Specialized Way Research Articles

Comparison of deviceless methods for distant object manipulation in mixed reality

Mixed Reality (MR) applications based on the current generation of Head-mounted displays (HMDs) support a deviceless manipulation of virtual objects based on finger tracking and control of the 3D transformation with gestures. However, when the object manipulation is performed at some distance, and when the transform includes scaling, it is not apparent how to remap the hand motions over the degrees of freedom of the object. The most popular software toolkits used for XR development provide specific solutions, but there are still usability issues and a need for clear guidelines for the interaction design.In this work, we compare three different solutions for the devices and remote translation, rotation, and scaling of virtual objects in a real environment in two user studies aimed at assessing the usability of the methods for different tasks. The tasks are a fast and rough docking of virtual cubes on a tangible shelf from varying distances and the accurate placement of cubes on the shelf in a fixed amount of time.The outcomes of these studies show that the usability of the manipulation methods is strongly affected by the use of separate or integrated control of the degrees of freedom, by the use of the hands in a symmetric or specialized way, by the visual feedback, and by the previous experience of the users and provides valuable guidelines for the design of interactive mixed environments.

The Role of NGOs in Conflict Management

The changing environment of war and conflicts has exacerbated the need for non-governmental organizations (NGOs) to intervene and play a key role in resolving conflicts and restoring civil society. NGOs are organizations that operate independently of any government and they are responsible for addressing social and political issues. Their role to resolve conflicts has emerged as an additional, yet essential part of the entire procedure of dispute management. This paper examines the place of NGOs in the global environment as well as the more specialized way in which they are involved in the dispute resolution process. It involves the theoretical part and the practical application of dispute management from NGOs in case studies and more specifically Bosnia, Georgia and Afghanistan, examining their degree of success in each of these cases.

A Review on Hydrodynamic Performance and Design of Pump-Jet: Advances, Challenges and Prospects

A pump-jet, which is generally and widely adopted on underwater vehicles for applications from deep sea exploration to mine clearing, consists of a rotor, stator, and duct, with the properties of high critical speed, high propulsion efficiency, great anti-cavitation performance, and low radiated noise. The complex interaction of the flow field between the various components and the high degree of coupling with the appendage result in the requirements of in-depth research on the hydrodynamic performance and flow field for application and design. Due to the initial application on the military field and complicated structure, there is scant literature in the evaluation of pump-jet performance and optimal design. This paper, in a comprehensive and specialized way, summarizes the pump-jet hydrodynamic performance, noise performance, and flow field characteristics involving cavitation erosion and vortices properties of tip-clearance, the interaction between the rotor and the stator and the wake field, as well as the optimal design of the pump-jet. The merits and applications range of numerical and experimental methods are overviewed as well as the design method. It also concludes the main challenges faced in practical applications and proposes a vision for future research. It was found that the compact structure and complex internal and external flow field make the pump-jet significantly different, also leading to higher performance. As the focus of cavitation research, vortices interact with the complex structure of the pump-jet, leading to instabilities of the flow field, such as vibration, radiated noise, and cavitation erosion. The effective approaches are adopted to reduce radiated pump-jet with minimal influence on the hydrodynamic performance, such as eliminating the tip clearance and installing the sawtooth duct. Advanced optimal technology can achieve high performance, cavitation performance, and acoustic performance, possessing good prospects. Further developments in investigation and the application of pump-jets in the multidisciplinary integration of fluid dynamics, acoustics, materials, chemistry, and bionics should be the main focus in future research.

A new species, Stibarokris nielseni sp. nov. (Acariformes: Syringophilidae) parasitizing Puffinus puffinus (Procellariiformes: Procellariidae) in Iceland, with notes on host associations of the genus Stibarokris

