Search Results (31)

Due to the effect of room acoustics on musical interpretation, a musician’s rehearsal may be greatly enhanced by leveraging virtual and augmented reality technology. This paper presents a preliminary study on a rehearsal tool designed for musicians, enabling practice in a virtual acoustic environment with audience-positioned playback. Fourteen participants, both professional and non-professional musicians, were recruited to practice with the rehearsal tool prior to performing in an unfamiliar venue. Throughout the rehearsal, the subjects either played in a virtual environment that matched the acoustics of the performance venue or one that was acoustically different. A control group rehearsed in an acoustically dry room with no virtual acoustic environment. The tool’s effectiveness was evaluated with two 16-item questionnaires that assessed quality, usefulness, satisfaction with the rehearsal, and aspects of the performance. Findings indicate that rehearsing in a virtual acoustic environment that matches the performance venue improves acoustic awareness during the performance and enhances ease and comfort on stage compared to practising in a different environment. These results support the integration of virtual acoustics in rehearsal tools to help musicians better adapt their performance to concert settings. Full article

The acoustic field of an opera house is much more difficult to predict than those of concert halls because, in the fly tower, the absorption characteristics vary from time to time, according to the opera piece layout. For this reason, the paper aims to find a simplified fly tower model to be used as a fixed reference in a preliminary acoustic prediction for opera houses. Firstly, referring to a case study, the effects of the fly tower Depth and absorptive characteristics are investigated to identify the simplified model. As a traditional opera is set on an empty stage, and modern pieces are supported by a virtual projected environment, the influence of the variable stage elements on Reverberation Time RT, Clarity C80, and Strength G is considered, comparing the traditional Semiramide opera to a modern digital one, according to the Just Noticeable Difference JND. Results confirm the utility of the suggested fly tower model, which does not require any set definition. Full article

This study investigates the application of network audio technology in performing arts and media art collaborations within virtual environments, analyzing its impact through four case studies. Employing a practice-based research methodology through using a variety of open-source software and communication protocols, it examines the cultural and social dynamics, creative workflows, and technical frameworks of ensembles leveraging network audio technology for remote recording and virtual production. These projects, recognized internationally within the electroacoustic music community, underscore the potential of network audio to transform virtual music performance, industry practices, and education. The research addresses challenges in internet-based production, particularly in real-time multichannel audio recording, mixing, and production with limited home setups. Insights into managing multiple audio networks effectively and capturing distinct tracks across virtual spaces are presented, offering both creative and technical strategies for virtual music performance and production in emerging digital environments. Full article

The intent of quality high school physical education (PE) is to develop a connection with students to help enhance their desire to continue engagement beyond K–12 education. While traditional instructional approaches may produce benefits, it is important to recognize continued data suggesting reasons for decreased student motivation and participation. The purpose of this study was to investigate student responses in their perceived control, value, emotions, and intentions for future activity as it pertained to differing content areas throughout their PE curriculum. The participants included 72 9th grade students. The students participated in five instructional units: modified volleyball, spikeball, outdoor adventure, yoga, and drumfit. At the conclusion of each unit, students responded to a virtual survey utilizing previously validated instruments measuring a variety of emotional contexts. The results were analyzed using a variety of measurements. The in-depth data revealed that student intention may be more anchored in value and emotion than previously identified. Students’ emotional connection to the content appears to be vital to their motivation, engagement, and intention to engage in the activity outside of PE. Based on these findings, teachers should make a concerted effort to select content based on student interests and value, instead of choosing content they find interesting and meaningful. Full article

The conventional utilization of fossil fuels precipitates uncontrolled carbon dioxide and sulfur oxides emissions, thereby engendering pronounced atmospheric pollution and global health ramifications. Within the maritime domain, concerted global initiatives aspire to mitigate emissions by 2050, centering on the adaptation of engines, alteration of fuel compositions, and amelioration of exhaust gas treatment protocols. This investigation pioneers experimentation with marine gas oil augmented by methanol, a practice conventionally encumbered by prohibitively expensive additives. Successful amalgamation of methanol, animal-derived biodiesel, and marine gas oil (MGO) is empirically demonstrated under meticulously controlled thermal conditions, creating a homogeneous blend with virtually zero sulfur content and reduced carbon content, featuring characteristics akin to conventional marine gas oil but with no use of expensive emulsifiers. This new blend is suitable for employment in maritime engines utilizing Delaval technology, yet with significantly lower energy requirements compared to those necessitated using conventional very low sulfur fuel oil (VLSFO) with a maximum sulfur content of 0.5% w/w. Full article

