A Way to a Universal VR Accessibility Toolkit

Virtual Reality (VR) has become more and more popular with dropping prices for systems and a growing number of users. However, the issue of accessibility in VR has been hardly addressed so far and no uniform approach or standard exists at this time. In this position paper, we propose a customisable toolkit implemented at the system-level and discuss the potential benefits of this approach and challenges that will need to be overcome for a successful implementation

Head in the Clouds-Floating Locomotion in Virtual Reality

Navigating large virtual spaces within the confines of a small tracked volume in a seated position becomes a serious accessibility issue when users' lower seating position reduces their visibility and makes it uncomfortable to reach for items with ease. Hence, we propose a 'floating' accessibility technique, in which a seated VR user experiences the virtual environment from the perspective of a standing eye height. We conducted a user study comparing sitting, standing and floating conditions and observed that the floating technique had no detrimental effect in comparison to the standing technique and had a slight benefit over the sitting technique

Ubiq: A System to Build Flexible Social Virtual Reality Experiences

While they have long been a subject of academic study, social virtual reality (SVR) systems are now attracting increasingly large audiences on current consumer virtual reality systems. The design space of SVR systems is very large, and relatively little is known about how these systems should be constructed in order to be usable and efficient. In this paper we present Ubiq, a toolkit that focuses on facilitating the construction of SVR systems. We argue for the design strategy of Ubiq and its scope. Ubiq is built on the Unity platform. It provides core functionality of many SVR systems such as connection management, voice, avatars, etc. However, its design remains easy to extend. We demonstrate examples built on Ubiq and how it has been successfully used in classroom teaching. Ubiq is open source (Apache License) and thus enables several use cases that commercial systems cannot

Ubiq: A System to Build Flexible Social Virtual Reality Experiences

While they have long been a subject of academic study, social virtual reality (SVR) systems are now attracting increasingly large audiences on current consumer virtual reality systems. The design space of SVR systems is very large, and relatively little is known about how these systems should be constructed in order to be usable and efficient. In this paper we present Ubiq, a toolkit that focuses on facilitating the construction of SVR systems. We argue for the design strategy of Ubiq and its scope. Ubiq is built on the Unity platform. It provides core functionality of many SVR systems such as connection management, voice, avatars, etc. However, its design remains easy to extend. We demonstrate examples built on Ubiq and how it has been successfully used in classroom teaching. Ubiq is open source (Apache License) and thus enables several use cases that commercial systems cannot

Detection of Head-to-Tail DNA Sequences of Human Bocavirus in Clinical Samples

Parvoviruses are single stranded DNA viruses that replicate in a so called “rolling-hairpin” mechanism, a variant of the rolling circle replication known for bacteriophages like ϕX174. The replication intermediates of parvoviruses thus are concatemers of head-to-head or tail-to-tail structure. Surprisingly, in case of the novel human bocavirus, neither head-to-head nor tail-to-tail DNA sequences were detected in clinical isolates; in contrast head-to-tail DNA sequences were identified by PCR and sequencing. Thereby, the head-to-tail sequences were linked by a novel sequence of 54 bp of which 20 bp also occur as conserved structures of the palindromic ends of parvovirus MVC which in turn is a close relative to human bocavirus

Clinical utility of serum HER2/neu in monitoring and prediction of progression-free survival in metastatic breast cancer patients treated with trastuzumab-based therapies

INTRODUCTION: The purpose of this retrospective study was to determine the clinical utility of serum HER2/neu in monitoring metastatic breast cancer patients undergoing trastuzumab-based therapy and to compare these results with those obtained using cancer antigen (CA) 15-3. We also sought to determine whether early changes in serum HER2/neu concentrations could be a predictor of progression-free survival. METHODS: Sera were obtained retrospectively from 103 women at four medical institutions. Patients eligible for participation were women with metastatic breast cancer who had HER2/neu tissue overexpression and were scheduled to be treated with trastuzumab with or without additional therapies as per the established practices of the treating physicians. A baseline serum sample for each patient was taken before trastuzumab-based therapy was started. Patients were subsequently monitored over 12 to 20 months and serum samples were taken at the time of clinical assessment and tested with Bayer's HER2/neu and CA15-3 assays. RESULTS: Concordance between clinical status in patients undergoing trastuzumab-based treatment and HER2/neu and CA15-3 used as single tests was 0.793 and 0.627, respectively, and increased to 0.829 when the tests were used in combination. Progression-free survival times did not differ significantly in patients with elevated baseline HER2/neu concentrations (≥ 15 ng/mL) and those with normal concentrations (<15 ng/mL). However, progression-free survival differed significantly (P = 0.043) according to whether the patient's HER2/neu concentration at 2 to 4 weeks after the start of therapy was >77% or ≤ 77% of her baseline concentration. The median progression-free survival times for these two groups were 217 and 587 days, respectively. A similar trend was observed for a subcohort of patients treated specifically with a combination of trastuzumab and taxane. CONCLUSION: These findings indicate that serum HER2/neu testing is clinically valuable in monitoring metastatic breast cancer patients undergoing trastuzumab-based treatment and provides additional value over the commonly used CA15-3 test. The percentage of baseline HER2/neu concentrations in the early weeks after the start of therapy may be an early predictor of progression-free-survival

