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This study investigated the effects of the target size and movement distance on user performance and workload in a virtual reality (VR) environment. In a repeated-measures laboratory study, 36 participants (18 male and 18 female) performed the drag-and-drop task as a standard human–computer interaction (HCI) task with different target sizes (1, 1.5, 2, 2.5, and 3 cm) and movement distances (5, 9, 13, 17, and 20 cm). Task completion time (TCT), error rate, and movement time (MT) were measured as performance indices, whereas physical load and effort were assessed as workload indices. The results demonstrated that the target size and movement distance significantly affected all performance measures and workload indices. Large target sizes produced better performance and lower workloads; however, large movement distances decreased performance and increased workload. However, sex had no significant effect on the performance or workload during the drag-and-drop tasks. The best target sizes were 2.5 and 3 cm, and the worst size was 1 cm. The best movement distances were 5 and 9 cm, and the worst distance was 20 cm. The results of this study can provide useful reference information for developing VR technology based on human factors and demonstrate that additional basic research is required to reflect the distinctive features of VR in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, some of the basic information on Ground-Penetrating Radar (GPR), its applications (especially in the field of civil engineering) and limitations are presented. As a non-destructive technique, GPR is a powerful tool for the investigation of structures and structural members, roads, geological layers, archaeological sites and many more. The technology is based on electromagnetic radiation in the UHF/VHF range (10 MHz to 3 GHz). The choice of the frequency depends on the intended use, depth and size of the target and medium where the target is located. Joined with other testing methods (ultrasound method, dynamic methods with forced or ambient vibrations, electrical conductivity testing, etc.), GPR can provide a deep insight into the investigated object. However, like many other non-destructive methods, the choice of input parameters may affect the results. In this regard, a case study presented in this paper demonstrates not only different applications of GPR in civil engineering but also the determination (calibration) of one of those input parameters: the dielectric constant of glued laminated timber. The challenge here was not only to investigate the influence of the direction of measurements with regards to the direction of the fibers but also to acknowledge the contribution of the test antenna used during testing and dielectric constant calibration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With touchscreens being installed in aircraft flight decks, reach-and-turbulence-related challenges arise. Using the ISO 9241-411 multidirectional selection task (a 2D Fitts' task), we quantified the impact of vibration on touchscreen target selection throughput (a performance score combining both speed and accuracy) and error rate in a cockpit layout. 24 participants completed the task under 2 vibration levels (helicopter level flight versus static), 2 hand support methods (using the thumb, while holding onto the screen's edge, versus using the index finger freehand), 4 touchscreen types (two avionic and two consumer touchscreens), 2 touchscreen positions (main instrument panel versus pedestal), and 4 target sizes (0.8, 1, 1.5 and 2 cm). We found average throughput values of 6.5 bits per second (bps) in static conditions, versus 5.7 bps under vibration, and average error rates of 10.3% in static conditions, versus 16.6% under vibration. Similar to prior work, we found an exponential increase in error rate with decreasing target size. Larger target sizes helped mitigate the impact of vibration. We did not find evidence of a benefit to anchoring the hand on the touchscreen's bezel edge, compared to the freehand baseline, under vibration or static conditions. Under vibration, the pedestal outperformed the main instrument panel position, with higher throughput and lower error rate. In static conditions, the two positions performed similarly. This work contributes to vibration mitigation methods when interacting with touchscreens in the aviation context. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Target detection is an important area in the applications of hyperspectral remote sensing. Due to the full use of information of the target and background, target detection algorithms based on the statistical characteristics of an image are always occupy a dominant position in the field of hyperspectral target detection. From the perspective of statistical information, we firstly presented detailed discussions on the key factors affecting the target detection results, including data origin, target size, spectral variability of target, and the number of bands. Further, we gave the corresponding strategies for several common situations in the practical target detection applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The bremsstrahlung is an important source term in the shielding design of the electron accelerator. In order to study the characteristics of the photon source term in the 90° direction and the influence of target radius and thickness on the bremsstrahlung in the 90° direction, the Monte Carlo program of MCNPX27 was used to calculate the radiation source term from the 15 MeV3 GeV electron beam incident on the iron target with different thicknesses and radii. The variation characteristics of radiation source items such as photon radiation dose rate and photon energy spectrum with target thickness and radius were obtained and comparatively analyzed. By comparing with the photon source term in the 0° direction and the energy deposition of cascade electron in the target, the main features of the photon source term in the 90° direction were obtained. Finally, the effects of beam power and beam intensity on radiation dose rates in the 90° and 0° directions were analyzed. The result shows that, due to the combined influence of electron energy deposition in the target and self-absorption of photons from the target, the radius and thickness of the target are expected as important factors which affect the photon source term in the 90° direction. The energy of the cascade electrons deposited in the target and the radiation dose rate in the 90° direction increases with the thickness. As the energy of the cascade electrons is completely deposited in the target, the radiation dose rate in the 90° direction will not change with the target thickness. The radiation dose rate in the 90° direction also increases with the target radius, but when the target radius is larger, the radiation dose rate in the 90° direction decreases due to the selfabsorption. Apart from that, the effect of incident electron energy on the photon source terms in the 90° direction and 0° direction is different. More than 99% of the photons in the 90° direction are below 10 MeV, and most of them are within 3 MeV. In the 90° direction, the photon energy spectrum shape has little relationship with the incident electron energy. However, the photon energy in the 0° direction can reach the incident electron energy, which is generally much larger than the photon energy in the 90° direction, and the shape of the energy spectrum is greatly affected by the incident electron. As a suggestion, the influence of the target size should be considered in the shielding design of the electron accelerator, and the design in the lateral shielding should be optimized according to the difference between the photon source term in the 90° direction and 0° direction.

Acquisitions are competitive moves that disrupt an industry's competitive structure. As a result, firms are often not passive observers of their rival's acquisitions, but actively retaliate against such competitive moves. In this study, we explore these dynamics by analyzing one way in which multimarket contact may influence acquisition strategies, namely, the type of targets acquired. We contribute to the acquisition literature by clarifying the role that pre -acquisition competitive interdependencies play in firms' acquisition strategies. Specifically, we suggest that high multimarket contact firms do not necessarily avoid acquisition activity. Instead, these firms are more likely to acquire targets that are less likely to incur retaliation from interconnected rivals. We also explore two important boundary conditions to this relationship: (1) the market's competitive structure and (2) the location of the target firm. Our empirical tests of a sample of 741 bank holding companies from 1995 to 2014 offer support for our hypotheses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The human body is programmed with definite quantities, magnitudes, and proportions. At the microscopic level, such definite sizes manifest in individual cells - different cell types are characterized by distinct cell sizes whereas cells of the same type are highly uniform in size. How do cells in a population maintain uniformity in cell size, and how are changes in target size programmed? A convergence of recent and historical studies suggest - just as a thermostat maintains room temperature - the size of proliferating animal cells is similarly maintained by homeostatic mechanisms. In this review, we first summarize old and new literature on the existence of cell size checkpoints, then discuss additional advances in the study of size homeostasis that involve feedback regulation of cellular growth rate. We further discuss recent progress on the molecules that underlie cell size checkpoints and mechanisms that specify target size setpoints. Lastly, we discuss a less-well explored teleological question: why does cell size matter and what is the functional importance of cell size control?

