Detecting gesture force peaks for intuitive interaction

With the release of the Nintendo Wii in 2006, the use of haptic force gestures has become a very popular form of input for interactive entertainment. However, current gesture recognition techniques utilised in Nintendo Wii games fall prey to a lack of control when it comes to recognising simple gestures. This paper presents a simple gesture recognition technique called Peak Testing which gives greater control over gesture interaction. This recognition technique locates force peaks in continuous force data (provided by a gesture device such as the Wiimote) and then cancels any peaks which are not meant for input. Peak Testing is therefore technically able to identify movements in any direction. This paper applies this recognition technique to control virtual instruments and investigates how users respond to this interaction. The technique is then explored as the basis for a robust way to navigate menus with a simple flick of the wrist. We propose that this flick-form of interaction could be a very intuitive way to navigate Nintendo Wii menus instead of the current pointer techniques implemented.

The ageing of alumina hydrolysates synthesized from sec-butoxyaluminium(III)

A combination of X-ray diffraction, thermal analysis and Raman spectroscopy was employed to characterise the ageing of alumina hydrolysates synthesised from the hydrolysis of anhydrous tri-sec-butoxyaluminium(III). X-Ray diffraction showed that the alumino-oxy(hydroxy) hydrolysates were pseudoboehmite. For boehmite the lamellar spacings are in the b direction and multiple d(020) peaks are observed for the un-aged hydrolysate. After 4 h of ageing, a single d(020) peak is observed at 6.53 Å. Thermal analysis showed five endotherms at 70, 140, 238, 351 and 445°C. These endotherms are attributed to the dehydration and dehydroxylation of the boehmite-like hydrolysate. Raman spectroscopy shows the presence of bands for the washed hydrolysates at 333, 355, 414, 455, 475, 495, 530 and 675 cm–1. These bands are attributed to pseudoboehmite. Ageing of the hydrolysates results in an increase in the crystallite size of the pseudoboehmite.

The ZMET Technique: A New Paradigm for Improving Marketing and Marketing Research

For decades, marketing and marketing research have been based on a concept of consumer behaviour that is deeply embedded in a linear notion of marketing activities. With increasing regularity, key organising frameworks for marketing and marketing activities are being challenged by academics and practitioners alike. In turn, this has led to the search for new approaches and tools that will help marketers understand the interaction among attitudes, emotions and product/brand choice. More recently, the approach developed by Harvard Professor, Gerald Zaltman, referred to as the Zaltman Metaphor Elicitation Technique (ZMET) has gained considerable interest. This paper seeks to demonstrate the effectiveness of this alternative qualitative method, using a non-conventional approach, thus providing a useful contribution to the qualitative research area.

The experience of waterfalls

Landscape beauty has long been a concern of geographers and other scholars, but relatively little work has been done on the aesthetic analysis of specific landscape features such as mountain peaks and waterfalls. In Australia, as in many other parts of the world, waterfalls are popular scenic attractions, and this paper attempts to explain the widespread appeal of these landforms by examining them in the light of theories of landscape aesthetics, from the Picturesque and Sublime to arousal and prospect-refuge. While no single theory offers a complete explanation of our experience of waterfalls, this paper suggests that by using several theoretical approaches to the subject we are more likely to gain a full understanding of the way we respond to these landscape features.

Contemporary behavioural influences in an organisational setting and implications for intervention development

Professional drivers and safety Within the industrialised world, work-related crashes are the most common cause of work-related death, injury and reduced productivity (Charbotel et al., 2001; Toscano and Windau, 1994). Likewise in Australia, road crashes are the most common cause of work-related fatalities, injuries and absence from work (Haworth et al., 2000), with the average time lost being greater than any other workplace claim (Stewart-Bogle, 1999). There are obvious costs related to work crashes such as vehicle and property repair costs. There are also many hidden expenses including third party costs, workers compensation, medical costs, rehabilitation, customer-related costs, increased insurance premiums, administrative costs, legal fees and loss of productivity (Collingwood, 1997; Haworth et al, 2000).

