Virtual Scenarios Research Articles

Virtual reality exposure therapy for sexual aversion: a proof-of-concept study on acceptability, adequacy, and clinical effects

Abstract Background Sexual dysfunctions impair the intimate relationships of up to one-third of the population. Virtual reality (VR) offers innovative treatment options for both mental and sexual disorders, such as female orgasmic disorder and erectile disorder. Sexual aversion disorder (SAD)—the anxiety, disgust, and avoidance of sexual contexts—is a chronic condition commonly treated with anxiety-reducing strategies, such as exposure-based therapy. Despite exposure’s efficacy in reducing SAD symptoms, VR exposure therapy’s (VRET) effectiveness remains unexplored for this condition. Aim This proof-of-concept study examines the acceptability, adequacy, and clinical effects of a VRET’s simulation protocol for SAD. Methods In the laboratory, 15 adults suffering from SAD (Mage = 35.00; SD = 11.36) viewed 15 virtual sexual scenarios of increasing intensity (eg, flirting, nudity, genital stimulation) adjusted to their sexual preferences and gender identities. Outcomes Levels of anxiety, disgust, and catastrophizing beliefs were measured throughout the scenarios using standard self-report measures. Participants also completed validated questionnaires on sexual presence and simulation realism, as well as open-ended questions on scenarios’ representativeness and adequacy immediately after immersion. Six months after the laboratory visit, participants completed a negative effects questionnaire and were screened for SAD symptoms again. Repeated-measures ANOVAs and descriptive analyses were performed. Results Levels of anxiety and disgust significantly increased with the intensity of sexual scenarios. Catastrophizing levels were high and tended to augment with increasing exposure levels. A significant reduction in symptoms of SAD was found from pre-simulation to the 6-month follow-up assessment. Sexual presence and realism scores were moderate. Qualitative assessment revealed that all participants reported the sexual scenarios were representative of real-life situations that tend to elicit SAD symptoms for them. Reported negative effects were generally mild. Clinical Implications This proof-of-concept study suggests that VRET may have the potential to elicit self-reported emotional and cognitive manifestations of SAD (sex-related anxiety, disgust, and catastrophizing), while also hinting at its acceptability, adequacy, and benefits in alleviating SAD symptoms. Strengths & Limitations While this study marks the first exploration of the clinical relevance of gender-inclusive virtual sexual scenarios for SAD, its design and sample composition may impact observed effects and the generalizability of findings. Conclusion This study invites future clinical trials to assess VRET efficacy for SAD.

Optimising Healthcare Education with Design-Based Theory

Introduction In complex, and socially dynamic educational systems, traditional research methodologies often fail to connect with everyday practice, creating a need for “usable knowledge” when solving individual and collective education problems (Design-Based Research Collective, 2003). Traditional methods are effective, but do not necessarily uncover the nature of changes to student thinking during an education experience. With this, Design-Based Research (DBR) is a proposed solution that emerges as a pivotal methodology in educational research, as it aims to integrate theories of learning with practical experiences. Seen as a systematic yet adaptable approach, DBR integrates iterative cycles of analysis, design, and evaluation in collaboration with researchers and practitioners within authentic educational settings, (Harrington, 2012; Wang & Hannafin, 2005). This (poster) presentation will describe how DBR was utilised to create a learning environment to improve learning experiences within healthcare education. An analysis of the problem highlighted that healthcare students experienced high levels of anxiety during high-fidelity simulation when asked to perform and treat simulation manikins (Aiello et al., 2023). In part, the main issues relate to a lack of environmental authenticity, resulting in under-stimulation and performance anxiety resulting in over-stimulation. This relates to the Yerkes Dodson stress performance curve and suggests that too little or too much arousal results in poor performance (Yerkes, 1908). The hypothesis therefore was to design a solution for peak performance by increasing environmental authenticity and managing anxiety. Method The hypothesis is conceptualised as a ‘design solution’ rather than an intervention. To provide an authentic learning experience virtual reality environments were developed, and to aid performance anxiety, the centering technique was used. Centering is a visualisation technique that teaches participants to focus on the here and now, reduce negative thoughts, and lower anxiety. Virtual reality scenarios were provided prior to each simulation and included a ward-based environment (nurse students) and a rescue helicopter (paramedic students). The study involved 35 Master of Nursing Science, Entry to Practice student nurses at the University of Melbourne and 33 Bachelor of Health Science, Paramedicine students at Auckland University of Technology and industry experts within nurse and paramedic education. All data was collected for each cohort iteratively in 2023 and 2024 to evaluate and develop the design. Data collection included using the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory as a pre-test baseline to measure general and long-standing anxiety for each participant. Within-test heart rates was recorded on a Polar H10 chest strap to measure an objective physiological response to stress. Post-test participants completed the Competitive State Anxiety Inventory–2R after each simulation to understand subjective anxiety and several focus groups were completed to gain further insight into experiences and perspectives. Discussion and Conclusion This presentation outlines the design characteristics used to support student learning within healthcare education settings. Design-Based Research offers a robust framework to develop and refine educational practices through iterative design and implementation cycles. Early results suggest that both virtual reality and the centering technique impact healthcare learning and the implementation of this approach could lead to long-term resilience and build confidence that maximises potential.

