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While cadaveric dissection has stood the test of time because of its widely accepted educational value by experienced surgeons, the introduction advances in 3D printing and biomaterial technologies could potentially provide alternative tools for surgical training. This novel concept in simulation (physical reality) would encompass all the benefits of cadavers in terms of realism and clinical relevance without any of its ethical, infection, safety, and financial concerns.

Identity and sustainable urbanization one of the public issues that occupy the minds of everyone and of interest to the specialists and non-specialists, the most of what urban communities are suffering from the loss of architectural identity and the sustainability of construction. Research problem is to find an architectural identity for the construction of sustainable urbanization according to community partnership, as there is a gap to reach a joint relationship between identity and sustainability of construction and the concept of linkage between them. The research discussion how to leverage the advantages of a study of identity and relationship to try to find common sustainability of urbanization according to community partnership and the research aims to explore and study ways and frames as possible to confirm the interaction between the social reality of identity and the physical reality of architecture and sustainability of the built-positive results from this interaction. The research found the need to raise awareness of the importance of community identity and sustainable urbanization as well as to community partnership to achieve sustainable urbanization which has got an identity; the research also found a set of benchmarks which hopes will lead to the sustainable urbanization.

The use of an optical see-through head-mounted display (OST-HMD) in augmented reality (AR) has significantly increased in recent years, but the alignment between the virtual scene and physical reality is still a challenge. A fast and accurate calibration method of OST-HMD is important for augmented reality in the medical field. We proposed a fast online calibration procedure for OST-HMD with the aid of an optical tracking system. Two 3D datasets are collected in this procedure: the virtual points rendered in front of the observer’s eyes and the corresponding points in optical tracking space. The transformation between these two 3D coordinates is solved to build the connection between virtual and real space. An AR-based surgical navigation system is developed with the help of this procedure, which is used for experiment verification and clinical trial. Phantom experiment based on the 3D-printed skull is performed, and the average root-mean-square error of control points between rendered object and skull model is $$1.30 \pm 0.39$$ mm, and the time consumption of the calibration procedure can be less than 30 s. A clinical trial is also conducted to show the feasibility in real surgery theatre. The proposed calibration method does not rely on the camera of the OST-HMD and is very easy to operate. Phantom experiment and clinical case demonstrated the feasibility of our AR-based surgical navigation system and indicated it has the potential in clinical application.

Autonomous Vehicles (AVs), also known as self-driving cars, are becoming more prevalent in our daily lives. AVs rely on sensor information to evaluate their environment and make crucial decisions in real-time, however, new attacks can create false sensor and actuation commands. As technological advancements expand the usage of AVs to perform more complex tasks, it is imperative to secure the integrity of these devices against malicious external tampering. In this paper, we propose a security framework we call Shared Reality, which consists of verifying that sensors perceive the same physical reality. We implement our design on a custom hardware platform that uses the popular Robot Operating System (ROS) software. Our experiments show that AVs utilizing our proposed security framework ensure security with low overhead while performing several autonomous tasks.

Some (admittedly controversial) models of physical reality propose that it is, at the fundamental level, based on a certain type of graph, called a spin-network (and this among other models of physical reality based on graphs). Recently, astronomers have verified that the otherwise empty reaches of intergalactic space are laced with wispy tendrils of hot gas that connect galaxies. On a more quotidian level, the machine on which I'm typing this document is constructed out of components that are essentially graphs, those components being connected by electrical edges forming an even larger graph, and this one device in turn being connected via various links to millions of other nodes in a huge global graph called the internet. The notion of a graph encompasses all levels of reality, from the subatomic through everyday life and reaching out to the cosmological scale.

OBJECTIVES Minimally invasive mitral valve surgery (MIMVS) through an endoscopic right minithoracotomy is a well-established yet complex procedure that has a challenging learning curve. We have developed a simulator for MIMVS and evaluated its short- and long-term training effects. METHODS Trainees without simulator experience or training in MIMVS were divided into 2 groups (10 students and 10 residents) and participated in a 5-day training course after initial instruction. Each trainee performed a ring annuloplasty. Scores were given by a supervisor who assessed 5 skills. The duration of each procedure was also measured. To evaluate the long-term effect of the training course, trainees performed the same procedure 4 weeks after the last session. RESULTS Trainees in the resident group were significantly older compared to those in the student group and had a mean surgical experience of 4.4 ± 0.78 years standard error of the mean. All other demographic data were similar. Significant learning curves could be achieved in both groups over the course of 5 days with regard to total skill scores and total duration. However, when we compared the learning curves of both groups, no significant difference could be seen. Long-term performance in both groups was still significantly better compared to that in the first training session. CONCLUSIONS Training with our simulator provided a significant enhancement of a trainee’s performance. This learning effect was achieved in both groups and was still evident 4 weeks later. We strongly recommend our simulator for simulation-based surgical education of cardiac surgeons interested in MIMVS.

