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A person's appearance, identity, and other nonverbal cues can substantially influence how one is perceived by a negotiation counterpart, potentially impacting the outcome of the negotiation. With recent advances in technology, it is now possible to alter such cues through real‐time video communication. In many cases, a person's physical presence can explicitly be replaced by 2D/3D representations in live interactive media. In other cases, technologies such as deepfake can subtly and implicitly alter many nonverbal cues—including a person's appearance and identity—in real time. In this article, we look at some state‐of‐the‐art technological advances that can enable such explicit and implicit alterations of nonverbal cues. We also discuss the implications of such technology for the negotiation landscape and highlight ethical considerations that warrant deep, ongoing attention from stakeholders. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

User‐interactive electronic skin (e‐skin) with a distinguishable output has enormous potential for human–machine interfaces and healthcare applications. Despite advances in user‐interactive e‐skins, advances in visual user‐interactive therapeutic e‐skins remain rare. Here, a user‐interactive thermotherapeutic device is reported that is fabricated by combining thermochromic composites and stretchable strain sensors consisting of strain‐responsive silver nanowire networks on surface energy‐patterned microwrinkles. Both the color and heat of the device are easily controlled through electrical resistance variation induced by applied mechanical strain. The resulting monolithic device exhibits substantial changes in optical reflectance and temperature with durability, rapid response, high stretchability, and linear sensitivity. The approach enables a low‐expertise route to fabricating dynamic interactive thermotherapeutic e‐skins that can be used to effectively rehabilitate injured connective tissues as well as to prevent skin burns by simultaneously accommodating stretching, providing heat, and exhibiting a color change. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

People are becoming increasingly sophisticated in their ability to navigate information spaces using search, hyperlinks, and visualization. But, mobile phones preclude the use of multiple coordinated views that have proven effective in the desktop environment (e.g., for business intelligence or visual analytics). In this work, we propose to model information as multivariate heterogeneous networks to enable greater analytic expression for a range of sensemaking tasks while suggesting a new, list‐based paradigm with gestural navigation of structured information spaces on mobile phones. We also present a mobile application, called Orchard, which combines ideas from both faceted search and interactive network exploration in a visual query language to allow users to collect facets of interest during exploratory navigation. Our study showed that users could collect and combine these facets with Orchard, specifying network queries and projections that would only have been possible previously using complex data tools or custom data science. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Presented is a novel framework for interactive systems architecture definition at early design stages. It incorporates graph‐theoretic data structures, entity relationships, and algorithms that enable the systems architect to operate interactively and simultaneously in different domains. It explicitly captures the "zigzagging" of the functional reasoning process, including not only allocated, but also the derived functions. A prototype software tool, AirCADia Architect, was implemented, which allowed the framework to be demonstrated to and tried hands‐on by practicing aircraft systems architects. The tool enables architects to effectively express their ideas when interactively synthesizing new architectures, while still retaining control over the process. The proposed approach was especially acknowledged as the way forward for rationale capture. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Memory operations are critical to an application's reliability and performance. To reason about their correctness and track opportunities for optimisations, sophisticated instrumentation frameworks, such as Valgrind and Pin, have been developed. Both provide only limited facilities for analysing the collected data. This work presents a Valgrind's extension for examining a software applications' dynamic memory profile through live interactive analysis with SQL. The Pico COllections Query Library (pico ql) module maps Valgrind's data structures that contain the instrumented application's memory operations metadata to a relational interface. Queries are type-safe and the module imposes only a trivial overhead when idle. The authors evaluate the proposed approach on ten applications and through a qualitative study. They find 900 kb of undefined bytes in bzip2 that account for 12% of its total memory use and a performance-critical code execution path in the Unix commands sort and uniq. The referenced functions are part of glibc and have been independently modified to boost the library's performance. The qualitative study has users rate the usefulness, usability, effort, correctness, and expressiveness of PICO QL queries compared to Python scripts. The findings indicate that querying with PICO QL incurs lower user effort. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: The purpose of this descriptive study was to examine teacher instructional dilemmas and opportunities that emerged when students worked with interactive computer‐based simulation models during the High‐Adventure Science (HAS) project. The intervention included the HAS digital curriculum, designed for grades 7–12. Each curricular unit was framed to address scientific questions in earth and environmental science, currently being investigated by scientists. Instructional support was provided through a 2‐day professional development session and through reporting systems within the curriculum. During 1 academic year, data were collected from a cohort of 12 teachers, through baseline and postimplementation surveys. From a nine‐teacher cohort subset, observation, interview, and survey data were collected during the following year. Descriptive findings indicate that a designed digital curriculum with carefully sequenced interactive models has benefits but creates instructional challenges; teacher and student roles are often flipped during the implementation of such a curriculum; and teachers may need to shift their instructional approach and find new ways to make digital learning experiences relevant and compelling as they respond to both opportunities and challenges. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Interactive visualization of large forest scenes is challenging due to the large amount of geometric detail that needs to be generated and stored, particularly in scenarios with a moving observer such as forest walkthroughs or overflights. Here, we present a new method for large‐scale procedural forest generation and visualization at interactive rates. We propose a hybrid approach by combining geometry‐based and volumetric modelling techniques with gradually transitioning level of detail (LOD). Nearer trees are constructed using an extended particle flow algorithm, in which particle trails outline the tree ramification in an inverse direction, i.e. from the leaves towards the roots. Reduced geometric representation of a tree is obtained by subsampling the trails. For distant trees, a new volumetric rendering technique in pixel‐space is introduced, which avoids geometry formation altogether and enables visualization of vast forest areas with millions of unique trees. We demonstrate that a GPU‐based implementation of the proposed method provides interactive frame rates in forest overflight scenarios, where new trees are constructed and their LOD adjusted on the fly. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: A software framework taking advantage of parallel processing capabilities of CPUs and GPUs is designed for the real‐time interactive cutting simulation of deformable objects. Deformable objects are modelled as voxels connected by links. The voxels are embedded in an octree mesh used for deformation. Cutting is performed by disconnecting links swept by the cutting tool and then adaptively refining octree elements near the cutting tool trajectory. A surface mesh used for visual display is reconstructed from disconnected links using the dual contour method. Spatial hashing of the octree mesh and topology‐aware interpolation of distance field are used for collision. Our framework uses a novel GPU implementation for inter‐object collision and object self collision, while tool‐object collision, cutting and deformation are assigned to CPU, using multiple threads whenever possible. A novel method that splits cutting operations into four independent tasks running in parallel is designed. Our framework also performs data transfers between CPU and GPU simultaneously with other tasks to reduce their impact on performances. Simulation tests show that when compared to three‐threaded CPU implementations, our GPU accelerated collision is 53–160% faster; and the overall simulation frame rate is 47–98% faster. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper proposes an approach using taxonomic relatedness for answer-type recognition and type coercion in a question-answering system. We introduce a question analysis method for a lexical answer type (LAT) and semantic answer type (SAT) and describe the construction of a taxonomy linking them. We also analyze the effectiveness of type coercion based on the taxonomic relatedness of both ATs. Compared with the rule-based approach of IBM's Watson, our LAT detector, which combines rule-based and machine-learning approaches, achieves an 11.04% recall improvement without a sharp decline in precision. Our SAT classifier with a relatedness-based validation method achieves a precision of 73.55%. For type coercion using the taxonomic relatedness between both ATs and answer candidates, we construct an answer-type taxonomy that has a semantic relationship between the two ATs. In this paper, we introduce how to link heterogeneous lexical knowledge bases. We propose three strategies for type coercion based on the relatedness between the two ATs and answer candidates in this taxonomy. Finally, we demonstrate that this combination of individual type coercion creates a synergistic effect. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This Letter discusses the benefits of introducing Machine Learning techniques in multi-view streaming applications. Widespread use of machine learning techniques has contributed to significant gains in numerous scientific and industry fields. Nonetheless, these have not yet been specifically applied to adaptive interactive multimedia streaming systems where, typically, the encoding bit rate is adapted based on resources availability, targeting the efficient use of network resources whilst offering the best possible user quality of experience (QoE). Intrinsic user data could be coupled with such existing quality adaptation mechanisms to derive better results, driven also by the preferences of the user. Head-tracking data, captured from camera feeds available at the user side, is an example of such data to which Recurrent Attention Models could be applied to accurately predict the focus of attention of users within videos frames. Information obtained from such models could be used to assist a preemptive buffering approach of specific viewing angles, contributing to the joint goal of maximising QoE. Based on these assumptions, a research line is presented, focusing on obtaining better QoE in an already existing multiview streaming system [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Real-time rendering of large-scale engineering computer-aided design (CAD) models has been recognized as a challenging task. Because of the constraints of limited graphics processing unit (GPU) memory size and computation capacity, a massive model with hundreds of millions of triangles cannot be loaded and rendered in real-time using most of modern GPUs. In this paper, an efficient GPU out-of-core framework is proposed for interactively visualizing large-scale CAD models. To improve efficiency of data fetching from CPU host memory to GPU device memory, a parallel offline geometry compression scheme is introduced to minimize the storage cost of each primitive by compressing the levels of detail (LOD) geometries into a highly compact format. At the rendering stage, occlusion culling and LOD processing algorithms are integrated and implemented with an efficient GPU-based approach to determine a minimal scale of primitives to be transferred for each frame. A prototype software system is developed to preprocess and render massive CAD models with the proposed framework. Experimental results show that users can walkthrough massive CAD models with hundreds of millions of triangles at high frame rates using our framework. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We present an interactive method for creating animation sequences of characters based on captured motion data in an exploratory way as in assembling construction toys. The key component of our method is a path browser that can retrieve and visualize paths as diverse as possible connecting a given pair of initial and final motion fragments instantiated in the space. With the aid of our path browser, the user can develop large-scale assembly of motions gradually through iterations of arranging and putting together motion fragments. For the efficient retrieval of connecting paths, we use a bidirectional search tree that grows from the initial and final configurations simultaneously under the guidance of a mixed strategy for both global exploration and local optimization. The usefulness of our approach is demonstrated through experiments with a variety of motion data including box moving, basketball, and breakdance data. