Mixed Reality Interiors: Exploring Augmented Reality Immersive Space Planning Design Archetypes for the Creation of Interior Spatial Volume 3D User Interfaces

Augmented reality is an increasingly relevant medium of interaction and media reception with the advances in user worn or hand-held input/output technologies endowing perception of the digital nested within and reactive to the native physical. Our interior spaces are becoming the media interface and this emergence affords designers the opportunity to delve further into crafting an aesthetics for the medium. Beyond having the virtual assets and applications in correct registration with the real-world environment, critical topics are addressed such as the compositional roles of virtual and physical design features including their purpose, modulation, interaction potentials and implementation into varying indoor settings. Examining and formulating methodologies for mixed reality interior 3D UI schemes derived from the convergence of digital media and interior design disciplines comprise the scope of this design research endeavor. A holistic approach is investigated to produce a framework for augmented reality 3D user interface interiors through research and development of pattern language systems for the balanced blending of complimentary digital and physical design elements. These foundational attributes serve in the creation, organization and exploration of interactive possibilities and implications of these hybrid futuristic spatial interface layouts.M.S., Digital Media -- Drexel University, 201

Regional differences in nutrient-induced secretion of gut serotonin

This is an open access article under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits use, distribution and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.Enterochromaffin (EC) cells located in the gastrointestinal (GI) tract provide the vast majority of serotonin (5‐HT) in the body and constitute half of all enteroendocrine cells. EC cells respond to an array of stimuli, including various ingested nutrients. Ensuing 5‐HT release from these cells plays a diverse role in regulating gut motility as well as other important responses to nutrient ingestion such as glucose absorption and fluid balance. Recent data also highlight the role of peripheral 5‐HT in various pathways related to metabolic control. Details related to the manner by which EC cells respond to ingested nutrients are scarce and as that the nutrient environment changes along the length of the gut, it is unknown whether the response of EC cells to nutrients is dependent on their GI location. The aim of the present study was to identify whether regional differences in nutrient sensing capability exist in mouse EC cells. We isolated mouse EC cells from duodenum and colon to demonstrate differential responses to sugars depending on location. Measurements of intracellular calcium concentration and 5‐HT secretion demonstrated that colonic EC cells are more sensitive to glucose, while duodenal EC cells are more sensitive to fructose and sucrose. Short‐chain fatty acids (SCFAs), which are predominantly synthesized by intestinal bacteria, have been previously associated with an increase in circulating 5‐HT; however, we find that SCFAs do not acutely stimulate EC cell 5‐HT release. Thus, we highlight that EC cell physiology is dictated by regional location within the GI tract, and identify differences in the regional responsiveness of EC cells to dietary sugars

The Science Case for Io Exploration

Io is a priority destination for solar system exploration, as it is the best natural laboratory to study the intertwined processes of tidal heating, extreme volcanism, and atmosphere-magnetosphere interactions. Io exploration is relevant to understanding terrestrial worlds (including the early Earth), ocean worlds, and exoplanets across the cosmos

Recommendations for Addressing Priority Io Science in the Next Decade

Io is a priority destination for solar system exploration. The scope and importance of science questions at Io necessitates a broad portfolio of research and analysis, telescopic observations, and planetary missions - including a dedicated New Frontiers class Io mission

Predicting Microbursts in the Northeastern U.S. Using Lightning Flash Rates and Simple Radar Parameters

Convective storms that produce microburst winds are difficult to predict because the strong surface winds arise in a short time period. Previous research suggests that timing and patterns in cloud height, echo top height, vertical integrated liquid (VIL), intracloud (IC) lightning, and cloud-to-ground (CG) lightning may identify and predict microbursts. Eleven quasi-cellular microburst cases and eight non-microburst severe wind cases were identified from New York, Pennsylvania, and New Jersey between 2012 and 2016. Total lightning data (IC + CG) were obtained from Vaisala’s National Lightning Detection Network (NLDN), and radar parameters were obtained from the Thunderstorm Identification Tracking Analysis and Nowcasting (TITAN) software. Values of VIL, echo top height, and cloud height were tracked through time along with total lightning strikes within a 15 km radius of the storm center. These parameters were plotted with respect to their mean and standard deviation for the 45 minutes leading up to event occurrence. Six of eleven cases featured peaks in total and IC lightning within 25 minutes prior to the microburst. These were the only variables among those examined to peak more than half the time for either the microburst cases or the null cases. The results suggest that microbursts behave somewhat differently than severe wind events, particularly in terms of lightning and VIL timing. The results dispute previous research that suggests that microbursts are highly predictable by the behavior of lightning and radar parameters