Crowded Space Research Articles

Blended Antenna Wearables for an Unconstrained Mobile Experience

We envision a world in which everyday life experiences can be augmented on-demand via the real-time cloud processing of information sourced at multiple wireless end points. While current wireless systems focus their effort on improving downlink capacity, these life-changing augmented experiences will only become a reality if the uplink capacity increases at the same or even higher rate. As a catalyzer for the capacity increase in both directions of the wireless communication link, we propose an innovative idea that brings the spectral and energy efficiency benefits of massive MIMO systems directly to the end user without compromising device size, weight, or power consumption. We propose a radio enhanced garment composed of blended textile antennas for seamless high data rate connectivity anytime, anywhere, addressing immediate and future needs. The real-world applications for such a solution are tremendous, including enhanced connectivity in crowded spaces and remote areas, as well as symmetric extremely high data rates for access to next generation real-time services (e.g., augmented reality and cognition, real-time computer vision, telepresence, 3D video sharing) from ever lighter end user devices (e.g., Google Glass).

Unconventional Ion-Permeation Pathways in NaVAb and CavAb Channels from Molecular Simulations with Polarizable Force-Fields

The availability of high-resolution structures for bacterial homologuesvariety of well-established force-fields firmly established that selective Na+ transport relies on the multi-ion permeation mechanisms with some substantial differences from a narrow-pore knock-on permeation detailed for K+ selective channels. However, binding of multiple ions into a crowded space common to selectivity filters pose a number of conceptual questions regarding role of local of Na+ and Ca2+ selective channels open an avenue for in-depth understanding of selective permeation mechanisms central to electrical signaling in excitable cells. A plethora of studies performed with classical Molecular Dynamics simulations techniques using a dielectric and polarization effects. Our recent work firmly established limits of applicability of the classical force-fields in studies of divalent ions binding to metalloprotein hosts. The energetics of Na+ interactions with protein hosts is captured considerably better by classical approximation. To establish detailed permeation mechanisms with explicit account for polarization effects, we performed MD simulations combined with QM computations for different mixtures of sodium, potassium, calcium ions permeating across Na+ selective (NaVAb) and Ca2+ selective (CavAb), channels. From 2D PMFs and QM ion-protein interaction energies, we reported significant changes in the permeation pathways of ions in these two models unravelling bases of selective transport in physiologically relevant ion channels. We proposed a different view on how the channels select ions, in a way that is clearly distinguishable from potassium-selective channels.

How Children Perceive the Acoustic Environment of Their School.

Objective:Children’s own ratings and opinions on their schools sound environments add important information on noise sources. They can also provide information on how to further improve and optimize children’s learning situation in their classrooms. This study reports on the Swedish translation and application of an evidence-based questionnaire that measures how children perceive the acoustic environment of their school.Study Design:The Swedish version was made using a back-to-back translation. Responses on the questionnaire along with demographic data were collected for 149 children aged 9–13 years of age.Results:The Swedish translation of the questionnaire can be reduced from 93 to 27 items. The 27 items were distributed over five separate factors measuring different underlying constructs with high internal consistency and high inter-item correlations. The responses demonstrated that the dining hall/canteen and the corridors are the school spaces with the poorest listening conditions. The highest annoyance was reported for tests and reading; next, student-generated sounds occur more frequently within the classroom than any sudden unexpected sounds, and finally, road traffic noise and teachers in adjoining classrooms are the most frequently occurring sounds from outside the classroom. Several demographic characteristics could be used to predict the outcome on these factors.Conclusion:The findings suggest that crowded spaces are most challenging; the children themselves generate most of the noise inside the classroom, but it is also common to hear road traffic noise and teachers in adjoining classrooms. The extent of annoyance that noise causes depends on the task but seems most detrimental in tasks, wherein the demands of verbal processing are higher. Finally, children with special support seem to report that they are more susceptible to noise than the typical child.

Intracellular nanoparticle dynamics affected by cytoskeletal integrity.

