Usability Evaluation in Virtual Environments: Classification and Comparison of Methods

Virtual environments (VEs) are a relatively new type of human-computer interface in which users perceive and act in a three-dimensional world. The designers of such systems cannot rely solely on design guidelines for traditional two-dimensional interfaces, so usability evaluation is crucial for VEs. We present an overview of VE usability evaluation. First, we discuss some of the issues that differentiate VE usability evaluation from evaluation of traditional user interfaces such as GUIs. We also present a review of VE evaluation methods currently in use, and discuss a simple classification space for VE usability evaluation methods. This classification space provides a structured means for comparing evaluation methods according to three key characteristics: involvement of representative users, context of evaluation, and types of results produced. To illustrate these concepts, we compare two existing evaluation approaches: testbed evaluation [Bowman, Johnson, & Hodges, 1999], and sequential evaluation [Gabbard, Hix, & Swan, 1999]. We conclude by presenting novel ways to effectively link these two approaches to VE usability evaluation

General Farm Lease Form with Suggestions for its Use.

9 p

Victimization of the Homeless: Public Perceptions, Public Policies, and Implications for Social Work Practice

Homeless individuals are particularly vulnerable to victimization, sometimes resulting in fatalities. Theories of victimization prove useful to understanding the risks inherent in being homeless as well as the public’s perception of the homeless population. Problematically, public policy that criminalizes this population may exacerbate the victimization of this group. Municipalities have turned to law enforcement and the criminal justice system to respond to people living in public spaces. Programs that ensure adequate income, affordable housing, and supportive services to prevent homelessness and address the needs of those who are homeless are essential. In addition, increased law enforcement training and the implementation of legislation to include homeless persons as a protected class in hate crime statutes is needed. In effect, these interventions focus on reducing the risks associated with being homelessness—in turn reducing the risk of their further victimization. Social workers are both uniquely positioned and ethically obligated to support these efforts and contribute to the social inclusion of people who are homeless or at risk of becoming homeless

Suggestions for Use of the Texas General Farm Lease Form and Annual Supplements.

20 p

History of on-orbit satellite fragmentations

The causes of on-orbit fragmentations are varied and may be intentional or accidental. The cause of many fragmentations remains unknown. While a few cases are currently under investigation as on-orbit collision candidates, man is directly responsible for the vast majority of artificial debris polluting the near-Earth space environment. It should be emphasized that the number of fragments listed with each event in this document represent only those debris officially cataloged by NORAD. Each known on-orbit satellite fragementation is described within this document in module format. Also listed are pertinent characteristics of each fragmentation event. Comments regarding the nature of the satellite and additional details of the events are given

Aging of polyurethane foam insulation in simulated refrigerator panels -- Initial results with third-generation blowing agents

Laboratory data are presented on the effect of constant-temperature aging on the apparent thermal conductivity of polyurethane foam insulation for refrigerators and freezers. The foam specimens were blown with HCFC-141b and with three of its potential replacements -- HFC-134a, HFC-245fa, and cyclopentane. Specimens were aged at constant temperatures of 90 F, 40 F, and {minus}10 F. Thermal conductivity measurements were made on two types of specimens: full-thickness simulated refrigerator panels containing foam enclosed between solid plastic sheets, and thin slices of core foam cut from similar panels. Results are presented for about 250 days of aging for the core-foam specimens and for the first six months of aging for the full-thickness panels

Is there still a place for the concept of therapeutic regression in psychoanalysis?

The author uses his own failure to find a place for the idea of therapeutic regression in his clinical thinking or practice as the basis for an investigation into its meaning and usefulness. He makes a distinction between three ways the term ‘regression’ is used in psychoanalytic discourse: as a way of evoking a primitive level of experience; as a reminder in some clinical situations of the value of non-intervention on the part of the analyst; and as a description of a phase of an analytic treatment with some patients where the analyst needs to put aside normal analytic technique in order to foster a regression in the patient. It is this third meaning, which the author terms “therapeutic regression” that this paper examines, principally by means of an extended discussion of two clinical examples of a patient making a so-called therapeutic regression, one given by Winnicott and the other by Masud Khan. The author argues that in these examples the introduction of the concept of therapeutic regression obscures rather than clarifies the clinical process. He concludes that, as a substantial clinical concept, the idea of therapeutic regression has outlived its usefulness. However he also notes that many psychoanalytic writers continue to find a use for the more generic concept of regression, and that the very engagement with the more particular idea of therapeutic regression has value in provoking questions as to what is truly therapeutic in psychoanalytic treatment

Systems of Farming for the Black Waxy Prairie Belt of Texas.

57 p