Figurate primes and Hilbert's 8th problem

In this paper, by using the theory of elliptic curves, we discuss several Diophantine equations related with the so-called figurate primes. Meanwhile, we raise several conjectures related with figurate primes and Hilbert's 8th problem, including Goldbach's conjecture, twin primes conjecture and Catalan's conjecture as well.Comment: 7 pages, 1 figur

Comparing Training Effects of Virtual Reality Flight Simulation to Conventional PC-Based Flight Simulation

The purpose of the current project was to investigate the effect of utilizing Virtual Reality (VR) technologies for flight training by comparing the training results when using conventional desktop flight simulation versus VR flight simulation. Additionally, this project examined the user experience of VR flight simulation and how users’ motivation and satisfaction with VR simulations. This research employed a quasi-transfer of training experiment including 48 participants. Analyses indicated that VR group participants performed better in the post-training maneuver performance on an FTD than in the conventional desktop simulation group. Findings also supported that VR flight simulation could provide a better user experience and generate a higher motivation for usage. This work contributed positive evidence that VR flight simulation has a large potential to be an effective flight training and provided a foundation for future research to continue exploring the training effect of VR flight simulation. Keywords: virtual reality, flight training, user experience, self-efficac

Examining the Qualities of Online and Offline Friendships: A Comparison Between Groups

Online social technologies are now used by a majority of individuals in the U.S. (Pew, 2018a). Sending emails, texting, posting on social media sites, and connecting with others through online gaming open up our social networks to a wider range of individuals. As a result, it is not uncommon to develop friendships with others that are conducted primarily in an online environment. However, we know little about the qualities of online friendships and how they may, or may not, differ from traditional face to face friendships. The present study focused on exploring friendship quality in online and offline domains using two different groups: a gamer group and a non-gamer group that used non-gaming applications to connect with others online. All participants completed a demographic questionnaire to gather information about their online and face to face friendships, the McGill Friendship Questionnaire (Mendelsohn and Aboud, 2014) for their closest online and offline friends and measures of happiness, anxiety, and depression. In Study 1, within group comparison found that gamers’ online friendships were of significantly higher quality than their offline friendships. For non-gamers, the opposite results were found. A second study was done using a larger, non-college-based sample. Results of Study 2 found that for gamers and non-gamers offline friendships were of higher quality than online friendships, although both types of friendships existed in both groups. There were no differences between groups in general life happiness, anxiety or depression. Suggestions for follow-up research are presented

Friendships in Gamers and Non-Gamers

Online social technologies, such as email, social networking applications, texting and others, are now used by a majority of individuals in the U.S. (Pew, 2018a). As a result, it is not uncommon to develop friendships with others that are conducted primarily in an online environment. However, we know little about the qualities of online friendships and how they may, or may not, differ from traditional face to face friendships. The present study focused on exploring friendship quality in online and offline domains using two groups: a gamer group and a non-gamer group that used non-gaming applications to connect with others online. Participants completed a demographic questionnaire to gather information about their online and face to face friendships, the McGill Friendship Questionnaire (Mendelsohn & Aboud, 2014) for their closest online and offline friends and measures of happiness, anxiety, and depression. In Study 1, within group comparison found that gamers’ online friendships were of significantly higher quality than their offline friendships. For non-gamers, the opposite results were found. A second study was done using a larger, non-college-based sample. Results of Study 2 found that for gamers and non-gamers offline friendships were of higher quality than online friendships, although both types of friendships existed in both groups. There were no differences between groups in general life happiness, anxiety or depression. Suggestions for follow-up research are presented

Narcissism and Social Media Usage: Is There No Longer a Relationship?

In previous studies, narcissism has been found to relate to social media behaviors, such as how often one posts and how many friends or followers one has (McCain & Campbell, 2016; Singh, Farley, and Donahue, 2018). The present study attempted to create a model of social media use predicted by narcissism and selfconsciousness. A sample of 397 adults with a mean age of 29 years was collected using MTurk. Participants completed a social media use survey, the Narcissistic Personality Inventory (Raskin & Hall, 1979) and the Self-Consciousness Scale (Scheier & Carver, 1985). Results showed that while narcissism and selfconsciousness were correlated, narcissism was not significantly related to social media use. Several explanations for the present study’s findings are discussed

Moisture and Temperature Changes of Wood during Adsorption and Desorption Processes

Sitka spruce (Picea sitchensis Carr.) specimens, 10 mm along the grain and 20 mm in radial and tangential directions, were exposed to three different RH conditions of 22, 47, and 75% for adsorption and desorption at 30°C controlled by a self-designed temperature conditioning chamber. Specimen weight was measured and thermal images were taken at certain time intervals during the processes to investigate their moisture and temperature changes. Results showed that at the beginning of the sorption process, moisture content of the specimens changed significantly and their average temperature increased about 2-7°C for adsorption and decreased about 1-6°C for desorption. During adsorption, the temperature for the center section along the longitudinal direction of the specimens was lower than that for the surface section, whereas the opposite was true for specimens under desorption. Along with the adsorption and desorption processes, moisture content and average temperature of the specimens were gradually approaching equilibrium state