Personal Viewpoint Research Articles

Virtual reality replays of sports performance: Effects on memory, feeling of competence, and performance

Memory can be altered after receipt of misleading information; the misinformation effect was first studied almost 40 years ago. Later studies showed that suggestive information could even lead to the creation of new false memories in people. Whereas previous research focused primarily on false information about passively observed events, we aimed to investigate whether memory for one’s own physical performance can be altered by means of false, manipulated replays of these events in virtual reality, displayed from a first person viewpoint. We further explored the possibility of using the misinformation effect beneficially, by investigating whether it can affect feeling of competence, as well as subsequent sports performance. Participants (N=27) took four series of shots at a goalpost on a soccer field. Between these series, they were shown three different types of virtual reality replays of their performance; one accurate representation of actual performance and two manipulated versions, one that made performance seem worse (negative manipulation) and one that made performance seem better (positive manipulation). Participants rated their feeling of competence before and after each replay and rated how accurately the replay displayed their real-life shots at the goal. The manipulated replays were considered equally accurate representations of actual performance as the non-manipulated ones. Also, the type of replay manipulation positively correlated with feeling of competence but did not influence sports performance. The present study showed that memory for one's own physical performance can be altered by means of manipulated virtual reality replays and that this can be used beneficially.

Progress and knowledge gaps in Culicoides genetics, genomics and population modelling: 2003 to 2014.

In the 10 years, since the last international meeting on Bluetongue virus (BTV) and related Orbiviruses in Sicily, there have been huge advances in explorations of the genetics and genomics of Culicoides, culminating in the imminent release of the rst full genome de novo assembly for the genus. In parallel, mathematical models used to predict Culicoides adult distribution, seasonality, and dispersal have also increased in sophistication, re ecting advances in available computational power and expertise. While these advances have focused upon the outbreaks of BTV in Europe, there is an opportunity to extend these techniques to other regions as part of global studies of the genus. This review takes a selective approach to examining the past decade of research in these areas and provides a personal viewpoint of future directions of research that may prove productive.

Advice for the Aspiring Engineer [Pathways

Presents advice for young professional engineers from both a professional and personal viewpoint.

The rise and fall of the legal expert system

Those very few of us who were critical of the rise of legal expert systems in the early 1980s probably wonder, in idle moments, whether there is a possibility of rejuvenation of an approach which was once multi-various and is now obscure and esoteric. Is it possible that after rising and falling, that legal expert system research programme could rise again? What were the conditions which gave impetus to the field and could they be repeated? In this article I want to return, with a personal viewpoint, on the rise of expert systems and why - despite their failure - the appeal of commoditising legal expertise continues to allure the unwary.

20 Years of RoboCup

This summer, RoboCup competitions were held for the 20th time in Leipzig, Germany. It was the second time that RoboCup took place in Germany, 10 years after the 2006 RoboCup in Bremen. In this article, we give an overview on the latest developments of RoboCup and what happened in the different leagues over the last decade. With its 20th edition, RoboCup clearly is a success story and a role model for robotics competitions. From our personal view point, we acknowledge this by giving a retrospection about what makes RoboCup such a success.

Pricing for higher education institutions: a value-based approach

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to propose the concept of higher education institutions (HEIs) offering educational services based on value for money. The value is determined based on customers’ (i.e. students) expectations of the service and the costs in comparison to the competitors. Understanding the value and creating customer value are a means to attain competitive advantage and constitute the basis of price setting. Drawing upon this belief, as an initial step towards value-based pricing method, the possible value factors are suggested for calculating educational programme prices across HEIs. Design/methodology/approach – This is a conceptual paper introducing the value-based pricing approach in setting HEI tuition fees. Extending prior discussion on the demand for quality education and current financial challenges faced by HEIs, it introduces the concept pricing based upon customer perceived value (student/industry). Value-based pricing is deemed appropriate in view of the value of short tangible and intangible investment by both parties (students and HEIs) to differentiate in terms of setting the right price for the right university for the right student. Findings – The primary aim is to suggest the applicability of value-based pricing for HEIs, which is likely to be both relevant and fruitful for the sustainability of the sector. It represents a personal point of view; building upon a review of the literature, the paper extends the established knowledge one step further in terms of setting the right price for the right university, which is deemed worthy of further study and development. Originality/value – The paper will be of use to the management and policymakers in the education sector in searching for a contemporary pricing mechanism for higher education.

