Art museums and the incorporation of virtual reality: Examining the impact of VR on spatial and social norms

Art museums implicate established spatial and social norms. The norms that shape these behaviours are not fixed, but rather subject to change as the sociality and physicality of these spaces continues to develop. In recent years, the re-emergence of virtual reality (VR) has led to this technology being incorporated into art museums in the form of VR-based exhibits. While a growing body of research now explores the various applications, uses and effects of VR, there is a notable dearth of studies examining the impact VR might be having on the spatial and social experience of art museums. This article, therefore, reports on an original research project designed to address these concerns. The project was conducted at Anise Gallery in London, United Kingdom, between June and July 2018 and focused on the multisensory, and VR-based, exhibition, Scents of Shad Thames. The research involved 19 semi-structured interviews with participants who had just experienced this exhibition. Drawing on scholarly literature that surrounds the spatial and social norms pertaining to art museums, this study advances along three lines. First, the research explores whether the inclusion of VR might alter the practice of people watching, which is endemic of this setting. Second, the research explores whether established ways of navigating the physical setting of art museums might influence how users approach the digital space of VR. Third, the research examines whether the incorporation of VR might produce a qualitatively different experience of the art museum as a shared social space

The Playeur and Pokémon Go: Examining the effects of locative play on spatiality and sociability

Pokémon Go is a hugely popular hybrid reality game (HRG) that enables players to occupy a space that is simultaneously physical and digital. The general aim of Pokémon Go is to discover and then capture Pokémon. This article reports on an original research project designed to explore the impact of Pokémon Go on spatiality and sociability. The project was conducted between May 2017 and July 2017, using an online survey which received 375 responses from users of Pokémon Go geographically spread across the globe. Drawing on the concept of the ‘playeur’ as an established approach to understanding the effects of locative play on spatiality and sociability, this research follows three lines of enquiry. First, the research examines whether the intermingling of play and ordinary life might encourage players to spend more time outside in public spaces, and how this mode of play is experienced. Second, the research explores whether the game mechanics of Pokémon Go might lead players to traverse their environment using modified routes, as well as frequent new places. Third, the research examines whether the praxis of Pokémon Go might enable new forms of sociability to emerge that extend beyond earlier HRGs

From hybrid space to dislocated space: Mobile virtual reality and a third stage of mobile media theory

Research in the field of mobile communication studies (MCS) has generally moved away from focusing on how mobile phones distract users from their physical environment to considering how the experience of space and place can be enhanced by locative smartphone applications. This article argues that trajectory may be complicated by the emergence of a new type of mobile technology: mobile virtual reality (MVR). While an increasing number of handsets are specifically developed with MVR in mind, there is little to no research that situates this phenomenon within the continuum of MCS. The intention of this paper is accordingly twofold. First, the article conceptualizes MVR as a connective tissue between the two sequential tropes of MCS: physical distraction and spatial enhancement. Second, the article introduces the concept of ‘dislocated space’ as a way of understanding the embodied space MVR might configure

It Is All About Location: Smartphones and Tracking the Spread of COVID-19

Mobile phone location data have become tied to understandings of and responses to the COVID-19 pandemic. Data visualizations have used mobile phone data to inform people about how mobility practices may be linked to the spread of the virus, and governments have explored contact tracing that relies upon mobile phone data. This article examines how these uses of location data implicate three particular issues that have been present in the growing body of locative media research: (1) anonymized data are often not anonymous, (2) location data are not always representative and can exacerbate inequality, and (3) location data are a key part of the extension of the surveillance state

Exploring the Impact of Different Durations of Foam Rolling as a Recovery Technique following Intense Exercise in College-aged Males

Background: Foam rolling (FR) for recovery from delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS) and exercise induced muscle damage (EIMD) has received considerable attention because the technique is being a relatively inexpensive and is self-performed. However, there are currently no FR guidelines and the available literature assessing the impact of FR for recovery of muscle soreness is heterogeneous and offers conflicting results. Assessing different FR durations and their impact on recovery may help provide insight to the effectiveness of this technique for recovery from EIMD and DOMS. Purpose: To explore the impact of two different acute durations of FR for the recovery of vertical jump (VJ), sprint speed (SS), agility, range of motion (ROM), and pain/soreness following high intensity exercise. Methods: An experimental, randomized cross-over design was used consisting of twelve college-aged males were randomly assigned to a one- or two-minute FR group (EXP) (N = 6 per group) and served as their own control (CON). Participants completed a familiarization and baseline measure session before completing two, 4-session testing weeks (1-week EXP, 1-week CON) separated by a 1-week washout period. Session one employed the EIMD protocol and immediate post exercise measures taken. Sessions 2-4 were 24, 48, and 72 hr. post measures. FR (either 1 or 2-minutes) was completed during the EXP week on each lower extremity muscle group following the immediate post exercise measures, whereas CON did not complete FR. Results: No significant difference was seen between EXP groups at any time point post exercise for recovery of jump height (F=.007, P=.933), agility (F=.171, P=.681), sprint speed (F=.024, P=.876), ROM (F=.013, P=1.000), or pain/soreness (F=.000, P=.909). Conclusion: Foam rolling for either 1 or 2-minutes per muscle group immediately post exercise did not significantly aid in recovery of muscle soreness as measured by its impact on performance and non-performance outcomes. Therefore, FR using the protocol applied in this study, in the lower extremities immediately following high-intensity exercise may not be beneficial for recovering from DOMS in college-aged males

