A Comparison of learning gains when using a 2D simulation tool versus a 3D virtual world: An experiment to find the right representation involving the Marginal Value Theorem

The use of three-dimensional Virtual Worlds in the classroom offers the promise of engaging and authentic learning experiences. Given the effort and investment involved in the creation of these worlds, more studies are needed which measure the learning gains. In particular, greater understanding is needed concerning what aspects of the technology are beneficial for learning what sort of content and in what context. We conducted two experimental studies involving 129 biology students over a two-year period that sought to make a contribution towards this understanding. Our study compared the knowledge of students after a traditional classroom lecture about a biological theorem known as Marginal Value Theorem, with their knowledge after they were exposed to simulations of two-dimensional models developed in NetLogo and three-dimensional models developed in Unity3D. Perhaps due to cognitive overload and distractors in the virtual world, it appears that the two-dimensional NetLogo model delivered better learning outcomes.     

Assessing the effects of gamification in the classroom: A longitudinal study on intrinsic motivation,social comparison,satisfaction, effort,and academic performance

Gamification, the application of game elements to non-game settings, continues to grow in popularity as a method to increase student engagement in the classroom. We tested students across two courses, measuring their motivation, social comparison, effort, satisfaction, learner empowerment, and academic performance at four points during a 16-week semester. One course received a gamified curriculum, featuring a leaderboard and badges, whereas the other course received the same curriculum without the gamified elements. Our results found that students in the gamified course showed less motivation, satisfaction, and empowerment over time than those in the non-gamified class. The effect of course type on students' final exam scores was mediated by students' levels of intrinsic motivation, with students in the gamified course showing less motivation and lower final exam scores than the non-gamified class. This suggests that some care should be taken when applying certain gamification mechanics to educational settings.     

Development of a gap searching program for automotive body assemblies based on a decomposition model representation

Automobiles, aircraft, and ships require tremendously many parts to be assembled. For developing such large assemblies, most companies accelerate the design process by having many design engineers in different functional or sectional design groups working concurrently. However, interferences and gaps can be found when the parts and sub-assemblies of different design groups are to be assembled. These error cause design changes and additional repair processes, resulting in an unexpected increase in costs and time delays. While the interference problem has been resolved by digital mockup and concurrent engineering methodology, many cases of the gap problem in the automotive industry have been covered by temporary treatments when the gaps are small enough to be filled with sealants. This kind of fast fix can cause leakage into the engine chamber and passenger cabin when the gap size is too big for filling or when the sealant gets old, which can turn fatal. With this research, we have developed a program to automatically find gaps between the parts of an assembly so that design engineers can correct their designs before the manufacturing stage begins. By using the method of decomposition model representation, the program can visualize gaps between complex car body parts as well as estimate their volumetric information. It can also automatically define the boundary between a gap and the exterior space. Although we have reviewed the benefits of the program by applying it to car development, it can also be applied to aircraft and ship designs comprising several parts.     

一种基于元数据静动态数据联合查询方法的研究与实现

研究和实现一种结合股票静、动态数据进行实时行情信息联合查询的方法。描述运用元数据定义和管理各数据源关键信息的虚拟表,通过复制、移动和分割虚拟SQL查询语法树分支,实现对数据表的查询分割和根据查询返回合成查询结果集的技术思路与做法。研究的方法屏蔽了异构数据源查询的复杂细节,能够为用户提供一个统一、简便的SQL查询接口,使静、动态数据之间的联合查询更加便捷,有效地提高了联合查询的执行效率。     

虚拟网映射竞争算法设计与分析

对网络虚拟化技术中的虚拟网映射问题及其研究现状进行了介绍,针对虚拟节点映射已知且物理网不支持路径分割的虚拟网映射问题,提出以物理网提供商收益最大化为目标的虚拟网映射竞争算法,并给出了算法的竞争比分析。实验表明,所提出的算法能提高物理网资源的负载均衡度和利用率,从而提高了虚拟网构建请求的接受率和物理网提供商的收益。     

Experiencing Nature: Embodying Animals in Immersive Virtual Environments Increases Inclusion of Nature in Self and Involvement With Nature

Immersive virtual environments (IVEs) produce simulations that mimic unmediated sensory experiences. 3 experiments (N = 228) tested how different modalities increase environmental involvement by allowing users to inhabit the body of animals in IVEs or watch the experience on video. Embodying sensory‐rich experiences of animals in IVEs led to greater feeling of embodiment, perception of being present in the virtual world, and interconnection between the self and nature compared to video. Heightened interconnection with nature elicited greater perceptions of imminence of the environmental risk and involvement with nature, which persisted for 1 week. Although the effect sizes were small to moderate, findings suggest that embodied experiences in IVEs may be an effective tool to promote involvement with environmental issues.     

