Search results for " Distance"

Interpersonal Distance in the SARS-CoV-2 Crisis

2020

Background Mandatory rules for social distancing to curb the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic require individuals to maintain a critical interpersonal distance above 1.5 m. However, this contradicts our natural preference, which is closer to 1 m for non-intimate encounters, for example, when asking a stranger for directions. Objective This review addresses how humans typically regulate interpersonal distances, in order to highlight the challenges of enforcing atypically large interpersonal distances. Method To understand the challenges posed by social distancing requirements, we integrate relevant contributions from visual perception, social perception, and human factors. Results To date, research on pr…

Characterization of the Magnetic Induction Field produced by Secondary Substations

2014

The aim of this paper is to develop a methodology for measuring the magnetic field distribution around the prefabricated secondary substations in vibrated reinforced concrete, as well as the definition of a methodology to determining the maximum value of magnetic induction produced by the substations in correspondence to nominal current of the transformer. As proposed has been developed in conformity with laws and standards and can be applied to active and passive secondary substations. The experimental validation of the proposed methodology, carried out by a measurements campaign whose results are reported, confirms the validity and returns a versatile and simple tool for the verification …

On the Visual Distraction Effects of Audio-Visual Route Guidance

2016

This is the first controlled quantitative analysis on the visual distraction effects of audio-visual route guidance in simulated, but ecologically realistic driving scenarios with dynamic maneuvers and self-controlled speed (N = 24). The audio-visual route guidance system under testing passed the set verification criteria, which was based on drivers’ preferred occlusion distances on the test routes. There were no significant effects of an upcoming maneuver instruction location (up, down) on the in-car display on any metric or on the experienced workload. The drivers’ median occlusion distances correlated significantly with median incar glance distances. There was no correlation between driv…

Visual Distraction Effects between In-Vehicle Tasks with a Smartphone and a Motorcycle Helmet-Mounted Head-Up Display

2018

Besides motorists, also motorcyclists need safer user interfaces to interact with useful applications on the road. In this paper, distraction effects of in-vehicle tasks conducted with a head-up display (HUD) for motorcyclists were compared to smartphone tasks with 24 participants in a driving simulator. Compared to the smartphone tasks, the head-up display tasks decreased the percentage of inappropriately long glances by 45 percent. The head-up display tasks were also experienced as less demanding than the smartphone tasks. Additionally, the use of head-up display for navigation did not lead to gaze concentration effects compared to baseline driving. The head-up display is concluded to be …

Refining distraction potential testing guidelines by considering differences in glancing behavior

2021

Driver distraction is a recognized cause of traffic accidents. Although the well-known guidelines for measuring distraction of secondary in-car tasks were published by the United States National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) in 2013, studies have raised concerns on the accuracy of the method defined in the guidelines, namely criticizing them for basing the diversity of the driver sample on driver age, and for inconsistent between-group results. In fact, it was recently discovered that the NHTSA driving simulator test is susceptible to rather fortuitous results when the participant sample is randomized. This suggests that the results of said test are highly dependent on the s…

E-learning: a training experience for teachers.

2014

The e-learning defines new ways of learning, characterized by the fact that, thanks to the web, it is possible to create collaborative environments and thus encourage interactivity. This is a new training methodology that uses the Internet as the main way of communication. This plan is a report of a training experience for teachers, in particular those of primary and secondary school. The on-line training has allowed 40 teachers, who wanted to strengthen their skills in creating a personalized way of teaching in the school where they taught, to conduct a series of training activities and learning experiences mainly based on the use of technologies, integrated with moments of self-learning a…

2014

The free-living planktonic freshwater bacterium Polynucleobacter necessarius subspecies asymbioticus (> 99% 16S rRNA similarity) represents a taxon with a cosmopolitan distribution and apparently ubiquitous occurrence in lentic freshwater habitats. We tested for intra-taxon biogeographic patterns by combining cultivation-independent and cultivation methods. A culture collection of 204 strains isolated from globally distributed freshwater habitats (Arctic to Antarctica) was investigated for phylogeographic patterns based on sequences of two markers, the 16S–23S internal transcribed spacers and the glutamine synthetase gene (glnA). Genetic distance between isolates showed significant geograph…

Dispersal history of a spider (Stegodyphus lineatus) across contiguous deserts: vicariance and range expansion

2005

Israel marks a crossroads between three continents encompassing several phytogeographical and zoogeographical zones. In this complex area, the flow of species from different biogeographical regions creates opportunities to study how geographical division and colonization routes affect current distribution and structure of resident populations of organisms associated with desert and arid environments, habitats that may have persisted throughout Pleistocene glacial periods. The present paper analyses the population history of the spider Stegodyphus lineatus in the contiguous Negev and Judean deserts in Israel using allozyme and mtDNA variation. The distinct patterns of variation indicate that…

2021

The COVID-19 pandemic and social distancing measures targeting the transmission of the virus impacted everyday life in 2020. This study investigated pre- to in-pandemic changes in health behaviors and depressive symptoms during the COVID-19 pandemic and the role of personality traits in these changes in Finland. Data from a larger population-based cohort study of 51–59-year-old Finnish women were used (n = 358). Self-reported questionnaires gathered information about depressive symptoms, eating behavior, physical activity, and alcohol consumption before the pandemic time, at the onset, and at the end of the COVID-19 emergency conditions. Information about personality traits (extraversion an…

Analysis of gene flow and habitat patch network for Chazara briseis (Lepidoptera: Satyridae) in an agricultural landscape

1997

Abstract A fine geographic-scale population genetic structure analysis was performed for the endangered butterfly species Chazara briseis in the region of Halle an der Saale, Germany, for the investigation of gene flow and possible effects of habitat fragmentation on genetic variability. Patterns of genetic variance were estimated by allozyme electrophoresis and quantified with F -statistics. Levels of genetic variation were high, expected heterozygosity H e = 0.20, and mean number of alleles per locus, A = 1.93, indicating large population sizes. Butterflies inhabiting the study area probably constituted just one population and the fragmented nature of the habitat patches did not substanti…