Automated Evaluation Method for Risk Behaviors of Quay Crane Operators at Ports Using Virtual Reality

Currently, the operational risk assessment of quay crane operators at ports relies on manual evaluations based on experience, but this method lacks objectivity and fairness. As port throughput continues to grow, the port accident rate has also increased, making it crucial to scientifically evaluate the risk behaviors of operators and improve their safety awareness. This paper proposes an automated evaluation method based on a Deep Q-Network (DQN) to assess the risk behaviors of quay crane operators in virtual scenarios. A risk simulation module has been added to the existing automated quay crane remote operation simulation system to simulate potential risks during operations. Based on the collected data, a DQN-based benchmark model reflecting the operational behaviors and decision-making processes of skilled operators has been developed. This model enables a quantitative evaluation of operators’ behaviors, ensuring the objectivity and accuracy of the assessment process. The experimental results show that, compared with traditional manual scoring methods, the proposed method is more stable and objective, effectively reducing subjective biases and providing a reliable alternative to conventional manual evaluations. Additionally, this method enhances operators’ safety awareness and their ability to handle risks, helping them identify and avoid risks during actual operations, thereby ensuring both operational safety and efficiency.

Accurate prediction of protein–ligand interactions by combining physical energy functions and graph-neural networks

We introduce an advanced model for predicting protein–ligand interactions. Our approach combines the strengths of graph neural networks with physics-based scoring methods. Existing structure-based machine-learning models for protein–ligand binding prediction often fall short in practical virtual screening scenarios, hindered by the intricacies of binding poses, the chemical diversity of drug-like molecules, and the scarcity of crystallographic data for protein–ligand complexes. To overcome the limitations of existing machine learning-based prediction models, we propose a novel approach that fuses three independent neural network models. One classification model is designed to perform binary prediction of a given protein–ligand complex pose. The other two regression models are trained to predict the binding affinity and root-mean-square deviation of a ligand conformation from an input complex structure. We trained the model to account for both deviations in experimental and predicted binding affinities and pose prediction uncertainties. By effectively integrating the outputs of the triplet neural networks with a physics-based scoring function, our model showed a significantly improved performance in hit identification. The benchmark results with three independent decoy sets demonstrate that our model outperformed existing models in forward screening. Our model achieved top 1% enrichment factors of 32.7 and 23.1 with the CASF2016 and DUD-E benchmark sets, respectively. The benchmark results using the LIT-PCBA set further confirmed its higher average enrichment factors, emphasizing the model’s efficiency and generalizability. The model’s efficiency was further validated by identifying 23 active compounds from 63 candidates in experimental screening for autotaxin inhibitors, demonstrating its practical applicability in hit discovery.Scientific contributionOur work introduces a novel training strategy for a protein–ligand binding affinity prediction model by integrating the outputs of three independent sub-models and utilizing expertly crafted decoy sets. The model showcases exceptional performance across multiple benchmarks. The high enrichment factors in the LIT-PCBA benchmark demonstrate its potential to accelerate hit discovery.

