text:
|Publication number
|Publication type
|Application number
|Publication date
|Oct 16, 2001
|Filing date
|Jun 21, 2000
|Priority date
|Jun 21, 2000
|Fee status
|Also published as
|Publication number
|Carmen T. Reitano
|Original Assignee
|Carmen T. Reitano
|Export Citation
|BiBTeX, EndNote, RefMan
|Patent Citations (18), Non-Patent Citations (2), Referenced by (50), Classifications (10), Legal Events (8)
|External Links: USPTO, USPTO Assignment, Espacenet
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to systems and methods for the detection of dyslexia, and more particularly to such systems and methods incorporated in existing handwriting pattern recognition systems
2. Description Related to the Prior Art
Dyslexia is a specific learning difficulty that hinders the learning of literacy skills. Its etymology is based on the Greek: 'difficulty with words'. It affects millions of people worldwide.
Dyslexia affects reading, spelling, writing, memory and concentration, and sometimes math, music, foreign languages and self-organization It is apparently neurologically based and tends to run in families. Other symbolic systems, such as mathematics and musical notation, can also be affected. However, there is controversy as to the exact definition of the syndrome of dyslexia and from contradictory theories that surround its etiology.
There seems to be a consensus as to the need for early detection and treatment. The symptoms can be difficult to detect, however, especially at an early age. In pre-schoolers these symptoms may include the following1: THE DYSLEXIA INSTITUTE http://www.dyslexia-inst.org.uk
Later than expected learning to speak clearly.
Jumbles phrases, e.g. 'cobbler's club' for 'toddler's club','teddy-dare' for 'teddybear'.
Quick 'thinker' and 'do-er'.
Use of substitute words or 'near misses'.
Mislabeling e.g. lampshade for lamp post.
A lisp—'duckth' for 'ducks'.
Inability to remember the label for known objects, e.g. colours.
Confused directional words, e.g. 'up/down' or 'in/out'.
Excessive tripping, bumping and falling over nothing.
Enhanced creativity—often good at drawing—good sense of colour.
Obvious 'good' and 'bad' days for no apparent reason.
Aptitude for constructional or technical toys, e.g. bricks, puzzles, lego blocks, control box for TV and video, computer keyboards.
Enjoys being read to but shows no interest in letters or words.
Difficulty learning nursery rhymes.
Finds difficulty with rhyming words, e.g. 'cat mat fat'.
Finds difficulty with odd-one-out, e.g. 'cat mat pig fat'.
Did not crawl—was a 'bottom shuffler'.
Difficulty with 'sequence'. e.g. coloured bead sequence.
Attempts to diagnose dyslexia generally fall into one of two categories: (1) generalized behavioral diagnoses, as in the list above, and (2) physiological tests involving detection of psychological and/or neurophysiological symptoms such as abnormal EEG or evoked potential and/or erratic eye movements.
Many of the patents in this area are of the latter type. U.S. Pat. No. 4,889,422, for instance, takes this approach, as do many others.
The current invention, on the other hand, is based on the well-known tendencies of dyslexics to perceive characters in unique ways, both in the perception of the characters, and in attempts to reproduce those characters by drawing the characters as they see them. Among these typical dyslexic misperceptions is the tendency to produce mirror images of characters.
This invention is implemented by means of the various handwriting recognition systems which are well developed and in wide use at the present time. These systems all have one characteristic in common: they compare a person's handwriting, character by character, to a library of acceptable or model characters, and reject those characters which do not conform to any recognized character model in the library.
The present invention expands this technique to include not only recognizable legitimate characters, but also illegitimate characters, such as the mirror images of legitimate characters. When the user of one of these handwriting recognition systems generates a significant number of these distorted characters, the invention records these in the memory associated with the handwriting recognition system, and creates a statistical profile of the errors, creating a warning that the user may be displaying characteristics associated with dyslexia.
This invention has the great advantage that it does not require any advances in the basic technology in handwriting analysis: it merely requires the expansion of the available character sets to include the models of distorted characters typically generated by dyslexics.
The current invention can be incorporated into simple word games currently available on computer and INTERNET systems for young children of pre-school and early school age, thus providing the early warning so urgently needed.