Fingerprint analysis of eucommia bark by LC-DAD and LC-MS with the aid of chemometrics

Chromatographic fingerprints of 46 Eucommia Bark samples were obtained by liquid chromatography-diode array detector (LC-DAD). These samples were collected from eight provinces in China, with different geographical locations, and climates. Seven common LC peaks that could be used for fingerprinting this common popular traditional Chinese medicine were found, and six were identified as substituted resinols (4 compounds), geniposidic acid and chlorogenic acid by LC-MS. Principal components analysis (PCA) indicated that samples from the Sichuan, Hubei, Shanxi and Anhui—the SHSA provinces, clustered together. The other objects from the four provinces, Guizhou, Jiangxi, Gansu and Henan, were discriminated and widely scattered on the biplot in four province clusters. The SHSA provinces are geographically close together while the others are spread out. Thus, such results suggested that the composition of the Eucommia Bark samples was dependent on their geographic location and environment. In general, the basis for discrimination on the PCA biplot from the original 46 objects× 7 variables data matrix was the same as that for the SHSA subset (36 × 7 matrix). The seven marker compound loading vectors grouped into three sets: (1) three closely correlating substituted resinol compounds and chlorogenic acid; (2) the fourth resinol compound identified by the OCH3 substituent in the R4 position, and an unknown compound; and (3) the geniposidic acid, which was independent of the set 1 variables, and which negatively correlated with the set 2 ones above. These observations from the PCA biplot were supported by hierarchical cluster analysis, and indicated that Eucommia Bark preparations may be successfully compared with the use of the HPLC responses from the seven marker compounds and chemometric methods such as PCA and the complementary hierarchical cluster analysis (HCA).

Identification of barriers to and facilitators for the implementation of occupational road safety initiatives

To explore potential barriers to and facilitators for implementing occupational road safety initiatives, in-depth interviews were conducted with personnel from four major Australian organizations. Twenty-four participants were involved in the interviews comprising 16 front line employees and eight managers. The interviews identified that employees perceived six organizational characteristics as potential barriers to implementing occupational road safety initiatives. These included: prioritisation of production over safety; complacency towards occupational road risks; insufficient resources; diversity; limited employee input in safety decisions; and a perception that road safety initiatives were an unnecessary burden. Of these organizational characteristics, prioritisation of production over safety and complacency were the most frequently cited barriers. In regards to facilitators, participants perceived three organizational characteristics as potential facilitators to implementing occupational road safety initiatives. These included: management commitment; the presence of existing systems that could support the implementation of initiatives; and supportive relationships. Of these organizational characteristics, management commitment was the most frequently cited facilitator.

Driving performance in persons with hemianopia and quadrantanopia assessed under in-traffic conditions

Purpose: To evaluate the on-road driving performance of persons with homonymous hemianopia or quadrantanopia in comparison to age-matched controls with normal visual fields. Methods: Participants were 22 hemianopes and eight quadrantanopes (mean age 53 years) and 30 persons with normal visual fields (mean age 52 years) and were either current drivers or aiming to resume driving. All participants completed a battery of tests of vision (ETDRS visual acuity, Pelli-Robson letter contrast sensitivity, Humphrey visual fields), cognitive tests (trials A and B, Mini Mental State Examination, Digit Symbol Substitution) and an on-road driving assessment. Driving performance was assessed in a dual-brake vehicle with safety monitored by a certified driving rehabilitation specialist. Backseat evaluators masked to the clinical characteristics of participants independently rated driving performance along a 22.7 kilometre route involving urban and interstate driving. Results: Seventy-three per cent of the hemianopes, 88 per cent of quadrantanopes and all of the drivers with normal fields received safe driving ratings. Those hemianopic and quadrantanopic drivers rated as unsafe tended to have problems with maintaining appropriate lane position, steering steadiness and gap judgment compared to controls. Unsafe driving was associated with slower visual processing speed and impairments in contrast sensitivity, visual field sensitivity and executive function. Conclusions: Our findings suggest that some drivers with hemianopia or quadrantanopia are capable of safe driving performance, when compared to those of the same age with normal visual fields. This finding has important implications for the assessment of fitness to drive in this population.

Head and eye movements and lane keeping in drivers with hemianopia and quadrantanopia compared to controls

Purpose: To compare the eye and head movements and lane-keeping of drivers with hemianopia and quadrantanopia with that of age-matched controls when driving under real world conditions. Methods: Participants included 22 hemianopes and 8 quadrantanopes (M age 53 yrs) and 30 persons with normal visual fields (M age 52 yrs) who were ≥ 6 months from the brain injury date and either a current driver or aiming to resume driving. All participants drove an instrumented dual-brake vehicle along a 14-mile route in traffic that included non-interstate city driving and interstate driving. Driving performance was scored using a standardised assessment system by two “backseat” raters and the Vigil Vanguard system which provides objective measures of speed, braking and acceleration, cornering, and video-based footage from which eye and head movements and lane-keeping can be derived. Results: As compared to drivers with normal visual fields, drivers with hemianopia or quadrantanopia on average were significantly more likely to drive slower, to exhibit less excessive cornering forces or acceleration, and to execute more shoulder movements off the seat. Those hemianopic and quadrantanopic drivers rated as safe to drive by the backseat evaluator made significantly more excursive eye movements, exhibited more stable lane positioning, less sudden braking events and drove at higher speeds than those rated as unsafe, while there was no difference between safe and unsafe drivers in head movements. Conclusions: Persons with hemianopic and quadrantanopic field defects rated as safe to drive have different driving characteristics compared to those rated as unsafe when assessed using objective measures of driving performance.

