Narrative approaches to design multi-screen augmented reality experiences

This paper explores how traditional narrative language used in film and theatre can be adapted to create interactivity and a greater sense of presence in the virtual heritage environment. It focuses on the fundamental principles of narrative required to create immersion and presence and investigates methods of embedding intangible social histories into these environments. These issues are explored in a case study of Greens Mill in the 1830’s, interweaving the story of the reform bill riots in Nottingham with the life of George Green, mathematician and proprietor of the Mill

'Breaking the glass': preserving social history in virtual environments

New media technologies play an important role in the evolution of our society. Traditional museums and heritage sites have evolved from the ‘cabinets of curiosity’ that focused mainly on the authority of the voice organising content, to the places that offer interactivity as a means to experience historical and cultural events of the past. They attempt to break down the division between visitors and historical artefacts, employing modern technologies that allow the audience to perceive a range of perspectives of the historical event. In this paper, we discuss virtual reconstruction and interactive storytelling techniques as a research methodology and educational and presentation practices for cultural heritage sites. We present the Narrating the Past project as a case study, in order to illustrate recent changes in the preservation of social history and guided tourist trails that aim to make the visitor’s experience more than just an architectural walk through

Narrating the past: virtual environments and narrative

This paper explores how traditional narrative language used in film and theatre can be adapted to create interactivity and a greater sense of presence in the virtual heritage environment. It focuses on the fundamental principles of narrative required to create immersion and presence and investigates methods of embedding intangible social histories into these environments. These issues are explored in a case study of Greens Mill in the 1830’s, interweaving the story of the reform bill riots in Nottingham with the life of George Green, mathematician and proprietor of the Mill

Not With the Fist: A Study of the Assimilation and Acculturation of the Mexican-American Population of San Bernardino, California

The body of this paper is intended to be a book manuscript. It is hoped that its readers will be those who work directly with Mexican-Americans--employers, school-teachers, law-enforcement officers, social-workers, church leaders, parent-teacher groups, union officials, public agency employees, and many others in communities in our Southwest. It is also hoped that the book will reach and interest a general reading public in the United States. It has become almost axiomatic to say that no minority problem is, to-day, merely regional or even national in scope. The currency of the axiom by no means alters its essential truth. Our continued friendship with Latin America, a mutual necessity, depends, to a greater degree than most persons in the United States realize, upon our treatment of Latin-American minorities within the United States. Our sins of omission and commission toward these minorities make headlines in Latin-American capitals, where there is a realistic tendency to judge the validity of our international intentions by what we do in our own backyard

Field trip guidebook on environmental impact of clays along the upper Texas coast

The field trip was prepared to provide an opportunity to see first hand some the environmental hazards associated with clays in the Houston, Texas area. Because of the very high clay content in area soils and underlying Beaumont Formation clay, Houston is a fitting location to host the Clay Mineral Society. Examinations were made of (1) expansive soils, (2) subsidence and surface faulting, and (3) a landfill located southeast of Houston at the Gulf Coast Waste Disposal Authority where clay is part of the liner material

A survey of current and anticipated use of standard and specialist equipment by UK optometrists

Purpose: To investigate current and anticipated use of equipment and information technology (IT) in community optometric practice in the UK, and to elicit optometrists' views on adoption of specialist equipment and IT. Methods: An anonymous online questionnaire was developed, covering use of standard and specialist diagnostic equipment, and IT. The survey was distributed to a random sample of 1300 UK College of Optometrists members. Results: Four hundred and thirty-two responses were received (response rate = 35%). Enhanced (locally commissioned) or additional/separately contracted services were provided by 73% of respondents. Services included glaucoma repeat measures (30% of respondents), glaucoma referral refinement (22%), fast-track referral for wet age-related macular degeneration (48%), and direct cataract referral (40%). Most respondents (88%) reported using non-contact/pneumo tonometry for intra-ocular pressure measurement, with 81% using Goldmann or Perkins tonometry. The most widely used item of specialist equipment was the fundus camera (74% of respondents). Optical Coherence Tomography (OCT) was used by 15% of respondents, up from 2% in 2007. Notably, 43% of those anticipating purchasing specialist equipment in the next 12 months planned to buy an OCT. ‘Paperless’ records were used by 39% of respondents, and almost 80% of practices used an electronic patient record/practice management system. Variations in responses between parts of the UK reflect differences in the provision of the General Ophthalmic Services contract or community enhanced services. There was general agreement that specialised equipment enhances clinical care, permits increased involvement in enhanced services, promotes the practice and can be used as a defence in clinico-legal cases, but initial costs and ongoing maintenance can be a financial burden. Respondents generally agreed that IT facilitates administrative flow and secure exchange of health information, and promotes a state-of-the-art practice image. However, use of IT may not save examination time; its dynamic nature necessitates frequent updates and technical support; the need for adequate training is an issue; and security of data is also a concern. Conclusion: UK optometrists increasingly employ modern equipment and IT services to enhance patient care and for practice management. While the clinical benefits of specialist equipment and IT are appreciated, questions remain as to whether the investment is cost-effective, and how specialist equipment and IT may be used to best advantage in community optometric practice

Field trip guidebook on environmental impact of clays along the upper Texas coast

During this one-day field trip, stops will include the examination of (i)expansive soils (Vertisols and Alfisols) in the southern part of Houston, (ii) subsidence and surface faulting east of Downtown Houston (San Jacinto Monument, Goose Creek Oil Field, and Baytown), and (iii) a landfill located southeast of Houston at the Gulf Coast Waste Disposal Authority Campbell Bayou Facility where clay is used as part of the liner material. In addition, a stop will be made at the National Aeronautics and Space Administration's Lyndon B. Space Center where field trip participants will be given the opportunity to observe the heritage of the Nation's space program.prepared by Theron D. Garcia, Douglas W. Ming, Lisa Kay Tuck

About Us and Not About Us: Theorizing Student Resistance to Learning about Race and Racism from Underrepresented Faculty

Three early-career scholars write across their experiences as underrepresented faculty who teach required diversity courses to future educators in a predominantly white, small, state college. The authors theorize student resistance to course material and to faculty of color teaching about race and racism in a series of tableaus of their classrooms. They examine the ways that students\u27 tactics of avoidance, consuming the Other, and I won\u27t learn from you are simultaneously \u27\u27about us and not about us, unmasking uneven assumptions about the role of diversity courses in teacher preparation programs

An inverse method for determining the spatially resolved properties of viscoelastic–viscoplastic three-dimensional printed materials

A method using experimental nanoindentation and inverse finite-element analysis (FEA) has been developed that enables the spatial variation of material constitutive properties to be accurately determined. The method was used to measure property variation in a three-dimensional printed (3DP) polymeric material. The accuracy of the method is dependent on the applicability of the constitutive model used in the inverse FEA, hence four potential material models: viscoelastic, viscoelastic–viscoplastic, nonlinear viscoelastic and nonlinear viscoelastic–viscoplastic were evaluated, with the latter enabling the best fit to experimental data. Significant changes in material properties were seen in the depth direction of the 3DP sample, which could be linked to the degree of cross-linking within the material, a feature inherent in a UV-cured layer-by-layer construction method. It is proposed that the method is a powerful tool in the analysis of manufacturing processes with potential spatial property variation that will also enable the accurate prediction of final manufactured part performance