On Physiology of Mediated Spatial-Presence Assessed Through Biometrics

The concept of presence in Virtual Reality has numerous definitions but lacks an objective metric. The aim of the research described in this manuscript was to assess feasibility of using physiological responses to measure presence objectively. To evaluate physiological responses to changes in presence (in isolation from factors potentially confounding the results) physiological responses observed in a Physical Environment were evaluated against measures obtained in a Virtual Replica of that Physical Environment. Design and development of the procedure methodology and software used for its delivery and analysis of the results was aimed at increasing robustness, replicability and applicability of the procedure. The hardware used for data collection was synchronized in the temporal domain with hardware used for delivering the environment. In such an approach a broader range of sensors can be used in the future to explore physiological responses to modulation of presence. Furthermore, the software developed to conduct this experiment does not require any specific model of the data collecting sensor, as long as the sensor can be synchronized in temporal domain with the clock of the machine delivering the procedure. Open-source SDK and cross-platform engine were used to maximise applicability of this method to various types of Head Mounted Displays. Tasks required to conduct the experiment were also organized to facilitate their division when additional human resources were available for participants recruitment, data collection and analyses. This thesis reports on the results of the exploratory study conducted with a sample of sixty-six (n = 66) participants (thirty-three [n = 33] males and thirty three [n = 33] females). An experiment was conducted to evaluate if physiological responses of participants bodies differ during exposure to the Virtual Replica of the Physical Environment that they were occupying. Mounting on the Head Mounted Display by participants had an unexpected and significant impact on recorded biofeedback data. Therefore, conducting the original planned analysis was not viable, because the data after HMD mounting began was contaminated. It demonstrates that the action of mounting VR headset impacts data and should be taken under consideration for future experiments employing such methods. Therefore, modifications to the methodology employed in the experiment described in this thesis are proposed for following experiments extending the methodology, to reduce the contamination of the Skin Conductance and Heart Rate data that has occurred in this study. Therefore, the modified method described in this thesis should bring researchers closer to an objective evaluation of different hardware configurations and rendering pipelines of different software engines in relation to mediated presence. Further work is recommended to improve this methodology, increasing its reliability and replicability, and extending the range of participants\u27 physiological responses being measured. A literature review was performed to facilitate the design of further experiments and analysis of results in the context of general cognition and perception of the environment not limited to mediated experiences. The utility of an objective method for measuring presence can be generalized to a metric applicable to virtual, remote, imaginary, and natural environments providing a method approaching a real-time objective evaluation of presence in the environment, assessed objectively through biometrics rather than qualitative methods. Furthermore, quantitative methods could be potentially used to evaluate and improve existing qualitative methods. Results of biometric data analysis are included in this thesis. They can be used to support hypotheses presented; however, it is argued by the author of this thesis that a stricter approach must be employed in future studies to increase validity of results

Emulating Perceptual Experience of Color Vision Deficiency with Virtual Reality

Abstract. One of the major goals of Universal Design is to create experiences that are inclusive to all users, including those affected by Color Vision Deficiency. Color Vision Deficiency might have a significant impact on a users’ perception of the content or the environment. There is a range of tools already available, that can be used to either aid or automate the process of readability testing for digital interfaces and content in respect to Color Vision Deficiency. Two different approaches to addressing this issue can be found. A brief review of such methodologies is provided in this paper. The first approach (user-end) attempts to solve the problem by altering mediation between the user and the content. The second (design-end) allows the designer to view an image, or color scheme altered to recreate the perceptual experience of a user affected by Color Vision Deficiency and asses the design from the perspective of a color-blind user. With an implemented proof-of-concept we investigate the potential use of Virtual Reality Head-Mounted Displays to employ similar methodology, to allow designers or interior decorators to experience physical environments (i.e.: classroom, library or a cafeteria) from the perspective of a color-blind person. Such tools might increase the designers’ empathy towards color-blind users but also allow them to identify visual components, such as infographics or advertisement, in a physical environment that are poorly visible to color-blind users. Such tools could be developed by taking advantage of a modern Head-Mounted Displays six degrees of freedom tracking, a 360 camera and color processing filters applied during post-processing at run-time, allowing a designer to easily switch between different types of colorblindness emulation

“Woodlands” - a Virtual Reality Serious Game Supporting Learning of Practical Road Safety Skills.

