Increasing user motivation of neurological occupational therapy in virtual reality using gamification

Abstract. Neurological rehabilitation is a long process which requires a lot of work and motivation from the patient to be effective. Though patients might be motivated to partake in rehabilitation just to improve their own ability to live a more fulfilling life, it is beneficial for all parties involved to enhance patient motivation by other means as well. Gamification aims to increase user motivation with the introduction of game-like elements in a non-game context. In this study, the effectiveness of gamification techniques, common in fields such as education and life-style applications, are investigated on a virtual reality-based neurological rehabilitation software. In this study a user study was conducted to evaluate the motivational aspect of gamification. Ten test subjects (six male and four female) aged 22–34 participated in two settings in a random predetermined order: a gamified environment and a simplified environment. After each play session, the participants filled a questionnaire and partook in a short semi-structured interview relating to the experience. Mixed methods analysis was conducted, meaning results were analyzed both quantitatively and qualitatively. In quantitative analysis, the results showed that participants’ intrinsic motivation was greater during the gamified play session as opposed to the simplified one. Additionally, participant amotivation was somewhat higher in the simplified version. Qualitative analysis showed that the aesthetic elements combined with scoring system increased interest and motivation in the gamified environment. Though which independent elements contributed how much remained inconclusive. Follow-up studies with larger sample sizes could confirm the findings in this study and even go as far as to compare different gamification methods to further improve the usefulness of gamification in rehabilitation context.Pelillistämisen hyödyntäminen motivaation kasvattamisessa virtuaalitodellisuudessa järjestettävässä neurologisessa kuntoutuksessa. Tiivistelmä. Neurologinen kuntoutus on pitkä prosessi, joka vaatii paljon työtä ja motivaatiota potilaalta vaikuttaakseen tehokkaasti. Vaikka potilaat voivat olla motivoituneita kuntoututumaan parantaakseen elämänlaatuaan ja toimintakykyään, on hyödyllistä tukea motivaatiota myös toisin keinoin. Tässä tutkimuksessa tutkittiin pelillistämisen, jota on käytetty muun muassa koulutusja elämäntapasovelluksissa, hyötyjä virtuaalitodellisuudessa järjestettävässä neurologisessa kuntoutussovelluksessa. Kymmenen koehenkilöä (kuusi miestä ja neljä naista) iältään 22–34 ottivat osaa tutkimukseen, jossa he kokeilivat kahta satunnaisessa järjestyksessä valittua virtuaalitodellisuusympäristöä: pelillistettyä, sekä yksinkertaistettua. Molemman pelisession jälkeen osallistujat täyttivät kyselylomakkeen ja osallistuivat lyhyeen haastatteluun. Tulokset analysoitiin monimenetelmä analyysillä, tarkoittaen että tulokset analysoitiin kvantitatiivisesti ja kvalitatiivisesti. Kvantitatiivisessa analyysissä tulokset osoittivat osallistujien kokeneen enemmän sisäistä motivaatiota pelillistetyssä ympäristössä kuin yksinkertaistetussa. Lisäksi koehenkilöt kokivat jokseenkin enemmän motivaation puutetta yksinkertaisessa versiossa ympäristöstä. Kvalitatiivinen analyysi osoitti, että esteettiset elementit sekä pisteiden lasku lisäsivät kiinnostusta ja motivaatiota pelillistettyyn version. Kuitenkin epäselväksi jäi, kuinka paljon yksittäiset elementit vaikuttivat tähän tuntemukseen. Jatkotutkimukset suuremmalla osallistujamäärällä voisivat vahvistaa tämän tutkimuksen löytöjä. Lisäksi olisi mahdollista vertailla eri pelillistämismenetelmiä ja niiden hyötyjä neurologisessa kuntoutuksessa

Selecting asteroids for a targeted spectroscopic survey

Asteroid spectroscopy reflects surface mineralogy. There are few thousand asteroids whose surfaces have been observed spectrally. Determining the surface properties of those objects is important for many practical and scientific applications, such as for example developing impact deflection strategies or studying history and evolution of the Solar System and planet formation. The aim of this study is to develop a pre-selection method that can be utilized in searching for asteroids of any taxonomic complex. The method could then be utilized im multiple applications such as searching for the missing V-types or looking for primitive asteroids. We used the Bayes Naive Classifier combined with observations obtained in the course of the Sloan Digital Sky Survey and the Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer surveys as well as a database of asteroid phase curves for asteroids with known taxonomic type. Using the new classification method we have selected a number of possible V-type candidates. Some of the candidates were than spectrally observed at the Nordic Optical Telescope and South African Large Telescope. We have developed and tested the new pre-selection method. We found three asteroids in the mid/outer Main Belt that are likely of differentiated type. Near-Infrared are still required to confirm this discovery. Similarly to other studies we found that V-type candidates cluster around the Vesta family and are rare in the mid/oter Main Belt. The new method shows that even largely explored large databases combined together could still be further exploited in for example solving the missing dunite problem.Comment: accepted to A

Isomeric states close to doubly magic 132^{132}Sn studied with JYFLTRAP

The double Penning trap mass spectrometer JYFLTRAP has been employed to measure masses and excitation energies for $11/2^-$ isomers in $^{121}$Cd, $^{123}$Cd, $^{125}$Cd and $^{133}$Te, for $1/2^-$ isomers in $^{129}$In and $^{131}$In, and for $7^-$ isomers in $^{130}$Sn and $^{134}$Sb. These first direct mass measurements of the Cd and In isomers reveal deviations to the excitation energies based on results from beta-decay experiments and yield new information on neutron- and proton-hole states close to $^{132}$Sn. A new excitation energy of 144(4) keV has been determined for $^{123}$Cd$^m$. A good agreement with the precisely known excitation energies of $^{121}$Cd$^m$, $^{130}$Sn$^m$, and $^{134}$Sb$^m$ has been found.Comment: 10 pages, 6 figures, submitted to Phys. Rev.

