Search results

To describe the development of and experience with a system that tracks the position of knocks and taps atop a large sheet of glass for use as an inexpensive retrofit that can make large windows into interactive interfaces.

The structural‐acoustic wavefront coming from the impact is simultaneously recorded by four contact piezoelectric pickups mounted near the sheet's corners. A digital signal processor extracts relevant characteristics from these signals, such as amplitudes, frequency components, and differential timings, which are used to estimate the location of the hit and derive other parameters, including a degree of confidence in the position accuracy, the strike intensity and the nature of each hit (e.g. knuckle knock, metal tap, or fist bang – our system responds to any kind of impact). A set of heuristically‐guided rules are employed to compare the waveforms recorded by different sensors and determine the differential timing.

Across sensitive areas ranging up to 2×2 m, we have obtained position resolutions of σ=2.5 cm for 1/4 in. tempered glass and σ=3‐4 cm for 1 cm thick shatterproof glass. Our system delivers 65 ms latency, hence is essentially real time. The system has been installed in several public settings, and has proven to be very robust.

Suggestions are given for doing everything in software and not using the DSP. Analytical compensation of the dispersion would probably yield better precision but require more computation time.

As this system requires only simple hardware, it needs no special adaptation of the glass pane, and allows all tracking transducers to be mounted on the inner surface, hence it is quite easy and inexpensive to deploy as a retrofit to existing windows. This opens many applications, such as an interactive storefront, with content controlled by knocks on the display window, an interactive museum display case, or a vending machine where one can select by tapping directly above the desired item.

As large displays become less costly and more common, systems like these can make them interactive. This paper details our approach.

Examines the tenth published year of the ITCRR. Runs the whole gamut of textile innovation, research and testing, some of which investigates hitherto untouched aspects. Subjects discussed include cotton fabric processing, asbestos substitutes, textile adjuncts to cardiovascular surgery, wet textile processes, hand evaluation, nanotechnology, thermoplastic composites, robotic ironing, protective clothing (agricultural and industrial), ecological aspects of fibre properties – to name but a few! There would appear to be no limit to the future potential for textile applications.

In 1864 two famous novelists: Erckmann and Chatrian co‐edited a fiction called L’Ami Fritz. Very quickly this work had a tremendous success. It was the story of a fellow named “Fritz Kobus” who was living in Alsace. He could be seen as the stereotype of how the “collective unconscious” in France was imagining a prosperous Alsatian fellow. In a very short period of time this fiction became a significant link between the Alsace region and the whole French nation. We will use this example in order to show that the links with consumption and art are very peculiar. It is not only companies that are interested in the appropriation of art, but also consumers. This will help us to show that for example in postmodern times the distinction between high and low culture is not as clear as it may first appear. High and low culture are blending together in interesting ways. What we would like to show here, is that the novel sometimes gives a landmark to the consumers, telling them what their ideal aspirations should be and then the society tries to reflect the novel.

People with visual impairments may have difficulty in identifying information, either on a bottle or package of medicine. As a result, many of them need the help of a third party to discern which medication they should take. In this perspective, this study aims to assist people with visual impairments to identify their medicine by using mobile sensing technologies.

The authors have developed three versions of a mobile application. They use three technologies, namely, near field communication, QR code and magnetic field, for drug identification. The entire development process was based on user-centered design. And, the authors also performed an initial usability assessment of these applications with ten users who were blind.

Preliminary results show user preference for the near field communication approach and reinforce some known drawbacks concerning the use of QR code by people with visual impairments.

Although the authors have evaluated these technologies with few mobile devices, they perceived that the acquired values of the magnetic field suffered distortions culminating, in some cases, in a non-identification of the medicine, or even in incorrect identification.

Current mobile device magnet sensors are not yet robust to be used for medicine identification.

Mobile apps combined with medicine identification can contribute to the autonomy of people who are blind.

The main contribution of this paper is to integrate and analyze distinct mobile-based sensing technologies for identifying medicines by people with visual impairments.

The aim of this review is to explore recent literature regarding the development of fall detector technology as part of a service evaluation on the use of fall detectors across the region funded by NHS West Midlands. It also aims to explore the application and the use of products designed to detect falls and alert for help from end‐user and health and social care staff perspectives.

A comprehensive review of the literature of the last ten years was conducted, search terms were used to identify relevant literature from research databases and the main themes from the literature were summarised. This work was carried out to inform a service evaluation of the use of fall detectors across the West Midlands region and was funded by NHS West Midlands.