Playing is essential for a child’s development, and it has various positive effects. In particular, playing with toys enhances children’s imagination. In recent years, children have been tending to play with smart toys equipped with built-in computers, which present various advantages that leverage their digital characteristics. For example, smart toys can provide augmented reality functionalities through which digital information can be added to physical reality. These characteristics offer an important benefit of stimulating the interest and presence of children. However, wearable devices may be required to realize this. Wearable devices are ineffective when people do not own or cannot wear them. Therefore, we developed a system that stimulates the imagination and interest of children in playing without any wearable devices. Our system projects animal footprints onto the floor, encouraging children to play with invisible animals based on their imagination from the footprints. The footprints respond to the children’s movements. To evaluate the developed system, we conducted several experiments with children. First, we investigated the fundamental effects of the system on elementary school students. Then, we investigated the different effects of various interactions. Our experimental results showed that the developed system encourages the imagination of children while playing.

In the name of God (allāh), the Merciful. Praise be to God, Lord of the Worlds, and prayers and peace be upon our Prophet Muḥammad, on his Family and Companions. This text demonstrates from an Islamic theological viewpoint that the majority of Quran interpreters agree upon the fact that Jinn can physically enter the human body, implant themselves there and thereby affect the possessed person to a degree, so that he or she turns mad. Only a minority of more rationally oriented Quran interpreters who can be attributed to the theological current of the Mu‘tazila have denied this sort of Jinn seizure and the possibility of being overpowered by them. They claim that Jinn achieve their evil goals merely through foul whispering. However, as will be shown in the following, the particular agency of Jinn is not restricted to their whispering into the ears of humans. Although the Quran alludes pointedly at its very end, namely in the last chapter, to the insinuation of transgressions and evil deeds through Jinn whispering, their encroachments on humans do not stop there (see Sura 114: “Say, I seek refuge in the Lord of mankind, the Sovereign of mankind, the God of mankind, from the evil of the whisperer (waswās) who whispers [evil] into the breasts of mankind among Jinn and men”). As for the source material used in this contribution, I have restricted myself to Quran commentaries on one particular key verse, namely verse 275 of the second “chapter of the cow” (sūrat al-baqara), henceforth (2:275). The underlying collection of Quran commentators in Arabic covers a considerable range in time and geographical distribution. A certain emphasis will be put on commentators who tend to abstain from metaphorical interpretation and who cultivate a more literalistic or Salafi understanding of the Quran and Sunna. Such interpretations and Quran commentaries are nowadays particularly promoted in Saudi Arabia, but are also favored among the wider People of the Sunna and the Community (ahl al-sunna wal-jamā‘a), so that several of these well-known Sunni scholars will be mentioned, including some from premodern and modern Egypt and Syria.

Pain represents an embodied experience, wherein inferences are not only drawn from external sensory inputs, but also from bodily states. Previous research has demonstrated that a placebo administered to an embodied rubber hand can effectively induce analgesia, providing first evidence that placebos can work even when applied to temporarily embodied, artificial body parts. Using a heat pain paradigm, the present study investigates placebo analgesia and pain perception during virtual embodiment. We examined whether a virtual placebo (a sham heat protective glove) can successfully induce analgesia, even when administered to a virtual body. The analgesic efficacy of the virtual placebo to the real hand (augmented reality setting) or virtual hand (virtual reality setting) was compared to a physical placebo administered to the own, physical body (physical reality setting). Furthermore, pain perception and subjective embodiment were compared between settings. In this mixed design experiment, healthy participants (n = 48) were assigned to either an analgesia-expectation or control-expectation group, where subjective and objective pain was measured at pre- and post-intervention time points. Results demonstrate that pre-intervention pain intensity was lower in the virtual reality setting, and that participants in the analgesia-expectation group, after the intervention, exhibited significantly higher pain thresholds, and lower pain intensity and unpleasantness ratings than control-expectation participants, independent of the setting. Our findings show that a virtual placebo can elicit placebo analgesia comparable to that of a physical placebo, and that administration of a placebo does not necessitate physical bodily interaction to produce analgesic responses. PERSPECTIVE: This study demonstrates that a virtual placebo treatment, even when administered to a virtual body, can produce placebo analgesia. These findings indicate that the efficacy of a virtual placebo is comparable to that of a physical placebo, which could pave the way for effective new non-pharmacological approaches for pain management.

Cables are flexible structures often used in underwater applications, mainly related to oil extraction industry. This paper proposes a new dynamic modeling of cables that includes the action of external forces applied to its terminal load in two situations: free terminal load and fixed to the seabed. The continuous cable flexibility is approximated by rigid links connected by fictitious elastic joints that allow elevation, azimuth and torsion movements. External forces applied to the terminal load are considered in two situations: written in the inertial framework and written in the body framework. Generic algorithms are proposed for the automatic generation of models considering any number of links in the discrete approximation of continuous cable’s flexibility. The simulation results were very close to the experimental ones, thus validating the proposed modeling formalism. A software was developed to animate the cable with three-dimensional spatial configuration for viewing the simulation results. These animations showed physically the expected results, as well as a great sense of physical reality.

