The Bicyclist and Other Stories: Combining Images, Text and Code to Create Visual, Interactive and Immersive Narratives

This thesis examines how combining images, text and programming can create a variety of immersive and interactive narratives. I discuss three of my pieces, “26”, “The Bicyclist” and “The World Consciousness Database” and how the elements of images, text and code affect the narrative experience of each piece. Throughout the course of making these stories, I realize that the underlying code is just as important to the visual presentation and narrative experience of each piece as the surface text and images

High-Performance Computing and Four-Dimensional Data Assimilation: The Impact on Future and Current Problems

This is the final technical report for the project entitled: "High-Performance Computing and Four-Dimensional Data Assimilation: The Impact on Future and Current Problems", funded at NPAC by the DAO at NASA/GSFC. First, the motivation for the project is given in the introductory section, followed by the executive summary of major accomplishments and the list of project-related publications. Detailed analysis and description of research results is given in subsequent chapters and in the Appendix

Learning needs assessment among professional workers in community mental health centres in Slovenia: Study protocol

Aim: This article aims to present a study protocol that represents a tool developed for a learning needs assessment. With a pilot study, based on the presented concept of a model study, we will be able to assess what mental health learning content is not yet part of formal higher education for professionals working in community mental health centres, but has been identified as necessary for inclusion. The presented tool is transferable with appropriate modifications. The goal is to conduct multiple research with the same basic tool at all levels of the educational system and in continuing professional education for all professionals who work with people. Methods: The learning needs assessment study protocol presented uses both quantitative and qualitative research approaches. It is expected that the research will be conducted in several interrelated phases that holistically cover the needs assessment process. Results: The pilot study will provide insight into the advantages and disadvantages of the prepared learning needs assessment tool. Through the research study, the learning needs of professionals working in community mental health centres, will be identified. Conclusion: Professional mental health care workers must be equipped with the necessary knowledge, skills, attitudes, and values to perform their work with quality. By implementing appropriate mental health learning content in educational processes from pre-school education to higher education and further to continuing professional education, we can impact the mental health of the entire population. Since this can lead to acquiring the competencies necessary to care of one’s own mental health and that of others, it can be considered an important public health intervention

Body Fat of Basketball Players: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Background: This study aimed to provide reference values for body fat (BF) of basketball players considering sex, measurement method, and competitive level. Methods: A systematic literature research was conducted using five electronic databases (PubMed, Web of Science, SPORTDiscus, CINAHL, Scopus). BF values were extracted, with analyses conducted using random-effects models and data reported as percentages with 95% confidence intervals (CI). Results: After screening, 80 articles representing 4335 basketball players were selected. Pooled mean BF was 13.1% (95% CI 12.4–13.8%) for male players and 20.7% (95% CI 19.9–21.5%) for female players. Pooled mean BF was 21.4% (95% CI 18.4–24.3%) measured by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA), 15.2% (95% CI 12.8–17.6%) via bioelectrical impedance analysis (BIA), 12.4% (95% CI 10.6–14.2%) via skinfolds and 20.0% (95% CI 13.4–26.6%) via air displacement plethysmography. Pooled mean BF across competitive levels were 13.5% (95% CI 11.6–15.3%) for international, 15.7% (95% CI 14.2–17.2%) for national and 15.1% (95% CI 13.5–16.7%) for regional-level players. As the meta-regression revealed significant effects of sex, measurement method and competitive level on BF, the meta-analysis was adjusted for these moderators. The final model revealed significant differences in BF between male and female players (p < 0.001). BF measured by DXA was significantly higher than that measured by BIA or skinfolds (p < 0.001). International-level players had significantly lower BF than national and regional-level players (p < 0.05). Conclusions: Despite the limitations of published data, this meta-analysis provides reference values for BF of basketball players. Sex, measurement method and competitive level influence BF values, and therefore must be taken into account when interpreting results.This article was supported by the Open Access Publishing Fund of the University of Vienna

Effects of diagonal disorder on Charge Density Wave and Superconductivity in local pair systems