Pointing and dragging are fundamental actions by input devices when interacting with computer graphical user interfaces (GUIs). Cockpits on modern vehicles have been increasingly equipped with GUIs, enabling pointing and dragging tasks to be frequently performed under vibration conditions. However, factors influencing these fundamental actions under vibration conditions have not been fully explored. This study aimed to explore the effects of vibration, input devices, and target size on the performance and perceived workload in basic human–computer interaction tasks. Twenty‐seven participants completed an experiment where they were required to conduct two pointing tasks and one dragging‐and‐dropping task using four input devices (mouse, touchscreen, trackball, and remote hand‐controller) under static and three vibration conditions (lateral, fore‐and‐aft, and omnidirectional vibration) with two target sizes (small and large). The results indicated that vibration caused longer task completion time, higher error rates, and more workload in completing pointing and dragging tasks. Both target size and input device affected task performance in vibration environments. Highest workload was perceived when using remote hand‐controller, followed by trackballs under all vibration conditions; there was no significant difference between mouse and touchscreen, except in terms of physical demand. The findings suggest that practitioners should fully consider the joint effects of input device, target size, and vibration to counteract adverse influence of vibration and optimize user interface designs of human‐computer systems in vibration environments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Interacting with smartwatches is fairly common when users are moving. Although novel interaction gestures like flick of the wrist are implemented, basic touch gestures such as tapping and swiping still dominate. Using these gestures during a variety of movements could be challenging, and it is still not clear how the interface of smartwatches should tailor to users' gestures during movements and how the usage of smartwatches influences the pattern of users' movements. Therefore, this study investigates the interrelationship among users' interaction gestures, movements, and gait features. An experiment was conducted among 47 participants, who used smartwatches through tapping, swiping, and wrist flicking to complete daily tasks in stand, strolling, normal walking, rushing, and jogging. They were tracked through built-in accelerometer and angle sensors. Four findings were derived from the experiment. First, rushing and jogging significantly decrease the effectiveness and efficiency of tapping. To reduce the tapping deviation, offset models were proposed and tested. Second, there is a C-shaped pattern on the round screen where tapping targets achieves higher accuracy than other areas. Third, the tapping performance could be improved by setting target sizes. Target sizes at 0.7 cm in stand, 1.1 cm in strolling, and 1.1 cm in walking achieve a high level of accuracy (95%), while target sizes at 1.5 cm in rushing and jogging achieve a middle level of accuracy (90%). Finally, tapping, swiping, and wrist flicking when users are moving significantly reduce their gait symmetry and step length. They do not imply significant influence on gait intensity, regularity, and overall stability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Midas touch is reflected by the interactive feedback of interface functional elements, and a low level of spatial accuracy is related to the interaction area. This study tried to solve these two problems from the perspective of human-computer interactions and ergonomics. Two experiments were conducted to explore the optimum target size and gaze-triggering dwell time of the eye–computer interaction (ECI) system. Experimental Series 1 was used as the pre-experiment to identify the size that has a greater task completion rate. Experimental Series 2 was used as the main experiment to investigate the optimum gaze-triggering dwell time by using a comprehensive evaluation of the task completion rate, reaction time, and NASA-TLX (Task Load Index). In Experimental Series 1, the optimal element size was determined to be 256 × 256p x2. The conclusion of Experimental Series 2 was that when the dwell time is set to 600 ms, the efficiency of the interface is the highest, and the task load of subjects is minimal as well. Finally, the results of Experiment Series 1 and 2 have positive effects on improving the usability of the interface. The optimal control size and the optimal dwell time obtained from the experiments have certain reference and application value for interface design and software development of the ECI system.