Racial biases in clinical practice and medical education: a scoping review

IntroductionHealth inequalities represent a major challenge in contemporary medicine, with some attributed to racial biases. Recently, in the United States, a call to combat discrimination in the field of health has resonated, particularly in the context of the COVID-19 crisis, in which minorities have been disproportionately affected. These calls echo recommendations from the Institute of Medicine dating back to 2001, urging the fight against inequalities in access to health care. In France, inequalities based on presumed origin persist, yet medical education on these issues is virtually nonexistent.Materials and MethodsWe conducted a scoping review literature review in accordance with the JBI recommendations for scoping review writing and applied the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic reviews and Meta-Analyses extension for Scoping Reviews (PRISMA-ScR) checklist to explore existing conceptual and educational data on racial biases in medicine. The inclusion criteria were interventional studies or evaluations of existing educational programs in medical training addressing the fight against racial biases in clinical settings published in French or English between 2003 and 2023. Six databases were systematically consulted.ResultsOut of 748 initial studies, 28 were included in our study. The median number of participants in the studies was low, interventions were diverse, and participants were generally well received, most of whom were self-selected. No study has evaluated the clinical impact of these interventions. The highlighted concepts included levels of racism, cultural competence, cultural humility, and critical race theory.DiscussionThe authors most frequently referred to institutionalized racism, demonstrating the systemic nature of these issues. At an individual level, implicit and unconscious biases were most often emphasized. It appears that the concept of “race” is a sociopolitical construct without supporting biological determinants. Humility is central to this field of study, as it encourages questioning of individual or collective medical practices. In France, the context, including the prohibition of ethnic statistics, may hinder the objectification of discrimination. Immersion and virtual patient scenarios emerged as potential solutions for evaluating the clinical impact of interventions. A more horizontal medical pedagogy seems better suited to teach these sensitive issues.

Revolutionizing nurse well-being: Virtual reality as a stress relief intervention.

This article describes an 8-week pilot project implementing virtual reality (VR) technology as a stress relief intervention for nurses at a rural hospital. It highlights how VR allowed nurses to temporarily disconnect from their stressful work environment and experience calming virtual scenarios during break times.

A Computer Modeling-Based Target Zone for Transposition Osteotomy of the Acetabulum in Patients with Hip Dysplasia.

This study aimed to determine the acetabular position to optimize hip biomechanics after transposition osteotomy of the acetabulum (TOA), a specific form of periacetabular osteotomy, in patients with hip dysplasia. We created patient-specific finite-element models of 46 patients with hip dysplasia to simulate 12 virtual TOA scenarios: lateral rotation to achieve a lateral center-edge angle (LCEA) of 30°, 35°, and 40° combined with anterior rotation of 0°, 5°, 10°, and 15°. Joint contact pressure (CP) on the acetabular cartilage during a single-leg stance and simulated hip range of motion without osseous impingement were calculated. The optimal acetabular position was defined as satisfying both normal joint CP and the required range of motion for activities of daily living. Multivariable logistic regression analysis was used to identify preoperative morphological predictors of osseous impingement after virtual TOA with adequate acetabular correction. The prevalence of hips in the optimal position was highest (65.2%) at an LCEA of 30°, regardless of the amount of anterior rotation. While the acetabular position minimizing peak CP varied among patients, approximately 80% exhibited normalized peak CP at an LCEA of 30° and 35° with 15° of anterior rotation, which were the 2 most favorable configurations among the 12 simulated scenarios. In this context, the preoperative head-neck offset ratio (HNOR) at the 1:30 clock position (p = 0.018) was an independent predictor of postoperative osseous impingement within the required range of motion. Specifically, an HNOR of <0.14 at the 1:30 clock position predicted limitation of required range of motion after virtual TOA (sensitivity, 57%; specificity, 81%; and area under the receiver operating characteristic curve, 0.70). Acetabular reorientation to an LCEA of between 30° and 35° with an additional 15° of anterior rotation may serve as a biomechanics-based target zone for surgeons performing TOA in most patients with hip dysplasia. However, patients with a reduced HNOR at the 1:30 clock position may experience limited range of motion in activities of daily living postoperatively. This study provides a biomechanics-based target for refining acetabular reorientation strategies during TOA while considering morphological factors that may limit the required range of motion.

