Would Kitty Genovese have been murdered in Second Life? Researching the "bystander effect" using online technologies

The increasing use of online technologies, including &lsquo;virtual worlds&rsquo; such as Second Life, provides sociology with a transformed context within which to ply creative research approaches to ongoing social issues, such as the &lsquo;bystander effect&rsquo;. While the &lsquo;bystander effect&rsquo; was coined following a real-life incident, the concept has been researched primarily through laboratory-based experiments. The relationship between &lsquo;virtual&rsquo; and &lsquo;real&rsquo; world environments and human behaviours are, however, unclear and warrant careful attention and research.In this paper we outline existing literature on the applicability of computer-simulated activity to real world contexts. We consider the potential of Second Life as a research environment in which &lsquo;virtual&rsquo; and &lsquo;real&rsquo; human responses are potentially more blurred than in real-life or a laboratory setting. We describe preliminary research in which unsolicited Second Life participants faced a situation in which they could have intervened. Our findings suggest the existence of a common perception that formal regulators were close at hand, and that this contributed to the hesitation of some people to personally intervene in the fraught situation. In addition to providing another angle on the &lsquo;bystander effect&rsquo;, this research contributes to our understanding of how new technologies might enable us to conduct social research in creative ways.<br /

Effects of 8-month vibration plus resistance training on bone density and bone metabolism in postmenopausal women.

Introduction. Whole body vibration has been shown to be osteogenic in animal models; however its application in humans is not clear.Purpose. The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of an eight month program involving vibration plus resistance training on bone mineral density (BMD) and bone metabolism of older postmenopausal women.Results. At baseline, there were no group differences in age, height, weight, calcium intake, strength, BMD, or BMC. Two-way repeated measures ANOVA (group x time) did not detect significant group or time effects for BAP, CTX, or BMD of the total body, spine, left hip (total hip, trochanter, femoral neck), or right trochanter. A significant (p&lt; 0.05) time effect revealed a decrease in right total hip and right femoral neck BMD. A group x time interaction (p&lt; 0.05) was detected at the forearm, with C slightly increasing, VR slightly decreasing, and R remaining the same. Repeated measures ANOVA (group X time) revealed a significant (p&lt; 0.01) main effect and interaction effect for 1RM of the 8 tested exercises. R and VR significantly (p&lt; 0.05) increased 1RM strength in 5 exercises, compared with C. ANOVA determined significant (p&lt; 0.01) group differences in pre-post percent (%) change in strength. VR had significantly (p&lt; 0.05) higher relative strength increases in 5 of the eight exercises, compared with R. Ranges in %change were 42-138% among VR and 23-88% among R.Conclusions. No significant alterations in bone biomarkers, BMD, or BMC were detected. Although there were significant increases muscle strength, no benefits for skeletal health were evident.Methods. Fifty-five women were assigned to a resistance training group (R, n=22), a vibration plus resistance training group (VR, n=21), or a control group (C, n=12). R and VR trained 3 days/week for 8 months on 8 exercises. VR received vibration (30-40Hz, 2-2.8g) in three different positions preceding resistance exercise. Training loads were adjusted every 5 weeks. Daily calcium intake; biochemical markers of bone turnover, bone-specific alkaline phosphatase (BAP) and C-telopeptide of Type I collagen (CTX); and BMD and bone mineral content (BMC) of the spine, dual femur, forearm, and total body (DXA) were measured at baseline and month 8

Shape Morphing Using PDE Surfaces

NoA methodology for shape morphing using partial differential equation (PDE) surfaces is presented in this work. The use of the PDE formulation shows how shape morphing can be based on a boundary-value approach by which intermediate shapes can be created. Furthermore, the mathematical properties of the method give rise to several alternatives in which morphing one shape into another can be achieved. Three of these alternatives are presented here. The first one is based on the gradual variation of the weighted sum of the boundary conditions for each surface, the second one consists of varying the Fourier mode for which the PDE is solved whilst the third results from a combination of the first two. Examples showing the efficiency of these methodologies are presented. Thus, it is shown that the PDE based approach for morphing, when combined with a parametric variation of the boundary conditions, is capable of obtaining smooth intermediate surfaces automatically

Global policing and the case of Kim Dotcom

In early 2012, 76 heavily armed police conducted a raid on a house in Auckland, New Zealand. The targets were Kim Dotcom, a German national with a NZ residency visa, and several colleagues affiliated with Megaupload, an online subscription-based peer-to-peer (P2P) file sharing facility. The alleged offences involved facilitating unlawful file sharing and United States federal criminal copyright violations. Following the raid, several court cases provide valuable insights into emerging &lsquo;global policing&rsquo; practices (Bowling and Sheptycki 2012) based on communications between sovereign enforcement agencies. This article uses these cases to explore the growth of &lsquo;extraterritorial&rsquo; police powers that operate &lsquo;across borders&rsquo; (Nadelmann 1993) as part of several broader transformations of global policing in the digital age

The Formaldehyde Masers in Sgr B2: Very Long Baseline Array and Very Large Array Observations