The importance of high-acuity foveal vision to visual search can be assessed by denying foveal vision using the gaze-contingent Moving Mask technique. Foveal vision was necessary to attain normal performance when searching for a target letter in alphanumeric displays, Perception & Psychophysics, 62 (2000) 576-585. In contrast, foveal vision was not necessary to correctly locate and identify medium-sized target objects in natural scenes, Journal of Experimental Psychology: Human Perception and Performance, 40 (2014) 342-360. To explore these task differences, we used grayscale pictures of real-world scenes which included a target letter (Experiment 1: T, Experiment 2: T or L). To reduce between-scene variability with regard to target salience, we developed the Target Embedding Algorithm (T.E.A.) to place the letter in a location for which there was a median change in local contrast when inserting the letter into the scene. The presence or absence of foveal vision was crossed with four target sizes. In both experiments, search performance decreased for smaller targets, and was impaired when searching the scene without foveal vision. For correct trials, the process of target localization remained completely unimpaired by the foveal scotoma, but it took longer to accept the target. We reasoned that the size of the target may affect the importance of foveal vision to the task, but the present data remain ambiguous. In summary, the data highlight the importance of extrafoveal vision for target localization, and the importance of foveal vision for target verification during letter-in-scene search. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: This study sought to investigate whether the size of the target used in the horizontal vHIT has an effect on the saccade profile of healthy subjects, and to expand upon previous work linking age to the existence of small vHIT saccades.Methods: Forty eight participants were recruited between 18 and 77 years of age, with no history of vestibular, oculomotor or neurological conditions and a visual acuity of at least 0.3 LogMAR. Participants underwent four consecutive horizontal vHIT trials using the standard target size and three smaller targets. VOR gain and metrics for saccadic incidence, peak eye velocity and latency were then extracted from results.Results: Target size was a statistically significant influence on saccade metrics. As target size increased, saccadic incidence decreased while peak eye velocity and latency increased. However, a potential order effect was also discovered, and once this was corrected for the remaining effect of target size was small and is likely clinically insignificant. The effect of age was much stronger than target size; increasing age was strongly positively correlated with saccadic incidence and showed a medium size correlation with peak velocity, though not with saccadic latency.Conclusion: While this study suggests that target size may have a statistically significant impact on the vHIT saccade profile of normal subjects, age has a greater influence on the incidence and size of small vHIT saccades.

To evaluate the biomass distribution of fishery resources for hydroacoustic data, acoustic measurement was combined with ordinary kriging (OK) to perform data processing, which was supported with trawling data. Acoustic data were collected during daytime by using a Simrad EY60 echosounder with 70- and 120-kHz split beam transducers. Afterward, the undesirable data were eliminated, data transformation was carried out, the semivariogram models were statistically compared and filtered and subsequently OK was performed. The goodness of fit of OK was also assessed with the determination coefficient (R2), mean error (ME), and root mean square error (RMSE). The exponential model was the most suitable semivariogram model for the data, and the goodness of fit of OK was good (R2 = 0.8986, Pearson's r = 0.9481). The distribution pattern of fishery resources is probably less distributed from north to south and from east to west, which is consistent with the findings in the Summer between 1998 and 1999. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aimed to expand the current demonstration of display size effects from pointing tasks to dragging and tap‐typing tasks to investigate the effects of influential factors on the performance of touchscreen tablets. From 7‐ to 11‐in. displays, the index of difficulty was kept constant by increasing the target amplitudes and widths (6.0–9.5 mm) proportionally, and the key spacing were, respectively, 13.5 × 7.3–21.5 × 11.5 mm with 0‐mm key gaps. The results demonstrated that simple task types (complexities) reinforced the display size effects and that the effects interacted with target sizes (including amplitude/width scaling) and key spacing to reflect increasing efficiency and usability with increasing sizes. Gender effects were only significant in subjective assessments. Display sizes approaching 10 in., target sizes not less than 7 mm (optimal 9–10 mm) and key spacing larger than 17.5 mm induced the effects of motor scale (the scale of the upper limb joint coordination) and interacted with one