Ouch! How Embodied Damage Indicators in First-Person Shooting Games Impact Gaming Experience

Abstract. In this paper we present results from an exploratory study on firstperson shooting game damage indicators, comparing a red flash, a paper doll, and an x-ray mechanism, observing impact on gaming experience. Introduction and Related Work In first-person shooting games players interact with virtual worlds through multiple modalities (first-person graphics, spatial sound, movement) from the perspective of a virtual character, with the aim of enabling the player to experience the game as the character. While creating a first-person gaming experience it is not entirely feasible to cause pain to a player when the character receives an injury, and so games attempt to replicate aspects of getting an injury without actually causing pain. In this paper we explore how damage indication methods impact players emotional and cognitive experience of gameplay, rather than other metrics such as task efficiency (e.g., best score) -an approach termed "affective ludology" Evaluation of a person's affective state, and correlating it with measures of immersion and enjoyment, are still active research problems with various facets ranging from qualitative analysis of written questionnaires and interview

Bosonic t-J Model in a stacked triangular lattice and its phase diagram

In this paper, we study phase diagram of a system of two-component hard-core bosons with nearest-neighbor (NN) pseudo-spin antiferromagnetic (AF) interactions in a stacked triangular lattice. Hamiltonian of the system contains three parameters one of which is the hopping amplitude $t$ between NN sites, and the other two are the NN pseudo-spin exchange interaction $J$ and the one that measures anisotropy of pseudo-spin interactions. We investigate the system by means of the Monte-Carlo simulations and clarify the low-temperature phase diagram. In particular, we are interested in how the competing orders, i.e., AF order and superfluidity, are realized, and also whether supersolid forms as a result of hole doping into the state of the $\sqrt{3}\times \sqrt{3}$ pseudo-spin pattern with the $120^o$ structure.Comment: 18 pages, 17 figures, Version to appear in J.Phys.Soc.Jp

Fast DNA translocation through a solid-state nanopore

We report translocation experiments on double-strand DNA through a silicon oxide nanopore. Samples containing DNA fragments with seven different lengths between 2000 to 96000 basepairs have been electrophoretically driven through a 10 nm pore. We find a power-law scaling of the translocation time versus length, with an exponent of 1.26 $\pm$ 0.07. This behavior is qualitatively different from the linear behavior observed in similar experiments performed with protein pores. We address the observed nonlinear scaling in a theoretical model that describes experiments where hydrodynamic drag on the section of the polymer outside the pore is the dominant force counteracting the driving. We show that this is the case in our experiments and derive a power-law scaling with an exponent of 1.18, in excellent agreement with our data.Comment: 5 pages, 2 figures. Submitted to PR

Propofol infusion rate does not affect local pain on injection

BACKGROUND: Local pain at the site of an i.v. injection of propofol is a well-known problem, particularly in infants. This randomised investigator-blinded crossover study was designed to assess the effect of the i.v. bolus infusion rate on propofol-induced pain at the site of injection. METHODS: Thirty unpremedicated patients scheduled for ear-nose-throat or plastic surgery at Malmö University Hospital, Sweden, were given two consecutive 2.0 ml injections of propofol 10 mg/ml (Diprivan, AstraZeneca, Sweden/UK), at different infusion rates (0.2 or 1.0 ml/s), immediately before induction of general anesthesia. Half of the patients (n=15) received the first bolus of propofol over 2 s and the second bolus over 10 s, and the other half (n=15) had their injections in reversed order. After each injection, the patient was asked by an investigator to indicate pain intensity on a visual analog scale (VAS) and to report the times of the appearance, maximum point and disappearance of pain. The injections were given approximately 2 min apart. The investigators scoring pain intensity, as indicated by the patients on a 10-point numerical rate scale, were blinded to the order in which the injections were given, as were the patients themselves. RESULTS: There were no statistically significant differences in the incidence (both 86%) of intensity (median; 25th; 75th percentiles, in VAS units: 3.1; 1.0; 5.3 and 3.3; 1.4; 5.0, respectively) or duration (66+/-31 and 73+/-26 s, respectively) of pain between the faster (1.0 ml/s) and slower (0.2 ml/s) bolus infusion rates of propofol studied. CONCLUSIONS: We conclude that the i.v. bolus infusion rate of propofol does not influence drug-induced local pain on injection, at least not within the infusion rate interval studied. Therefore, adjusting i.v. injection speed does not seem to be a clinically useful tool for reducing the intensity or duration of propofol-induced pain at the site of administration

Hydroxyethyl cellulose matrix applied to serial crystallography

Serial femtosecond crystallography (SFX) allows structures of proteins to be determined at room temperature with minimal radiation damage. A highly viscous matrix acts as a crystal carrier for serial sample loading at a low flow rate that enables the determination of the structure, while requiring consumption of less than 1 mg of the sample. However, a reliable and versatile carrier matrix for a wide variety of protein samples is still elusive. Here we introduce a hydroxyethyl cellulose-matrix carrier, to determine the structure of three proteins. The de novo structure determination of proteinase K from single-wavelength anomalous diffraction (SAD) by utilizing the anomalous signal of the praseodymium atom was demonstrated using 3,000 diffraction images. ? 2017 The Author(s).113Ysciescopu

Atomic resolution structure of serine protease proteinase K at ambient temperature

Atomic resolution structures (beyond 1.20 ?) at ambient temperature, which is usually hampered by the radiation damage in synchrotron X-ray crystallography (SRX), will add to our understanding of the structure-function relationships of enzymes. Serial femtosecond crystallography (SFX) has attracted surging interest by providing a route to bypass such challenges. Yet the progress on atomic resolution analysis with SFX has been rather slow. In this report, we describe the 1.20 ? resolution structure of proteinase K using 13 keV photon energy. Hydrogen atoms, water molecules, and a number of alternative side-chain conformations have been resolved. The increase in the value of B-factor in SFX suggests that the residues and water molecules adjacent to active sites were flexible and exhibited dynamic motions at specific substrate-recognition sites. ? 2017 The Author(s).114Ysciescopu

Cauchy's infinitesimals, his sum theorem, and foundational paradigms

Cauchy's sum theorem is a prototype of what is today a basic result on the convergence of a series of functions in undergraduate analysis. We seek to interpret Cauchy's proof, and discuss the related epistemological questions involved in comparing distinct interpretive paradigms. Cauchy's proof is often interpreted in the modern framework of a Weierstrassian paradigm. We analyze Cauchy's proof closely and show that it finds closer proxies in a different modern framework. Keywords: Cauchy's infinitesimal; sum theorem; quantifier alternation; uniform convergence; foundational paradigms.Comment: 42 pages; to appear in Foundations of Scienc

Amplitude and Frequency Spectrum of Thermal Fluctuations of A Translocating RNA Molecule

Using a combination of theory and computer simulations, we study the translocation of an RNA molecule, pulled through a solid-state nanopore by an optical tweezer, as a method to determine its secondary structure. The resolution with which the elements of the secondary structure can be determined is limited by thermal fluctuations. We present a detailed study of these thermal fluctuations, including the frequency spectrum, and show that these rule out single-nucleotide resolution under the experimental conditions which we simulated. Two possible ways to improve this resolution are strong stretching of the RNA with a back-pulling voltage across the membrane, and stiffening of the translocated part of the RNA by biochemical means.Comment: Significantly expanded compared to previous version, 13 pages, 4 figures, to appear in J. Phys.: Condens. Matte