bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Virtual Reality, Art, and Entertainment
Authors: Bates Joseph
Published: December 2015

Most existing research on virtual reality concerns issues close to the interface, primarily how to present an underlying simulated world in a convincing fashion. However, for virtual reality to achieve its promise as a rich and popular artistic form, as have the novel, cinema, and television, we believe it will be necessary to explore well beyond the interface, to those issues of content and style that have made traditional media so powerful. We present a case for the importance of this research, then outline several topics we believe are central to the inquiry: developing computational theories for cognitive-emotional agents, presentation style, and drama.
Operator Performance with Alternative Manual Control Modes in Teleoperation
Authors: Das H. , Zak H. , Kim W. S. , Bejczy A. K. , Schenker P. S.
Published: December 2015

Recent experiments conducted at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) comparing alternative manual control modes using the JPL Advanced Teleoperator (ATOP) System are described in this paper. Of particular interest were control modes that provide force reflection to the operator. The task selected for the experiment is a portion of the Solar Maximum Satellite Repair (SMSR) procedure we developed to demonstrate the repair of the Solar Maximum Satellite with teleoperators. SMSR had been successfully performed by NASA astronauts in 1984 and it was selected as a task to demonstrate the ATOP system capability for space applications. The seven manual control modes evaluated in the experiment are combinations of manual position or resolved motion rate control with alternative control schemes for force reflection and remote manipulator compliance. Performance measures used were task completion times, average force and torque exerted during the execution of the task, and cumulative force and torque exerted. The results were statistically analyzed and they show that, in general, force reflection significantly improves operator performance and indicate that a specific force-reflecting scheme may yield the best performance among the control modes we tested. Also, our experiment showed that, for the selected task, the position control modes were preferable to the rate control modes and slave manipulator compliance reduced task interaction forces and torques.
Profile Analysis of Simulator Sickness Symptoms: Application to Virtual Environment Systems
Authors: Kennedy Robert S. , Lane Norman E. , Lilienthal Michael G. , Berbaum Kevin S. , Hettinger Lawrence J.
Published: December 2015

Flight simulators are examples of virtual environment (VE) systems that often give rise to a form of discomfort resembling classical motion sickness. The major difference between simulator sickness and other forms of motion sickness is that the former exhibits more oculomotor-related symptoms and far less actual vomiting. VEs of the future are likely to include more compellingly realistic visual display systems, and these systems can also be expected to produce adverse symptoms. The implications of simulator sickness for future uses of VEs include adverse consequences for users' safety and health, user acceptance, training effectiveness, and overall system performance. Based on data from a factor analysis of over 1000 Navy and Marine Corps pilot simulation exposures, a new scoring procedure for simulator sickness has recently been developed (Lane & Kennedy, 1988; Kennedy, Lane, Berbaum, & Lilienthal, 1992). The factor analytic scoring key provides subscales for oculomotor stress (eyestrain), nausea, and disorientation. Simulators are being examined in terms of these factor profiles to identify causes of simulator sickness. This approach could also be used in evaluating motion sickness-like symptomatology that occurs in connection with the use of VEs. This paper describes the use of the multifactor scoring of the Simulator Sickness Questionnaire (SSQ) in diagnosing sources of simulator sickness in individual simulators. Reanalysis by this new methodology was employed to standardize existing simulator sickness survey data and to determine whether relationships existed that were missed by the more traditional scoring approaches.
Gesture Recognition Based upon Statistical Similarity
Authors: Newby Gregory B.
Published: December 2015

One of the improvements virtual reality offers traditional human-computer interfaces is that it enables the user to interact with virtual objects using gestures. The use of natural hand gestures for computer input provides opportunities for direct manipulation in computing environments, but not without some challenges. The mapping of a human gesture onto a particular system function is not nearly so easy as mapping with a keyboard or mouse. Reasons for this difficulty include individual variations in the exact gesture movement, the problem of knowing when a gesture starts and ends, and variation in the relative positions of other body parts that might help to identify a gesture but are not measured. A further difficulty stems from limitations on the number of gestures that a person can reliably remember and reproduce. This paper describes work on the statistical recognition of gestures based on the sum of squares. A DataGlove™ was employed to measure finger position and “train” software to recognize the letters and numbers of the American Sign Language (ASL) manual alphabet. This technique for gesture recognition is more effective than methods commonly employed in VR applications in that it can distinguish dozens of gestures and is not bound by the input sequences of a particular user. The work described here is limited in that it examines only gestures that do not occur across time. Applications for speakers of ASL and for VR are discussed, and future directions for gesture recognition research are introduced. These include adding a motion tracker and potential for recognizing gestures that do occur across time.
Co-CAD: A Collaborative Mechanical CAD System
Authors: Gisi Mark A. , Sacchi Cristiano
Published: December 2015

