Movement time for motion-impaired users assisted by force-feedback: effects of movement amplitude, target width and gravity well width

This paper presents a study investigating how the performance of motion-impaired computer users in point and click tasks varies with target distance (A), target width (W), and force-feedback gravity well width (GWW). Six motion-impaired users performed point and click tasks across a range of values for A, W, and GWW. Times were observed to increase with A, and to decrease with W. Times also improved with GWW, and, with the addition of a gravity well, a greater improvement was observed for smaller targets than for bigger ones. It was found that Fitts Law gave a good description of behaviour for each value of GWW, and that gravity wells reduced the effect of task difficulty on performance. A model based on Fitts Law is proposed, which incorporates the effect of GWW on movement time. The model accounts for 88.8% of the variance in the observed data.

Condensed tannins act against cattle nematodes

The use of natural plant anthelmintics was suggested as a possible alternative control of gastrointestinal nematodes (GIN) in ruminants. Direct anthelmintic effects of tannin-containing plants have already been shown in sheep and goat GIN. These anthelmintic properties are mainly associated with condensed tannins. In the present study, we evaluated possible in vitro effects of three tannin-containing plants against bovine GIN. Effects of Onobrychis viciifolia, Lotus pedunculatus and Lotus corniculatus condensed tannin (CT) extracts on Cooperia oncophora and Ostertagia ostertagi were determined by a larval feeding inhibition assay (LFIA) and a larval exsheathment assay (LEA). In the LFIA, all three plant extracts significantly inhibited larval feeding behaviour of both C. oncophora and O. ostertagi first stage larvae in a dose-dependent manner. The L. pedunculatus extract, based on EC50 (effective concentration for 50% inhibition), was the most effective against both nematodes, followed by O. viciifolia and L. corniculatus. The effect of CT extracts upon larval feeding behaviour correlates with CT content and procyanidin/prodelphidin ratio. Larval exsheathment of C. oncophora and O. ostertagi L3 larvae (third stage larvae) was also affected by CT extracts from all three plants. In both in vitro assays, extracts with added polyvinylpolypyrrolidone, an inhibitor of tannins, generated almost the same values as the negative control; this confirms the role of CT in the anthelmintic effect of these plant extracts. Our results, therefore, indicated that tannin-containing plants could act against cattle nematodes.

Condition number estimates for combined potential integral operators in acoustics and their boundary element discretisation

We consider the classical coupled, combined-field integral equation formulations for time-harmonic acoustic scattering by a sound soft bounded obstacle. In recent work, we have proved lower and upper bounds on the $L^2$ condition numbers for these formulations, and also on the norms of the classical acoustic single- and double-layer potential operators. These bounds to some extent make explicit the dependence of condition numbers on the wave number $k$, the geometry of the scatterer, and the coupling parameter. For example, with the usual choice of coupling parameter they show that, while the condition number grows like $k^{1/3}$ as $k\to\infty$, when the scatterer is a circle or sphere, it can grow as fast as $k^{7/5}$ for a class of `trapping' obstacles. In this paper we prove further bounds, sharpening and extending our previous results. In particular we show that there exist trapping obstacles for which the condition numbers grow as fast as $\exp(\gamma k)$, for some $\gamma>0$, as $k\to\infty$ through some sequence. This result depends on exponential localisation bounds on Laplace eigenfunctions in an ellipse that we prove in the appendix. We also clarify the correct choice of coupling parameter in 2D for low $k$. In the second part of the paper we focus on the boundary element discretisation of these operators. We discuss the extent to which the bounds on the continuous operators are also satisfied by their discrete counterparts and, via numerical experiments, we provide supporting evidence for some of the theoretical results, both quantitative and asymptotic, indicating further which of the upper and lower bounds may be sharper.

