Immersive experiences in 360° video for social youth engagement

Educational and cultural television is an audio-visual medium that seeks to bear an impact on the knowledge, the attitudes and the values of an audience. This text introduces the CREA TV platform as an informal educational and socializing audio-visual instrument and describes the development of the documentary Miguel Hernández 360° made in 360° video. Two objectives are pursued through this: first, to introduce 360° video production as a means to use format to engage the audience and to foster the assimilation of contents; on the other hand, to teach values. To identify its effects, this experience was tested with secondary school students. The results of the analysis suggest that this 360° video has an impact on the connection between the viewer and the story due to its immersive character and sense of presence during the viewing of the documentary, as well as on the understanding and assimilation of the information it contains.

PsA-Disk, a novel visual instrument to evaluate psoriatic arthritis in psoriatic patients: an Italian derma-rheuma multicentre study

Background: Consensus among dermatologists and rheumatologists in the diagnosis and assessment of musculoskeletal diseases in psoriasis (PsO) patients is needed. This study assesses characteristics of musculoskeletal pain in patients with PsO for the presence of psoriatic arthritis (PsA) and evaluation of a novel 16-item visual instrument (PsA-Disk). Methods: Data were collected from eight dermatological/rheumatological centres across Italy. Patients with PsO completed PEST (Psoriasis Epidemiology Screening Tool) and PsA-Disk questionnaires during the first visit. A rheumatological visit was performed to confirm the presence of PsA. Both validity and reliability of PsA-Disk were assessed. Results: A total of 573 patients with PsO were examined at the first visit, and 120 (21%) were diagnosed with PsA. Patients with PsA compared with patients with PsO ( n = 119) presented statistically significant differences for: nail involvement, PEST score ⩾3, higher erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR), Nail Psoriasis Severity Index (NAPSI)-feet, NAPSI-(hands + feet) and PsA-Disk scores (73.9 ± 32.1 versus 58.1 ± 39.8, p < 0.001). Patients with PsA with knee arthritis had higher PsA-Disk scores (98.4 ± 26 versus 71.5 ± 31.9, p = 0.006) that were also correlated with number of swollen ( r = 0.2, p < 0.05) and tender joints ( r = 0.24, p = 0.021), patient ( r = 0.4, p < 0.001) and physician-pain-visual analogue scale (VAS; r = 0.33, p < 0.001), patient global assessment (PGA)-VAS ( r = 0.23, p = 0.025), physician-health assessment questionnaire (HAQ; r = 0.38, p = 0.011), Disease Activity Score (DAS)-44 ( r = 0.25, p = 0.023) and Disease Activity in Psoriatic Arthritis (DAPSA; r = 0.31, p = 0.005). The instrument had excellent reliability in terms of internal consistency (Cronbach’s alpha = 0.90) and stability (intraclass correlation = 0.98). Moderate agreement between PsA-Disk and PEST (Cohen’s kappa = 0.46) was observed, while construct validity appeared appropriate [PsA + patients: PsA-Disk score (interquartile range; IQR) =71 (50–96); PsA-patients: PsA-Disk score (IQR)=50 (20–90); p < 0.001]. Conclusion: PsA-Disk may be considered a valid novel instrument aiding both dermatologists and rheumatologists in the rapid detection and assessment of musculoskeletal disease characteristics.

Autonomous Underwater Vehicle “BOSS-A” for Acoustic and Visual Survey of Manganese Crusts

[abstFig src='/00280001/10.jpg' width=""300"" text='Autonomous underwater vehicle BOSS-A' ]In order to effectively investigate the distribution and amount of cobalt-rich manganese crust (CRC), an autonomous underwater vehicle BOSS-A equipped with visual and acoustic instruments were developed. BOSS-A observes the seafloor along preset waypoints at a constant speed and altitude. Detailed 3D seafloor images can be obtained from the visual instrument, which employs a sheet laser and a camera. In addition, an acoustic instrument measures the CRC thickness beneath BOSS-A. The CRC at Katayama seamount was surveyed in February. The results visually presented the state and distribution of the CRC in this site and clarified the amount of the CRC. In the future, the authors will develop a more reliable thickness measurement method.

Holophonor

This chapter discusses the progression of visual music and related audio-visual artworks through the 20th Century and considers the next steps for this field of research. The principles of visual music are described, with reference to the films of early pioneers such as John Whitney. A further exploration of the wider spectrum of subsequent work in various audio-visual art forms is then given. These include visualisations, light synthesizers, VJ performances, digital audio-visual artworks, projection mapping artworks, and interactive visual music artworks. Through consideration of visual music as a continuum of related work, the authors consider the Holophonor, a fictional audio-visual instrument, as an example of the ideal visual music instrument of the future. They conclude by proposing that a device such as the Holophonor could be constructed in the near future by utilising inter-disciplinary approaches from the fields of HCI and affective computing.