Creating good lives through computer games

In this chapter we aim to explore how videogames can lead to improvements in wellbeing. Following Keyes (2007) and Huppert and So (2012) we view wellbeing as a multidimensional concept with both hedonic and eudaimonic aspects. In this chapter we take a broad approach in terms of exploring the impact of videogames on the psychological, social, and physical components of wellbeing. We explore how videogames have been shown to have an impact in each of these domains. Although there is a great deal of evidence for the actual and potential positive impacts of videogames, there are many unanswered questions regarding the situations in which there is likely to be an impact of videogame play on wellbeing, as well as the aspects of wellbeing that are likely to be impacted by videogame play. We conclude the chapter by outlining the key questions for future research. Our focus in this chapter is on the positive influences of videogames. We do not explore research on contexts in which negative impacts are possible or subgroups for which videogames could cause harm. However, these questions are obviously important and we see balanced engagement with age-appropriate videogames as a key prerequisite for any of the wellbeing benefits discussed below.

Whole blood transcriptional profiling in ankylosing spondylitis identifies novel candidate genes that might contribute to the inflammatory and tissue-destructive disease aspects

Introduction: A number of genetic-association studies have identified genes contributing to ankylosing spondylitis (AS) susceptibility but such approaches provide little information as to the gene activity changes occurring during the disease process. Transcriptional profiling generates a 'snapshot' of the sampled cells' activity and thus can provide insights into the molecular processes driving the disease process. We undertook a whole-genome microarray approach to identify candidate genes associated with AS and validated these gene-expression changes in a larger sample cohort. Methods: A total of 18 active AS patients, classified according to the New York criteria, and 18 gender- and age-matched controls were profiled using Illumina HT-12 whole-genome expression BeadChips which carry cDNAs for 48,000 genes and transcripts. Class comparison analysis identified a number of differentially expressed candidate genes. These candidate genes were then validated in a larger cohort using qPCR-based TaqMan low density arrays (TLDAs). Results: A total of 239 probes corresponding to 221 genes were identified as being significantly different between patients and controls with a P-value <0.0005 (80% confidence level of false discovery rate). Forty-seven genes were then selected for validation studies, using the TLDAs. Thirteen of these genes were validated in the second patient cohort with 12 downregulated 1.3- to 2-fold and only 1 upregulated (1.6-fold). Among a number of identified genes with well-documented inflammatory roles we also validated genes that might be of great interest to the understanding of AS progression such as SPOCK2 (osteonectin) and EP300, which modulate cartilage and bone metabolism. Conclusions: We have validated a gene expression signature for AS from whole blood and identified strong candidate genes that may play roles in both the inflammatory and joint destruction aspects of the disease.

Main themes and missing elements in psychological research into child maltreatment in Africa

These 18 papers on aspects of violence against children add to a growing body of African literature that tends to focus on four major themes. The first three are generic to research worldwide, and include efforts to uncover the extent of adverse experiences during childhood, describe the effects on health and well-being, and examine professional practices, concepts and myths. The fourth theme is more particular to Africa, and is focused on understanding how to protect children within the context of poverty, some harmful traditional practices and community violence. Despite best efforts by researchers and child rights advocates, there are missing elements in the research to date, including scant focus on the problems of emotional abuse and neglect, and limited attention to evaluation of the effectiveness of prevention and care programs.

Children's physical activity and psychological health: the relevance of intensity

Aim To examine the relevance of physical activity intensity when assessing the relationship between activity and psychological health in 9–10-year-old children. Methods Activity was assessed by accelerometry in 57 boys (n = 23) and girls (n = 34). Total activity and time spent in very light (≤1.9 METs) through to vigorous activity (≥6 METs) were recorded. Psychological health inventories to assess anxiety, depression and aspects of self-worth were completed. Results Time accumulated in very light activity had positive correlations with anxiety and depression (r > 0.30, p < 0.05) and negative correlations with aspects of physical self-worth (r > −0.29, p < 0.05). Time accumulated in vigorous activity had negative correlations with anxiety and behavioural conduct (r > −0.30, p < 0.05) and positive correlation with aspects of physical self-worth (r > 0.28, p < 0.05). Children spending over 4 h in very light intensity activity had more negative psychological profiles than children spending under 4 h at this intensity. Conclusion Aspects of psychological health were negatively correlated with very light intensity activity and positively correlated with vigorous intensity activity. Further research should investigate whether reducing time spent in very light intensity activity and increasing time spent in vigorous intensity activity improves psychological health in children.