It is becoming increasingly common for manufacturing design teams to be composed of members belonging to the same organization, yet located in geographically different places. This has significantly increased the need for better support of synchronous communication among team members collaborating over a design. Unfortunately, there is a considerable technological gap in the support for collaborative, synchronously communicating mechanical CAD systems. In this paper we describe a prototype system, CoCAD, that provides a number of features that support synchronous collaboration among a number of mechanical CAD engineers located at different sites. Some of these features include the ability for each person to edit a design, the ability for each user to customize their local view of a design, the ability for each user to share a common view of a design, a shared pointer, the ability for someone to join in the middle of a design session, and object ownership and access permissions.
Networked SPIDAR:A Networked Virtual Environment with Visual, Auditory, and Haptic Interactions
Authors: Ishii Masahiro , Nakata Masanori , Sato Makoto
Published: December 2015

This research aims at the realization of a networked virtual environment for the design of three-dimensional (3-D) objects. Based on an analysis of an ordinary collaborative design, we illustrate that a collaborative work space consists of a dialog space and an object space. In the dialog space, a participant interacts with partners, and in the object space with an object. The participants enter the dialog space and the object space in turn, appropriately. In addition, collaborative design of 3-D objects is carried out with multimodal interactions: visual, auditory, and haptic. A networked virtual environment must support these interactions without contradiction in either time or space.

In this paper, we propose a networked virtual environment for a pair of participants to satisfy the conditions described above. To implement the networked system, we take into account the necessity of visual, auditory, and haptic interactions, the need for participants to switch between the dialog space and the object space quickly and appropriately, and human ergonomics on the functional space of hands and eyes. An experiment on hand-over task was done to investigate the effect of the networked haptic device with the proposed system. Object layout tasks, such as toy block layout, office furniture layout, city building layout, etc., can be performed by using this environment.
The Center for Human Modeling and Simulation
Authors: Badler Norman I. , Metaxas Dimitri , Webber Bonnie , Steedman Mark
Published: December 2015

The overall goals of the Center for Human Modeling and Simulation are the investigation of computer graphics modeling, animation, and rendering techniques. Major focii are in behavior-based animation of human movement, modeling through physics-based techniques, applications of control theory techniques to dynamic models, illumination models for image synthesis, and understanding the relationship between human movement, natural language, and communication.
Rendering Spaces for Architectural Environments
Authors: Nimeroff Jeffry S. , Simoncelli Eero , Badler Norman I. , Dorsey Julie
Published: December 2015

We present a new framework for rendering virtual environments. This framework is proposed as a complete scene description, which embodies the space of all possible renderings, under all possible lighting scenarios of the given scene. In effect, this hypothetical rendering space includes all possible light sources as part of the geometric model. While it would be impractical to implement the general framework, this approach does allow us to look at the rendering problem in a new way. Thus, we propose new representations that are subspaces of the entire rendering space. Some of these subspaces are computationally tractable and may be carefully chosen to serve a particular application. The approach is useful both for real and virtual scenes. The framework includes methods for rendering environments which are illuminated by artificial light, natural light, or a combination of the two models.
The UC Berkeley System for Interactive Visualization of Large Architectural Models
Authors: Funkhouser Thomas , Teller Seth , Séquin Carlo , Khorramabadi Delnaz
Published: December 2015

Realistic-looking architectural models with furniture may consist of millions of polygons and require gigabytes of data—far than today's workstations can render at interactive frame rates or store in physical memory. We have developed data structures and algorithms for identifying a small portion of a large model to load into memory and render during each frame of an interactive walkthrough. Our algorithms rely upon an efficient display database that represents a building model as a set of objects, each of which can be described at multiple levels of detail, and contains an index of spatial cells with precomputed cell-to-cell and cell-to-object visibility information. As the observer moves through the model interactively, a real-time visibility algorithm traces sightline beams through transparent cell boundaries to determine a small set of objects potentially visible to the observer. An optimization algorithm dynamically selects a level of detail and rendering algorithm with which to display each potentially visible object to meet a userspecified target frame time. Throughout, memory management algorithms predict observer motion and prefetch objects from disk that may become visible during imminent frames. This paper describes an interactive building walkthrough system that uses these data structures and algorithms to maintain interactive frame rates during visualization of very large models. So far, the implementation supports models whose major occluding surfaces are axis-aligned rectangles (e.g., typical buildings). This system is able to maintain over twenty frames per second with little noticeable detail elision during interactive walkthroughs of a building model containing over one million polygons.
An Alternate Way to Generate Virtual Worlds:A Study of Image Processing Technology for Synthetic Sensations
Authors: Hirose Michitaka , Takahashi Kazuhisa , Koshizuka Tomoki , Morinobu Taku , Watanabe Yoichi
Published: December 2015