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We present a method for the interactive control of big-object manipulation animation. When a human character holds a big arbitrarily shaped object, it should use the whole upper body, including both arms and the torso in a limited range such that the holding postures can be physically as well as visually believable to users. In our method, we first sample various postures that satisfy our feasibility conditions: collision free and physically stable. The concept of the wrench space is used to evaluate the physical stability of holding postures. Then, we build a graph structure in which the nodes are the sampled postures and the links are collision-free motion interpolating between two-sampled postures. This manipulation motion graph allows us to use a general pathfinding method, such as Dijkstra's algorithm, to achieve real-time controllability. In our experiments, we build the manipulation motion graphs for differently shaped objects, and we demonstrate the usability of our method via several examples in which users interactively control the animation through the target positions or desired trajectories of the objects. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents an interactive simulation system for surgical procedures of endovascular aneurysm repair. It extracts anatomical structure of clinic interest from patient-specific X-ray computed tomography or magnetic resonance imaging data by image segmentation techniques, and then reconstructs surface triangular meshes of these anatomical structures from the volumetric data. The core of the system is an interactive computer-based simulation module. It consists of a physical modeling unit, a collision detection unit, a visualization unit, and a control unit. The integration of these units together makes it possible for users to interact with the system in real time, performing virtual catheterization, angiography, and stent graft deployment under a user-specified rendering mode. The prototype system can be used as a cost-efficient tool for surgical planning with patient-specific anatomical geometry and for practice of surgical procedures before actual operation. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We present an interactive system for composing realistic images of an object under arbitrary pose and appearance specified by sketching. Our system draws inspiration from a traditional illustration workflow: The user first sketches rough 'masses' of the object, as ellipses, to define an initial abstract pose that can then be refined with more detailed contours as desired. The system is made robust to partial or inaccurate sketches using a reduced-dimensionality model of pose space learnt from a labelled collection of photos. Throughout the composition process, interactive visual feedback is provided to guide the user. Finally, the user's partial or complete sketch, complemented with appearance requirements, is used to constrain the automatic synthesis of a novel, high-quality, realistic image. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This case study is the first iteration of a large-scale design-based research project to improve Pepper, an interactive discussion-based learning environment. In this phase, we designed and implemented two social features to scaffold positive learner interactivity behaviors: a 'Like' button and linking tool. A mixed-methods approach was used to examine communicative and cognitive characteristics of notes. Additionally, we develop and apply a new metric for cognitive complexity that acknowledges a range of cognitive behavior valuable to a learning community. The findings suggest that the Like and linking functions positively cultivated and sustained interactive behaviors among students, which also led to an increase in the cognitive complexity of student contributions to the online discussion. Suggestions for future iterations of this project are offered. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Predicting hydro(geo)logical or environmental systems is subject to high levels of uncertainties, especially if appropriate data for model calibration are lacking. For subsurface systems, where data acquisition is cost intensive and time demanding, it is especially important to collect only those data that provide the largest amount of relevant information. The high expenses call for optimal experimental design, which is widely recognized for maximizing the efficiency of experiments. In model-based design of experiments, the analysis of the design efficiency and the resulting optimal design are based on the initial state of knowledge about the modeled system. Joint optimization of multimeasurement designs is a well-known challenge, and the usefulness of global optimization approaches is widely recognized in this context. However, we will show that the benefit for such global optimization becomes questionable when measurement data become available sequentially. Instead, the optimization effort should be invested within an interactive design approach. Today's fast telecommunication, global connectivity, and high-performance computing allow to consider such interactive coupling. This study will use a synthetic case study to compare the standard en-bloc global optimization approach to two interactive design approaches. The approaches are implemented in a Bayesian framework and are compared based on their complexity and overall performance. The key conclusion confirms a previously untested presumption: for models that trigger nonlinear parameter inference problems, interaction (which may come at a loss of global optimization) is more beneficial than global optimization based on the initial state of knowledge (which typically implies the impossibility of interactivity). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