It is a general objective of the current invention to incorporate a dyslexia detection system into an existing handwriting recognition system.
In accordance with one aspect of the invention, a method for detecting dyslexia in a handwriting pattern recognition system, which includes a database of legitimate characters includes the steps of including in the database a set of distorted characters, then presenting a character to be input by a student, and inputting characters by the student. The method proceeds with the detecting of a correspondence between each input character and one of the distorted character, then determining a pattern of inputting of distorted characters, and finally, reporting the pattern.
In accordance with a second aspect of the invention, the set of distorted characters includes mirror images of the legitimate characters.
In accordance with a third aspect of the invention, each distorted character is associated with a legitimate character, and the reporting is done by means of statistical reporting of the distorted characters input.
In accordance with a fourth aspect of the invention, the set of distorted characters includes both a subset of global distorted characters and one or more subsets of local distorted characters.
In accordance with a fifth aspect of the invention, the subsets of local distorted characters are collected by statistical sampling methods from individual users, and a subset of local distorted characters is associated with each individual user.
In accordance with a sixth aspect of the invention, each distorted character is associated with a true character, and the true character is reported together with the distorted character detected.
In accordance with a final aspect of the invention, the database of distorted characters, the means for presenting a word to be input by a student, the means for inputting words containing characters by a student, the means for detecting a correspondence between each input character and one of the distorted characters, the means for determining a pattern of inputting of distorted characters, the means for detecting a pattern of selection of distorted characters in the words input, and the means for reporting said pattern are accomplished by either personal computers, by personal digital assistants, through means of computer games, or by a device communicating over a data communications network with an INTERNET server.
These, and further features of the invention, may be better understood with reference to the accompanying specification and drawings depicting the preferred embodiment, in which:
FIG. 1 depicts a block diagram of the system.
FIG. 2 depicts a flow chart of the first preferred embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 3 depicts a flow chart of the second preferred embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 4 depicts input screen of a simple user interface for the present invention.
FIG. 5 depicts a successful result on the results screen of the simple user interface.
FIG. 6 depicts a reports screen summarizing the test results of a test series by a student.
FIG. 7 depicts a second reports screen summarizing the test results of a test series by a student.
FIG. 8 depicts an unsuccessful result on the results screen of the simple user interface.
FIG. 9 depicts the system used to implement the current invention.
In the following descriptions, the term "handwriting" will be used to refer to both cursive and printed forms, and the invention described herein operates with both forms.
The current system is designed to detect, quantify, and catalog the symptoms of dyslexia at the earliest age of the person so afflicted. The system detects an individual's inability to see, recognize, and to faithfully reproduce characters of the alphabet. The cataloging of the failed attempts to recreate the target character results in the identification of specific characters which an individual is unable to recognize and recreate, and this data is then used to report individualized patterns of perceptual dysfunction
The overriding principle in the current invention is to create a cyborg environment, made up of a man-machine system specifically designed and configured to allow man/machine interaction in order to provide character-specific visual evidence of a person's personal perceptual dysfunction.
In one of the basic implementations, as shown in FIG. 9, a system containing the current invention includes a computer 101, a monitor 102, and a printer 104. The computer software, including the handwriting analysis software, resides on the computer. A keyboard 105 provides a standard input to control the system. A sketch pad 106 is electronically connected to the computer, and provides the means for the user to supply handwritten input to the computer. The database 103 contain the libraries of characters described hereinafter may be contained within the computer 101, or may be external to the computer.
The present invention may be implemented by a number of electronics means. Besides the personal computer system shown in FIG. 9, they include the Personal Digital Assistant, such as the PalmPilot™2, a new variety of NET appliances, or other devices specifically designed for teaching handwriting to children and illiterate adults. The invention may further be implemented as an interactive application running on the INTERNET, and accessed either by a personal computer, or by an electronic device specially manufactured to access the INTERNET, including cell phones
The system is shown in its most basic form in FIG. 1. The system requires a display 22, which shows a student the character or words to be emulated. These characters or words are input to the system by some device 10, which may be a pen input device to a PC. Such devices include pen/pad inputs sold by Aiptek, Inc., and by WACOM, Inc. Alternatively, the input may be accomplished by use of a stylus and a pressure-sensitive surface, as used in a variety of personal digital assistants, or PDAs, including the PalmPilot™ series.
