Giving form to computational things: developing a practice of interaction design

The computer is no longer the center of attention. Thus, what we design is no longer the interface to the computer. Rather, what we design is a thing or an environment in which a computer might be used to create certain desired effects. Indeed, interaction design in a sense becomes the practice of giving form to artifacts or environments rather like any of the other design disciplines that we have know for centuries. However, giving form to computational things is highly complex and somewhat different than most other form-giving practices due to its temporal form element—its ability to change between states. Thus, an interaction design practice needs to encompass this temporal form giving in combination with physical form giving and performances of the interaction gestalt. In this paper, I propose this trinity of forms as a framework to unfold the practice of interaction design. I further demonstrate how computational composites present a way to work with the temporal form and the physical form in a process not too different from any traditional form-giving practice. Lastly, I point to some tools and techniques to deal with the interdependencies of the three form elements and thereby also demonstrate that a form-giving practice of interaction design is already well under way.     

Efficient document image binarization using heterogeneous computing and parameter tuning

In the context of historical document analysis, image binarization is a first important step, which separates foreground from background, despite common image degradations, such as faded ink, stains, or bleed-through. Fast binarization has great significance when analyzing vast archives of document images, since even small inefficiencies can quickly accumulate to years of wasted execution time. Therefore, efficient binarization is especially relevant to companies and government institutions, who want to analyze their large collections of document images. The main challenge with this is to speed up the execution performance without affecting the binarization performance. We modify a state-of-the-art binarization algorithm and achieve on average a 3.5 times faster execution performance by correctly mapping this algorithm to a heterogeneous platform, consisting of a CPU and a GPU. Our proposed parameter tuning algorithm additionally improves the execution time for parameter tuning by a factor of 1.7, compared to previous parameter tuning algorithms. We see that for the chosen algorithm, machine learning-based parameter tuning improves the execution performance more than heterogeneous computing, when comparing absolute execution times.

     

Expanding the Toolbox of R-Selective Amine Transaminases by Identification and Characterization of New Members

Amine transaminases (ATAs) are used to synthesize enantiomerically pure amines, which are building blocks for pharmaceuticals and agrochemicals. R-selective ATAs belong to the fold type IV PLP-dependent enzymes, and different sequence-, structure- and substrate scope-based features have been identified in the past decade. However, our knowledge is still restricted due to the limited number of characterized (R)-ATAs, with additional bias towards fungal origin. We aimed to expand the toolbox of (R)-ATAs and contribute to the understanding of this enzyme subfamily. We identified and characterized four new (R)-ATAs. The ATA from Exophiala sideris contains a motif characteristic for d -ATAs, which was previously believed to be a disqualifying factor for (R)-ATA activity. The crystal structure of the ATA from Shinella is the first from a Gram-negative bacterium. The ATAs from Pseudonocardia acaciae and Tetrasphaera japonica are the first characterized (R)-ATAs with a shortened/missing N-terminal helix. The active-site charges vary significantly between the new and known ATAs, correlating with their diverging substrate scope.     

Further results on the disturbance response of a double integrator controlled by a saturating linear static state feedback

In this paper, we study the response to external disturbances of a double integrator with a saturating feedback. For a class of disturbances that have bounded integrals over all intervals, we show that a linear static feedback law can always be designed to ensure boundedness of the states. Moreover, boundedness can be preserved if the disturbance is biased by a small DC signal. In the special case that the disturbance is made up of a finite number of sinusoids and a small bias, any linear static feedback ensures boundedness of the states. These results are an extension of previous results by Wen, Roy, and Saberi (2008).     

Synthesis and Photopolymerization of Tween 20 Methacrylate/N-vinyl-2-Pyrrolidone Blends

Poly(oxyethylene 20 sorbitan) monolaurate (Tween® 20) methacrylates were synthesized by coupling methacryloyl chloride (MeOCl) to Tween 20 in the presence of 4-(N,N-dimethylamino) pyridine, using THF as a solvent, in order to investigate their suitability as precursors for photopolymerizable hydrogels in tissue engineering applications. The degree of substitution could be controlled by adjusting the molar ratio of MeOCl and Tween 20, giving three different monomers: Tween 20 monomethacrylate, Tween 20 dimethacrylate and Tween 20 trimethacrylate. Combined ¹ H NMR and MALDI-TOF MS confirmed these monomers to be of high purity and to have polydispersities less than 1.3. It was shown that aqueous solutions of the monomers were photoactive, all the methacrylate groups reacting within 30 minutes exposure to a UV light intensity of 145 mW/cm². Aqueous Tween 20 trimethacrylate was then combined with N-vinyl-2-pyrrolidone (NVP), giving tough copolymer hydrogels on photopolymerization, whose swelling ratios and swelling rates could be tuned by varying the Tween 20 trimethacrylate content. The use of a flexible spacer with a multifunctional monomer gives a permanent three-dimensional network, whilst maintaining degrees of swelling of between 60 and 85%, with potential for a wide range of biological and non-biological applications.