bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Comprehensive Numerical Simulation of Stress and Damage Fields under Thermo-Mechanical Loading for TBC-Coated Ni-Based Superalloy
Authors: Katori Hiroaki , Arai Masayuki , Ito Kiyohiro
Published: August 2018

A finite element analysis code was developed to accurately predict stress and damage fields in thermal barrier coatings (TBCs) systems subjected to thermo-mechanical loadings. An inelastic constitutive equation for TBCs, and a Chaboche-type viscoplastic constitutive equation for Ni-based super alloys (IN738LC) were employed to simulate high temperature creep and cyclic deformation. Simulations of the TBC/IN738LC system subjected to two types of loading, namely, a triangle-wave loading and a GT-operation loading, were performed using the developed analysis code. The results confirmed that the stress and damage fields in the TBC/IN738LC system could be simulated accurately, and provided us with credible results regarding the crack occurrence. Additionally, the analysis under the GT-operation loading conditions revealed that a peak stress generated during the start-up operation would lead to delamination of the TBC, while a peak stress at the shut-down would lead to cracking in the substrate.
Cohesive Zone Modeling of Stable Crack Propagation in Highly Ductile Steel
Authors: Burgold Andreas , Roth Stephan , Kuna Meinhard
Published: August 2018

A recent cohesive zone model is applied to the simulation of crack extension in austenitic stainless steel under large scale yielding conditions. The shape of the corresponding exponential traction-separation-relation can be modified in a wide range. In order to investigate the sensitivity regarding the cohesive zone parameters, a systematic parametric study is performed. The shape of the traction-separation envelope has a minor effect on the results compared to the cohesive strength and the work of separation. The aim is to fit experimental data by an appropriate choice of these parameters. Therefore, not only force-displacement curves should be used, but also crack growth resistance curves should be employed. A promising strategy for parameter identification is derived.
Research on Strength Design of Channel Clips for Suspended Ceilings
Authors: Enoki Shinichi , Shibayama Yuki , Saito Mitsuru , Ito Junichi , Nakamura Yasunori , Ohata Tomiso
Published: August 2018

Suspended ceilings consist of ceiling boards, furring channels, channel clips, furring brackets, hangers and ceiling bolts. The ceilings are easy to drop down when the large earthquake occurred. The channel clips deform and disengage from the ceilings or break at that time. Design engineers calculate and evaluate the stress in the clips by using method with mechanics of materials. The evaluation depends on the experiences of the engineers. Mechanics of materials is considered in elastic region, but the channel clips are in plastic deformation. Therefore, after the design, the clips are manufactured and are subjected to verification tests as the design evaluation. Sometimes the prototype tests become multiple times. The purpose of this research is to build a simple method of an efficient design for the channel clips. It is ordinary to use elastic-plastic analysis at strength design in the case of plastic deformation. But software for elastic-plastic analysis is expensive, so the design method of the channel clips depends on the elastic stress analysis function of 3D CAD in this research. Instead, we designed and evaluated the equivalent stress corresponding the tensile strength in plastic deformation as the evaluation criterion. As a result, it was possible to evaluate the design that the channel clips are not broken when assuming earthquake occurrence with a seismic intensity of 7. This evaluation is reliable compared to the verification test conducted in the past.
The Role of Post Service Heat Treatment on the Contributions of Creep Deformation and Fracture to Service Life of AISI Type 316H Steel Components
Authors: Warren Xander , Chen B. , Griffiths I. , Flewitt P.E.J.
Published: August 2018

Creep cavitation is a life limiting factor in stainless steel high temperature plant. However, regenerative heat treatments offer the potential of sintering creep cavities and thus extending a component’s time to failure. This is countered by thermal aging effects which can lead to precipitate formation and an increased creep rate. This study investigates these behaviours in a AISI Type 316H austenitic stainless steel.
A NURBS-BEM Application in Continuum Damage Mechanics
Authors: Mallardo Vincenzo , Ruocco Eugenio , Beer Gernot
Published: August 2018

In this paper the integral equation approach is used to describe the propagation of continuumdamage in three dimensional solids. The governing equation is of integral type and contains bothboundary and domain integrals. Such integrals are computed with the aid of the NURBS functions.The subvolume involved by the damage is modelled by a special mapping procedure that avoids theuse of the internal cells. The implementation is verified on a test case for which an analytical solutionis available.
The Effect of Explosion in a Tunnel Tube on its Damage
Authors: Prochazka Petr P. , Válek Martin J.
Published: August 2018