ABSTRACT Costs and benefits are recurrent issues that concern all the computing areas, including computer and software engineering. Mastery of optimization algorithms is essential in these fields, but their didactics hardly has received any attention. To fill this gap, the interactive system GreedEx was designed to support the active learning of greedy algorithms by means of experimentation. In this article we describe GreedExCol, a collaborative extension of GreedEx that complements its experimental phase with a discussion phase held by the students in each team. The contributions of the article are threefold. Firstly, we present GreedExCol, a CSCL system aimed at supporting collaborative discussion on experimental results of optimality for greedy algorithms. Secondly, GreedExCol was evaluated with respect to educational effectiveness, obtaining statistically significant improvements of the collaborative, experimental approach over an individual, experimental approach without the support of GreedExCol. Thirdly, GreedExCol was evaluated in the same two groups with respect to motivation, obtaining a statistically significant increase of implicit motivation for students in the experimental group. Overall, we present a medium-term effort for developing an innovative learning system and a comprehensive evaluation of its impact over the students. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Comput. Appl. Eng. Educ. Comput Appl Eng Educ 23:790-804, 2015; View this article online at ; DOI [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, authors systematically selected and reviewed articles related to stereoscopic displays and their advances, with a special focus on perception, interaction, and corresponding challenges. The aim was to understand interaction-related problems, provide possible explanations, and identify factors that limit their applications. Despite promising advancements, there are still issues that researchers in the field fail to explain precisely. The two major problems in stereoscopic viewing are, compared with the real world, objects are perceived to be smaller than they actually are and there are discomfort and visual syndromes. Furthermore, there is general agreement that humans underestimate their egocentric distance in a virtual environment (VE). Our analysis revealed that in the real world, distance estimation is about 94% accurate, but in VE, it is only about 80% accurate. This problem could reduce the efficacy of different sensory motor-based applications where interaction is important. Experts from human factors, computing, psychology, and others have studied contributing factors such as types of perception/response method, quality of graphics, associated stereoscopic conditions, experience in virtual reality (VR), and distance signals. This paper discusses the factors requiring further investigation if the VR interaction is to be seamlessly realized. In addition, engineering research directions aiming at improving current interaction performances are recommended. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Representing features by local histograms is a proven technique in several volume analysis and visualization applications including feature tracking and transfer function design. The efficiency of these applications, however, is hampered by the high computational complexity of local histogram computation and matching. In this paper, we propose a novel algorithm to accelerate local histogram search by leveraging bitmap indexing. Our method avoids exhaustive searching of all voxels in the spatial domain by examining only the voxels whose values fall within the value range of user-defined local features and their neighborhood. Based on the idea that the value range of local features is in general much smaller than the dynamic range of the entire dataset, we propose a local voting scheme to construct the local histograms so that only a small number of voxels need to be examined. Experimental results show that our method can reduce much computational workload compared to the conventional approaches. To demonstrate the utility of our method, an interactive interface was developed to assist users in defining target features as local histograms and identify the locations of these features in the dataset. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Segmentation of volumetric data is an important part of many analysis pipelines, but frequently requires manual inspection and correction. While plenty of volume editing techniques exist, it remains cumbersome and errorprone for the user to find and select appropriate regions for editing. We propose an approach to improve volume editing by detecting potential segmentation defects while considering the underlying structure of the object of interest. Our method is based on a novel histogram dissimilarity measure between individual regions, derived from structural information extracted from the initial segmentation. Based on this information, our interactive system guides the user towards potential defects, provides integrated tools for their inspection, and automatically generates suggestions for their resolution. We demonstrate that our approach can reduce interaction effort and supports the user in a comprehensive investigation for high-quality segmentations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A novel three dimensional user interface technology (3D UI) is reported. The interface is a single planar device enabling multiple modes of human/machine interaction operating continuously from on the device surface to off the device surface; a surface-to-air capability. For example, our device can not only sense multiple finger touch and multiple stylus interaction on its surface, but also can detect 'air touch', 'air pinch' and gestures in the near field space up to several inches above its surface. Thus, two dimensional user interface functionality has been extended continuously into the third dimension above the device. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

David Marr's (1982) three-level analysis of computational cognition argues for three distinct levels of cognitive information processing-namely, the computational, representational, and implementational levels. But Marr's levels are-and were meant to be-descriptive, rather than interactive and dynamic. For this reason, we suggest that, had Marr been writing today, he might well have gone even farther in his analysis, including the emergence of structure-in particular, explicit structure at the conceptual level-from lower levels, and the effect of explicit emergent structures on the level (or levels) that gave rise to them. The message is that today's cognitive scientists need not only to understand how emergent structures-in particular, explicit emergent structures at the cognitive level-develop but also to understand how they feed back on the sub-structures from which they emerged. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses the development and acceptability of breast reconstruction decision aid (BRECONDA), an interactive decisional support tool for breast reconstruction. The assessment of BRECONDA indicates high level user acceptability and easy intervention usage identifying its translation into clinical practice. It also notes the potential aid of the tool in the decision process of women whether to undergo breast reconstruction or not.