A new syringophilid mite species, Stibarokris nielseni sp. nov., from Manx Shearwater Puffinus puffinus is described. This finding is the third record of quill mite species for Iceland and the first one outside Galliformes. The new species differs from all other species of this genus in the following characters: tarsal claws of legs III and IV are distinctly more massive and strongly curved in comparison to claws of legs I and II (vs. tarsal claws are similar in shape and size in other Stibarokris species); the hysteronotal teeth are replaced ventrally (vs. situated laterally). The distribution of the quill mites of the genus Stibarokris on birds strongly corresponds to avian lineages grouped in the recently established clade Feraequornithes comprising the orders Pelecaniformes, Suliformes, Ciconiiformes, and Procelariiformes. Of these orders, quill mites were not confirmed only on representatives of Sphenisciformes. Probable explanation could be their highly specialized way of life and/or insufficient sampling efforts. Additionally, considering the recent reconstructions of avian phylogeny, the presence of Stibarokris on flamingos (Phoenicopteriformes), which are distant from Feraequornithes, is most likely the result of successful host switching.

The role of transport proteins in the production of microbial glycolipid biosurfactants.

Several microorganisms are currently being used as production platform for glycolipid biosurfactants, providing a greener alternative to chemical biosurfactants. One of the reasons why these processes are commercially competitive is the fact that microbial producers can efficiently export their product to the extracellular environment, reaching high product titers. Glycolipid biosynthetic genes are often found in a dedicated cluster, amidst which genes encoding a dedicated transporter committed to shuttle the glycolipid to the extracellular environment are often found, as is the case for many other secondary metabolites. Knowing this, one can rely on gene clustering features to screen for novel putative transporters, as described and performed in this review. The above strategy proves to be very powerful to identify glycolipid transporters in fungi but is less valid for bacterial systems. Indeed, the genetics of these export systems are currently largely unknown, but some hints are given. Apart from the direct export of the glycolipid, several other transport systems have an indirect effect on glycolipid production. Specific importers dictate which hydrophilic and hydrophobic substrates can be used for production and influence the final yields. In eukaryotes, cellular compartmentalization allows the assembly of glycolipid building blocks in a highly specialized and efficient way. Yet, this requires controlled transport across intracellular membranes. Next to the direct export of glycolipids, the current state of the art regarding this indirect involvement of transporter systems in microbial glycolipid synthesis is summarized in this review. KEY POINTS: • Transporters are directly and indirectly involved in microbial glycolipid synthesis. • Yeast glycolipid transporters are found in their biosynthetic gene cluster. • Hydrophilic and hydrophobic substrate uptake influence microbial glycolipid synthesis.

Will quadratic voting produce optimal public policy?

Under quadratic voting people are able to buy votes with money. The claims that rational voters will make efficient electoral choices rest on assumptions about how voters acquire and share information. Specifically, that all voters share common knowledge about the probability that any one of them will be the decisive voter, but do not (appear to) share knowledge in any specialized way within special interest groups. This paper asserts that quadratic voting is no more likely to promote efficiency than the current system of one-person-one-vote. Information costs are critical. If information is costly, organized interest groups on either side of an issue provide low-cost information to their members and sharing common knowledge across groups is less likely. Then, small differences lead to large welfare losses. If information is free, special-interest groups provide opportunities for collusion that undermines the efficiency of quadratic voting. Even if collusion could be prevented, the dual uses of money to buy votes and to disseminate information organizes interest groups as if their members were colluding. The role of information and the fact that voting is not costless create efficiency biases under quadratic voting that favor political organization and concentrated values. To the extent that these attributes are overrepresented in the present system, quadratic voting will only make it worse.

Reaching a milestone in pharmaceutical patenting in Brazil.

Reaching a milestone in pharmaceutical patenting in Brazil.

Spot the difference: Solving the puzzle of hidden pictures in the lizard genome for identification of regeneration factors.

All living things share some common life processes, such as growth and reproduction, and have the ability to respond to their environment. However, each type of organism has its own specialized way of managing biological events. Genetic sequences determine phenotypic and physiological traits. Based on genetic information, comparative genomics has been used to delineate the differences and similarities between various genomes, and significant progress has been made in understanding regenerative biology by comparing the genomes of a variety of lower animal models of regeneration, such as planaria, zebra fish, and newts. However, the genome of lizards has been relatively ignored until recently, even though lizards have been studied as an excellent amniote model of tissue regeneration. Very recently, whole genome sequences of lizards have been uncovered, and several attempts have been made to find regeneration factors based on genetic information. In this article, recent advances in comparative analysis of the lizard genome are introduced, and their biological implications and putative applications for regenerative medicine and stem cell biology are discussed. [BMB Reports 2016; 49(5): 249-254]

