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Squeeze the pain away: using a wireless ball to measure efforts to reduce other’s pain expressions in VR
Get PDFVirtual reality has often been used as a tool to study empathy. However, few studies have explored users’ willingness to make physical effort to actively reduce others’ pain. We developed a pipeline that integrates a wireless stress ball into a VR environment. This device measures continuous grip force, enabling participants to adjust a virtual character’s pain expressions through squeezing: the harder they squeeze, the less intense the pain expressions become in real-time. This shifts the participants’ focus from passive observation to active participation. Our results indicated that participants were highly motivated to use the ball to reduce virtual characters’ pain and showed particularly high use of effort in the first 10 seconds of a 15-second trial. Eye-tracking data revealed that participants focused primarily on pain-related facial features, consistent with previous pain decoding studies. Our effort-based approach offers a novel method to study pain perception
Climate change is leading to an ecological trap in a migratory insect
Get PDFMany insect migrants rely on favorable seasonal winds to carry out long-range latitudinal migrations. In East China, the annual advance and retreat of the East Asian summer monsoon produces ideal conditions for seasonal range expansion and contraction of many migratory crop pests. However, climate-induced changes in the strength, timing, and location of the monsoon are impacting wind systems which may, in turn, affect migration patterns. We investigated these questions in the rice leafroller (RLR) moth, a severe pest of rice that annually invades the Lower Yangtze River Valley (LYRV) of China from winter-breeding areas further south. Using a 24-y dataset of RLR population dynamics from 31 monitoring stations across Southeast China, we investigated the impact of changes in monsoon wind regimes on fall migration patterns of the pest. Historically, RLR emigrated from the LYRV to South China on the favorably directed winds produced by the retreat of the monsoon at the end of the outbreak season (from mid-August onward). We show that in the recent 12-y period, prevailing late-season winds remain northward for longer than previously, preventing locally produced moths from emigrating southward. Additionally, winds now facilitate mass late-season immigrations into the LYRV, creating an ecological trap, as immigrants do not have time to produce another generation. As a consequence of the changing wind patterns, pest pressure is declining, and climate-induced changes to the East Asian summer monsoon result in seasonal migration becoming a riskier strategy. Such changes in insect migration patterns have severe implications for the population dynamics of windborne migrants, ecosystem functioning, and pest management strategies
Digital workflows through openBIM for Fire Safety Engineering
No full textFire safety engineering (FSE), a specialised yet integral discipline within building design, has historically faced challenges due to varying practices in managing data, resulting in the loss or degradation of critical safety information. The Hackitt report, following the Grenfell Tower fire, recommended the need for digital workflows using Building Information Modelling (BIM) to achieve a ‘golden thread of information’. However, there is a lack of BIM enabled framework for FSE practices that allows for capturing a ‘golden thread of information’ through fully integrated data sharing. This paper outlines a conceptual openBIM-based digital workflow framework for FSE. Work on developing this framework is underway, which includes an international collaboration project, under the administration of openBIM standards organisation buildingSMART International (bSI), to define and check the data requirements for FSE. The framework will lead to enhanced openBIM-based digital workflows and include recommended guidelines on how to manage and collate information for FSE projects involving BIM
Shape optimisation of rim structure of aluminium alloy car wheels based on 90° impact test
Get PDFAutomotive wheels are critical components for vehicular safety, with the rim subjected primarily to radial bending loads during operation. Balancing rim thickness and structural integrity under these loading conditions is imperative. This paper develops and validates an innovative shape optimisation approach utilising the 90° wheel impact test methodology. A simplified 2D finite element model was formulated for rim optimisation to address the computational inefficiency of conventional 3D simulation-based optimisation in product development while exploiting rim geometry’s rotational symmetry. The design of experiments technique was employed to identify key stiffness-influencing factors and their interactions. Subsequent shape optimisation, guided by analytical insights, yielded an engineered rim configuration. Comparative 3D simulations of 90° impact performance demonstrated a 0.51 mm reduction in inner rim flange deformation alongside a 59 g mass reduction, achieving dual objectives of enhanced structural performance and lightweighting. This streamlined optimisation methodology significantly enhances development efficiency while providing engineers with critical insights into parametric influences on rim strength characteristics
A review of factors affecting the success of geminivirus infectious clones
Get PDFGeminiviruses are single-stranded DNA viruses that can cause significant losses in economically important crops worldwide. Considerable efforts have been made to study the geminiviruses in detail, which has resulted in the construction of many infectious clones for the vast diversity of geminiviruses. In laboratory conditions, agrobacterium or occasionally biolistic methods are used to deliver viral DNA to the plant cell. However, not every delivered viral DNA will develop into an infection due to several reasons. In this manuscript, we review the factors that affect the success of geminivirus infectious clones. Factors affecting virus infection including the methods of inoculating in vitro-generated viral DNA constructs are often neglected, leading to failed virus infections and drawing wrong conclusions. Deciding exactly where on the plant to inoculate, what age of plant, and what agrobacterium strain are all examples of variables which may influence an infection. We find that stem injections of agrobacterium into young seedlings with an optical density at 600 nm (OD600) in the 0.1–0.3 range are an optimal starting point for studies. This review will provide a thorough compilation of inoculation methods and use this to discuss the deeper mechanisms at play during the initial infection of plants with geminivirus infectious clones
Electricity grid and societal vulnerability interconnection: stakeholder implications and integrated solutions in Europe
Get PDFThe electricity grid is a pivotal element in the energy transition, serving as the backbone for integrating and distributing renewable energy. However, amid rapid digitalisation and decentralisation of energy systems, its limitations have become increasingly apparent, posing significant challenges for inclusive and equitable stakeholder engagement in the transition. Stakeholders including consumers, prosumers, energy communities, aggregators and electricity utilities, face unequal distribution of grid-related costs and benefits. There is thus a need to understand and address coupled grid-societal vulnerability (GSV). However, there is still no comprehensive study identifying factors influencing GSV and the corresponding challenges vis-à-vis stakeholders. Previous studies have predominantly focused on the disparities in access to hosting capacities for new renewable energy projects and grid congestion due to increased energy demand from households and businesses. We contribute to the literature by developing a comprehensive view of GSV through a systematic literature review of 185 peer-reviewed academic papers focusing on the European context. Three main factors influencing GSV are identified: grid constraints, cybersecurity risks, and regulatory barriers. A complex interrelationship exists between stakeholders in the electricity grid and, as a result, we find there are (in)direct implications of their grid challenges across stakeholders. Therefore, tackling GSV and inequalities in the energy transition requires an integrated solutions approach combining supportive policies, regulatory frameworks and market-based mechanisms with technological integration, innovations and consumer engagement
Updated Illinois Rape Myth acceptance scale: an Item Response Theory analysis
Get PDFMany reasons have been proposed to explain why few sexual assaults are reported, including victim blaming attitudes. These attitudes are called Rape Myths and are used to move the blame from the perpetrators to the victim. The uIRMA is the most established rape myth acceptance measure. While the psychometric properties of the uIRMA are excellent, no studies have assessed the latent structure of the scale through Item Response Theory. Furthermore, there is a lack of knowledge on the psychometric properties of the uIRMA with non-binary individuals. Analyses were conducted on a sample of 1636 participants, composed of men, women and non-binary individuals. The uIRMA is discriminating adequately across genders and items. Furthermore, the difficulty level of corresponding items was lower for men than women and non-binary individuals, with men endorsing more Rape Myths at all levels. However, analyses revealed psychometric concerns with the use of the uIRMA among non-binary participants
Troubled waters
No full textThe article examines two classic films depicting good lawyering in class actions involving river pollution
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