Assessment of consumer VR-headsets’ objective and subjective field of view (FoV) and its feasibility for visual field testing

Virtual reality as a research environment has seen a boost in its popularity during the last decades. Not only the usage fields for this technology have broadened, but also a research niche has appeared as the hardware improved and became more affordable. Experiments in vision research are constructed upon the basis of accurately displaying stimuli with a specific position and size. For classical screen setups, viewing distance and pixel position on the screen define the perceived position for subjects in a relatively precise fashion. However, projection fidelity in HMDs strongly depends on eye and face physiological parameters. This study introduces an inexpensive method to measure the perceived field of view and its dependence upon the eye position and the interpupillary distance, using a super wide angle camera. Measurements of multiple consumer VR headsets show that manufacturers’ claims regarding field of view of their HMDs are mostly unrealistic. Additionally, we performed a “Goldmann” perimetry test in VR to obtain subjective results as a validation of the objective camera measurements. Based on this novel data, the applicability of these devices to test humans’ field of view was evaluated.

Combined driving: task-specific position impacts grip strength of equestrian athletes

Background Loss of hand strength is a predictor of mortality in aging populations. Despite reliance on the hands to participate in equestrian driving activity, no existing studies focus on associations of hand strength to athletic performance. Therefore, this study 1) established baseline handgrip of equestrian combined drivers in standing and task-specific positions, 2) determined endurance of task-specific handgrip, 3) compared handgrip strength to normative data, and 4) evaluated associations of handgrip and equestrian-specific variables. Methods There were 51 combined drivers (9 males, 42 females) ages 21–78 who completed a survey, standing handgrip, and grip strength and endurance in a task-specific position. Sixty-three percent of participants were 50 years or older. The dynamometer grip bar was normalized by hand size for standing tests; to duplicate sport-specific tasks, the bar was set to the closest setting. Significances were determined at p < 0.05. Results Drivers with more than 30 years of experience demonstrated highest summed standing (73.1 ± 5.2 kg) and summed sitting (59.9 ± 6.3 kg) grip strength. Females 60-years and older had greater handgrip endurance (Χ2 = 8.323, df = 2, p = .0156) in non-dominant (left) hands. Males (60%) reported more cold weather fatigue than females. Glove wearing was associated with bilateral endurance balance; a higher proportion of endurance balance between dominant and non-dominant (49% high-high and 29% low-low; Χ2 = 11.047, df = 1, p = .0009) was realized. There were no associations of handgrip and prior injury. Conclusions Our results have implications in understanding task-specific and normative grip strengths in aging equestrian populations. Bilateral balance in handgrip strength and endurance is important particularly in maintaining strength in non-dominant hands over time. Equestrian driving sport promotes greater endurance in older females. Strength can be improved by participating in combined driving, and engagement in this sport over several years’ benefits hand strength over time. This cohort of equestrian participants provides evidence that participating in hand-specific activities promotes greater strength, which has been previously shown to improve aging outcomes.

Alveoli form directly by budding led by a single epithelial cell

Oxygen passes along the ramifying branches of the lung's bronchial tree and enters the blood through millions of tiny, thin-walled gas exchange sacs called alveoli. Classical histological studies have suggested that alveoli arise late in development by a septation process that subdivides large air sacs into smaller compartments. Although a critical role has been proposed for contractile myofibroblasts, the mechanism of alveolar patterning and morphogenesis is not well understood. Here we present the three-dimensional cellular structure of alveoli, and show using single-cell labeling and deep imaging that an alveolus in the mouse lung is composed of just 2 epithelial cells and a total of a dozen cells of 7 different types, each with a remarkable, distinctive structure. By mapping alveolar development at cellular resolution at a specific position in the branch lineage, we find that alveoli form surprisingly early by direct budding of epithelial cells out from the airway stalk between enwrapping smooth muscle cells that rearrange into a ring of 3-5 myofibroblasts at the alveolar base. These alveolar entrance myofibroblasts are anatomically and developmentally distinct from myofibroblasts that form the thin fiber partitions of alveolar complexes ('partitioning' myofibroblasts). The nascent alveolar bud is led by a single alveolar type 2 (AT2) cell following selection from epithelial progenitors; a lateral inhibitory signal transduced by Notch ensures selection of only one cell so its trailing neighbor acquires AT1 fate and flattens into the cup-shaped wall of the alveolus. Our analysis suggests an elegant new model of alveolar patterning and formation that provides the foundation for understanding the cellular and molecular basis of alveolar diseases and regeneration.

Residue-Free Suspended Graphene Transferred by Perforated Template

A residue-free transfer method for graphene is proposed in this study, especially for the fabrication of suspended structures. Using perforated polymer templates, graphene can be precisely transferred onto the specific position in the perforated target SiO2/Si substrates without the need for polymer removal and the subsequent thermal annealing process. The surface of the transferred graphene by the proposed method was analyzed and corroborated via Raman spectroscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, transmission electron microscopy. The results of these analyses suggest that the graphene surface has no polymeric residues resulting from the transfer process. The proposed method provides a powerful approach for the transfer of 2D materials and it enables the exploitation of their suspended structures for device applications as well as the physical characterizations without worry on the effect of contaminants.