Comparing the Psychophysical Capabilities on Fingertip and Wrist using Method of Adjustment

Haptic technology, which refers to creating the sense of touch artificially, offers a crucial source of communication between humans and computers or machines. While conventional haptic devices are designed to render vibrotactile information on the fingertip, recent trends in the field expand the tactile communication to other body locations, like the wrist. Even though the literature has many successful applications showing the validity of such haptic applications, there is no study comparing the user perception for meaningful virtual or teleoperated task scenarios due to the lack of calibration methods between alternative body locations. In this paper, we attempt to compare the perceived intensities at the fingertip and the wrist through psychophysical experiments and to answer: (i) Is there a perpetual difference between the haptic stimuli on the wrist compared to the fingertip? (ii) Is possible to form a reasonable, linear relationship (or a pattern) between the stimuli rendered at the fingertip and the wrist? (iii) If so, do different users require different relationships that would need to be obtained through calibration? We designed a user study with 13 healthy participants, receiving three levels of haptic stimuli at their fingertips while adjusting the intensities of the stimuli rendered at their wrist using the method of adjustments. Our results indicate that there is a linear pattern between the vibrotactile stimuli rendered at the fingertip and the wrist, and each participant exhibits a different pattern. Our results can be used to equalize the perceived intensities of different forms of tactile stimuli for future research investigating the perceived performance under different haptic scenarios.

Integrating Sustainable Educational Innovations and Spatial Cognition: A Study of Factors Affecting College Students’ Sustainable Learning Behavior in Virtual Simulation Environments

Objective: This study investigated the factors influencing college students’ continuous utilization intention of virtual simulation software (Animation Character Virtual Simulation Software V1.0) in the context of current efforts to promote sustainable educational practices and explored design strategies to enhance this willingness in a sustainable manner. Method: Based on the Expectation Confirmation Model of Information System Continuance (ECM-ISC), this study developed a model to examine the impact of college students’ spatial ability (SA) on their virtual simulation learning behavior. Upon administering a questionnaire to the selected participants (N = 164), the survey data were analyzed for reliability and validity. Subsequently, the relationships among the model’s variables were explored. Result: For college students majoring in Digital Media Art, spatial ability significantly positively affects their sustainable utilization intention of virtual simulation software within 3D virtual scenarios. Meanwhile, it positively impacts perceived ease of use (PEU) and flow experience (FE), which are key factors in promoting the sustainable adoption of such technologies. The introduced spatial ability, perceived ease of use, and flow experience influence the endogeneity of the ECM-ISC. Moreover, gender differences in spatial ability are profound among these students. Conclusion: The primary influencing pathway is spatial ability → flow experience → expectation confirmation → perceived usefulness → continuous utilization intention. Enhancing spatial ability is one effective way to advance virtual simulation software, offering new insights for its design and long-term improvement in alignment with sustainable educational practices.

3D built virtual arctic environment increase vigor through connectedness in older people.

While the life expectancy of older people has increased significantly, this is often related to more long-term care in healthcare residences and nursing homes. Staying in these facilities can lead to a reduction in the sense of connection with others and the world around, as well as in vigor, with significant psychophysical repercussions in the long term. Although previous studies have shown that the virtual nature can benefit both, there are no significant studies that have tested its effect in generating these positive outcomes in the older population. Therefore, our study sought to investigate, in a sample of 53 older people in care at a nursing home or healthcare residence, the indirect effect of a 3D built virtual arctic environment (vs. a 3D built virtual urban environment) exposure in virtual reality on vigor through connectedness. Both the virtual scenarios were designed with a first-person view, with no translation around the environment and only in-situ rotation. Results highlighted that exposure to the 3D built virtual arctic environment leads to higher connectedness than the 3D built virtual urban environment, and this, in turn, leads to an increase in vigor. Findings were discussed based on the potential of adopting virtual nature in facilities to improve older people's sense of connectedness and, in turn, improve their well-being.