Still referring to FIG. 1, a character recognition process 12 interprets the input by one of a number of well-developed character recognition means. In the prior art, the manually input character would be compared against a database 16 of legitimate characters. In the more sophisticated handwriting input programs, the comparison is contextual; that is, the characters are identified as possibly being one of several different legitimate candidate characters. Then, words using the identified characters are compared to a database 20 dictionary of legitimate words to determine which of the most likely candidates characters produce legitimate words.
In the current invention, however, the input characters are also compared to a database 18 of distorted characters. These distorted characters consists of the common variations that a dyslexic person produces when attempting to write certain characters. In addition, the database of distorted characters will also contain links to the legitimate characters that these distorted characters represent. Typical distortions of this nature are shown in FIG. 4.
In its simplest implementation, the process proceeds according to the steps shown in the flow chart of FIG. 2. The process starts by displaying a character to copy 30. In a PC-based system the display is done on the monitor. The student then inputs the character 32 shown on the screen, attempting to reproduce it correctly. The system next determines 34 whether the character input was the character displayed, within the limits of the handwriting analysis software of the prior art. If the exemplar input by the student is correct, the process continues by notifying the student that his input was correct, and then proceeding to display 30 a new character to copy.
If, however, the input character was not recognized as one of the legitimate character set, then the input character is then tested 36 to determine whether the input character was one of the distorted character set. If not, then the input is simply reported 38 as an error, and is added to an error data base as well for subsequent statistical reporting. However, if the character input is one of the distorted character set, a special entry is made 40 to the report database for subsequent output. It should be noted that all errors are recorded for subsequent analysis.
The process then tests 42 for completion, and will recycle to the beginning with a new display 30 of a character to copy until a termination 42 is finally indicated, at which time a report 44 is generated.
The final report will typically indicate how many characters were input, how many general errors occurred, and how many distorted characters were generated. The report should further indicate which legitimate characters resulted in the student's inputting which distorted characters
In the preferred embodiment, these reports will not be automatically output to the student. Rather, the reports will be stored internally in the computer, PDA, or other device, where they can be output later by those monitoring the student progress.
In a further variation of this preferred embodiment, the distorted characters will not be contained within a separate database, but will be generated on the fly by a separate process. For instance, a common type of distortion perceived, and generated by those suffering from dyslexia is a mirror image distortion.
Thus, still referring to FIG. 2, the test of the input character against a distorted set 36 is implemented by taking a character from the legitimate set, creating the mirror image by data processing means, and then comparing the input character to the just-calculated mirror image.
It should be noted that this embodiment, as well as the one described below, may be implemented by means of a computer game format.
A simplified user interface is shown in FIG. 4. The input screen 73 depicted in this figure may appear on a PC monitor, a PDA, or the like. The user is shown a character 70 to reproduce, in this case, the letter "A". The user is then asked to reproduce this character, by drawing, using a pen-type device. The user then attempts to draw the character in the input box 72.
Referring now to FIG. 5, which shows a results screen 75 after the user has drawn an "A" in the input box 72. The system recognizes the drawn figure as acceptable, and rewards the user with a "star" in the result area 78, indicating that the input was correct.
Referring now to FIG. 8, a results screen 75 is shown after the user has been presented with the number "3" in box 70. In this case, the user has drawn an incorrect character, resembling the number "8", in input box 72. As a result, the system produced a result 78 which signifies an incorrect input.
Referring now to FIG. 6, a report screen 83 summarizes the results of a test session. This screen contains a header 84, in which information about the user appears, including name, date of the exercise, grade level, and the test series used. This screen also shows a column 80 containing the characters presented for duplication. A second column 82 shows the results produced by the student after the first series. Although FIG. 6 shows the results of only one test series, additional series results may appear in columns to the left of column 82, which are blank in this figure.
