Web-based haptic applications for blind people to create virtual graphs

Haptic technology has great potentials in many applications. This paper introduces our work on delivery haptic information via the Web. A multimodal tool has been developed to allow blind people to create virtual graphs independently. Multimodal interactions in the process of graph creation and exploration are provided by using a low-cost haptic device, the Logitech WingMan Force Feedback Mouse, and Web audio. The Web-based tool also provides blind people with the convenience of receiving information at home. In this paper, we present the development of the tool and evaluation results. Discussions on the issues related to the design of similar Web-based haptic applications are also given

Pulmonary surfactants and respiratory distress syndrome.

Dept. of Chemistry and Biochemistry. Paper copy at Leddy Library: Theses & Major Papers - Basement, West Bldg. / Call Number: Thesis1985 .K364. Source: Masters Abstracts International, Volume: 40-07, page: . Thesis (M.Sc.)--University of Windsor (Canada), 1985

Valkoisen valon interferometri matalan taajuuden mikromekaanisten resonaattoreiden värähtelyanalyysiin

Micromechanical (MEMS) resonators are currently the subject of intensive research for applications in timing and frequency control. Due to their small size, low power consumption and compatibility with integrated circuits, they are being considered as alternatives for quartz oscillators. Relying only on numerical modeling and electrical measurements has proven insufficient for understanding the behavior and validating designs of vibrating structures. Instead, direct optical measurements are needed for accurate dynamical characterization of vibration in the devices. During the last decade, white light interferometry (WLI) has become an established method for making three-dimensional profile measurements of various surfaces in the microscale. This form of interferometry with low coherence light sources has the advantage of unambiguous surface height determination over interferometric applications using lasers or other monochromatic light sources. A vertical resolution below one nanometer can be achieved with suitable hardware and post processing techniques. With synchronized stroboscopic illumination, a periodically vibrating object can effectively be "frozen" in place. This allows the use of stationary three-dimensional probing techniques to be used on vibrating samples. Using a CCD imaging sensor enables simultaneous spatial measurements over a wide area of interest. Therefore, stroboscopic imaging white light interferometry is an interesting alternative for vibration measurements of MEMS resonators. In this thesis, a stroboscopic white light interferometer with a frequency range up to a few megahertz and a minimum detectable amplitude limit of one nanometer is designed, implemented and evaluated.Mikromekaanisia (MEMS) resonaattoreita pidetään hyvien ominaisuuksiensa, kuten pienen koon, alhaisen tehonkulutuksen ja integroitavuutensa ansiosta otollisina kvartsioskillaattoreiden korvaajina mm. langattoman tiedonsiirron ajastus- ja taajuussovelluksissa. MEMS-resonaattoreiden viimeaikaisen nopean kehityksen yhteydessä matemaattisiin malleihin ja sähköisiin mittauksiin nojaaminen on osoittautunut riittämättömäksi MEMS-laitteiden toimintaa ja suorituskykyä tarkastellessa. MEMS-laitteiden värähtelyjen täsmällistä tutkimista varten tarvitaan suoria optisia mittauksia. Viime vuosikymmenen aikana valkoisen valon interferometria on vakiintunut tehokkaaksi työkaluksi mikroskaalan pintojen kolmiulotteiseen mittaamiseen. Verrattuna perinteiseen monokromaattisen valon interferenssiin, valkoisen valon interferometrian etu on mahdollisuus mitata pinnan korkeus yksikäsitteisesti. Sopivalla laitteistolla ja tarkoilla signaalinkäsittelyalgoritmeilla voidaan saavuttaa alle nanometrin pystysuuntainen mittaustarkkuus. Jaksollisesti värähtelevä liike voidaan näennäisesti pysäyttää käyttämällä pulssitettua valaistusta. Tämän ansiosta liikkumattomien kohteiden kolmiulotteiseen mittaamiseen tarkoitettuja keinoja voidaan soveltaa värähteleviin näytteisiin. Lisäksi CCD-kuvakennon käyttäminen mahdollistaa mittaamisen suurelta alueelta kerrallaan. Siksi pulssitettu, kuvantava valkoisen valon interferometria on mielenkiintoinen työkalu MEMS-resonaattoreiden värähtelyanalyysiin. Tässä diplomityössä on suunniteltu ja toteutettu valkoisen valon interferometrinen mittauslaitteisto, joka mahdollistaa nanometriluokan värähtelyjen mittaamisen muutaman megahertsin taajuusalueelle asti

Hyvinvoinnin turvaamisen rajat : Näköaloja talouskriisiin ja hyvinvointivaltion kehitykseen Suomessa