The aim of the work is to study the impact of an explosion in a tube on its damage. The theory of Landau-Liftschitz gas dynamics and the damage criterion by the Hoek-Brown in the structure are applied. If the charge is placed centrically in the tube, it is fairly easy to predict both the locations and damage levels. Therefore, the paper is oriented to the case where the charge is placed eccentrically. Air movement is described by the solution of non-linear Euler’s equations by final volume element method, while the response of the fiber reinforced concrete structure of the tube to impact waves is described by the time dependent 20-nodes flat shell elements. In order to ensure the geometric compatibility along the interface between the two media (structure, air), gas dynamics in the air is described by block elements, while the shell is approximated by the finite element. In this way, the problem solved is divided into a description of the air velocity and pressure and the velocity and stress in the solid phase, separately; interaction of the effects caused by the explosion initiated inside of the tube and its impact on the solid phase is concentrated along the interface between these two media. The calculation focuses on the early stages of interaction development when most likely damage is assumed.
Stressed Cylinder Dispersion Curves Based on Effective Elastic Constants and SAFE Method
Authors: Quiroga Mendez Jabid E. , González-Estrada Octavio Andrés , Villegas Diego F.
Published: August 2018

A Semi-Analytical Finite Element (SAFE) formulation is applied to determinethe dispersion curves in homogeneous and isotropic cylindrical waveguides subject touniaxial stress. Bulk waves are required for estimating the guided wave dispersion curvesand acoustoelasticity states a stress dependence of the ultrasound bulk velocities. Therefore,acoustoelasticity influences the wave field of the guided waves. Effective Elastic Constants(EEC) has emerged as a less complex alternative to deal with the acoustoelasticity; allowinga stressed material to be assumed as an unstressed material with EEC which considers thedisturbance linked to the presence of stress. In this approach the isotropic specimen subjectto load is studied by proposing an equivalent stress-free with a modified elasticity matrixwhich terms are the EEC. EEC provides an approximate stress-strain relation facilitating thedetermination of the dispersion curves using the well-studied numerical solution for the stressfreecases reducing the complexity of the numerical implementation. Therefore, a numericalmethod combining the SAFE and EEC is presented as a tool for the dispersion curve generationin stressed cylindrical specimens. The results of this methodology are verified by comparingthem with an approach previously reported in the literature based on SAFE including the fullstrain-displacement relation
A Microstructural Model for Micro-Cracking in Piezoceramics
Authors: Benedetti Ivano , Gulizzi Vincenzo , Milazzo Alberto
Published: August 2018

Piezoelectric ceramics are employed in several applications for their capability to couple mechanical and electrical fields, which can be advantageously exploited for the implementation of smart functionalities. The electromechanical coupling, which can be employed for fast accurate micro-positioning devices, makes such materials suitable for application in micro electro-mechanical systems (MEMS). However, due to their brittleness, piezoceramics can develop damage leading to initiation of micro-cracks, affecting the performance of the material in general and the micro-devices in particular. For such reasons, the development of accurate and robust numerical tools is an important asset for the design of such systems. The most popular numerical method for the analysis of micro-mechanical multi-physics problems, still in a continuum mechanics setting, is the Finite Element Method (FEM). Here we propose an alternative integral formulation for the grain-scale analysis of degradation and failure in polycrystalline piezoceramics. The formulation is developed for 3D aggregates and inter-granular failure is modelled through generalised cohesive laws.
Robust and Reliability-Based Design Optimization of a Composite Floor Beam
Authors: Sbaraglia Fabrizio , Farokhi Hamed , Aliabadi M.H.
Published: August 2018

This study investigates the advantages and disadvantages of using probabilistic optimization methods in aircraft structural design. The necessity to achieve a design insensitive to system's variations (robust) and less likely to fail (reliable) is addressed, in order to reduce costs and risk of accidents. Because of the complex nature of composite structures, the need of surrogate models to predict structural responses arises. In order to build a meta-model, Design of Experiments (DOE) methods are used to determine the location of sampling points in the design space. Monte Carlo Simulations (MCS), creating random samples, are used to propagate uncertainties from the surrogate model inputs to variations in model outputs. Different optimization algorithms and surrogate models are compared, in order to speed up the optimization process and reduce modelling errors. The deterministic design resulted in a design which is neither robust nor reliable. Stochastic approaches accounting for uncertainties, on the other hand, resulted in enhanced robustness (Robust Design), enhanced reliability (Reliable Design) or a combination of both (Robust and Reliable Design).
Prediction of Fatigue Life of Structural Steel S355-J2G3 with SK Critical Plane Model
Authors: Cruces A.S. , Lopez-Crespo Pablo , Sandip S. , Moreno Belen
Published: August 2018