During recent years, the use of virtual reality technology has become widespread and popular. However, to further broaden the application of virtual reality, more sophisticated and realistic virtual worlds need to be developed. Traditionally, most virtual worlds are generated using three-dimensional (3D) computer graphics incorporating 3D geometric models and various rendering software. However, if 3D models become very complex, the delay time caused by rendering calculations makes it difficult for the user to be able to interact with the virtual world. Also, the production of realistic 3D computer graphics is very cost and labor intensive. From a very practical point of view, it is clear that we need some alternate approaches to realize a truly realistic virtual world. In this paper, the authors introduce an alternate method of generating virtual worlds other than 3D computer graphics. The method discussed here is to generate virtual worlds by processing 2D real images taken by video cameras. For this purpose, a special video camera system that can record image data indexed by position data was developed. Using recorded image data indexed by position data we are able to experience the virtual image world interactively. This method has become realistic due to advances in multimedia computers capable of handling large image data. A tested prototype of this kind of system is discussed in some depth, along with the capability and limitations of this prototype system.
A Visit to the Dresden Frauenkirche
Authors: Jalili Reza , Kirchner Peter D. , Montoya Jorge , Duncan Stephen , Genevriez Luc , Lipscomb James S. , Wolfe Robert H. , Codella Christopher F.
Published: December 2015

The Frauenkirche was destroyed when Dresden was bombed by the Allied forces February 13-14, 1945. The church is now being reconstructed in an effort led by the Foundation for the Reconstruction of the Frauenkirche. The VRDECK software package developed at the IBM T. J. Watson Research Center was used to view and walk through a model created from the original church plans. A Polhemus tracker and a custom-built joystick using the Logitech 3D mouse were used for six-degree-of-freedom input to the application. The interactive fly-through of the church is in an immersive environment. One can navigate around the model wearing a head-mounted display, sitting in front of a standard monitor, looking at a stereo image produced on a stereo monitor, or standing before a projection screen displaying a stereo image of the scene. The system was developed for and exhibited at the IBM booth in the CeBIT fair in Hannover, Germany in March 1994 with funding from IBM Germany.
Scheduling Robotic Actions by Genetic Algorithms
Authors: Abbott R. J. , Campbell M. L. , Krenz W. C.
Published: December 2015

A hybrid genetic algorithm is used to schedule tasks for a satellite that can be modeled as a robot whose goal is to retrieve objects from a two-dimensional field. The objective is to find a schedule that maximizes the value of objects retrieved. Typical of the real-world tasks to which this corresponds is the scheduling of ground contacts for a communications satellite. An important feature of our application is that the amount of time available for running the scheduler is not necessarily known in advance. This requires that the scheduler produce reasonably good results after a short period, but that it also continue to improve its results if allowed to run for a longer period. We satisfy this requirement by developing what we call a sustainable genetic algorithm.
Cooperative Assistance for Remote Robot Supervision
Authors: Murphy Robin R. , Rogers Erika
Published: December 2015

This paper describes current work on a cooperative teleassistance system for semiautonomous control of mobile robots. This system combines a robot architecture for limited autonomous perceptual and motor control with a knowledge-based operator assistant that provides strategic selection and enhancement of relevant data. It extends recent developments in artificial intelligence in modeling the role of visual interactions in problem solving for application to an interface permitting the human and remote to cooperate in cognitively demanding tasks such as recovering from execution failures, mission planning, and learning. The design of the system is presented, together with a number of exception-handling scenarios that were constructed as a result of experiments with actual sensor data collected from two mobile robots.
Further Musings on the Psychophysics of Presence
Authors: Sheridan Thomas B.
Published: December 2015

This is an extension of an earlier paper (Sheridan, 1992) that considered alternative meanings and significance of “presence,” the experience of “being there,” commonly called “telepresence” in the case of remote control or teleoperation, and called “virtual presence” in the case of computer-generated simulation. In both cases presence can include feedback to the human senses of vision, hearing, and haptics, both kinesthetic and cutaneous. Presence is discussed here in terms of alternative subjective meanings, operational measurements, and meaningful experimental comparisons. Three practical approaches to measurement of presence are compared, including elicitation of “natural” neuromuscular or vocal responses, single or multidimensional subjective scaling, and ability to discriminate the real and immediate environment from that which is recorded/transmitted or synthesized. A new proposal, fitting into the third category, is to measure presence according to the amount of noise required to degrade the real and virtual stimulation until the perceived environments are indiscriminable. The author also opines on the stimulus magnitude, space, and time attributes of human interactions with a tele- or virtual environment.
Characteristics of Visual Fidelity in the Virtual Environment
Authors: Rinalducci Edward J.
Published: December 2015

