Empathy and idea generation for color vision deficiency in virtual reality

Abstract. Virtual reality allows immersive experiences of life and the activities of others in an unprecedented way. Immersed in such experiences, operators can understand and empathize with the life challenges of others. Such empathy and understanding can be pivotal for generating ideas on how to create products that improve the lives of people with specific needs. In this project, the effect of a virtual reality experience on empathy and the generation of ideas was investigated. We experimentally examined operators’ experiences of color vision deficiencies with their own eyes in a game. We evaluated if the immersive virtual reality experience will allow the operator to gain a deeper understanding and establish empathy with color vision deficiency users. Through this, we will identify the needs of color vision deficiency users. We further investigated should such experience lead the operators to generate better design ideas. We examined two virtual environments representing commonly experienced real-life places, a grocery store and a library. They were interacted with as games. The experiment was conducted in two sessions: a virtual environment on a computer screen and a virtual reality experience of the same environment using a head-mounted display. We measured if the experiences deepened the understanding and empathy with a color vision deficiency experience in the same game. The empathy of the 23 participants was tested with questionnaires after each of the experiences, on a computer screen and in virtual reality. We also inquired about lists of the five most common issues color vision deficiency users perceived by the operators on three occasions, before the experiment, between the two sessions and at the end. At the end of the experiment, the operators were asked to generate as many as possible ideas for tangible products that might help people with color vision deficiencies. The results show that the virtual reality experience helped participants deepen their understanding of the needs of people with color vision deficiencies. The idea generation was not found to be statistically significantly affected by the VR experience. Future work is needed to measure the difference between traditional virtual environments and virtual reality on humans understanding and empathy

Static and dynamic characterization of pull-in protected CMOS compatible poly-SiGe grating light valves

status: publishe

Sialic Acid Mutarotation Is Catalyzed by the Escherichia coli β-Propeller Protein YjhT

The acquisition of host-derived sialic acid is an important virulence factor for some bacterial pathogens, but in vivo this sugar acid is sequestered in sialoconjugates as the {alpha}-anomer. In solution, however, sialic acid is present mainly as the β-anomer, formed by a slow spontaneous mutarotation. We studied the Escherichia coli protein YjhT as a member of a family of uncharacterized proteins present in many sialic acid-utilizing pathogens. This protein is able to accelerate the equilibration of the {alpha}- and β-anomers of the sialic acid N-acetylneuraminic acid, thus describing a novel sialic acid mutarotase activity. The structure of this periplasmic protein, solved to 1.5Å resolution, reveals a dimeric 6-bladed unclosed β-propeller, the first of a bacterial Kelch domain protein. Mutagenesis of conserved residues in YjhT demonstrated an important role for Glu-209 and Arg-215 in mutarotase activity. We also present data suggesting that the ability to utilize {alpha}-N-acetylneuraminic acid released from complex sialoconjugates in vivo provides a physiological advantage to bacteria containing YjhT

Some applications of indirect calorimetry to sports medicine

Some applications of indirect calorimetry to sports medicine are discussed and exemplified by case reports. In particular, it is suggested that oxigen consumption can be employed to assess the effects of physical activity on fat-free tissues and that the respiratory quotient may offer some insights into the food habits of athletes

Non-Invasive Estimation of Plasma Sodium Concentration During Hemodialysis via Capacitively-Coupled Electrical Impedance Spectroscopy

This paper presents a compact, low-cost, and noninvasive system for real-time estimation of plasma sodium concentration ([Na]Pl) during a hemodialysis (HD) session with state-of-the-art accuracy. It is based on electrical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) performed with a capacitively-coupled impedance sensing cell and a high-frequency measurement device, both custom-built. The EIS data are processed to infer the resistance of the liquid inside the cell, which is used together with an optical hemoglobin sensor to estimate the [Na]Pl. Validation of the EIS was performed by estimating the conductivity of bloodmimicking fluid (BMF). The complete method was validated using whole bovine blood, comparing the results to those obtained with standard instruments. The system was able to estimate the [Na]Pl with sufficient accuracy (RMS error of 3.0 mol/m3 with respect to reference data) to provide clinically useful information. The proof-of-concept hardware can be converted to a cheap and compact circuit board for integration into an HD machine

Volcanic synchronization of Dome Fuji and Dome C Antarctic deep ice cores over the past 216 kyr

