Methodological Challenges in Eye-Tracking based Usability Testing of 3-Dimensional Software – Presented via Experiences of Usability Tests of Four 3D Applications

Eye-tracking based usability testing and User Experience (UX) research are widespread in the development processes of various types of software; however, there exist specific difficulties during usability tests of three-dimensional (3D) software. Analysing the screen records with gaze plots, heatmaps of fixations, and statistics of Areas of Interests (AOI), methodological problems occur when the participant wants to rotate, zoom, or move the 3D space. The data gained regarded the menu bar is mainly interpretable; however, the data regarded the 3D environment is hardly so, or not at all. Our research tested four software applications with the aforementioned problem in mind: ViveLab and Jack Digital Human Modelling (DHM) and ArchiCAD and CATIA Computer Aided Design (CAD) software. Our original goal was twofold. Firstly, with these usability tests, we aimed to identify issues in the software. Secondly, we tested the utility of a new methodology which was included in the tests. This paper summarizes the results on the methodology based on individual experiments with different software applications. One of the main ideas behind the methodology adopted is to tell the participants (during certain subtasks of the tests) not to move the 3D space while they perform the given tasks at a certain point in the usability test. During the experiments, we applied a Tobii eye-tracking device, and after the task completion, each participant was interviewed. Based on these experiences, the methodology appears to be both useful and applicable, and its visualisation techniques for one or more participants are interpretable.

Further Reflecting on the Six-Year Primary Project of the Institute of Education, University of Ife: The Key Players

African linguistic complexity is often defined in terms of its multilingualism and a complicated colonial sociolinguistic heritage. Tis colonial heritage is seen in the prevalence of European languages, especially English and French, in the lingual Franca of sub-Saharan states. A corollary to the latter assertion is that education in Africa, south of the Sahara, is primarily Eurocentric and quite unAfrican in context. More often than not, it is disempowering rather than empowering if we go by Paulo Freire’s notion of education as being central to empowerment and poor education as the primary agent and metaphoric vehicle for modern day disempowerment, a knowledge base that does not liberate the mind or embrace the cognitive progression of the learner.1 After all, the original goal of colonial education was to train the “natives” in European languages so as to be able to communicate with and, ipso facto, serve their colonial “masters,” and help him to rule the same “natives.” The proverbial “Food for the slave” is relevant here; and as the saying goes, “it is not given to provide the slave nourishment or enhance good growth, but to provide just enough energy to keep on serving the malevolent master.” Such is the unfortunate paradigm that captures the essence of colonial education in which the lingua franca of the indigenous learner is not only backgrounded but altogether demonized in some cases. Otherwise, how else could the common warning in the typical colonial classroom “Vernacular speaking is prohibited”? The so-called “vernacular” in question is the Yoruba language!

Imperial dream: the RILA as achievement of the second reign’s diplomatic objective for Paraguay

This work has the purpose of presenting the LAIR (Latin American Integration Route) as the achievement of diplomatic objectives already traced in the Brazilian imperial era between itself and Paraguay. This paper will show how, in the diplomatic field, the Empire can be qualified as the historical period which designed Brazil, fixing it as a regional power and positioning itself in the way of ensuring policies whose consequences would be beneficial even for its neighbors. The border relations between Brazil and Paraguay will be treated with its peculiarities, besides a description of the region’s hydrography with regards to the River Plate Basin. So, this work will enter in its historical part by analyzing the formation of the Brazilian Empire’s Second Reign, explaining its development and characteristics that interest to this paper, presenting its diplomatic conceptions, showing the problems faced by the tropical monarchy in the Platine Region and the objectives and paths searched to bypass them. In the end, it will be brought to analysis the idea of the LAIR and its Latin American integration project, with investments aiming to use the region’s hydrography to export local products, linking it with the geopolitical objective searched since imperial times to guarantee the free access to the Platine rivers. This research utilized qualitative methodology, analyzing books and articles in the area to base the central thesis. The result achieved met the original goal, showing that the LAIR comes from the development of a conception of foreign relations created, for Brazil, in the Monarchy.