Yrittäjyyden arvottaminen akateemisten nuorten argumentoinnissa

Evaluation of entrepreneurship in the speech of academic students and newly qualified young academics a summary of a qualitative attitude study. In Finland very few university students plan to become entrepreneurs. The aim of this research was to examine entrepreneurial attitudes expressed in speech. The material was gathered from interviews with university students and newly qualified young academic adults. The interviewees commented on twelve different sentences with claims formulated using research literature and views that have appeared in public discussions. The interviewees were divided into three different groups based on their self-expressed entrepreneurial intentions. The method of qualitative attitude research (Vesala & Rantanen 1999, 2007) was used in the interviews. The research material was studied using two interpretative theories: (1) The planned behaviour theory (Ajzen 1985, 1991a, b), which makes it possible to focus on the separate elements (attitude towards an act, subjective norms and perceived feasibility) necessary for intentions to develop; and (2) The theory of the two images of entrepreneurship (Vesala 1996), where individualism and relationism can be seen as resources for evaluating entrepreneurship. The subject of the research was how university students and newly qualified young adults viewed entrepreneurship as a general phenomen and in relation to the academic world. A second focus was on the attitudes expressed toward entrepreneurial university education and the possibility of combining entrepreneurship and academic knowledge. Of interest were also questions such as whether academic studies, knowledge and the university itself are resources or barriers to entrepreneurial intentions and entrepreneurship whether university students received any support for their entrepreneurial ambitions from the university and their fellow academic students. The problems tackled by this research were thus the following: How was entrepreneurship seen, both as a general phenomen and in an academic context, when it was evaluated positively, negatively or neutrally by the interviewees? In what way was entrepreneurship constructed in the interviewees attitudes? How were entrepreneurship and the academic world related in the interviewees attitudes? What kind of role did the university as an academic context play in the interviewees attitudes for example were university education and academic knowledge seen as resources or barriers to their entrepreneurial intentions. Traditional attitude studies claim that attitudes are a stable property of an individual. In contrast, rhetorical social psychological and qualitative attitude studies emphasize the contextual and linguistic aspects of attitude, and they offered an alternative viewpoint for this research. The study was based on two general assumptions: attitudes have objects and are evaluative. Here attitude was defined as an evaluative interpresentation made towards an object; adopting an attitude is a contextual process in the sense that attitudes are always concerned with the action context of the persons presenting them. Entrepreneurship, both as a general phenomen and in an academic context, was specified as the object to which an attitude was taken. From a theoretical point of view, qualitative methods suited the general structure of this research well. In a particular, qualitative approach which emphasized contextual elements proved to be both empirically valid and useful for avoiding the problematic assumptions associated with traditional attitude study. The subject of the analysis was the argumentative speech produced by the interviewees. The results of the study show the subjects responses to three main ways of viewing entrepreneurships. The first was an individualistic, ideal image of entrepreneurship. This was mostly evaluated positively and gained wide approval especially among interviewees who included entrepreneurship among their employment choices. Entrepreneurship was seen as the decision to earn one s living independently. In this individualistic image of entrepreneurship, the social context was hardly ever mentioned. Elements which were seen to threaten this ideal image were evaluated negatively. When entrepreneurship was evaluated negatively using the individualistic image of entrepreneurship, it was mentioned that it forced one into a never ending cycle of work and uninterested duties. The relationistic image of entrepreneurship was used as a speech resource when the social context was constructed as an economic resource or a threat to the ideal image of entrepreneurship. In the second view, entrepreneurship was characteristically seen as being based on economics, which was seen as a threat to the ideal individualistic image of entrepreneurship. The risk of economic failure was seen as a limiting factor to entrepreneurial ambitions as it forced entrepreneurs to work around the clock. The third view concerned the relationship between entrepreneurship and the academic world. Entrepreneurship as an employment choice for university educated persons was evaluated as relevant, and thus positively, when university education was constructed as a resource for entrepreneurship - and irrelevant and thus negatively when it was construed as an obstacle, too wide, or when successful entrepreneurship was seen as being mostly based on an individual s personal characteristics. The interviewees with no entrepreneurial intentions expressed the view that academic education didn t provide the proper skills and knowledge for entrepreneurship. The interviewees also expressed interest in university entrepreneurship education, although none had experience on this. The interviewees emphasized the fact that the University didn t encourage them to consider entrepreneurship as a relevant employment choice. The assumption made by this study was that becoming an entrepreneur is a conscious decision, the environment may influence an individual s decisions on how to make a living as it tends to socialise people to act in accordance with cultural traditions. Keywords: Entrepreneurship, Attitudes towards entrepreneurship, Intentional behaviour, Entrepreneurial intention, University entrepreneurship education, Qualitative attitude research (Vesala & Rantanen 1999, 2007), Rhetorical social psychology (Billig 1986), The theory of entrepreneuship s two images: individualism and relationism (Vesala 1996 ), The planned behaviour theory (Ajzen 1985, 1991a, b)