The use of schematic diagrams is very common in many subjects of engineering education because it unequivocally permits establishing the dependency relationships among the different elements of the circuit. This article presents an interactive software that helps students to study and design them by means of CAD tools and a self-correction module. Results obtained with its evaluation within university studies can positively assess the integration of the application into teaching methodologies related to the design and drawing of schematic diagrams. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Comput Appl Eng Educ 22: 99-109, 2014 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We present a set of interactive techniques for the visual analysis of multi-dimensional categorical data. Our approach is based on multiple correspondence analysis (MCA), which allows one to analyse relationships, patterns, trends and outliers among dependent categorical variables. We use MCA as a dimensionality reduction technique to project both observations and their attributes in the same 2D space. We use a treeview to show attributes and their domains, a histogram of their representativity in the data set and as a compact overview of attribute-related facts. A second view shows both attributes and observations. We use a Voronoi diagram whose cells can be interactively merged to discover salient attributes, cluster values and bin categories. Bar chart legends help assigning meaning to the 2D view axes and 2D point clusters. We illustrate our techniques with real-world application data. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents an interactive system for ink splattering, a form of abstract art that artists splat ink onto the canvas. The default input device of our system is a pressure-sensitive 2D stylus, the most common sketching tool for digital artists, and we propose two interaction mode: ink-flicking mode and ink-dripping mode, that are designed to be analogous to the artistic techniques of ink splattering in real world. The core of our ink splattering system is a novel three-stage ink splattering framework that simulates the physics-based interaction of ink with different mediums including brush heads, air and paper. We have implemented the physical engine in CUDA and the whole simulation process runs at interactive speed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We introduce soft folding, a new interactive method for designing and exploring thin-plate forms. A user specifies sharp and soft folds as two-dimensional(2D) curves on a flat sheet, along with the fold magnitude and sharpness of each. Then, based on the soft folds, the system computes the three-dimensional(3D) folded shape. Internally, the system first computes a fold field, which defines local folding operations on a flat sheet. A fold field is a generalization of a discrete fold graph in origami, replacing a graph with sharp folds with a continuous field with soft folds. Next, local patches are folded independently according to the fold field. Finally, a globally folded 3D shape is obtained by assembling the locally folded patches. This algorithm computes an approximation of 3D developable surfaces with user-defined soft folds at an interactive speed. The user can later apply nonlinear physical simulation to generate more realistic results. Experimental results demonstrated that soft folding is effective for producing complex folded shapes with controllable sharpness. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Creating realistic human movement is a time consuming and labour intensive task. The major difficulty is that the user has to edit individual joints while maintaining an overall realistic and collision free posture. Previous research suggests the use of data-driven inverse kinematics, such that one can focus on the control of a few joints, while the system automatically composes a natural posture. However, as a common problem of kinematics synthesis, penetration of body parts is difficult to avoid in complex movements. In this paper, we propose a new data-driven inverse kinematics framework that conserves the topology of the synthesizing postures. Our system monitors and regulates the topology changes using the Gauss Linking Integral (GUI), such that penetration can be efficiently prevented. As a result, complex motions with tight body movements, as well as those involving interaction with external objects, can be simulated with minimal manual intervention. Experimental results show that using our system, the user can create high quality human motion in real-time by controlling a few joints using a mouse or a multi-touch screen. The movement generated is both realistic and penetration free. Our system is best applied for interactive motion design in computer animations and games. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

SUMMARY Reduction of power consumption for any computer system is now an important issue, although this should be carried out in a manner that is not detrimental to the users of that computer system. We present a number of policies that can be applied to multi-use clusters where computers are shared between interactive users and high-throughput computing. We evaluate policies by trace-driven simulations to determine the effects on power consumed by the high-throughput workload and impact on high-throughput users. We further evaluate these policies for higher workloads by synthetically generating workloads based around the profiled workload observed through our system. We demonstrate that these policies could save 55% of the currently used energy for our high-throughput jobs over our current cluster policies without affecting the high-throughput users' experience. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses the Instant Questioning-Answering (iQA) system, which is a web-based answering robot. Topics include a brief overview of the iQA system architecture, the QA database used to perform QA interaction with students and provide answer feedback, and question group tracking (QGT) database.