Referring now to FIG. 7, a different report screen 85 summarizes the results input by the student in response to individual characters, in this case, to the character "B" presented for duplication. This screen contains a header 90 similar to the header of the report screen shown in FIG. 6. Still referring to FIG. 7, a row of characters 86 drawn by the student in successive attempts to reproduce the letter "B" appears. A summary 88 of these attempts appears beneath row 86.
In a second preferred embodiment the implementation of the current invention is based on a prior art method of character recognition in which a database of legitimate words is included in the system, in addition to a database of legitimate characters.
Referring now to FIG. 3, The user is presented with a display 50 of words to copy. He then inputs 52 the word presented, and a test 54 is made, using the handwriting pattern recognition system. If the students input is judged acceptable by the system, a new word is displayed 50 for the student to copy, and the process continues. If not, however, the system attempts to determine 56 if any of the characters input by the student are contained in the distorted character set. If they are not, the student's attempt is reported as an ordinary error 58, and control returns to the top of the process 50.
If, however, the characters contained appear as part of the distorted character set, then the corresponding legitimate characters are substituted 60 for the distorted characters. The word input by the student, with legitimate characters substituted for the distorted characters, is tested against the dictionary of acceptable words, and the result is stored as a variant revealing a misperception by the student, for inclusion in the final report.
At the end of each word input, a determination 64 is made as to whether any more test words will be presented to the student. If not, the report or reports 66 will be generated. If not, control returns to the beginning 50 of the process.
In a third embodiment of the present invention the handwriting analysis is performed in the normal way in accordance with the prior art, except that the characters considered to be errors, or not identifiable, are all stored for subsequent analysis. These unacceptable characters are stored, together with an indication of the character presented to the user which resulted in the unacceptable character.
At the end of the test session, the unacceptable characters are analyzed by the system software to determine if they contain characteristics associated with dyslexia, identifying specific patterns of perceptual dysfunction. The reports generated in this embodiment contain characterizations of the types of errors found. Referring to FIG. 7, the various errors are displayed in column 86. The results of the analysis appear in area 88. As seen in FIG. 7, a separate report may be generated for each different character presented to be written or printed by the student.
The reports will be output either on the screen of the testing device, or may be printed as hard copy for later analysis.
It has been observed that people afflicted with dyslexia will often distort characters in a common manner, as in the case of writing mirror images of characters. These types of distortions will be referred to herein as "global distortions" In addition, many dyslexics will write characters which are unique to that particular person only. The system may be used to detect such distortions in the character sets which are unique to a particular user. When a user makes a mistake by inputting a character which has repeated, consistent characteristics, the character presented for copying, or "true character", together with the misperceived character are stored. These misperceived characters unique to this particular user, are called "local distortion"s. The characteristics of the local distortion are collected over a large number of samples and stored. Average characteristics of the sample are collected, and a typical "local distortion" is compiled. The characteristics of this "local distortion" are defined in the same way as is used for the "true character" in the particular character recognition methodology used by the system.
In this embodiment, the reports are segregated into separate reports which show global distortions, and those which show local distortions.
A database, or library of local distortions will be assembled for each user. Thus, when a particular user logs onto the system, the system will access not only the library of true characters and global distortions, but also the library of local distortions for the particular user who has logged onto the system. In this way, the system in personalized for particular users.
In another embodiment, the characters input by a user will be compared not only to the database of true characters, but also to the libraries of global and local distortions. The character drawn by the user may then be translated back into a "true character" as part of the detection process, and displayed for the user to see. This embodiment is useful in cases where the user is not only making an erroneous drawing of a character, but confusing the character to be copied with another character.
Because this invention is intended to detect dyslexia in young children, it is especially suitable for incorporation into computer or INTERNET games. Such games require the use of an electronic pad on which to draw characters which then appear on the screen of a computer or similar display. A typical game of this type may involve a simple mimicking of a letter shown on a computer screen, or an attempt to write down a word which is displayed on the screen in a setting where the user has a limited time to copy a sample using the users own handwriting, where the sample disappears after a short period of time. Such computer games, and similar handwriting development programs which uses computers are currently in use in some schools, and will be increasingly available for this purpose.
While the invention has been described with reference to specific embodiments, it will be apparent that improvements and modifications may be made within the purview of the invention without departing from the scope of the invention defined in the appended claims.