This paper provides an overview of the literature on the visual system, placing special emphasis on those visual characteristics regarded as necessary to produce adequate visual fidelity in virtual environments. These visual cues apply to the creation of various virtual environments including those involving flying, driving, sailing, or walking. A variety of cues are examined, in particular, motion, color, stereopsis, pictorial and secondary cues, physiological cues, texture, vertical development, luminance, field-of-view, and spatial resolution. Conclusions and recommendations for research are also presented.
Real-Time Inverse Kinematics of the Human Arm
Authors: Tolani Deepak , Badler Norman I.
Published: December 2015

A simple inverse kinematics procedure is proposed for a seven degree of freedom model of the human arm. Two schemes are used to provide an additional constraint leading to closed-form analytical equations with an upper bound of two or four solutions, Multiple solutions can be evaluated on the basis of their proximity from the rest angles or the previous configuration of the arm. Empirical results demonstrate that the procedure is well suited for real-time applications.
Control and Coordination of Head, Eyes, and Facial Expressions of Virtual Actors in Virtual Environments
Authors: Singh Sunil K. , Pieper Steven D. , Guinness Jethran , Popa Dan O.
Published: December 2015

This paper addresses the modeling and computational issues associated with the control and coordination of head, eyes, and facial expressions of virtual human actors. The emphasis, as much as possible, is on using accurate physics-based computations for motion computation. Some key issues discussed in this work include the use of kinematics and inverse kinematics, trajectory planning, and the use of finite element methods to model soft tissue deformations.
Task-Level Object Grasping for Simulated Agents
Authors: Douville Brett , Levison Libby , Badler Norman I.
Published: December 2015

Simulating a human figure performing a manual task requires that the agent interact with objects in the environment in a realistic manner. Graphic or programming interfaces to control human figure animation, however, do not allow the animator to instruct the system with concise “high-level” commands. Instructions coming from a high-level planner cannot be directly given to a synthetic agent because they do not specify such details as which end-effector to use or where on the object to grasp. Because current animation systems require joint angle displacement descriptions of motion—even for motions that incorporate upwards of 15 joints—an efficient connection between high-level specifications and low-level hand joint motion is required. In this paper we describe a system that directs task-level, general-purpose, object grasping for a simulated human agent. The Object-Specific Reasoner (OSR) is a reasoning module that uses knowledge of the object of the underspecified action to generate values for missing parameters. The Grasp Behavior manages simultaneous motions of the joints in the hand, wrist, and arm, and provides a programmer with a high-level description of the desired action. When composed hierarchically, the OSR and the Grasp behavior interpret task-level commands and direct specific motions to the animation system. These modules are implemented as part of the Jock system at the University of Pennsylvania.
Dynamic Simulation of a Complex Human Figure Model with Low Level Behavior Control
Authors: McKenna Michael , Zeltzer David
Published: December 2015

Advances in computer hardware and software technology allow the simulation of natural phenomena in increasing levels of complexity. This research is concerned with simulating the articulated movements of humans using the laws of physical motion, and contributes to the fields of computer animation and biomechanics. A 90 degree of freedom model of a human figure is developed, and an efficient dynamic simulator is employed to create and analyze physically based, computer-generated motions. The foot of the simulated human figure has been modeled with a significant amount of kinematic complexity, with 28 degrees of freedom per foot. A joint-level control layer uses springs and dampers to control postures and movements. Inverse dynamics and inverse control can be used to calibrate the spring actuators to exactly achieve specified postural goals. A framework for higher level control is implemented, although specific tasks require tailored control strategies. Several example tasks are simulated and described, including a stable standing posture and the stepping phase of walking using passive dynamic effects to generate much of the motion. Together, the simulator and biomechanical model create a framework that can be used to address problems in computer animation and biomechanical research, and eventually, in a clinical setting, to assist doctors in analyzing the problems of specific patients.
Virtual Environments Psychotherapy: A Case Study of Fear of Flying Disorder
Authors: North Max M. , North Sarah M. , Coble Joseph R.
Published: December 2015

Current computer and display technology allows the creation of virtual environment scenes that can be utilized for treating a variety of psychological disorders. This case study demonstrates the effectiveness of virtual environment desensitization (VED) in the treatment of a subject who suffered from fear of flying, a disorder that affects a large number of people. The subject, accompanied by a virtual therapist, was placed in the cockpit of a virtual helicopter and flown over a simulated city for five sessions. The VED treatment resulted in both a significant reduction of anxiety symptoms and the ability to face the phobic situations in the real world.
Dextrous Hands: Human, Prosthetic, and Robotic
Authors: Jones Lynette
Published: December 2015