The present work assesses the fatigue life prediction capability of a recently proposed critical plane model. For this study, multiaxial fatigue data of S355-J2G3 steel were used; in-phase and 90o out-of-phase sinusoidal axial-torsional straining from 103 to 106 cycles, so it was possible to evaluate the model at low and high cycle fatigue, as well as the hardening effect. The damage parameters considered in this paper include the effect of hardening, mean shear stress effect and the effect due to interaction of shear and normal stress on the critical plane. A comparative evaluation of well accepted models (Wang-Brown, Fatemi-Socie and Liu 1 and 2) with the new recently proposed model (Suman-Kallmeyer) is done. The ability of the different models to predict the fatigue life for large and diverse load data set are discussed.
Strain Injection Techniques for Modeling 3D Crack Propagation
Authors: Dias I.F. , Oliver Javier , Lloberas-Valls O.
Published: August 2018

This work presents some novel results obtained by using the strain injection techniques for modeling crack propagation in challenging 3D benchmark tests. The techniques were already tested and validated by static and dynamic simulations in 2D ADDIN EN.CITE ADDIN EN.CITE.DATA [ HYPERLINK \l "_ENREF_1" \o "Dias, 2012 #1526" 1-4], so the main goal of this paper is to verify if the most important advantages of the method, low computational cost and independence of the results on the finite element mesh, are kept in 3D.
The methodology, implemented in the finite element framework, consists essentially in injecting those elements that are going to capture the cracks with some enhanced strain modes for improving the performance of the elements for modeling propagating material failure.
Fatigue Assessment of a Slender Footbridge Based on an Updated Finite Element Model
Authors: Pérez-Aracil J. , Hernandez-Díaz A.M. , Jiménez-Alonso J.F. , Puerta-Lopez F.J.
Published: August 2018

Finite element model updating is a well-known technique to better characterize the real behaviour of civil engineering structures. The updated numerical model can be used to perform a more accurate structural assessment. Herein, its effectiveness is validated through the fatigue assessment of a lively footbridge considering two different numerical models: (i) a preliminary finite element (FE) model and (ii) an updated version of the preliminary model based on the modal parameters of the footbridge identified experimentally. For this purpose, the Malecon footbridge (Murcia, Spain) has been considered. This footbridge, a cable-stayed structure, is prone to vibrate in vertical direction under continuous walking pedestrian flows so fatigue damage might be expected on its supporting cables. A detailed FE model of the footbridge has been performed and subsequently updated based on the experimental modal parameters of the structure. The behaviour of the pedestrian flows was characterized by field observations. Finally, a comparison is performed between the fatigue damage of some cables of the footbridge considering the two mentioned FE models. The safe life method was used to assess such damage. As result, a maximum relative difference around 52 % was obtained between the two numerical models.
A Phase Field Staggered Algorithm for Fracture Modeling in Heterogeneous Microstructure
Authors: Seleš Karlo , Lesičar Tomislav , Tonković Zdenko , Sorić Jurica
Published: August 2018

The phase field approach to fracture modelling is based on a variational principle of the energy minimization as an extension of the Griffith’s brittle fracture theory. It introduces a scalar damage field, to differentiate between the fractured and intact material state. That way, it regularizes the sharp crack discontinuities and eliminates the need for the explicit tracking of the fracture surfaces. Moreover, the numerical implementation complexity is thus vastly reduced. In this contribution, the staggered phase field algorithm for the modelling of brittle fracture is implemented within the finite element program Abaqus. A common issue of the existing Abaqus implementations of the staggered phase field schemes is the computationally demanding fine incrementation of the loading applied, required to obtain an accurate solution. The computational time is reduced by imposing an appropriate convergence control paired with the Abaqus automatic time incrementation. Therefore, by taking advantage of the Abaqus computational efficiency, an accurate solution can be obtained for a moderate time step. The proposed model is verified on the symmetrically double notched tensile benchmark test. Compared to the existing implementations, it demonstrates an improvement in accuracy and the computational performance. Furthermore, a heterogeneous steel microstructure is analyzed displaying the model’s ability to solve crack nucleation and curvilinear crack paths.
Guided Wave Based Damage Detection in a Composite Plate with an Opening
Authors: Ming Neo Gao , Sharif Khodaei Zahra
Published: August 2018

This work reports on damage detection in a composite plate with an opening. A composite plate with an opening is manufactured and sensorized to investigate the effect of the opening on the wave propagation as well as the reliability of the delay and sum damage detection method in the presence of the opening. The plate was then impacted with a drop mass to cause barely visible impact damage and sensor data are gathered to analyze the diagnosis. The results show that if all the sensors around the opening is used, even though damage can be detected, it cannot be localized accurately. Further investigation shows that by localizing the sensor network to the one close to the damage area (multi-level detection), damage can be both detected and localized reliably. The results of the detection are also compared with the maximum coverage area map to validate the optimal sensor selection strategy.
Characterization of Adhesion Properties by Delamination of Ceramic-Metal Interfaces in Four Point Bending
Authors: Lederer Martin , Kotas Agnieszka Betzwar , Khatibi Golta , Danninger Herbert
Published: August 2018