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|Oct 18, 2002
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The Rainbow Project together with the Equality Commission NI, Community Foundation for Northern Ireland and Community Places will be hosting a Community Planning Conference on Friday 27th April from 10.00am to 1.00pm at the Lough Neagh Discovery Centre, Oxford Island, Craigavon.
This conference will explore
- what Community Planning is
- what central government envisage for Community Planning
- how local Councils and local communities can ensure that marginalised communities are included in the process.
The keynote speaker at the conference will be the Environment Minister Alex Attwood MLA.
There is no charge for this conference, however places are limited to three per organisation and overall numbers are limited also. You are encouraged to book early.
If you have any other queries or to register, please contact Christine Stoll at the Equality Commission at firstname.lastname@example.com or 02890 500692.
As part of the Local Government Reforms, the number of councils will be reduced from 26 to 11 and the new councils will be given additional powers including Community Planning. Local Councils will have a duty to facilitate the Community Planning process through working in partnership with statutory agencies and community and voluntary organisations to address the needs of local communities.
Those Community Planning processes which have been most effective have placed a greater emphasis on quality engagement, ensuring that all members of the community have an opportunity to have their voice heard.
It is essential that Councils and communities begin equipping themselves to engage with the process to ensure positive results in terms of plans, and to fulfil Section 75 obligations.

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News By Tag
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Trap Door Athletics announces the formation of Liberty Box League
The sport of Elite Fitness is coming to Philadelphia - league style.
The league was inspired in part by Rob Topper, Lesha Meyer, and Joe Ling, along with many conversations Cassie Grassia and Emily Record have had with various box owners in the greater Philadelphia Area. Grassia and Record are looking forward to putting it together and giving athletes an opportunity to get competition experience without excessive travel.
About Trap Door Athletics: Trap Door Athletics is fitness outside of the box, working with athletes and fitness enthusiasts of all abilities who are looking for exciting and adventure-filled travel experiences and vacations, but do not want to leave their workout routine and balanced nutrition at home. If you are looking for an all-inclusive, active vacation with a focus on adventure fitness and healthy eating, Trap Door Athletics is your solution, providing you with high-end travel experiences to some of the most scenic and luxurious destinations in the world.
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Brain Lab II
By Asia App Limited
Open iTunes to buy and download apps.
Editor Picked by Best10Apps.com.
「Brain Lab II」 is FREE for a limited time - Sponsored by AppRuby.com (Save USD$0.99)!
"Brain Lab II" has been the most popular game in many countries, like Germany, Italy, France, Korea, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Thailand, Malaysia and Singapore!
The fun brain training game, "Brain Lab II", has now arrived iPhone!
Get your static brain moving! This game lets you train your brain through interesting exercises! Your left and right brain IQ will be evaluated too!
Want to know how smart you are? Let's play and enjoy the fun!
★ 200+ tricky questions
★ Test Mode and Practice Mode
★ IQ score sharing through Facebook connection
★ Clean and cute-looking graphics
★ Lively music and sound effects
★ Detailed analysis on left and right brain
★ iPhone 4 Retina Display Support
What's New in Version 2.1
- Christmas version
- Bug Fix
- 2 more FREE stages
iPhone Screenshots
Customer Reviews
Great fun game
This game is good to pass time. Like if your on a roadtrip and your bored of waiting well dont be bored anymore start off with the game and you'll be to your destination in no time!!!😄😃😄
Can't play because of the ads
I have many games on my iPhone and there are always those annoying ads but this game makes it impossible to play because it continuously closes you out during the game to open up an ad in the safari app. I'm deleting a game for the first time ever because of ads.
Haha, a fun game
It's so glad to see it praise me. It said I will get noble prize very soon! Hahahahaaaa... In fact I'm not that clever. Just the games are quite easy.
Keep it up, it's a good game for us to kill time.
- Free
- Category: Games
- Updated: Dec 14, 2012
- Version: 2.1
- Size: 34.1 MB
- Languages: English, Danish, Dutch, Finnish, French, German, Greek, Hungarian, Indonesian, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Norwegian Bokmål, Portuguese, Russian, Simplified Chinese, Spanish, Swedish, Thai, Traditional Chinese, Turkish, Vietnamese
- Seller: Asia App Limited
- © 2012 Asia App Limited
Compatibility: Requires iOS 4.3 or later. Compatible with iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch.


