Modern Teaching and Training in Metallurgical Engineering

This contribution deals with advanced educational technologies needed to equip customers from higher education institutions, research and industry with efficient tools supporting their work and operating new skills‐training methods. The challenges are reducing the training costs, improving quality and increasing the number of graduates in engineering departments. The concept of a Virtual Lab based on the combination of various teaching methods and tools is presented. Principles of mathematisation in metallurgical education and training are discussed. An example of online course designed in the form of Virtual Lab is demonstrated.     

数字皮影动画脚本的研究与应用

为简化数字皮影动画的制作流程,提高数字皮影作品的交互性,降低数字皮影实时表演的难度,对皮影常见角色及动作进行了抽象、分类,提出一种针对特定类型的通用的骨骼模型。基于反向动力学,设计了一套描述皮影骨骼动画的脚本。该脚本通过对骨骼位置与旋转属性的控制定义皮影角色的基本动作,并通过对基本动作的叠加实现复杂动作。脚本对动作的定义基于骨骼模型而非具体角色,具有通用性。最后通过实验证明了脚本的有效性。     

Understanding the intentions of users to ‘stick’ to social networking sites: a case study in Taiwan

Social networking sites (SNSs) are the most popular social platforms for developing personal networks. They provide multiple interactive functions for users to create and use large social networks. To determine why people exhibit ‘stickiness’ to SNSs, this study uses the uses and gratifications theory as an underlying structure and builds the research model with factors of motivational needs and interactivity. Our results showed that social needs, information needs, human–message interaction, and human–human interaction are crucial factors that affect the ‘stickiness’ of users to SNSs. The implications of these findings are presented in this paper.     

'Tacitus' project: identifying multi-sensory perceptions in creative 3D practice for the development of a haptic computing system for applied artists

This paper outlines the major motivating factors concerning a novel collaborative project between Edinburgh College of Art and Edinburgh Virtual Environment Centre. The Tacitus project will investigate the use of multi-modal virtual environments, specifically, the haptic (touch) modality, with regards to the creative processes employed by designers working within the field of applied arts. The salient areas of research are described, and the methods by which information regarding these areas will be obtained are considered. Initial investigations have revealed a strong need to mimic the traditional applied artists' workspaces, with co-location of visual and haptic cues a priority.     

Twenty years of artificial life art

This essay begins with discussion of four relatively recent works which are representative of major themes and preoccupations in Artificial Life Art: ‘Propagaciones’ by Leo Nuñez; ‘Sniff’ by Karolina Sobecka and Jim George; ‘Universal Whistling Machine’ by Marc Boehlen; and ‘Performative Ecologies’ by Ruari Glynn. This essay is an attempt to contextualise these works by providing an overview of the history and forms of Artificial Life Art as it has developed over two decades, along with some background in the ideas of the Artificial Life movement of the late 1980s and 1990s.1 A more extensive study of the theoretical history of Artificial Life can be found in my paper ‘Artificial Life Art—A Primer’, in the Proceedings of DAC09 and also at http://www.ace.uci.edu/Penny. Excerpts from that essay are included here.      

What chess games and chess problems tell us about digital games and art

This article examines the relationship between chess games and chess problems (‘compositions’) in order to describe the chess problem as art. Arguing that the chess problem is a manipulation of game form guided by human aesthetic principles (e.g. Schiller's ‘beauty’ and Wimsatt's ‘human condition’), the article draws a parallel between art derived from games and art derived from nature. This parallel has important implications in circumstances where a natural world is replaced by a virtual world and nature is, in some sense, ‘lost’ to the artist. The article argues that, in such circumstances, the interactive and ‘concreative’ nature of digital media – particularly digital games – allows for unabated aesthetic production.     

Perceived interactivity leading to e-loyalty: Development of a model for cognitive–affective user responses

Novel applications of website interactivity are important to attract and retain online users. In this empirical study five designs for interactivity are examined using different web-poll interfaces. The goal of the investigation is to examine perceived interactivity in a model which includes most commonly tested cognitive elements such as efficiency and effectiveness, but augments this model with the inclusion of a cognitive–affective element for trust, and an affective element of enjoyment. More specifically, a model is created to validate the relationship of perceived interactivity (comprised of user control, user connectedness, and responsiveness of the web-poll application) to efficiency, effectiveness, trust and enjoyment, of the website. In turn, efficiency, effectiveness, trust, and enjoyment are tested for their influence on user behavioral intentions for e-loyalty. All relationships in the model are supported. In addition, exploratory evaluation of qualitative comments is conducted to investigate additional insights between the five web-poll treatments in this investigation. The research confirms the complexity of a model in which cognitive, cognitive–affective and affective elements are present, and advances knowledge on the consequences of perceived interactivity. In additional to theoretical advancements, the research has merit for web designers and online marketers regarding how to enhance interactive online web applications.     

交互性在提升电商网站用户忠诚中的应用策略分析

目的对电商网站的交互性进行分析。方法通过文献调研划分交互行为,在竞品分析和深度访谈等定性研究的基础上,编撰调查问卷并开展大规模调查,回收定量数据,结合电商网站的特性,运用SPSS主成分分析法对交互因子进行提取研究。结论电商网站的交互因子可以概括为相关性、真实性和关系性3个方向,从信息交互和社会交互两个维度有针对性地探索各交互因子的应用策略,可以有效提升电商网站的用户忠诚。     

数字媒体中视觉符号传播特征及其哲学意蕴

信息时代传播迅速,科学与技术的高速发展使我们的社会发生着重大的改变。在上世纪视觉信息传递一直停留在二维空间中处理平面因素,包括文字、图形、版式、装帧等。至20世纪90年代,随着数字技术的发展,数字媒体艺术与我们人类活动已经密不可分,成为人类生活中不可缺少的一部分。设计师在融合领域的研究探索中更应不断地归纳视觉形态、心里暗示、哲学理论等学科的经验与理论,从而推动这一新视觉领域专业的前进,在此基础上去探讨数字媒体中视觉符号传播特征与哲学的交叉分析。     

e-Learning系统支撑平台的实现

简要地介绍了e-Learning技术标准,分析了现有支撑平台,根据实际开发经验,提出了基于B/S结构的e-Learning课件教学支撑平台实现的思想方法和整体架构,系统采用了Java语言实施程序编码开发,综合多种数据库技术,开发的课件具有交互性跨平台可移植的特点。