Working towards more socially acceptable outcomes from airspace modernisation

The UK is currently undertaking a process of airspace modernisation, which has revealed potentially competing objectives for the management of aircraft noise impacts. Communities at some airports are concerned about the fairness of potential outcomes in terms of changes to the pattern of aircraft noise exposure. This research draws upon in-depth community focus groups where the fairness and equity of different airspace change concepts for a fictitious departure route were discussed using a virtual airport scenario. These discussions revealed a preference of minimal change compared to the existing patterns of noise exposure, where the use of a number above metric (N65) was particularly helpful in allowing participants to understand the implications of different airspace change options on the spatial distribution of noise on the ground. The paper demonstrates how N65 data can be used to summarise the consequences of different airspace change options, supporting stakeholders in assessing the relative distributional fairness of each proposal. Such transparency around the consequences of airspace change proposals enhances informational fairness and can help build trust in the procedural fairness of airspace decision-making leading to more socially acceptable outcomes (or the least socially unacceptable outcomes).

A method for studying the effect of diegetic vs. non-diegetic rating interfaces on the assessment of virtual acoustic environments

Auditory perception experiments conducted in VR come along with a high degree of ecological validity while maintaining a controlled laboratory setting. However, since the participant's vision is occupied during simulation, conventional evaluation instruments like rating scales need to be relocated to the virtual environment to allow for immediate stimulus rating. This can be achieved either by the use of diegetic interfaces, which are implied to be a part of the simulation (e.g., a screen held by the participant's avatar) or non-diegetic interfaces, which do not claim to originate from the simulated reality (e.g., sliders and text elements laid on top of the participant's view). It is unknown whether the choice of interface does affect the participant's perception of the virtual environment - including its acoustic components. To address this shortcoming, a methodological study is presented. Participants are exposed to a virtual scenario simulating an urban green area with nearby ambience sound sources. In this setting, they are provided with diegetic and non-diegetic rating interfaces to assess the acoustic environment. Subsequently, perceived presence and involvement in the virtual environment are surveyed as well. This way, the study provides useful guidelines for future VR experiments assessing soundscape-related aspects of perception.

Development and evaluation of a collaborative reflection-based debriefing strategy for simulation-based education using virtual simulations in practical nursing: A randomized controlled trial

AimTo develop and validate a debriefing strategy for simulation-based education in practical nursing that fosters collaborative reflection and enhances nursing competencies. The study assesses the effects on knowledge, problem-solving skills, self-confidence in clinical decision-making, reflective thinking and student satisfaction. BackgroundAdvancements in medical technology and the evolving healthcare landscape have increased nurses’ expectations, prompting nursing education to emphasize practical skills in addition to theoretical knowledge. The shortage of clinical practice wards, increased nursing school enrollments and a focus on patient rights have expanded traditional simulation-based education to include virtual clinical scenarios. MethodA randomized controlled trial was conducted with 66 fourth-year nursing students (34 in the experimental group and 32 in the control group) at Dongseo University, Pusan, Republic of Korea (IRB No. 2021-023-HR-02). The collaborative reflection-based debriefing comprised four phases: pre-debriefing, emotional relief, exploration of alternatives and expansion of thinking. The experimental group had three intervention sessions; the control group underwent individual debriefing after completing a structured reflective questionnaire. Outcomes were assessed post-intervention and at four and eight weeks. Data were analyzed using independent t-tests and repeated-measures analysis of variance (mixed model). ResultsThe experimental group exhibited significantly greater improvements in knowledge, problem-solving skills, self-confidence in clinical decision-making, reflective thinking and satisfaction than the control group. ConclusionCollaborative reflection-based debriefing in simulation-based education can improve the nursing competency required in clinical settings.

Cognition Assessment in Virtual Reality (CAVIR): Associations with neuropsychological performance and activities of daily living in patients with mood or psychosis spectrum disorders