Social Virtual Reality (VR) offers new opportunities for designing social experiences, but at the same time, it challenges the usability of VR as other avatars can block paths and occlude one's avatar's view. In contrast to designing VR similar to the physical reality, we allow avatars to go through and to see through other avatars. In detail, we vary the property of avatars to collide with other avatars. To better understand how such properties should be implemented, we also explore multimodal feedback when avatars collide with each other. Results of a user study show that multimodal feedback on collision yields to a significantly increased sensation of presence in Social VR. Moreover, while the loss of collision (the possibility to go through other avatars) causes a significant decrease of felt co-presence, qualitative feedback showed that the ability to walk through avatars can ease to access spots of interest. Finally, we observed that the purpose of Social VR determines how useful the possibility to walk through avatars is. We conclude with design guidelines that distinguish between Social VR with a priority on social interaction, Social VR supporting education and information, and hybrid Social VR enabling education and information in a social environment.

Bohr’s model is a semi-classical model which involves both classical and quantum principles. Although more sophisticated Schrödinger model has been presented to students, the residual picture in their minds persists to consider Bohr’s model to be the closest to the physical reality. We included few questions about Bohr’s model in tests to assess the students’ understandings of realistic atomic models in general-chemistry courses offered for freshmen in two universities in the Middle-East (namely, Yarmouk University at Irbid, Jordan, and the United Arab Emirates University at Al-Ain, UAE, from both a statistical sample of 687 students was collected). The results reveal the existence of huge misconceptions amongst a large portion of the students’ sample (i.e., ≥ 85%). Alternative solutions are discussed and suggested to draw a strategy to better dissimilate the knowledge in order to overcome the existing learning difficulties.

Failure criteria for unidirectional composite materials based on Hashin’s theory are developed. Although Hashin’s criteria are very popular in composite structural applications due to their simplicity of concept and ease of use, they do not always fit experimental results well. In the present study, the fundamental hypotheses proposed by Hashin are re-examined and re-evaluated. Hashin’s criteria for the tensile fiber mode and tensile matrix mode are modified based on physical considerations. The interaction between the fiber and matrix failure modes is also taken into account. Experimental verification for different kinds of unidirectional composites under various stress states demonstrates that the proposed failure criteria have good improvements over Hashin’s criteria, especially in the tensile fiber and matrix mode region. The present theory is in good agreement with physical reality and has a wide range of applicability.

Head-Mounted Displays (HMDs) have finally reached the point where they can comfortably and affordably transport people to virtual worlds or transform their physical reality by feeding timely information straight to their eyes. However, the technology behind HMDs is still not fully mature. There are plenty of open challenges in wireless networking, cloud computing, security, and privacy, as well as opportunities to create novel applications.

Whilst new patents and announcements advertise the technical availability of foldable displays, which are capable to be folded to some extent, there is still a lack of fundamental and applied understanding of how to model, to design, and to prototype graphical user interfaces for these devices before actually implementing them. Without waiting for their off-the-shelf availability and without being tied to any physical foldable mechanism, Flecto defines a model, an associated notation, and a supporting software for prototyping graphical user interfaces running on foldable displays, such as foldable smartphone or assemblies of foldable surfaces. For this purpose, we use an extended notation of the Yoshizawa-Randlett diagramming system, used to describe the folds of origami models, to characterize a foldable display and define possible interactive actions based on its folding operations. A guiding method for rapidly prototyping foldable user interfaces is devised and supported by Flecto, a design environment where foldable user interfaces are simulated in 3D environment instead of in physical reality. We report on a case study to demonstrate Flecto in action and we gather the feedback from users on Flecto, using Microsoft Product Reaction Cards.

All perception is a construction of the brain from sensory input. Our first perceptions begin during gestation, making fetal brain development fundamental to how we experience a diverse world. Hallucinations are percepts without origin in physical reality that occur in health and disease. Despite longstanding research on the brain structures supporting hallucinations and on perinatal contributions to the pathophysiology of schizophrenia, what links these two distinct lines of research remains unclear. Sulcal patterns derived from structural magnetic resonance (MR) images can provide a proxy in adulthood for early brain development. We studied two independent datasets of patients with schizophrenia who underwent clinical assessment and 3T MR imaging from the United Kingdom and Shanghai, China (n = 181 combined) and 63 healthy controls from Shanghai. Participants were stratified into those with (n = 79 UK; n = 22 Shanghai) and without (n = 43 UK; n = 37 Shanghai) hallucinations from the PANSS P3 scores for hallucinatory behaviour. We quantified the length, depth, and asymmetry indices of the paracingulate and superior temporal sulci (PCS, STS), which have previously been associated with hallucinations in schizophrenia, and constructed cortical folding covariance matrices organized by large-scale functional networks. In both ethnic groups, we demonstrated a significantly shorter left PCS in patients with hallucinations compared to those without, and to healthy controls. Reduced PCS length and STS depth corresponded to focal deviations in their geometry and to significantly increased covariance within and between areas of the salience and auditory networks. The discovery of neurodevelopmental alterations contributing to hallucinations establishes testable models for these enigmatic, sometimes highly distressing, perceptions and provides mechanistic insight into the pathological consequences of prenatal origins.