In developed societies road safety skills are taught early and often practiced under the supervision of a parent, providing children with a combination of theoretical and practical knowledge. At some point children will attempt to cross a road unsupervised, at that point in time their safety depends on the effectiveness of their road safety education. To date, various attempts to supplement road safety education with technology were made. Most common approach focus on addressing declarative knowledge, by delivering road safety theory in an engaging fashion. Apart from expanding on text based resources to include instructional videos and animations, some stakeholders (e.g.: Irish Road Safety Authority) attempt to take advantage of game-based learning [1]. However, despite the high capacity for interaction being common in Virtual Environments, available game-based solutions to road safety education are currently limited to delivering and assessing declarative knowledge

Measuring presence: Hypothetical quantitative framework

Virtual Reality Head - Mounted Display (HMD) manufacturers claim that consumer electronics can finally deliver a high degree of presence in virtual and remote environments. Certainly, current consumer-grade HMD systems offer rich and coherent mediated experiences of such environments. However, the very concept of presence is still a subject of debate, and researchers\u27 investigation of the phenomenon of `presence\u27 is based primarily on qualitative (i.e. questionnaire-based) assessments. Some researchers attempted to develop real-time, quantitative methods to facilitate more objective investigation of presence in mediated environments. Most such methodologies are derived from attempts to correlate presence with cardiovascular and electrodermal activity in response to stressful stimuli [1]. Such methodologies often don\u27t comply with the underlying logic, fundamental to this approach: a high degree of presence manifests itself through similar responses to the stimulus observed in a physical and Virtual Environment (VE). Therefore, the lack of deviation from baseline measurement observed in a physical environment should be a manifestation of a high level of presence. We have argued theoretical grounds for the development of quantitative methodologies for measuring presence in VE. However, our hypothesis can be applicable to other contexts, such as presence in physical but remote location, augmented reality, and even a physical environment. We argue that the concept of presence requires further research and development and that the definition of presence should be addressed first. Presence is discussed in the context of brain function theory [2]. Three hypothetical experiments are proposed and described. The first experiment is designed to evaluate capacity of the medium for inducing presence. The second experiment evaluates factors loading on presence, through physiological deviations from baseline observed during controlled regression in quality of the VE properties. The third experiment is designed to evaluate brain function theory hypothesis in relation to Virtual Environments. Possible experiment results and their interpretation is discussed along benefits of adopting Open Science methodology in our research community

Oświecenie i kontroświecenie czasów Królestwa Polskiego. Polemika o. Karola Surowieckiego z ministrem Stanisławem Kostką Potockim

By criticizing the world around them, the supporters of the idea of Enli- ghtenment brought about profound transformations in all areas of life. This did not mean, however, that such ideas and transformations gained widespread acceptance. On the contrary, their opponents, who saw decli- ne and demoralization in lieu of ‘enlightenment', developed the Counter- -Enlightenment movement. Critically perceiving modernity, they asked questions about the arbitrariness of human reason, the concept of human nature and human morality, giving answers from the position of Christian apologists. Therefore in the period of the Kingdom of Poland, the Polish anti-Enlightenment movement persevered against eighteenth-century philosophy, opposing everything they considered harmful to modernity and religion.A perfect example of the struggle between representatives of hosti- le ideological factions was the polemics between Father Karol Surowiecki and Stanisław Kostka Potocki, minister of the Kingdom. Educated in the age of reason and following the assumptions of the Enlightenment, the mi­nister was a symbol of the rational changes in the Second Polish Republic in the second half of the 18th century. On the other side of the barricade stood Father Surowiecki, an anti-Enlightenment Franciscan reformer, fier- cely defending the Church and religion. Their clash perfectly illustrated the incompatibility of their intellectual worlds.Zwolennicy idei oświecenia, poddając racjonalnej krytyce otaczającą ich rzeczywistość, dokonali gruntownych przeobrażeń we wszystkich dziedzi­nach życia. Nie oznaczało to jednak, że owe idee i przeobrażenia zyskały powszechną akceptację. Ich przeciwnicy, rozwijając nurt kontroświecenia, zamiast oświeceniowego postępu dostrzegali głęboki upadek i demorali­zację. Krytycznie postrzegając nowoczesność, pytali o arbitralność rozumu ludzkiego, o koncepcję natury człowieka, o jego moralność, odpowiedzi udzielając z pozycji apologetów chrześcijaństwa. Dlatego też w dobie Kró­lestwa Polskiego rodzimi antyoświeceniowcy wytrwale zwalczali osiemna­stowieczną filozofię, występując przeciwko temu wszystkiemu, co uznali za szkodliwe dla współczesności i religii.Modelowym wręcz przykładem zmagań reprezentantów przeciw­stawnych formacji ideowych była polemika o. Karola Surowieckiego z mini­strem Stanisławem Kostką Potockim. Ukształtowany w epoce racjonalizmu działający według założeń oświecenia minister był symbolem rozumo­wych przemian w Rzeczpospolitej drugiej połowy XVIII w. Po drugiej stronie światopoglądowej barykady stał o. Surowiecki, antyoświeceniowo nastawiony franciszkanin-reformat, który zaciekle bronił Kościoła i religii. Ich polemiczne starcie doskonale obrazowało, jak bardzo prezentowane przez nich myślowe światy nie przystawały do siebie