The Problems of Kinship Politics and the Challenges of Achieving the Ultimate Goal of Regional Autonomy

The presence of the phenomenon of kinship politics in the 2020 Simultaneous Regional Head Elections triggers a controversy that revolves around its implementation. The existence of kinship politics is feared to have an impact on efforts to achieve the ultimate goal of regional autonomy, namely public’s welfare and a dignified quality of life. The purpose of this research is to map the potential problems and identify the challenges of achieving the ultimate goal of regional autonomy. This research uses a literature study as an analytical tool to answer the objectives of the study. Discussions about kinship politics in Indonesia present a perceptual dichotomy, where on the one hand this is not a problem when the local leadership of kinship politics is able to bring prosperity together. However, on the other hand, this can become a problem when political actors abuse power that perpetuates the strengthening of the oligarchy and ignores the original goal of decentralization, namely, to bring prosperity and a dignified quality of life. Candidates who are affiliated with kinship politics face a fairly formidable challenge, namely, to strengthen regional competitiveness in a sustainable manner based on the principle of transparency in order to maintain public trust during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Sequence of the Ribosomal Binding Site Controls the Gene Expression in Brucella

BackgroundBrucella is an important pathogen causing Brucellosis. Vaccine strains obtained by a single knockout cannot combine low virulence and immunogenicity. Our study modified the SD sequence and spacer sequence of the RBS of Brucella to affect its protein expression. We altered the RBS of LPS-associated genes to reduce LPS-associated protein expression while retaining LPS integrity.ResultsWe first established an evaluation system based on the reporter gene red fluorescent protein mCherry. The mCherry expression could be changed by altering the Shine Dalgarno sequence and spacer sequence of RBS. After optimizing the Shine Dalgarno sequence, mCherry expression was increased 4-fold in E. coli and decreased by 1/4 in Brucella. The mCherry expression was increased 1.5-fold in E. coli and decreased to 1/2 in Brucella when the length of the spacer sequence was 0. When the spacer sequence was NA (N = 4, 8, 12nt) or NG (N = 4, 8, 12nt), mCherry expression was reduced in both E. coli and Brucella. Accordingly, two mutant strains were constructed in an attempt to decrease the expression of LptA and LpxO, Brucella LPS-related genes, by 1/4. Silver staining experiments of LPS SDS-PAGE revealed an alteration in the composition of LPS in the two mutant strains. Polymyxin B experiments revealed that both mutant strains were more sensitive to Polymyxin B resistance.Conclusion: In Brucella, the expression of the target gene could be affected by changing the length or the composition of the RBS sequence. The LPS gene remained unchanged while reducing the expression of its associated protein, achieving the original goal of reducing bacterial virulence while retaining immunogenicity. It is a promising strategy to improve the safety and efficacy of vaccines.

Saint Agnes of Bohemia: A Thirteenth-Century Iconoclast and the Enduring Legacy of Her Convent as a Sacred Space for Religious Art

Refusing to accept her expected role of becoming an item of negotiation in an arranged marriage to strengthen a political alliance, Agnes of Bohemia (1211–1282), daughter of King Přemysl Otakar I of Bohemia and Queen Constance of Hungary, chose to use her royal dowry to finance construction of the first hospital, convent, monastery, and church in Prague committed to the teachings of Saint Francis. Her youth was influenced by nuns providing her education, by a strong familial precedent in the support of churches and convents, and by religious contemporaries. Joining the fledging Franciscan movement, this remarkably well-educated and deeply committed woman entered as abbess of the convent in 1234, dedicating her life to poverty without endowment, devotion, and service to the sick and poor. Agnes was beatified by Pope Pius IX in 1874 and canonized by Pope John Paul II in 1989. Her legacy remains in Prague today with the Gothic convent she constructed now serving as a premiere museum devoted to the Medieval and Renaissance religious art of Prague and Central Europe. Thus, the original goal of building a sacred space for sisters in order to foster spiritual mediation has now been redirected to provide the public the opportunity to become immersed in ecclesiastical reflection viewing the works of artists such as Master Theodoric, the Master of Vyšší Brod, the Master of the Třeboň Altarpiece, and others.

