Experiencing an art education program through immersive virtual reality or iPad: Examining the mediating effects of sense of presence and extraneous cognitive load on enjoyment, attention, and retention.

Sense of presence and extraneous cognitive load (ECL) are the two psychological effects widely employed to explain the cognitive outcomes caused by high-immersive media (e. g., virtual reality). This study identified the concepts of both technological affordance (i.e., immersion) and the psychological effects of VR learning. It investigated the mechanism by which immersion leads to better or worse communication in the context of art education. We operationalized the concept of immersion into two levels: a high-immersive VR system (HTC VIVE Cosmos) and a low-immersive tablet system (iPad). Through a between-subject experiment, we found that higher immersion not only led to a greater sense of presence but also lowered extraneous cognitive load. Enjoyment and attention increased as a sense of presence rose but were not necessarily predicted by extraneous cognitive load. This study found that sense of presence was a more robust explanatory variable than ECL and that cognitive load could be lower in a high-immersive environment with content specifically designed for VR.

Do You Feel the Same as I Do? Differences in Virtual Reality Technology Experience and Acceptance Between Elderly Adults and College Students.

Virtual reality (VR) has been widely applied in medical health areas and the entertainment and tourism industries, in which elderly people are a primary target. However, most studies on VR have focused on how people respond to this new technology and its effects on younger generations. Our study explored the differences in VR experience and acceptance between elderly adults and college students. A mixed method approach including both experiments and in-depth interviews was applied in this study. Our results show that elderly adults reported a higher level of telepresence and stronger emotional responses than young adults in VR viewing regardless of the VR device. The ways in which elderly people processed and evaluated VR content and devices were different from those of young people. Elderly people reported more positive attitudes toward the video they watched than young people, but this did not necessarily lead to more positive attitudes toward the viewing experience.

A transcriptomic study of selenium against liver injury induced by beta-cypermethrin in mice by RNA-seq.

Evidence from biochemical liver function index and histopathology analysis suggested that selenium could effectively repair the liver injury caused by beta-cypermethrin (ß-CYP). However, the molecular mechanism of selenium against liver injury induced by ß-CYP remains unclear. In the present study, dynamic changes in gene expression profiles before and after the treatment of Na2SeO3 in liver injury mice were analyzed by using RNA sequencing. As a result, several essential genes and pathways were identified to be significantly associated with this process. In particular, ten genes including Cyp2j11, Cyp2b10, Cyp3a13, Dhrs9, Socs2, Stat4, Gm13305, Cyp3a44, Retsat, and Cyp26b1 were significantly enriched in the functional categories related to retinol metabolism, linoleic acid metabolism, and Jak-STAT signaling pathway. Among them, the expression patterns of nine genes were validated by qRT-PCR, except for Cyp3a44. Furthermore, we have constructed the associated regulatory network based on the identified targets revealed by high throughput screening. Our study may provide insight into the molecular mechanism underlying the protective effect of selenium against liver injury induced by ß-CYP in mammals.

The Effects of Viewing an Uplifting 360-Degree Video on Emotional Well-Being Among Elderly Adults and College Students Under Immersive Virtual Reality and Smartphone Conditions.

Positive emotions are important for the physical and mental health of elderly adults. Previous research has suggested that the emotion processing mechanisms of elderly adults differ from those of young people. The current study used a mixed-methods approach to explore the emotional impacts of viewing an uplifting 360° videos under immersive (using a virtual reality [VR] headset) and nonimmersive (using a smartphone) conditions on elderly populations and young people. In Study 1, we conducted a pre-post treatment between-subject field experiment (smartphone vs. VR) among 58 seniors (aged 60 years and above) in a community center in Beijing, China. One-on-one semistructured interviews of each participant were conducted after the experiment. In Study 2, we conducted a between-subject laboratory experiment with the same design among college students. The results show that while both VR and smartphone viewing conditions led to a significant positive effect on the self-reported emotions of the college students, only the smartphone viewing condition had a significant impact on the emotional well-being of the elderly participants. For college students, immersive VR had a stronger effect on inducing positive emotions than smartphone, but for elderly people, the smartphone viewing condition was more effective in improving emotional wellbeing than immersive VR. An analysis of the qualitative data from interviewing the elderly participants also revealed a divergence in the acceptance of VR technologies among elderly adults, and the sense of telepresence had both positive and negative effects on the elderly participants' emotions and experiences.

The protective effects of selenium-enriched spirulina on the reproductive system of male zebrafish (Danio rerio) exposed to beta-cypermethrin.

Beta-cypermethrin (beta-CYP), which is widely used for the control of indoor and field pests, is a highly lipophilic insecticide with environmental estrogenic effects. Selenium-enriched Spirulina (Se-SP) is a novel natural antioxidant agent with a high nutritional value. This study was aimed at the investigation of the protective effects of Se-SP on the reproductive system of male zebrafish (Danio rerio) exposed to beta-CYP. We determined the protective effect of Se-SP on male zebrafish exposed to 7 nmol L-1 beta-CYP by measuring the activity of sperm and antioxidants, examining tissue sections, measuring hormone secretion levels, and analyzing the expression of related proteins and genes during spermatogenesis. We found that beta-CYP enhanced VTG synthesis and estrogen (E2) secretion, increased the number of spermatogonia and spermatocytes, and decreased the number of spermatids and Sertoli cells. However, treatment with 50 mg L-1 Se-SP (Se: 25 µmol g-1 Se-SP) almost completely ameliorated the deleterious effects of beta-CYP. The protective mechanism of Se-SP in the testes of beta-CYP-treated fish involved an enhancement of antioxidant enzyme activity and an increase in androgen secretion by the downregulation of the expression of cyp19a, nanos2, piwil1, dazl and sycp3, and the upregulation of the expression of odf3b, igf3, insl3 and dmrt1, which affected testosterone production and spermatogenesis. Our study strongly indicates that treatment with Se-SP can effectively prevent the oxidative damage to the reproductive system during spermatocyte differentiation induced by beta-CYP exposure.

Enhanced luminescence at 2.7 µm of Na5Lu9F32 single crystals co-doped Er3+/Pr3+ grown by Bridgman method.

Na5Lu9F32 single crystals co-doped with 1 mol. % Er3+ and various concentrations (0.1 mol. %, 0.3 mol. %, 0.5 mol. %, 0.7 mol. %, and 1 mol. %) of Pr3+ were successfully grown using the Bridgman method. Optical spectroscopic investigations of the obtained single crystal were reported for the absorption, emission, and luminous decay. The obtained single crystal appears with almost no absorption at the 2.7 µm band, attributable to the OH- bond. According to the Judd-Ofelt (J-O) theory, the J-O intense parameters of Er3+ ions were calculated. Under the 980 nm LD pumping, an obviously enhanced emission at 2.7 µm was obtained in the Er3+/Pr3+ co-doped crystal compared with the Er3+ singly doped crystal due to the energy transfer from Er3+ to Pr3+. The most intense emission at 2.7 µm was obtained when the doping concentrations of Er3+ and Pr3+ were 1 mol. % and 0.5 mol. % in the present research. The maximum emission cross-section and gain cross-section at 2.7 µm were also estimated. Moreover, using the Dexter theory, the energy transfer microscopic parameters have been calculated, and the decay curve fitting using the Inokuti-Hirayama expression indicated the dipole-dipole energy transfer from Er3+ to Pr3+ ions.