KINECTWheels: wheelchair-accessible motion-based game interaction

The increasing popularity of full-body motion-based video games creates new challenges for game accessibility research. Many games strongly focus on able-bodied persons and require players to move around freely. To address this problem, we introduce KINECTWheels, a toolkit that facilitates the integration of wheelchair-based game input. Our library can help game designers to integrate wheelchair input at the development stage, and it can be configured to trigger keystroke events to make off-the-shelf PC games wheelchair-accessible

How self-esteem shapes our interactions with play technologies

The experience that results from video game play is shaped by the play environment, but also by various characteristics of the person playing. We investigated how player self-esteem predicts post-game motivation (enjoyment, effort, and tension), and conducted mediated regressions to show that players’ self-esteem alters post-play motivation by affecting how needs are satisfied during play. We also explored how self-esteem predicts post-play positive and negative affect and conducted mediated regressions to show how motivation partially mediates those effects. Our work suggests that players with different levels of self-esteem experience games differently; but more importantly, we provide an explanation of how these differences form by examining the mechanisms during games that ultimately contribute to player experience. Situating our results within theories of self, we discuss the importance of self-esteem for understanding player experience, describe the implications for games research, and consider how self-esteem shapes our interactions with play technologies

Deterministic and Stochastic Spin Diffusion in Classical Heisenberg Magnets

This computer simulation study provides further evidence that spin diffusion in the one‐dimensional classical Heisenberg model at T=∞ is anomalous: 〈S j ( t )⋅S j 〉 ∼t −α 1 withα1 ≳1/2. However, the exponential instability of the numerically integrated phase‐space trajectories transforms the deterministic transport of spin fluctuations into a computationally generated stochastic process in which the global conservation laws are still satisfied to high precision. This may cause a crossover in 〈S j ( t )⋅S j 〉 from anomalous spin diffusion (α1 ≳ 1/2) to normal spin diffusion (α1 = 1/2) at some characteristic time lag that depends on the precision of the numerical integration

Spin Diffusion in Classical Heisenberg Magnets with Uniform, Alternating, and Random Exchange

We have carried out an extensive simulation study for the spin autocorrelation function at T=∞ of the one‐dimensional classical Heisenberg model with four different types of isotropic bilinear nearest‐neighbor coupling: uniform exchange, alternating exchange, and two kinds of random exchange. For the long‐time tails of all but one case, the simulation data seem incompatible with the simple ∼t −1/2 leading term predicted by spin diffusion phenomenology

Разработка системы мероприятий по совершенствованию организационной культуры компании ООО «Парус-Томск»

Актуальность проблемы формирования организационной культуры одна из весомых в компании, так как от четкой структуры организационной культуры зависит не только благоприятное существование в организации, повышение профессионализма и творчества сотрудников, но и конечный результат деятельности компании. Объектом исследования является компания ООО «Парус – Томск». Предметом исследования является организационная культура в компании ООО «Парус – Томск. Цель ВКР - состоит в практической разработке по совершенствованию организационной культуры в компании ООО «Парус – Томск». Практическая значимость работы заключается в основных положениях и выводах исследования доведенных до уровня конкретных предложений и рекомендаций для компании. В первой главе рассматривается сущность организационной культуры, понятие «организационная культура», структура, динамика, функции и типы организационной культуры. Во второй главе приводится общая характеристика компании, исследуется бытующая культура, определяется ее желаемое состояние и проводится разработка по совершенствованию организационной культуры в компании ООО «Парус – Томск». Методы: эмпирические методы, анкетирование, теоретические методы, анализ литературы. Новизна и практическая значимость работы: Новизна данной работы состоит в том, что в результате проделанной работы были найдены практические подходы в разработке совершенствования культуры. Практическая значимость дипломной работы заключается в возможности реального использования предложенных инструментов для компании ООО «Парус – Томск».The problem of forming of organizational culture one of the most significant in the company, because of the clear structure of the organizational culture depends not only favorable existence in the organization, improving the professionalism and creativity of employees, but the final result of the activities of the company. The object of research is the company "Parus – Tomsk". The subject of research is organizational culture in the company "Sail – Tomsk. The purpose of the WRC is a practical design to improve the organizational culture of the company OOO "Parus – Tomsk". The practical significance of the work lies in the substantive provisions and conclusions of the study brought to the level of specific proposals and recommendations for the company. The first Chapter examines the nature of organizational culture, "organizational culture," structure, dynamics, functions and types of organizational culture. The second Chapter provides a General description of the company, examines the prevailing culture is determined by its desired state, and development is performed to improve the organizational culture of the company OOO "Parus – Tomsk". Methods: empirical methods, survey, theoretical methods, analysis of the literature. The novelty and practical significance of the work: the Novelty of this work lies in the fact that the result of this work have been found practical approaches in developing the improvement culture. The practical significance of the thesis lies in the possibility of real use of the proposed tools for the company OOO "Parus – Tomsk"

Spin dynamics simulations of the magnetic dynamics of RbMnF3_3 and direct comparison with experiment

