Exact collision detection for a virtual manufacturing simulator

Collision detection is a critical aspect of Virtual Reality (VR)-based simulation of manufacturing processes. Despite the significant progress that has been made in developing efficient, exact collision detection algorithms for convex objects, limited and slow progress has been reported in developing collision detection algorithms for general, nonconvex objects. To narrow this gap we introduce the concept of virtual objects which extends the applicability of exact collision detection algorithms to nonconvex objects. The outcome of our methodology is the fast creation of convex objects for a class of frequently encountered nonconvex manufacturing objects that can be used in any existing collision detection approach. The collision detection technique described in this paper is best suited for interactive simulation and animation applications where a high accuracy of object contact modeling is required. Examples include virtual assembly; mobile robot simulation; robotic painting; robotic welding; and coordinate measuring processes.     

Change in emotion-regulation strategy for women with metastatic breast cancer following supportive-expressive group therapy.

Four relatively independent emotion-regulation constructs (suppression of negative affect, restraint, repression, and emotional self-efficacy) were tested as outcomes in a randomized trial of supportive-expressive group therapy for women with metastatic breast cancer. Results indicate that report of suppression of negative affect decreased and restraint of aggressive, inconsiderate, impulsive, and irresponsible behavior increased in the treatment group as compared with controls over 1 year in the group. Groups did not differ over time on repression or emotional self-efficacy. This study provides evidence that emotion-focused therapy can help women with advanced breast cancer to become more expressive without becoming more hostile. Even though these aspects of emotion-regulation appear trait-like within the control group, significant change was observed with treatment. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Intact perceptual and conceptual priming in temporal lobe epilepsy: Neuroanatomical and methodological implications.

Explicit memory appears to be supported by medical temporal lobe structures, whereas separate neocortical regions may mediate perceptual and conceptual implicit memory. Children and adults with temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE) and matched controls were administered experimental verbal memory tests. Performance on implicit tests--word identification and word generation--was contrasted with explicit recognition and recall. Encoding conditions emphasized either conceptual or perceptual aspects of study words and were crossed with presentation modality. The priming performance of participants with TLE did not differ from controls, but participants with TLE did show deficits on recognition and recall measures. Thus, intact left temporal cortex does not appear to be necessary for normal implicit memory performance, even when conceptual processing is emphasized at study or test. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Asymmetric Communication Protocols via Hotlink Assignments

We exhibit a relationship between the asymmetric communication problem of Adler and Maggs and the hotlink assignment problem of Bose et al. By generalizing previous results on the hotlink problem and then exploiting this relationship we present a new asymmetric communication protocol with different performance bounds than previous protocols.