The sensory and motor capacities of the human hand are reviewed in the context of providing a set of performance characteristics against which prosthetic and dextrous robot hands can be evaluated. The sensors involved in processing tactile, thermal, and proprioceptive (force and movement) information are described, together with details on their spatial densities, sensitivity, and resolution. The wealth of data on the human hand's sensory capacities is not matched by an equivalent database on motor performance. Attempts at quantifying manual dexterity have met with formidable technological difficulties due to the conditions under which many highly trained manual skills are performed. Limitations in technology have affected not only the quantifying of human manual performance but also the development of prosthetic and robotic hands. Most prosthetic hands in use at present are simple grasping devices, and imparting a “natural” sense of touch to these hands remains a challenge. Several dextrous robot hands exist as research tools and even though some of these systems can outperform their human counterparts in the motor domain, they are still very limited as sensory processing systems. It is in this latter area that information from studies of human grasping and processing of object information may make the greatest contribution.
Presence in Text-Based Networked Virtual Environments or “MUDS”
Authors: Towell John , Towell Elizabeth
Published: December 2015

A text-based networked virtual environment represents to a user a system of rooms joined by exits and entrances. When navigating this system of rooms, a user can communicate in real time with other connected users occupying the same room. Hence, these virtual environments are aptly suited for networked conferencing and teaching. Anecdotal information suggested that some people feel a sense of “being there” or presence when connected to one of these environments. To determine how many people feel this sense of presence, we surveyed 207 people from 6 different groups of users of text-based networked virtual environments. The results indicated that 69% of these subjects felt a sense of presence. Experiments with people in text-based networked virtual environments may be helpful in understanding the contribution to presence by social interaction in other virtual environments.
K. Lachmann and A.A. Shakhmatov – К. Лахман и А.А. Шахматов
Authors: Вовина-Лебедева В.Г.
Published: December 2015

This article deals with the principal problems in the historiography of Russian annals. A.A. Shakhmatov was the leading scholar in this field at the beginning of the Twentieth Century, and his methodology remained at the centre of academic discussions for the entire century. K. Lachmann had been a leading figure in textual criticism prior to Shakhmatov. This article is the first attempt at a sustained comparison of the work of Lachmann and Shakhmatov.
A new species of Bulbophyllum (Orchidaceae; Epidendroideae; Dendrobiinae) from Yunnan, China
Authors: Liu Qiang , LI JIAN-WU , JIN XIAO-HUA , GAO JIANG-YUN
Published: December 2015

Bulbophyllum Thouars (1822: 3) is one of the largest orchid genera, including more than 1900 species widely distributed from tropical America, Africa, Madagascar, and mainland Asia to Australasia (Lindley 1830, Pearce & Cribb 2002, Seidenfaden 1979, 1992, Chen et al. 2009, Pridgeon et al. 2014). The species possess a wide range of vegetative form and floral structure (Bose et al. 1980). There are about 103 species (33 endemic) in 18 sections in China (Chen et al. 2009).
Taxonomic revision and cladistic analysis of the Neotropical genus Acrochaeta Wiedemann, 1830 (Diptera: Stratiomyidae: Sarginae)
Authors: FACHIN DIEGO AGUILAR , AMORIM DALTON DE SOUZA
Published: November 2015

The Neotropical genus Acrochaeta Wiedemann is revised and a cladistics analysis of the genus based on morphological characters is presented. This paper raises the total number of extant Acrochaeta species from 10 to 14 with the description of nine new species, the synonymy of one species, the transfer of five species to other genera and the transfer of one species of Merosargus to Acrochaeta. The new species described (of which eight are from Brazil and one from Bolivia and Peru) are Acrochaeta asapha nov. sp., A. balbii nov. sp., A. dichrostyla nov. sp., A. polychaeta nov. sp., A. pseudofasciata nov. sp., A. pseudopolychaeta nov. sp., A. rhombostyla nov. sp. A. ruschii nov. sp. and A. stigmata nov. sp. The primary types of all Acrochaeta species were studied at least from photos, when possible with the study of dissected male or female terminalia. A. mexicana Lindner is proposed as a junior synonym of A. flaveola Bigot. M. chalconota (Brauer) comb. nov., M. degenerata (Lindner) comb. nov., M. longiventris (Enderlein) comb. nov. and M. picta (Brauer) comb. nov. are herein transferred from Acrochaeta to Merosargus Loew, and Chrysochlorina elegans (Perty) comb. nov. is transferred from Acrochaeta to Chrysochlorina James. A. convexifrons (McFadden) comb. nov. is transferred from Merosargus to Acrochaeta. The limits of the genus and its insertion in the Sarginae are considered, and an updated generic diagnosis is provided. All species of the genus are redescribed and diagnosed, and illustrated with photos of the habitus, thorax, wing, and drawings of the antenna and male and female terminalia. Distribution maps are provided for the species, along with an identification key for adults of all species. Parsimony analyses were carried out under equal and implied weight. Our matrix includes 43 terminal taxa—of which 26 are outgroup species from four different sargine genera—and 59 adult morphological characters. The phylogenetic analysis supports the monophyly of Acrochaeta based on features of the head, thorax and abdomen. An inner clade (Acrochaeta flaveola species group) within the genus was clearly recovered based on characters of male and female terminalia. There is good evidence for the paraphyly of Merosargus with Acrochaeta as a subclade, demanding a wider study of the subfamily for a sound solution for the genus Merosargus.
THE TYPES OF PALAEARCTIC HIPPORHININI (Coleoptera, Curculionidae, Cyclominae) CONSERVED AT THE MUSÉUM NATIONAL D’HISTOIRE NATURELLE, PARIS
Authors: MEREGALLI MASSIMO , PERRIN HÉLÈNE
Published: November 2015