The cell interior is a crowded chemical space, which limits the diffusion of molecules and organelles within the cytoplasm, affecting the rates of chemical reactions. We provide insight into the relationship between non-specific intracellular diffusion and cytoskeletal integrity. Quantum dots entered the cell through microinjection and their spatial coordinates were captured by tracking their fluorescence signature as they diffused within the cell cytoplasm. Particle tracking revealed significant enhancement in the mobility of biocompatible quantum dots within fibrosarcoma cells versus their healthy counterparts, fibroblasts, as well as in actin destabilized fibroblasts versus untreated fibroblasts. Analyzing the displacement distributions provided insight into how the heterogeneity of the cell cytoskeleton influences intracellular particle diffusion. We demonstrate that intracellular diffusion of non-specific nanoparticles is enhanced by disrupting the actin network, which has implications for drug delivery efficacy and trafficking.

Following the crowd or avoiding it? Empirical investigation of imitative behaviour in emergency escape of human crowds

When humans escape from a threat in a crowded space, how do they choose the best wayfinding strategy for their survival? This is a decision context in which individuals are heavily exposed to the actions of others; it is thus plausible to assume that they are influenced by the social interactions. It has been suggested by some influential theoretical studies that in emergency escape situations, ‘people show a tendency towards mass behaviour, that is, to do what other people do’ (Helbing, D., Farkas, I., Vicsek, T., 2000. Simulating dynamical features of escape panic. Nature, 407, 487–490, page 487). However, the validity of this assumption has not come under scrutiny, nor has the role of context-specific factors that may strengthen or weaken the possibility of displaying the so-called herd-type (or imitative) behaviour been adequately understood in this context. Here, we report on novel wayfinding decision experiments that simulated the escape of human crowds from multi-exit spaces. Participants' perceptions of different contributing factors were quantitatively inferred from their observed choices (N = 3015) using econometric modelling methods. Results showed that the direction at which the social interactions (i.e. observing the movements of other evacuees towards different exit alternatives) impacted on individuals' navigational choices depended significantly on the decision maker's knowledge about the attributes of the alternatives chosen by the crowd flows. Contrary to the conventional belief, people's dominant wayfinding strategy was not to copy the escape directions that other people (i.e. the majority) chose. In fact, in a heavily crowded space with little or no choice uncertainty, observing many people choosing a certain exit direction reduced the desirability of that escape route. The assumption of herd-like behaviour does not necessarily apply to all contexts of evacuations and it should be considered in conjunction with the moderating role of context-specific factors, particularly the level of information available to individual evacuees.

Inspiring crowdsourcing communities to create novel solutions: Competition design and the mediating role of trust

Online communities have become an important source for knowledge and new ideas. However, little is known about how to create a compelling virtual experience to inspire individuals to make novel contributions. This examination is crucial as participants' time and attention have become increasingly scarce resources in an ever more crowded online space. Drawing from the motivation through job design theory, we develop and test a research framework to examine how motivation can be influenced or triggered by competition design characteristics to drive creativity in crowdsourcing communities. Specifically, we investigate the importance of task and knowledge design dimensions in eliciting levels of motivation leading to creative efforts. Additionally, we consider the mediating influence of trust in driving knowledge contribution behaviour. Our hypothesising suggests that trust in the hosting platform reduces uncertainty and fosters knowledge exchange. Based on an empirical study of Kaggle's data scientists community, it reveals that intrinsic motivation exerts a strong effect on participation intention, which in turn positively impacts participant's creative efforts. Highly autonomous competitions with special emphasis on problem solving that require solvers to perform a variety of tasks will further challenge contestants to apply their abilities and skills leading to greater enjoyment and sense of competence. Our findings provide important implications for Web platform managers for the successful management of crowdsourcing communities.