Invited presentation for special symposium at EVA London 2019.\ud \ud This half-day Symposium explores themes of digital art, culture, and heritage, bringing together speakers from a range of disciplines to consider technology with respect to artistic and academic practice. As we increasingly see ourselves and life through a digital lens and the world communicated on digital screens, we experience altered states of being and consciousness in ways that blur the lines between digital and physical reality, while our ways of thinking and seeing become a digital stream of consciousness that flows between place and cyberspace. We have entered the postdigital world and are living, working, and thinking with machines as our computational culture driven by artificial intelligence and machine learning embeds itself in everyday life and threads across art, culture, and heritage, juxtaposing them in the digital profusion of human creativity on the Internet.

Since special relativity and quantum mechanics, information has become a central concept in our description and understanding of physical reality. This statement may be construed in different ways,...

A considerable interest has been generated since ages for knowledge about the bead with the universe symbol- Om. The word Om is known and considered as the beginning, middle and the end of present, past and the future. The chanting of Om brings awareness about the physical reality of the world and the human body, the subtle impressions of the mind, emotions, thoughts and beliefs of our life. According to the Indian philosophy, Om is a spiritual symbol referred to as Atman (soul) and Brahman (reality, entirety of the universe, truth, divine, supreme spirit, cosmic principles & knowledge). This syllable is one of the most important symbols in universal religion, and often found in Vedas, Upanishads & other ancient texts. It is the sacred spiritual chanting made during the recitation of spiritual texts, puja and prayers, ceremonies, weddings, meditations & Yoga. In the present work, morphological studies have been carried out to see the surface of rudraksha (Elaeocarpus ganitrus) which indicates the presence of the universal symbol as a common sight in the divine beads of rudraksha. During microscopical studies it was observed that the Om symbol was present on the surface of various cells of rudraksha bead indicating the existence of Om at cellular level. The present study further strengthens the belief that the presence of symbol Om in Universal.

The Roman amphitheatre in Tarragona was built in the first half of the second century AD. We present a study of its formal layout based upon classical discussions of the construction of Roman amphitheatres through determination of the geometrical forms involved in their layout, ellipsis and ovum . The discussion considers the elevation of conical sections with the ellipse compared to the lowered forms derived from the circle with the oval – figures which are formally often confused. The question considered in this study – a determination of the elevation of the amphitheatre in Tarragona – is based upon a purely geometric analysis; we explicitly avoid considering the instruments required to construct the curve that creates the shape of the amphitheatre. A land survey of the area around the arena enabled us to establish the dimensions of its main axes, the curve described by the original remains of the podium, and the start of the seating tiers. Because the arena apparently has an elliptical layout, our approach to the problem involved determining the four- and eight-centred ovals that provided the best approximation for the only ellipse that fits into the axes that we determined, and we derive statistical confirmation from the deviations of the various figures from the physical reality of the building.

The problem of effectiveness of two-dimensional and three-dimensional presentations of the visual information and their conjunction with physical reality is considered. Several problems are analyzed which occur while embedding more dimensions into user interfaces, their probable fields of application are being studied. The question of implementation of multidimensional spatial solutions in multimodal interfaces is stated.

Bayesian observer models provide a principled account of the fact that our perception of the world rarely matches physical reality. The standard explanation is that our percepts are biased toward our prior beliefs. However, reported psychophysical data suggest that this view may be simplistic. We propose a new model formulation based on efficient coding that is fully specified for any given natural stimulus distribution. The model makes two new and seemingly anti-Bayesian predictions. First, it predicts that perception is often biased away from an observer's prior beliefs. Second, it predicts that stimulus uncertainty differentially affects perceptual bias depending on whether the uncertainty is induced by internal or external noise. We found that both model predictions match reported perceptual biases in perceived visual orientation and spatial frequency, and were able to explain data that have not been explained before. The model is general and should prove applicable to other perceptual variables and tasks.