The Palaearctic species of Curculionidae: Cyclominae: Hipporhinini conserved at the Muséum national d'Histoire Naturelle, Paris were critically revised in order to recognise the type specimens, select lectotypes or, where necessary, designate neotypes. Out of 135 species whose types were presumably preserved in the MNHN, original type specimens of 116 could be found. The holotypes of 21 species were available, either because originally designated as such, or because the species was unequivocally based on a single specimen; a paratype of another taxon, whose holotype is preserved in another collection, was also examined. The lectotypes of 93 species were designated, and a syntype of another species was also seen. Neotypes of 10 more species were designated, thus leading to a total number of species whose type is conserved at the MNHN to 126. Type specimens of five more species described by French authors, not present in the MNHN but conserved in other museums, were found as well and were included in the paper, with the further designation of three lectotypes. All types treated herein were labelled and photographed.
Self-harm: Prevalence estimates from the second Australian Child and Adolescent Survey of Mental Health and Wellbeing
Authors: Zubrick Stephen R , Hafekost Jennifer , Johnson Sarah E , Lawrence David , Saw Suzy , Sawyer Michael , Ainley John , Buckingham William J
Published: December 2015

Objective:

To (1) estimate the lifetime and 12-month prevalence of self-harm without suicide intent in young people aged 12–17 years, (2) describe the co-morbidity of these behaviours with mental illness and (3) describe their co-variation with key social and demographic variables.

Method:

A nationally representative random sample of households with children aged 4–17 years recruited in 2013–2014. The survey response rate was 55% with 6310 parents and carers of eligible households participating. In addition, 2967 (89%) of young people aged 11–17 completed a self-report questionnaire with 2653 of the 12- to 17-year-olds completing questions about self-harm behaviour.

Results:

In any 12-month period, about 8% of all 12- to 17-year-olds (an estimated 137,000 12- to 17-year-olds) report engaging in self-harming behaviour without suicide intent. This prevalence increases with age to 11.6% in 16- to 17-year-olds. Eighteen percent (18.8%; 95% confidence interval [CI] = [14.5, 23.0]) of all 12- to 17-year-old young people with any mental health disorder measured by parent or carer report said that they had engaged in self-harm in the past 12 months. Among young people who were measured by self-report and met criteria for the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders’ major depressive disorder almost half (46.6%; 95% CI = [40.0, 53.1]) also reported that they had engaged in self-harm in the past 12 months. Suicide risk among those who self-harm is significantly elevated relative to the general population.

Conclusion:

The demonstrated higher risks in these young people for continued harm or possible death support the need for ongoing initiatives to reduce self-harm through mental health promotion, improved mental health literacy and continuing mental health reform to ensure services are accessible to, and meet the needs of families and young persons.
Psychiatric disorder and work life: A longitudinal study of intra-generational social mobility
Authors: Tiikkaja Sanna , Sandin Sven , Hultman Christina M , Modin Bitte , Malki Ninoa , Sparén Pär
Published: December 2015

Background:

Intra-generational social mobility, which describes the mobility within an individual’s own working life, is seldom studied among employees with psychiatric disorders (EPD). There is need of knowledge of the intra-generational mobility patterns, in a broader perspective, among EPD.

Aims:

To investigate intra-generational social mobility in employed individuals diagnosed with affective disorder, personality disorder, schizophrenia and drug dependence in a national Swedish cohort.