Factors influencing experience in crowds – The participant perspective

Humans encounter crowd situations on a daily basis, resulting in both negative and positive experiences. Understanding how to optimise the participant experience of crowds is important. In the study presented in this paper, 5 focus groups were conducted (35 participants, age range: 21–71 years) and 55 crowd situations observed (e.g. transport hubs, sport events, retail situations). Influences on participant experience in crowds identified by the focus groups and observations included: physical design of crowd space and facilities (layout, queuing strategies), crowd movement (monitoring capacity, pedestrian flow), communication and information (signage, wayfinding), comfort and welfare (provision of facilities, environmental comfort), and public order. It was found that important aspects affecting participant experience are often not considered systematically in the planning of events or crowd situations. The findings point to human factors aspects of crowds being overlooked, with the experiences of participants often poor.

Mobility, Modernity, and Abroad

Mobility, Modernity, and Abroad

Every crowded pseudocompact ccc space is resolvable

We prove that every pseudocompact crowed ccc space is c-resolvable. This gives a partial answer to problems posed by Comfort and García-Ferriera, and Juhász, Soukup and Szentmiklóssy.

On-Chip Quantitative Measurement of Mechanical Stresses During Cell Migration with Emulsion Droplets.

The ability of immune cells to migrate within narrow and crowded spaces is a critical feature involved in various physiological processes from immune response to metastasis. Several in-vitro techniques have been developed so far to study the behaviour of migrating cells, the most recent being based on the fabrication of microchannels within which cells move. To address the question of the mechanical stress a cell is able to produce during the encounter of an obstacle while migrating, we developed a hybrid microchip made of parallel PDMS channels in which oil droplets are sparsely distributed and serve as deformable obstacles. We thus show that cells strongly deform droplets while passing them. Then, we show that the microdevice can be used to study the influence of drugs on migration at the population level. Finally, we describe a quantitative analysis method of the droplet deformation that allows measuring in real-time the mechanical stress exerted by a single cell. The method presented herein thus constitutes a powerful analytical tool for cell migration studies under confinement.

Measuring Liveability by Exploring Urban Qualities of Kissy Street, Freetown, Sierra Leone

With increasing urbanisation in developing countries and the concomitant overcrowding on streets, serious questions remain about the liveability of inner-city residential-commercial streets. This paper contends that lively streets are not necessarily liveable streets. Liveability is defined by other criteria that take cognizance of human comfort and capabilities within living environments. Observations suggest an uneasy relationship between a crowded public space and the private residential spaces that sit next to them. The paper’s focus is to measure the liveability of a lively but overcrowded street and how its everyday use affects the physical characteristics of buildings, the activities, and the wellbeing of residents. Employing a mixed-method strategy, the study draws on observations, semi-structured interviews, and questionnaire survey of residents, shopkeepers, and street traders. The findings suggest that an overcrowded street space has a negative effect on the liveability and quality of living of residents and other users but that this is tempered by intra-dependency amongst the users and the negotiation of the rights accruing to all as individuals and as groups.

Nuclear bodies: Built to boost.

The classic archetypal function of nuclear bodies is to accelerate specific reactions within their crowded space. In this issue, Tatomer et al. (2016. J. Cell Biol. http://dx.doi.org/10.1083/jcb.201504043) provide the first direct evidence that the histone locus body acts to concentrate key factors required for the proper processing of histone pre-mRNAs.

The perceptual assimilation model for suprasegmentals and cross-language lexical-tone identification

We examine how native lexical-tone experience influences identification of novel tone. Cantonese, Thai, Mandarin, and Yoruba listeners identified CV syllables bearing the six phonemic Cantonese tones. Accuracy scores were submitted to a two-way rANOVA with L1-Group (x4) as the between-subjects factor and Tone (x6) as the within-subjects factor. Tone error patterns were also assessed via rANOVAs with L1-Group (x4) as the between-subjects factor and Response-Pattern (% correct versus % other response) as the within-subjects factor. Consistent with previous reports, native listeners’ confusions reflected effects of ongoing tonal mergers and a crowded tone space. Non-native listeners appeared to assimilate novel tones to L1 tone categories by attending to phonetic cues relevant to the phonological and phonetic properties of their L1s. Overall, results support predictions of the Perceptual Assimilation Model for Suprasegmentals (PAM-S). [Support: NSF grant 0965227 to J.A.A.]

