Mobile onsite exploration of parallel realities with Oculus Rift

This paper reports experience in developing a parallel reality system which allows its user to observe and move around their real environment whilst wearing a stereoscopic 3D head mounted display imbued with video-see through capabilities, with their position and gaze tracked by an indoor positioning system and head tracker, allowing them to alternately view their real environment and an immersive virtual reality environment from the equivalent vantage point. In so doing the challenge of the vacancy problem is addressed by lightening the cognitive load needed to switch between realities and to navigate the virtual environment. Evaluation of the usability, system performance and value of the system are undertaken in the context of a cultural heritage application; users are able to compare a reconstruction of an important 15th century chapel with its present day instantiation.Postprin

Trafficking and processing of bacterial proteins by mammalian cells: Insights from chondroitinase ABC.

Background: There is very little reported in the literature about the relationship between modifications of bacterial proteins and their secretion by mammalian cells that synthesize them. We previously reported that the secretion of the bacterial enzyme Chondroitinase ABC by mammalian cells requires the strategic removal of at least three N-glycosylation sites. The aim of this study was to determine if it is possible to enhance the efficacy of the enzyme as a treatment for spinal cord injury by increasing the quantity of enzyme secreted or by altering its cellular location. Methodology/principal findings: To determine if the efficiency of enzyme secretion could be further increased, cells were transfected with constructs encoding the gene for chondroitinase ABC modified for expression by mammalian cells; these contained additional modifications of strategic N-glycosylation sites or alternative signal sequences to direct secretion of the enzyme from the cells. We show that while removal of certain specific N-glycosylation sites enhances enzyme secretion, N-glycosylation of at least two other sites, N-856 and N-773, is essential for both production and secretion of active enzyme. Furthermore, we find that the signal sequence directing secretion also influences the quantity of enzyme secreted, and that this varies widely amongst the cell types tested. Last, we find that replacing the 3’UTR on the cDNA encoding Chondroitinase ABC with that of β-actin is sufficient to target the enzyme to the neuronal growth cone when transfected into neurons. This also enhances neurite outgrowth on an inhibitory substrate. Conclusion/significance: Some intracellular trafficking pathways are adversely affected by cryptic signals present in the bacterial gene sequence, whilst unexpectedly others are required for efficient secretion of the enzyme. Furthermore, targeting chondroitinase to the neuronal growth cone promotes its ability to increase neurite outgrowth on an inhibitory substrate. These findings are timely in view of the renewed prospects for gene therapy, and of direct relevance to strategies aimed at expressing foreign proteins in mammalian cells, in particular bacterial proteins

Elastic neutron scattering in Quantum Critical Antiferromagnet Cr0.963_{0.963}V0.037_{0.037}

We have performed elastic neutron scattering studies of the quantum critical antiferromagnet Cr$_{0.963}$V$_{0.037}$. We have found that unlike pure Cr, which orders at two incommensurate wavevectors, Cr$_{0.963}$V$_{0.037}$ orders at four incommensurate and one commensurate wavevectors. We have found strong temperature dependent scattering at the commensurate and incommensurate wavevectors below 250 K. Results indicate that the primary effect of V doping on Cr is the modification of the nesting conditions of the Fermi surface and not the decreasing of the Neel temperature.Comment: 2 pages, 2 figures, submitted to SCES07 (to be published in Physica B), typos correcte

Depletion through social reproduction and contingent coping in the lived experience of parents on Universal Credit in England

We report data from longitudinal qualitative interviews with thirteen people claiming Universal Credit (UC) immediately before and during the COVID-19 pandemic in England. The article utilizes concepts from feminist theory: “Social Reproduction” and “Depletion.” We make several novel contributions, including bringing depletion into conversation with the related concept of “contingent coping.” We argue that the lived experience of UC involves material and emotional depletion, but that UC also helps recipients to “cope” contingently with this depletion. In this sense, depletion through social reproduction is an ongoing and harmful state of being. We show how highly conditional and disciplinary welfare policies both partially mitigate but also accentuate structural pressures associated with an unequal, insecure, and competitive labor market

Teaching Job-Seeking Skills to Learning Disabled Adolescents: An Experimental Analysis and Social Validation

This research was published by the KU Center for Research on Learning, formerly known as the University of Kansas Institute for Research in Learning Disabilities.Procedures designed to teach the skills involved in completing an employment application and resume writing were evaluated with three learning disabled adolescents using a multiple-baseline design. Training involved reading instructional materials, practicing skills on sets of application materials to a criterion performance, and trainer feedback during and after each practice trial . Results showed that training was effective in teaching resume writing and employment application completion skills. Rating data obtained from potential employers suggest that training was effective in improving the appearance and content of the application materials. In addition, the employers viewed applicants as better qualified for employment after training and stated that they were more likely to invite the applicants in for a job interview. The study demonstrates an effective method of training job-seeking skills and for assessing the impact of training on employers' perception of the applicants

Indigenizing City Planning Processes in Saskatoon, Canada

The article examines how the City of Saskatoon’s strategies for working with Indigenouscommunities in high-level planning processes leading to its Strategic Plan 2013-2023 relate to three concepts framing the academic literature on how to re-calibratestate-Indigenous society relations at the urban municipal level: Indigenization, coproduction,and coexistence. We argue that indigenizing mainstream city planningprocesses through authentic forms of partnership will increase Indigenous densitywithin our shared cities. Qualitative interviews with leaders from City Hall andAboriginal communities revealed a disconnection between municipal and Indigenousparticipants’ ideas about inclusion. The City’s mechanisms of consultation engagedIndigenous communities as stakeholder interest groups, but not as autonomouspolitical communities wanting to share control as full partners. A civic culture andinstitutional structures that affirm and operationalize indigeneity would have improvedthe outcome of Saskatoon’s planning processes

Correcting the polarization effect in low frequency Dielectric Spectroscopy

We demonstrate a simple and robust methodology for measuring and analyzing the polarization impedance appearing at interface between electrodes and ionic solutions, in the frequency range from 1 to $10^6$ Hz. The method assumes no particular behavior of the electrode polarization impedance and it only makes use of the fact that the polarization effect dies out with frequency. The method allows a direct and un-biased measurement of the polarization impedance, whose behavior with the applied voltages and ionic concentration is methodically investigated. Furthermore, based on the previous findings, we propose a protocol for correcting the polarization effect in low frequency Dielectric Spectroscopy measurements of colloids. This could potentially lead to the quantitative resolution of the $\alpha$-dispersion regime of live cells in suspension

Assessment of Thermal Pain Sensation in Rats and Mice Using the Hargreaves Test.

The Hargreaves test is specifically designed to assess thermal pain sensation in rodents such as rats and mice. This test has been used in experiments involving pain sensitization or recovery of thermal pain response following neural injury and regeneration. We present here a step-by-step protocol highlighted with important notes to guide first-time users through the learning process. Additionally, we have also included representative data from a rat model of sensory denervation showing how the data can be analysed to obtain meaningful results. We hope that this protocol can also assist potential users in deciding whether the Hargreaves test is a suitable test for their experiment