Regulation of Pacing Strategy during Athletic Competition

Background: Athletic competition has been a source of interest to the scientific community for many years, as a surrogate of the limits of human ambulatory ability. One of the remarkable things about athletic competition is the observation that some athletes suddenly reduce their pace in the mid-portion of the race and drop back from their competitors. Alternatively, other athletes will perform great accelerations in mid-race (surges) or during the closing stages of the race (the endspurt). This observation fits well with recent evidence that muscular power output is regulated in an anticipatory way, designed to prevent unreasonably large homeostatic disturbances. Principal Findings: Here we demonstrate that a simple index, the product of the momentary Rating of Perceived Exertion (RPE) and the fraction of race distance remaining, the Hazard Score, defines the likelihood that athletes will change their velocity during simulated competitions; and may effectively represent the language used to allow anticipatory regulation of muscle power output. Conclusions: These data support the concept that the muscular power output during high intensity exercise performance is actively regulated in an anticipatory manner that accounts for both the momentary sensations the athlete is experiencing as well as the relative amount of a competition to be completed

Ferritin immobilization on patterned poly(2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate) brushes on silicon surfaces from colloid system

In this paper, we describe a graft polymerization/solvent immersion method for generating poly(2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate) (PHEMA) brushes in various patterns. We used a novel fabrication process, involving very-large-scale integration and oxygen plasma treatment, to generate well-defined patterns of polymerized PHEMA on patterned Si(100) surfaces. We observed brush- and mushroom-like regions for the PHEMA brushes, with various pattern resolutions, after immersing wafers presenting lines of these polymers in MeOH and n-hexane, respectively. The interaction between PHEMA and ferritin protein sheaths in MeOH and n-hexane (good and poor solvent for PHEMA, respectively) was used to capture and release ferritins from fluidic system. The “tentacles” behaver for PHEMA brushes was found through various solvents in fluidic system. Using high-resolution scanning electron microscopy, we observed patterned ferritin Fe cores on the Si surface after pyrolysis of the patterned PHEMA brushes and ferritin protein sheaths, which verify the “tentacles” behaver for PHEMA brushes

SCYX-7158, an Orally-Active Benzoxaborole for the Treatment of Stage 2 Human African Trypanosomiasis

Human African trypanosomiasis (HAT) is caused by infection with the parasite Trypanosoma brucei and is an important public health problem in sub-Saharan Africa. New, safe, and effective drugs are urgently needed to treat HAT, particularly stage 2 disease where the parasite infects the brain. Existing therapies for HAT have poor safety profiles, difficult treatment regimens, limited effectiveness, and a high cost of goods. Through an integrated drug discovery project, we have discovered and optimized a novel class of boron-containing small molecules, benzoxaboroles, to deliver SCYX-7158, an orally active preclinical drug candidate. SCYX-7158 cured mice infected with T. brucei, both in the blood and in the brain. Extensive pharmacokinetic characterization of SCYX-7158 in rodents and non-human primates supports the potential of this drug candidate for progression to IND-enabling studies in advance of clinical trials for stage 2 HAT

Relationships between anopheline mosquitoes and topography in West Timor and Java, Indonesia

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Malaria is a serious health issue in Indonesia. Mosquito control is one aspect of an integrated malaria management programme. To focus resources on priority areas, information is needed about the vectors and their habitats. This research aimed to identify the relationship between anopheline mosquitoes and topography in West Timor and Java.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Study areas were selected in three topographic types in West Timor and Java. These were: coastal plain, hilly (rice field) and highland. Adult mosquitoes were captured landing on humans identified to species level and counted.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Eleven species were recorded, four of which were significant for malaria transmission: <it>Anopheles aconitus, Anopheles barbirostris, Anopheles subpictus </it>and <it>Anopheles sundaicus</it>. Each species occupied different topographies, but only five were significantly associated: <it>Anopheles annularis, Anopheles vagus </it>and <it>Anopheles subpictus </it>(Java only) with hilly rice fields; <it>Anopheles barbirostris, Anopheles maculatus </it>and <it>Anopheles subpictus </it>(West Timor only) with coastal areas.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Information on significant malaria vectors associated with specific topography is useful for planning the mosquito control aspect of malaria management.</p