This article details a two-step method of quantifying eye movement transitions between areas of interest (AOIs). First, individuals' gaze switching patterns, represented by fixated AOI sequences, are modeled as Markov chains. Second, Shannon's entropy coefficient of the fit Markov model is computed to quantify the complexity of individual switching patterns. To determine the overall distribution of attention over AOIs, the entropy coefficient of individuals' stationary distribution of fixations is calculated. The novelty of the method is that it captures the variability of individual differences in eye movement characteristics, which are then summarized statistically. The method is demonstrated on gaze data collected from two studies, during free viewing of classical art paintings. Normalized Shannon's entropy, derived from individual transition matrices, is related to participants' individual differences as well as to either their aesthetic impression or recognition of artwork. Low transition and high stationary entropies suggest greater curiosity mixed with a higher subjective aesthetic affinity toward artwork, possibly indicative of visual scanning of the artwork in a more deliberate way. Meanwhile, both high transition and stationary entropies may be indicative of recognition of familiar artwork.

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The dynamics of an inertially excited steel cantilever beam encapsulated in a hermetic sleeve filled with polypropylene grains is investigated experimentally and theoretically. An electric motor rotating an unbalanced mass is attached at the end of the beam to generate forced vibrations of the system. Changing the underpressure in the sleeve results in changes of the stiffness and dissipative properties of the composite structure, which allow one to control the resonant characteristics of the system. Is is shown that the amplitude of vibrations can be reduced in this way. This innovative semi-active method of vibration damping is based on the jamming mechanism of the granules, and proved to be efficient in the reduction of the free vibrations of the beam, which was studied in the authors' latest paper. In the present work, it is confirmed that the classical Bernoulli-Euler beam model with Kelvin-Voigt damping provides a satisfactory explanation of the observed relation between the vibrations amplitude and underpressure.