Handheld Guides in Inspection Tasks : Augmented Reality versus Picture

Inspection tasks focus on observation of the environment and are required in many industrial domains. Inspectors usually execute these tasks by using a guide such as a paper manual, and directly observing the environment. The effort required to match the information in a guide with the information in an environment and the constant gaze shifts required between the two can severely lower the work efficiency of inspector in performing his/her tasks. Augmented reality (AR) allows the information in a guide to be overlaid directly on an environment. This can decrease the amount of effort required for information matching, thus increasing work efficiency. AR guides on head-mounted displays (HMDs) have been shown to increase efficiency. Handheld AR (HAR) is not as efficient as HMD-AR in terms of manipulability, but is more practical and features better information input and sharing capabilities. In this study, we compared two handheld guides: an AR interface that shows 3D registered annotations, that is, annotations having a fixed 3D position in the AR environment, and a non-AR picture interface that displays non-registered annotations on static images. We focused on inspection tasks that involve high information density and require the user to move, as well as to perform several viewpoint alignments. The results of our comparative evaluation showed that use of the AR interface resulted in lower task completion times, fewer errors, fewer gaze shifts, and a lower subjective workload. We are the first to present findings of a comparative study of an HAR and a picture interface when used in tasks that require the user to move and execute viewpoint alignments, focusing only on direct observation. Our findings can be useful for AR practitioners and psychology researchers

Association between plasma concentration of tolvaptan and urine volume in acute decompensated heart failure patients with fluid overload

Background: Tolvaptan (TLV) is a useful diuretic for acute decompensated heart failure (ADHF) with fluid overload, but its clinical response varies between patients. The aim of this study is to investigate whether plasma TLV concentrations correlate with the urine volume. Methods: ADHF inpatients with evidence of fluid overload and total urine volume < 1,500 mL 24 h after initial intravenous administration of 40 mg furosemide were included in the study. On days 1–7, 7.5 mg oral TLV was added. The plasma TLV concentration, plasma renin activity (PRA), and plasma aldosterone concentration (PAC) were measured on days 1, 3 and 7. Results: In the 52 patients who completed the protocol, the TLV concentration increased significantly from 67.6 ± 30.1 ng/mL on day 1 to 98.3 ± 39.6 ng/mL on day 3 to 144.8 ± 44.2 ng/mL on day 7, and the TLV concentration correlated with total urine volume on days 3 and 7 (r = 0.392, p < 0.01; r = 0.639, p < 0.001, respectively) but not on day 1. The urine volume correlated inversely with PRA and PAC (r = −0.618, p < 0.05; r = −0.547, p < 0.05, respectively). Conclusions: Plasma TLV concentrations correlated with the urine volume in late phase of treatment but not in early phase, which suggests that the effect of TLV may possibly be inhibited by renin–angiotensin–aldosterone system activity.

On a Law to Limit Liability of Providers

ネットワーク上の表現による名誉毀損と表現の自由との調整に際して,プロバイダの責任を制限するための法律が近年制定された.本法律では(1)被害者に対する賠償責任の制限と,(2)発信者に対する賠償責任の制限,さらに,(3)発信者情報の開示請求,について定められている.そこで本稿ではこれらの規定について,これまでに蓄積された判例を検討することで,その適用上の問題を検討したい.Recently there was a law passed to limit the liability of networks in legal suits around the issue of freedom of expression. This law provides (1) a limit on Civil liability for the victim, (2) a limit on Civil liability for the user of a network, and (3) a request for disclosure of user- information. This paper will examine the precedents for creating this law.矢島脩三教授定年退職記

Network Abuse : Considerations on the computer Network and criminal Law

With the popularization of the international computer network, especially the Internet, the abuse of the network and the network-security have become an issue. Computer crimes and the infringement of copyright are the main themes of the abuse of the network. To cope with this situation, settlements based on cimlnal law can be expected. However, since the law did not forecast today\u27s network society, the task to examine the applicability of the law to the abuse of the network remains. Accordingly, to put the matter in order, I make an attempt at a general survey of the legal systems of Japan and the United States concerned with the abuse of the network in this paper.本研究は文部省からの平成7年及び8年度の科学研究費・総合研究 (A) 著作権を中心とした知的財産権の法的保護の研究の助成をうけて作成されたものである