1D selection of 2D objects in head-worn displays

In current desktop user interfaces, selection is usually accomplished easily with a mouse or a similar two-dimensional locator. In wearable computing, however, controlling two dimensions simultaneously gets significantly harder: a change in one dimension results easily in an undesired change in the other dimension as well when the user is occupied with a parallel task – such as walking. We present a way to overcome this problem by applying one-dimensional selection for graphical user interfaces in head-worn displays. Our new interaction technique allows a wearable computer user to perform object selection tasks easily and accurately. The technique is based on a visible circle on the screen. The user controls the circle, altering its radius with a one-dimensional valuator. The midpoint of the circle is in the middle of the screen. The object currently on the perimeter of the circle is highlighted and can be selected. Our preliminary usability evaluation, applying our custom evaluation method designed especially for walking users, indicates that the proposed technique is usable also when walking.     

Direct gravure printing (DGP) method for printing fine-line electrical circuits on ceramics

The tendency toward higher packing densities and higher frequencies for telecommunication devices based on ceramic technology requires smaller dimensions for electrical wiring. Electrical thick-film circuits for ceramic and LTCC-substrates have, up to now, been printed with screen printing, where the printing lines width limit is about 125 /spl mu/m in mass production. A silicone polymer direct gravure printing (Si-DGP) process has been developed to perform smaller dimensions, down to 20 /spl mu/m lines width, for electrical circuitry. In the DGP process, the conductor paste is doctored to the grooves of the gravure and then it is pressed against the substrate. The paste is, thus, printed directly onto the substrate from the patterned gravure. The results showed that, using the DGP process, it was possible to print conductor lines down to 20 /spl mu/m in width. It was also noted that a 100% transfer of paste from the grooves of the gravure could be obtained with commercial pastes using the silicone polymer gravure. A dried thickness of up to 28 /spl mu/m was measured for the narrowest lines. Also conductor lines printed by the Si-DGP method were embedded inside LTCC-module.     

Long-chain fatty ammonium quaternaries in papermaking

A series of long-chain quaternary ammonium halogen esters (UKK-chemicals), quaternary dimethyl tallow epoxypropyl ammonium halogens (EPK1), quaternary ditallow methyl epoxypropyl ammonium halogens (EPK2), and EPK2 oligomers (EPK2P) were synthesized. At acidic, neutral, or slightly basic conditions, EPK1-, EPK2-, EPK2P-, and UKK-chemicals operate as cationic chemicals. They can be used, for example, as stock sizings, surface sizings, or fixatives. Stock sizing, surface sizing, and fixative experiments indicate that EPK1-, EPK2-, EPK2P-, and UKK-chemicals function at least as well as or better than the corresponding synthetic chemicals used in papermaking.     

Fabrication of Ni-shims using UV-moulding as an intermediate step

We fabricated nickel-shims including various types of structures with dimensions from hundreds of nanometers to several microns. The mastering process was made by electron-beam lithography, lift-off and reactive ion etching techniques. Then the structures were copied into a UV-curable ORMOCER-material and the Ni-shims were fabricated by electroforming using UV-copies as masters. The experiments showed that the use of UV-copying evades typical quartz master sticking and cracking problems. Furthermore, all features were replicated in the final Ni-shim as they existed in the quartz master proving the method suitable for the fabrication of the Ni-shims from the quartz masters with high precision.     

Influence of high titers of maternal antibody on the serologic response of infants to diphtheria vaccination at three, five and twelve months of age

Diphtheria antitoxin was determined in serum from 44 pregnant women, of whom 26 had received one injection of diphtheria toxoid during pregnancy. Their infants were vaccinated with a combined diphtheria-tetanus vaccine at 3, 5 and 12 months of age. This vaccination schedule has been used in Sweden since 1986, replacing the old schedule of vaccination at 3, 4.5 and 6 months of age originally designed for diphtheria-tetanus-pertussis vaccine, which had not been used after cessation of general vaccination against pertussis in 1979. Serum samples from the infants were obtained at 3, 7 and 18 months of age. After 2 injections infants of mothers with high antitoxin titers, > or = 0.1 IU/ml, tended to have lower antitoxin titers than infants of mothers with low antitoxin concentrations (P = 0.067). All children had, however, antitoxin above the minimum protective level of 0.01 IU/ml. Median antitoxin titers were 1.6 IU/ml in both groups after the third booster injection. Four infants of mothers who had been vaccinated during pregnancy and who had titers of > or = 0.4 IU/ml did not reach the 0.1 IU/ml level after 2 injections: all 4 responded with high antitoxin titers after the third dose. Thus all infants were primed by 2 doses of vaccine, irrespective of maternal antibody concentration. The repressive effect of maternal antibody on titers noted after 2 doses was no longer observed after the third, booster dose.     