Central European wood species: characterization using old knowledge

A characterization of wood species was made by analyzing almost 9000 museum objects which still carry the handwriting of former craftsmen. In total 48 different wood species could be distinguished, including 17 shrub species. In the next step, every part of museum inventory with a given wood species was connected to its required wood properties in use and technological demands. In this way, every wood species was characterized by its former utilization. It was found, that many wood species which are not in use anymore were highly appreciated. Many shrubs were used because of their high density, which provides also hardness and good resistance against abrasion. Some fruit-bearing trees would be worth utilizing in a more sophisticated and specialized way as they are used today. Most species are highly specialized and show individual wood properties, which becomes clear by focusing on how they were utilized.

Extending mind, visuospatial integration, and the evolution of the parietal lobes in the human genus

Current theories in extended mind suggest that cognition is the result of an integrative process involving brain, body, and environment. The relationships between inner and outer components strictly depend on the functional interface, which is represented by the body. Posture and locomotion influence the sensorial and behavioral relationships between the body and the environment which, in Primates, are strongly dependent on the eye-hand system, and coordinated by processes of visuospatial integration. The upper and medial parietal areas (like the precuneus and the intraparietal sulcus) are crucial for such functions. These areas are associated with specific human cortical features, and have undergone relevant morphological changes in Homo sapiens. Therefore, it can be hypothesized that the visuospatial functions and the role of the body as an interface have experienced important evolutionary changes in our species. Neandertals did not display similar changes in terms of brain morphology, and at the same time they showed a different manipulative behavior: they needed their teeth and mouth to properly handle tools much more than any modern human group does. This may suggest a different (and probably less specialized) way to integrate inner and outer components through the body interface. Archaeology is essential to evaluate possible functional changes in extinct human species, by considering other kinds of visuospatial behaviors that are evident from human ecology and material culture. We suggest that changes in the visuospatial integration functions and in the parietal areas may have represented an essential component for enhancing embodiment capacity. What remains to be established is the role of genetic, epigenetic, and environmental factors, in generating anatomical and functional differences among human species and between human and non-human primates. Visuospatial integration, within the perspective of extended cognition, may have had a major influence in establishing current human intellectual abilities and social patterns.

Mating in the box jellyfish Copula sivickisi--Novel function of cnidocytes.

Within cubozoans, a few species have developed a sexual reproduction system including mating and internal fertilization. One species, Copula sivickisi, is found in a large area of the indo pacific. They have separate sexes and when mature males and females meet they entangle their tentacles and the males transfer a sperm package, a spermatozeugmata, which is ingested by the female fertilizing her eggs internally. After 2-3 days, the females lay an embryo strand that sticks to the substrate and after another 2-3 days, the fully developed larvae leave the strand. We have examined the ultrastructure of the gonads and spermatozeugmata to look for structural adaptations to this specialized way of reproduction and understand how the fertilization takes place. Surprisingly, we discovered that the male gonads were heavily packed with cnidocytes of the isorhiza type and that they are transferred to the spermatozeugmata. The spermatozeugmata does not dissolve in the female gastrovascular cavity but is attached to the female gonad probably using the isorhizas. Here, the sperm cells are partly digested and the nuclei are released. The actual fertilization seems to happen through phagocytosis of the released nuclei by the epithelial cells. The female gonads are likewise packed with cnidocytes but of the eurytele type. They do not mature inside the female and putatively serve to protect the developing larvae once the embryo strand is laid. This specialized way of fertilization is to our knowledge novel and so is this first account of cnidocytes being directly involved in cnidarian reproduction.

Is it inevitable that societies exploit useful technologies?

Is it inevitable that societies exploit useful technologies?