It was found that whilst there are a wide variety of new technologies regarding fall detectors in development, the range of technologies currently available through health and social services to users are limited. Health and social care staff appear to be less convinced of the benefits of fall detectors than end‐users. There was also a lack of robust evidence regarding different approaches to technology in the management and detection of falls. Users had mixed views regarding the use of fall detectors, with some people having concerns about privacy, lack of human contact, user‐friendliness and appropriate training, whilst others clearly identified the benefits of detecting falls and raising an alert. The implications of these findings for practice are discussed.

This paper will be of value to those working in falls services, telecare or industry partners developing fall detector technology.

THE first of the Islington Public Libraries, opened on September 21st, has proved a phenomenal success, and, at the same time, has thrown an interesting light on several modern theories in librarianship. It is, as our readers know, the fust of a system of five libraries, towards the erection of which Dr. Carnegie has given £40,000. The building itself is, as many librarians had an opportunity of judging at the “private view” described in our last number, of an exceedingly well‐lighted and attractive character. The arrangement and accommodation provided present several novel features. On the ground floor, opening from the Central Hall, is the Children's Lending Library and Reading Room. This is stocked with about 3,000 volumes for lending purposes, including French and German juvenile literature, and the reading room portion has seating accommodation for about a hundred children. A representative selection of children's magazines are displayed here, and there are special study‐tables for girls and boys equipped with suitable reference collections. A feature of this room is a striking dado of pictures illustrating scenes from English history, which goes far to make the room interesting and attractive.

The purpose of this article is to help librarians interested in developing a basic understanding of Sub‐Saharan African cinema and increase awareness of the resources available when building a collection of sub‐Saharan African films for their library. A general review is provided to help become familiar with the history and nature of the four regions discussed.

A collection development project to expand a mid‐sized university's collection of sub‐Saharan African films is discussed. Includes brief historical information and core titles, selected for their historical role and/or ease of purchase.

A list of core films is recommended for academic and public libraries representing four geographic regions of sub‐Saharan Africa: Nigeria, South Africa, West Africa, and East Africa.

Unfortunately, many of the titles referenced in academic literature and winners of African film awards are not available for purchase outside of Africa, making it impossible to accomplish our goal of collecting a core list as intended.

The paper increases awareness of African cinema and value inclusion in library collections.

While there are general articles on the topic of African cinema, there are no recent articles on the topic of collecting African films for libraries.

Blueberry contains bioactive compounds which are beneficial to organisms, such as phenolics and flavonoids. The purpose of this paper is to evaluate the potential protective effects of blueberry extracts (BE) on H₂O₂-induced HepG2 cells.

Cell protection was evaluated via the survivals of the cell. Reactive oxygen species (ROS) level, antioxidant enzyme and malondialdehyde (MDA) were detected. Western blot was carried out to analysis protein which was related to the cell apoptosis pathway. Changes in morphology including: cell total apoptosis/necrosis and G0/G1 cycle arresting were also concomitant.

The levels of ROS and malondialdehyde (MDA) reduced after the BE treatment while the contents of superoxide dismutase, and glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px) increased in HepG2 cells induced by H2O2. Furthermore, mechanistic studies indicated that BE regulated the activation of mitochondrial apoptosis signal-regulating (Bcl-2, Bax). Qu was used as a positive control group. All these results demonstrated that the BE have a potential against oxidative stress in vitro.

Few studies have focused on the bioactivities of blueberry on oxidative stress. Taken together, the results confirm that polyphenol-enriched BE have the ability to protect against oxidative stress in cells. It has a great potential as a functional food ingredient to health benefits. Furthermore, this work showed the value of using simple biological models to screen for compounds that are of interest for food and pharmacological industry.

This paper aims to further the discussion on Building Information Modelling (BIM) legal requirements, providing a framework with key energy parameters capable of supporting the Appointing Party in the definition of the Exchange Information Requirements (EIR) for a BIM project appointment. The EIR is described in ISO-19650–1:2018 as a fundamental step in the information delivery cycle.

A literature review on the topic of BIM energy analysis was completed to identify current knowledge gaps and support the need for the proposed framework. Afterwards, the framework was established based on the review findings and the authors’ domain knowledge. The applicability of the proposed framework was assessed through a case study, where several energy simulations were performed in three different design stages of the same BIM model.

This study identified a lack of standards and legislation capable of supporting the Appointing Party in the definition of energy-related BIM requirements. To this end, a new framework is proposed to mediate existing practices, linking prior knowledge with BIM’s new reality. The study showcases the applicability of the framework, identifying that the performance of different energy studies involves distinct Level of Development (LOD) requirements, which in turn have an impact on the modelling time and cost.

A BIM framework for the specification of information requirements in energy-related projects was developed to support the Appointing Party. The framework presents appropriate parameters for energy analysis in each design stage, as well as the suitable LOD for the BIM model.