Analysing Seasonal Health Data

Seasonal patterns have been found in a remarkable range of health conditions, including birth defects, respiratory infections and cardiovascular disease. Accurately estimating the size and timing of seasonal peaks in disease incidence is an aid to understanding the causes and possibly to developing interventions. With global warming increasing the intensity of seasonal weather patterns around the world, a review of the methods for estimating seasonal effects on health is timely. This is the first book on statistical methods for seasonal data written for a health audience. It describes methods for a range of outcomes (including continuous, count and binomial data) and demonstrates appropriate techniques for summarising and modelling these data. It has a practical focus and uses interesting examples to motivate and illustrate the methods. The statistical procedures and example data sets are available in an R package called ‘season’. Adrian Barnett is a senior research fellow at Queensland University of Technology, Australia. Annette Dobson is a Professor of Biostatistics at The University of Queensland, Australia. Both are experienced medical statisticians with a commitment to statistical education and have previously collaborated in research in the methodological developments and applications of biostatistics, especially to time series data. Among other projects, they worked together on revising the well-known textbook "An Introduction to Generalized Linear Models," third edition, Chapman Hall/CRC, 2008. In their new book they share their knowledge of statistical methods for examining seasonal patterns in health.

Comparison of multiple and novel measures of dietary glycemic carbohydrate with insulin resistant status in older women

BACKGROUND:Previous epidemiological investigations of associations between dietary glycemic intake and insulin resistance have used average daily measures of glycemic index (GI) and glycemic load (GL). We explored multiple and novel measures of dietary glycemic intake to determine which was most predictive of an association with insulin resistance.METHODS:Usual dietary intakes were assessed by diet history interview in women aged 42-81 years participating in the Longitudinal Assessment of Ageing in Women. Daily measures of dietary glycemic intake (n = 329) were carbohydrate, GI, GL, and GL per megacalorie (GL/Mcal), while meal based measures (n = 200) were breakfast, lunch and dinner GL; and a new measure, GL peak score, to represent meal peaks. Insulin resistant status was defined as a homeostasis model assessment (HOMA) value of >3.99; HOMA as a continuous variable was also investigated.RESULTS:GL, GL/Mcal, carbohydrate (all P < 0.01), GL peak score (P = 0.04) and lunch GL (P = 0.04) were positively and independently associated with insulin resistant status. Daily measures were more predictive than meal-based measures, with minimal difference between GL/Mcal, GL and carbohydrate. No significant associations were observed with HOMA as a continuous variable.CONCLUSION:A dietary pattern with high peaks of GL above the individual's average intake was a significant independent predictor of insulin resistance in this population, however the contribution was less than daily GL and carbohydrate variables. Accounting for energy intake slightly increased the predictive ability of GL, which is potentially important when examining disease risk in more diverse populations with wider variations in energy requirements.

The cost effectiveness of Naltrexone added to cognitive-behavioral therapy in the treatment of alcohol dependence

he purpose of this study was to evaluate the comparative cost of treating alcohol dependence with either cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) alone or CBT combined with naltrexone (CBT+naltrexone). Two hundred ninety-eight outpatients dependent on alcohol who were consecutively treated for alcohol dependence participated in this study. One hundred seven (36%) patients received adjunctive pharmacotherapy (CBT+naltrexone). The Drug Abuse Treatment Cost Analysis Program was used to estimate treatment costs. Adjunctive pharmacotherapy (CBT+naltrexone) introduced an additional treatment cost and was 54% more expensive than CBT alone. When treatment abstinence rates (36.1% CBT; 62.6% CBT+naltrexone) were applied to cost effectiveness ratios, CBT+naltrexone demonstrated an advantage over CBT alone. There were no differences between groups on a preference-based health measure (SF-6D). In this treatment center, to achieve 100 abstainers over a 12-week program, 280 patients require CBT compared with 160 CBT+naltrexone. The dominant choice was CBT+naltrexone based on modest economic advantages and significant efficiencies in the numbers needed to treat.