This paper discusses results from two successive rounds of virtual mines rescue training. The first round was conducted in a surround projection environment (360-VR), and the second desktop reality (Desktop-VR). In 360-VR condition, trainees participated as groups, making collective decisions. Desktop-VR could control their avatars individually. Overall, 372 participants took part this study, i...

1 Motivation Future digital libraries will be distributed, and recent research has already explored some promising approaches focusing on distributed and peer-to-peer search and retrieval architectures, connecting distributed repositories efficiently and transparently. Another aspect, which has been less explored so far, is the role of the implicit personal repositories we all have on our deskt...

In this paper we describe design and implementation considerations for the graphic user interface for CoDesk (the Collaborative Desktop), which is an environment for CSCW (Computer Supported Cooperative Work). CoDesk is an attempt to make collaboration a natural part of the daily use of a computer. Our way to achieve this is to put the user in the centre of the computing in a similar way that a...

The advent of compact and lightweight portable personal computers has offered its users mobility. Various sizes of PC-FPDs can now be seen in the occupational setting as an alternative to the desktop computers. However, the increasing popularity of this relatively new technology may not be without any accompanying problems. The present study was designed to evaluate the use of PC-FPDs in terms ...

Virtual desktop services have been attracting attention due to their ability to improve data security and reduce the operation and management costs of personal computers. A virtual desktop is a desktop environment virtualized in a cloud that can be accessed remotely and used in the same way as a conventional desktop environment. It thereby eliminates the need to store information on a client te...

This study examined how desktop virtual reality (VR) enhances learning and not merely does desktop VR influence learning. Various relevant constructs and their measurement factors were identified to examine how desktop VR enhances learning and the fit of the hypothesized model was analyzed using structural equation modeling. The results supported the indirect effect of VR features to the learni...

The advent of high performance computers (HPC) has allowed materials researchers to model large three-dimensional (3D) nano-structures. These 3D nano-structures and their associated macro-properties can be sufficiently complex such that researchers can benefit from immersive virtual environments (VEs) in their analysis and interpretation of HPC model results. Because immersive VEs such as a CAV...

The computing environment of the future will be mobile and pervasive, involving a paradigm shift away from the desktop. Inspired by the beginnings of this shift, from desktop to mobile and pervasive computing, this project set out to look at whether mobile and pervasive computers were different to desktop computers. Specifically, its original aim was to investigate the practice of simply scalin...

Following the rapid growth of ubiquitous computing, many jobs that were previously manual have now been automated. This automation has increased the amount of time available for leisure; diverse services are now being developed for this leisure time. In addition, the development of small and portable devices like smartphones, diverse Internet services can be used regardless of time and place. S...

Desktop grids are usually equipped with hundreds or thousands of desktops which use the idle cycles of desktop PCs of small enterprises and institutions. From conventional multi -site cluster grids, desktop grids vary markedly in terms of their dynamic nature. In terms of their dynamic nature such grids vary markedly from conventional grids] . This causes the need of new scheduling algorithms ,...