This study delves into the transformative potential of integrating augmented reality (AR) within imaging technologies, shedding light on this evolving landscape. Through a comprehensive narrative review, this research uncovers a wealth of literature exploring the intersection between AR and medical imaging, highlighting its growing prominence in healthcare. AR’s integration offers a host of potential opportunities to enhance surgical precision, bolster patient engagement, and customize medical interventions. Moreover, when combined with technologies like virtual reality (VR), artificial intelligence (AI), and robotics, AR opens up new avenues for innovation in clinical practice, education, and training. However, amidst these promising prospects lie numerous unanswered questions and areas ripe for exploration. This study emphasizes the need for rigorous research to elucidate the clinical efficacy of AR-integrated interventions, optimize surgical workflows, and address technological challenges. As the healthcare landscape continues to evolve, sustained research efforts are crucial to fully realizing AR’s transformative impact in medical imaging. Systematic reviews on AR in healthcare also overlook regulatory and developmental factors, particularly in regard to medical devices. These include compliance with standards, safety regulations, risk management, clinical validation, and developmental processes. Addressing these aspects will provide a comprehensive understanding of the challenges and opportunities in integrating AR into clinical settings, informing stakeholders about crucial regulatory and developmental considerations for successful implementation. Moreover, navigating the regulatory approval process requires substantial financial resources and expertise, presenting barriers to entry for smaller innovators. Collaboration across disciplines and concerted efforts to overcome barriers will be essential in navigating this frontier and harnessing the potential of AR to revolutionize healthcare delivery. Full article

In light of the burgeoning influence of LLM AI programs like ChatGPT in a variety of academic contexts and the COVID-19 pandemic’s expansion of virtual classrooms and coursework, the philosophical framing of academic integrity and plagiarism is being re-examined. In concert with these technological changes, students are also facing increasing pressure to succeed in their academic pursuits. Inasmuch as the consequences of failure in these contexts are often dire academically, socially, and financially, we argue that students often weigh the choice to plagiarize not as an ethical issue but as a pragmatic mitigation of risk. Using three salient examples of plagiarism and cheating from higher education in North America as case studies, we explore the pressures and contexts that have influenced the choice to engage in plagiarism and cheating through this pragmatic lens. As an ethical framing of the issue of academic integrity has been less effective in ameliorating plagiarism in this pressurized climate, we propose a way in which educators, administrators and policy makers might approach the issue in this same pragmatic frame. In short, rather than combat plagiarism by teaching its moral repugnance, we propose educators could argue instead that plagiarism and cheating are pragmatically untenable simply because they are detrimental to learning. Full article

Tetrodotoxin (TTX) is a neurotoxic molecule used by many animals for defense and/or predation, as well as an important biomedical tool. Its ubiquity as a defensive agent has led to repeated independent evolution of tetrodotoxin resistance in animals. TTX binds to voltage-gated sodium channels (VGSC) consisting of α and β subunits. Virtually all studies investigating the mechanisms behind TTX resistance have focused on the α subunit of voltage-gated sodium channels, where tetrodotoxin binds. However, the possibility of β subunits also contributing to tetrodotoxin resistance was never explored, though these subunits act in concert. In this study, we present preliminary evidence suggesting a potential role of β subunits in the evolution of TTX resistance. We gathered mRNA sequences for all β subunit types found in vertebrates across 12 species (three TTX-resistant and nine TTX-sensitive) and tested for signatures of positive selection with a maximum likelihood approach. Our results revealed several sites experiencing positive selection in TTX-resistant taxa, though none were exclusive to those species in subunit β1, which forms a complex with the main physiological target of TTX (VGSC Na_v1.4). While experimental data validating these findings would be necessary, this work suggests that deeper investigation into β subunits as potential players in tetrodotoxin resistance may be worthwhile. Full article