Effect of shifts from occupant design position on performance of ceiling personalized ventilation assisted with desk fan or chair fans

Recently, personalized ventilation systems have gained popularity since they consist on localizing the occupant needs in terms of thermal comfort and indoor air quality (IAQ). Localized ventilation systems are designed on the basis of fixed occupant position. Since people move and do not remain in same position, it is of interest to study personalized ventilation system performance with respect to shifts from occupant design position. The aim of this work is to study and compare the performance of ceiling personalized ventilation (CPV) when aided with desk fans (DF) versus chair fans (CF) in crowded office spaces for shifts from seated occupant chair position with respect to the CPV jet. A computational fluid dynamics (CFD) model for particle transport and deposition was developed to simulate a two-station office ventilated by CPV system to predict particle transport and to assess ventilation effectiveness. The CFD model was coupled with a bio-heat model to predict segmental and overall sensation and comfort in addition to segmental skin temperatures. In this work, experiments were conducted to validate the CFD model accuracy in capturing the effect of the CF on particle transport.The use of CF allowed the reduction of CPV flow rate by 22.72% resulting in energy savings of 14.87% for the case where the occupant was beneath the jet. Installing CFs allowed maintaining good performance of the system when chair shift due to movement of person occurred while installing DFs resulted in largely degrading the system performance at equal chair shift from the CPV center.

Knowledge, attitude and practice of secondary schools and university students toward Middle East Respiratory Syndrome epidemic in Saudi Arabia: A cross-sectional study.

This study was aiming to investigate the knowledge, practice and attitudes of secondary school and university students toward MERS-CoV infection. This is a cross-sectional study conducted in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Study participants were recruited from several constituent colleges of King Saud University and secondary schools in Riyadh. Data were collected using self-administered, closed-ended questionnaires. Frequencies and proportions were computed for descriptive purposes. Chi square test was utilized to depict statistical difference between groups. Among the 1109 students who answered the questionnaires, 53.1% were male, and 46.9% were female. Level of knowledge about clinical presentation of MERS is generally similar among university and school students. The most frequently reported source of transmission is entering crowded spaces and being exposed to coughing and sneezing. Additionally, hand washing was the most commonly reported method of protection against the infection. The localized spread of MERS in Saudi Arabia and the number of fatalities associated with it might have increased public interest in understanding how to maintain proper precautionary measures both on a community and on an individual level. More emphasis should be placed on educating the student participants about preventive measures such as using tissues when sneezing and coughing and proper tissue disposal.

Evaluation systems in a crowded policy space: Implications for local school governance

Evaluation systems of various types are an integral part of a country's education policy space, within which they are supposed to have the basic functions of enhancing accountability and supporting school development. Here we argue that in a crowded policy space evaluation systems may interfere with each other in a way that can have unintended consequences and create new ‘policies by the way’ that are not the result of intentional policy decisions. To shed light on this argument, we examine five of approximately 30 evaluation systems operating in the Swedish education system. Our analysis examines a situation in which many evaluation systems are doing almost the same thing, i.e. collecting a similar and limited set of quantitative data, and addressing the same local governance actors with the primary goal of supporting school development in the same direction. By doing so, these evaluation systems could thus give rise to several unintended consequences, including a scaling down of the school law and curriculum, multiple accountability problems, increased administration and new intermediary job functions at the level of local education governance.

