Experience in Social Affective Applications: Methodologies and Case Study

New forms of social affective applications are emerging, bringing with them challenges in design and evaluation. We report on one such application, conveying well-being for both personal and group benefit, and consider why existing methodologies may not be suitable, before explaining and analyzing our proposed approach. We discuss our experience of using and writing about the methodology, in order to invite discussion about its suitability in particular, as well as the more general need for methodologies to examine experience and affect in social, connected situations. As these fields continue to interact, we hope that these discussions serve to aid in studying and learning from these types of application

Designing for Schadenfreude (or, how to express well-being and see if you're boring people)

This position paper presents two studies of content not normally expressed in status updates—well-being and status feedback—and considers how they may be processed, valued and used for potential quality-of-life benefits in terms of personal and social reflection and awareness. Do I Tweet Good? (poor grammar intentional) is a site investigating more nuanced forms of status feedback than current microblogging sites allow, towards understanding self-identity, reflection, and online perception. Healthii is a tool for sharing physical and emotional well-being via status updates, investigating concepts of self-reflection and social awareness. Together, these projects consider furthering the value of microblogging on two fronts: 1) refining the online personal/social networking experience, and 2) using the status update for enhancing the personal/social experience in the offline world, and considering how to leverage that online/offline split. We offer results from two different methods of study and target groups—one co-workers in an academic setting, the other followers on Twitter—to consider how microblogging can become more than just a communication medium if it facilitates these types of reflective practice

A Comparison of Satellite Based, Modeled Derived Daily Solar Radiation Data with Observed Data for the Continental US

Many applications of simulation models and related decision support tools for agriculture and natural resource management require daily meteorological data as inputs. Availability and quality of such data, however, often constrain research and decision support activities that require use of these tools. Daily solar radiation (SRAD) data are especially problematic because the instruments require electronic integrators, accurate sensors are expensive, and calibration standards are seldom available. The Prediction Of Worldwide Energy Resources (NASA/POWER; power.larc.nasa.gov) project at the NASA Langley Research Center estimates daily solar radiation based on data that are derived from satellite observations of outgoing visible radiances and atmospheric parameters based upon satellite observations and assimilation models. The solar data are available for a global 1 degree x 1 degree coordinate grid. SRAD can also be estimated based on attenuation of extraterrestrial radiation (Q0) using daily temperature and rainfall data to estimate the optical thickness of the atmosphere. This study compares daily solar radiation data from NASA/POWER (SRADNP) with instrument readings from 295 stations (SRADOB), as well as with values that were estimated with the WGENR solar generator. WGENR was used both with daily temperature and precipitation records from the stations reporting solar data and records from the NOAA Cooperative Observer Program (COOP), thus providing two additional sources of solar data, SRADWG and SRADCO. Values of SRADNP for different grid cells consistently showed higher correlations (typically 0.85 to 0.95) with SRADOB data than did SRADWG or SRADCO for sites within the corresponding cells. Mean values of SRADOB, SRADWG and SRADNP for sites within a grid cell usually were within 1 MJm-2d-1 of each other, but NASA/POWER values averaged 1.1 MJm-2d-1 lower than SRADOB. The magnitude of this bias was greater at lower latitudes and during summer months and may be at least partially explained by assumptions in ambient aerosol properties. Overall, the NASA/POWER solar radiation data are a promising resource for regional modeling studies where realistic accounting of historic variation is required

Registration of B97 and B98, Two Parental Inbred Lines of Maize

Inbreds B97 (Reg. no. PL-169, P1 564682) and B98 (Reg. no. PL-170, P1 564683) are yellow dent maize (Lea mays L.) lines developed cooperatively by the Iowa Agriculture and Home Economics Experiment Station and the USDA-ARS. The lines were released (on 20 Mar. 1992) because of their potential value in the production of hybrid seed and as sources of germplasm in pedigree selection breeding programs of the hybrid seed industry

Registration of B99 and B100 Inbred Lines of Maize

Inbreds B99 (Reg. no. PL-174, P1 584528) and B100 (Reg. no. PL-175, P1 584529) are yellow dent maize (Zea mays L.) lines developed cooperatively by the Iowa Agriculture and Home Economics Experiment Station and the USDA-ARS. The lines were released 12 May 1993 for their potential value in the production of hybrid seed and as sources of germplasm in pedigree-selection breeding programs

Spectral properties of the X-ray binary pulsar LMC X-4 during different intensity states

We present spectral variations of the binary X-ray pulsar LMC X-4 observed with the RXTE/PCA during different phases of its 30.5 day long third period. Only out of eclipse data were used for this study. The 3-25 keV spectrum, modeled with high energy cut-off power-law and iron line emission is found to show strong dependence on the intensity state. Correlations between the Fe line emission flux and different parameters of the continuum are presented here.Comment: 4 pages, 4 figure