Virtuaalitodellisuuden hyödyntäminen neglect-oireyhtymän hoidossa ja diagnoosissa

Tiivistelmä. Työn tarkoituksena on selvittää virtuaalitodellisuuden hyötyjä neglect-oireyhtymän hoidossa ja diagnoosissa tämänhetkisenä ja tulevaisuuden työkaluna. Menetelminä käytettiin Peili Vision Oy:n ohjelmistoa, jonka tutkimusmenetelmän keskeisimpänä osana neglect-oireyhtymälle suunniteltu harjoite Shoot Targets. Terveen koehenkilön osumatarkkuus minuutin mittaisessa testissä oli täydet 100 %. Neglect-potilaan dataa ei voitu tämän työn aikana kerätä työn laajuuden ja potilastietojen aiheuttamien rajoitteiden vuoksi. Virtuaaliympäristön mukanaan tuoma monipuolisuus ja teknologian nopeasti edistyvä kehitys ja helppokäyttöisyys luovat pohjan uusille hoitokeinoille ja diagnosointimenetelmille neglect-oireyhtymälle. Peili Visionin suunnittelema Shoot Targets -harjoite soveltuu hyvin neglect-potilaille avaruudellisen hahmottamisen kuntoutukseen ja testin helppous sekä datan selkeys helpottavat tekemään itsenäisiä harjoitteita, sekä seuraamaan kehitystä harjoitteiden välillä. Varsinaisen neglect-potilaan datan puute lopputyöstä jättää tilaa jatkotutkimuksille niin harjoitusmuodon tehokkuuden arviointiin, kuin diagnosointimenetelmän potentiaalin arviointiin.Virtual reality usage in the rehabilitation and diagnosis of neglect disorder. Abstract. Objective of the study is to evaluate virtual reality as a tool for treating and diagnosing neglect disorder now and in the future. Peili Vision’s product for neurological rehabilitation was used to evaluate and gather data for the study. Shoot Targets exercise, which is designed for Neglect disorder, was used to gather data from a healthy test subject. Healthy test subject got a perfect score of 100%. Because of the limitations of the thesis and patient record’s confidentiality I was unable to gather data from a neglect patient. Current and future advancements in virtual reality technology brings a lot of possibilities for the rehabilitation and diagnosis of neglect disorder. Peili Vision’s Shoot Targets exercise is a good tool for evaluation and rehabilitation of neglect disorder because of its simplicity and easy to analyse data. The lack of a real patient data prevented further analysis of the effects of the rehabilitation technique and left an opening for further studies in the same field focusing on the aspects of the quality of rehabilitation and the possibilities in the diagnosis of neglect disorder

Q_EC values of the Superallowed beta-Emitters 10-C, 34-Ar, 38-Ca and 46-V

The Q_EC values of the superallowed beta+ emitters 10-C, 34-Ar, 38-Ca and 46-V have been measured with a Penning-trap mass spectrometer to be 3648.12(8), 6061.83(8), 6612.12(7) and 7052.44(10) keV, respectively. All four values are substantially improved in precision over previous results.Comment: 9 pages, 7 figures, 5 table

Superconductor-insulator quantum phase transition in a single Josephson junction

The superconductor-to-insulator quantum phase transition in resistively shunted Josephson junctions is investigated by means of path-integral Monte Carlo simulations. This numerical technique allows us to directly access the (previously unexplored) regime of the Josephson-to-charging energy ratios E_J/E_C of order one. Our results unambiguously support an earlier theoretical conjecture, based on renormalization-group calculations, that at T -> 0 the dissipative phase transition occurs at a universal value of the shunt resistance R_S = h/4e^2 for all values E_J/E_C. On the other hand, finite-temperature effects are shown to turn this phase transition into a crossover, which position depends significantly on E_J/E_C, as well as on the dissipation strength and on temperature. The latter effect needs to be taken into account in order to reconcile earlier theoretical predictions with recent experimental results.Comment: 7 pages, 6 figure

Construction of a flocculent brewer’s yeast strain producing an Aspergillus niger β-galactosidase

Praxis XXI (BD/11306/97).European Science Foundation (ESF).Center for International Mobility (CIMO)

Construction of a flocculent brewer's yeast strain secreting Aspergillus niger β-galactosidase

One way of improving heterologous protein production is to use high cell density systems, one of the most attractive being the flocculating yeast production system. Also, lactose is available in large amounts as a waste product from cheese production processes. The construction of flocculent and non-flocculent brewer's yeast strains secreting β-galactosidase and growing on lactose is presented. A plasmid was constructed coding for an extracellular β-galactosidase of Aspergillus niger and having, as selective marker, the yeast CUP1 gene conferring resistance to copper. This selective marker allows for the transformation of wild-type yeasts. This work represents an important step towards the study of heterologous protein secretion by flocculent cells.Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia (FCT) – PRAXIS XXI/BD/11306/97.Finland. Center For International Mobility.European Science Foundation