Method:

We identified a national sample of employed Swedish adults born in 1939–1949 ( N = 876, 738), and among them individuals with a first-time hospital admission for affective psychosis, neurosis and personality disorder, alcoholism, drug dependence or schizophrenia in 1964–1980 ( N = 18, 998). Employed individuals without hospital admission for such diagnoses were utilised as a comparison group ( N = 866, 442). Intra-individual social class changes between 1980 and 1990 among EPD and the comparison group were described through summary statistics and graphs.

Results:

EPD more often held Low manual occupations at baseline in 1980 than the comparison group (44% vs. 28%), although parental social class was similar. In 1990, 19% of EPD and 4% of the comparison group had lost contact with the labour market. Social stability was less common among EPD (49 %) than in the comparison group (67%). Mobility out of the labour force increased and social stability decreased by number of inpatient admissions. Employees diagnosed with affective psychosis or neurosis and personality disorder fared better in the labour market than employees with schizophrenia.

Conclusion:

Employees suffering from psychiatric disorder do not maintain their social class or remain in the labour force to the same extent as individuals without those problems, irrespective of their parental class. Our results support the social drift hypothesis that individuals with poor psychiatric health move downward in the social hierarchy.
Electrical conductivity of multiwalled carbon nanotubes/polyester polymer nanocomposites
Authors: Abazine K , Anakiou H , El Hasnaoui M , Graça MPF , Fonseca MA , Costa LC , Achour ME , Oueriagli A
Published: December 2015

Electrical conductivity of polyester filled with carbon nanotubes composites have been studied from 240 to 380 K in the frequency range from 100 Hz to 1 MHz as a function of the filler volume fraction above the percolation threshold. The frequency dependence of the electrical conductivity obeys the universal dynamic response. Positive temperature coefficient in resistivity and negative temperature coefficient in resistivity phenomena were observed at temperatures below and above the glass transition respectively. It was found that the mechanism responsible for the changes in resistivity is predominantly due to the tunneling effect. Positive temperature coefficient in resistivity intensity was also exploited which is strongly dependent on the carbon nanotube content.
Comparative analysis of different jet vortex spinning hollow spindle groove structures on yarn mechanism and yarn properties
Authors: Han Chenchen , Xue Wenliang , Cheng Longdi , Zou Zhuanyong
Published: December 2015

According to the self-twist jet vortex spinning process, the free fiber end lays flat and rolls rotationally on the surface of the stationary hollow spindle under the high-speed rotating airflow and the tangential friction torque, which results in the self-twist of the fiber. The self-twist will be wound into the yarn body and increases the friction and the cohesion between the fibers in the yarn, which will improve the strength of the yarn. Based on mechanical analysis and numerical simulation, this article obtains the motion trajectory of the free fiber end and designed six different hollow spindle groove micro-feature structures. Combined with experiments, this article analyzes comparatively the influence of different hollow spindle groove micro-feature structures on the free fiber end and the yarn performance, which lays the foundation for the research and the development of jet vortex spinning.
The Gates of Charity: Images of City and Community in the Early Modern Dutch Orphanage
Authors: van Asperen Hanneke
Published: December 2015

In the seventeenth century, Dutch charitable institutions were the subject of international praise and the object of civic pride, and their public façades communicated a message of central importance to its citizens. In this essay, I examine the iconography of seventeenth-century “gates of charity,” focusing on the almoner’s orphanage in Gouda and the Holy Ghost orphanage in Leiden. I relate them to other orphanages in the Dutch Republic to show developments in their iconography. The façade decorations demonstrate the responsibilities of the city as benefactor, the expectations of its citizens and the supposed effects of charity upon the community. At the gates, the worlds of the rich and the poor collided. Here, charity could flourish making the community a mirror image of the heavenly realm. The gate portrays the perfect society as one that assists its poor and strengthens its communal ties.
Entrepreneurship education and entrepreneurial intention: Do female students benefit?
Authors: Westhead Paul , Solesvik Marina Z
Published: December 2015

This article explores links between entrepreneurship education (EE) participation, alertness and risk-taking skills and the intensity of entrepreneurial intention relating to becoming an entrepreneur. Guided by insights from human capital and socially learned stereotypes theories, we conceptualize and test novel hypotheses that consider the potential moderating effect of gender and participation in EE. Business students participating in EE modules were compared with engineering students excluded from such programmes. Hierarchical regression analysis revealed that EE students reported high intensity of intention; however, EE did not generate equal benefits for all students. Women were significantly less likely to report high intensity of intention; however, those citing the alertness skill were more likely to report high intensity of intention than non-EE women students. Both male EE and non-EE students citing the risk perception skill reported higher intention, whereas women EE students citing the risk perception skill reported lower intention.
Leveraging Resilience: Evidence From the Management of Senior Low-Income Housing
Authors: Lucio Joanna , McFadden Erica
Published: December 2015