We analyse the influence of diagonal disorder (random site energy) on Charge Density Wave (CDW) and Superconductivity (SS) in local pair systems which are described by the model of hard core charged bosons on a lattice. This problem was previously studied within the mean field approximation for the case of half filled band (n = 1). Here we extend that investigation to the case of arbitrary particle concentration (0 < n < 2) and examine the phase diagrams of the model and the behaviour of superfluid density as a function of n and the increasing disorder. Depending on the strength of random on-site energies, the intersite density-density repulsion and the concentration the model can exhibit several various phases, including homogeneous phases: CDW, SS and Bose-glass (NO) as well as the phase separated states: CDW-SS, CDW-NO and particle droplets. The obtained results for SS phase are in qualitative agreement with the available Monte Carlo calculations for two dimensional lattice. Also, in a definite range of parameters the system exhibits the phenomena which we call a disorder induced superconductivity and a disorder induced charge ordering.Comment: 21 pages, 8 figure

Effects of Disorder in a Dilute Bose Gas

We discuss the effects of a weak random external potential on the properties of the dilute Bose gas at zero temperature. The results recently obtained by Huang and Meng for the depletion of the condensate and of the superfluid density are recovered. Results for the shift of the velocity of sound as well as for its damping due to collisions with the external field are presented. The damping of phonons is calculated also for dense superfluids. (submitted to Phys.Rev.B)Comment: 21 pages, Plain Tex, 2 figures available upon request, preprint UTF 31

Aspect-ratio dependence of the spin stiffness of a two-dimensional XY model

We calculate the superfluid stiffness of 2D lattice hard-core bosons at half-filling (equivalent to the S=1/2 XY-model) using the squared winding number quantum Monte Carlo estimator. For L_x x L_y lattices with aspect ratio L_x/L_y=R, and L_x,L_y -> infinity, we confirm the recent prediction [N. Prokof'ev and B.V. Svistunov, Phys. Rev. B 61, 11282 (1999)] that the finite-temperature stiffness parameters \rho^W_x and \rho^W_y determined from the winding number differ from each other and from the true superfluid density \rho_s. Formally, \rho^W_y -> \rho_s in the limit in which L_x -> infinity first and then L_y -> infinity. In practice we find that \rho^W_y converges exponentially to \rho_s for R>1. We also confirm that for 3D systems, \rho^W_x = \rho^W_y = \rho^W_z = \rho_s for any R. In addition, we determine the Kosterlitz-Thouless transition temperature to be T_KT/J=0.34303(8) for the 2D model.Comment: 7 pages, 8 figures, 1 table. Minor changes to published versio

Knight Shift Anomalies in Heavy Electron Materials

We calculate non-linear Knight Shift $K$ vs. susceptibility $\chi$ anomalies for Ce ions possessing local moments in metals. The ions are modeled with the Anderson Hamiltonian and studied within the non-crossing approximation (NCA). The $K-vs.- \chi$ non-linearity diminishes with decreasing Kondo temperature $T_0$ and nuclear spin- local moment separation. Treating the Ce ions as an incoherent array in CeSn$_3$, we find excellent agreement with the observed Sn $K(T)$ data.Comment: 4 pages, Revtex, 3 figures available upon request from [email protected]

Quantum simulations of the superfluid-insulator transition for two-dimensional, disordered, hard-core bosons

We introduce two novel quantum Monte Carlo methods and employ them to study the superfluid-insulator transition in a two-dimensional system of hard-core bosons. One of the methods is appropriate for zero temperature and is based upon Green's function Monte Carlo; the other is a finite-temperature world-line cluster algorithm. In each case we find that the dynamical exponent is consistent with the theoretical prediction of $z=2$ by Fisher and co-workers.Comment: Revtex, 10 pages, 3 figures (postscript files attached at end, separated by %%%%%% Fig # %%%%%, where # is 1-3). LA-UR-94-270

Isotropic Spin Wave Theory of Short-Range Magnetic Order

We present an isotropic spin wave (ISW) theory of short-range order in Heisenberg magnets, and apply it to square lattice S=1/2 and S=1 antiferromagnets. Our theory has three identical (isotropic) spin wave modes, whereas the conventional spin wave theory has two transverse and one longitudinal mode. We calculate temperature dependences of various thermodynamic observables analytically and find good (several per cent) agreement with independently obtained numerical results in a broad temperature range.Comment: 4 pages, REVTeX v3 with 3 embedded PostScript figure