Prohibition to approach a certain distance and / or to certain persons, to be in a certain place as a measure of a criminal nature (on the example of the Penal Code of the Republic of Poland)

The article analyzes the provisions of the Polish Penal Code in terms of establishing a ban on being in certain environments or places, contact with certain people, approaching certain persons or leaving a special place of residence without the consent of the court, as a kind of criminal measure. Sais about prohibitions to hold a specific position, engage in a certain profession or carry out certain types of economic activity. In the Polish Penal Code, the analyzed prohibitions apply to the perpetrator in the case of an intentional crime combined with violence, and are binding from the entry into force of the court decision in the criminal case. It is known that in Ukraine there are special measures to combat domestic violence in the form of an urgent injunction against the offender and a restrictive injunction against the offender. In its legal positions, the Supreme Court revealed the essence (legal nature) of the restrictive order as a temporary measure of restraint, which is not a measure of punishment for a person. The Supreme Court also justified the legitimacy of the restraining order in the form of a temporary prohibition on the offender to stay and approach real estate, even if he is its co-owner, because he committed domestic violence against relatives. Measures in the restrictive order in relation to the offender are taken to decide on the qualification of his actions and the decision on him in criminal proceedings. However, the danger of continuing or re-committing domestic violence, the occurrence of serious consequences for the victim remains after the case in court. Therefore, prohibitions to approach the victim at a certain distance, to be in a place of residence should not lose their force and relevance, and in turn, begin to play a preventive role as a measure of criminal law. The author proved the importance of expanding the list of «other measures of a criminal nature» by including a ban on approaching a certain distance and / or to certain persons, a ban on being in a certain place in Section XIV of the General Part of the Criminal Code of Ukraine.

A Review of Małgorzata Mastalerz-Krystjańczuk, “Ostatni Mohikanie Pomorza”: Ludność rodzima znad jezior Łebsko i Gardno w publicystyce polskiej lat 1945–1989. Gdańsk; Słupsk: Instytut Kaszubski; Akademia Pomorska w Słupsku, 2019, 452 ss.

The collection of articles “The Last Mohicans of Pomerania”: The Indigenous Population of Łebsko and Gardno Lakes in Polish Nonfiction 1945–1989, edited by contemporary Polish historian Małgorzata Mastalerz-Krystjańczuk, includes several dozen articles published in Polish newspapers and magazines from 1945 to 1989 dedicated to the Kashubian ethnographic group of Slovincians who lived in Poland until the 1970s. The post-war nonfiction, written by professional ethnographers, linguists, historians, as well as journalists, travelers and social activists, was intended to acquaint the Polish reader with the specificities of the small indigenous ethnic group of Pomerania, fully incorporated into Poland as a result of the Second World War. An extensive preface by Dr. Mastalerz-Krystjańczuk will allow the reader to learn about the specificities of the inclusion of Slovincians in Polish social and political life, the historical and cultural context in which the texts about Slovincians were created, their thematic content, as well as the role played by censorship on the practice of depicting modern Slovincians. As the materials of the collection show, Slovincians had taken a specific position in Polish scientific and political ethno-classifications. Being German-speaking Lutherans, the Slovincians—due to their Slavic origin and the expected Slavic language practice—had to play the role of an important argument in legitimizing West Pomerania’s inclusion in the imagination of the Polish authorities. The review provides a brief survey of the main themes, images, and stories about Slovincians circulating in numerous articles of this collection.

PRIVATIZACIJA VISOKOG OBRAZOVANjA U REPUBLICI SRBIJI

The social changes that characterize the current period have their consequences in the field of higher education. A new practice is emerging that higher education is viewed through market mechanisms and that it is equated with goods. The state is changing its approach in relation to important social phenomena and thus in relation to education. As a consequence, there is a specific position of higher education institutions founded by the Republic of Serbia. The state in no way undertakes mechanisms so that the institutions of which it is the founder have a better position in relation to the higher education institutions whose founder is a private entity. The state even encourages investments of the capital of private founders in higher education, and interprets this, quite wrongly, as significant investments that have been made in the field of higher education.

Emotions of Medical Personnel versus the Status and Power at Work in Hospital Wards

The hospital is characterized by one of the most formalized structures with a strict division of tasks and responsibilities. An essential element of any formal organization is the system of authorities and power. There is a hierarchy and a system of power between hospital departments and within each of them. This hierarchy structure overlaps with the level of power and status felt and perceived by each employee, which implies the emergence of specific emotions. They influence interactions, shaping their course. When describing emotions in the context of power and status, I will refer to Theodore Kemper’s concept that interactions and changes in the relative power and status (prestige) of individuals have an impact on arousing both negative and positive emotions. The aim of this article is to show how an individually-determined level of power and status can shape relations between employees, their methods of communication, and emotions in the workplace. The paper answers the question of whether and how having and/or feeling a certain status and level of power implies the emergence of certain emotions. It is important to reveal those activities and interactions which, as a result of a specific position in the hospital structure, shape and modify the emotions of medical personnel. All the considerations are based on ethnographic qualitative research conducted in three hospital departments, differing in terms of the nature of work in the department and the type of patients treated in each of them. The article describes three of the distinguished categories, i.e. “disrespect game,” ”holding emotions,” and pride. In the course of the analyses, it was found that hierarchy and a specific level of power implies the appearance of emotions of pride, satisfaction, and contentment, as well as it leads to an increase in the level of trust between members of medical personnel. Pride results from belonging to a specific profession and a specific group of employees, and it appears as the consequence of a well-conducted procedure or performance of a difficult activity that took time to master. Pride also emerges as a result of the prestige of the profession or workplace (hospital, ward).