Quality Is Still First Priority for Customer

Quality Is Still First Priority for Customer

Variation in gene expression patterns as the insect pathogen Metarhizium anisopliae adapts to different host cuticles or nutrient deprivation in vitro

Metarhizium anisopliae infects a broad range of insects by direct penetration of the host cuticle. To explore the molecular basis of this process, its gene expression responses to diverse insect cuticles were surveyed, using cDNA microarrays constructed from an expressed sequence tag (EST) clone collection of 837 genes. During growth in culture containing caterpillar cuticle (Manduca sexta), M. anisopliae upregulated 273 genes, representing a broad spectrum of biological functions, including cuticle-degradation (e.g. proteases), amino acid/peptide transport and transcription regulation. There were also many genes of unknown function. The 287 down-regulated genes were also distinctive, and included a large set of ribosomal protein genes. The response to nutrient deprivation partially overlapped with the response to Man. sexta cuticle, but unique expression patterns in response to cuticles from another caterpillar (Lymantria dispar), a cockroach (Blaberus giganteus) and a beetle (Popilla japonica) indicate that the pathogen can respond in a precise and specialized way to specific conditions. The subtilisins provided an example of a large gene family in which differences in regulation could potentially allow virulence determinants to target different hosts and stages of infection. Comparisons between M. anisopliae and published data on Trichoderma reesei and Saccharomyces cerevisiae identified differences in the regulation of glycolysis-related genes and citric acid cycle/oxidative phosphorylation functions. In particular, M. anisopliae has multiple forms of several catabolic enzymes that are differentially regulated in response to sugar levels. These may increase the flexibility of M. anisopliae as it responds to nutritional changes in its environment.

On the Complexity of Deduction Modulo Leaf Permutative Equations

In the context of equational reasoning, J. Avenhaus and D. Plaisted proposed to deal with leaf permutative equations in a uniform, specialized way. The simplicity of these equations and the useless variations that they produce are good incentives to lift theorem proving to so-called stratified terms, in order to perform deduction modulo such equations. This requires specialized algorithms for standard problems involved in automated deduction. To analyze the computational complexity of these problems, we focus on the group theoretic properties of stratified terms. NP-completeness results are given and (slightly) relieved by restrictions on leaf permutative theories, which allow the use of techniques from computational group theory.

The secret language of Bach

A recent magnetic resonance study suggests that musical experience influences the structural development of the brain and that musicality is not necessarily determined by genetic predisposition. A distinctive pattern of brain activity was found within a group of individuals exposed to the exquisite sound of Bach's Italian Concerto: those with no particular musical training experience showed activity in the right side of the planum temporale, a brain area used during auditory tasks, whereas musicians and musically orientated individuals made strong use of the left side of the planum temporale. Interestingly, the left planum temporale is also associated with language processing and analysis. The finding strongly indicates that the brain might interpret music in an analytical way similar to language symbols and relations. Those with musical talents might even perceive music differently, having developed a specialized way of listening to music through training. So if you have always thought that you had two left feet, give yourself another chance! Cereb. Cortex 11, 754–760. SS

Soluble proteins control growth of skeleton crystals in three coralline demosponges

Calcified demosponges (coralline sponges, sclero-sponges), the first metazoa producing a carbonate skeleton, used to be important reef building organisms in the past. The relatives of this group investigated here,Spirastrella (Acanthochaetetes) wellsi, Astrosclera willeyana andVaceletia cf.crypta, are restricted to cryptic niches of modern Pacific coral reefs and may be considered as “living fossils’. They are characterized by a basic biologically controlled metazoan biomineralization process. Each of the investigated taxa forms its calcareous basal skeleton in a highly specialized way. Moreover, each taxon secretes distinct Ca2+-binding macromolecules which were entrapped within the calcium carbonate crystals during skeleton formation. Therefore these Ca2+-binding macromolecules were also described as intracrystalline macromolecules. When isolated and separated by SDS polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis, the organic skeleton matrix of the three species revealed to be composed of a respective distinct array of EDTA-soluble proteins. A single protein of 41 kDa was detected inS. wellsi, two proteins of 38 and 120 kDa inA. willeyana, and four proteins of 18 kDa, 30 kDa, 33 kDa, and 37 kDa inVaceletia sp. When run on IEF gel, the Ca2+-binding proteins gave staining bands at pH values between 5.25 and 5.65. As proved by anin vitro mineralization assay, the extracted proteins effectively inhibit CaCO3 and SrCO3 precipitation, respectively, in a saturated solution. Biochemical properties and behavior of the extracted proteins strongly suggest that they are involved in crystal nucleation and skeleton carbonate formation within the calcified sponges studied here.