Very Low Birth Weight Infants as Young Adults : Focus on aspects of cognition, behavior and sleep

Major advances in the treatment of preterm infants have occurred during the last three decades. Survival rates have increased, and the first generations of preterm infants born at very low birth weight (VLBW; less than 1500 g) who profited from modern neonatal intensive care are now in young adulthood. The literature shows that VLBW children achieve on average lower scores on cognitive tests, even after exclusion of individuals with obvious neurosensory deficits. Evidence also exists for an increased risk in VLBW children for various neuropsychiatric disorders such as attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and related behavioral symptoms. Up till now, studies extending into adulthood are sparse, and it remains to be seen whether these problems persist into adulthood. The aim of this thesis was to study ADHD-related symptoms and cognitive and executive functioning in young adults born at VLBW. In addition, we aimed to study sleep disturbances, known to adversely affect both cognition and attention. We hypothesized that preterm birth at VLBW interferes with early brain development in a way that alters the neuropsychological phenotype; this may manifest itself as ADHD symptoms and impaired cognitive abilities in young adulthood. In this cohort study from a geographically defined region, we studied 166 VLBW adults and 172 term-born controls born from 1978 through 1985. At ages 18 to 27 years, the study participants took part in a clinic study during which their physical and psychological health was assessed in detail. Three years later, 213 of these individuals participated in a follow-up. The current study is part of a larger research project (The Helsinki Study of Very Low Birth Weight Adults), and the measurements of interest for this particular study include the following: 1) The Adult Problem Questionnaire (APQ), a self-rating scale of ADHD-related symptoms in adults; 2) A computerized cognitive test battery designed for population studies (CogState®) which measures core cognitive abilities such as reaction time, working memory, and visual learning; 3) Sleep assessment by actigraphy, the Basic Nordic Sleep Questionnaire, and the Morningness-Eveningness Questionnaire. Actigraphs are wrist-worn accelerometers that separate sleep from wakefulness by registering body movements. Contrary to expectations, VLBW adults as a group reported no more ADHD-related behavioral symptoms than did controls. Further subdivision of the VLBW group into SGA (small for gestational age) and AGA (appropriate for gestational age) subgroups, however, revealed more symptoms on ADHD subscales pertaining to executive dysfunction and emotional instability among those born SGA. Thus, it seems that intrauterine growth retardation (for which SGA served as a proxy) is a more essential predictor for self-perceived ADHD symptoms in adulthood than is VLBW birth as such. In line with observations from other cohorts, the VLBW adults reported less risk-taking behavior in terms of substance use (alcohol, smoking, and recreational drugs), a finding reassuring for the VLBW individuals and their families. On the cognitive test, VLBW adults free from neurosensory deficits had longer reaction times than did term-born peers on all tasks included in the test battery, and lower accuracy on the learning task, with no discernible effect of SGA status over and above the effect of VLBW. Altogether, on a group level, even high-functioning VLBW adults show subtle deficits in psychomotor processing speed, visual working memory, and learning abilities. The sleep studies provided no evidence for differences in sleep quality or duration between the two groups. The VLBW adults were, however, at more than two-fold higher risk for sleep-disordered breathing (in terms of chronic snoring). Given the link between sleep-disordered breathing and health sequelae, these results suggest that VLBW individuals may benefit from an increased awareness among clinicians of this potential problem area. An unexpected finding from the sleep studies was the suggestion of an advanced sleep phase: The VLBW adults went to bed earlier according to the actigraphy registrations and also reported earlier wake-up times on the questionnaire. In further study of this issue in conjunction with the follow-up three years later, the VLBW group reported higher levels of morningness propensity, further corroborating the preliminary findings of an advanced sleep phase. Although the clinical implications are not entirely clear, the issue may be worth further study, since circadian rhythms are closely related to health and well-being. In sum, we believe that increased understanding of long-term outcomes after VLBW, and identification of areas and subgroups that are particularly vulnerable, will allow earlier recognition of potential problems and ultimately lead to improved prevention strategies.