Spin-dynamics techniques have been used to perform large-scale simulations of the dynamic behavior of the classical Heisenberg antiferromagnet in simple cubic lattices with linear sizes $L\leq 60$. This system is widely recognized as an appropriate model for the magnetic properties of RbMnF$_3$. Time-evolutions of spin configurations were determined numerically from coupled equations of motion for individual spins using a new algorithm implemented by Krech {\it etal}, which is based on fourth-order Suzuki-Trotter decompositions of exponential operators. The dynamic structure factor was calculated from the space- and time-displaced spin-spin correlation function. The crossover from hydrodynamic to critical behavior of the dispersion curve and spin-wave half-width was studied as the temperature was increased towards the critical temperature. The dynamic critical exponent was estimated to be $z=(1.43\pm 0.03)$, which is slightly lower than the dynamic scaling prediction, but in good agreement with a recent experimental value. Direct, quantitative comparisons of both the dispersion curve and the lineshapes obtained from our simulations with very recent experimental results for RbMnF$_3$ are presented.Comment: 30 pages, RevTex, 9 figures, to appear in PR

What the HLA-I!-Classical and Non-classical HLA Class I and Their Potential Roles in Type 1 Diabetes

Purpose of review: Hyperexpression of classical HLA class I (HLA-I) molecules in insulin-containing islets has become a widely accepted hallmark of type 1 diabetes pathology. In comparison, relatively little is known about the expression, function and role of non-classical subtypes of HLA-I. This review focuses on the current understanding of the non-classical HLA-I subtypes: HLA-E, HLA-F and HLA-G, within and outside the field of type 1 diabetes, and considers the possible impacts of these molecules on disease etiology. Recent findings: Evidence is growing to suggest that non-classical HLA-I proteins are upregulated, both at the RNA and protein levels in the pancreas of individuals with recent-onset type 1 diabetes. Moreover, associations between non-classical HLA-I genotypes and age at onset of type 1 diabetes have been reported in some studies. As with classical HLA-I, it is likely that hyperexpression of non-classical HLA-I is driven by the release of diffusible interferons by stressed β cells (potentially driven by viral infection) and exacerbated by release of cytokines from infiltrating immune cells. Non-classical HLA-I proteins predominantly (but not exclusively) transduce negative signals to immune cells infiltrating at the site of injury/inflammation. We propose a model in which the islet endocrine cells, through expression of non-classical HLA-I are fighting back against the infiltrating immune cells. By inhibiting the activity and function on NK, B and select T cells, the non-classical HLA-I, proteins will reduce the non-specific bystander effects of inflammation, while at the same time still allowing the targeted destruction of β cells by specific islet-reactive CD8+ T cells.This article is freely available via Open Access. Click on the Publisher URL to access it via the publisher's site.We are pleased to acknowledge financial support via a JDRF Career Development Award (5-CDA-2014-221-A-N), a JDRF Strategic Research Agreement (JDRF 2-SRA-2018-474-S-B), an MRC Project Grant (MR/P010695/1) and project grants from Diabetes UK (15/0005156 & 16/0005480) to SJR. GL was supported by the Diabetes Research Institute Foundation. IG has a project grant from National Institute of Health (UC4 DK104155).published version, accepted version (12 month embargo

Reconstruction of a first-order phase transition from computer simulations of individual phases and subphases

We present a new method for investigating first-order phase transitions using Monte Carlo simulations. It relies on the multiple-histogram method and uses solely histograms of individual phases. In addition, we extend the method to include histograms of subphases. The free energy difference between phases, necessary for attributing the correct statistical weights to the histograms, is determined by a detour in control parameter space via auxiliary systems with short relaxation times. We apply this method to a recently introduced model for structure formation in polypeptides for which other methods fail.Comment: 13 pages in preprint mode, REVTeX, 2 Figures available from the authors ([email protected], [email protected]

Critical dynamics in the 2d classical XY-model: a spin dynamics study

Using spin-dynamics techniques we have performed large-scale computer simulations of the dynamic behavior of the classical three component XY-model (i.e. the anisotropic limit of an easy-plane Heisenberg ferromagnet), on square lattices of size up to 192^2, for several temperatures below, at, and above T_KT. The temporal evolution of spin configurations was determined numerically from coupled equations of motion for individual spins by a fourth order predictor-corrector method, with initial spin configurations generated by a hybrid Monte Carlo algorithm. The neutron scattering function S(q,omega) was calculated from the resultant space-time displaced spin-spin correlation function. Pronounced spin-wave peaks were found both in the in-plane and the out-of-plane scattering function over a wide range of temperatures. The in-plane scattering function S^xx also has a large number of clear but weak additional peaks, which we interpret to come from two-spin-wave scattering. In addition, we observed a small central peak in S^xx, even at temperatures well below the phase transition. We used dynamic finite size scaling theory to extract the dynamic critical exponent z. We find z=1.00(4) for all T <= T_KT, in excellent agreement with theoretical predictions, although the shape of S(q,omega) is not well described by current theory.Comment: 31 pages, LaTex, 13 figures (38 subfigures) included as eps-files, needs psfig, 260 K