Observations of two of the formaldehyde (H2CO) masers (A and D) in Sgr B2 using the VLBA+Y27 (resolution ~0.01") and the VLA (resolution ~9") are presented. The VLBA observations show compact sources (<10 milliarcseconds, <80 AU) with brightness temperatures >10^8 K. The maser sources are partially resolved in the VLBA observations. The flux densities in the VLBA observations are about 1/2 those of the VLA; and, the linewidths are about 2/3 of the VLA values. The applicability of a core-halo model for the emission distribution is demonstrated. Comparison with earlier H2CO absorption observations and with ammonia (NH3) observations suggests that H2CO masers form in shocked gas. Comparison of the integrated flux densities in current VLA observations with those in previous observations indicates that (1) most of the masers have varied in the past 20 years, and (2) intensity variations are typically less than a factor of two compared to the 20-year mean. No significant linear or circular polarization is detected with either instrument.Comment: 20 pages, 3 figures, 5 tables, accepted to Ap

A769662 inhibits insulin-stimulated akt activation in human macrovascular endothelial cells independent of AMP-activated protein kinase

Protein kinase B (Akt) is a key enzyme in the insulin signalling cascade, required for insulin-stimulated NO production in endothelial cells (ECs). Previous studies have suggested that AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) activation stimulates NO synthesis and enhances insulin-stimulated Akt activation, yet these studies have largely used indirect activators of AMPK. The effects of the allosteric AMPK activator A769662 on insulin signalling and endothelial function was therefore examined in cultured human macrovascular ECs. Surprisingly, A769662 inhibited insulin-stimulated NO synthesis and Akt phosphorylation in human ECs from umbilical veins (HUVECs) and aorta (HAECs). In contrast, the AMPK activators compound 991 and AICAR had no substantial inhibitory effect on insulin-stimulated Akt phosphorylation in ECs. Inhibition of AMPK with SBI-0206965 had no effect on the inhibition of insulin-stimulated Akt phosphorylation by A769662, suggesting the inhibitory action of A769662 is AMPK-independent. A769662 decreased IGF1-stimulated Akt phosphorylation yet had no effect on VEGF-stimulated Akt signalling in HUVECs, suggesting that A769662 attenuates early insulin/IGF1 signalling. The effects of A769662 on insulin-stimulated Akt phosphorylation were specific to human ECs, as no effect was observed in the human cancer cell lines HepG2 or HeLa, as well as in mouse embryonic fibroblasts (MEFs). A769662 inhibited insulin-stimulated Erk1/2 phosphorylation in HAECs and MEFs, an effect that was independent of AMPK in MEFs. Therefore, despite being a potent AMPK activator, A769662 has effects unlikely to be mediated by AMPK in human macrovascular ECs that reduce insulin sensitivity and eNOS activation

Transport behavior of holes in boron delta-doped diamond structures

Boron delta-doped diamond structures have been synthesized using microwave plasma chemical vapor deposition and fabricated into FET and gated Hall bar devices for assessment of the electrical characteristics. A detailed study of variable temperature Hall, conductivity, and field-effect mobility measurements was completed. This was supported by Schr€dinger-Poisson and relaxation time o calculations based upon application of Fermi’s golden rule. A two carrier-type model was developed with an activation energy of $0.2 eV between the delta layer lowest subband with mobility$1 cm2/Vs and the bulk valence band with high mobility. This new understanding of the transport of holes in such boron delta-doped structures has shown that although Hall mobility as high as 900 cm2/Vs was measured at room temperature, this dramatically overstates the actual useful performance of the device

The Formaldehyde Masers in NGC 7538 and G29.96-0.02: VLBA, MERLIN, and VLA Observations

The 6 cm formaldehyde (H2CO) maser sources in the compact HII regions NGC 7538-IRS1 and G29.96-0.02 have been imaged at high resolution (beams < 50 mas). Using the VLBA and MERLIN, we find the angular sizes of the NGC 7538 masers to be ~10 mas (30 AU) corresponding to brightness temperatures ~10^8 K. The angular sizes of the G29.96-0.02 masers are ~20 mas (130 AU) corresponding to brightness temperatures ~10^7 K. Using the VLA, we detect 2 cm formaldehyde absorption from the maser regions. We detect no emission in the 2 cm line, indicating the lack of a 2 cm maser and placing limits on the 6 cm excitation process. We find that both NGC 7538 maser components show an increase in intensity on 5-10 year timescales while the G29.96-0.02 masers show no variability over 2 years. A search for polarization provides 3-sigma upper limits of 1% circularly polarized and 10% linearly polarized emission in NGC 7538 and of 15% circularly polarized emission in G29.96-0.02. A pronounced velocity gradient of 28 km/s/arcsecond (1900 km/s/pc) is detected in the NGC 7538 maser gas.Comment: accepted to ApJ, 15 figures, 11 table

Interactive Digital Serious Games for the Assessment, Rehabilitation, and Prediction of Dementia

YesDementia is a serious, progressive, and often debilitating illness with no known cure, having a severe adverse effect on memory, behaviour, reasoning, and communication. A comprehensive review of current refereed research material in the use of games in this area is scarce and suffers from being orientated towards commercially available games or derivatives such as “Dr. Kawashima’s brain training.” There is much lesser concern for bespoke research grade alternatives. This review will attempt to assess the current state of the art in research orientated games for dementia, importantly identifying systems capable of prediction before the onset of the disease. It can be ascertained from the literature reviewed that there are clearly a large number of interactive computer game based mechanisms used for dementia. However, these are each highly intrusive in terms of affecting normal living and the patient is aware of being tested; furthermore their long-term or real benefits are unknown as is their effect over conventional tests. It is important to predict cognitive impairment at a stage early enough to maximise benefit from treatment and therapeutic intervention. Considering the availability, use, and increasing power of modern mobile smartphones, it is logically plausible to explore this platform for dementia healthcare