Structural aspects of high-temperature cuprate superconductors

High-temperature superconductivity constitutes the most sensational discovery of recent times. Since these new superconductors are complex metal oxides, chemistry has had a big role to play in the investigations. For the first time, stoichiometry, structure, bonding, and such chemical factors have formed central themes in superconductivity, an area traditionally dominated by physicists. These oxide superconductors have given a big boost to solid-state chemistry.

Dietary aspects of cow's milk allergy in young children

Cow s milk allergy (CMA) affects about 2-6% of infants and young children. Environmental factors during early life are suggested to play a role in the development of allergic diseases. One of these factors is likely to be maternal diet during pregnancy and lactation. The association between maternal diet and development of CMA in offspring is not well known, but diet could contain factors that facilitate development of tolerance. After an established food allergy, another issue is gaining tolerance towards an antigen that causes symptoms. The strictness of the elimination depends on the individual level of tolerance. This study aimed at validating a questionnaire used to inquire about food allergies in children, at researching associations between maternal diet during pregnancy and lactation and subsequent development of cow s milk allergy in the offspring, and at evaluating the degree of adherence to a therapeutic elimination diet of children with CMA and factors associated with the adherence and age of recovery. These research questions were addressed in a prospective birth cohort born between 1997 and 2004 at the Tampere and Oulu University Hospitals. Altogether 6753 children of the Diabetes Prediction and Prevention (DIPP) Nutrition cohort were investigated. Questionnaires regarding allergic diseases are often used in studies without validation. High-quality valid tools are therefore needed. Two validation studies were conducted here: one by comparing parentally reported food allergies with information gathered from patient records of 1122 children, and the other one by comparing parentally reported CMA with information in the reimbursement records of special infant formulae in the registers of the Social Insurance Institution for 6753 children. Both of these studies showed that the questionnaire works well and is a valid tool for measuring food allergies in children. In the first validation study, Cohen s kappa values were within 0.71-0.88 for CMA, 0.74-0.82 for cereal allergy, and 0.66-0.86 for any reported food allergy. In the second validation study, the kappa value was 0.79, sensitivity 0.958, and specificity 0.965 for reported and diagnosed CMA. To investigate the associations between maternal diet during pregnancy and lactation and CMA in offspring, 6288 children were studied. Maternal diet during pregnancy (8th month) and lactation (3rd month) was assessed by a validated, 181-item semi-quantitative food frequency questionnaire (FFQ), and as an endpoint register-based information on diagnosed CMA was obtained from the Social Insurance Institution and complemented with parental reports of CMA in their children. The associations between maternal food consumption and CMA in offspring were analyzed by logistic regression comparing the highest and lowest quarters with two middle quarters of consumption and adjusted for several potential confounding factors. High maternal intake of milk products (OR 0.56, 95% CI 0.37-0.86 p = 0.002) was associated with a lower risk of CMA in offspring. When stratified according to maternal allergic rhinitis or asthma, a protective association of high use of milk products with CMA was seen in children of allergy-free mothers (OR 0.30, 95% CI 0.13 - 0.69, p < 0.001), but not in children of allergic mothers. Moreover, low maternal consumption of fish during pregnancy was associated with a higher risk of CMA in children of mothers with allergic rhinitis or asthma (OR 1.47, 95% CI 0.96 - 2.27 for the lowest quarter, p = 0.043). In children of nonallergic mothers, this association was not seen. Maternal diet during lactation was not associated with CMA in offspring, apart from an inverse association between citrus and kiwi fruit consumption and CMA. These results imply that maternal diet during pregnancy may contain factors protective against CMA in offspring, more so than maternal diet during lactation. These results need to be confirmed in other studies before giving recommendations to the public. To evaluate the degree of adherence to a therapeutic elimination diet in children with diagnosed CMA, food records of 267 children were studied. Subsequent food records were examined to assess the age at reintroduction of milk products to the child s diet. Nine of ten families adhered to the elimination diet of the child with extreme accuracy. Older and monosensitized children had more often small amounts of cow s milk protein in their diet (p < 0.001 for both). Adherence to the diet was not related to any other sociodemographic factor studied or to the age at reintroduction of milk products to the diet. Low intakes of vitamin D, calcium, and riboflavin are of concern in children following a cow s milk-free diet. In summary, we found that the questionnaires used in the DIPP study are valid in investigating CMA in young children; that there are associations between maternal diet during pregnancy and lactation and the development of CMA in offspring; and that the therapeutic elimination diet in children with diagnosed CMA is rigorously adhered to.