Examination of the Argumentation Processes of Classroom Teachers Participating in On-the-job Training Activities

In recent years, attention has been given to learning of the science language. This has brought together a transformation in science education programs and the implementation of argumentation applications that is a part of this transformation. However adequate training has not been given to teacher son revised 2013 science program in Turkey and on argumentation practices. This situation has constituted the rationale for this case study. In line with the needs analysis a revised science curriculum and on-the-job (OJT) training activity on argumentation has been prepared for classroom teachers. First a pilot application prepared and then the main application have been conducted. At the end of these applications the argumentation skills, opinions on OJT activities and activity preparation based on argumentation skills of teachers have been examined. The findings of this study have revealed that classroom teachers are not adequate in creating the opposite argument of the argumentation components that they have been restrictive, and that they have used the supportive evidence rationale in a limited way in an argumentation activity they have practiced in their classroom. They have been unable to reach the confuting stage. Nevertheless the classroom teachers who have participated in OJT activities think that these activities are useful in professional and personal point of view and that they should be repeated at regular intervals.

20 Years of RoboCup

This summer, RoboCup competitions were held for the 20th time in Leipzig, Germany. It was the second time that RoboCup took place in Germany, 10 years after the 2006 RoboCup in Bremen. In this article, we give an overview on the latest developments of RoboCup and what happened in the different leagues over the last decade. With its 20th edition, RoboCup clearly is a success story and a role model for robotics competitions. From our personal view point, we acknowledge this by giving a retrospection about what makes RoboCup such a success.

Half Bad by S. Green

Green, Sally. Half Bad. New York: Viking, 2014. Print.This young adult fantasy novel tells the story of sixteen-year-old Nathan. Nathan lives in modern England, which is caught in the middle of two warring factions of witches. These witches live undetected amongst humans. The White Witches paint themselves as good and orderly, while Black Witches are known as murderous and violent. At the time of Nathan’s story, the White Witches control much of England, and hunt renegade Black Witches.Nathan is unique, as he is the son of both a White Witch, and a Black Witch. In fact, Nathan is the son of the most terrifying Black Witch alive, Marcus, who eats the hearts of other witches to absorb their powers. Nathan is raised by his grandmother, with his half-siblings Jessica, Arran, and Deborah. He has never met his father. In spite of this, Nathan exhibits tendencies associated with dark witches. He cannot sleep indoors at night, and his strength changes with the moon. The White Witches’ Council constantly watches Nathan, and tries to control him through “assessments” and restrictions on whom he can speak to, and where he can go. Although his grandmother frequently reminds him that he is half-White too, Nathan also experiences abuse from his older sister, and bullying at school. Nathan becomes lonely and angry, although he finds comfort in the young White Witch Annalise, and the kindness of his brother Arran.As Nathan nears his seventeenth birthday, when all witches come into their power through a specialized ritual, the Council takes more drastic actions to control Nathan. He is removed from his family, imprisoned, and subjected to harsh and painful training. The Council hopes to use Nathan as a weapon against his father. Nathan must escape, and find a way to come into his magic by his birthday, or he will die. But, even if Nathan makes it out, he cannot tell who to trust, or how to keep those he loves from danger.Half-Bad presents a complex story with compelling characters, including a well-rounded LGBTQ character who plays an important role. The book starts out slow, using both in media res and a second person viewpoint, which may deter some readers. But, the story quickly builds and switches to a first person viewpoint. The events are strongly enhanced by engrossing descriptions of the British countryside, London, and Switzerland. Easy answers are not provided to readers. No character, including the protagonist, is completely good or bad. Instead, people are shaped by how they are labelled or represented to others, and the actions they take. Some themes may be intense for younger audiences, including descriptions of violence, abuse, death, murder, suicide, torture, and the classification and branding of people. The main character also occasionally uses swear words. Other important themes include: good vs. evil, nature vs. nurture, government control, freedom, forbidden romance, father-son relationships, and anger. It is the first of a trilogy.Recommended: 3 out of 4 starsReviewer: Colette LeungColette Leung is a graduate student at the University of Alberta, working in the fields of Library and Information science and Humanities Computing who loves reading, cats, and tea. Her research interests focus around how digital tools can be used to explore fields such as literature, language, and history in new and innovative ways.