Three-dimensional (3D) printing is an advanced pharmaceutical manufacturing technology, and concerted efforts are underway to establish its applicability to various industries. However, for any technology to achieve widespread adoption, robustness and reliability are critical factors. Machine vision (MV), a subset of artificial intelligence (AI), has emerged as a powerful tool to replace human inspection with unprecedented speed and accuracy. Previous studies have demonstrated the potential of MV in pharmaceutical processes. However, training models using real images proves to be both costly and time consuming. In this study, we present an alternative approach, where synthetic images were used to train models to classify the quality of dosage forms. We generated 200 photorealistic virtual images that replicated 3D-printed dosage forms, where seven machine learning techniques (MLTs) were used to perform image classification. By exploring various MV pipelines, including image resizing and transformation, we achieved remarkable classification accuracies of 80.8%, 74.3%, and 75.5% for capsules, tablets, and films, respectively, for classifying stereolithography (SLA)-printed dosage forms. Additionally, we subjected the MLTs to rigorous stress tests, evaluating their scalability to classify over 3000 images and their ability to handle irrelevant images, where accuracies of 66.5% (capsules), 72.0% (tablets), and 70.9% (films) were obtained. Moreover, model confidence was also measured, and Brier scores ranged from 0.20 to 0.40. Our results demonstrate promising proof of concept that virtual images exhibit great potential for image classification of SLA-printed dosage forms. By using photorealistic virtual images, which are faster and cheaper to generate, we pave the way for accelerated, reliable, and sustainable AI model development to enhance the quality control of 3D-printed medicines. Full article

The COVID-19 pandemic presented unprecedented challenges to patients, family members, and healthcare staff that resulted in increased stress and isolation and decreased quality of life. We evaluate the impact of a novel virtual concert program, the Vital Sounds Initiative (VSI) of Project: Music Heals Us (PMHU), which began at the beginning of the pandemic to combat patient isolation and provide employment to professional musicians. Using a qualitative analysis of VSI data, we examined post-concert written responses by musicians. These responses were coded by independent coders via inductive coding and thematic analysis. Between 7 April 2020 and 20 July 2022, 192 musicians played 2203 h of music for 11,222 audience members in 39 care facilities nationwide. A total of 114 musicians submitted a total of 658 responses. Three main themes (with corresponding subthemes) arose: (1) Patient Experience; (2) Musician Experience; (3) Caregiver (family or staff) Experience. The responses offered valuable insight into the overwhelmingly positive aspects of the virtual concerts. Overall, we found that VSI favorably impacts individuals at every level, including the patients, musician, and caregivers. These findings provide preliminary evidence for the benefits of virtual music concerts. Upscaling similar virtual music interventions/programs should be considered. Full article

In the trend of transforming existing systems and services into non-face-to-face models, the concert industry is also showing movements toward transitioning to virtual formats. Physical concerts in the real world require venues that can accommodate hundreds to tens of thousands of spectators, but non-face-to-face methods that can accommodate large audiences face various limitations. Moreover, to elevate the satisfaction level of virtual concert attendees to that of real-world concerts, it is important to implement interaction between performers and audiences. Modern metaverse platforms apply cutting-edge network technologies to accommodate numerous users within a single channel. Many researchers are adopting network technologies such as SDN (software-defined networking) and CDN (content delivery network) to set up a virtual concert that can accommodate large audiences. In this paper, we propose a network framework to be designed for the composition of virtual concerts. In particular, we separate a channel dedicated to interaction in order to provide an immersive experience of exchanging interactions between performers and audiences. As massive audiences transmitting interaction data to the performer in a 1:N format can lead to problems with acceptance and latency, this study introduces a concept of a channel form called ‘Zone’ and proposes an interaction data channel network framework that does not compromise immersion. The proposed framework supports tasks for effectively transmitting interaction data using network technologies for metaverse platforms such as XDN and clustering algorithms such as fuzzy c-means. We also suggest a CDN-based architecture that can ensure low latency for performers to transmit interaction data to the audience. Full article