BackgroundMore ecologically valid tools are needed to better capture daily-life cognitive impairments in patients with mood or psychosis spectrum disorders in clinical settings and cognitive treatment trials. We developed the Cognition Assessment in Virtual Reality (CAVIR) test, which assesses daily-life cognitive skills in an immersive virtual reality kitchen scenario. This study investigated the validity and sensitivity of CAVIR, including its association with activities of daily living (ADL) ability. Methods70 symptomatically stable patients with mood or psychosis spectrum disorders and 70 healthy controls completed CAVIR and standard neuropsychological tests and were rated for clinical symptoms, functional capacity, and subjective cognition. In addition, patients' ADL ability was evaluated with the Assessment of Motor and Process Skills (AMPS). ResultsHigher global CAVIR performance correlated moderately with better global neuropsychological test scores (rs(138) = 0.60, p < 0.001) and showed a weak to moderate association with better ADL process ability in patients (r(45) = 0.40, p < 0.01), also after adjusting for sex and age (ps ≤ 0.03). In comparison, neuropsychological performance, interviewer- and performance-based functional capacity, and subjective cognition were not significantly associated with ADL process ability (ps ≥ 0.09). Further, CAVIR was sensitive to cognitive impairments in patients and was able to differentiate between patients with and without the ability to undertake regular employment. LimitationsThe modest sample size and concomitant medication. ConclusionOur results indicate that CAVIR is a sensitive measure of daily-life cognitive skills in patients with mood or psychosis spectrum disorders.

Pedestrian Behavior in Static and Dynamic Virtual Road Crossing Experiments

Virtual studies involving pedestrians have gained relevance due to the advantage of not exposing them to actual risk, and simulation setups have benefitted from rapid technical advancements, becoming increasingly complex and immersive. However, it remains unclear whether complex setups affecting participants’ freedom of movement impact their decision-making. This research evaluated the effects of a more realistic approach to studying pedestrian crossing behavior by comparing a perception-action task requiring participants to walk effectively along a semi-virtual crosswalk with a similar experiment using static crossing conditions. Using a CAVE system, two real-world streets were modeled in two different virtual scenarios, varying vehicle speed patterns and distance from the crosswalk. Visual stimuli were presented to two groups of 30 participants, with auditory stimuli adapted accordingly. The impact of various factors on participants’ crossing decisions was evaluated by examining the percentage of crossings, crossing start time, and time-to-passage. Overall, the experimental approach did not significantly affect participants’ crossing decisions.

Virtual Obstacle Avoidance Strategy: Navigating through a Complex Environment While Interacting with Virtual and Physical Elements.

Robotic walking devices can be used for intensive exercises to enhance gait rehabilitation therapies. Mixed Reality (MR) techniques may improve engagement through immersive and interactive environments. This article introduces an MR-based multimodal human-robot interaction strategy designed to enable shared control with a Smart Walker. The MR system integrates virtual and physical sensors to (i) enhance safe navigation and (ii) facilitate intuitive mobility training in personalized virtual scenarios by using an interface with three elements: an arrow to indicate where to go, laser lines to indicate nearby obstacles, and an ellipse to show the activation zone. The multimodal interaction is context-based; the presence of nearby individuals and obstacles modulates the robot's behavior during navigation to simplify collision avoidance while allowing for proper social navigation. An experiment was conducted to evaluate the proposed strategy and the self-explanatory nature of the interface. The volunteers were divided into four groups, with each navigating under different conditions. Three evaluation methods were employed: task performance, self-assessment, and observational measurement. Analysis revealed that participants enjoyed the MR system and understood most of the interface elements without prior explanation. Regarding the interface, volunteers who did not receive any introductory explanation about the interface elements were mostly able to guess their purpose. Volunteers that interacted with the interface in the first session provided more correct answers. In future research, virtual elements will be integrated with the physical environment to enhance user safety during navigation, and the control strategy will be improved to consider both physical and virtual obstacles.

Culinary Learning Using Virtual Reality Based on Gamification Method

Culinary is a promising business and food is a basic need for human life. Many people fall ill due to improper diet. Since the emergence of Covid-19 a few years ago, most people tend to be careful in maintaining their diet, and awareness of healthy food has increased. Significantly, learning with virtual reality-based gamification in post-pandemic conditions, many people prefer digital learning. To increase creativity, motivation, innovation, and student involvement and ultimately open many businesses in the food sector, fun learning is needed with interesting content with virtual reality-based gamification scenarios. Ease of learning will have an impact on improving culinary learning outcomes. The purpose of this study is to learn using virtual reality-based gamification methods to increase student creativity in determining recipes, choosing the right ingredients, and using the right cooking utensils. Increase student learning motivation, and create innovation in the culinary field, from combining recipes to attractive presentations. Student involvement and its output is the creation of technopreneurs in the culinary field, considering that culinary is the backbone of a country's economy and is a promising business