another to result in the optimal performance and usability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: This study sought to investigate whether the size of the target used in the horizontal vHIT has an effect on the saccade profile of healthy subjects, and to expand upon previous work linking age to the existence of small vHIT saccades. Methods: Forty eight participants were recruited between 18 and 77 years of age, with no history of vestibular, oculomotor or neurological conditions and a visual acuity of at least 0.3 LogMAR. Participants underwent four consecutive horizontal vHIT trials using the standard target size and three smaller targets. VOR gain and metrics for saccadic incidence, peak eye velocity and latency were then extracted from results. Results: Target size was a statistically significant influence on saccade metrics. As target size increased, saccadic incidence decreased while peak eye velocity and latency increased. However, a potential order effect was also discovered, and once this was corrected for the remaining effect of target size was small and is likely clinically insignificant. The effect of age was much stronger than target size; increasing age was strongly positively correlated with saccadic incidence and showed a medium size correlation with peak velocity, though not with saccadic latency. Conclusion: While this study suggests that target size may have a statistically significant impact on the vHIT saccade profile of normal subjects, age has a greater influence on the incidence and size of small vHIT saccades. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Conventional methods of uniformly spraying fields to combat weeds, requires large herbicide inputs at significant cost with impacts on the environment. More focused weed control methods such as site-specific weed management (SSWM) have become popular but require methods to identify weed locations. Advances in technology allows the potential for automated methods such as drone, but also ground-based sensors for detecting and mapping weeds. In this study, the capability of Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR) sensors were assessed to detect and locate weeds. For this purpose, two trials were performed using artificial targets (representing weeds) at different heights and diameter to understand the detection limits of a LiDAR. The results showed the detectability of the target at different scanning distances from the LiDAR was directly influenced by the size of the target and its orientation toward the LiDAR. A third trial was performed in a wheat plot where the LiDAR was used to scan different weed species at various heights above the crop canopy, to verify the capacity of the stationary LiDAR to detect weeds in a field situation. The results showed that 100% of weeds in the wheat plot were detected by the LiDAR, based on their height differences with the crop canopy.

The video head impulse test (vHIT) assesses the vestibulo-ocular reflex. Few have evaluated whether environmental factors or visual acuity influence the vHIT. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the influence of target distance, target size, and visual acuity on vHIT outcomes. Thirty-eight normal controls and 8 subjects with vestibular loss (VL) participated. vHIT was completed at 3 distances and with 3 target sizes. Normal controls were subdivided on the basis of visual acuity. Corrective saccade frequency, corrective saccade amplitude, and gain were tabulated. In the normal control group, there were no significant effects of target size or visual acuity for any vHIT outcome parameters; however, gain increased as target distance decreased. The VL group demonstrated higher corrective saccade frequency and amplitude and lower gain as compared with controls. In conclusion, decreasing target distance increases gain for normal controls but not subjects with VL. Preliminarily, visual acuity does not affect vHIT outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The reach to grasp movement is a daily functional human activity necessary for interacting with the environment. However, how indoor lighting conditions and the target object size impacts the reach to grasp movement motor strategy remain ambiguous. This study therefore elucidates the environmental illumination and target object size effects on human reach to grasp movement. 16 young (averaged age 22.1 ± 1.2 years) and 16 older adults (averaged age 72.3 ± 4.0 years) were recruited to participate in this study. Five illumination levels including 50, 150, 300, 500 and 750 lx (with the color temperature was 4000 k) and cylinders with five sizes 0.5 × 0.5, 1.0 × 1.0, 2.0 × 2.0, 3.0 × 3.0 and 5.0 × 5.0 (diameter × height; Φ × h; centimeters) cm were randomly used. An ultrasonic three-dimensional motion analysis system (Zebris CMS-HS, Zebris Medical GmbH, and Germany) was used to collect the relevant kinematics of wrist, grip aperture, joint range of motion of wrist and elbow and reaction time. The results indicated that environmental illumination did not have a significant influence on the reach to grasp motor strategies (p > 0.05). The target object sizes had a remarkable effect on the kinematics of wrist, grip aperture, joint range of motion and performance time for both age groups (p < 0.05). Differences were found between young and old adults on the kinematics of wrist, grip aperture, joint range of motion on wrist and elbow and time of grasp to return (p < 0.05). The contributions of this study provide useful information to understand the environmental illumination and target object size influences on reach-to-grasp movement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