A growing area of video game research considers factors external to games that might predict both observed in-game and physical world decisions. One factor may be an individual's habitual behaviors, such as their physical activity routines. Because the authors tend to automate behaviors that they repeat in stable circumstances or contexts, virtual re-creations of those stimuli should prompt the same behavior in the game environment. Moreover, as virtual worlds become more similar to the physical world, behaviors the authors learn in physical reality might influence virtual behaviors. The authors ask two research questions: (RQ1) Is there an association between real-world habits and in-game decisions? (RQ2) Does the nature of the in-game task influence any relationship between real-world habits and in-game decisions? A quasi-experiment of 110 students at a large, mid-Atlantic university demonstrated that physical activity routines bias in-game transportation decisions, particularly when prompted to pursue a specific goal over a free exploration task.

Evolutionary robotics (ER) has emerged as a fast growing field in the last two decades and has earned the attention of a number of researchers. Principles of biological evolution are applied in the form of evolutionary techniques for solving the complicated problems in the areas of robotic design and control. The diversity and the intensity of this growing field is presented in this paper through the contributions made by several researchers in the categories of robot controller design, robot body design, co-evolution of body and brain and in transforming the evolved robots in physical reality. The paper discusses some of the recent achievements in each of these fields along with some expected applications which are likely to motivate the future research. For the quick reference of the readers, a digest of all the works is presented in the paper, spanning the years and the areas of the research contributions.

The blind encounter great difficulties in independent movement in an open environment. There are various systems that support their orientation usually based on devices such as suitably adapted GPS, cameras, RFIDs and their respective software. But there are no computer-assisted systems that would help with teaching blind children to move without exposing them to danger. It seems that a good idea for constructing such an assistant system would be to replace a physical reality with the help of suitable computer software in which the semantic technologies are used.

The theory of embodied interaction focuses on designing interactions that are meaningful for humans as social creatures with sentient bodies, based on how humans perceive and reason with and through their surroundings. In that regard, embodiment does not only mean physical reality, but rather, the way that physical and social phenomena unfold in the real world and influence the way we interact [2]. Focusing on theories of the human body-mind relationship, the thesis described in this paper, explores how embodied representations of social and physical contextual qualities can be used as a design material for digital play. The envisioned thesis tries to question and broaden the understanding of what digital/physical play can be, beyond current state-of-the-art hybrid gameplay.

The background theory for the crack width calculation methods according to Eurocode 2 and fib Model Code 2010 is discussed to evaluate the applicability for the more general case of relatively thick beams, slabs and shells. Essentially, the formulas originate from the maximum transfer length and the difference in steel and concrete strains over this length. It is shown that the formulas are based on both a slip and a no-slip theory, two theories using exactly opposite assumptions. The slip theory assumes that a physical slip occurs in the interface between concrete and steel and, also, that plane sections remain plane. The no-slip theory assumes that no physical slip occurs between concrete and steel and, thus, that plane sections no longer remain plane. The theories were merged pragmatically in an attempt to describe the physical reality related to cracking. This resulted in a formula for the transfer length composed by two linear terms. Such a formulation, however, leads to inconsistencies that opposes the basic principles in solid mechanics. It is argued that these inconsistencies limits the application for the more general case. The observations in this paper suggests that a more robust and consistent calculation method should be formulated. A possible way is by improving the bond assumptions in the interface between concrete and steel, and thoroughly studying the geometry and configuration of cracks experimentally and theoretically.

Medical imaging has advanced enormously over the last few decades, revolutionizing patient diagnostics and care. At the same time, additive manufacturing has emerged as a means of reproducing physical shapes and models previously not possible. In combination, they have given rise to 3-dimensional (3D) modeling, an entirely new technology for physicians. In an era in which 3D imaging has become a standard for aiding in the diagnosis and treatment of cardiac disease, this visualization now can be taken further by bringing the patient's anatomy into physical reality as a model. The authors describe the generalized process of creating a model of cardiac anatomy from patient images and their experience creating patient-specific dynamic mitral valve models. This involves a combination of image processing software and 3D printing technology. In this article, the complexity of 3D modeling is described and the decision-making process for cardiac anesthesiologists is summarized. The management of cardiac disease has been altered with the emergence of 3D echocardiography, and 3D modeling represents the next paradigm shift.

Addressing the controversial question of the nature of poetic language, the paper seeks to prove, with the help of stylistics, that the language of poetry is not just a tool that can be discussed in isolation from the poetry which language is said to convey. It rather turns into the poem itself so that it becomes impossible to separate the poem from its language. The paper concludes that the poetic language used by the poet creates a linguistic reality that exists on its own in language just as the physical reality it describes exists on its own.

Slow flow of the viscous liquid is a thought-provoking experiment that challenges students, academics and public to think about some fundamental questions in modern science. In the Queensland demonstration, the world-longest running experiment earning the Ig Nobel prize, one drop of pitch takes about 10 years to fall, leading to problems of actually observing the drops. Here, we describe our recent demonstration of slowly-flowing bitumen where appreciable flow is observed on the time scale of months. The experiment is free from dissipative heating effects and has the potential to improve the accuracy of measurement. Bitumen viscosity was calculated by undergraduate students during the summer project. The worldwide access to the running experiment is provided by webcams uploading the images to a dedicated website, enhancing student education experience and promotion of science. This demonstration serves as an attractive student education exercise and stimulates the discussion of fundamental concepts and hotly debated ideas in modern physics research: difference between solids and liquids, the nature of liquid-glass transition, emergence of long time scales in a physical process, and the conflict between human intuition and physical reality.