The adhesive strength of ceramic - copper interfaces was measured in four point bending using a central notch for crack initiation. According to our method, plastic deformation may occur during the delamination process. FEM simulations were employed in order to separate elastic and plastic contributions to the energy consumption of the experiment. In conclusion, a novel delamination criterion based on the stress intensity at the crack tip was established. Here, the stress invariant J3 is used as indicator for delamination of the interface. Agreement between experiments and theoretical interpretation is demonstrated for copper layers directly bonded to aluminum oxide.
Using Google Trends Data to Gauge Interest in Virtual Worlds
Authors: Crider Anthony , Torrez-Riley Jessica
Published: August 2018

Virtual worlds rose and fell in popularity a decade ago, and today's nascent commercially-available virtual reality could repeat this pattern. With sparse data available for gauging interest in technology products, such as virtual worlds or virtual reality, Google Trends search popularity has been used in prior studies as a proxy for global interest. We explore the problems with this approach using data from three virtual worlds: Second Life, Minecraft, and World of Warcraft. We find that Google Trends search volume does not correlate with user purchases or subscriptions, and the single shifted Gompertz function used in prior studies may not be sufficient to model both product user searches and searches driven by media attention.
Virtually Together: Examining Pre-Existing Relationships in MMOG Play
Authors: Bergstrom Kelly , Jenson Jennifer , De Castell Suzanne , Taylor Nicholas
Published: August 2018

Massively Multiplayer Online Games (MMOGs) have been a fruitful venue to study social interactions ranging from small temporary groups, to larger more permanent in-game social collectives such as guilds or clans. Much of this literature is focused on strangers becoming friends through MMOG play; comparatively, little is known about gameplay-based interactions between pre-existing romantic couples. To address that gap, this paper describes the methods used and subsequent results of an empirical investigation of the in-game actions and collaborations between couple and non-couple pairings as they played the MMOG RIFT. In our attempts to determine if couples display distinctive in-game behaviors, we found that players with a pre-existing relationship (friendship or romantic) behave in a similar manner while playing together. However, our findings indicate that avatar proximity is the key to distinguishing whether this pre-existing relationship is platonic or romantic in nature.
Avatar Sex – the Joy of the Not-Real
Authors: Wardle Peter F
Published: August 2018

The simulation of sex within social virtual worlds such as Second Life, distinct from any accompanying emotional intimacy which may exist between the avatars (via their operators in the actual world), is generally achieved by means of a pre-scripted animation in which two (or more) avatars participate, not unlike if the operators had chosen to have avatars participate in a pre-scripted animation of them dancing together.Wardle (2015) used the Lacanian terminology of the Symbolic, Imaginary and Real to create a framework to typify the behavior and interaction of avatars; Symbolic avatars who behave in accordance with a pre-defined role, Imaginary avatars which serve as persona masks for the operator and Real avatars in which the complex mutually interactive relationship between operator and avatar leads to the emergence of an autonomous symbiotic unit.This essay applies this terminology to examine the factors which have led to the simulation of sex becoming such a major element of avatar behavior within social virtual worlds such as Second Life.
Representations of Africans in Popular Video Games in the U.S
Authors: Bayeck Rebecca Y. , Asino Tutaleni I. , Young Patricia A.
Published: August 2018

Studies investigating the representation of Africans and other ethnicities are scarce in video game literature. Using a content analysis approach, this paper examines Africans’ representation in ten of the most popular games of 2014 in the United States based on industry market research reports. The findings show that Africans are underrepresented in video games explored in this study. The study also reveals that African characters in these games did not play leading roles in the storyline. Results are discussed as they pertain to Africans’ representation in video games, media effect, and media literature. This exploratory study broadens the discussion on representation in video games to other ethnicities and shows the need for studies on representation in contemporary video games that include understudied ethnicities.
Gaming the Performance: Massively Multiplayer Online Games and Performance Outcomes in English and Business Courses
Authors: Bawa Papia , Watson Sunnie Lee , Watson William
Published: August 2018

