clinical and community settings to maintain the physiological parameters among preterm and term neonates

Molecular astronomy of cool stars and sub-stellar objects

The optical and infrared spectra of a wide variety of `cool' astronomical objects including the Sun, sunspots, K-, M- and S-type stars, carbon stars, brown dwarfs and extrasolar planets are reviewed. The review provides the necessary astronomical background for chemical physicists to understand and appreciate the unique molecular environments found in astronomy. The calculation of molecular opacities needed to simulate the observed spectral energy distributions is discussed