Peningkatan Usaha Masyarakat Kalibaru Melalui Pengolahan Limbah Cangkang Kerang Hijau menjadi Paving Block

Kalibaru, Cilincing subdistrict is located on the sea coast of Jakarta and the livelihoods of its residents are mostly fishermen. This Kalibaru village produces shells that are quite large, so they create a lot of shellfish waste as a by-product. In tackling this waste by making it one of the basic ingredients for making paving blocks, considering that shells have CaO lime compounds, the percentage of which is 66.70% for cement manufacturing raw materials. This activity aims to empower residents through the establishment of a shellfish waste processing business into paving blocks. The method used in this activity is a participatory approach for adults through lectures, training and assistance in its establishment and management, and invites participants to be more creative and innovative in producing products. The result of this activity is that the community develops a business of processing shellfish waste into paving blocks to support the management of shellfish waste and increase community income. But overall this activity must be continued again to achieve its original goal.

Game-theoretic Analysis of Effort Allocation of Contributors to Public Projects

Public projects can succeed or fail for many reasons such as the feasibility of the original goal and coordination among contributors. One major reason for failure is that insufficient work leaves the project partially completed. For certain types of projects anything short of full completion is a failure (e.g., feature request on software projects in GitHub). Therefore, project success relies heavily on individuals allocating sufficient effort. When there are multiple public projects, each contributor needs to make decisions to best allocate his/her limited effort (e.g., time) to projects while considering the effort allocation decisions of other strategic contributors and his/her parameterized utilities based on values and costs for the projects. In this paper, we introduce a game-theoretic effort allocation model of contributors to public projects for modeling effort allocation of strategic contributors. We study the related Nash equilibrium (NE) computational problems and provide NP-hardness results for the existence of NE and polynomial-time algorithms for finding NE in restricted settings. Finally, we investigate the inefficiency of NE measured by the price of anarchy and price of stability.

Binge Eating Among Older Women: Prevalence Rates and Health Correlates Across Three Independent Samples

BackgroundEmerging research indicates that older women struggle with binge eating (BE; consuming unusually large amounts of food in one siting while feeling a loss of control) more frequently than once thought. Yet, health correlates of BE in older adult populations are poorly understood. The original goal of the study was to investigate BE prevalence, frequency, and health correlates in a sample of older adult women. Following surprising findings in this first study, we then aimed to replicate findings in two additional samples of older adult women. MethodUsing self-reported frequencies of BE from three separate samples of older women with very different demographics, we compared BE prevalence, frequency, and health correlates among older women. Study 1 (N = 185) includes data collected online (86% White; 59% overweight/obese status). Study 2 (N = 64) was conducted in person at a local food pantry (65% Hispanic; 47% household income < $10,000/year). Study 3 (N = 100) comprises data collected online (72% White; 50% Masters/Doctoral Degree). ResultsPer DSM-5 frequency criterion of BE at least weekly, we found prevalence rates ranging from 19%-26% across the three samples. Correlates of BE frequency included elevated negative mood, worry, BMI, and less nutritious food consumption. ConclusionsAcross three very different samples in terms of race/ethnicity, education, food security status, measurements, and sampling methodology, we found fairly consistent rates of self-reported BE at least weekly (19-26%). BE is related to negative outcomes among older women, supporting the need for more research in this population.

A corpus-assisted analysis of the discursive construction of LGBT Singaporeans in media coverage of Pink Dot

Beginning in spring 2009 and continuing annually since, members of Singapore’s LGBT communities have assembled at Hong Lim Park at an event dubbed Pink Dot. The original goal of the gathering was to help build a more inclusive nation by standing up to discrimination faced by LGBT Singaporeans. While the early Pink Dot events were all but ignored by the mainstream state-run press, the change in tone, the increasing number of attendees, and the participation by members of the ruling People’s Action Party and their families made the gathering impossible to ignore. This paper uses a corpus-based keywords analysis to evaluate the main lexical differences between the media coverage of Pink Dot by the state-run press and that of the sociopolitical blog The Online Citizen. Two separate language corpora (State Media and Online Citizen), each containing approximately 111,000 words, were compiled from available coverage of Pink Dot dating from 2009 to 2018. Using SketchEngine (Kilgarriff et al. 2004, 2014), top keywords and phrases were identified by comparing these corpora to each other. Through a preliminary exploration of the collocational environments and the concordance lines adjoining these keywords, this paper sheds light on how language is being deployed in an attempt to sway a debate of great national and regional significance.