N2 fixation in phototrophs: adaptation to a specialized way of life

Phototrophic diazotrophs include the photosynthetic green and purple bacteria, the heliobacteria, many cyanobacteria and the unusual chlorophyll-containing rhizobia that are found in the stem nodules of Aeschynomene spp. In this review, which concentrates on cyanobacteria, the interrelations between photosynthesis and N2 fixation are discussed. Photosynthesis can, in theory, directly provide the ATP and reductant needed to support N2 fixation but the link between these two processes is usually indirect, mediated through accumulated carbon reserves. In cyanobacteria, which possess an oxygenic photosynthesis, this serves to separate the O2 that is produced by photosynthesis from the O2-sensitive nitrogenase. However, in certain circumstances, oxygenic photosynthesis and N2 fixation coexist. Under these conditions, respiratory consumption of photosynthetically generated O2 may have an important role in minimizing O2-damage to nitrogenase.

Using Picturebooks to Teach Art History

Children's literature has been long valued for its use in integrating subject matter in school curricula. Because language does not have a content in itself, but rather seeks a content (Britton, 1982), literary texts are an ideal resource for teaching various content and subject areas. For example, the literary genre of historical fiction is a valuable tool for teaching about historical time periods. The use of literature in this way need not necessarily detract from the lived-through literary experience (Rosenblatt, 1978), but can rather complement it (Beck, Nelson-Faulkner, & Pierce, 2000). The current interest in literature-based instruction develops this natural connection between literature and virtually all other subject areas. One of these areas is (Mitchell, 1990). The subject of this article is the use of particular types of picture storybooks to teach aspects of the history of visual art. The picture storybook-that synergistic combination of words and pictures (Sipe, 1998a) where both the visual and verbal texts are necessary to tell the story (Nodelman, 1988)-is a form of children's literature eminently suited to introduce children to the world of visual art. In fact, many children's first exposure to serious is in the illustrations contained in picturebooks. Children have been found to engage highly in learning about techniques and media that are used by illustrators (Sipe, 1995), and in learning about illustrators' and designers' choices in their creation of picturebooks (Madura, 1998). Almost any picturebook can be used for teaching children about the conventions and principles of design (color, line, shape, and texture [Richard, 1969]) and the other elements of visual (Kiefer, 1995). These elements comprise the artist's language or grammar in the sense that artists use them to communicate meaning in a nonverbal and visual manner (Cianciolo, 1984). This visual aesthetic approach to picturebooks has been developed, extended, and refined by various educators, literary critics, and literacy practitioners (Doonan, 1993; Kiefer, 1995; Marantz, 1977; McCoubrey, 1993; Nodelman, 1988; Roberts, 1996; Sipe, 1998b; Stewig, 1995). These writers conceive of picturebooks as artistic wholes, in which every part contributes to our perception of them as aesthetic objects. For example, the front and back covers, the dedication, half-title, and title pages, and the endpages, far from being extraneous to the text of the story and its illustrations, are all integral parts of the aesthetic experience of the book. As well, all the design choices about typeface, placement of text, page breaks, and size and placement of illustrations contribute to our holistic appreciation and rich interpretation of the picturebook. Finally, the illustrations are not intended to be considered separately, but in the context of their ordered sequence; like comic strips, picturebooks are a form of sequential art (Eisner, 1992; McCloud, 1993). Following and developing upon this perspective, there is a growing number of picturebooks that may be used in a more specialized way: to introduce children to specific artists of the past, particular artistic styles, or schools of art. These books contain references to the history of in their design and illustration content. Knowledge of these references leads to more textured and refined appreciation of the illustrator's craft, and of the picturebook as an aesthetic object. This knowledge also opens the door to the fascinating and expansive world of artistic visual expression by every culture and historical era. To take a very simple example, Michael Bedard's (1998) Sitting Ducks contains an amusing reworking of American artist Edward Hopper's painting, Nighthawks. In Bedard's wry story, predatory alligators raise ducks in order to eat them; one of the ducks escapes from the duck factory with the help of a sympathetic alligator, and is warned not to venture onto the streets. …