Constructing and negotiating entrepreneurial agency : A social psychological approach to entrepreneurship discourse in the farm context

Entrepreneurship, understood as the autonomous, effective pursuit of opportunities regardless of resources, is currently subject to a multitude of interests, expectations, and facilitation efforts. On the one hand, such entrepreneurial agency has broad appeal to individuals in Western market democracies and resonates with their longing for an autonomous, personally tailored, meaningful, and materially rewarding way of life. On the other hand, entrepreneurship represents a tempting and increasingly popular means of governance and policy making, and thus a model for the re-organization of a variety of societal sectors. This study focuses on the diffusion and reception of entrepreneurship discourse in the context of farming and agriculture, where pressures to adopt entrepreneurial orientations have been increasingly pronounced while, on the other hand, the context of farming has historically enjoyed state protection and adhered to principles that seem at odds with aspects of individualistic entrepreneurship discourse . The study presents an interpretation of the psychologically and politically appealing uses of the notion of entrepreneurial agency , reviews the historical and political background of the current situation of farming and agriculture with regard to entrepreneurship, and examines their relationships in four empirical studies. The study follows and develops a social psychological, situated relational approach that guides the qualitative analyses and interpretations of the empirical studies. Interviews with agents from the farm sector aim to stimulate evaluative responses and comments on the idea of entrepreneurship on farms. Analysis of the interview talk, in turn, detects the variety of evaluative responses and argumentative contexts with which the interviewees relate themselves to the entrepreneurship discourse and adopt, use, resist, or reject it. The study shows that despite the pressures towards entrepreneurialism, the diffusion of entrepreneurship discourse and the construction of entrepreneurial agency in farm context encounter many obstacles. These obstacles can be variably related to aspects dealing with the individual agent, the action situation, the characteristics of the action itself, or to the broader social, institutional and cultural context. Many aspects of entrepreneurial agency, such as autonomy, personal initiative and achievement orientation, are nevertheless familiar to farmers and are eagerly related to one s own farming activities. The idea of entrepreneurship is thus rarely rejected outright. The findings highlight the relational and situational preconditions for the construction of entrepreneurial agency in the farm context: When agents demonstrate entrepreneurial agency, they do so by drawing on available and accessed relational resources characteristic of their action context. Likewise, when agents fail or are reluctant to demonstrate entrepreneurial agency, they nevertheless actively account for their situation and demonstrate personal agency by drawing on the relational resources available to them.