About half the volume of sawlogs ends up as sawn and planed timber. The rest is lost due to drying shrinkage or is turned into by products. As the raw material is a major expense for a sawmill, it is important to reduce waste. To investigate how much the volume yield in the production of sawn and planed timber could be increased by reducing the target dimensions in the sawing stage in a sawmill, two groups of sawn timber were planed under similar conditions. One group consisted of sawn Scots pine timber with a large variation in twist. The other group consisted of sawn Norway spruce timber planed under different pressure settings. Using X-ray images, the minimum dimension for avoiding planer misses was calculated for each board, to find the smallest green target dimension. This was compared to actual measured dimensions. It was found that most sawn timber had unnecessarily large dimensions, and it was also found that a reduction in the target dimensions could increase the volume yield for sawn and planed timber by more than 3 percentage points. Boards with large twist would however need a higher planing allowance. The effect of the planer pressure setting was negligible. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Aim: The uniocular field of fixation (UFOF) may be assessed using the Goldmann perimeter subjectively and objectively. Haggerty et al. in 2005 proposed a technique examining six axes corresponding to the primary field of action of each extraocular muscle (EOM). Comparative evidence on subjective and objective assessment and the effect of target size is unclear. The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of subjective and objective assessment and target size upon the mean total EOM excursions and individual muscle excursions using the Haggerty technique in normal subjects. Methods: Volunteers were recruited with right visual acuity of 0.10 logMAR or better, no manifest strabismus, full ocular motility, and no ocular pathology. Subjective and objective UFOF using two fixation targets (1Ie and 1IIe) were plotted for the right eye by one examiner using the Haggerty technique on the Goldmann perimeter. Results: Twenty-four participants (22 females, 2 males) with a mean age of 20.3 ±1.6 years were included. The mean total EOM excursions performed objectively using target 1Ie and 1IIe were 288.2 ± 4.7° and 288.5 ± 5.7° , and subjectively were 290.7 ± 4.8° and 299.4 ± 7.2°. The mean total excursion comparing objective and subjective assessment was not affected by target size. Increasing the target size produced a significant enlargement in total EOM excursions when assessed subjectively but not objectively. As regards individual muscle excursions, the inferior rectus excursion showed the greatest difference when comparing subjective and objective assessment ( p < 0.0001). A significant difference was also found for the inferior oblique using target 1Ie. Only the inferior oblique was affected by increasing target size when assessed subjectively ( p ¼ 0.007). Bland-Altman analysis showed large variation comparing objective and subjective assessments and for increased target size. Conclusion: The degree of excursion obtained performing objective and subjective assessment can vary for individual EOMs. Target size may also influence the mean total EOM excursion. Standardised method of assessment is vital when assessing the UFOF to avoid misinterpretation of change caused by a different methodology.

The paper deals with a simplified analysis of subjective resolution of an aerial sensing system for Earth surface photography in the visible light spectrum. The proposed simplified linear method allows approximate estimation of the minimal target size in the image scanned using a camera with CCD sensor.

Cílem studie je optimalizovat odhodovou vzdálenost a velikost terče jako východisko ke konstrukci testu přesnosti hodu na cíl tenisovým míčem. Optimální kombinace musí splňovat dvě podmínky – testovaný soubor dosáhne u konkrétní kombinace velikosti terče a odhodové vzdálenosti průměrné hodnoty počtu úspěšných zásahů terče z celkového počtu hodů a bude splňovat podmínku normálního rozdělení. Zkoumaný soubor tvořilo 79 mužů a 71 žen, studentů prvního ročníku oborů tělesná výchova a rekreologie Ostravské univerzity v Ostravě. Pro experiment byly zvoleny pro obě kategorie tři velikosti terče (0,5; 0,7; 0,9 m) a tři odhodové vzdálenosti (6, 10, 14 m pro muže a 4, 6, 8 m pro ženy) – celkem devět kombinací. Skóre experimentu tvoří počet úspěšných zásahů terče z desíti hodů v každé kombinaci velikosti terče a odhodové vzdálenosti. Pro řešení problematiky byly použity