The value of archives

I write from three perspectives: those of a designer with a thirst for truth and authenticity; a researcher with a zeal for the type of brown box files found in archives and an educator who wants to facilitate good practice among design students and instil the importance of primary research into practice. In each of these areas of my professional and pedagogic life, the value of archives cannot be underestimated and underpins and validates all that I do. In our postgraduate design programmes at University for the Creative Arts (UCA) in Epsom, Surrey, we use archival research as an important introduction to exploratory practice, part of the initial Research and Methods units. Archival research is essential in reinforcing the relevance of primary and secondary research techniques to students, encouraging integrity and understanding to facilitate good practice. Having first-hand experience of archival collections can also act as a trigger for further investigation and lead on to richer and more informed creative impetuses for design projects. Nothing can replicate the experience of being able to actually handle unique items of historical significance; and there are few better inspirational starting points for design students than the opportunity to contextualize, discover and construct personal viewpoints and narratives.

Mono- and binuclear non-heme iron chemistry from a theoretical perspective.

In this minireview, we provide an account of the current state-of-the-art developments in the area of mono- and binuclear non-heme enzymes (NHFe and NHFe2) and the smaller NHFe(2) synthetic models, mostly from a theoretical and computational perspective. The sheer complexity, and at the same time the beauty, of the NHFe(2) world represents a challenge for experimental as well as theoretical methods. We emphasize that the concerted progress on both theoretical and experimental side is a conditio sine qua non for future understanding, exploration and utilization of the NHFe(2) systems. After briefly discussing the current challenges and advances in the computational methodology, we review the recent spectroscopic and computational studies of NHFe(2) enzymatic and inorganic systems and highlight the correlations between various experimental data (spectroscopic, kinetic, thermodynamic, electrochemical) and computations. Throughout, we attempt to keep in mind the most fascinating and attractive phenomenon in the NHFe(2) chemistry, which is the fact that despite the strong oxidative power of many reactive intermediates, the NHFe(2) enzymes perform catalysis with high selectivity. We conclude with our personal viewpoint and hope that further developments in quantum chemistry and especially in the field of multireference wave function methods are needed to have a solid theoretical basis for the NHFe(2) studies, mostly by providing benchmarking and calibration of the computationally efficient and easy-to-use DFT methods.

Clinical genomics: from a truly personal genome viewpoint.

The path to Clinical Genomics is punctuated by our understanding of what types of DNA structural and sequence variation contribute to disease, the many technical challenges to detect such variation genome-wide, and the initial struggles to interpret personal genome variation in the context of disease. This review describes one perspective of the development of clinical genomics; whereas the experimental challenges, and hurdles to overcoming them, might be deemed readily apparent, the non-technical issues for clinical implementation may be less obvious. Some of these latter challenges, including: (1) informed consent, (2) privacy, (3) what constitutes potentially pathogenic variation contributing to disease, (4) disease penetrance in populations, and (5) the genetic architecture of disease, and the struggles sometimes faced for solutions, are highlighted using illustrative examples.

The best tests for anti-corrosive paints. And why: A personal viewpoint

This paper starts by putting forward a mechanism for the way that anti-corrosive paints work. This draws on previous work on understanding of mechanism but puts stronger emphasis on the maintenance of the oxide film of the metal under the paint as the essential feature. If this mechanism is correct then it suggests various properties which a paint coating should have. In many cases a minimum value of these properties is all that is required. In some cases e.g. DC resistance, it is advantageous to have as high as possible value of this property at the start due to degradation with time. The paper then details a series of tests, chosen by the authors for their relative simplicity, to measure these properties in a quantitative manner and hence to assist in formulation of new or better coatings. These tests are the personal selection of the authors and we admit that others may make different choices. They have been divided into those best conducted on the free paint film and those which are conducted on the metal and paint together, the latter including one test to be conducted on the metal alone. Among the second group, suggestions have been made for electrochemical tests which are non-destructive and can thus be used for quality control and monitoring. There is a brief discussion of accelerated tests with the emphasis again on quantitative non-destructive assessment methods. Numerous pertinent references are provided. The papers concludes with suggestions for future work.