The push for technology integration in classrooms calls for examinations of available options, particularly those that have not yet been used to their full potential for various reasons. One such technology is digital commercial games which, though designed for entertainment, may have potential educational benefits. Although there have been several discussions in the literature about the possibilities of such commercial video games as educational assets, there persists a gap in our understanding of the value of such games in the context of Higher Education. This gap is particularly visible when it comes to studies on how commercial games may affect performance outcomes in multiple disciplines. Thus, this study examined Massively Multiplayer Online Games (MMOGs), one genre of commercial games, in two disciplines, to discover how, and if, they improved learner performances. This information could help facilitate technology integration in new and interesting ways for institutions, instructors, and instructional designers. Using a True Experimental design that examined the performance scores of 214 students in English and Business courses, the effect of using MMOGs on participation scores was analyzed from multiple statistical perspectives. The findings strongly suggest that using MMOGs helped experimental groups to perform better. Additionally, there are strong indications that game related content like game wikis, blogs, game site information, and game video tutorials was also instrumental in improved performance, irrespective of active gameplay or not. This is significant as it may provide easier-to-integrate options for MMOGs in the curriculum. Practitioner, theoretical and research implications are also discussed.
Virtual Commerce (V-Commerce) in Second Life: The Roles of Physical Presence and Brand-Self Connection
Authors: Jin Seung-A Annie , Bolebruch Justin
Published: August 2018

Second Life, in a form of advergaming (a portmanteau of “advertising” and “gaming”), is an innovative venue for marketing communication and brand management in virtual commerce (v-commerce). Virtual shopping malls in 3D environments provide interactive and immersive settings that complement strong offerings of electronic commerce. The ability to offer vivid and engrossing social interactions with spokes-avatars within three-dimensional (3D) environments is the key advantage of interactive marketing in Second Life. This study particularly focused on the “physical presence” dimension of interactive brand marketing in 3D virtual environments and its impact on brand-self connection and consumers’ evaluation of a spokes-avatar’s credibility. In the domain of brand marketing in 3D virtual environments, physical presence refers to the degree to which consumers feel as if virtual products and retail settings were real. Data analyses show that an increased level of physical presence positively influences consumers’ brand-self connection and evaluation of spokes-avatar credibility (expertise and trustworthiness) in 3D virtual environment-based brand marketing.
Who is Portrayed in Second Life: Dr. Jekyll or Mr. Hyde? The Extent of Congruence Between Real Life and Virtual Identity
Authors: Koles Bernadett , Nagy Peter
Published: August 2018

Virtual social environments opened the door to individual experiences that may not be feasible or possible in real physical settings; in turn bringing to question the applicability of certain more traditional theories to digital environments. Addressing some of this gap in the available literature, in the current study, we compare virtual and real life identities simultaneously, as well as explore the impact of selfconsciousness on virtual identity. Our results indicate that while some of the overall trends are similar between identities constructed in the physical world and those constructed in virtual settings, different identity elements and dimensions tend to be emphasized to different degrees. Furthermore, we find evidence for the role of private in addition to public self-consciousness as influencing virtual existence. In other words, in addition to the general emphasis concerning the  role of socially influenced external elements in the formulation of virtual identities, the current study highlights the importance of more internalized and  individual level attitudes and perceptions, including one’s inner thoughts, emotions, and perspectives. Implications and future directions are discussed.
Between Purpose and Method: A Review of Educational Research on 3D Virtual Worlds
Authors: Kim Sahoon H. , Lee Jiyeon Lee , Thomas Michael K.
Published: August 2018

This study aims to enhance our holistic understanding of 3D virtual worlds by providing a detailed analysis of the research methods and research trends related to the research of 3D virtual worlds for educational environments. Data was collected by searching for the ubiquitous term, "virtual world," from databases. Snowball sampling was also employed. The researchers critically analyzed the literature as data focusing on how virtual worlds were applied in individual studies, what research methods were used, and what disciplines were examined in the studies. The results indicate that virtual worlds are mainly used for the simulation of space, and they are used in different ways depending on discipline and descriptive research methods were most used in research studies on the educational applications of virtual worlds, experimental approaches are increasingly being used by researchers. Based on these results, this study suggests an appropriate research direction for the application of virtual worlds in educational contexts in the future.
Assessment and Learning in the Virtual World: Tasks, Taxonomies and Teaching for Real
Authors: Vallance Michael , Martin Stewart M.
Published: August 2018

Many educational institutions make use of assessment schemes based on an ordered hierarchy of cognitive activity, where the judgments of educators on the learning progress of students are expressed using marks or grades. These have high face-validity because they appear to represent intuitively sound descriptions of learning development. The language found in many such assessment structures and their protocols reflects the hierarchy within a revised Bloom's Taxonomy where, in the cognitive domain, evaluation and synthesis is regarded as superior to analysis or application, which are themselves rewarded above memory or understanding. Virtual worlds provide an opportunity to explore new educational contexts for analyzing and measuring cognitive processes that support learning. The present research used the Second Life virtual world as a medium for remotely located students to communicate in the collaborative construction and programming of robots. Iterative tasks were used to explore several neo-Bloomian cognitive processes and knowledge dimensions. Analysis of 60 hours of video from classroom activity, transcribed data and in-world interaction suggests that the hierarchy of descriptors and associated ratings that are used within assessment schemes based on neo-Bloomian taxonomies may not accurately correspond to the 'higher order' cognitive ability development of students.
Virtual Worlds as a Tool to Facilitate Weight Management for Young People
Authors: Taylor Michael James , Taylor Dave , Kulendran Myutan , Gately Paul , Darzi Ara
Published: August 2018