metody testování normality rozložení experimentálních dat (Kolmogorov-Smirnov), jednofaktorová analýza rozptylu (Scheffe) a základní statistické charakteristiky. Výzkum prokázal, že stanovené podmínky splňuje v kategorii mužů kombinace odhodové vzdálenosti a velikosti terče 10 m/0,7 m a v kategorii žen kombinace 6 m/0,7 m. The aim of the study is to optimise throwing distance and the size of a target as a basis for constructing a test of accuracy of a throw at a target, using a tennis ball. The optimal combination must fulfil two conditions – the tested group will achieve an average score of the count of successful hits out of all throws and using a specific combination of the throwing distance and the size of a target and it will fulfil the condition of normal distribution. The tested group consisted of 79 men and 71 women, students of the first year at the Ostrava University in Ostrava, majoring in the Physical Education and Recreation study fields. Three target sizes (0.5, 0.7 and 0.9 m) and three throwing distances (6, 10 and 14 m for men and 4, 6 and 8 m for women) were selected for both categories for the experiment, altogether nine combinations. The score of the experiment is formed by the count of successful hits of the target, out of ten throws, using each combination of the size of a target and the throwing distance. To solve the issue, the methods of testing the normal Gaussian distribution of data (Kolmogorov-Smirnov), the one way analysis of variance (Scheffe) and descriptive statistics have been used. The research confirmed that the determined conditions are fulfilled by the 10 m/0.7 m combination of the throwing distance and the size of a target for the men's category and the 6 m/0.7 m combination for the women's category.

Purpose: The aim was to determine the characteristics of near work-induced transient myopia (NITM) in asymptomatic Indian subjects and the influence of target size and contrast.Methods: Two studies were conducted: First, 24 myopes and 24 emmetropes viewed four targets (N8 and N12 with 50 and 90 per cent contrasts) placed at 0.2 m for five minutes. The refractive status was assessed objectively, before and after carrying out the near task, with the Grand Seiko WAM-5500 open-field autorefractor under monocular viewing conditions. Second, a different group of 24 myopes and 24 emmetropes viewed a N12 target with 90 per cent contrast for 60 minutes with pre- and post-refractive state measurements repeated as above. NITM was defined as the difference between pre-task and post-task distance refraction.Results: In the first study, myopes demonstrated an initial post-task myopic shift of 0.21 D, whereas emmetropes demonstrated a small hyperopic shift of 0.07 D (p < 0.001). The myopes demonstrated a decay time constant of 6.07 seconds. There was no effect of target size or contrast on the magnitude of the NITM or the decay time constant (p > 0.05). In the second study, myopes showed a NITM of 0.31 D, which was significantly greater than emmetropes (p < 0.001). The myopes demonstrated a decay time constant of 8.16 seconds.Conclusion: The magnitude of the NITM was higher in myopes compared to emmetropes for both five minute and 60 minute viewing time. The NITM decayed slightly faster than that found in previous literature for some other ethnic groups. Potential reasons for these findings are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study explores the effects of visual condition and target size during four reach-to-grasp tasks between autistic children and healthy controls. Twenty children with autism and 20 healthy controls participated in the study. Qualisys motion capture system and kinematic measures were used to record movement. Autistic group showed significantly longer movement time, larger normalized jerk score, more movement unit than controls, especially in non-visual feedback and small target blocks. Autistic group also showed significantly larger maximal grip aperture and normalized maximal grip aperture in visual feedback condition than controls. Autistic children demonstrate motor coordination problems and also depend on more visual cuing in high accuracy tasks. Autistic children develop other compensatory skills while performing tasks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Target size effect on the sensory signaling intensity of polydiacetylene (PDA) liposome microarrays was systematically investigated. Influenza A virus M1 peptide and M1 antibody were selected as a probe-target pair. While red fluorescence from the PDA liposome microarrays was observed when the larger M1 antibody was used as a target, when the same M1 antibody was used as a probe to detect the smaller M1 peptide sensory signal did not appear. The results reveal that the intensity of the PDA sensory signal is mainly related to the steric repulsion between probe-target complexes not the strength of the probe-target binding force. Based on this finding, we devised a PDA sensory system that directly detects influenza A whole virus as a larger target, and confirmed the target size effect on the signaling efficiency of PDA. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]