240 research outputs found
Synchronizing Media Content In A Shared Virtual Reality Environment
Get PDFDisclosed herein is a mechanism for synchronizing media content in a shared virtual reality environment. The mechanism can cause a shared virtual reality space to be presented on multiple user devices corresponding to multiple users participating in the shared virtual reality space. In some instances, users in the shared virtual reality space can be viewing different media content items. The mechanism can cause indications of the media content items being viewed by each user to be presented within the shared virtual reality space. In response to receiving a selection from a first user device of an indication of a media content item being presented on a second user device, the mechanism can transmit, to the first user device, metadata indicating an identifier of the media content item being presented on the second user device and a current playback position of the media content item on the second user device. The mechanism can then cause the media content item to be presented on the first user device at the playback position indicated in the transmitted metadata
A Qualitative Description of Graduate Students’ Perceived Decline in Physical Activity from Undergraduate School
Get PDFInternational Journal of Exercise Science 17(5): 1038-1055, 2024. Many university students, especially graduate students, are experiencing poor physical and psychological health. Thus, universities are initiating programs like Exercise is Medicine-On Campus (EIM-OC) to promote positive physical activity behavior to improve physical and mental health for primarily undergraduate university students. However, the influences on physical activity when transitioning from an undergraduate to a graduate student are unknown. To explore perceptions of if and how the physical activity levels of graduate students changed from their time as undergraduate students while considering environmental and lifestyle factors. METHODS: Using a qualitative, phenomenological research design, a convenience sample of current graduate students enrolled at a large, mid-South university completed a 20-minute interview. Questions included inquiring on current household, occupational, active transportation, leisure time, and overall physical activity during the graduate and past undergraduate programs. All interviews were transcribed, and major themes were derived using thematic analysis. Twenty-one (62% female; 52% master’s students) participants completed interviews. Overall, participants perceived their physical activity decreased, including occupational, active transport, and leisure-time physical activity. Major themes discussed by participants included: increased academic and occupational responsibilities, changes in the physical and social environment, increased awareness of health and activity, and life transitions. The decline in physical activity once individuals enter their graduate program necessitates an intervention, like EIM-OC, during or after undergraduate studies to promote the initiation or continuation of regular physical activity to improve graduate students’ overall health
Changes in Physical Activity and Sleep Following the COVID-19 Pandemic on a University Campus: Perception Versus Reality
Get PDFIt has been hypothesized that key lifestyle behaviors of physical activity and sleep worsened in response to the Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic. However, there have been inconsistencies in findings of changes in these key lifestyle behaviors across populations likely due to the wide variety of assessment methods. The purpose of the study was to compare physical activity and sleep before and after the COVID-19 pandemic using accelerometers and self-reported behaviors. A longitudinal follow-up was conducted on students, faculty, and staff at a university campus in the United States. In the periods before March 2020 (covering the academic years of 2018-2019 or 2019-2020) and again in April-June 2021, participants completed surveys to evaluate their physical activity and sleep behaviors and wore an accelerometer. A total of 44 participants completed the survey at both timepoints and 32 completed accelerometer assessment at both timepoints. Fifty-seven percent of participants reported a perceived decline in physical activity, while 30% reported a worsening in sleep. From self-reported data, overall physical activity did not change, but there was a decrease in active transport (p \u3c 0.001) and increase in domestic physical activity (p = 0.012). Sleep quality decreased as evidenced by an increase in Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index scores (p = 0.045). There were no changes in accelerometer measured physical activity or sleep. There were no changes in physical or mental health. While perceptions of physical activity declined from prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, there were no changes in device-measured physical activity, and changes in self-reported physical activity differed by domain
Increasing trust in new data sources: crowdsourcing image classification for ecology
Full text linkCrowdsourcing methods facilitate the production of scientific information by
non-experts. This form of citizen science (CS) is becoming a key source of
complementary data in many fields to inform data-driven decisions and study
challenging problems. However, concerns about the validity of these data often
constrain their utility. In this paper, we focus on the use of citizen science
data in addressing complex challenges in environmental conservation. We
consider this issue from three perspectives. First, we present a literature
scan of papers that have employed Bayesian models with citizen science in
ecology. Second, we compare several popular majority vote algorithms and
introduce a Bayesian item response model that estimates and accounts for
participants' abilities after adjusting for the difficulty of the images they
have classified. The model also enables participants to be clustered into
groups based on ability. Third, we apply the model in a case study involving
the classification of corals from underwater images from the Great Barrier
Reef, Australia. We show that the model achieved superior results in general
and, for difficult tasks, a weighted consensus method that uses only groups of
experts and experienced participants produced better performance measures.
Moreover, we found that participants learn as they have more classification
opportunities, which substantially increases their abilities over time.
Overall, the paper demonstrates the feasibility of CS for answering complex and
challenging ecological questions when these data are appropriately analysed.
This serves as motivation for future work to increase the efficacy and
trustworthiness of this emerging source of data.Comment: 25 pages, 10 figure
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Promoting Physical Activity Through Youth Sports Programs: It's Social.
Get PDFYouth sport is a key physical activity opportunity for children and adolescents. Several factors influence youth sport participation, including social factors, but this has not to date been clearly delineated. This study is a scoping review to survey the literature on the influence of family and peers on youth sports participation. The review identified 111 articles of which the majority were cross-sectional, included boys and girls, and were conducted primarily in the United States, Canada, Australia, and the United Kingdom. The articles were grouped into 8 research themes: (1) reasons for participation, (2) social norms, (3) achievement goal theory, 4) family structure, (5) sports participation by family members, (6) parental support and barriers, (7) value of friendship, and (8) influence of teammates. Friendships were key to both initiation and maintenance of participation, parents facilitated participation, and children with more active parents were more likely to participate in sport. Less is known on how family structure, sibling participation, extended family, and other theoretical frameworks may influence youth sport. The review suggests that social influences are important factors for ensuring participation, maximizing the quality of the experience, and capitalizing on the benefits of youth sport. Future research studies, programs, and policies promoting and developing evidence-based youth sporting experiences should consider social influences on youth sport participation
Gymnophthalmus underwoodi Grant, 1958 (Reptilia: Gymnophthalmidae), a new record for the island of Montserrat
Get PDFTwo species of gymnophthalmids are known to inhabit islands in the West Indies, the unisexual Gymnophthalmus underwoodi Grant, 1958 and the bisexual G. pleii Bocourt, 1881, but neither has been previously recorded on Montserrat. Small microteiid lizards were observed between 2008 and 2016 at 5 locations on Montserrat. Scale counts and mitochondrial 16S rDNA sequences of specimens confirmed them to be G. underwoodi. The widespread distribution of this ninth lizard species on Montserrat suggests that it has gone undetected for some time or has rapidly colonized the island
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