Jubileuszowe kazania księży Michała Karpowicza i Wilhelma Kalińskiego w zmiennych ocenach badaczy

In 1776 - a jubilee year in the Vilnius diocese - among 52 priests invited to preach on the occasion there were priests Michał Karpowicz and Wilhelm Kaliński. In the eyes of their contemporaries they were outstanding preachers. In the centuries that followed their fame faded away. Removed from respective handbooks on church oratory, criticised for the contents and form of their sermons, they were forgotten. Nevertheless, the jubilee contribution of Karpowicz and Kaliński was noticed by historians, researches of social thought and the history of education. They elevated the existential and spiritual dimension of the sermons delivered in Vilnius in 1776, emphasising the fact that they constituted the basis for forming a society mature in its religious and civic way. They included a plan of building just social relations and ideas of enlightened Catholicism as the grounds for economic and moral growth in Poland at the time of her political decline. The changing assessment of researchers who analysed the jubilee sermons of Karpowicz and Kaliński resulted from the adopted method of research and issues considered at the time when the assessment was made. This diversity, however, points to the richness of the sermons’ content as well as to the novelty, universality and openness of their authors.Rok jubileuszowy zapowiedziany przez Klemensa XIV i obchodzony w Rzymie w roku 1775, z woli jego następcy, Piusa VI, rozszerzony został na cały świat chrześcijański na rok 1776. W zamyśle Piusa VI, ogłoszony rok święty, nie tylko miał otworzyć skarbnice Bożego miłosierdzia, ale też wskazać na zasadnicze wyzwania stojące przed Kościołem w XVIII w. Papież ufał, że chrześcijanie pod przewodnictwem swych pasterzy, kształtując według Ewangelii życie społeczno-religijne, będą w stanie przeciwstawić się modnym prądom filozoficznym. W Polsce myśl papieską podjął m.in. biskup wileński Ignacy Massalski, organizując w diecezji w bardzo precyzyjny i metodyczny sposób obchody roku jubileuszowego. Szczegółowy ich plan zawarty został w książce zredagowanej przez ks. Tomasza Hussarzewskiego. Redaktor zamieścił w niej również list pasterski bp. Massalskiego z 10 V 1776 r., zapowiadający miłościwe lato w diecezji wileńskiej, w którym to liście widniały następujące uwagi dla kaznodziejów: „Kaznodzieje starać się mają ażeby w rzeczy poznanie, o której mówić będą jak najgruntowniej wchodzili, ażeby dowodnie, jasno, zwięźle i z bezpiecznością którą inspiruje prawda, ludzi nauczać, zachęcać, upominać, przekonywać i ciągnąć na swoich kazaniach mogli, ukazując się prawdziwemi nauczycielami prawdy, oświecającemi lud sobie powierzony w powinnościach religii i obywatelstwa”. W tym też celu Massalski polecił ks. Wilhelmowi Kalińskiemu opracowanie tematyki kazań. W zdecydowanej większości objęła ona zagadnienia dogmatyczno-moralne, ale i nie zabrakło wątków społecznych. Na 130 tematów kazań, które wygłoszono w Wilnie od 6 VII do 29 XII 1776 r., 30 dotyczyło problemów społeczno-ekonomicznych. A tak ustaloną uprzednio tematykę kazań rozwijać miało 52 wybranych duchownych, a wśród nich ks. Michał Karpowicz (1744-1803) oraz ks. Wilhelm Kaliński (1747-1789)

