Virtual Reality is currently an affordable and consumer ready technology used by many in the games and interactive media industry, however unlike the user interface standards in mobile, PCs, and Macs, VR UI design can vary in complexity and usability. VR has many times been linked in films, TV shows, and animation as a method for navigating through cyberspace. It has been portrayed to be involved in the process of hacking a computer on some network. This study will look at approaches to developing a UI system using cyber-security research applications as a basis for designing a framework. Throughout, this research will analyze the different approaches to UI design and data visualization, extract relevant information, and find out what approaches will help improve the VR software front end design.

Espectáculo circense virtual de la compañía MDF

Exploration of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-gamma (PPAR") as a drug target holds applications for treating a wide variety of chronic inflammation-related diseases. Type 2 diabetes (T2D), which is a metabolic disease influenced by chronic inflammation, is quickly reaching epidemic proportions. Although some treatments are available to control T2D, more efficacious compounds with fewer side effects are in great demand. Drugs targeting PPAR" typically are compounds that function as agonists toward this receptor, which means they bind to and activate the protein. Identifying compounds that bind to PPAR" (i.e. binders) using computational docking methods has proven difficult given the large binding cavity of the protein, which yields a large target area and variations in ligand positions within the binding site. We applied a combined computational and experimental concept for characterizing PPAR" and identifying binders. The goal was to establish a time- and cost-effective way to screen a large, diverse compound database potentially containing natural and synthetic compounds for PPAR" agonists that are more efficacious and safer than currently available T2D treatments. The computational molecular modeling methods used include molecular docking, molecular dynamics, steered molecular dynamics, and structure- and ligand-based pharmacophore modeling. Potential binders identified in the computational component funnel into wet-lab experiments to confirm binding, assess activation, and test preclinical efficacy in a mouse model for T2D and other chronic inflammation diseases. The initial process used provided "-eleostearic acid as a compound that ameliorates inflammatory bowel disease in a pre-clinical trial. Incorporating pharmacophore analyses and binding interaction information improved the method for use with a diverse ligand database of thousands of compounds. The adjusted methods showed enrichment for full agonist binder identification. Identifying lead compounds using our method would be an efficient means of addressing the need for alternative T2D treatments. / Ph. D.

La thèse s’inscrit dans une visée psycho-ergonomique et s’intéresse au bien-être des individus au travail. L’étude s’intéresse aux échanges entre professionnels en difficulté sur les forums et cherche à comprendre ce qu’ils peuvent apporter aux participants. La thèse principale défendue est que ces échanges ont à la fois une fonction de soutien psychologique et d’acquisition de connaissances. Trois études ont été réalisées sur deux forums pour professionnels de l’éducation. La première étude met en évidence, à l’aide d’une enquête en ligne, huit types de motivations à s’engager sur un forum de professionnels. La deuxième étude vise à identifier la nature des interactions et la dynamique des échanges. Treize discussions ont été finement analysées. Les résultats mettent en évidence des caractéristiques propres aux messages des initiateurs et des réactants. L’étude de l’évolution des échanges révèle trois dynamiques : l’élaboration de sens, de recherche de solutions concrètes et de soutien émotionnel. La troisième étude cherche à explorer le vécu subjectif des participants au moment des échanges sur le forum. Des entretiens d’auto-confrontations avec relances d’entretien d’explicitation ont été menés avec neuf participants aux discussions analysées précédemment, à partir des traces écrites des discussions. On peut observer des décalages entre ce que les participants partagent dans leurs messages et ce qu’ils expriment avoir vécu (en entretien) notamment au niveau des émotions, des attentes et des évaluations du soutien. De plus, les participants craignent que leur anonymat soit levé et censurent certaines informations afin d’éviter d’éventuelles répercussions. / The study focuses on interactions on online forums involving professionals faced with issues in their work, and aims to understand what it is that forums may provide to their participants. The thesis we defend here is that these interactions aim both to provide psychological support to professionals, and to help these professionals acquire knowledge. Three studies were carried out on two discussion forums intended for professionals in the field of education.The first study highlights eight types of motivation for getting involved in a forum for professionals with an online survey. The second study aimed to identify the nature of interactions and the dynamics of interactions. We analysed thirteen discussions. The results highlight the specific characteristics of messages initiators and reactants. The study of the evolution of the interactions highlights three key dynamics: making sense of the situation, searching for concrete solutions, and providing emotional support. The third study aims to explore the subjective experience of participants during exchanges on the forum. We carried out auto-confrontation interviews followed by elicitation interviews with nine participants from the discussions we had analysed previously, based on written traces of these discussions. We observed discrepancies between what the participants share in their messages and the experiences expressed in interviews especially the emotional states, the request for emotional support and the perception of support. Finally, the participants are concerned with their anonymity and censor some information in order to avoid potential repercussions.

Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI) / Introduction: Anxiety is a debilitating and difficult sensation many people face on a daily basis. Up to 20% of American adults experience dental anxiety2. Dental anxiety can present both psychologically and physiologically as a barrier to starting, completing and/or finishing dental treatment.2,4 Catastrophizing the procedure, which is common practice in anxious patients, will alter and increase the perception of pain66. Approaching and understanding dental anxiety has shown to produce more positive treatment outcomes and overall increased patient satisfaction2, 4, 6. Non-pharmacological approaches to reducing dental anxiety can be a quick, non-invasive, method to put patients at ease and can save chair time for both practitioner and patient, as well as a more pleasant experience for the patient. Objectives: The goal of this study is to investigate non-pharmacologic approaches to reducing dental anxiety prior to non-surgical root canal treatment. This will be done by comparing an Auditory Alone Brief Relaxation period (ABR) to a Relaxation Virtual Reality period (RVR). Materials and Methods: 60 subjects who need non-surgical root canal treatment was randomly allocated into 2 groups. One group received earphones to listen to a guided brief relaxation recording, focusing on breathing and a body scan. The other group received virtual reality goggles and choose a scene of their liking to experience. State Trait Anxiety Indicator (STAI), Visual Analog Scale (VAS), and vitals were measured to objectively determine baseline anxiety score followed by the same metrics after brief relaxation or virtual reality experience. A student will perform root canal treatment, and VAS and vitals were again be recorded at the end of the appointment. Results: Both RVR and ABR showed a statistically significant decrease in anxiety in STAI-S (p value <.001 for both), STAI-T (p value 0.025 ABR; <.001 RVR). VAS scores also significantly reduced from T1 to T2 to T3 time frame. Discussion: Our study investigated and compared two different interventions in reducing anxiety prior to endodontic therapy. The results showed that both ABR and RVR reduced anxiety prior to endodontic therapy and had an effect even after the endodontic therapy was completed. Additionally, when comparing the time points T1, T2, and T3, heart rate decreased throughout the procedure and more importantly, after the intervention (ABR or RVR) was delivered. Both anxiety scales, STAI and VAS showed a statistical significant decrease in anxiety throughout the appointment. Conclusion: Non-pharmacological techniques like guided meditation and virtual reality are a valid and unique approach to reducing anxiety prior to endodontic therapy. Both ABR and RVR interventions reduced the feelings of anxiety throughout the entire endodontic appointment. This study displays the ease of incorporating both interventions to reduce anxiety in an economical and noninvasive fashion.

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Virtual Reality (VR) opens up new possibilities for developers to create immersive worlds and experiences. While it’s possible to craft unique and engaging interactive environments with unprecedented realism, the virtual world is constrained by the real one. Current approaches to player navigation in VR applications include joystick controls, teleportation, and motion-based movement. While these methods are effective in certain scenarios to overcome real-world limitations, my research introduces a novel approach that leverages room scale-based movement, with portals, to traverse a given VR world. This work presents algorithms that accurately predict the percentage of play area utilized, and rules to implement typical game elements to allow large scale virtual immersion under real world constraints.

Thesis advisor: Gerardo Blanco / Thesis advisor: Rebecca Schendel / As an emergent form of internationalization that incorporates the use of digital technology, virtual exchange offers students the possibility to transcend national borders and connect with other students entirely within a virtual learning environment. Participants in virtual exchange mediate between the physical and virtual worlds, and a sense of place allows them to connect with peers, actively engage with their environment, and achieve learning outcomes. Despite a growing interest in virtual exchange in higher education, however, there is limited research on how students navigate their online learning environment and develop a sense of place. This thesis addresses this gap by exploring how students construct and experience a sense of place while participating in virtual exchange. Focus group interviews were conducted with 29 students participating in virtual exchange through the non-profit provider, Soliya. Using grounded theory, a number of emergent themes were explored, revealing how students understood and situated themselves within both their physical and virtual spaces before, during, and after their virtual exchange. The findings of this study suggest that sense of place is impacted by the environment as well as both individual and communal identity. The results of this study will provide higher education institutions and virtual exchange providers with a better understanding of the construct of sense of place within virtual learning environments and, consequently, how to foster a strong sense of place among virtual exchange participants. / Thesis (MA) — Boston College, 2022. / Submitted to: Boston College. Lynch School of Education. / Discipline: Educational Leadership and Higher Education.

No / The very word "digital" has acquired a status that far exceeds its humble dictionary definition. Even the prefix digital, when associ­ ated with familiar sectors such as radio, television, photography and telecommunications, has reinvented these industries, and provided a unique opportunity to refresh them with new start-up companies, equipment, personnel, training and working practices - all of which are vital to modern national and international economies. The last century was a period in which new media stimulated new job opportunities, and in many cases created totally new sectors: video competed with film, CDs transformed LPs, and computer graphics threatened traditional graphic design sectors. Today, even the need for a physical medium is in question. The virtual digital domain allows the capture, processing, transmission, storage, retrieval and display of text, images, audio and animation without familiar materials such as paper, celluloid, magnetic tape and plastic. But moving from these media to the digital domain intro­ duces all sorts of problems, such as the conversion of analog archives, multimedia databases, content-based retrieval and the design of new content that exploits the benefits offered by digital systems. It is this issue of digital content creation that we address in this book. Authors from around the world were invited to comment on different aspects of digital content creation, and their contributions form the 23 chapters of this volume.

The COVID-19 pandemic elicited an abrupt uptake of virtual mental health care delivery to attend to an increased demand for mental health services in an efficient way, amid pandemic restrictions. This research study explores the experience of telemental health care delivery among resident and practicing psychiatrists to examine how their care is impacted by virtual delivery and their approaches to assessing the effectiveness of their virtual care. This qualitative study used semi-structured interviewing and thematic analysis to identify significant concepts. It included eight post-graduate year four (PGY4) resident psychiatrists and two practicing psychiatrists. The research findings indicate that elements of mental health care relating to patient information, safety, privacy, and therapeutic alliance are impacted when delivered virtually, and that patient suitability is an important factor for the success of virtual care. Findings also suggest that there exists a gap in both practice and in theory for methods or tools used to assess the effectiveness of telemental health care. Future research will be necessary to 1) adapt existing mental health care assessment tools to account for the nuances of virtual delivery, and 2) to implement in practice policies that ensure virtual care is used only with patients for whom it is suitable.