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WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court says Americans have a right to own guns for self-defense and hunting, the justices' first major pronouncement on gun rights in U.S. history.
The court's 5-4 ruling strikes down the District of Columbia's 32-year-old ban on handguns as incompatible with gun rights under the Second Amendment.
More later, I imagine. It will be interesting to see how Obama responds to this, especially given his ambitions to conquer the Mountain West states where, shall we say, support for gun rights is strong. Most european reaction will, I suspect, have a Would you look at those Crazy Yanks tone…
Subscribe to The Spectator today for a quality of argument not found in any other publication. Get more Spectator for less – just £12 for 12 issues.


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Watch the Chevron and U.S. Military Veterans video
Go Directly to Job Search
You've met important challenges during your service in the U.S. military. Are you ready to apply your experience and skills in a rewarding career with Chevron?
Chevron is committed to being the employer of choice for qualified U.S. military veterans. We recognize your commitment to teamwork and safety. At Chevron, you'll find retired members of the U.S. military and active reservists throughout the company. When you join Chevron, you can turn your ideas into real-life solutions.
Chevron is experienced in helping employees adjust to new work and living environments around the world. With our benefits and support programs, we can assist you in your transition from military to civilian life.
Because we believe in getting results the right way, as a veteran, you'll feel at home with Chevron. The Chevron Way explains who we are and what we believe. Our company's foundation is built on these values, which distinguishes us and guides our actions.
Use this tool to find Chevron jobs related to your military experience.
My military experience has helped me at Chevron due to the leadership skills learned in the service. These skills are second nature by the time you leave the military. My favorite thing about working for Chevron is the diversity of people and professions you encounter on any given day.
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So, while you're busy telling your teen not to post sexy images or teacher disses on their social media accounts, just how careful are you about what you're posting?
You know to be wary of boss-repellent postings. But what if others could come back to haunt you in divorce court?
That's the reality facing a Connecticut couple, who were recently ordered to divulge their Facebook and dating website passwords by a judge.
As Forbes writer Kashmir Hill explains, lawyers routinely get this sort of information by visiting a person's page or asking them to turn over evidence - not by actually signing into them.
What is the reason for this more-extreme "court-authorized hacking" in this case, she asks?
(For one thing, it violates Facebook's terms of service, which asks users not to share their passwords.)
Apparently, the husband saw some incriminating things on the couple's home computer and thought there may be more evidence lurking there about: "...how she feels about her children and her ability to take care of them and that it would help his client in arguing for full custody."
The mind boggles at the kinds of exasperated parent vents that lurk everywhere in social media accounts and could look incriminating in a certain light: complaints about the little monsters, Gravol jokes, Mommy-needs-a-drink quips and escape fantasies.
But some observers cheer the invasion of privacy.
Blogger Nicole Fabian-Weber writes that the judge's move "oughta be a new rule for divorcing couples."
"People don't just break up or divorce anymore, they break up or divorce then taunt, stalk, prank, and bother each other via social media," she writes.
"There's no such thing as making a clean break. Your ex is always sort of in your life - no matter how far they are from you geographically - as long as the Internet exists."
It's enough for many people to wonder what the heck we're all doing online, anyway.
The husband's divorce lawyer in the Connecticut case told Forbes that he has no computer or e-mail accounts.
"I see the information people can get from computers, in lawsuits and through hacking," he told Forbes. "They scare the hell out of me."
Do you think social media accounts should fall under court scrutiny? And either way, are we sharing way too much?Report Typo/Error


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|This article, AV-299 Dragon Heavy Gunship, was written by ONI recon 111. Please do not edit this fiction without the writer's permission.
The AV-299 Dragon is a UNSCDF Heavy Gunship.
The Dragon is a UNSCDF atmospheric Gunship used mainly for Anti-infantry. It was first seen in combat on Vladmire IV shortly after the arrival of the coveant fleet. It has two dual heavy machineguns for anti-infantry and two rotating scorpion missile launchers for removing any light tanks for UNSC ground forces. It was used all through the post war campaign and the Syphodyte campaign and excelled at its jobs.