Obesogenic environment – intervention opportunities

ObjectivesTo evaluate environmental obesogenic‐related factors, such as physical activity in neighborhoods and schools, nutritional behavior, and intervention programs. SourcesCritical analysis of literature with personal point of view from infant obesity experts and political advisors for public intervention. Data synthesisAlthough obesity is a public health problem affecting several age groups, it is among children and adolescents that it plays a more important role, due to treatment complexity, high likelihood of persistence into adulthood, and association with other non‐ transmissible diseases while still in early age. Environment is a main component of the genesis and outcomes in the near future or long term. Modification of intake with high‐density food, meal skipping, and high intake of saturated fat, sugar, and salt, associated to high levels of sedentarism are main causes of obesity. ConclusionIntervention opportunities are related to modifications in political, environmental, and individual settings. School and physical activities in the educational environment are intertwined with nutrition intervention in continuous education. A critical review of some different scenarios in Latin American countries is presented.

ChemInform Abstract: Significant Developments in Rare‐Earth‐Containing Polyoxometalate Chemistry: Synthetic Strategies, Structural Diversities and Correlative Properties

AbstractReview: 147 refs.

Communicating orthodontic research via social media

I n this article, I am going to share my personal viewpoint and knowledge on how to communicate orthodontic research via social media. This is based upon many years experience of involvement with computers and recently writing a surprisingly successful orthodontic blog. Like many people, I have used the Internet extensively in my work as an academic orthodontist, it is recently that I have become aware and made use of social media in obtaining and disseminating research knowledge. This article is, therefore, not based on any science; it is only my personal experience and other low levels of evidence. I am not going to reference any sources in this article because they are all available using an electronic search. This is an article about contemporary communication, which while having few restraints has great importance when considered in the realm of orthodontic communications. It is also difficult to write an article on social media because knowledge of this field is closely associated with age. This is because the younger generation of orthodontists will have grown up with the rapid developments in social media. As a result, I shall set this article at the level of someone who has minimal experience of this continuously changing area. Finally, I will only discuss platforms with which I have experience. I will start with Twitter.

Experiences and insomnia-associated factors in Chinese breast cancer survivors: a qualitative study.

This study aimed to explore the experiences and factors associated with insomnia in Chinese breast cancer survivors. Insomnia is a common and significant symptom in breast cancer survivors. Quantitative studies are unable to describe the experience of insomnia and the sleep-associated factors from a personal point of view. A profound understanding of the experience of insomnia in breast cancer survivors can provide information for health workers and caregivers to allow them to provide more effective support. A descriptive qualitative research was adopted. In-depth interviews were conducted with 22 insomniac breast cancer survivors. A qualitative content analysis was used to analyse the data. Three themes emerged concerning the experiences of insomnia, including sleep neglect, insomnia perception and insomnia anxiety. Participants reported their own opinions on three insomnia-associated factors, including factors associated with hospitalisation, factors associated with breast cancer and the therapies and too much attention placed on sleep. Survivors would neglect their sleep problems in the early stage after diagnosis. When they became aware of their sleep problems, they were inclined to worry too much and sought help from traditional Chinese medicine. Anticipatory sleep anxiety, excessive negative cognitive activities and insomnia became a vicious circle for insomniac breast cancer survivors. The findings provide detailed information to help nurses understand the experiences of breast cancer survivors with insomnia. Nurses could provide proper care to help prevent insomnia or improve sleep.

Expert opinion: Time to ban formal CI selection criteria?

This contribution addresses cochlear implantation (CI) selection criteria as a discussion topic. It expresses a personal viewpoint that challenges the usefulness and necessity of formal selection criteria. Scientifically, it is argued that CI selection must be highly individual, whereas the current criteria are general, not valid, not based on a wide consensus, and not up-to-date. Morally, it is argued that it is not legitimate to presume equality between patients and CI centers, that the current selection criteria create an ethical dilemma, and that an unresolvable contradiction exists between quality of life and measurability. Finally, liberalizing the criteria would probably have only a minimal impact on current practice and budget.

Parkinson's Inside Out.

Parkinson's Inside Out.

Features of Reporting Verbs in Modern English

<p>The article is devoted to the problem of reporting verbs in Modern English. The research has been done to define the most appropriate features of reporting verbs: the notion they can indicate, the classification of reporting verbs in present-day English, the use of tense forms with reporting verbs, and reporting verbs and citations.</p><p>Consequently, reporting verbs can express the author’s personal viewpoint, your viewpoint regarding what the author says, and the author’s viewpoint regarding other literature. As a result of investigation, 14 types of verbs according to the general meaning that they express have been determined.</p><p>A great attention has been paid to the use of tense forms - present simple, present perfect and past tense forms. Besides the above mentioned points, the types of citation, which is closely connected with reporting verbs, and also, the evaluative function of reporting verbs have been investigated, too.</p>