Today, some of the most widely attended concerts are in virtual reality (VR). For example, the videogame Fortnite recently attracted 12.3 million viewers sitting in homes all over the world to a VR Travis Scott rap concert. As such VR concerts become increasingly ubiquitous, we are presented with an opportunity to design more immersive virtual experiences by augmenting VR with other multisensory technologies. Given that sound is a multi-modal phenomenon that can be experienced sonically and vibrationally, we investigated the importance of haptic feedback to musical experiences using a combination of qualitative and empirical methodologies. Study 1 was a qualitative study demonstrating that, unlike their live counterparts, current VR concerts make it harder for audiences to form a connection with artists and their music. Furthermore, VR concerts lack multisensory feedback and are perceived as less authentic than live concert experiences. Participants also identified a variety of different kinds of touch that they receive at live concerts and suggested that ideal VR concerts would replicate physical touch and thermal feedback from the audience, emotional touch, and vibrations from the music. Specifically, users advocated for the use of haptic devices to increase the immersiveness of VR concert experiences. Study 2 isolated the role of touch in the music listening experience and empirically investigated the impact of haptic music players (HMPs) on the audio-only listening experience. An empirical, between-subjects study was run with participants either receiving vibrotactile feedback via an HMP (haptics condition) or no vibrotactile feedback (control) while listening to music. Results indicated that listening to music while receiving vibrotactile feedback increased participants’ sense of empathy, parasocial bond, and loyalty towards the artist, while also decreasing participants’ feelings of loneliness. The connection between haptics condition and these dependent variables was mediated by the feeling of social presence. Study 2 thus provides initial evidence that HMPs may be used to meet people’s need for connection, multisensory immersion, and complex forms of touch in VR concerts as identified in Study 1. Full article

In addition to traditional viewing media, metadata that record the physical space from multiple perspectives will become extremely important in realizing interactive applications such as Virtual Reality (VR) and Augmented Reality (AR). This paper proposes the Software Defined Media (SDM) Ontology designed to describe spatio-temporal media and the systems that handle them comprehensively. Spatio-temporal media refers to video, audio, and various sensor values recorded together with time and location information. The SDM Ontology can flexibly and precisely represent spatio-temporal media, equipment, and functions that record, process, edit, and play them, as well as related semantic information. In addition, we recorded classical and jazz concerts using many video cameras and audio microphones, and then processed and edited the video and audio data with related metadata. Then, we created a dataset using the SDM Ontology and published it as linked open data (LOD). Furthermore, we developed “Web${360}^2$”, an application that enables users to interactively view and experience ${360}^{\circ }$ video and spatial acoustic sounds by referring to this dataset. We conducted a subjective evaluation by using a user questionnaire. Web${360}^2$ is a data-driven web application that obtains video and audio data and related metadata by querying the dataset. Full article

The purpose of this study is to investigate and validate the influencing factors of audiences’ attitudes toward virtual concerts. In order to address this issue, the current study proposes a conceptual model integrating player experience factors (autonomy, relatedness, and engagement) and the technology acceptance model (perceived usefulness, perceived ease of use, and perceived enjoyment). An online questionnaire on virtual concert experiences was conducted among Chinese audiences who had attended virtual concerts previously. Structural equation modeling was then used to establish the relationships between variables. The results suggested that autonomy, relatedness, and engagement positively impacted perceived usefulness, perceived ease of use, and perceived enjoyment. Furthermore, the perceived usefulness, perceived ease of use, and perceived enjoyment were significant predictors of audiences’ attitudes. The findings of this study could provide a reference for relevant virtual entertainment providers and could also serve as a point of development and exploration for the technology acceptance model and player experience in the field of virtual concerts. Full article

Replication of Human Cytomegalovirus (HCMV) requires the presence of a metal-dependent endonuclease at the C-terminus of pUL89, in order to properly pack and cleave the viral genome. Therefore, pUL89 is an attractive target to design anti-CMV intervention. Herein, we used integrated structure-based and ligand-based virtual screening approaches in combination with MD simulation for the identification of potential metal binding small molecule antagonist of pUL89. In this regard, the essential chemical features needed for the inhibition of pUL89 endonuclease domain were defined and used as a 3D query to search chemical compounds from ZINC and ChEMBL database. Thereafter, the molecular docking and ligand-based shape screening were used to narrow down the compounds based on previously identified pUL89 antagonists. The selected virtual hits were further subjected to MD simulation to determine the intrinsic and ligand-induced flexibility of pUL89. The predicted binding modes showed that the compounds reside well in the binding site of endonuclease domain by chelating with the metal ions and crucial residues. Taken in concert, the in silico investigation led to the identification of potential pUL89 antagonists. This study provided promising starting point for further in vitro and in vivo studies. Full article