Ocena sprawności fizycznej i tolerancji wysiłkowej u pensjonariuszek Domów Pomocy Społecznej z otępieniem lekkiego stopnia

Introduction. Aging, Alzheimer’s disease, and other forms of dementia will become an increasingly serious public health problem with the global population demographic trend. Progressive dementia leads to a decrease in the ability to perform daily activities. Decline in intellectual and other cognitive functions is one of the most common changes in the aging process. People with dementia are more prone to limiting their activities, which promotes sarcopenia, reduced functional function and tolerance to physical exertion. Systematic, properly selected physical activity decreases the regression processes in the above areas. Aim. The aim of the study was to assess whether the early stage of dementia in the subjects is a factor reducing the level of physical fitness and exercise tolerance. Material and Methods. 74 women aged 80–84, residents of the nursing home, were examined. The subjects were divided. The first group consisted of 30 people diagnosed with mild dementia based on the assessment of the Mini Mental State Examination test. The second group consisted of 44 people without symptoms of dementia. Both groups underwent a Short Physical Performance Battery test to assess fitness and a 6-minute walk test to assess exercise tolerance. Results. The mean value of the body mass index was in the first group (25.9±2.2), in the second group was (25.3±3), the difference was insignificant p<0.7. The mean value of the Short Physical Performance Battery test in the first group was (6±2.1), in the second group it was (6±2.4), the difference was insignificant p<0.2. The mean value of the 6-minute walk test in the first group was (234±91), in the second group was (222±85), an insignificant difference of p<0.6. The differences for all the analyzed traits are statistically insignificant, the studied groups of women did not differ significantly in terms of the analyzed features. Conclusions. Dementia diagnosed at the mild level is not a factor significantly reducing the level of physical fitness and exercise tolerance. It is important to choose the right physical activity program aimed at this group. (JNNN 2025;14(1):3–7)Wstęp. Wraz ze światowym trendem demograficznym populacji starzenie się, choroba Alzheimera i inne formy demencji stanie się coraz poważniejszym problemem zdrowia publicznego. Postępująca demencja prowadzi do spadku zdolności do wykonywania codziennych czynności. Obniżanie funkcji intelektualnych i innych funkcji poznawczych jest jedną z najczęściej występujących zmian w procesie starzenia. Osoby z demencją są bardziej podatne na ograniczanie swojej aktywności, co sprzyja sarkopenii, ograniczeniu sprawności funkcjonalnej i tolerancji na wysiłek fizyczny. Systematyczna odpowiednio dobrana aktywność fizyczna spowalnia procesy regresu w powyższych obszarach. Cel. Celem pracy była ocena, czy występujący wczesny etap demencji u badanych jest czynnikiem obniżającym poziom sprawności fizycznej i tolerancji wysiłkowej. Materiał i metody. Przebadano 74 kobiety w wieku 80–84 lata, pensjonariuszki Domów Pomocy Społecznej. Badane podzielono. Pierwszą grupę stanowiło 30 osób ze zdiagnozowaną demencją lekkiego stopnia na podstawie oceny Mini Mental State Examination test. Grupę drugą stanowiły 44 osoby bez objawów demencji. W obydwu grupach przeprowadzono test Short Physical Performance Battery służący do oceny sprawności oraz 6-minutowy test marszu w celu oceny tolerancji wysiłkowej. Wyniki. Średnia wartość wskaźnika masy ciała w grupie pierwszej (25,9±2,2), w grupie drugiej (25,3±3), różnica nieistotna p<0,7. Średnia wartość Short Physical Performance Battery test w grupie pierwszej (6±2,1), w grupie drugiej (6±2,4), różnica nieistotna p<0,2. Średnia wartość 6-minutowego testu marszu w grupie pierwszej (234±91), w grupie drugiej (222±85), różnica nieistotna p<0,6. Dla wszystkich analizowanych cech różnice są nieistotne statystycznie — badane grupy kobiet nie różniły się znacząco pod względem analizowanych cech. Wnioski. Demencja zdiagnozowana na poziomie lekkiego stopnia nie stanowi czynnika obniżającego istotnie poziomu sprawności fizycznej i tolerancji wysiłkowej. Istotne jest odpowiednie dobranie programu aktywności fizycznej skierowanej dla tej grupy. (PNN 2025;14(1):3–7