Antenna phase pattern measurements at millimeter wave frequencies using the differential phase method with only one power meter

The differential phase measurement method has been improved to need the use of only one power meter instead of three power meters. This enables accurate antenna phase pattern measurements with a simplified set-up, accompanied by the reduction in cost. All advantages of the differential phase measurement method are still also available, e.g. there is no need to phase lock oscillators or to use rotary joints. The measurement results for an antenna at 110 GHz are presented. A good agreement with earlier data was obtained.     

Estimating areal means and variances of forest attributes using the k-Nearest Neighbors technique and satellite imagery

The k-Nearest Neighbor (k-NN) technique has become extremely popular for a variety of forest inventory mapping and estimation applications. Much of this popularity may be attributed to the non-parametric, multivariate features of the technique, its intuitiveness, and its ease of use. When used with satellite imagery and forest inventory plot data, the technique has been shown to produce useful estimates of many forest attributes including forest/non-forest, volume, and basal area. However, variance estimators for quantifying the uncertainty of means or sums of k-NN pixel-level predictions for areas of interest (AOI) consisting of multiple pixels have not been reported. The primary objectives of the study were to derive variance estimators for AOI estimates obtained from k-NN predictions and to compare precision estimates resulting from different approaches to k-NN prediction and different interpretations of those predictions. The approaches were illustrated by estimating proportion forest area, tree volume per unit area, tree basal area per unit area, and tree density per unit area for 10-km AOIs. Estimates obtained using k-NN approaches and traditional inventory approaches were compared and found to be similar. Further, variance estimates based on different interpretations of k-NN predictions were similar. The results facilitate small area estimation and simultaneous and consistent mapping and estimation of multiple forest attributes.     

Solubility of gases in a hydroformylation solvent

The solubility of reactants used in homogeneously catalyzed hydroformylation of alkene was studied in a pressurized, semi-batch autoclave. The solubilities of alkene, carbon monoxide and hydrogen in the 2,2,4-trimethyl-1,3-pentanediol mono(2-methylpropanoate) solvent (NX 795) were determined by precise pressure and weight measurements. The measured solubilities were tested against empirical and theoretical models. Logarithmic empirical models gave a very good fit to experimental solubility data. To obtain nonempirical equations for the gas solubility, thermodynamic models based on activity coefficients and equations of state were used. The activity coefficient models based on regular solution theory (RST) predicted the solubilities well, but the selection of the model is the critical issue. For 1-butene, the best prediction was provided by the Yen and McKetta modification of the RST, whereas for carbon monoxide and hydrogen it was necessary to include a mixing entropy term in the RST. The Soave-Redlich-Kwong equation of state gave a fairly good prediction of the solubilities, but not as good as the RST-based models.     

From big smartphone data to worldwide research: The Mobile Data Challenge

This paper presents an overview of the Mobile Data Challenge (MDC), a large-scale research initiative aimed at generating innovations around smartphone-based research, as well as community-based evaluation of mobile data analysis methodologies. First, we review the Lausanne Data Collection Campaign (LDCC), an initiative to collect unique longitudinal smartphone dataset for the MDC. Then, we introduce the Open and Dedicated Tracks of the MDC, describe the specific datasets used in each of them, discuss the key design and implementation aspects introduced in order to generate privacy-preserving and scientifically relevant mobile data resources for wider use by the research community, and summarize the main research trends found among the 100+ challenge submissions. We finalize by discussing the main lessons learned from the participation of several hundred researchers worldwide in the MDC Tracks.     

Work-related low-back problems in nursing

This scientific literature review focuses on the relation between nursing work and low-back problems. Its aim was to estimate the risk of physical, psychosocial, and work organizational exposure factors that may lead to low-back problems. In addition this paper reviews and evaluates reported ergonomic intervention, with the object of decreasing the prevalence and incidence of low-back problems among nurses. A considerable number of studies of nursing staff has shown the connection between lifts and transfers of patients on one hand and low-back problems on the other. Factors in nursing work that may be significant in this connection are staff density and work satisfaction. In this review the single individual factor that was indisputably related to low-back problems was "history of back problems". Prevention programs do not show unequivocally positive results. There is a great need to carry out prospective studies with preventive programs.