Miten syksyllä 2008 alkanut globaali talouskriisi vaikuttaa pitkällä aikavälillä suomalaiseen hyvinvointivaltioon? Jos olisimme antiikin Kreikassa, voisimme mennä Delfoin oraakkelin luo Apollonin temppeliin ja esittää tämän kysymyksen ennuspapittarelle. Eräänä lokakuun päivänä 2009 Kelan tiloihin kokoontui joukko suomalaisia hyvinvointivaltion huippuasiantuntijoita. He kertoivat julkisen talouden, kansalaisten toimeentulon ja terveyden näkökulmista kolmelle ”professori-oraakkelille” eli tanskalaiselle Nina Smithille, ruotsalaiselle Johan Fritzellille ja saksalaisille Karl Hinrichsille Suomen kokemuksista edellisestä, 1990-luvun alun lamasta, sen jälkeisestä kehityksestä sekä omista tulevaisuuden arvioistaan. Seuraavana päivänä oraakkelit lausuivat ennustuksensa, joka paljastetaan tässä raportissa.10,00 euro

The High A(V) Quasar Survey: Reddened quasi-stellar objects selected from optical/near-infrared photometry - II

Quasi-stellar objects (QSOs) whose spectral energy distributions (SEDs) are reddened by dust either in their host galaxies or in intervening absorber galaxies are to a large degree missed by optical color selection criteria like the one used by the Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS). To overcome this bias against red QSOs, we employ a combined optical and near-infrared color selection. In this paper, we present a spectroscopic follow-up campaign of a sample of red candidate QSOs which were selected from the SDSS and the UKIRT Infrared Deep Sky Survey (UKIDSS). The spectroscopic data and SDSS/UKIDSS photometry are supplemented by mid-infrared photometry from the Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer. In our sample of 159 candidates, 154 (97%) are confirmed to be QSOs. We use a statistical algorithm to identify sightlines with plausible intervening absorption systems and identify nine such cases assuming dust in the absorber similar to Large Magellanic Cloud sightlines. We find absorption systems toward 30 QSOs, 2 of which are consistent with the best-fit absorber redshift from the statistical modeling. Furthermore, we observe a broad range in SED properties of the QSOs as probed by the rest-frame 2 {\mu}m flux. We find QSOs with a strong excess as well as QSOs with a large deficit at rest-frame 2 {\mu}m relative to a QSO template. Potential solutions to these discrepancies are discussed. Overall, our study demonstrates the high efficiency of the optical/near-infrared selection of red QSOs.Comment: 64 pages, 18 figures, 16 pages of tables. Accepted to ApJ

Comparison of ecosystem processes in a woodland and prairie pond with different hydroperiods

Shallow lakes and ponds constitute a significant number of water bodies worldwide. Many are heterotrophic, indicating that they are likely net contributors to global carbon cycling. Climate change is likely to have important impacts on these waterbodies. In this study, we examined two small Minnesota ponds; a permanent woodland pond and a temporary prairie pond. The woodland pond had lower levels of phosphorus and phytoplankton than the prairie pond. Using the open water oxygen method, we found the prairie pond typically had a higher level of gross primary production (GPP) and respiration (R) than the woodland pond, although the differences between the ponds varied with season. Despite the differences in GPP and R between the ponds the net ecosystem production was similar with both being heterotrophic. Since abundant small ponds may play an important role in carbon cycling and are likely to undergo changes in temperature and hydroperiod associated with climate change, understanding pond metabolism is critical in predicting impacts and designing management schemes to mitigate changes

The role of site and severity of injury as predictors of mental health outcomes following traumatic injury

The aim of this study was to investigate the influence of injury site and severity as predictors of mental health outcomes in the initial 12 months following traumatic injury. Using a multisite, longitudinal study, articipants with a traumatic physical injury (N = 1,098) were assessed during hospital admission and followed up at 3 months (N = 932, 86%) and at 12 months (N = 715, 71%). Injury site was measured using the abbreviated Injury Scale 90, and objective injury severity was measured using the Injury Severity Score. Participants also completed the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale and the Clinician Administered Post-traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) Scale. A random intercept mixed modelling analysis was conducted to evaluate the effects of site and severity of injury in relation to anxiety, PTSD, and depressive symptoms. Injury severity, as well as head and facial injuries, was predictive of elevated PTSD symptoms, and external injuries were associated with both PTSD and depression severity. In contrast, lower extremity injuries were associated with depresssive and anxiety symptoms. The findings suggest that visible injuries are predictive of reduced mental health, particularly PTSD following traumatic injury. This has clinical implications for further advancing the screening for vulnerable injured trauma survivors at risk of chronic psychopathology.Katharine Baecher, Maria Kangas, Alan Taylor, Meaghan L. O'Donnell, Richard A. Bryant, Derrick Silove, Alexander C. McFarlane, Darryl Wad