Optical Nanofibers: a new platform for quantum optics

The development of optical nanofibers (ONF) and the study and control of their optical properties when coupling atoms to their electromagnetic modes has opened new possibilities for their use in quantum optics and quantum information science. These ONFs offer tight optical mode confinement (less than the wavelength of light) and diffraction-free propagation. The small cross section of the transverse field allows probing of linear and non-linear spectroscopic features of atoms with exquisitely low power. The cooperativity -- the figure of merit in many quantum optics and quantum information systems -- tends to be large even for a single atom in the mode of an ONF, as it is proportional to the ratio of the atomic cross section to the electromagnetic mode cross section. ONFs offer a natural bus for information and for inter-atomic coupling through the tightly-confined modes, which opens the possibility of one-dimensional many-body physics and interesting quantum interconnection applications. The presence of the ONF modifies the vacuum field, affecting the spontaneous emission rates of atoms in its vicinity. The high gradients in the radial intensity naturally provide the potential for trapping atoms around the ONF, allowing the creation of one-dimensional arrays of atoms. The same radial gradient in the transverse direction of the field is responsible for the existence of a large longitudinal component that introduces the possibility of spin-orbit coupling of the light and the atom, enabling the exploration of chiral quantum optics.Comment: 65 pages, to appear in Advances in Atomic, Molecular and Optical Physic

Symbole cierpienia i rytuały żałoby we współczesnej przestrzeni politycznej

The death of a loved one results in manifestations of suffering, mourning, and finally post-mortem and funeral ceremonies. The departure of people who were key figures and influenced the political space brings with it a whole spectrum of symbols, signs and rituals of mourning in this space. In the history of the Third Polish Republic, Poles experienced a number of sad moments related to the deaths of less and more significant figures in the world of politics. The departure of John Paul II, all those who died in the Smolensk catastrophe, the assassination of President Paweł Adamowicz, the deaths of the founding fathers of the Third Republic: Tadeusz Mazowiecki and Jacek Kuroń, Władysław Bartoszewski, Andrzej Chodubski, who was so close to the University of Gdańsk environment, and many others, are just some of the great world of politics and political science. The symbols of suffering and rituals of mourning that accompanied their farewells were, among other things, an expression of our culture, also political.Śmierć kogoś bliskiego skutkuje przejawami cierpienia, żałości, wreszcie ceremoniami pośmiertnymi i pogrzebowymi. Odejście osób, które były kluczowymi postaciami i wywierały wpływ na przestrzeń polityczną niesie za sobą, w tejże przestrzeni, całe spektrum symboli, oznak i rytuałów żałoby. W dziejach III Rzeczypospolitej Polacy doznali szeregu smutnych momentów związanych ze śmiercią mniej i bardziej znaczących w świecie polityki postaci. Odejście Jana Pawła II, wszystkich, którzy zginęli w katastrofie smoleńskiej, zabójstwo prezydenta Pawła Adamowicza, śmierć ojców założycieli III Rzeczypospolitej: Tadeusza Mazowieckiego i Jacka Kuronia, Władysława Bartoszewskiego, zgon jakże bliskiego środowisku Uniwersytetu Gdańskiego Andrzeja Chodubskiego i wielu innych, to zaledwie część ze znakomitych postaci świata polityki i nauk o polityce. Symbole cierpienia i rytuały żałoby, jakie towarzyszyły ich pożegnaniom, były między innymi wyrazem naszej kultury, także politycznej