Understanding Usability and User Experience of Web-Based 3D Graphics Technology

As Web-based interactive 3D graphics (Web 3D), popularly referred to as Virtual Reality, continue to become more affordable, research and development groups in various fields have been adopting Web 3D technology. In addition to simulation of 3D content, the ability to instantly display alternative looks has been recognized as an innovative way to improve communication in such fields as product design, architecture, and e-commerce. Despite substantial adoption of Web 3D, how and how much the technology benefits target users as well as the providers who choose to adapt the Web 3D technology are not well understood. Previous research has established that interactive 3D graphics provide users with unique human–computer interaction (HCI). However, little is known about how users experience the Web 3D graphics technology and how user–system interaction contributes to system usability. The purpose of this study is to build new knowledge of the user experience with interactive-3D graphics systems used for product demonstration. By testing the impact of the technology on the user–system interaction and usability and comparing this impact with that of conventional two-dimensional (2D) graphics, this study tries to better understand the Web 3D technology from an interdisciplinary view of technology acceptance, sense of presence, and HCI. The study investigated how system usability is affected by HCI in the context of a furniture-style preference survey. The results of the study display the clear advantage for Web 3D for usability and show that perceived usefulness and sense of presence both mediate the effect of the technology treatment on the usability outcomes. The contribution of this study is that it includes empirical data to show how Web 3D benefits users when adopted in the context of a product demonstration and how the advantage is obtained through the user's interaction with the Web 3D technology.     

Growth behavior comparison of Listeria monocytogenes between Type strains and beef isolates in raw beef

Food Science and Biotechnology - This study was conducted to compare the growth parameters of Listeria monocytogenes between beef isolates and Type strains in raw beef. Beef was artificially...     

Characterization of subtilin KU43 Produced by Bacillus subtilis KU43 isolated from traditional Korean fermented foods

An antimicrobial peptide produced by Bacillus subtilis KU25, KU43, and KU44 was isolated from traditional Korean fermented foods and characterized. It was named as subtilin KU25, KU43, and KU44. Subtilin KU25, KU43, and KU44 were sensitive against α-chymotrypsin, protease XIII, and various proteinase enzymes, respectively. B. subtilis KU43 was selected as the producer with the broadest antimicrobial spectrum. Subtilin KU43 was stable at a pH range of 3 to 9 for 4 h, and withstood exposure to temperatures of 50–90°C for 30 min. The mode of inhibition against Listeria monocytogenes ATCC 15313 involved a bactericidal effect by a reduction in the cell numbers and breakage of the indicator cell membranes. The molecular mass of subtilin KU43 was measured at approximately 3.5 kDa. These results demonstrate the development of novel strains from traditional Korean fermented foods, and illustrate the possibility that some of these strains might generate a natural preservative compound.     

A hybrid SOF-PID controller for a MIMO biped robot

The application of the hybrid self-organizing fuzzy (SOF) PID controller to a multiinput multioutput nonlinear biped robot is studied in this article. The SOF-PID controller was initially studied by H.B. Kazemian in 1998. Actually, his SOF-PID controller has limits. The supervisory capacity of the SOF-PID controller can adjust only certain kinds of parameters. Here the hybrid SOF-PID controller is introduced to tune some kinds of parameters, and it was tested on a MIMO biped robot. In the experiment, the hybrid SOF-PID controller shows a better performance than the SOF-PID. This work was presented in part at the 10th International Symposium on Artificial Life and Robotics, Oita, Japan, February 4–6, 2005     

Developing efficient management strategies for a water supply system using system dynamics modelling

In this paper, the causal feedback relationships among the components that make up the working mechanism of water supply systems management, including key factors and their relationship to the management of water pipes, were identified based on the conceptual framework established for water supply systems management. Subsequently, a system dynamics computer simulation model, which can be used to aid efficient management of water supply systems, was developed. The computer model consisted of water supply, pipe maintenance, and water supply business finance sub-models. The model was verified using historical data from a water supply service case study. Using the verified model, long-term managerial and operating conditions of the case study system were predicted under optimistic, basic, and pessimistic management condition scenarios. In addition, sensitivity analyses on major indicators of the case study system have been presented to show that the developed model can facilitate identification of the best policy for achieving a specific management objective of a water supply system.     

Oxidative and color stability of cooked ground pork containing lotus leaf (Nelumbo nucifera) and barley leaf (Hordeum vulgare) powder during refrigerated storage

This study aimed to evaluate the oxidative and color stability of cooked ground pork containing lotus leaf powder at 0.1 (LP1) and 0.5% (LP2) as well as barley leaf powder at 0.1 (BP1) and 0.5% (BP2) during refrigerated storage for 10 days. The oxidative stability of these powders was compared with butylhydroxytoluene (BHT). LP1 had higher a* and lower b* values than the control (-) over 4 days (p<0.05). The pH values of the ground pork samples made with addition of LP and BHT decreased until day 4 and then increased. Thiobarbituric acid-reactive substance (TBARS) values were lowest in LP2 on day 10 (p<0.05). The ground pork samples containing LP and BP had lower peroxide values (POVs) and conjugated dienes (CD) compared to the control (-).These results indicate that LP or BP can be incorporated into ground pork to effectively retard oxidation after cooking.     

A symbolic reliability of multiple path required system with three states

The system reliability of a “j or more paths required system” can be obtained from the probability that there is no minimal path suffering a short-mode failure and there is at least one set of j separate paths not suffering an open-mode failure. In order to evaluate the system reliability, we use the method of generating the sum of disjoint products, which is widely used for two-state systems. Some rules and a procedure for the minimized reliability formula are presented.