Bioinorganic and medicinal chemistry: aspects of gold(I)-protein complexes

Gold(I)-based drugs have been used successfully for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) for several years. Although the exact mechanism of action of these gold(I) drugs for RA has not been clearly established, the interaction of these compounds with mammalian enzymes has been extensively studied. In this paper, we describe the interaction of therapeutic gold(I) compounds with mammalian proteins that contain cysteine (Cys) and selenocysteine (Sec) residues. Owing to the higher affinity of gold(I) towards sulfur and selenium, gold(I) drugs rapidly react with the activated cysteine or selenocysteine residues of the enzymes to form protein-gold(I)-thiolate or protein-gold(I)-selenolate complexes. The formation of stable gold(I)-thiolate/selenolate complexes generally lead to inhibition of the enzyme activity. The gold-thiolate/selenolate complexes undergo extensive ligand exchange reactions with other nucleophiles and such ligand exchange reactions alter the inhibitory effects of gold(I) complexes. Therefore, the effect of gold(I) compounds on the enzymatic activity of cysteine-or selenocysteine-containing proteins may play important roles in RA. The interaction of gold(I) compounds with different enzymes and the biochemical mechanism underlying the inhibition of enzymatic activities may have broad medicinal implications for the treatment of RA.

Phenomenological aspects of phase fluctuation in high Tc superconductors: Cooper pair droplets

We point out how fluctuation of the phase of the superconducting order parameter can play a key role in our understanding of high Te superconductors. A simple universal criterion is given which illustrates why all oxide superconductors in contrast to classical superconductors ought to behave as a lattice of cooper pairs. T-c is to be thought of as the temperature of phase coherence or the temperature above which the lattice of Cooperpair 'melts' into a phase of Cooper-pair droplets that starts forming at T approximate to T-* . This is the pseudo-gap region. Quantum fluctuation of the phase predicts a superconductor to insulator phase transition for all underdoped materials.

On innate and specific aspects of human language

Mixel Aurnague, Kepa Korta and Jesus M. Larrazabal (eds.)

Information processing and higher psychological functions in the disconnected hemispheres of human commissurotomy patients

Several patients of P. J. Vogel who had undergone cerebral commissurotomy for the control of intractable epilepsy were tested on a variety of tasks to measure aspects of cerebral organization concerned with lateralization in hemispheric function. From tests involving identification of shapes it was inferred that in the absence of the neocortical commissures, the left hemisphere still has access to certain types of information from the ipsilateral field. The major hemisphere can still make crude differentiations between various left-field stimuli, but is unable to specify exact stimulus properties. Most of the time the major hemisphere, having access to some ipsilateral stimuli, dominated the minor hemisphere in control of the body.

Competition for control of the body between the hemispheres is seen most clearly in tests of minor hemisphere language competency, in which it was determined that though the minor hemisphere does possess some minimal ability to express language, the major hemisphere prevented its expression much of the time. The right hemisphere was superior to the left in tests of perceptual visualization, and the two hemispheres appeared to use different strategies in attempting to solve the problems, namely, analysis for the left hemisphere and synthesis for the right hemisphere.

Analysis of the patients' verbal and performance I.Q.'s, as well as observations made throughout testing, suggest that the corpus callosum plays a critical role in activities that involve functions in which the minor hemisphere normally excels, that the motor expression of these functions may normally come through the major hemisphere by way of the corpus callosum.

Lateral specialization is thought to be an evolutionary adaptation which overcame problems of a functional antagonism between the abilities normally associated with the two hemispheres. The tests of perception suggested that this function lateralized into the mute hemisphere because of an active counteraction by language. This latter idea was confirmed by the finding that left-handers, in whom there is likely to be bilateral language centers, are greatly deficient on tests of perception.