Although public and private management approaches have been frequently analyzed for their outcomes along the lines of efficiency and equity, their relationship to fostering community resilience has been understudied. Public housing has undergone a market-based transition, devolving management and operations of its sites or tenants to private management companies. This multi-site case study evaluates different management contexts to understand how management processes encourage or discourage community resilience. Findings include that management can play an integral role in developing community resilience by providing spaces and opportunities for community engagement and resident empowerment. To better navigate in an era of austerity measures, this article recommends practitioners actively leverage and invest in citizen strengths to build more resilient programs.
Cervical cancer response to neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy: MRI assessment compared with surgery
Authors: Gui Benedetta , Valentini Anna Lia , Miccò Maura , D'Agostino Giuseppe Roberto , Tagliaferri Luca , Zannoni Gian Franco , Fanfani Francesco , Manfredi Riccardo , Bonomo Lorenzo
Published: December 2015

Background

Imaging findings of residual cervical tumor after chemoradiotherapy can closely resemble those of post-irradiation inflammation.

Purpose

To determine the diagnostic performance of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in evaluating residual disease after chemoradiotherapy in patients with locally advanced cervical carcinoma (LACC).

Material and Methods

Retrospective analysis of prospectively collected data from 41 patients with histopathologically proven LACC (International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics stage ≥IB2) who underwent MRI before and after chemoradiotherapy. At each examination, a qualitative and semi-quantitative analysis of primary tumor, including tumor volume and signal intensity were assessed on T2-weighted (T2W) images. All patients had surgery after post-chemoradiotherapy MRI. MRI and histopathologic results were compared.

Results

All patients showed significant difference in tumor volume and signal intensity between pre- and post-chemoradiotherapy MRI ( P < 0.0001). According to pathology, 27/41 (66%) patients had true negative and 2/41 (5%) had true positive post-chemoradiotherapy MRI. Eleven out of 41 (27%) patients showed inflammation with false positive post-chemoradiotherapy MRI and 1/41 (2%) had a false negative post-chemoradiotherapy MRI. Sensitivity, specificity, accuracy, positive predictive values, and negative predictive values of post-chemoradiotherapy MRI in predicting residual disease were 69%, 71%, 71%, 15%, and 96%, respectively.

Conclusion

The differentiation of residual tumor from post-irradiation inflammation with early post- chemoradiotherapy MRI (within 28–60 days) is difficult with a high risk of false positive results. Combination of qualitative and semi-quantitative analysis does not improve the accuracy. Conversely, post-chemoradiotherapy MRI has a high negative predictive value with a low risk of false negative results. The role of conventional MRI combined with functional techniques should be evaluated.
Domestic Violence Against Partners According to Wife-Beaters: Construction of Lifestyle and Life Meaning
Authors: Vignansky Efrat , Timor Uri
Published: November 2015

This qualitative study examines the life stories of men who committed violent crimes against their intimate partners, for which they have served prison sentences. For the study, nine men in a rehabilitation hostel in Israel were interviewed. The study aim was to understand the psychological process that had brought the participants to behave violently towards their partners. Narrative analysis of the life stories resulted in two main themes. The first, childhood, was related to how the interviewee during his childhood perceived his personal identity and his parents. The second theme represented the adult interviewee’s worldview of violence in general and of intimate partner violence in particular. The findings revealed a subjective feeling of inferiority and lack of worth and volition during childhood, a feeling of chaos, and the absence of existential meaning. To avoid these feelings in adulthood, the participants chose a lifestyle that included the use of force and violence, which provided them with a sense of control and meaning. Discussion of the findings is based on the individual psychology theory of Adler and his followers, as well as on the existentialist orientation. According to these approaches, the study participants, who lacked a sense of positive “existential being,” developed a negative lifestyle that enabled them to feel a sense of security, value, and meaning.
The Effects of Life Domains, Constraints, and Motivations on Academic Dishonesty: A Partial Test and Extension of Agnew’s General Theory
Authors: Cochran John K.
Published: November 2015

Recently, Robert Agnew introduced a new general theory of crime and delinquency in which he attempted to corral the vast array of theoretical “causes” of criminal conduct into a more parsimonious statement organized into one of five life domains: self, family, peers, school, and work as well as constraints against crime and motivation for it. These domains are depicted as the source of constraints and motivations and whose effects are, in part, mediated by these constraints and motivations. Based on self-report data on academic dishonesty from a sample of college students, the present study attempts to test this general theory. While several of the life domain variables had significant effects of cheating in the baseline model, all of these effects were fully mediated by constraints and motivations. In the final model, academic dishonesty was observed to be most significantly affected by the perceived severity of formal sanction threats, the number of credit hours enrolled, the frequency of skipping classes, and pressure from friends.