Childhood obesity is a serious problem in the UK, with around 20% of children aged 10-11 being overweight or obese. Lifestyle interventions can be effective, but there is limited evidence of their effectiveness in delivering sustained weight loss. The present research explored potential of web-based, 3-dimensional virtual worlds (VWs) for facilitation of weight-management, well-being and patient and public involvement (PPI) for young people. Attendees of a weight management camp took part in induction sessions for use of the VW of Second Life. All participants successfully learned how to interact with one another and navigate the virtual environment. Participant appraisals of Second Life were varied. Some found it complicated and difficult to use, and some found it fun and the majority stated that they would choose to use VWs again. There is considerable potential for use of VWs to promote weight management, and Second Life or a similar VW could be used to deliver this. Potential barriers include members of the target sample having limited access to computers with necessary system requirements for running VWs, and that some may find VW-based educational experiences unappealing or challenging to navigate. For some however, VWs may provide a useful mode for provision of education, PPI and support relating to weight management.
Taxation of Virtual World Economies: A Review of the Current Status
Authors: Switzer Jamie S. , Switzer Ralph V.
Published: August 2018

The taxation of virtual world economies is uncharted terrain, one that both researchers and government officials are just beginning to scrutinize. Taxes are inevitable in any economy, but what about the increasingly lucrative virtual world economies? The market for virtual goods and services is estimated to be in the millions of dollars, so it is no wonder that governments are beginning to take notice. Experts are divided as to the feasibility of taxation of virtual economies. Most experts agree however that there is significant ambiguity in the current U.S. Internal Revenue Code with respect to virtual worlds. It is unclear if transactions occurring in a virtual world are taxable in the U.S., and the Internal Revenue Service has to date not offered any strong guidance regarding the issue.In this article, we argue that virtual transactions are already subject to taxation under current U.S. law, at any point in time that the U.S. Internal Revenue Service should decide to enforce the current law, whether taking place in game worlds or unscripted worlds. This would include virtual-to-virtual transactions as well as virtual-to-real transactions, as the issue at hand is whether or not virtual activity is taxable, regardless of realization, because all goods and services have a fair market value.
Overview: Virtual Reality in Medicine
Authors: Pensieri Claudio , Pennacchini Maddalena
Published: August 2018

Background: Virtual Reality (VR) was defined as a collection of technological devices: “a computer capable of interactive 3D visualization, a head-mounted display and data gloves equipped with one or more position trackers”. Today, lots of scientists define VR as a simulation of the real world based on computer graphics, a three dimensional world in which communities of real people interact, create content, items and services, producing real economic value through e-Commerce.Objective: To report the results of a systematic review of articles and reviews published about the theme: “Virtual Reality in Medicine”.Methods: We used the search query string: “Virtual Reality”, “Metaverse”, “Second Life”, “Virtual World”, “Virtual Life” in order to find out how many articles were written about these themes. For the “Meta-review” we used only “Virtual Reality” AND “Review”. We searched the following databases: Psycinfo, Journal of Medical Internet Research, Isiknowledge till September 2011 and Pubmed till February 2012. We included any source published in either print format or on the Internet, available in all languages, and containing texts that define or attempt to define VR in explicit terms.Results: We retrieved 3,443 articles on Pubmed in 2012 and 8,237 on Isiknowledge in 2011. This large number of articles covered a wide range of themes, but showed no clear consensus about VR. We identified 4 general uses of VR in Medicine, and searched for the existing reviews about them. We found 364 reviews in 2011, although only 197 were pertinent to our aims: 1. Communication Interface (11 Reviews); 2. Medical Education (49 reviews); 3. Surgical Simulation (49 Reviews) and 4. Psychotherapy (88 Reviews).Conclusion: We found a large number of articles, but no clear consensus about the meaning of the term VR in Medicine. We found numerous articles published on these topics and many of them have been reviewed. We decided to group these reviews in 4 areas in order to provide a systematic overview of the subject matter, and to enable those interested to learn more about these particular topics.
Review of Educational Research Methods in Desktop Virtual World Environments: Framing the Past to Provide Future Direction
Authors: Beck Dennis , Perkins Ross
Published: August 2018