Software architecture design is an interactive, complex, decision-making process. Such a design process involves the exploration, evaluation, and composition of design alternatives. Increasingly, new computer-aided tools are available to help designers in these complex activities. However, these tools do not know how design is actually done, in other words, by means of which design activities the final artefact was obtained. In fact, the architectural design knowledge exclusively rests in the mind of designers, and there is an urgent need to move it, as much as possible, to a computer-supported environment that enables the capture of this type of knowledge. This contribution addresses this need by introducing a model for capturing how products under development are generated and transformed along the software architecture design process. The proposed model follows an operational perspective, where architectural design decisions are modelled by means of sequences of operations that are applied on the design products. Situation calculus is used to formally express the existence of an object in a given state of a design process. In addition, this formalism allows us expressing without ambiguities when an operation can be performed in a specific state of the design process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

According to the Interactive Systems Framework for Dissemination and Implementation, implementation is a major mechanism and concern in bridging research and practice. The growing number of implementation frameworks need to be synthesized and translated so that the science and practice of quality implementation can be furthered. In this article, we: (1) use the synthesis of frameworks developed by Meyers et al. (Am J Commun Psychol, ) and translate the results into a practical implementation science tool to use for improving quality of implementation (i.e., the Quality Implementation Tool; QIT), and (2) present some of the benefits and limitations of the tool by describing how the QIT was implemented in two different pilot projects. We discuss how the QIT can be used to guide collaborative planning, monitoring, and evaluation of how an innovation is implemented. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study assessed dental students' evaluations of a new Interactive Histology Software (IHS) developed by the authors and compared students' assessment of the extent to which this new software, as well as other histology teaching methods, supported their learning. The IHS is a computer-based tool for histology learning that presents high-resolution images of histology basics as well as specific oral histologies at different magnifications and with text labels. Survey data were collected from 204 first-year dental students at the Universidad Austral de Chile. The survey consisted of questions for the respondents to evaluate the characteristics of the IHS and the contribution of various teaching methods to their histology learning. The response rate was 85 percent. Student evaluations were positive for the design, usability, and theoretical-practical integration of the IHS, and the students reported they would recommend the method to future students. The students continued to value traditional teaching methods for histological lab work and did not think this new technology would replace traditional methods. With respect to the contribution of each teaching method to students' learning, no statistically significant differences (p>0.05) were found for an evaluation of IHS, light microscopy, and slide presentations. However, these student assessments were significantly more positive than the evaluations of other digital or printed materials. Overall, the students evaluated the IHS very positively in terms of method quality and contribution to their learning; they also evaluated use of light microscopy and teacher slide presentations positively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

GPU Shape Grammars provide a solution for interactive procedural generation, tuning and visualization of massive environment elements for both video games and production rendering. Our technique generates detailed models without explicit geometry storage. To this end we reformulate the grammar expansion for generation of detailed models at the tesselation control and geometry shader stages. Using the geometry generation capabilities of modern graphics hardware, our technique generated massive, highly detailed models. GPU Shape Grammars integrate within a scalable framework by introducing automatic generation of levels of detail at reduced cost. We apply our solution for interactive generation and rendering of scenes containing thousands of buildings and trees. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There are a large number of connection types in steel structures. This is an area where students cannot get enough in the classroom. Design of each steel connection type is unique. At the same, there are similarities in designs of various connection types. These two factors plus the open-ended nature of the design can make the learning of so many different types of connections both challenging and tedious. While a number of tools are available to help teach design of connections there is no interactive online tool for teaching and learning of design of connections in steel structures. In this article a novel interactive approach and a Java applet, called Connection Tutor, is presented for design of a variety of connections in steel structures. Connection Tutor is intended to be used as a user-friendly supplement in teaching design of connections in steel structures. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Comput Appl Eng Educ 20: 568-577, 2012 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

