Hand supports to assist toilet use among the elderly

Improving the toilet environment holds promises for increasing the quality of life for elderly and disabled persons. This is one of the goals of the Friendly Rest Room (FRR) project. The study described in this article explored the preference and use of supports in the toilet environment during the entire toilet ritual. An adjustable test frame was built with a toilet and three types of supports. Fourteen subjects were asked which positions they favoured for each support. After using all three supports, they were asked which support they found most comfortable. In general, the preferred positions depended on personal preferences more than on dimensions of the body. It was concluded that there is a preference for vertical supports for sitting down and standing up. During toilet use the side supports were equally appreciated.     

Using gestures to convey internal mental models and index multimedia content

Gestures can serve as external representations of abstract concepts which may be otherwise difficult to illustrate. Gestures often accompany verbal statement as an embodiment of mental models that augment the communication of ideas, concepts or envisioned shapes of products. A gesture is also an indicator of the subject and context of the issue under discussion. We argue that if gestures can be identified and formalized they can be used as a knowledge indexing and retrieval tool and can prove to be useful access point into unstructured digital video data. We present a methodology and a prototype, called I-Gesture that allows users to (1) define a vocabulary of gestures for a specific domain, (2) build a digital library of the gesture vocabulary, and (3) mark up entire video streams based on the predefined vocabulary for future search and retrieval of digital content from the archive. I-Gesture methodology and prototype are illustrated through scenarios where it can be utilized. The paper concludes with results of evaluation experiments with I-Gesture using a test bed of design-construction projects.

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Does Class Size in First Grade Relate to Children's Academic and Social Performance or Observed Classroom Processes?

This study evaluated the extent to which first-grade class size predicted child outcomes and observed classroom processes for 651 children (in separate classrooms). Analyses examined observed child-adult ratios and teacher-reported class sizes. Smaller classrooms showed higher quality instructional and emotional support, although children were somewhat less likely to be engaged. Teachers in smaller classes rated typical children in those classes as more socially skilled and as showing less externalizing behavior and reported more closeness toward them. Children in smaller classes performed better on literacy skills. Larger classrooms showed more group activities directed by the teacher, teachers and children interacted more often, and children were more often engaged. Lower class sizes were not of more benefit (or harm) as a function of the child's family income. First-grade class size in the range typical of present-day classrooms in the United States predicts classroom social and instructional processes as well as relative changes in social and literacy outcomes from kindergarten to first grade. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Assimilating synthetic GOES-R radiances in cloudy conditions using an ensemble-based method

The weather research and forecasting (WRF) model and the maximum likelihood ensemble filter (MLEF) data assimilation approach are used to examine the potential impact of observations from the future Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite, generation R (GOES-R) on improving our knowledge about clouds. Synthetic radiances are assimilated from the 10.35 μm channel of the GOES-R advanced baseline imager (ABI) employing a ‘non-identical twins’ experimental setup. The experimental results are examined for an extratropical cyclone named Kyrill that produced unusually strong winds, widespread damage and fatalities in Western Europe in January 2007. The data assimilation problem is especially challenging for this case, as there is a large error in the model-simulated radiances resulting from incorrect cloud location. Although this problem is difficult to eliminate, data assimilation results indicate the potential of GOES-R data to significantly reduce these errors.     

Synthetic satellite imagery for current and future environmental satellites

During the next decade, data from a new generation of US geostationary and polar orbiting satellites will become available. To prepare for these data, representative imagery of these satellites is desirable. Two independent methods have been developed to create imagery from future satellites before they are placed into orbit. One method uses data from current operational and experimental satellites. Data obtained this way are referred to as simulated imagery. Another method generates satellite imagery by using numerical models. Data obtained by this method are referred to as synthetic imagery. Each method has some weaknesses that can be overcome by using both methods together. Synthetic imagery for two future US sensors is introduced in this paper. Emphasis is placed on a severe thunderstorm event.     

Degrees of engagement in interactive workspaces

This paper presents a new perspective of the impact of collaboration technology on the degrees of engagement and specific interaction zones in interactive workspaces. The study is at the intersection of the design of physical work spaces, i.e., bricks, rich electronic content such as video, audio, sketching, CAD, i.e., bits, and new ways people behave in communicative events, i.e., interaction. The study presents: (1) an innovative multi-modal collaboration technology, called RECALL (patented by Stanford University), that supports the seamless, real-time capture of concept generation during project brainstorming and project review sessions, (2) the deployment of RECALL in an interactive workspace that supports real project review sessions, called FISHBOWL, and (3) the observations of the impact of RECALL and the interactive workspace on degrees of engagement and interaction zones as it is deployed in the specific FISHBOWL sessions.     

Oxidation of Various Kraft Lignins with a Bacterial Laccase Enzyme

Modification of kraft lignin (KL), traditionally uses harsh and energy-demanding physical and chemical processes. In this study, the potential of the bacterial laccase CotA (spore coating protein A) for oxidation of KL under mild conditions was assessed. Thereby, the efficiency of CotA to oxidize both softwood and hardwood KL of varying purity at alkaline conditions was examined. For the respective type of wood, the highest oxidation activity by CotA was determined for the medium ash content softwood KL (MA_S) and the medium ash content hardwood KL (MA_H), respectively. By an up to 95% decrease in fluorescence and up to 65% in phenol content coupling of the structural lignin units was indicated. These results correlated with an increase in viscosity and molecular weight, which increased nearly 2 and 20-fold for MA_H and about 1.3 and 6.0-fold for MA_S, respectively. Thus, this study confirms that the CotA laccase can oxidize a variety of KL at alkaline conditions, while the origin and purity of KL were found to have a major impact on the efficiency of oxidation. Under the herein tested conditions, it was observed that the MA_H KL showed the highest susceptibility to CotA oxidation when compared to the other hardwood KLs and the softwood KLs. Therefore, this could be a viable method to produce sustainable resins and adhesives.