Distribution and toxicity of Cylindrospermopsis raciborskii (Cyanobacteria) in Portuguese freshwaters

The cyanobacterium Cylindrospermopsis racborskii has become increasingly prevalent in freshwaters worldwide. This species is of concern from a water quality perspective due to its known ability to produce a potent hepatotoxic alkaloid cylindrospermopsin, which has been implicated in outbreaks of human sickness and cattle mortality. C. raciborskii isolates from Brazil have also been found to produce the highly toxic paralytic shellfish poisons (PSP's). In this paper we report the toxicity of four isolates of C. raciborskii taken from three reservoirs and one river in Portugal as well as the occurrence of this species in other water bodies used for potable and recreational purposes. All four isolates grown in pure culture in the laboratory were found to be toxic in the mouse bioassay at 8 - 24 hours after intraperitoneal administration of single doses ranging from 1337 to 1572 mg kg-1. Histological examination showed liver damage as the primary lesion, in addition to some inflammation in the intestine. HPLC/MS tests for the presence of cylindrospermopsin, microcystins and PSP toxins were negative. The available evidence suggests that another toxin may be present. This report constitutes the first report of toxic C. raciborskii in Europe and draws attention to our need for increased monitoring of this cyanobacterium in water bodies used for potable and recreational purposes.La cianobacteria Cylindrospermopsis racborskii ha incrementado su presencia en agua dulce por todo el mundo. Esta especie es de gran importancia debido a su conocida capacidad para producir un alcaloide hepatotóxico, cilindrospermopsina. Esta toxina es responsable de enfermedades en humanos y mortalidad en ganado. Cepas de C. raciborskii aisladas de Brasil se ha demostrado que tienen capacidad para producir la toxina paralytic shellfish poisons (PSP's). En este trabajo hemos estudiado la presencia de esta especie en agua dulce con usos recreacionales y de abastecimiento en Portugal. De las cuatro cepas C. raciborskii aisladas de tres embalses y de un río estudiamos la toxicidad con bioensayos en ratones. Todas presentaron toxicidad al cabo de las 8 - 24 horas tras inyección intraperitoneal, la dosis presenta un rango de concentración de 1337 a 1572 mg kg-1. La examinación histológica reveló daños en el hígado y señales inflamatorias en el intestino. Los análisis con HPLC/MS revelaron la ausencia de cilindrospermopsina, microcistinas y PSP, sugiriendo que otra toxina podría estar presente para las cepas aisladas y cultivadas en laboratorio. Este artículo es el primero acerca de la toxicidad de C. raciborskii en Europa y refleja la necesidad de aumentar el monitoreo de esta cyanobacteria en el agua potable y con fines recreativos

The benefits of using reduced item variable scales in marketing segmentation

This study investigated the use of two reduced item constructs in marketing research, Involvement Scale and Consumer Expertise and their relationships. Previous findings suggested that both constructs could use reduced items and that they would be useful as marketing segmentation tools. Response rates to consumer questionnaires are declining; therefore, shorter questionnaires in marketing communications are more likely to be completed. This study establishes the current reliability of using these two reduced item constructs in automotive research and tests their validity using triangulation questions. Data collection used a novel approach in which respondents to a motor show used the new Apple iPad to complete an online questionnaire. Results revealed that the reduced item constructs are reliable and valid and would be useful for research involving large ticket items. They would be particularly useful to researchers where they are used as part of, rather than the main focus of, the research

Understanding familial locative play: exploring parent online social learning to play Pokémon Go

Pokémon Go is a hybrid reality game (HRG) that research suggests is played by families in the context of joint media engagement. Yet, the game interface itself provides little information about how to approach the game. Given this and the fact that many parents play this HRG with their young children, we examine the process of parent online social learning to play Pokémon Go. Drawing on an original study of Pokémon Go conducted between August and November 2019, including a Facebook survey on a non-probabilistic purposive sample, and semi-structured interviews with a range of parents who play this HRG with their children, the aim of this article is to explore parent online social learning as a path to optimising in-game performance. In the main, we found that the frequency with which parents followed tips provided by individuals online related inversely to how well they knew them and was differentially linked to the sources of information parents used. We nuance these findings with insights from the interviews