A high frequency boundary element method for scattering by convex polygons with impedance boundary conditions

We consider scattering of a time harmonic incident plane wave by a convex polygon with piecewise constant impedance boundary conditions. Standard finite or boundary element methods require the number of degrees of freedom to grow at least linearly with respect to the frequency of the incident wave in order to maintain accuracy. Extending earlier work by Chandler-Wilde and Langdon for the sound soft problem, we propose a novel Galerkin boundary element method, with the approximation space consisting of the products of plane waves with piecewise polynomials supported on a graded mesh with smaller elements closer to the corners of the polygon. Theoretical analysis and numerical results suggest that the number of degrees of freedom required to achieve a prescribed level of accuracy grows only logarithmically with respect to the frequency of the incident wave.

High frequency scattering by convex curvilinear polygons

We consider the scattering of a time-harmonic acoustic incident plane wave by a sound soft convex curvilinear polygon with Lipschitz boundary. For standard boundary or finite element methods, with a piecewise polynomial approximation space, the number of degrees of freedom required to achieve a prescribed level of accuracy grows at least linearly with respect to the frequency of the incident wave. Here we propose a novel Galerkin boundary element method with a hybrid approximation space, consisting of the products of plane wave basis functions with piecewise polynomials supported on several overlapping meshes; a uniform mesh on illuminated sides, and graded meshes refined towards the corners of the polygon on illuminated and shadow sides. Numerical experiments suggest that the number of degrees of freedom required to achieve a prescribed level of accuracy need only grow logarithmically as the frequency of the incident wave increases.

An ocean modelling and assimilation guide to using GOCE geoid products

We review the procedures and challenges that must be considered when using geoid data derived from the Gravity and steady-state Ocean Circulation Explorer (GOCE) mission in order to constrain the circulation and water mass representation in an ocean 5 general circulation model. It covers the combination of the geoid information with timemean sea level information derived from satellite altimeter data, to construct a mean dynamic topography (MDT), and considers how this complements the time-varying sea level anomaly, also available from the satellite altimeter. We particularly consider the compatibility of these different fields in their spatial scale content, their temporal rep10 resentation, and in their error covariances. These considerations are very important when the resulting data are to be used to estimate ocean circulation and its corresponding errors. We describe the further steps needed for assimilating the resulting dynamic topography information into an ocean circulation model using three different operational fore15 casting and data assimilation systems. We look at methods used for assimilating altimeter anomaly data in the absence of a suitable geoid, and then discuss different approaches which have been tried for assimilating the additional geoid information. We review the problems that have been encountered and the lessons learned in order the help future users. Finally we present some results from the use of GRACE geoid in20 formation in the operational oceanography community and discuss the future potential gains that may be obtained from a new GOCE geoid.

Boundary integral methods for singularly perturbed boundary value problems

In this paper we consider boundary integral methods applied to boundary value problems for the positive definite Helmholtz-type problem -DeltaU + alpha U-2 = 0 in a bounded or unbounded domain, with the parameter alpha real and possibly large. Applications arise in the implementation of space-time boundary integral methods for the heat equation, where alpha is proportional to 1/root deltat, and deltat is the time step. The corresponding layer potentials arising from this problem depend nonlinearly on the parameter alpha and have kernels which become highly peaked as alpha --> infinity, causing standard discretization schemes to fail. We propose a new collocation method with a robust convergence rate as alpha --> infinity. Numerical experiments on a model problem verify the theoretical results.

Mouse movements of motion-impaired users: a submovement analysis

Understanding human movement is key to improving input devices and interaction techniques. This paper presents a study of mouse movements of motion-impaired users, with an aim to gaining a better understanding of impaired movement. The cursor trajectories of six motion-impaired users and three able-bodied users are studied according to their submovement structure. Several aspects of the movement are studied, including the frequency and duration of pauses between submovements, verification times, the number of submovements, the peak speed of submovements and the accuracy of submovements in two-dimensions. Results include findings that some motion-impaired users pause more often and for longer than able-bodied users, require up to five times more submovements to complete the same task, and exhibit a correlation between error and peak submovement speed that does not exist for able-bodied users.