The Security Circuit: A Proposed Construct for the Central Nervous System

The theory of the Security Circuit offers a new conceptual framework for the numerous brain functions pertaining to survival. Many such activities are related to the coordination of the conventional physiological systems in the maintenance of homeostasis and the defense of the internal environment. This work, however, focuses on that aspect of brain function that makes possible man's interaction with external environment, thereby facilitating individual and group adaptation and survival.In our schema we greatly enlarge the conceptualization of the autonomic nervous system. We postulate the existence of a central mechanism pertaining to the security and survival function. In its action the complex physiological ANS substrate designated the Security Circuit, is likened to a whirlpool bath, in which balance is maintained with respect to electrically-charged particles rather than water. The use of the Jacuzzi (or whirlpool bath) format makes it possible to tie together the components of the triune brain (MacLean), which consists of R-complex, limbic system, and neocortex.The forebrain, in part, is viewed as the depository of biological symbolism for a huge number of elements, which vary with the individual. Among these are security and support figures, and others that make up meaningful relationships. These are seen as represented on posts, consisting of either individual, or else groupings, of neurons which are linked to the limbic system to trigger oft predictable patterns of behavior and/or emotional expression.The limbic system serves as the energizer in arousal-defense. It also serves to trigger instinctive and other psychomotor patterns in the pursuit of goals which have survival value, while simultaneously producing the chemistry behind emotions useful to man. Some of these psychomotor patterns (i.e., behavior) facilitate the provision of nutrients and warmth for the individual. and so ensure internal homeostasis, while others effectuate group action towards this end.The apparent neuroendocrinal sequence of events in many common environmental situations is discussed. Responses to a perceived threat are examined, noting both the reflex behavior patterns resulting from somatic and ANS discharge, and the associated emotional expression. The chemoelectrical workings of the limbic system keep the central mechanism in a state of balance, while neocortical centers of cognition translate the minute changes in the chemical mix into subjective emotional experience which contribute to the phenomenon of consciousness. The R-complex is seen as the physiological component of the unconscious brain regulating the internal vital functions. The task of the higher centers is not merely to inhibit impulsive (primitive) responses. but also has the following functions: (i) determine the more sophisticated. Effective manner of dealing with perceived threats, and (ii) initiate and facilitate the pursuit of goals promoting survival and well-being for self and group.The human thrust to self-expression or self-actualization is seen as an outgrowth of this process. The theory suggests that intellectual and creative activity within a group is an extension in evolution of primal, survival functions. This thrust has resulted in the growth of culture and development of civilization. While the related neurophysiological activities enhance security and environmental adaptation for self and group, they simultaneously resolve heightened microelectrical tension within the underlying mechanism within the individual's neuroendocrinal complex. The brain, and autonomic and endocrine systems are seen as parts of the same physiological system which pertains to security, survival, and well-being. The concept is presented that the thrust to maintain microelectrical balance within the Security Circuit (a substrate of the CNS) has been the ever-present, ongoing driving force behind the evolution of the “higher,” neocortical centers of consciousness during the psychosocial phase. These centers have responded in a highly specialized way over the millennia to the numerous stress factors posed by an often hostile environment.Supportive data favoring the existence of the Security Circuit taken from ethology, cultural anthropology, psychology and psychoanalysis, Soviet psychophysiology, clinical medicine and psychiatry, psychopharmacology, psychosurgery, the sociology of religion, and sociobiology are presented. Pertinent gleanings from history, seen as a study and record of past human ethology, further substantiate the theory.If one accepts modern evolutionary theory, and the validity of applying the biologic principle of homeostasis to neurophysiology, one is led to the inescapable conclusion that the unique nature and cultural development of man is the result of the function of a central neuroendocrinal mechanism. A startling implication of the theory is the sure existence of a heretofore indistinctly delineated physiological system whose functions relate to man's well-being, security and survival, either for self or group.