The Non-Invasive Arterial Monitor (NIAM3) is an SiPM based detector system designed for calibrating Positron-Emission Tomography (PET) images without invasive blood sampling. By imaging the radial and ulnar arteries in the wrist directly with a custom built PET system the resultant PET images can be calibrated. An integral step in the development of a complex detector system is the creation of a model which accurately reflects the physical reality being studied. This paper describes the development of a simulation for NIAM which shows good agreement between the model and physical detector setup.

This paper is our recent review of literatures on lower limb amputation in Nigeria. There is no national data on the incidence of amputation in Nigeria. Its management remain a major health problem in our society. Amputee in Nigeria is often confronted with the physical reality of mutilation and the stigma attached to it, making it difficult for patients to accept the therapeutic value of amputation unless they perceive an obvious threat to life. The pattern of indications vary from place to place and seems to be changing. Rehabilitation of amputees is a major problem in Nigeria. It is multidisciplinary and should begin from the time the decision is made. This should be co-ordinated in a well organized amputee clinic. Most of the amputees do not have access to prosthesis so they hop around with the aid of sticks, crutches and join the colony of beggars and destitute in our streets. Efforts should be channelled towards preventing limb losses and reducing the burden on amputees through the initiation of new and enforcement of existing health policies in Nigeria.

The lack of knowledge of the structural behaviour and performances of timber structures often led to their loss and substitution with modern structures, or to invasive strengthening works. Ignorance is a cause of the loss of these structures also because the absence of recognition of their value does not give rise the need for their conservation. Just because ignorance is one of the main causes of loss of this heritage, knowledge is the first goal to be reached aiming to its preservation. The most important source of knowledge of an existing structure is its direct survey. The in situ investigations should aim to collect data about many aspects of the structure: general geometry and details of single members, internal joints, and metal reinforcements; wooden species and defects; evidences of decay; deformations or displacements; but also relation with other structural elements or systems, signs of timber processing, indications of the reuse of materials, etc. All the gathered data should allow an interpretation of the gradual change in time of the structure’s physical reality, of its technological conception and of its structural behaviour since the original design by the carpenter or engineer, trough the subsequent works or “natural” evolutions, unto the current state.

The first time the retinal vessels were seen in man in vivo was reported in 1819 by Purkinje as an entoptic view. This was understood to show the shadow of the vessels, an interpretation objected to in 1834 by Brewster. Muller in 1855 (Uber die entoptische wahrnehmung der netzhautgefasse, insbesondere als beweismittel fur die lichtperception durch die nach hinten gelegenen netzhautelemente, Stahel, Wurzburg) used the phenomenon to deduce the location of the photoreceptive layer of the retina, and his conclusion is accepted as true today. Because the phenomenon has some characteristics of an afterimage, it touches on the question of what is subjective and what is objective physical reality. It was recently used clinically to measure potential visual acuity and in the diagnoses of diabetic retinopathy and macular degeneration.

The image perception by human brain through the eyes is not exactly what the eyes receive. In order to have an enhanced view of the received image and more clarity in detail, the brain naturally modifies the color tones in adjacent neighborhoods of colors. A very famous example of this human sight natural modification to the view is the famous Chevreul–Mach bands. In this phenomenon, every bar is filled with one solid level of gray, but human brain perceives narrow bands at the edges with increased contrast which does not reflect the physical reality of solid gray bars. This human visual system action in illusion, highlighting the edges, is inspired here in visual illusory image enhancement (VIIE). An algorithm for the newly introduced VIIE by deploying morphological filters is presented as morphological VIIE (MVIIE). It deploys morphological filters for boosting the same effect on the image edges and aiding human sight by increasing the contrast of the sight. MVIIE algorithm is explained in this chapter. Significant image enhancement, by MVIEE, is approved through the experiments in terms of image quality metrics and visual perception.

By investigating the conflicted relationship between Nikola Tesla (1856–1943) and the electrical engineering community, this essay explores competing representations of “invention” in the fin-de-siecle period. Drawing on the observation that the dominant paradigm of invention was entangled in various inscription practices, I turn to the case of Tesla to examine how inventions that circulated only as discourses were represented and legitimated in the scientific community, popular press, and literature. The essay argues that the rise of transmission media, such as wireless telegraphy, that challenged established conceptions about physical reality informed, in turn, Tesla’s singular model of invention.