THE CHENGE OF PARADIGM OF PRIMARY CLASSES TEACHERS TREINING IN CONDITIONS OF INFORMATION SOCIETY DEVELOPMENT

The emergence and wide dissemination of new digital technologies in all spheres of life significantly changes the structure of the labor market (there are new profession change dramatically professional activities) and the requirements of employers (the ability to learn independently throughout the life, to evaluate critically information, team work becomes more important, Maturity than a specific set of knowledge and skills). At the same time, today's children live in crowded information space, which highlights the issue of formation of information culture of their bases from an early age and quality of development needed for successful self-realization in the information society. This leads to changes in the entire education system, in particular the training of future elementary school teachers. A retrospective analysis of the use of information and communication technologies in education confirms the occurrence of such technologies for the development of children. Analysis of practice of training of future elementary school teachers shows the insufficient level of awareness of modern ICT capabilities, which are mainly used to support the traditional educational process, not the implementation of new learning approaches. The article analyzes the impact of the development of modern information and communication technologies for education in the context of professional training of future elementary school teachers.

A Conceptual Framework of an Agent-Based Space-Use Prediction Simulation System

Size of building has a direct relationship with building cost, energy use and space maintenance cost. Therefore, minimizing building size during a project development is of paramount importance against such wastes. However, incautious reduction of building size may result in crowded space, and therefore harms the functionality despite the fact that building is supposed to satisfactorily support users` activity. A well-balanced design solution is, therefore, needed at an optimum level that minimizes building size in tandem with providing sufficient space to maintain functionality. For such design, architects and engineers need to be informed accurate and reliable space-use information. We present in this paper a conceptual framework of an agent-based space-use prediction simulation system that provides individual level space-use information over time in a building in consideration of project specific user information and activity schedules, space preference, ad beavioural rules. The information will accordingly assist architects and engineers to optimize space of the building as appropriate.

Management of Bilateral Hemifacial Spasm with Microvascular Decompression

Bilateral hemifacial spasm (HFS) is very rare. The literature contains only 32 clinical reports. Although microvascular decompression (MVD) is widely accepted as effective therapy for HFS, the etiology and surgical treatment of bilateral HFS are seldom addressed. We report our experience with MVD for patients with bilateral HFS. This retrospective report included 10 patients with bilateral HFS. All patients underwent MVD 1 or 2 times and were followed for 5-92 months. The clinical data were retrospectively analyzed. The etiology and treatment strategies were discussed. Spasm stopped completely on the operative side in all 10 patients. Symptoms on the other side also resolved in 3 patients, improved in 1 patient, and did not improve at all in 6 patients. Of the 6 patients with no improvement, 5 underwent another MVD on the contralateral side within 1 year and experienced relief of symptoms, and 1 patient refused the surgery. The neurovascular conflict was found in all the operations. During the follow-up period, no complications of hearing loss or facial palsy and no recurrence were observed. Vascular compression was the cause of bilateral HFS in our patients, and MVD relieved the symptoms. Thus, we recommend MVD for patients with bilateral HFS. A crowded cerebellopontine angle space and easy attrition of the neurovascular interfaces may play important roles in the occurrence of bilateral HFS. For some patients, 1 MVD can resolve bilateral symptoms.

A fast and low-cost vision-based line tracking measurement system for robotic vehicles

Localization and tracking systems are nowadays a quite common solution for automated guided vehicles (AGV) in industrial environments. The bunch of technological solutions developed in this sector is now being revitalized by their applications in service robots, e.g. for safe navigation in crowded public spaces or in autonomous cars. Related to this field are robotic competitions and races. In this particular scenario, the robot often has to track a line painted on the ground. Line tracking techniques typically rely on light dependent resistors (LDR), photo-diodes or photo-transistors detecting the light generated by normal or infrared Light Emitting Diodes (LEDs), arrays of electric inductance sensors or vision systems. Crucial issues for line tracking are: accuracy and reliability in estimating the direction of the moving vehicle with respect to the line and processing speed. Such problems are particularly critical when high-speed mobile robots are considered. To address this issue, in this paper a vision-based technique of moderate computational complexity is described. The proposed solution has been implemented on a low-cost embedded platform and relies on a high frame rate light contrast sensor, a tailored RANSAC-based algorithm and a Kalman filter. The reported experimental results prove that the proposed solution is able to track the direction of the vehicle in real-time even when the field of view of the camera is limited and the vehicle moves at high speed.