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Spy photographers have spotted something interesting. Cadillac engineers have taken to public streets with the upcoming ATS-V and a playmate: the current BMW M3 Sedan. The prototype seen here wears a more aggressive front fascia, flared fenders and beefy brakes. Quad exhaust tips and what looks to be a small lip spoiler on the trunk deck sum up the most obvious visual changes over the standard ATS outside. Word has it the ATS-V will bow with the same twin-turbo 3.6-liter V6 available in the nose
- Photos
- Aug 8, 2013
2015 Cadillac ATS-V: Spy Shots
- 2018 Honda Accord is sleeker, more efficient
- Mercedes X-Class pickup truck revealed
- Find and compare 2017 Models


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Advertisement [CLICK THE BUTTON ON THE RIGHT TO CONTINUE]
Author | Malini Menon | Thursday, Nov 11,2004 8:37 AM
Consumer electronics major Electrolux is expecting a 30 per cent increase in sales during the festival season this year in comparison to last year, says Sanjeev Wadhwa, General Manager, marketing, Electrolux India. The company has spent 20 per cent more on marketing and promotional activities this festive season than last year, he informs.
Interestingly, the company has also planned to link itself with the K-actors to get an edge. Electrolux will sponsor the event wherein Kashish and Sujal from 'Kahiin to Hoga', Ansh from 'Kyunki…', Urvashi, Prerna and Anurag from 'Kasauti Zindagi Kay', Om from 'Kahaani Ghar Ghar Kii' and many more will come together to celebrate Diwali with the viewers.
On the association, Wadhwa says: "We are keenly looking forward to the festival season. To create extensive visibility for our brand during the season, nothing could have been better than the association with the most sought after characters of 'K' serials. These joint promotions with STAR will not only ensure high visibility but also help us spur volumes of our products across the country."
The company has joined hands with the channel to present two specially designed programmes – '7827 lagaao, Kismat Jagao', a unique reverse auction for Electrolux Homes and STAR Plus 'Diwali Dhoom Machaley' event, for the festive days.
However, under this first-ever on-air reverse auction, the viewers will get to bid for customised Electrolux Homes which comprises DFF44 refrigerator, Fabriguard Luxury washing machine, 25 litre Convection Microwave Oven and Window AC. The lowest unique bid will win the fabulous Electrolux Home. The viewer has to just SMS the bid amount at 7827 and would instantly get a message showing whether their bid is lowest unique or not. In case the bid is not the 'lowest unique'; the viewer gets an opportunity to bid again.
As Wadhwa says, the programmes will be advertised aggressively on all the STAR Network Channels including STAR Plus, STAR World, STAR Movies, STAR Utsav, STAR Gold, Channel V, etc.


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Now shipping for multiple consoles, EA Sports' latest sim FIFA Soccer 11 retains many of the hallmarks of the franchise -- a ridiculous amount of authentic players, teams and leagues, near photorealistic graphics and responsive control -- but the development team at EA Canada has added more than you might think.
And so we challenged David Rutter, producer for FIFA Soccer 11 for Xbox 360 and PS3, to tell us 11 things we didn't know about the game.
1. Be a goalie. You can now play as the goalie in FIFA Soccer 11. Playing as the goalie has periods of inactivity followed by extreme action. It's quite different from being a striker. There's little collaboration or cooperation for the keeper. That's where shouting comes in. We've implemented a "zoom up pitch" with the select button, and "call to actions" -- essentially button prompts -- for teammates. You can get your teammates to be focused defensively – a bit like shouting at them.
2. Personality+. With Personality+, you should play to your player's strength. Use the player bio screen, which you can access through team management, to check out the skills of your players before stepping onto the pitch. Pay particular attention to the Badges which highlight the skills of your top players. Knowing who has the best shot or who can distribute the best passes can greatly enhance your chances of success.
3. Dribbling. There are different types of dribblers and specific animations for specific dribbles. Speedsters, physical players, technical players, close controllers all handle the ball differently. We've got so many different types of player personalities now -- each and every type of player feels and looks so different. It's really enjoyable, and a meta-game in its own right.
