Foveal vision predictively sensitizes to defining features of eye movement targets

Despite the fovea's singular importance for active human vision, the impact of large eye movements on foveal processing remains elusive. Building on findings from passive fixation tasks, we hypothesized that during the preparation of rapid eye movements (saccades), foveal processing anticipates soon-to-be fixated visual features. Using a dynamic large-field noise paradigm, we indeed demonstrate that sensitivity for defining features of a saccade target is enhanced in the pre-saccadic center of gaze. Enhancement manifested in higher Hit Rates for foveal probes with target-congruent orientation, and a sensitization to incidental, target-like orientation information in foveally presented noise. Enhancement was spatially confined to the center of gaze and its immediate vicinity. We suggest a crucial contribution of foveal processing to trans-saccadic visual continuity which has previously been overlooked: Foveal processing of saccade targets commences before the movement is executed and thereby enables a seamless transition once the center of gaze reaches the target.

Modeling and Control of a Microgrid Connected to the INTEC University Campus

A smart microgrid is a bidirectional electricity generation system—a type of system that is becoming more prevalent in energy production at the distribution level. Usually, these systems have intermittent renewable energy sources, e.g., solar and wind energy. These low voltage networks contribute to decongestion through the efficient use of resources within the microgrid. In this investigation, an energy management strategy and a control scheme for DG units are proposed for DC/AC microgrids. The objective is to implement these strategies in an experimental microgrid that will be developed on the INTEC university campus. After presenting the microgrid topology, the modeling and control of each subsystem and their respective converters are described. All possible operation scenarios, such as islanded or interconnected microgrids, different generation-load possibilities, and state-of-charge conditions of the battery, are verified, and a seamless transition between different operation modes is ensured. The simulation results in Matlab Simulink show how the proposed control system allows transitions between the different scenarios without severe transients in the power transfer between the microgrid and the low voltage network elements.

Un/Folding Form: A Unified Strategy for Making and Visualising in 3D

<p>This thesis project “Un/Folding Form” is a design investigation that explores the transition between the virtual representation and physical fabrication of folded forms. Un/Folding Form refers to a unified strategy for making and visualising in 3D. Un/folding was a method used to explore the notions of form, space and structure and to develop an adaptable approach to mediate between the virtual and physical world. Designers who make and visualise in 3D need methods that allow for the prototyping of virtual designs in order to experience them physically. The development of a unified strategy that assists in closing the gaps between virtual representation and digital fabrication improves the designer’s understanding of the process of making, leading to more creative and resolved outcomes. This research suggests that there are methods that can transition seamlessly between the virtual representation and physical reality of folded forms. The final composition presented in this thesis is a demonstration of this notion of working towards a seamless digital process of making. The 3D Portal can be used to assess the ‘seams’ between the virtual and the physical and validate a methodology for making and visualising in 3D. In order to arrive at a unified strategy, the folding and unfolding of surface geometries was first explored through a series of physical experiments. These geometries were then 3D modelled and the surfaces manipulated digitally in order to create patterns for digital fabrication and physical reconstruction. The virtual representation of these folded designs was then investigated within a 3D stereoscopic projected environment. This involved the use of software to explore design interfaces to create immersive visual representations of physical forms. These series of experiments involved a process of moving back and forth between the virtual environment and physical form with the aim of moving closer towards a seamless transition between the two. This methodology was tested with the making of a final composition 3D Portal: a gateway to the virtual world and a play on the inter-relationship of 3D visualisation and its corresponding physical form. Thus, the focus of this thesis is twofold: to create an understanding of the process and evolution of design using folding as a technique; and to develop a methodology for designing a work using the folding technique.</p>

