Touching the invisible: Localizing ultrasonic haptic cues

While mid-air gestures offer new possibilities to interact with or around devices, some situations, such as interacting with applications, playing games or navigating, may require visual attention to be focused on a main task. Ultrasonic haptic feedback can provide 3D spatial haptic cues that do not demand visual attention for these contexts. In this paper, we present an initial study of active exploration of ultrasonic haptic virtual points that investigates the spatial localization with and without the use of the visual modality. Our results show that, when providing haptic feedback giving the location of a widget, users perform 50% more accurately compared to providing visual feedback alone. When provided with a haptic location of a widget alone, users are more than 30% more accurate than when given a visual location. When aware of the location of the haptic feedback, active exploration decreased the minimum recommended widget size from 2cm2 to 1cm2 when compared to passive exploration from previous studies. Our results will allow designers to create better mid-air interactions using this new form of haptic feedback

The RNA Polymerase II Core Promoter in Drosophila.

Transcription by RNA polymerase II initiates at the core promoter, which is sometimes referred to as the "gateway to transcription." Here, we describe the properties of the RNA polymerase II core promoter in Drosophila The core promoter is at a strategic position in the expression of genes, as it is the site of convergence of the signals that lead to transcriptional activation. Importantly, core promoters are diverse in terms of their structure and function. They are composed of various combinations of sequence motifs such as the TATA box, initiator (Inr), and downstream core promoter element (DPE). Different types of core promoters are transcribed via distinct mechanisms. Moreover, some transcriptional enhancers exhibit specificity for particular types of core promoters. These findings indicate that the core promoter is a central component of the transcriptional apparatus that regulates gene expression

Adsorption properties and third sound propagation in superfluid 4^4He films on carbon nanotubes

We consider the adsorption properties of superfluid $^4$He films on carbon nanotubes. One major factor in the adsorption is the surface tension force arising from the very small diameter of the nanotubes. Calculations show that surface tension keeps the film thickness on the tubes very thin even when the helium vapor is increased to the saturated pressure. The weakened Van der Waals force due to the cylindrical geometry also contributes to this. Both of these effects act to lower the predicted velocity of third sound propagation along the tubes. It does not appear that superfluidity will be possible on single-walled nanotubes of diameter about one nm, since the film thickness is less than 3 atomic layers even at saturation. Superfluidity is possible on larger-diameter nanotube bundles and multi-walled nanotubes, however. We have observed third sound signals on nanotube bundles of average diameter 5 nm which are sprayed onto a Plexiglass surface, forming a network of tubes.Comment: 4 pages, accepted for Journal of Physics: Conference Series (Proceedings of LT25

A Conceptualisation of innovative organisation of an ICT company: A focus on the impact of ‘innovative milieu’

Purpose: This paper investigates key elements for supporting strategic management behaviour with actionable implications for multinational corporations in the ICT business sector. Design/methodology/approach: Samsung was chosen as a research case. A qualitative approach was applied to this study to develop a discussion framework with key elements which support innovative organisational behaviour. Findings: From an analysis of secondary data of academic discussions relating with business behaviour of Samsung, five key themes were developed (e.g., Direction and driving force; Understanding the market; Management system; Organisational strategies; Review & evaluation). Further discussions were expanded from the framework with five key themes revealed a catalytic factor to foster an innovative behaviour of the organisation. Discussions: It has been found that close communications with stakeholders and the impact of innovative milieu should be a catalytic factor to enhance dynamic innovative actions within the organisation. Especially in the competitive ICT business sector, it has been suggested that the inter-organisational and internal learning attitudes covering both individuals and organisational proactiveness should be focused to sustain the businesses. Moreover, organisational innovation can be achieved from the collaborative ‘innovative milieu’ which enhances the proactive innovations

Unsafe/Unhealthy work? OH&S outcomes in Australian Call Centres

Call centres have attracted the attention of researchers globally due to their implementation of new forms of work organisation and the implications these represent for the workforce. While there has been a great deal written on the poor working conditions within the call centre industry, and some discussion on the impact of these conditions on the health and safety of workers, there is still little known about the occupational health and well being policies and practices used in these workplaces. There has also been scant research on the health and safety experiences of call centre workers. This paper aims to address these gaps by examining whether the tasks performed and the occupational health and well being policies and practices in call centres lead to unhealthy outcomes for workers. A case study methodology is applied to explore these questions in two Australian call centres which highlight the diversity that exists in the industry. Key findings based on interviews with case study participants and key stakeholders indicate a misalignment between policy and practice, which represent various immediate and ongoing risks for employees. A number of policy concerns are raised through the data, particularly where negative occupational health outcomes can be associated with the lack of organisational compliance with employment legislation