This article describes educational research methodologies being used in the investigation and evaluation of desktop virtual world environments (DVWEs) as used to teach a variety of subjects in higher education. Ellis’ research framework on innovations (2005) and Reeves and Hedberg’s research goals (2003) were used as lenses to examine the state of educational research methods within DVWEs. An extensive search that resulted in 127 peer-reviewed papers chosen, was carried out to locate journal articles in the fields of educational technology, computer science and information systems, virtual reality/virtual worlds/gaming, science and health education, human-computer interaction, media and communications, psychology, social science, cognitive science, and library science. Results showed that while small scale research is common, research with broader goals (i.e. program evaluation, developmental research) is lacking.Implications include the need for signature developmental researchers to make their virtual world applications open source, and for DVWE researchers to explore collaborative research opportunities with postmodern, education researchers in order to shed more light on important issues of equity, gender, politics, and culture that impact education.
Virtual Worlds Enabling Distributed Collaboration
Authors: Hakonen Marko , Bosch-Sijtsema Petra M.
Published: August 2018

Despite the growing prevalence of distributed work as an organizational form, the virtual world literature has largely neglected to consider the potentials of this new media in distributed collaboration. In the present study, we studied how virtual worlds (VWs) are used in professional distributed work and how they influence new forms of collaboration in distributed work settings. The study is based on a partially grounded theory analysis method of 47 semi-structured interviews. The interviews revealed several new collaboration potentials of virtual worlds in distributed work, like new forms of training and learning, as well as enabling small group meetings and large events. Based on the interview findings we developed a conceptual model in which psychological processes supported by the VW enable distributed collaboration in terms of immersion, engagement, social presence, and trust. Furthermore, technological features of the VW, like the use of avatars, import of 3D objects, and use of physical clues, enable distributed collaboration. The psychological processes and technological features’ new forms of collaboration are largely interdependent. In sum, our results indicate that virtual worlds provide many opportunities for innovative collaboration in distributed work.
Fostering Team Creativity in Virtual Worlds
Authors: Alahuhta Pekka , Nordbäck Emma , Sivunen Anu , Surakka Teemu
Published: August 2018

This article addresses the potential of virtual worlds as a platform for creative team collaboration. The proliferation of geographically distributed teams, striving towards innovative results, calls for ICT that support team creativity. Three-dimensional virtual worlds represent such an emergent and rapidly developing collaboration tool. A systematic literature review was conducted to reveal the affordances of virtual worlds contributing towards team creativity.The results of the literature review reveal eight proposed affordances relevant for virtual worlds to foster team level creativity. Avatars (1) allow the team members to express themselves and their insights and point out information to others. Changing the users’ frame of reference (2) embraces the virtual world’s potential as a context for creative action. Perceived feeling of co-presence (3) within the team members, and user’s own experience of immersion (4), contributes towards engaging creative team collaboration. Multimodality (5) and rich visual information (6) facilitate communication between team members. Finally, virtual worlds allow teams to modify the collaboration environment to simulate a new kind of reality (7), and offer a selection of supporting tools (8) that can be utilized in the creative collaboration.Departures for further research efforts and insights for practitioners engaged in virtual world collaboration are presented.
Finding Healthcare Support in Online Communities: An Exploration of the Evolution and Efficacy of Virtual Support Groups
Authors: Davis Donna Z. , Calitz Willemien
Published: August 2018

With the advent of social media technologies, debate continues to swirl around the ability of these technologies to either connect or isolate. Healthcare support communities represent an especially vulnerable population who can potentially gain most significantly from the ability to connect via online social support groups. This paper reviews current literature on the efficacy of online social support groups, with a particular interest in 3-D online social virtual worlds. The literature reveals the importance of social support in general; of finding support online in these mediated environments; and the strengths and weaknesses in the current technologies that offer virtual healthcare support groups. Characteristics of social virtual worlds including persistence, anonymity, 24/7 access to individuals globally, and virtual embodiment reveal powerful potential to build support online. For example, individuals with disabilities, chronic illness, or mental illness may not have physical or social resources necessary to get to face-to-face support groups yet the literature also finds that they may find meaningful support in avatar form.Finally, the literature also frequently cites the growing need for a clear understanding of user privacy, informed consent, intellectual property and ethics in research in this arena. As cost and access to healthcare and social support may become more challenging, access to support online is becoming more mainstream with tremendous opportunity, especially for individuals whose lives are limited by chronic illness or disability.
Put on Your Game Face: Designing the Researcher Presence In immersive Digital Environments
Authors: Banks Jaime , Martey Rosa Mikeal
Published: August 2018