Un/Folding Form: A Unified Strategy for Making and Visualising in 3D

<p>This thesis project “Un/Folding Form” is a design investigation that explores the transition between the virtual representation and physical fabrication of folded forms. Un/Folding Form refers to a unified strategy for making and visualising in 3D. Un/folding was a method used to explore the notions of form, space and structure and to develop an adaptable approach to mediate between the virtual and physical world. Designers who make and visualise in 3D need methods that allow for the prototyping of virtual designs in order to experience them physically. The development of a unified strategy that assists in closing the gaps between virtual representation and digital fabrication improves the designer’s understanding of the process of making, leading to more creative and resolved outcomes. This research suggests that there are methods that can transition seamlessly between the virtual representation and physical reality of folded forms. The final composition presented in this thesis is a demonstration of this notion of working towards a seamless digital process of making. The 3D Portal can be used to assess the ‘seams’ between the virtual and the physical and validate a methodology for making and visualising in 3D. In order to arrive at a unified strategy, the folding and unfolding of surface geometries was first explored through a series of physical experiments. These geometries were then 3D modelled and the surfaces manipulated digitally in order to create patterns for digital fabrication and physical reconstruction. The virtual representation of these folded designs was then investigated within a 3D stereoscopic projected environment. This involved the use of software to explore design interfaces to create immersive visual representations of physical forms. These series of experiments involved a process of moving back and forth between the virtual environment and physical form with the aim of moving closer towards a seamless transition between the two. This methodology was tested with the making of a final composition 3D Portal: a gateway to the virtual world and a play on the inter-relationship of 3D visualisation and its corresponding physical form. Thus, the focus of this thesis is twofold: to create an understanding of the process and evolution of design using folding as a technique; and to develop a methodology for designing a work using the folding technique.</p>

Problem-Based Learning in a Virtual Environment

The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted teaching and learning in higher education institutions, presenting novel challenges for both staff and students alike. These challenges have had an immense impact in the way postgraduate research (PGR) teachers perform their dual responsibilities as both students and teachers. Achieving a seamless transition from in-person to virtual learning was an arduous task. To this end, pedagogies evolved to accommodate the use of remote conferencing, video capture and other real time communication tools that facilitate virtual collaboration between staff and students. In this paper, I highlight the challenges of integrating online learning with a problem-based learning (PBL), a signature pedagogy employed by law and business schools. I draw on my personal experiences as a student and PGR teacher during the pandemic, and suggest proactive mitigation responses.

Cost and Effectiveness of Long-Term Care Following Integrated Discharge Planning: A Prospective Cohort Study

Little is known about the effects of seamless hospital discharge planning on long-term care (LTC) costs and effectiveness. This study evaluates the cost and effectiveness of the recently implemented policy from hospital to LTC between patients discharged under seamless transition and standard transition. A total of 49 elderly patients in the standard transition cohort and 119 in the seamless transition cohort were recruited from November 2016 to February 2018. Data collected from medical records included the Multimorbidity Frailty Index, Activities of Daily Living Scale, and Malnutrition Universal Screening Tool during hospitalization. Multiple linear regression and Cox regression models were used to explore risk factors for medical resource utilization and medical outcomes. After adjustment for effective predictors, the seamless cohort had lower direct medical costs, a shorter length of stay, a higher survival rate, and a lower unplanned readmission rate compared to the standard cohort. However, only mean total direct medical costs during hospitalization and 6 months after discharge were significantly (p < 0.001) lower in the seamless cohort (USD 6192) compared to the standard cohort (USD 8361). Additionally, the annual per-patient economic burden in the seamless cohort approximated USD 2.9–3.3 billion. Analysis of the economic burden of disability in the elderly population in Taiwan indicates that seamless transition planning can save approximately USD 3 billion in annual healthcare costs. Implementing this policy would achieve continuous improvement in LTC quality and reduce the financial burden of healthcare on the Taiwanese government.

Prebiotic Synthesis of α-Amino Acids and Orotate from α-Ketoacids Potentiates Transition to Extant Metabolic Pathways

The Strecker reaction of aldehydes is the preeminent pathway to explain the prebiotic origins of a-amino acids. However, biology employs transamination of a-ketoacids to give rise to amino acids which are then transformed to nucleobases, implying subsequent evolution of the biosynthetic pathways – abiotically or biotically. Herein, we show that a-ketoacids react with cyanide and ammonia sources to form the corresponding a-amino acids – via the Bucherer-Bergs pathway. An efficient prebiotic transformation of oxaloacetate to aspartate via N-carbamoyl aspartate enables the simultaneous formation of dihydroorotate, paralleling the biochemical synthesis of orotate as the precursor to pyrimidine nucleobases. Glyoxylate forms both glycine and orotate, and reacts with malonate and urea to form aspartate and dihydroorotate. These results, along with the previously demonstrated protometabolic analogs of the Krebs cycle suggest that there can be a natural emergence of congruent forerunners of biological pathways with the potential for seamless transition from prebiotic chemistry to modern metabolism.