SUMMARY User-interactive undo is a recovery facility that enables users to correct mistakes easily by canceling or re-executing operations that have already been executed. This paper presents an interesting common structural property that has been discovered in programs that implementing user-interactive undo features. The property shows that there is a one-to-one correspondence between program statements that raise erroneous effects and those statements that can undo these effects. Statistical validation has been conducted which gives evidences to show that this property holds for 99 per cent of all the cases. An approach for automated verification of user-interactive undo features in database applications through the use of this empirical property is further proposed. Based on the verification results, test cases are automatically generated to confirm the correctness of these features. A case study has been conducted to evaluate the performance of the proposed verification and testing approach in terms of fault detection capability. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

ViSta is a project that focuses on dynamic and interactive graphics for statistics and was initiated by the late Forrest W. Young at the beginning of the 1990s. For over approximately 20 years, Forrest and other collaborators, including the authors of this article, have used ViSta for experimenting with these kinds of graphics in different settings, applying them to different scenarios of data and statistical analysis, searching to develop the right combination of features most appropriate in each case. In this time, ViSta evolved quite considerably, going through what we reckon were three different stages, namely: the initial one setting forth the foundations of ViSta; the second period where versions 5 and 6 of ViSta were released; and the consolidation period when a book summarizing the lessons learnt in the project was published. This book was titled 'Visual Statistics: Seeing your data with interactive and dynamic graphics' and was completed in the last days of life of Forrest, who continued to work enthusiastically in the project even though his health was seriously deteriorating during that time. This article is a tribute to this work, but also describes the innovative features of ViSta, many of which are still relevant today. WIREs Comput Stat 2012, 4:295-306. doi: 10.1002/wics.1203 For further resources related to this article, please visit the [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Psycholinguistic studies often look at the production of referring expressions in interactive settings, but so far few referring expression generation algorithms have been developed that are sensitive to earlier references in an interaction. Rather, such algorithms tend to rely on domain-dependent preferences for both content selection and linguistic realization. We present three experiments showing that humans may opt for dispreferred attributes and dispreferred modifier orderings when these were primed in a preceding interaction (without speakers being consciously aware of this). In addition, we show that speakers are more likely to produce overspecified references, including dispreferred attributes (although minimal descriptions with preferred attributes would suffice), when these were similarly primed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

ABSTRACT This study investigates actual consumer behaviour in end-user software selection, a field that has been fairly neglected in extant research. The novel point we make is that the immaterial character of software-leading to its indestructibility and virtually cost-free distribution-makes it easy for software manufacturers to let consumers evaluate computer programs hands-on by trying them out in realistic settings. Detached paper-and-pencil methods for assessing consumers' predecision behaviour seem to be inadequate for modelling this type of evaluation in which individuals do not need to care about returning the object(s) in the same state. In this article, we present a methodology for and the first results of assessing unguided end-user software evaluation behaviour in its natural complexity. Our exploratory approach focused on identifying a behavioural typology, as well as its relation to the choice result, which would have major implications for the design and distribution of demo versions, shareware, etc. Twenty individuals were subjected to a realistic choice problem involving direct interaction with real software products. Their behaviour was analyzed using a novel abstraction methodology. Results suggest the existence of four different evaluation types and the moderating influence of evaluation behaviour on choice result, which can be integrated into and plausibly explained by prevalent theory. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Currently, aerial working platforms are commonly used in the heavy industrial and construction fields. However, their increased use is leading to a gradual raise in critical incidents caused by unskilled operators; thus, effective operator training is essential. Training with actual platforms is difficult to cover such demands because of the cost, dependence on weather conditions. This article proposes a framework for a virtual reality based training simulator to provide aerial working platform operator training. This simulator can be applied relatively inexpensively and safely, regardless of the weather conditions. The proposed simulator is developed to be flexible to the assessment level of the trainee and generally applicable to heavy equipment training simulator. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Comput Appl Eng Educ 19: 733-738, 2011 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the current European university reform teacher-based education is replaced by another form of teaching, which is more focused on the students. To facilitate this task, a self-learning-oriented application called AIMEC-DT was developed. This article discusses, by means of an educational experience, the advantages of using these types of interactive tools adapted to achieve that goal. The results obtained allow us to conclude that their use can be a significant improvement in teaching in engineering. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Comput Appl Eng Educ 19: 183-192, 2011 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the past 15 years, physics education research has shed light on the difficulties students encounter in learning physics. In response, a wide variety of new models of physics instruction have become available. In the last 4 years, we developed a physics remedial course to decrease the dropout rate of university students while promoting more efficient learning of the principles and laws of physics. To motivate students to do research on physical phenomena we focused our attention on simulations to help students learn different subjects concerning physics word. This article presents examples of simulations generated by the authors using Modellus software for interactive learning of simple harmonic motion. In addition, videotapes, tests and other didactic material are available for students in a virtual environment. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Comput Appl Eng Educ 18: 757-761, 2010; View this article online at ; DOI 10.1002/cae.20266 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper examines the benefits and limitations of learner control functionality in the e-learning environment. A quasi-experiment with 237 learners was conducted to examine the role of high-level learner control (i.e. enabling trainee ‘choice’ to complete an e-learning program with or without interactive learner control features versus completion of the program without consideration of personal preference) in trainee reactions and learning in an e-learning environment. Results suggest that high-level learner control positively influences affective and utility-based reactions to these features, which in turn influence overall satisfaction with the e-learning program. Moreover, trainees' overall satisfaction was found to influence actual learning of the instructional content. Practical and future research implications for providing trainees with high-level learner control, as well as other state-of-the-art learner control features, are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Adding interactive haptic-constraint sensations is important in interactive computer gaming and 3D shape design. Usually constraints are set on vertices of the object to drive the deformation. How to simulate dynamic force constraints in interactive design is still a challenging task. In this paper, we propose a novel haptic-constraint modeling method based on interactive metaballs, during which the haptic-constraint tools are attracted to the target location and then control the touch-enabled deformation within the constrained areas. The interactive force feedbacks facilitate designers to accurately deform the target regions and fine carve the details as their intention on the objects. Our work studies how to apply touch sensation in such constrained deformations using interactive metaballs, thus users can truly feel and control the soft-touch objects during the deforming interactions. Experimental results show that the dynamic sense of touch during the haptic manipulation is intuitively simulated to users, via the interacting interface we have developed. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We describe an application to interactively create and manipulate digital fault maps, either by tracing existing (paper) fault maps created from geological surveys, or by directly observing fault expressions and earthquake hypocenters in remote sensing data such as high-resolution (⩾100k × 100k elevation postings) digital elevation models with draped color imagery. Such fault maps serve as input data to finite-element-method simulations of fault interactions, and are crucial to understand regional tectonic processes causing earthquakes, and have tentatively been used to forecast future seismic events or to predict the shaking from likely future earthquakes. This fault editor is designed for immersive virtual reality environments such as CAVEs, and presents users with visualizations of scanned 2D fault maps and textured 3D terrain models, and a set of 3D editing tools to create or manipulate faults. We close with a case study performed by one of our geologist co-authors (Yikilmaz), which evaluates the use of our fault editor in creating a detailed digital fault model of the North Anatolian Fault in Turkey, one of the largest, seismically active strike-slip faults in the world. Yikilmaz, who was directly involved in program development, used our fault editor both in a CAVE and on a desktop computer, and compares it to the industry-standard software package ArcGIS. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Reilly-Harrington NA, DeBonis D, Leon AC, Sylvia L, Perlis R, Lewis D, Sachs GS. The interactive computer interview for mania. Bipolar Disord 2010: 12: 521–527. © 2010 The Authors. Journal compilation © 2010 John Wiley & Sons A/S. Objectives: The Interactive Computer Interview for Mania (ICI-M) is a computer-administered interview that presents probes to assess symptom severity and utilizes a scoring algorithm to select follow-up questions and rate subject responses in accordance with rating scale anchor points. The current study examines the acceptability, feasibility, and reliability of the ICI-M as a potential method for evaluating the performance of human raters. Methods: Participants with a diagnosis of bipolar I or II disorder completed both a live interview of the Young Mania Rating Scale with a human rater (LR) and the ICI-M. A panel of three expert raters reviewed each videotaped LR and assigned a consensus rating (CR). Participants completed a modified version of the Client Satisfaction Questionnaire to assess each method. Results: Intraclass correlation coefficients were 0.91 between the ICI-M and CR and 0.97 between the LR and CR (n = 100), providing empirical support for the inter-rater reliability of each approach. Coefficient alphas indicated comparable internal consistency reliability: ICI-M = 0.82, LR = 0.83, and CR = 0.84. The ICI-M was significantly more sensitive in detecting symptomatology than the LR (p < 0.001) and the CR (p < 0.001), and resulted in significantly higher ratings than CR on mood, speech, psychotic content, and disruptive-aggressive behavior. While participants endorsed significantly higher overall satisfaction with LR, no significant differences emerged between ICI-M and LR regarding willingness to participate again or ability to understand the questions. Conclusions: The ICI-M is a well-accepted and reliable method for assessing manic symptoms. The ICI-M is a tool with adequate sensitivity to elicit symptoms and rate severity and is recommended as a tool to monitor and improve rater performance, not as a replacement of a human rater. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]