Researchers’ appearance and behavior may influence study participants’ thoughts, feelings, and behaviors during in-person data collection. However, investigators in online settings can manage this influence by leveraging platform affordances to craft purposeful, scripted presences. We argue for a revisioning of approaches to researcher presence in immersive digital environments. In particular, we draw on the metaphor of a video game non-player character (NPC) to position researchers as characters embedded in study narratives. The researcher-as-NPC is designed by purposefully selecting visual, verbal, and behavioral features in relation to the norms and requirements of both the research and the immersive digital environment. This balance allows an avatar to function as a more transparent research tool and as a character within both the research and world narratives, rather than as a mere extension of researcher agency. We offer two case studies – one in an open digital world of Second Life and one in a structured online game World of Warcraft – to illustrate how this framework can contribute to effective parameters for participant interaction that minimize potential threats to validity and advance specific research objectives.
Technology and the Not-so-Stable Body: “Being There” in the Cyborg’s Dilemma
Authors: Gleason Sean Philip
Published: August 2018

Will virtual worlds one day be perceptually similar to everyday life? Could virtual reality (VR) provide a platform for individuals to dialogue about pressing social or political issues? From the Ready Player One and Matrix franchises, to the science fiction of Isaac Asimov, the communicative and political implications of hybrid human/machine virtual worlds have been heavily theorized. Yet, fundamental questions remain as to whether or not VR could ever substantiate the breath and scope of embodied, non-virtual experience. The following paper examines whether VR platforms are capable of providing an authentic sense of “being there” in digital spaces. Drawing from empirical findings in cognitive neuroscience, scholarship on virtual presence, and the phenomenology of perception, this paper argues that any attempt to communicate embodied presence within VR must account for the role of motoric action in structuring a vividly experienced worldhood. To this end, increased sensory feedback from new technologies will add to the life-like quality of virtual reality only insofar as this feedback is filtered through an action-oriented body image.
Detecting Covert Networks in Multilingual Groups: Evidence within a Virtual World
Authors: Triplet Janea , Harrison Andrew , Mennecke Brian , Mirsadikov Akmal
Published: August 2018

This paper introduces an approach for the examination and organization of unstructured text to identify relationships between networks of individuals. This approach uses discourse analysis to identify information providers and recipients and determines the structure of covert organizations irrespective of the language that facilitate conversations between members. Then, this method applies social network analytics to determine the arrangement of a covert organization without any a priori knowledge of the network structure. This approach is tested and validated using communication data collected in a virtual world setting. Our analysis indicates that the proposed framework successfully detected the covert structure of three information networks, and their cliques, within an online gaming community during a simulation of a large-scale event.
Pokémon GO 2016: Exploring Situational Contexts of Critical Incidents in Augmented Reality
Authors: Kari Tuomas
Published: August 2018

Pokémon GO, an augmented reality mobile game, captured the attention of millions of people around the world in July 2016. Various sources from around the globe have reported both positive and negative incidents and outcomes related to the game. Some of the incidents have been particularly remarkable for the player, i.e., critical incidents. A critical incident is a single experience, which a person perceives or remembers as unusually positive or negative. Critical incidents typically are highly influential for human behaviour, and thus, important to study. Playing augmented reality games can take place in varying situational contexts. Situational context includes information that can be used to characterize the situation of a person, place, or object, and has been shown to be influential in mobile use context. This study investigates in which kinds of situational contexts do critical incidents of augmented reality game Pokémon GO take place. The focus is on four different situational contexts that Pokémon GO can be played in: sociality, interaction state, place, and reasons for playing. The study is based on analysing an online survey sample of 226 responses. The findings pose insights and implications regarding augmented reality applications and games in general, and thus, assist the developers in their efforts to provide the users with meaningful and positive experiences with games and other augmented reality applications.
Playful Constructivism: Making Sense of Digital Games for Learning and Creativity Through Play, Design, and Participation
Authors: Marone Vittorio
Published: August 2018

The goal of this article is to provide a conceptual framework to better understand digital games in learning and creative contexts through the dimensions of play, design, and participation. This framework can be used as a guiding tool for the selection, implementation, and evaluation of game-based approaches in formal and informal educational settings, as well as a blueprint for making sense of playful learning and creativity in virtual worlds and technology-mediated environments. In essence, this article seeks to answer the question “What are digital games and how can we make sense of them for learning and creativity?” The proposed visual model and conceptual framework, here defined as Playful Constructivism, is grounded on the learning theories of Situated Cognition, Social Constructivism, and Constructionism, and draws from play and game studies, design-based learning, and affinity spaces research. This framework is not intended as the “ultimate” conceptualization of game-based learning, but rather as an agile tool that can guide scholars, practitioners, and students through the affordances, challenges, and opportunities of implementing and using digital games in learning and creative contexts.