Reality-Virtuality Fusional Campus Environment:An Online 3D Platform Based on OpenSimulator

This paper presents a reality-virtual fusional campus environment. It is an online 3D platform with some aspects of real information merged together. The whole platform is based on OpenSimulator with detailed geo-models to represent the university campus. Some preliminary experiments were done to integrate the realistic information with the virtual campus for making the geo-envirunment not only with detailed indoor and outdoor models, but also with the real representations of the physical world. The overall motivation is to provide a framework with strong support for reality-virtuality fusional modeling in a collaborative 3D online platform for research purposes.     

The role of eye movements in the missing-letter effect revisited with the rapid serial visual presentation procedure.

When participants read a text while searching for a target letter, they are more likely to miss the target letter embedded in frequent function words than in less frequent content words. This effect is usually observed with a text displayed normally, for which it has been found that frequent function words are fixated for a smaller amount of time than less frequent content words. However, similar pattern of omissions have been observed with a rapid serial visual presentation procedure in which words appear one at a time. These parallel results would demonstrate that fixation duration per se is not the proximal cause of the missing-letter effect only if eye movements are not made during the rapid serial visual presentation procedure. Therefore, the authors performed eye monitoring during the rapid serial visual presentation procedure. Results revealed that, with a rapid serial visual presentation procedure, participants fixated function and content words for almost the entire presentation duration. It is concluded that eye movements are not the proximal cause of the missing-letter effect. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Cyclazocine revisited

Recently synthesized compounds which have long-term mu antagonist activity and short-term kappa agonist effects prevent self-administration of cocaine and morphine in rats. Cyclazocine, a compound synthesized in 1962 and studied in animals and man in the 1960's and in the early 1970's is a mu antagonist in rats and man and is a potent kappa agonist in both species. It also prevents self-administration of cocaine and morphine in rats. Although it produces unpleasant side effects in man, subjects become tolerant to these side effects but not to the antagonistic actions of the drug after prolonged administration.     

Recovery revisited

Recovery of mechanical properties during annealing of deformed metals has been modelled based on a microstructural representation comprising two elements, (i) the cell/subgrain structure (size δ) and (ii) the dislocation density (ρ) within the subgrains. These two microstructural elements are treated as independent internal state variables and the recovery of flow stress obtained by adding the time dependent contributions due to subgrain growth [σ ∝ 1/δ(t)] and dislocation network growth

. The growth of a dislocation network has been treated in terms of thermally activated glide, thermally activated cross-slip, climb and solute drag as rate-controlling mechanisms. Subgrain growth has been analysed in a manner analogous to normal grain growth, with climb of the boundary dislocations being the rate controlling mechanism. The model has successfully been applied in the interpretations of recovery observations in iron, aluminium and AlMg alloys. It follows from the theoretical treatment as well as from the analysis of experimental data that the characteristic logarithmic time dependence of low temperature recovery is the result of a reaction controlled either by thermally activated glide of jogged screw dislocations or by solute drag. It has been demonstrated that a mechanism based on thermally activated cross-slip does not apply in this context.     

Theophylline revisited

For over 50 years, theophylline has been used regularly for the management of chronic asthma. However, because of its perceived narrow therapeutic index and the fact that it has been considered a weak bronchodilator, the use of theophylline therapy has diminished. Furthermore, with the introduction of newer pharmacologic agents and recommendations in widely accepted guidelines, both nationally and internationally, have further contributed to its decreased use. For years, theophylline has not only been considered a bronchodilator, but for many clinicians, an agent that could be used to enhance respiratory muscle function and mucociliary clearance and act at the level of the central nervous system to enhance ventilation. These properties were felt to be potentially useful for patients with severe exacerbated asthma. Recent studies have suggested that theophylline therapy can play a beneficial role in the management of both chronic stable asthma and exacerbated disease treated in the emergency department setting. Furthermore, a growing body of evidence suggests that theophylline has certain antiinflammatory and immunomodulating properties, even at plasma concentration levels below the accepted therapeutic range. If this is true, then theophylline may act best as a controller medication in the management of asthma. Because of its low cost and its ease of administration, theophylline therapy should be revisited and discussed as not only a reliever of bronchospasm, but a controller of chronic asthma.     

Benzodiazepines revisited

Glucagonoma is an endocrine tumor of almost exclusively pancreatic origin which is rarely associated with a clinical syndrome mainly characterized by migratory necrolytic erythema, hyperglycemia, weight loss, hypoaminoacidemia and anemia. Ten to 30% of the patients may present thromboembolic phenomenon, deep vein thrombosis and pulmonary embolism which often lead to the death of the patient. We report the case of a patient diagnosed with pancreatic glucagonoma the presentation of which consisted in episodes of repeated deep vein thrombosis without associated migratory necrolytic erythema.     

Sadism revisited

Sadism has been for a long time, among psychoanalytic and other writers, the subject of extensive theorizing and controversy. This paper takes a fresh look at the many dimensions (sexual, characterological, neurotic, psychotic, neurological) of this old aberrations.     

Asylums revisited

The authors revisited Erving Goffman's Asylum (Saint Elizabeths Hospital) and found both the "institutionalization" and "secondary adjustment" phenomena he described 20 years ago. However, they question whether secondary adjustments necessarily follows institutionalization. They also express doubt that institutionalization should be condemned automatically and suggest that it may in fact be the approach of choice for some patients.     

Vesicorectostomy revisited

Between 1948 and 1959 vesicorectostomy, a permanent anastomosis between the bladder and rectum, was constructed in 7 male patients. Scattered reports of this procedure exist but none since 1959 and long-term followup has never been reported. we present long-term followup, including renal function, excretory urography and voiding cystorectography, and review the quality of life in the 7 patients. The most frequent complication was stenosis of the anastomosis. None of the patients in this series with normal preoperative upper tracts showed radiographic or chemical deterioration postoperatively. Since this procedure maintains urinary continence, does not disturb the normal physiology of the ureterovesical junction and minimizes urinary reabsorption its use should be considered in certain patients as an alternative method of urinary diversion.     

Remediation revisited.

This article replies to comments by J. C. Gonsiorek (see record 84-33291), P. Orr (see record 84-33300), and L. S. Brown (see record 84-33284 ) on M.J. Layman and J.R. McNamara's (see record 84-33293) work on remediation and ethics violations. The authors acknowledge various distinctions they have introduced but continue to argue that sexual violations are outstandingly egregious. They agree that making amends is important but wonder about the practicalities of working this into rehabilitation. Lack of empirical knowledge about what is prescribed for remediation is reemphasized. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)