4. 360-degree fight for possession. With the new 360-degree Fight for Possession, you can enter physical battles even when you are off the ball. During goal kicks, if you want to try and create a quick scoring opportunity, try punting the ball upfield with your goalkeeper and use your big striker to get into a good position, hold off the defender, and flick the ball into the path of a nearby teammate.
5. Real A.I. We've added a very cool REAL A.I. system -- where the computer can Record, Evaluate, And Learn. We now "teach" the A.I. skill moves in Vancouver where we all work, and we can assign them to specific players -- so when you see the CPU pull off an amazing move, it was actually one of the members of the develop team in Vancouver that taught the game to do it.
6. Skill moves. We've added several new skill moves since FIFA Soccer 10. Each player in the game will have a skill move star rating, and that will determine what type of skill moves he can perform. For a complete guide to all the moves in the game, make sure you visit the controller help screen. You can also check out any of the countless skill move tutorials that our passionate fans have already created and posted on the web.
7. Pro passing. With improvements to passing in FIFA Soccer 11, it is now much more important that you build up your play in a controlled manner. Making risky one-timer passes with weak players may result in an unnecessary turnover. Take a touch and turn in the direction of your pass in order to increase the chance of your pass finding its intended target .
8. Custom audio. With our new Custom Audio feature, you can include any types of crowd chants you want. All you have to do is create a chant yourself or search out specific chants, transfer the chants onto your console's hard disc, and then assign those chants, as playlists, to individual teams, leagues or the entire game. It's a pretty cool feature that enables you to make the game much more authentic and personal. The Custom Audio feature also enables you to assign specific music for certain events like pre match, goal scoring, etc.
9. Creation center. Fancy playing with your work team or Sunday league friends to take on some tough professional opposition? Now you can by creating your own players and teams in FIFA 11 Creation Centre Beta. Not only that, you can share your creations with everyone or you can also browse and download any other users' creation. Fantastic way to extend the longevity of the FIFA experience! Check it out here.
10. Penalties. This year, we have a new Penalty Kick Taking system. It has a new kick-taking mechanic, and brings other elements such as composure, shot type, and attributes into play. Make sure you go into practice mode, take a few penalty kicks with the aiming aid on, and get familiar with the new system before heading into the pitch.
11. Career mode leaderboards. While playing through FIFA Soccer 11's new Career Mode as a Player, Player-Manager or Manager the game is tracking your key stats. This way you can compare your own performance in this mode with your friends' performance in the categories "Trophies won," "Awards won" and "Overall Money Earned." Every time you boot-up the game you can review your "high scores" as they are displayed on the Jumbotron in the Main Menu.
By Marc Saltzman
Mike Snider began covering the video game industry during the Super Nintendo-Sega Genesis clash in 1992. An original pinball wizard, he eventually was seduced by Robotron: 2084 and Tempest. These days he is a fan of action/shooters and lives out his Keith Moon fantasies playing a mean drum kit on music games. More about Mike.
Brett Molina has been writing about video games for USA TODAY since 2005. He is well-versed in Madden NFL, the fighting genre and first-person shooters. The first video game he played was Asteroids at a local arcade. He has been hooked ever since. More about Brett.


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Growth and motion of heterogeneous water droplets in laminar diffusion chambers: 2. High nanoparticle concentrations
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The heterogeneous condensation of water vapor on nanoparticles and the growth of formed droplets are numerically studied under conditions of laminar diffusion chamber (LDC) of a new type with a hot porous wall. The main attention is focused on the growth of heterogeneous droplets in the gas flow at high number densities of nanoparticles exceeding 108 droplet/m3. Under these conditions, there is an interrelation between the growth of droplets and processes of heat and mass transfer in LDC due to vapor depletion and the release of latent heat of phase transition on growing droplets. The efficiency of the coverage of nanoparticles with water film is studied under LDC nonuniform conditions. It is shown that, at initial number densities of nanoparticles (Nd > 1011 droplet/m3), heterogeneous droplets do not grow to optically detected sizes.
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