Abstract. Two deep ice cores, Dome Fuji (DF) and EPICA Dome C (EDC), drilled at remote dome summits in Antarctica, were synchronized to better understand their chronology. A total of 1401 volcanic tie points were identified covering the past 216 kyr. DFO2006, the chronology for the DF core characterized by strong constraining by the O2/N2 age markers, was compared with AICC2012, the chronology for 5 cores including the EDC core, and characterized by glaciological approaches combining ice flow modelling with various age markers. The age gaps between the two chronologies are within 2 kyr, except at Marine Isotope Stage (MIS) 5. DFO2006 gives ages older than AICC2012, with peak values of the gap of 4.5 and 3.1 kyr at MIS 5d and MIS 5b, respectively. Accordingly, ratios of duration DFO2006/AICC2012 are 85% at a period from the late stage of MIS 6 to MIS 5d and 114% at a period from MIS 5d to 5b. We then compared the DFO2006 with another chronology of the DF core, DFGT2006, characterized by glaciological approaches with weaker constraining by age markers. Features of the DFO2006/DFGT2006 age gaps are very similar to those of the DFO2006/AICC2012 age gaps. This fact lead us to hypothesize that a cause of the systematic DFO2006/AICC2012 age gaps at MIS 5 are associated with differences in the dating approaches. Besides, ages of speleothem records from China agreed well with DFO2006 at MIS 5c and 5d but not at MIS 5b. Thus, we hypothesize at least at MIS 5c and 5d, major sources of the gaps are systematic errors in surface mass balance estimation in the glaciological approach. Compatibility of the age markers should be carefully assessed in future. This work is a contribution to the European Project for Ice Coring in Antarctica (EPICA), a joint European Science Foundation/European Commission scientific program, funded by the European Union and by national contributions from Belgium, Denmark, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway, Sweden, Switzerland and the United Kingdom. This study was supported in part by a Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (A) (20241007) from the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS).This is the final version of the article. It first appeared from Copernicus Publications via http://dx.doi.org/10.5194/cpd-11-407-201

Volcanic synchronization of Dome Fuji and Dome C Antarctic deep ice cores over the past 216 kyr

第6回極域科学シンポジウム[OM] 極域気水圏11月16日（月）　国立極地研究所１階交流アトリウ

Rakennushankkeen suorituskykymittariston kehittäminen

Tiivistelmä. Suorituskykymittaristo on projektin ohjausjärjestelmän osa ja projektinjohdon työkalu, joka pyrkii antamaan käyttäjälleen reaaliaikaisen ja ennustettavan tiedon projektin päätöksenteon tueksi. Rakennusteollisuudessa suorituskykyä on tutkittu ja mitattu useamman vuosikymmenen ajan. Rakennushankkeen suorituskyvyn mittaaminen on kuitenkin perustunut laajalti vain taloudellisiin ja suorituskykyä ei ennustavasti mittaaviin mittareihin. Tämän tutkimuksen tarkoituksena on kehittää rakennushankkeen suorituskyvyn mittaamista erityisesti yhteistoiminnallisen hankkeen näkökulmasta. Tutkimuksen tärkeimmät tulokset ovat suorituskykymittariston kehitysprosessin kuvaus, kokoelma kirjallisuudesta esiintyvistä mittaristoista ja suorituskykymittariston luominen tutkimuksenaineiston perusteella. Tutkimus keskittyi kolmeen yhteistoiminnalliseen allianssihankkeeseen ja sen tärkeimpien sidosryhmien kokemuksiin rakennushankkeen onnistumisen ja epäonnistumisen tekijöistä. Tutkimuksen aineiston kerääminen toteutettiin tapaustutkimuskohtaisilla haastatteluilla. Jokaisen haastattelun tuloksena tuotettiin systemaattinen malli rakennushankkeen onnistumisen ja epäonnistumisen tekijöistä ja niiden välisistä vaikuttavuussuhteista. Lopuksi projektikohtaisista tuloksista tuotettiin yhdistelmämalli. Tapaustutkimushankkeiden tuloksien ja aihepiirin kirjallisuuden perusteella rakennettiin optimaalinen rakennushankkeen suorituskykymittaristo. Suorituskykymittaristo mittaa rakennushanketta kolmessa vaiheessa viidestä näkökulmasta. Rakennushankkeen suorituskyvyn mittaamisen päävaiheet ovat suunnittelu, toteutus sekä vastaan- ja käyttöönotto. Mittariston päänäkökulmat ovat aika, laatu, kustannukset, yhteistyö ja työturvallisuus. Tutkimuksessa saatuja tuloksia voidaan käyttää yleisesti rakennushankkeissa projektimuodosta riippumatta. Suorituskykymittaristo tulee kuitenkin sovittaa hankekohtaisesti yhdessä hankkeen sidosryhmien kanssa.Developing performance measurement system for construction project. Abstract. A performance metrics are a management and control system tool that aims to provide its user with real-time and predictable information to support decision-making. Performance measurement has been part of project business management for few decades. In the construction industry, performance measurement has been studied and used for several decades. According to the studies, measuring the performance of a construction project has been mostly based on non-predictive economic indicators. The purpose of this study is to develop a performance measurement system of a construction project, especially for the collaborative alliance model construction project. The main results of the study are a description of the performance metric development process, a collection of the prerequisites for metering and measurement found in the literature, and the creation of a performance metric solution for construction project based on the research data. The study focused on three alliance projects and the experiences of its key stakeholders on the success and failure factors of a construction project. The success factors and the causal relationships between them were investigated between the representatives of the contracting parties to the project. The interviews were conducted on a project-by-project basis in a group interview. As a result of each interview, a systematic model of the success and failure factors of a construction project and the relationships between them were produced. Finally, a composite model was produced from the project-specific results. According to the results, the success factors of the three studied alliance project are in line with the general success and failure factors of the construction project that appeared in the literature review. According to the research projects, success is helped by stakeholder communication and cooperation, shared responsibility, cost-effective approach, the service provider’s capability, and quality performance. The results obtained in the study can be generally used in construction projects, regardless of the type of project. However, the performance metrics should be agreed on a project-by-project basis together with the project stakeholders. The novelty of the study is to examine the success and failure factors of several collaborative alliance projects