How can organizations use digital infrastructure to realise physical outcomes? The design and construction of London Heathrow Terminal 5 is analysed to build new theoretical understanding of visualization and materialization practices in the transition from digital design to physical realisation. In the project studied, an integrated software solution is introduced as an infrastructure for delivery. The analyses articulate the work done to maintain this digital infrastructure and also to move designs beyond the closed world of the computer to a physical reality. In changing medium, engineers use heterogeneous trials to interrogate and address the limitations of an integrated digital model. The paper explains why such trials, which involve the reconciliation of digital and physical data through parallel and iterative forms of work, provide a robust practice for realizing goals that have physical outcomes. It argues that this practice is temporally different from, and at times in conflict with, building a comprehensive dataset within the digital medium. The paper concludes by discussing the implications for organizations that use digital infrastructures in seeking to accomplish goals in digital and physical media.

Seismicity produced by human activities (i.e. induced seismicity) has been widely reported over the last 40 years. To date few induced earthquakes have been recorded at CO2 storage sites, however, the volumes of injected CO2 and the number of operational sites are small. A review of induced seismicity from different types of fluid injection and extraction sites confirms that these events are typically ≤4.5 in magnitude (M) and in many cases have no reported earthquakes. Although the size (and associated risks) of induced earthquakes at CO2 storage sites is most likely to be small, these events could decrease seal integrity or raise public concerns, while rare larger events (>M5) could also have ramifications for CCS beyond a single site. These risks can be reduced by careful site selection and development of site-specific risk reduction and mitigation programmes. Forecasts of induced seismicity using physical and statistical models and real-time monitoring will be key planning and decision making tools. The utility of monitoring and mitigation programmes will be maximized by establishing prior to injection, site performance and management guidelines for acceptable levels of induced seismicity, and agreed control measures. Further improvements to risk management practices, understanding induced seismicity processes and stakeholder confidence may be achieved by; a) increasing the number of publically available induced earthquake catalogues for development and testing of physical and statistical models, b) undertaking more systematic studies of individual sites populated by well constrained sub-surface geomechanical information and seismicity data complete down to small magnitudes (e.g., M-3), c) enhancing the physical reality of numerical dynamic models, d) studying the scaling effects of seismicity associated with moving from pilot projects to full commercial implementation of CO2 storage, e) developing standard risk management procedures and guidelines for induced seismicity at CCS sites and,f) filling induced seismicity knowledge gaps in the CCS community by collaborating with seismologists and modellers working in other industries.

This aim of this article to present the relationship between the security awareness and digital competency. The digital world as the achievement of the modern age is developed over the last two centuries because of the needs of a knowledge –based society. Since the electricity and the ability of the information carrying has discovered it started to apply more widely. The Internet and the World Wide Web are the networking side of this modern age achievements. A man of our times need to develop their digital competences, because more and more widely applied to a digital utilities with which the growing segment of society reach growth of digital goods day to day. The safety awareness as a form of behavior not only important in the digital world but in the physical reality as well. Using physical security devices are evident for everyone. From another perspective how to use the digital world security tools are not so clear for everyone. It is possible to improve this type of behavior with increasing the digital competence.

This paper treats a series of major proceeding toponyms from six of the twelve parishes of municipality of Ribadeo (Lugo). The aim is to carry conduct an etymological and linguistic study of the gathered material (108 toponyms) with the objective of offering an explanation of the typonimical structures wich give name to the circundant physical reality.

The simulation of physical reality is a necessary preoccupation of the architect, engineer, builder and systems specialist. For centuries, simulations have existed in the form of heuristic techniqu...

This article critically examines Jay David Bolter and Richard Grusin's concept of remediation, specifically as it pertains to their conceptualisation of transparency, through a detailed analysis of a series of telematic artworks. Their problematic definition of remediation leads to an understanding of telepresence as a medium that denies transparency and aggressively insists for the social and physical reality of media, yet such a definition does not provide the analytical tools required to determine how these conditions are produced in the first place. Remediation, it will be argued, falls short for studying the relations of power that enable and constrain representation, particularly in the case of media such as telepresence. A solution is found in Leah Lievrouw's ‘reconfiguration’ as a complement to remediation. Based on findings from a recent case study, the article will show how this dual approach can be employed to study how artists appropriate information infrastructure.

The anonymous work Laudes Domini (CPL 1386) provides a poetic consideration on the concept of intermediate and final escathology at the age of Constantine. In line with fourth century literature, the poem expresses the tendency to describe the intermediate and individual eschatology through a miraculous story. However, by linking spiritual and physical reality in view of the final resurrection, the miracle reveals a strong persistence of the primitive eschatological conception. The comparison with the temporary resurrection stories told by Tertullian and Gregory of Tours helps to define the spiritual and theological climate that conditioned the anonymous poet of Autun.