Seasonal variations in psychophysiological stress recovery from street greenery: A virtual reality study on vegetation structures and configurations

The benefits of street greenery for well-being in urban development are widely recognized. However, few studies have explored seasonal variations in the psychophysiological stress recovery effects of different street greenery. To address this gap, we conducted field research in the Guanzhong region of China and created virtual streetscapes representing different seasons using Mars 2020 software. This study categorized vegetation into various layers based on their biological attributes: deciduous and evergreen trees for the arbor layer, evergreen and colourful foliage hedges for the shrub layer, observable and unobservable flowering herbs for the herb layer. They were then classified into Tree, Tree-Shrub, Tree-Herb, and Tree-Shrub-Herb structures, all of which had different seasons and vegetation configurations. 1,136 participants were recorded for psychophysiological changes in different street greenery virtual reality scenarios. The results were as follows: 1. Streets with greenery exhibited greater stress recovery effects than those without greenery. Seasonally, the physiological stress recovery effects were greater in autumn and winter, and there was an interaction between season, structure, configuration factors. 2. Overall, the Tree-Shrub structure was most effective for stress recovery, the Tree-Shrub-Herb structure was least effective. However, the Tree-Shrub-Herb structure proved to be the best in winter. 3. Rich color and stable green coverage were most effective for improving psychological and physiological stress recovery, respectively. However, the optimal vegetation types and configurations for stress recovery vary with specific viewing periods within each season. These findings offer a theoretical foundation and practical reference for designing health-oriented street greenery and seasonal landscapes in future.

Recognition of carrier-based aircraft flight deck operations based on dynamic graph

Accurate recognition of flight deck operations for carrier-based aircraft, based on operation trajectories, is critical for optimizing carrier-based aircraft performance. This recognition involves understanding short-term and long-term spatial collaborative relationships among support agents and positions from long spatial–temporal trajectories. While the existing methods excel at recognizing collaborative behaviors from short trajectories, they often struggle with long spatial–temporal trajectories. To address this challenge, this paper introduces a dynamic graph method to enhance flight deck operation recognition. First, spatial–temporal collaborative relationships are modeled as a dynamic graph. Second, a discretized and compressed method is proposed to assign values to the states of this dynamic graph. To extract features that represent diverse collaborative relationships among agents and account for the duration of these relationships, a biased random walk is then conducted. Subsequently, the Swin Transformer is employed to comprehend spatial–temporal collaborative relationships, and a fully connected layer is applied to deck operation recognition. Finally, to address the scarcity of real datasets, a simulation pipeline is introduced to generate deck operations in virtual flight deck scenarios. Experimental results on the simulation dataset demonstrate the superior performance of the proposed method.

Examining the effect of locomotion techniques on virtual prototype assessment: Gaze analysis using a Head-Mounted Display

Improvements in the performance and graphical quality of Head-Mounted Displays (HMDs) have led to their increasing use in Virtual Reality (VR) for product presentation and virtual prototype (VP) evaluations. Various locomotion techniques in VR make it possible to move through a virtual scenario and approach the VP for evaluation purposes. The integration of eye-tracking devices into recent HMDs allows the trajectory and gaze behavior of observers to be reported during the evaluation, often more objectively than self-report questionnaires. However, very few studies have used physiological measures for the evaluation of products embedded in VR environments. Therefore, this paper offers a study in which 95 people evaluated three VPs of street furniture presented in their environment of use using Meta Quest Pro headset and explored through teleport and natural walking. The influence of the locomotion techniques on the ratings recorded using a semantic differential, sense of presence, cybersickness, and the role of eye-tracking in understanding gaze behavior while evaluating products' Areas of Interest (AOIs), are investigated. This study found no evidence that the way of approaching the product influences the evaluation of some of its features, overall product evaluation, confidence in responses, sense of presence, or cybersickness differently. On the other hand, this work evidences that the locomotion technique had an impact on how the user approached the products, which could significantly influence the viewing time of some AOIs. The study revealed that the most observed AOIs coincided with those parts closely related to important features, generally located at the top of the products, so paying special attention to these parts when designing and evaluating similar VPs is recommended.