Development of a CO2 sensor for extracorporeal life support applications

Measurement of carbon dioxide (CO2) in medical applications is a well-established method for monitoring patient’s pulmonary function in a noninvasive way widely used in emergency, intensive care, and during anesthesia. Even in extracorporeal-life support applications, such as Extracorporeal Carbon Dioxide Removal (ECCO2R), Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation (ECMO), and cardiopulmonary by-pass (CPB), measurement of the CO2 concentration in the membrane oxygenator exhaust gas is proven to be useful to evaluate the treatment progress as well as the performance of the membrane oxygenator. In this paper, we present a new optical sensor specifically designed for the measurement of CO2 concentration in oxygenator exhaust gas. Further, the developed sensor allows measurement of the gas flow applied to the membrane oxygenator as well as the estimation of the CO2 removal rate. A heating module is implemented within the sensor to avoid water vapor condensation. Effects of temperature on the sensor optical elements of the sensors are disclosed, as well as a method to avoid signal–temperature dependency. The newly developed sensor has been tested and compared against a reference device routinely used in clinical practice in both laboratory and in vivo conditions. Results show that sensor accuracy fulfills the requirements of the ISO standard, and that is suitable for clinical applications

Employment of an auto-regressive model for knock detection supported by 1D and 3D analyses

In this work, experimental data, carried out on a twin-cylinder turbocharged engine at full load operations and referred to a spark advance of borderline knock, are used to characterize the effects of cyclic dispersion on knock phenomena. 200 consecutive incylinder pressure signals are processed through a refined Auto-Regressive Moving Average (ARMA) mathematical technique, adopted to define the percentage of knocking cycles, through a prefixed threshold level. The heuristic method used for the threshold selection is then verified by 1D and 3D analyses. In particular, a 1D model, properly accounting for cycle-by-cycle variations, and coupled to a reduced kinetic sub-model, is used to reproduce the measured cycles, in terms of statistical distribution of a theoretical knock index. In addition, few individual cycles, representative of the whole dataset, are selected in a single operating condition in order to perform a more detailed knock analysis by means of a 3D CFD approach, coupled to a tabulated chemistry technique for auto-ignition modeling. Outcomes of 1D and 3D models are compared to the ARMA results and a substantial coherence of the numerical and experimental results is demonstrated. The integrated 1D and 3D analyses can hence help in supporting the choice of the experimental threshold level for knock identification, following a more standardized theoretical approach