The concept of presence, i.e. the sensation of ‘being there’ in a mediated environment, has received substantial attention from the virtual reality community, and is becoming increasingly relevant both to broadcasters and display developers. Although research into presence is still at an early stage of development, there is a consensus that presence has multiple determinants. To identify and te...

This study aims to explore visual complexity in streetscape composition using RMS contrast information and Fractal Analysis. The dataset was composed of 74 streetscape images, taken in Algeria and Japan in daytime and nighttime. The evaluation and analysis covered two phases: (1) Subjective quantification of perceived complexity using ranking method. (2) Visual complexity measurement based on R...

The management of distributed software development projects presents many challenges. One of them happens right at the start of the project and consists of the allocation of tasks between remote teams. When allocating a task to a site, the project manager takes into account several factors such as technical knowledge of staff and proximity to the client. The project manager usually takes this d...

We provide a simple behavioral definition of ‘subjective mixture’ of acts for a large class of (not necessarily expected-utility) preferences. Subjective mixtures enjoy the same algebraic properties as the ‘objective mixtures’ used to great advantage in the decision setting introduced by Anscombe and Aumann (1963). This makes it possible to formulate mixture-space axioms in a fully subjective s...

PURPOSE To conduct a clinical validation of a virtual reality-based experimental system that is able to assess the spherical subjective refraction simplifying the methodology of ocular refraction. METHODS For the agreement assessment, spherical refraction measurements were obtained from 104 eyes of 52 subjects using three different methods: subjectively with the experimental prototype (Subj.E...

Contagious yawning-the urge to yawn when thinking about, listening to, or viewing yawning-is a well-documented phenomenon in humans and animals. The reduced yawn contagion observed in the autistic population suggested that it might be empathy related; however, it is unknown whether such a connection applies to nonclinical populations. We examined influences from both empathy (i.e., autistic tra...

Dr. Jo Handelsman, Howard Hughes Medical Institute Professor in the Department of Molecular, Cellular and Developmental Biology at Yale University, is a long-time devotee of scientific teaching, receiving this year's Presidential Award for Science Mentoring. She gave a seminar entitled "What is Scientific Teaching? The Changing Landscape of Science Education" as a part of the Scientific Educati...

The fast development and increasing use of 3D video technology increases the need for standardization and certification processes when it comes to quality of video experience. Due to the specific conditions necessary for high-quality 3D video reproduction, an important role in evaluating the quality of 3D video plays the human experience factor. In order to find the best mechanisms for 3D video...

We develop a microscopic analysis of superconducting and dissipative currents in junctions between superconductors with d-wave symmetry of the order parameter. We study the proximity effect in such superconductors and show that for certain crystal orientations the superconducting order parameter can be essentially suppressed in the vicinity of a nontransparent specularly reflecting boundary. Th...

This paper aims to present a theoretical survey of the capability approach in an interdisciplinary and accessible way. It focuses on the main conceptual and theoretical aspects of the capability approach, as developed by Amartya Sen, Martha Nussbaum, and others. The capability approach is a broad normative framework for the evaluation and assessment of individual well-being and social arrangeme...