In this paper, novel finite elements are presented for the accurate and reliable fully-integrated design and analysis of Tensioned Fabric Structures (TFS). The true stress fields experienced by TFS are then investigated by means of case studies. Both a sliding cable element and a membrane element are formulated and verified. The membrane element departs from conventional elements for the design and analysis of TFS, in that it is based on the founding assumption that the fabric patterns are flat in their unstressed state. This assumption mirrors the construction process for fabrics, meaning that the analytical structural model converges closer to physical reality. For the case studies, simple structures have been designed, invoking the integrated design procedure, and several design issues have been studied. The case studies show how stress-fields may vary across real TFS and demonstrate the viability of constructing structures with wider patterns, increasing the buildability of TFS. The case studies also scrutinize the assumption made in conventional design procedures that the patterns can be flattened without inducing significant additional stresses. It is shown that these additional stresses may be of sizeable magnitude and their effect should be included in the design of TFS.

This paper analyses some of the terminology that Baha’u’llah uses in one of his earliest tablets, the Tablet of All Food (Lawh. -i Kull ut-T. a‘ām), which is addressed to a Babi, H. āj i Mirzā Kamālu’d-Din Narāqi, who visited Baha’u’llah in Baghdad. In particular the hierarchy of the spiritual worlds is examined under the headings of the four terms that Baha’u’llah uses to describe this hierarchy: Hāhūt, Lāhūt, Jabarūt and Malakūt. Baha’u’llah revealed the Tablet of All Food (Lawh. -i Kull ut-T. a‘ām) in April 1854, shortly before his departure to the mountains of Kurdistan, at a moment when he was experiencing severe hardship due to the dissension and disunity that beset the Babi community. From the time of his arrival in Baghdad, Baha’u’llah had made considerable efforts to gather around himself the Babis, who after the martyrdom of the Bab, became disorientated. At the request of Baha’u’llah himself, his ambitious younger halfbrother Mirza Yahya had been designated as the nominal leader of the community but soon revealed himself to be particularly incompetent and lacking in wisdom. Due to his conceit and cowardice, his relations with his older brother and the rest of the Babi community had deteriorated. Meanwhile, Baha’u’llah began to appear more and more as the true leader, involved in reanimating the spiritual life of his co-religionists. His efficacious leadership and his wise counsel rapidly bore fruit. Numerous Babis turned to him to receive spiritual advice and guidance. This situation invoked the jealousy of a number of other Babis, including Mirza Yahya who had fallen under the influence of a deceitful and ambitious person, Sayyid Muhammad Isfahani, who sowed the seeds of dissension in the community. Shoghi Effendi writes: A clandestine opposition, whose aim was to nullify every effort exerted, and frustrate every design conceived, by Baha’u’llah for the rehabilitation of a distracted community, could now be clearly discerned. Insinuations, whose purpose was to sow the seeds of doubt and suspicion and to represent Him as a usurper, as the subverter of the laws instituted by the Bāb, and the wrecker of His Cause, were being incessantly circulated. His Epistles, interpretations, 1. This paper is based on the first chapter of the book Archeologie du Royaume de Dieu: Ontologie des mondes divins dans les ecrits de Baha’u’llah (Paris: La Librairie Baha’ie, 1990). Keywords

Developments in IT will bring us closer to a ‘Ubiquitous Network Society’. Ubiquitous networking will become a part of our physical world, linking locations, objects and people. This new technological reality will fundamentally alter our notions of privacy, autonomy and public domain. In this article Bart Schermer describes how developments in IT will enable new surveillance applications; what possible risks these new surveillance applications entail; how the notion of privacy will be influenced by these technologies; and how we can protect ourselves in the future. The author argues that the transformation of the public domain as a result of surveillance will ultimately render the idea of privacy as a ‘physical reality’ obsolete. Therefore, we need new mechanisms that help ensure privacy and personal autonomy. In these mechanisms notions of trust and transparency should feature more prominently than they do now.

Objective To determine the value of this simulator in acquiring basic laparoscopic skills and to evaluate the correlation between the frequency of trials and performance. Design Cross-sectional study. Setting Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University Hospital Schleswig-Holstein, Kiel, Germany. Patient(s) Twenty-five in-training gynecological endoscopists and 15 medical students. Intervention(s) A demonstration of 10 laparoscopic skill tasks was shown to participants before administration of a pretest. Voluntary rounds of further trials were encouraged thereafter. The post-tests were administered 5 days later. Assessments were conducted by the same independent supervisor. Main Outcome Measure(s) Improvements in overall scores and relative performance mean scores were compared using the independent t test. The comparison of various trial groups' mean was evaluated by one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA). Result(s) There were significantly better post-test scores in all tasks for both groups compared to the pretest scores. There was no statistical difference between the overall relative training outcomes of both groups. There was a significant difference in group mean scores between the group of trainees who performed five or more rounds of trials and those who performed two to three trials. Conclusion(s) The LTS3e simulator contributes to the acquisition of laparoscopic skills in less experienced surgeons. Performance improves progressively with practice.