表征方式对网上购物信息搜索行为影响的工程心理学实验研究

Interface has been becoming a more significant element today which influences the development of shopping on-line greatly. But in practice the attention arisen from society and study made are quite inadequate. Under this circumstance, I focus my study on the purpose of improving understanding of the engineering psychological factors, which definitely will play a crucial role in shopping on-line representation in future, and of the relations between them through the following experimental research. I hope it can give a basic reference to the practical application of shopping on-line representation pattern and continuous study. In current thesis, an analysis was made on the basis of engineering psychology principles from three aspects, i.e. person (users), task and information environment. It was considered that system overview and information behavior model would have great impact on the activities of users on the web and that representation pattern of information system would affect the forming of system overview and behavior pattern and then further after the performances of users in information system. Based on above-mentioned statement, a three-dimensional conceptual model was presented which demonstrates the relations between the crucial factors, which are media representation pattern, system hierarchy and objects in information unit. Thereafter, eight study hypothesis, which are about engineering psychological factors of virtual reality (VR) representation in shopping on-line system, was taken out and four experiments were followed up to testify the hypothesis. -In experiment one, a research was made to study how the three kinds of single media representation pattern influence the forming of system overview and information behavior from the point view of task performance, operating error, overall satisfactory and mental workload etc. -In experiment two, a study of how the combined media representation pattern of system hierarchy influences users' behavior was carried out. -In experiment three, a study of the hierarchy structure feature of VR representation pattern and the tendency of its width and depth to the effects of system behavior was made. -In experiment four, a study of the location relations between different parties in VR scene (information unit) was made. The result is as follows: -During structure dimensional state: Width-increasing caused more damage to the speed of users than depth-increasing in VR representation pattern. Although the performance of subjects was quite slow in wider environment, yet the percentage rate of causing errors was in lowest level. -During hierarchy representation pattern: 1. Between the representation patterns of the three media, no significant differences was found in terms of the speed of fulfilling the task, error rate, satisfactory, mental workload etc. But the pattern with figure- aided gained the worst results on all of these aspects. 2. During primary stage of the task and the first level of the hierarchy, the speed of subjects' performance in VR pattern was slower than that in text pattern. While with developing of the task and going deeper level of the hierarchy, the speed of users' performance in VR representation pattern reached to the highest level. 3. Effects in VR representation pattern was better than that in text pattern in higher level of the system. The representation pattern in highest level has greatest impact on the performance of the system behavior, whereas results of the only VR representation in the middle part of hierarchy would be worst. 4. Activity error in single media representation pattern was more than that in combined media representation pattern. 5. Individual differences among subjects had effects on the representation pattern of the system. During VR environment, behavior tendency of party A had a significant negative correlation to the quantities of errors. -In VR-scene representation: Physical-distance and flash influenced the subjects' task performance greatly, while psychological-distance has no outstanding impact. Subjects' accurate rate of performing increased if objects with same relation were in the same structure position, in the state of close psychological-distance or if the object target flashed (not reliable). Although the article limits the topic only on the present-existing questions and analysis of shopping-on-line, as a matter of fact, it can also apply for other relevant purposes on the web. While the study of this article only gives its emphasis on the researching-task with definite goal, making no consideration of other task conditions and their relations with other navigation tools. So I hope it lay a good start to make continuous research in this areas.

The brand-orientated play-community: toxic play in the marketplace

This ethnographic study makes a number of original contributions to the consumer identity projects and the marketplace cultures dimensions of consumer culture theory research. This study introduces the notion of the brand-orientated play-community, a novel consumption community form, which displays, as locus, a desire to play. This contributes to our understanding of the fluid relationship between subcultures of consumption, consumer tribes, and brand community. It was found that the brand-orientated play-community’s prime celebration, conceptualised as the ‘branded carnival’, displays characteristics of the archetypal carnival. The community access carnivalistic life and a world-upside-down ethos via the use and misuse of marketplace resources. The branded carnival is further supported by the community’s enactment of ‘toxic play’, which entails abnormal alcohol consumption, black market illegal resources, edgework activities, hegemonic masculinity and upsetting the public. This play-community is discussed in terms of a hyper-masculine playpen, as the play enacted has a direct relationship with the enactment of strong masculine roles. It was found that male play-ground members enact the extremes of contrasting masculine roles as a means to subvert the calculated and sedate ‘man-of-action-hero’ synthesis. Carnivals are unisex, and hence, women have begun entering the play-ground. Female members have successfully renegotiated their role within the community, from playthings to players – they have achieved player equality, which within the liminoid zone is more powerful than gender equality. However, while toxic play is essential to the maintenance of collective identity within the culture so too is the more serious form of play: the toxic sport of professional beer pong. The author conceptualises beer pong as a ‘toxic sport’, as it displays the contradictory play foundations of agon and corrupt ilinx: this is understood as a milestone step in the emergence of the postmodern sport era, in which spontaneity and the carnivalesque will dominate.