Virtual screening of eighteen million compounds against dengue virus: Combined molecular docking and molecular dynamics simulations study

Dengue virus is a major issue of tropical and sub-tropical regions. Dengue virus has been the cause behind the major alarming epidemics in the history with mass causalities from the decades. Unavailability of on-shelf drugs for the prevention of further proliferation of virus inside the human body results in immense number of deaths each year. This issue necessitates the design of novel anti-dengue drug. The protease enzyme pathway is the critical target for drug design due to its significance in the replication, survival and other cellular activities of dengue virus. Therefore, approximately eighteen million compounds from the ZINC database have been virtually screened against nonstructural protein 3 (NS3). The incremental construction algorithm of Glide docking program has been used with its features high throughput virtual screening (HTVS), standard precision (SP), extra precision (XP) and in combination of Prime module, induced fit docking (IFD) approach has also been applied. Five top-ranked compounds were then selected from the IFD results with better predicted binding energies with the catalytic triad residues (His51, Asp75, and Ser135) that may act as potential inhibitors for the underlying target protease enzyme. The top-ranked compounds ZINC95518765, ZINC44921800, ZINC71917414, ZINC39500661, ZINC36681949 have shown the predicted binding energies of −7.55, −7.36, −8.04, −8.41, −9.18 kcal/mol, respectively, forming binding interactions with three catalytically important amino acids. Top-docking poses of compounds are then used in molecular dynamics (MD) simulations. In computational studies, our proposed compounds confirm promising results against all the four serotypes of dengue virus, strengthening the opportunity of these compounds to work as potential on-shelf drugs against dengue virus. Further experimentation on the proposed compounds can result in development of strong inhibitors.     

微粒群融合虚拟力的异构网络覆盖优化策略

研究异构无线传感移动网络的节点覆盖优化问题。为了有效提高异构网络覆盖率,在分析了传统虚拟力算法缺陷的基础上,提出了一种将虚拟力影响因子融入微粒群算法,以解决网络全局优化。首先以网络有效覆盖率为优化适度值,建立网络覆盖数学模型,然后计算六边形布局下的虚拟力距离阈值,将其作为影响参照值作用到微粒群中,防止微粒陷入局部极值,从而指导微粒进化,得到最优网络覆盖;最后通过仿真测试算法性能。仿真结果表明,在由骨干节点与普通节点组成的异构网络中,微粒群融合虚拟力优化算法有更加明显的改善网络覆盖率的优势,且得到经过此算法优化的任何随机部署无缝覆盖的最佳节点数量。     

基于虚拟样机技术倾转四旋翼飞行器联合仿真

为了解决倾转四旋翼飞行器的机械系统及控制系统的设计问题,首先在ADAMS软件中建立倾转四旋翼飞行器的虚拟样机机械模型,同时在MATLAB/Simulink环境中引入了跟踪微分器并建立了非线性串级PID控制系统模型,然后通过搭建共享的虚拟样机模型实现联合仿真,最终得到机械系统和控制系统优化后的设计方案.仿真结果表明:倾转四旋翼飞行器的姿态调整过程稳定,具有很好的动态响应特性,为今后旋翼倾转过程的理论分析打下了良好的基础.     

Retracted: Antecedents and Consequences of Gender Swapping in Online Games

This study examines the reasons underlying gender swapping and its impacts on online gaming behavior. While previous studies considered gender swapping to be an abnormal or rare exception in one's self‐presentation, this study hypothesized that people swap genders as a rational choice based on practical benefits. An online survey was conducted with 318 male players of MMORPGs in Korea. Players swapped gender in games to gain benefits from other players under the condition of anonymity rather than to represent their own gender identity. Men playing female avatars displayed more socially amiable behaviors conventionally characterized as more feminine. Moreover, players were more willing to purchase virtual goods to decorate their gender swapped avatars, mediated by their emotional attachment to their avatar.